Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Babinski's clinical differentiation of organic paralysis from hysterical paralysis: effect on US neurology.

BACKGROUND The formalized neurological examination developed near the end of the 19th century, and clinicians searched for signs to differentiate weakness due to structural lesions of the central nervous system (organic paralysis) from weakness caused by hysteria. Joseph F. F. Babinski worked in the shadow of his mentor, Jean M. Charcot, until 1893, but then developed independent studies to examine patients with both types of weakness. OBJECTIVES To elucidate the role of Babinski in differentiating organic paralysis from hysterical paralysis and to describe his influence on 2 US neurologists, Charles Gilbert Chaddock and Charles Franklin Hoover. DESIGN Primary and secondary sources were studied to outline the discoveries of Babinski and to determine his influence on US neurology. RESULTS Babinski described toe extension in cases of organic paralysis and specifically stated that this sign did not occur in cases of hysterical paralysis. Chaddock and Hoover were influenced by the work of Babinski and disseminated his discoveries to US neurologists, each developing additional techniques to differentiate the 2 forms of paralysis. Each considered his technique superior to the Babinski toe sign. CONCLUSIONS Although Babinski was only modestly appreciated by his contemporary peers of French neurology, his influence on US neurology was substantial. The Babinski, Chaddock, and Hoover signs that demonstrate whether structurally related upper motor neuron weakness exists continue to be useful maneuvers in separating these forms of paralysis from psychogenic weakness.
Immunohistochemical demonstration of amyloid P component in skin of normal subjects and patients with cutaneous amyloidosis

The presence of amyloid P component (AP) in dermal deposits of cutaneous atnyloidosis was demonstrated by a direct immunofluorescence technique using an antibody to serum amyloid P component (SAP). AP was also shown, for the first time, to be a constituent of normal human skin. It was present at the periphery of dermal elastic tissue fibres, in basement membranes of dermal blood vessels and surrounding eccrine sweat glands but was absent from the dermo‐epidermal basement membrane. The staining pattern in cutaneous amyloidosis was morphologically distinctive and readily distinguishable from staining of thickened vascular basement membranes in porphyria. Itnmunofluorescence with anti‐SAP is simple and specific and may become the procedure of choice in the differential diagnosis of amyloidosis.
Sequence-encoded colloidal origami and microbot assemblies from patchy magnetic cubes

Sequence-encoded assembly of patchy magnetic microcubes enables making self-reconfiguring colloidal origami and “microbots. ” Colloidal-scale assemblies that reconfigure on demand may serve as the next generation of soft “microbots,” artificial muscles, and other biomimetic devices. This requires the precise arrangement of particles into structures that are preprogrammed to reversibly change shape when actuated by external fields. The design and making of colloidal-scale assemblies with encoded directional particle-particle interactions remain a major challenge. We show how assemblies of metallodielectric patchy microcubes can be engineered to store energy through magnetic polarization and release it on demand by microscale reconfiguration. The dynamic pattern of folding and reconfiguration of the chain-like assemblies can be encoded in the sequence of the cube orientation. The residual polarization of the metallic facets on the microcubes leads to local interactions between the neighboring particles, which is directed by the conformational restrictions of their shape after harvesting energy from external magnetic fields. These structures can also be directionally moved, steered, and maneuvered by global forces from external magnetic fields. We illustrate these capabilities by examples of assemblies of specific sequences that can be actuated, reoriented, and spatially maneuvered to perform microscale operations such as capturing and transporting live cells, acting as prototypes of microbots, micromixers, and other active microstructures.
Genetic mapping of nth, a gene affecting endonuclease III (thymine glycol-DNA glycosylase) in Escherichia coli K-12

The nth gene of Escherichia coli affects the production of endonuclease III, a glycosylase-endonuclease that attacks DNA damaged by oxidizing agents or by ionizing radiation. An nth insertion mutant and a deletion mutant were studied. nth is located between add and tyrS on the linkage map of E. coli K-12 and was 97% linked to tyrS in a transduction with phage P1.
Association of Long-Term Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution with Blood Pressure and Hypertension in an Adult Population–Based Cohort in Spain (the REGICOR Study)

Background: Long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution may increase blood pressure (BP) and induce hypertension. However, evidence supporting these associations is limited, and they may be confounded by exposure to traffic noise and biased due to inappropriate control for use of BP-lowering medications. Objectives: We evaluated the associations of long-term traffic-related air pollution with BP and prevalent hypertension, adjusting for transportation noise and assessing different methodologies to control for BP-lowering medications. Methods: We measured systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) at baseline (years 2003–2005) in 3,700 participants, 35–83 years of age, from a population-based cohort in Spain. We estimated home outdoor annual average concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) with a land-use regression model. We used multivariate linear and logistic regression. Results: A 10-μg/m3 increase in NO2 levels was associated with 1.34 mmHg (95% CI: 0.14, 2.55) higher SBP in nonmedicated individuals, after adjusting for transportation noise. Results were similar in the entire population after adjusting for medication, as commonly done, but weaker when other methods were used to account for medication use. For example, when 10 mmHg were added to the measured SBP levels of medicated participants, the association was β = 0.78 (95% CI: –0.43, 2.00). NO2 was not associated with hypertension. Associations of NO2 with SBP and DBP were stronger in participants with cardiovascular disease, and the association with SBP was stronger in those exposed to high traffic density and traffic noise levels ≥ 55 dB(A). Conclusions: We observed a positive association between long-term exposure to NO2 and SBP, after adjustment for transportation noise, which was sensitive to the methodology used to account for medication. Citation: Foraster M, Basagaña X, Aguilera I, Rivera M, Agis D, Bouso L, Deltell A, Marrugat J, Ramos R, Sunyer J, Vila J, Elosua R, Künzli N. 2014. Association of long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution with blood pressure and hypertension in an adult population–based cohort in Spain (the REGICOR study). Environ Health Perspect 122:404–411; http://dx.doi. org/10.1289/ehp.1306497
The Consultation Conference: A New Model of Collaboration for Child Psychiatry and Primary Care

Because of the relative shortage of available child psychiatrists, primary-care providers are increasingly expanding their role in the provision of mental health care. Accordingly, there is an increased need to develop a standardized approach to teaching specialized skills to these providers. One method of doing so is to expand the child psychiatrist’s consultative role to include the structured discussion of patient cases. By emphasizing the reasoning behind treatment recommendations, the psychiatrist can assist the primary-care provider in applying this knowledge to other patients in his or her practice. A group setting, or “consultation conference,” can be used to involve more providers—who, in turn, become resources for each other. This model of a group conference adapts principles of adult learning (1–5) to facilitate the dual consultative and educational goals. Providers who care for patients in the same (or similar) setting come together as a group to share their experience and knowledge. The psychiatrist assists in that group setting, functioning both as expert resource and facilitator. Participants discuss problem cases, thus learning in their own context while receiving assistance in the understanding and management of actual patients (indirect consultation).
Hormonal aspects of epithelial ovarian cancer: review of epidemiological evidence

Epithelial ovarian cancer is fairly common with high rates in Scandinavia, intermediate rates in western Europe and North America and low rates in the developing countries and in Japan. The 5-year survival rate is less than 40%. Increasing parity consistently gives a strong protection against epithelial ovarian cancer. A lesser degree of protection is probably derived from incomplete pregnancies and lactation. Ages at menarche and menopause are most probably weak predictors of epithelial ovarian cancer risk. Ever users of oral contraceptives (OC) have 30% lower risk compared to never users. The protection increases with duration of OC use, being about 50% after 5 years. The reduced risk among past OC users persists for at least 10 years after cessation of use. Results concerning hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and epithelial ovarian cancer risk are conflicting, but most data point to a weak or no association, but as an increasing number of women use HRT it still seems important to resolve any potential effect. Infertility adds to epithelial ovarian cancer risk in nulliparous women, while temporary fertility problems in parous women do not appear to increase risk. A possible independent risk effect of fertility drug use has not been easy to assess and remains unresolved. It has been particularly difficult to separate the effects of fertility drugs from those of infertility. Tubal ligation and hysterectomy convey protection against epithelial ovarian cancer, possibly through a suppressed ovarian hormone production. The causes of epithelial ovarian cancer are poorly understood, but reproductive hormones are thought to be involved in the aetiology. For a long time the 'incessant' and 'gonadotrophin' hypotheses have been promoted in relation to carcinogenesis. Both hypotheses find support in ovarian cancer epidemiology, and recent progress in molecular biology adds to the understanding of possible aetiological mechanisms. Another hypothesis focuses on the retrograde transport of contaminants or carcinogens through the Fallopian tubes. It is important to establish if the same risk factors apply to the various histological types of ovarian cancer, as particularly the mucinous ovarian tumours seem to present with different risk factors. Another question to resolve is if sporadic vs. inherited cases carry distinct risk profiles. As the hypotheses above do not explain all of the results derived from ovarian cancer epidemiology, there is a need to test additional hypotheses to possibly define preventive programmes and to come closer to the cause of ovarian cancer.
Decreasing incidence rate for surgically treated middle ear cholesteatoma in Denmark 1977-2007.

INTRODUCTION The objective was to estimate the annual incidence rate of surgically treated middle ear cholesteatoma (STMEC) in Denmark from 1977 to 2007, taking age, gender and secular trends into consideration. MATERIAL AND METHODS We used the Danish National Hospital Register to identify all registered cases of STMEC in Denmark between 1977 and 2007. Only the first registration of STEMC (STEMC1) was used for estimation of the annual incidence rate. RESULTS A total of 13,606 cases of STMEC1 were identified. The highest incidence rates were seen in the beginning of the eighties with a maximum male incidence rate of 14.3 per 100,000 person-years in 1982 and a maximum female incidence rate of 9.1 per 100,000 person-years in 1981. In 2007 the incidence rate per 100,000 person-years was 8.5 for males and 5.4 for females. The age-specific incidence rate peaked at approx. nine years for both males and females with incidence rates of 21.4 and 13.6 per 100,000 person-years, respectively. The male:female incidence rate ratio was 1.51. CONCLUSION The incidence rate of STMEC1 in Denmark showed a statistically significant decrease from 1977 to 2007. A male predominance was found. The age-specific incidence rate peaked at the age of approx. nine years. Further studies are required to perform a detailed analysis of factors that may influence the incidence rate of STMEC1, e.g. the incidence of grommet insertion and adenoidectomy, antibiotic treatment of middle ear infections and an expanding use of otomicroscopy in the early 1980s.
Gene Expression Microarrays in Microgravity Research: Toward the Identification of Major Space Genes

Crewmembers of space flights commonly experience certain health condition changes such as immune system dysregulation, musculoskeletal changes (e.g., significant bone and muscle loss), and neurological alterations. Since the space exploration of the 1960s and 1970s, physiological changes in several organ systems due to weightlessness have been identified. Some of the adverse effects are a decline in cellular immune responses (Leach et al, 1990; Cogoli 1993; Pippia et al; 1996; Borchers et al, 2002;), cardiovascular deconditioning (Fritsch-Yelle, et al 1996), bone deterioration (Mack et al 1967; Vose et al 1974; Atkov 1992; Schneider et al, 1995; Collet et al, 1997) and muscular atrophy (Thomason and Booth 1990; Aubers et al, 2005; Trappe et al, 2009). Human exposure to microgravity has been demonstrated to be a major environmental factor during space flight (Cogoli et al 1993; Ullrich et al, 2008). Many of the adverse effects of microgravity have much in common with earthbound health problems related to low physical activity or less mechanical loading. For example, bone and muscle loss as well as immune system dysfunction are some of the main consequences common to both extended spaceflight and physical inactivity such as that associated with the aging population and people suffering from degenerative disorders. In a recent review article, mechanotransduction is attributed as the possible convergence point for all the “abnormalities” associated with aging and microgravity because human adaptation to microgravity has all the features of accelerated aging (reviewed by Vernikos & Schneider 2010). More recently, similarities between the clinical presentation (such as atrophy in muscle and bone, cardiovascular disturbances, and alterations in renal, immune and sensory motor systems) of individuals living with spinal cord injury (SCI) and those who experience prolonged gravity unloading (especially astronauts) are reviewed (Scott et al, 2011). It is evident that continued effort in microgravity research will deeper our understanding of space adaptation response and improve many of our health-related problems on earth. Thus, microgravity based research can further our understanding of human diseases such as SCI, diabetes, osteoporosis and premature aging that are related to physical inactivity. Most effective counter measures can then be formulated to ensure safe experience in microgravity and promote healthy beings especially at the senior level.
The choice between delta and shift operators for low-precision data representation

Low-precision data types for embedded applications reduce the power consumption and enhance the price-performance ratio. Inconsistence between the specified accuracy of a designed filter or controller and an imprecise data type can be overcome using the δ-operator, an alternative to the traditional discrete-time z-operator. Though in many cases it significantly increases accuracy, sometimes it shows no advantage over the shift operator. So the problem of choice between delta and shift operator arises. Therefore, a study on δ-operator applicability bounds is needed to solve this problem and provide δ-operator efficient practical use. In this paper we introduce a concept of the δ-operator applicability criterion. The discrete system implementation technique with discrete-time operator choice is given for the low-precision machine arithmetic.
Factors influencing advanced practitioners' ability to enact leadership: a case study within Irish healthcare.

AIM To report the factors that influence clinical specialists' and advanced nurse practitioners' ability to enact their clinical and professional leadership roles; findings from the SCAPE study. BACKGROUND The importance of leadership for specialist and advanced practitioners is highlighted in the international literature and is considered an important factor in the provision of improved patient outcomes. Despite many studies identifying the barriers in developing and integrating new specialist/advanced practice roles into health services, little is known about the factors that influence the leadership dimension of their role. METHOD A case study design involving 23 clinical specialist/advanced practitioners working in Ireland and multidisciplinary team members working with them, was used. Data were collected using interview, observation and documentary analysis. RESULTS Four mediating factors influence the specialist/advanced practitioner's ability to perform a leadership role, namely the presence of a framework for the professional development of the role; opportunities to act as leaders; mechanisms for sustaining leadership; and personal attributes of practitioners. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT Nursing/midwifery leaders and managers at all levels have a key role in supporting leadership potential, through countering the negative impact of professional isolation, expanding opportunities for specialist/advanced practitioners to influence policy and network with wider professional groups.
Estimating the Relative Utility of Screening Mammography

Background. The concept of diagnostic utility is a fundamental component of signal detection theory, going back to some of its earliest works. Attaching utility values to the various possible outcomes of a diagnostic test should, in principle, lead to meaningful approaches to evaluating and comparing such systems. However, in many areas of medical imaging, utility is not used because it is presumed to be unknown. Methods. In this work, we estimate relative utility (the utility benefit of a detection relative to that of a correct rejection) for screening mammography using its known relation to the slope of a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve at the optimal operating point. The approach assumes that the clinical operating point is optimal for the goal of maximizing expected utility and therefore the slope at this point implies a value of relative utility for the diagnostic task, for known disease prevalence. We examine utility estimation in the context of screening mammography using the Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trials (DMIST) data. Results. We show how various conditions can influence the estimated relative utility, including characteristics of the rating scale, verification time, probability model, and scope of the ROC curve fit. Relative utility estimates range from 66 to 227. Conclusions. We argue for one particular set of conditions that results in a relative utility estimate of 162 (±14%). This is broadly consistent with values in screening mammography determined previously by other means. At the disease prevalence found in the DMIST study (0.59% at 365-day verification), optimal ROC slopes are near unity, suggesting that utility-based assessments of screening mammography will be similar to those found using Youden’s index.
An efficient page replacement algorithm for NAND flash memory

An efficient page replacement algorithm, which is named EPRA and customized for different kinds of NAND flash memories with different cost ratios of write operation to read operation, is proposed in this paper. Each dirty victim page candidate within the main memory is divided into a fixed number of flash pages. EPRA assigns a weighted value to each victim page candidate and selects a victim page candidate that has the least weighted value as a victim page. The elapsed time of each dirty flash page since the most recent reference is used to classify the dirty flash pages within the dirty victim page into the hot dirty flash pages and cold ones. When a dirty victim page is selected, EPRA only writes the dirty flash pages within the victim page back to NAND flash memory by separating the hot dirty flash pages from the cold ones and writing them to different free blocks within the NAND flash memory. Trace-driven simulations show that the proposed EPRA algorithm is superior to existing page replacement algorithms when they are performed on different kinds of NAND flash memories.
Thrombospondin Type-1 Repeat Domain-Containing Proteins Are Strongly Expressed in the Head Region of Hydra

The head region of Hydra, the hypostome, is a key body part for developmental control and the nervous system. We herein examined genes specifically expressed in the head region of Hydra oligactis using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cloning. A total of 1414 subtracted clones were sequenced and found to be derived from at least 540 different genes by BLASTN analyses. Approximately 25% of the subtracted clones had sequences encoding thrombospondin type-1 repeat (TSR) domains, and were derived from 17 genes. We identified 11 TSR domain-containing genes among the top 36 genes that were the most frequently detected in our SSH library. Whole-mount in situ hybridization analyses confirmed that at least 13 out of 17 TSR domain-containing genes were expressed in the hypostome of Hydra oligactis. The prominent expression of TSR domain-containing genes suggests that these genes play significant roles in the hypostome of Hydra oligactis.
The reptilian oviduct: a review of structure and function and directions for future research.

The reptilian oviduct is a complex organ with a variety of functions (albumen production, eggshell production, placentation, oviposition or parturition, and sperm storage), depending on the parity mode of the species in question. These functions are under complex physiological control, the details of which are far from understood. The aims of this review are to summarise the information available concerning the structure and functions of the reptilian oviduct and to highlight areas in particular need of further research.
Short-Term Effects of South Louisiana and Kuwait Crude Oils on Glucose Utilization by Marine Bacterial Populations

Two crude oils, South Louisiana and Kuwait, were examined for their impact on glucose utilization by bacterial populations from the Gulf of Mexico. The uptake and mineralization of [U-14C]glucose was assayed after a 4- to 23-h exposure to various concentrations of added crude oil (0, 0.001, 0.01, and 0.1% [vol/vol]). The effects of oil were determined in a total of 15 sediment and 13 water samples collected from offshore, open-bay, and salt marsh environments. The utilization of glucose by bacterial populations usually was not affected by added oil; in 10 sediment and 11 water samples, oil had no significant effect on either glucose uptake or mineralization. Stimulation by oil was recorded in four sediment samples. Oil inhibition occurred in one sediment and two water samples, but only in the presence of the highest concentration of added oil, i.e., 0.1%. Our data suggest that short-term exposure to either South Louisiana or Kuwait crude oil, even at 0.1%, usually has no toxic effect on glucose utilization by marine bacterial populations.