Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pediatric Cochlear Implant Patient Performance as a Function of Age at Implantation

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the effect that age at implantation has on performance of children who received multichannel cochlear implants. Study Design: This is a retrospective study of 295 children who were broken down into 5 age groups based on age at implantation: 1–3 years, 3–5 years, 5–7 years, 7–9 years, and 9–11 years. Speech perception test scores obtained 12, 24, and 36 months postactivation were compared for the 5 groups using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Setting: This study was carried out at a tertiary academic medical center. Patients: Subjects consisted of 295 children who ranged in age from 12 months to 10 years 11 months at the time they obtained their cochlear implant. Intervention: All patients received their cochlear implant at a single implant facility. Main Outcome Measures: Performance on several speech perception tests was compared 12, 24, and 36 months postactivation. Performance was evaluated as a function of age at implantation. Results: Patients in all 5 groups demonstrated improved scores when compared with scores obtained preoperatively with hearing aids. Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a significant group by time interaction for 3 of the 5 measures. For all three of these measures, children implanted at younger ages demonstrated greater gains in speech perception over time than children implanted at older ages. Conclusions: These results are in agreement with those of previous studies indicating that early implantation facilitates improved development of speech perception skills in profoundly deaf children.
Activation of the Jun N-Terminal Kinase Pathway by Friend Spleen Focus-Forming Virus and Its Role in the Growth and Survival of Friend Virus-Induced Erythroleukemia Cells

ABSTRACT Members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family, including Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK) and extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK), play an important role in the proliferation of erythroid cells in response to erythropoietin (Epo). Erythroid cells infected with the Friend spleen focus-forming virus (SFFV) proliferate in the absence of Epo and show constitutive activation of Epo signal transduction pathways. We previously demonstrated that the ERK pathway was constitutively activated in Friend SFFV-infected erythroid cells, and in this study JNK is also shown to be constitutively activated. Pharmacological inhibitors of both the ERK and JNK pathways stopped the proliferation of primary erythroleukemic cells from Friend SFFV-infected mice, with little induction of apoptosis, and furthermore blocked their ability to form Epo-independent colonies. However, only the JNK inhibitor blocked the proliferation of erythroleukemia cell lines derived from these mice. The JNK inhibitor caused significant apoptosis in these cell lines as well as an increase in the fraction of cells in G2/M and undergoing endoreduplication. In contrast, the growth of erythroleukemia cell lines derived from Friend murine leukemia virus (MuLV)-infected mice was inhibited by both the MEK and JNK inhibitors. JNK is important for AP1 activity, and we found that JNK inhibitor treatment reduced AP1 DNA-binding activity in primary erythroleukemic splenocytes from Friend SFFV-infected mice and in erythroleukemia cell lines from Friend MuLV-infected mice but did not alter AP1 DNA binding in erythroleukemia cell lines from Friend SFFV-infected mice. These data suggest that JNK plays an important role in cell proliferation and/or the survival of erythroleukemia cells.
Generalized functional and decorative filleting and blending operations

The use of blending and filleting operations in solid modeling and computer-aided geometric design is well established. The question of filling a gap between two (or more) surface boundaries or rounding a sharp edge has been extensively investigated. The vast majority of the prior work on blending and filleting concentrated on a wide variety of fitting schemes as well as attempts to establish and guarantee better continuity conditions. This work extends the notion of filleting and blending modeling tools and elevates them into shaping operations that are either functional or ornamental in nature. The extended shaping operations can be conducted between two boundaries of two adjacent surfaces, much like traditional blending or filleting methods. Furthermore, the presented extended forms can also be applied to the interior of a single surface, guided by arbitrary parametric curves in the domain of the patch.
Psychological and Biological Correlates of Fatigue After Mild-to-Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury

Relationships between chronic perceived stress, cortisol response (area under the curve) and posttraumatic brain injury fatigue were examined with persons from outpatient settings. Seventy-five injured persons with traumatic brain injury and their relatives/significant others participated in this cross-sectional study. Using interviews and self-reported data from the Neurofunctional Behavioral Inventory, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Profile of Mood States-Fatigue subscale, the McGill Pain Scale, as well as self-collection of salivary cortisol over a 12-hour period ( N = 50), we found that perceived chronic stress explained 40% of the variance in fatigue until depressive symptoms and pain were in the model. Hypocortisolemia was evident. Somatic symptom frequency and perceived chronic stress represented 50% of the variability in post-TBI fatigue. Fatigue and stress management interventions, as suggested in the Centers for Disease Control Acute Concussion guidelines, may be beneficial in reducing this common symptom.
Multiply Resistant (MR) Salmonella enterica Serotype Typhimurium DT 12 and DT 120: A Case of MR DT 104 in Disguise?

Multiresistant Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium definitive phage type (DT) 12 and DT 120 are more closely related to DT 104 than to non-multiresistant strains of their respective phage types. Multiresistant DT 12 and DT 120 appear to have arisen due to changes in phage susceptibility of DT 104 rather than horizontal transfer of resistance genes.
Evidence that Replication of the Antitumor Adenovirus ONYX-015 Is Not Controlled by the p53 and p14ARF Tumor Suppressor Genes

ABSTRACT The adenovirus mutant ONYX-015 is in phase III clinical trials as a novel antitumor therapy. Its apparent efficacy is thought to be due to its ability to replicate selectively in tumor cells defective in the signaling pathway for p53. Recent data have shown that p14ARF, a positive regulator of p53, inhibits ONYX-015 replication in cells with a wild-type p53, a phenotype that characterizes normal cells. We, however, found that ONYX-015 activates p53 in tumor cells and in normal cells and that this can occur without p14ARF induction. We also show that ONYX-015 is not attenuated in cells with functional p53, whether or not p14ARF is expressed, and that where attenuation does occur, it is cell type specific.
Current Similarity Analysis-Based Open-Circuit Fault Diagnosis for Two-Level Three-Phase PWM Rectifier

This paper proposed a novel single and multiple transistors open-circuit fault diagnosis method for two-level three-phase pulse-width modulating rectifier based on topology symmetry analysis in healthy and faulty conditions. First, similarity measurements between any two phase current linklists contained samples in a period after reconstruction and shape analysis, such as Euclidean distance, correlation coefficient, and cosine angle, are used to describe the symmetry of topology and divide the faults into three classes, then two extra features are extracted to locate the fault to broken leg and transistors, respectively. The proposed diagnostic method is robust, low cost, and easy to insert to the existed control system. The effectiveness and merit were evaluated by experimental results.
A constrained-transport E-CUSP scheme for ideal magnetohydrodynamic equations

The constrained transport algorithm combined with an E-CUSP scheme is developed to solve the ideal magnetohydrodynamic equations. The algorithm can preserve the divergence-free condition for the magnetic field and maintain the advantages of simplicity and low diffusion of the E-CUSP scheme. The numerical results demonstrate the robustness and efficiency of this new algorithm.
Comparison of maximum cross-correlation coefficient between blood pressure and heart rate with traditional index associated with baroreflex sensitivity

In general, it is difficult to compare biological reactions to some kind of stimulation among subjects on the basis of a single physiological parameter such as heart rate variability because there is a large individual variability in its values. A solution to this problem is to utilize the correlation between physiological parameters. In previous works, the maximum cross-correlation coefficient between heart rate and blood pressure variabilities changed when subjects were strongly affected by visual stimulation. In the present work, this index was compared with a traditional one associated with the arterial baroreflex gain to investigate the mechanism of the change in the index. Resting heart rate and continuous blood pressure of twenty-eight healthy adults were measured for five minutes and analyzed. The results showed that these two indices changed similarly to each other while there was little correlation in the mean value between them. Furthermore, the lag time from blood pressure variability to heart rate variability was inversely correlated with the traditional index.
Lifetime assessment of electronic components for high reliability aerospace applications

This paper details a modelling approach for assessing the in-service (field) reliability and thermal fatigue life-time of electronic package interconnects for components used in the assembly of an aerospace system. The finite element slice model of a plastic ball grid array (PBGA) package and suitable energy based damage models for crack length predictions are used in this study. Thermal fatigue damage induced in tin-lead solder joints are investigated by simulating the crack growth process under a set of prescribed field temperature profiles that cover the period of operational life. The overall crack length in the solder joint for all different thermal profiles and number of cycles for each profile is predicted using a superposition technique. The effect of using an underfill is also presented. A procedure for verifying the field lifetime predictions for the electronic package by using reliability assessment under accelerated thermal cycle (ATC) testing is also briefly outlined.
Roles of IL-1 and TNF in the decreased ileal muscle contractility induced by lipopolysaccharide

Lodato, Robert F. , A. Rizwan Khan, Malgorzata J. Zembowicz, Norman W. Weisbrodt, Thomas A. Pressley, Yong-Fang Li, Joseph A. Lodato, Artur Zembowicz, and Frank G. Moody. Roles of IL-1 and TNF in the decreased ileal muscle contractility induced by lipopolysaccharide. Am. J. Physiol. 276 (Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 39): G1356– G1362, 1999. —Gastrointestinal stasis during sepsis may be associated with gastrointestinal smooth muscle dysfunction. Endotoxin [lipopolysaccharide (LPS)] impairs smooth muscle contraction, in part through inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS II) and enhanced nitric oxide production. We studied the roles of tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) in this process by using TNF binding protein (TNFbp) and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra). Rats were treated with TNFbp and IL-1ra, or their vehicles, 1 h before receiving LPS or saline. At 5 h after LPS, contractility was measured in strips of ileal longitudinal smooth muscle, and NOS II activity was measured in full-thickness segments of ileum. LPS decreased maximum stress (mean 6 SE) from 508 6 55 (control) to 355 6 33 g/cm2 (P , 0.05). Pretreatment with TNFbp plus IL-1ra prevented the LPS-induced decrease. Separate studies of TNFbp alone or IL-1ra alone indicated that, at the doses and timing used, TNFbp was more effective. LPS also increased NOS II activity by . 10-fold (P , 0.01) over control. This increase was prevented by TNFbp plus IL-1ra (P 5 not significant vs. control). We conclude that the LPS-induced increase in NOS II activity and the decrease in ileal muscle contractility are mediated by TNF and IL-1.
Aerosolized prostacyclin for acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

BACKGROUND Acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are critical conditions that are associated with high mortality and morbidity. Aerosolized prostacyclin has been used to improve oxygenation despite the limited evidence available so far. OBJECTIVES To systematically assess the benefits and harms of aerosolized prostacyclin in critically ill patients with ALI and ARDS. SEARCH STRATEGY We identified randomized clinical trials (RCTs) from electronic databases: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2010, Issue 1); MEDLINE; EMBASE; Science Citation Index Expanded; International Web of Science; CINAHL; LILACS; and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (to 31st January 2010). We contacted trial authors and manufacturers in the field. SELECTION CRITERIA We included all RCTs, irrespective of blinding or language, that compared aerosolized prostacyclin with no intervention or placebo in either children or adults with ALI or ARDS. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two authors independently abstracted data and resolved any disagreements by discussion. We presented pooled estimates of the intervention effects as relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for dichotomous outcomes. Our primary outcome measure was all cause mortality. We planned to perform subgroup and sensitivity analyses to assess the effect of aerosolized prostacyclin in adults and children, and on various clinical and physiological outcomes. We assessed the risk of bias through assessment of methodological trial components and the risk of random error through trial sequential analysis. MAIN RESULTS We included one paediatric RCT with low risk of bias and involving a total of 14 critically ill children with ALI or ARDS. Aersosolized prostacyclin over less than 24 hours did not reduce overall mortality at 28 days (RR 1.50, 95% CI 0.17 to 12.94) compared with aerosolized saline (a total of three deaths). The authors did not encounter any adverse events such as bleeding or organ dysfunction. We were unable to perform the prespecified subgroups and sensitivity analyses or trial sequential analysis due to the limited number of RCTs. We were also not able to assess the safety and efficacy of aerosolized prostacyclin for ALI and ARDS. We found two ongoing trials, one involving adults and the other paediatric participants. The adult trial has been finalized but the data are not yet available. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS There is no current evidence to support or refute the routine use of aerosolized prostacyclin for patients with ALI and ARDS. There is an urgent need for more randomized clinical trials.
SVR based Obstacle Avoidance and Control of a Two Wheeled Mobile Robot

Support vector regression (SVR) based obstacle avoidance and control of a two wheeled mobile robot is considered in this paper. Under the uncertain observation information, a method based on SVR technique is proposed for providing reliable control information in order to control the mobile robot by using a potential function, where the potential function is based on Lyapunov function and the flat plane is constructed to avoid the local minima for compensating the Lyapunov function. As a result, motion of the mobile robot can be controlled more accurately and smoothly. The proposed method is evaluated by demonstrating numerical simulation results.
Angularly resolved Auger rates of LiF and HF.

Angularly resolved Auger rates are investigated. The angular distributions of Auger electrons display a strong dependence on the final dicationic state which is created by the Auger process. The angular distributions show interference structures which can be related to the geometry of the molecule. Although there are presently no experimental data on angularly resolved Auger rates, we suppose that the angular distributions are measurable, e.g., by coincidence techniques
Silencing of tissue factor pathway inhibitor‐2 gene in malignant melanomas

To identify tumor‐suppressor genes inactivated by aberrant methylation of promoter CpG islands (CGIs) in human malignant melanomas, genes upregulated by treatment of cells with a demethylating agent, 5‐aza‐2′‐deoxycytidine (5‐aza‐dC), were searched for using oligonucleotide microarrays in melanoma cell lines, HMV‐I, MeWo and WM‐115. Seventy‐nine known genes with CGIs were identified as being upregulated (≥16‐fold), and 18 of them had methylation of their putative promoter CGIs in 1 or more of 8 melanoma cell lines. Among the 18 genes, TFPI‐2, which is involved in repression of the invasive potential of malignant melanomas, was further analyzed. Its expression was repressed in a melanoma cell line with its complete methylation, and was restored by 5‐aza‐dC treatment. It was unmethylated in cultured neonatal normal epidermal melanocyte, and was induced by ultraviolet B. In surgical melanoma specimens, TFPI‐2 methylation was detected in 5 of 17 metastatic site specimens (29%), while it was not detected in 20 primary site specimens (0%) (p = 0.009). By immunohistochemistry, the 5 specimens with promoter methylation lacked immunoreactivity for TFPI‐2. The results showed that TFPI‐2 is silenced in human malignant melanomas by methylation of its promoter CGI and suggested that its silencing is involved in melanoma metastasis. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Expression of advanced glycation end‐products and NF&kgr;B in chick embryos exposed to dioxins and treated with acetylsalicylic acid and &agr;‐tocopherol

&NA; Dioxins have adverse and multifaceted effect on body functions. They are known to be carcinogens, immunotoxins, and teratogenic agents. In vivo, transformation of dioxins occurs after their interaction with the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and leads to formation of proinflammatory and toxic metabolites. The aim of this study was to verify whether &agr;‐tocopherol (vitamin E) and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), could reduce the damage caused by the action of dioxins. Fertile chicken eggs were injected with a solution of 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin (TCDD), followed by the injection of &agr;‐tocopherol or acetylsalicylic acid. Organs such as heart and liver were dissected from the chick embryos at d 13 and 19 of development and subjected to immunohistochemical analysis of presence of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF&kgr;B) in tissues. The AGEs were used as the marker for exposure to dioxins, since it is well established that their level increases in dioxin‐damaged tissues. Formation of AGEs was evaluated in embryos exposed to dioxin and treated with vitamin E and/or ASA (against dioxin‐exposed, untreated controls). We have found that TCDD causes developmental disorders and increases the level of AGEs in chick embryo tissues. The use of such pharmacological agents as vitamin E, ASA, and combination of ASA and vitamin E, inhibited formation of the AGEs in 13‐day‐old embryos and reduced the AGEs level in embryos after 19 d of the development.
Cytotoxic T lymphocytes define multiple peptide isoforms derived from the melanoma‐associated antigen MART‐1/Melan‐A

Peptides derived from the melanoma‐associated MART‐1/Melan‐A antigen are currently implemented in immunotherapy for inducing or augmenting T‐cell responses directed against peptides expressed by autologous tumor cells in HLA‐A2+ patients with melanoma. Here, we describe the specificity of the T‐cell clone SK29‐FFM1.1, which secretes GM‐CSF in response to a panel of synthetic MART‐1/Melan‐A‐derived peptides, including the naturally presented ILTVILGVL32–40, but exhibits cytotoxicity and IFN‐γ secretion exclusively to the MART‐1/Melan‐A derived peptide AAGIGILTV27–35. In addition, cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte (CTL) clone SK29‐FFM1.1 recognizes 3 different naturally processed and presented peptides on HLA‐A2+ MART‐1/Melan‐A+ melanoma cells, as defined by cytotoxicity and IFN‐γ and GM‐CSF secretion. Processing and presentation of MART‐1/Melan‐A peptides appears to be different in cells of non‐melanocytic origin, as shown by the characterization of naturally presented peptides displayed by HLA‐A2+ colorectal cancer cells transduced with a MART‐1/Melan‐A gene–containing retrovirus. Our data suggest that multiple epitopes, including ILTVILGVL and different isoforms of AAGIGILTV derived from MART‐1/Melan‐A may be naturally presented by melanoma cells to the immune system. Int. J. Cancer81:979–984, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The influence of environmental contaminants on time to pregnancy

Cette these porte sur l’evaluation de l’impact de certains composes environnementaux sur la fecondite feminine, tel que mesure par le delai de conception (« time to pregnancy » en anglais, ou TTP). Cette recherche a ete realisee dans le cadre de l’Etude mere-enfant sur les composes chimiques de l’environnement (MIREC), une cohorte de grossesse de 2001 femmes recrutees durant le premier trimestre dans dix villes canadiennes de 2008 a 2011. Les donnees des questionnaires et les echantillons biologiques ont servi a evaluer l’effet de deux groupes de composes : les persistants [composes perfluores – perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) et perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS)] et les non persistants (bisphenol A, triclosan et phtalates). Cette these comprend egalement une analyse du potentiel du ratio index-annulaire (2D:4D) comme mesure de sensibilite endocrinienne. A ce jour, des mesures anthropometriques ont ete collectees sur environ 800 meres-enfants dans le cadre de l’Etude mere-enfant sur les composes chimiques de l’environnement : biomonitoring et neurodeveloppement a la petite enfance (MIREC CD Plus), un suivi de la cohorte MIREC portant sur la croissance et le developpement des enfants jusqu’a 5 ans. Sur l’ensemble, les resultats de cette these permettent d’etoffer les preuves concernant les effets adverses potentiels de plusieurs contaminants environnementaux sur la fecondite feminine, telle que mesuree par le TTP. Dans le premier article, nous avons montre une association entre les PFOA et les PFHxS et une baisse de fecondite, ce que d’autres recherches avaient deja revele. Dans le deuxieme article, nous avons evalue l’effet du triclosan sur le TTP, ce qui n’avait jamais ete examine, pour montrer un delai plus eleve chez les femmes du quartile superieur d’exposition. De plus, nos resultats sont en accord avec ceux de la seule etude ayant evalue l’effet du Bisphenol A sur la fecondite feminine, qui n’avait pas detecte d’effet. Finalement, nos donnees semblent indiquer une association entre l’exposition des femmes aux phtalates et un TTP plus court, mais ces resultats ne sont pas statistiquement significatifs. En ce qui a trait au potentiel du ratio index-annuaire (2D:4D) pour mesurer la sensibilite endocrinienne chez les femmes, nos donnees ne permettent pas d’etablir une association entre ce ratio et le TTP. Pour ce qui est des enfants, nous n’avons pas trouve d’effet adverse entre le tabagisme de la mere durant la grossesse et leur ratio 2D:4D. Par consequent, nos donnees ne semblent pas justifier l’utilisation du ratio 2D:4D pour mesurer la sensibilite endocrinienne en lien avec le potentiel reproducteur (base sur le TTP) ou l’exposition des enfants au tabac durant le premier trimestre de grossesse.