Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Quality of Internet-sourced Information for Patients With Chronic Pain Is Poor

BackgroundThe Internet is an increasingly popular information resource for patients. Patients with chronic pain are a subsection of the community who are likely to seek information about their condition, but previously little was known about the quality of information they may encounter during an Internet search. AimsThe aims of this study were to develop and validate a scoring system for assessing chronic pain websites and then use this to determine the quality of chronic pain information on the Internet, which a patient employing typical “surfer” behavior might encounter. MethodsA scoring system for assessing chronic pain websites was designed and validated. It comprised quality (design features) and technical (information) accuracy scores. Validity was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients. The search term “chronic pain” was used on 5 popular search engines to identify websites. Only the first 10 sites retrieved were scored. ResultsThere were 23 websites duplicated across the search engines, leaving a total of 27 websites to be scored. The majority of websites were rated as either poor or fair across the 2 individual scores and the grand score. Two websites had a grand score classified as either very good or excellent. ConclusionsAlthough we cannot determine whether patients accurately interpret the quality of websites, our study confirms that good quality information about chronic pain is unlikely to be retrieved by our patients on the Internet.
Role for the P4 amino acid residue in substrate utilization by the poliovirus 3CD proteinase

Amino acid insertions or substitutions were introduced into the poliovirus P1 capsid precursor at locations proximal to the two known Q-G cleavage sites to examine the role of the P4 residue in substrate processing by proteinase 3CD. Analysis of the processing profile of P1 precursors containing four-amino-acid insertions into the carboxy terminus of VP3 or a single-amino-acid substitution at the P4 position of the VP3-VP1 cleavage site demonstrates that substitution of the alanine residue in the P4 position of the VP3-VP1 cleavage site significantly affects cleavage at that site by proteinase 3CD. A single-amino-acid substitution at the P4 position of the VP0-VP3 cleavage site, on the other hand, has only a slight effect on 3CD-mediated processing at this cleavage site. Finally, analysis of six amino acid insertion mutations containing Q-G amino acid pairs demonstrates that the in vitro and in vivo selection of a cleavage site from two adjacent Q-G amino acid pairs depends on the presence of an alanine in the P4 position of the cleaved site. Our data provide genetic and biochemical evidence that the alanine residue in the P4 position of the VP3-VP1 cleavage site is a required substrate determinant for the recognition and cleavage of that site by proteinase 3CD and suggest that the P4 alanine residue may be specifically recognized by proteinase 3CD.
Changes in levels of apoptosis in the walls of different segments of great saphenous varicose veins

Objective Disordered programmed cell death may play a role in the development of superficial venous incompetence. We have determined the number of cells undergoing apoptosis and the alterations in the apoptotic level in the wall of different segments of the great saphenous varicose vein. Methods Twenty-one varicose great saphenous veins (VGSVs) (varicose group) and 12 normal great saphenous veins (GSVs) (control group) were collected, and the apoptosis level in the upper, middle, and lower segments were immunohistochemically stained with antibodies (anti-Bax and anti-Bcl-xl). Apoptosis was evaluated by the TUNEL assay and immunofluorescence staining. The morphology of apoptotic cells was observed with an electron microscope. Results Quantitative analysis showed that the apoptotic ratios in venous walls (intima and media) of the varicose group were significantly lower than the corresponding regions in the control group (all P < 0.05). A significantly higher apoptotic rates of the venous walls was observed in control group within the upper compared with the lower segment (P < 0.05). Significantly higher positive proteins expression rates of Bcl-xl/Bax were also detected in the VGSVs compared with the GSVs within the three segments, respectively (P < 0.01). Electron microscopic observations confirmed that endothelial and smooth muscle cells in varicose and normal vein walls exhibited apoptotic morphologic features, such as fuzzy mitochondrial cristae, medullary changes, and margination of the nuclear chromatin. Conclusion VGSV walls were found to have a significant decrease in apoptotic rate compared with that of GSVs. The rate of apoptosis in the intima and media within the upper segment was increased more than the middle and lower segments in the GSVs. Our findings confirm that programmed cell death is down-regulated in primary varicose veins.
Induction of ureter branching as a response to Wnt‐2b signaling during early kidney organogenesis

Epithelial–mesenchymal tissue interactions play a central role in vertebrate organogenesis, but the molecular mediators and mechanisms of these morphogenetic interactions are still not well characterized. We report here on the expression pattern of Wnt‐2b during mouse organogenesis and on tests of its function in epithelial– mesenchymal interactions during kidney development. Wnt‐2b is expressed in numerous developing organs in the mouse embryo, including the kidney, lung, salivary gland, gut, pancreas, adrenal gland, and genital tubercle. Additional sites of expression include the branchial arches and craniofacial placodes such as the eye and ear. The data suggest that the expression of Wnt‐2b is associated with organs regulated by epithelial–mesenchymal interactions. It is typically localized in the capsular epithelium or peripheral mesenchymal cells of organ rudiments, e.g., the perinephric mesenchymal cells in the region of the presumptive renal stroma in the developing kidney at E11.5. Functional studies of the kidney demonstrate that cells expressing Wnt‐2b are not capable of inducing tubule formation but instead stimulate ureter development. Incubation of isolated ureteric buds on such cells supports bud growth and branching. In addition, recombination of Wnt‐2b‐pretreated ureteric bud tissue with isolated nephrogenic mesenchyme results in a recovery of organogenesis and the expression of epithelial genes within the reconstituted organ explant. Lithium, a known activator of Wnt signaling (Hedgepeth et al. [ 1997 ] Dev Biol 185:82–91), is also sufficient to promote ureter branching in the reconstituted kidney in a comparable manner to Wnt‐2b signaling, whereas Wnt‐4, which induces tubules, neither supports the growth of a ureteric bud nor leads to reconstitution of the ureteric bud with the kidney mesenchyme. We conclude that Wnt‐2b may act in the mouse kidney as an early mesenchymal signal controlling morphogenesis of epithelial tissue, and that the Wnt pathway may regulate ureter branching directly. In addition, Wnt signals in the kidney differ qualitatively and are specific to either the epithelial ureteric bud or the kidney mesenchyme. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Family History and Risk of Renal Cell Carcinoma: Results from a Case-Control Study and Systematic Meta-Analysis

We conducted a case-control analysis, a family-based population analysis, and a meta-analysis to assess the role of family history of cancer and kidney cancer in association with the risk of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). A total of 325 cases and 329 controls were identified from an ongoing case-control study of RCC. Study variables were assessed through 45-minute structured face-to-face interviews. In the case-control analysis, a family history of any cancer (in first-degree relatives) was associated with a nonsignificant 1.2-fold increase in RCC risk [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.8-1.6]. The risk increased to 1.7 and became significant when the relative was a sibling (95% CI, 1.1-2.5). A family history of kidney cancer (kidney cancer in first-degree relatives) was associated with a 4.3-fold significantly increased risk of RCC (95% CI, 1.6-11.9). The cases reported a total of 2,536 first-degree relatives of which 21 (0.8%) had kidney cancer, and the controls reported a total of 2,333 first-degree relatives of which 5 (0.2%) had kidney cancer (P = 0.003). In the family-based population analysis, a family history of kidney cancer was associated with a 2.8-fold increased risk of RCC (95% CI, 1.0-7.8). The meta-analysis further confirmed this significant association with a 2.2-fold increased risk of RCC (95% CI, 1.6-2.9). To our knowledge, this is the first study to use three analytic strategies to investigate the association between a family history of kidney cancer and risk of RCC, and the first systematic evaluation of the relative risk for developing RCC associated with family history. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;18(3):801–7)
Closed loop control for a rotational core loss tester

This paper proposes a flux density waveform controller based on vector control in the synchronous dq reference frame for core loss measurements under rotating magnetic fields. The proposed dq vector controller eliminates the need for realtime Fourier series based harmonic compensation caused due to the electrical steel non-linearity, improving the execution and convergence times of the controller. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for filters and transformer isolators, which further reduces the delays, thus improving the system response. The performance of the controller is analysed using simulations and validated experimentally. The proposed controller is experimentally shown to control the magnetic flux waveforms within 2% of the reference flux density signals at very high intensities (up to 1.9 T) under sinusoidal conditions, and up to 1.2 T under non-sinusoidal conditions.
Genome-Wide CpG Island Profiling of Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms of the Pancreas

Purpose: Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) are precursors to infiltrating pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas. Widespread epigenetic alterations are characteristic of many cancers, yet few studies have systematically analyzed epigenetic alterations of neoplastic precursors. Our goal was to conduct genome-wide CpG island methylation profiling to identify aberrantly methylated loci in IPMNs. Experimental Design: We compared the CpG island methylation profiles of six IPMNs to normal primary pancreatic duct samples using methylation CpG island amplification (MCA) and Agilent CpG island microarray (MCAM) analysis. When selected 13 genes identified as differentially methylated by MCAM for methylation-specific PCR (MSP) analysis in an independent set of IPMNs and normal pancreas samples and conducted expression analysis of selected genes. Results: We identified 2,259 loci as differentially methylated in at least one of six IPMNs including 245 genes hypermethylated in IPMNs with high-grade dysplasia compared with normal pancreatic duct samples. Eleven of 13 genes evaluated by MSP were more commonly methylated in 61 IPMNs than in 43 normal pancreas samples. Several genes (BNIP3, PTCHD2, SOX17, NXPH1, EBF3) were significantly more likely to be methylated in IPMNs with high-grade than with low-grade dysplasia. One gene, SOX17, showed loss of protein expression by immunohistochemistry in 22% (19 of 88) of IPMNs. The most specific marker, BNIP3, was not methylated in any IPMNs with low-grade dysplasia or in normal pancreas samples. Conclusions: IPMNs undergo extensive aberrant CpG island hypermethylation. The detection of genes selectively methylated in high-grade IPMNs such as BNIP3 may have use in the clinical evaluation of IPMNs. Clin Cancer Res; 18(3); 700–12. ©2011 AACR.
Positioning and control of an AUV inside a water pipeline for non-contact in-service inspection

Water pipelines are an important part of our social infrastructure. Early failure detection of the pipelines will help to prevent breakdown and avoid the large cost involved if a accident occurs. As pipelines are enclosed environments and difficult to access, pipeline inspection robots are increasingly used for routine inspection and early failure detection. In our research we propose the use of a small untethered AUV for the visual inspection of the pipeline interior. The vehicle carries optical sensors to aid non-contact motion inside the pipeline and also to capture images of the pipeline interior. The vehicle has identical front and rear sections and has a pair of cone laser and fish eye camera on either ends. The cone lasers and cameras act as range sensors as well as payload to capture pipe line interior images. A realtime vision based control system was developed for the autonomous operation of the proposed vehicle inside pipelines. A new offline position estimation algorithm estimates lateral position and pose of the vehicle inside pipeline. Laboratory experiments were performed in a test pipeline without and with water flow. The results of the experiment show that the proposed technique is efficient for non-contact inspection of a pipeline and helps to make vehicle compact to navigate through the enclosed environment inside pipelines.
Normal Organ Weights in Men: Part I—The Heart

AbstractIt has been shown that cardiac enlargement, whether hypertrophic or dilated, is an independent risk factor for sudden cardiac death, although the definition of what constitutes cardiac enlargement is not universally established. This study was designed to address this issue and to determine normal cardiac weights in adult men. A prospective study was undertaken of healthy men dying from sudden traumatic deaths aged 18 to 35 years. Cases were excluded if there was a history of medical illness including illicit drug use; prolonged medical treatment was performed; there was a prolonged period between the time of injury and death; body length and weight could not be accurately assessed; there was significant cardiac injury; or any illness or intoxication was identified after gross and microscopic analysis, including evidence of systemic disease. A total of 232 cases met the criteria for inclusion in the study during the approximately 6-year period of data collection from 2005 to 2011. The decedents had an average age of 23.9 years and ranged in length from 146 to 193 cm with an average length of 173 cm. Their weights ranged from 48.5 to 153 kg with an average weight of 76.4 kg. Most decedents (87%) died of either ballistic or blunt force (including craniocerebral) injuries. Overall, their heart weights ranged from 188 to 575 g with an average of 331 g and an SD of 56.7 g. Regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between heart weight and body weight, body length, and body mass index and found insufficient associations to enable predictability. The authors, therefore, propose establishing a reference range for heart weight in men, much like those in use for other laboratory tests including hemoglobin, hematocrit, or glucose. A reference range (95% inclusion) of 233 to 383 g for the adult male human heart is proposed.
RACE FORMATION, SPECIATION, AND INTROGRESSION WITHIN DROSOPHILA SIMULANS, D. MAURITIANA, AND D. SECHELLIA INFERRED FROM MITOCHONDRIAL DNA ANALYSIS

Mitochondrial DNA cleavage maps from three chromosomally homosequential species Drosophila simulans, D. mauritiana, and D. sechellia, were established for 12 restriction enzymes. One isofemale strain was studied in D. sechellia (se), 13 in D. simulans, and 17 in D. mauritiana: in the last two species, respectively, three (siI, II, and III) and two (maI and II) cleavage morphs were found. The evolutionary relationships based on mtDNA cleavage map comparisons show that the maI and se mtDNAs are internal branches of the phylogenetic tree of the D. simulans mtDNA. D. mauritiana and D. sechellia species appear to be derived from a population of D. simulans which carried an ancestral form of the current siI mtDNA type. In addition, two cleavage morphs (siIII [only present in D. simulans from Madagascar] and maI) appeared to be identical, although found in different species. We present a speculative interpretation of data on biogeography and hybridization which is consistent with the hypothesis of a recent introgression of mitochondrial DNA of D. simulans from Madagascar into D. mauritiana.
A New Field Test Method for Determining Energy Efficiency of Induction Motor

Electric motors and the drive systems approximately consume half of the global electricity consumption. In the European Union (EU), electric motors and the drive systems are estimated to account for about 70% of all industrial electricity consumption. Therefore, mandatory applications accrue from the legislation of governments or unions like the EU for customs and market surveillance or eco-design requirements. The mandatory applications and the global market size find out the necessity of efficiency measurement. There are several compliance and precompliance efficiency test methods in the literature. The compliance tests should execute reliable, accurate, and reproducible results. The purpose of this paper is to define a simple field method that will be used for measuring and determining in-service efficiency at industrial conditions. The proposed method in this paper is an inexpensive and easy method that would help to energy managers and engineers to make correct decision in replacing inefficient motors with efficient and new ones. In this paper, a novel induction motor-efficiency model function has been proposed based on the International Electrotechnical Commission 60034-2-1 standard equations, and a new field test procedure has been used in efficiency estimation. The new efficiency model function variables and constants are determined from the regression analysis, which depends on 86 tests of 437 different load points’ efficiency data. Furthermore, the proposed field test procedure, equations, and compliance test methods are tested on a sample motor in laboratory, and the results are compared to each other.
Rostral anterior cingulate volume predicts treatment response to cognitive-behavioural therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder.

OBJECTIVE To index the extent to which treatment response in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is predicted by rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) volume. METHOD We used structural magnetic resonance imaging in a 1.5 T scanner to examine subjects with PTSD (n = 13), traumatized control subjects (n = 13) and nontraumatized control subjects (n = 13). Subjects with PTSD then participated in 8 sessions of cognitive-behavioural therapy, after which we reassessed them for PTSD. RESULTS According to voxel-based morphometry, treatment responders had larger rACC volume than nonresponders. Further, symptom reduction was associated with larger rACC volume. CONCLUSION Consistent with evidence for the neural bases of extinction learning, PTSD patients with larger rACC volume may be better able to regulate fear during cognitive-behavioural therapy and thus achieve greater treatment gains.
[Kinematic deterministic chaos of fluids and fractal geometry in the carotid system].

INTRODUCTION Atherosclerosis is a generalized vascular disorder which tends to be localized to specific arterial territories. At the bifurcation of the carotid artery there is a marked predisposition to form plaques of atheroma on the postero-external wall. This tendency is due to the kinematics of fluids and their particular morphological characteristics which are unique in the vascular system. The carotid tree is a physical, non-lineal or in 'non-equilibrium', dynamic system which depends on the fluctuating contribution of energy from the cardiac cycle. It has fractal geometry which follows the Law of Biology of maximum efficiency with a minimum of effort. DEVELOPMENT The complexity of the relationship between the haemo-rheological and anatomical factors, and the periodic oscillation of flow does not permit use of simple models and classical determinist equations to describe idealized systems of continuous movement and Newtonian fluids. On the contrary, since we are considering a complex dissipative dynamic system. It has marked intrinsic operational freedom adapting its responses to external disturbances well, thus determining vasculo-cerebral autoregulation. The theories of Determinist Chaos and of the Science of Complexity imply the existence of emerging properties which exceed those of the individual elements in the dynamic systems in non-equilibrium, which tend to function in the 'frontier of chaos' at the critical points of phase transition. The carotid tree has non-linear properties, appearance of order and fractal 'sibisemejanza'. Pseudo-chaotic vortices appear--in regions of phase transition between laminar flow and turbulence--with the emergence of a 'strange attractor' near to the postero-external wall of the bulb. CONCLUSIONS The anatomical and kinematic complexity of the system, together with the irreversibility of the second Law of Thermodynamics, lead to a long-term tendency towards the appearance of a region of stagnant flow with increased Entropy in the territory of the strange attractor which determines--as an inevitable long-term outcome--the tendency to the appearance of atherosclerosis at this particular point.
Adaptogenic activity of a novel withanolide‐free aqueous fraction from the roots of Withania somnifera Dun. (Part II)

In the Indian traditional system of medicine Withania somnifera Dun. is widely regarded as the Indian Ginseng. A new withanolide‐free hydrosoluble fraction was isolated from the roots of Withania somnifera Dun. and was evaluated for putative antistress activity against a battery of tests to delineate the activity of this fraction. The latter fraction exhibited signiﬁcant antistress activity in a dose‐related manner (Singh et al., 2001) and was further studied against chemical and physical induced stress in rats and mice. The extract of Withania somnifera root (a commercial preparation available locally) was also used to compare the results. A preliminary acute toxicity study in mice showed a good margin of safety with a high therapeutic index. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Improved resolution and crosstalk rejection in Multi-Line Transmit ultrasound imaging using Delay Multiply and Sum beamforming

The frame rate of ultrasound images can be increased by simultaneously transmitting several focused beams along different directions, according to the method called Multi-Line Transmission (MLT). Unfortunately, the interference among beams may generate crosstalk artifacts that can be partially prevented, at the expense of lateral resolution, by applying Tukey apodization on transmission and reception. In this paper we propose to improve the receive crosstalk rejection and the lateral resolution in MLT images by means of the non-linear Filtered Delay Multiply And Sum (F-DMAS) beamformer, which was proved to lower the beam side lobes and to narrow the main lobe. The performance of F-DMAS in MLT is tested and compared to that of standard Delay and Sum (DAS) beamforming with Tukey apodization, both in simulation and experimental phantom image acquisitions. Results show significant improvements in terms of resolution and contrast with a 4-times higher frame rate.