Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome in Children: a Multidisciplinary Approach and Invasive Techniques for the Management of Nonresponders

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is multifactorial condition with complex pathogenesis characterized by spontaneous or stimulus‐induced pain that is disproportionate to the inciting event. It is also commonly accompanied by a myriad of autonomic and motor disturbances in highly variable combinations. This condition has been underreported in children until recently. Consequently, the management of CRPS in the pediatric population presents an even greater challenge than in adults, partly because there is a lack of clinical data concerning the efficacy of the diverse treatment methods available, and partly because successful treatment of CRPS involves a multidisciplinary approach. In this retrospective case series, a multidisciplinary management plan is presented in 10 children for whom the standard noninvasive treatment was unsuccessful. Within this management plan, novel drugs were included such as the capsaicin 8% patch, in addition to invasive techniques in patients who did not respond to noninvasive therapies.
Thermodynamic analysis of combined cycle power plant standalone and coupled with multi effect desalination with thermal vapor compression

This paper discusses the thermodynamic analysis of a combined cycle power plant (CCPP) alone and coupled with multi effect desalination thermal vapor compression (MED-TVC) desalination plant, modelled using the IPSEpro software package based on operational duties for the CCPP and MED-TVC and validated against the vender and the work of Kamali respectively. Relative differences between the model results and vender data were found to be below 3.7 % in both models. The impact of the environment on both configurations was studied. The results showed that the environment has a clear impact, especially when ambient temperature raises the plant efficiency and power output decreases by about 0.419% and 5.3% every 10°C ambient temperature increases. However, CO2 emissions increase with a rise in temperature, while there is a slight improvement in performance and CO2 emission decreases when the relative humidity increases.
Characterization of hepatitis A virus isolates from subgenotypes IA and IB in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil *

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) isolates from around the world have been classified into seven genotypes (I–VII). Most human strains belong to genotype I, which has been divided into two subgenotypes, A and B. South America has provided a small number of strains studied at the genome level. In the present study, IgM anti‐HAV antibodies were detected in 116 out of 250 (46%) serum samples collected from consecutive patients with acute hepatitis referred to the Brazilian Reference Center for Viral Hepatitis, Rio de Janeiro. Viral RNA were extracted from all 250 samples and submitted to a reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) assay designed to amplify a genome segment in the VP1/2A junction region. HAV RNA was detected in 54/116 (47%) and 17/134 (13%) IgM anti‐HAV‐positive and ‐negative sera, respectively. In addition, HAV RNA was detected in 17/35 (49%) IgM anti‐HAV‐positive sera that had been collected at a day care center where cases of acute hepatitis were being observed for 3 months. Nucleotide sequences (168 bp) of PCR products were determined for 30 HAV isolates. Phylogenetic analysis showed that 21 belonged to subgenotype IB, while 9 were of subgenotype IA. Interestingly, a concomitant circulation of isolates from subgenotypes IA and IB was observed in the day care center. J. Med. Virol. 66:22–27, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
TLRs 2 and 4 Are Not Involved in Hypersusceptibility to Acute Pseudomonas aeruginosa Lung Infections1

TLRs are implicated in defense against microorganisms. Animal models have demonstrated that the susceptibility to a number of Gram-negative pathogens is linked to TLR4, and thus LPS of many Gram-negative bacteria have been implicated as virulence factors. To assess the role of this pathogen-associated molecular pattern as it is exposed on intact Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the susceptibility of mice lacking TLR4 or both TLR2 and TLR4 was examined in a model of acute Pseudomonas pneumonia. These mutant mice were not hypersusceptible to the Pseudomonas challenge and mounted an effective innate response that cleared the organism despite low levels of TNF-α and KC in the airways. Bacterial and neutrophil counts in the lung were similar in control and TLR-deficient mice at 6 and 24 h after infection. MyD88−/− mice were, however, hypersusceptible, with 100% of mice dying within 48 h with a lower dose of P. aeruginosa. Of note there were normal levels of IL-6 and G-CSF in the airways of TLR mutant mice that were absent from the MyD88−/− mice. Thus, the susceptibility of mice to P. aeruginosa acute lung infection does not go through TLR2 or TLR4, implying that Pseudomonas LPS is not the most important virulence factor in acute pneumonia caused by this organism. Furthermore, G-CSF treatment of infected MyD88−/− mice results in improved clearance and survival. Thus, the resistance to infection in TLR2/TLR4−/− mice may be linked to G-CSF and possibly IL-6 production.
Effects of nicotine and vitamin E on glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in some rat tissues in vivo and in vitro

Effects of nicotine, and nicotine + vitamin E on glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6PD) activity in rat muscle, heart, lungs, testicle, kidney, stomach, brain and liver were investigated in vivo and in vitro on partially purified homogenates. Supplementation period was 3 weeks (n = 8 rats per group): nicotine [0.5 mg/kg/day, intraperitoneal (ip)]; nicotine + vitamin E [75 mg/kg/day, intragastric (ig)]; and control group (receiving only vehicle). The results showed that nicotine (0.5 mg/kg, ip) inhibited G-6PD activity in the lungs, testicle, kidney, stomach and brain by 12.5% (p < 0.001), 48% (p < 0.001), 20.8% (p < 0.001), 13% (p < 0.001) and 23.35% (p < 0.001) respectively, and nicotine had no effects on the muscle, heart and liver G6PD activity. Also, nicotine + vitamin E inhibited G-6PD activity in the testicle, brain, and liver by 32.5% (p < 0.001), 21.5% (p < 0.001), and 16.5% (p < 0.001) respectively, and nicotine + vitamin E activated the muscle, and stomach G-6PD activity by 36% (p < 0.05), and 20% (p < 0.001) respectively. In addition, nicotine + vitamin E did not have any effects on the heart, lungs, and kidney G-6PD activity. In addition, in vitro studies were also carried out to elucidate the effects of nicotine and vitamin E on G-6PD activity, which correlated well with in vivo experimental results in lungs, testicles, kidney, stomach, brain and liver tissues. These results show that vitamin E administration generally restores the inactivation of G-6PD activity due to nicotine administration in various rat tissues in vivo, and also in vitro.
Prolonged Cold Ischemia Time Results in Local and Remote Organ Dysfunction in a Murine Model of Vascularized Composite Transplantation

Vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) is a viable reconstructive option for complex tissue defects. Although grafts with a large muscular component may be uniquely susceptible to ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) syndrome, the safe cold ischemia time in VCA has not been established. We investigated the effects of cold ischemia on innate immune response and recipient survival in a murine orthotopic hindlimb transplantation model. Surprisingly, mice receiving grafts exposed to 6 h or longer of cold storage demonstrated reduced survival and massive elevations in serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and creatine kinase, compared with 1 h of cold storage recipients. This was accompanied by progressive increase in macrophage and neutrophil cell infiltration in muscle biopsy specimens, altered platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule‐1 expression, and ultimate renal injury. Multiplex immunoassay analysis identified 21 cytokines in serum and 18 cytokines in muscle biopsy specimens that are likely essential in the complex response to I/R‐triggered injury in VCA. In conclusion, this study, in a mouse model of orthotopic hindlimb transplantation, is the first to document that prolonged cold ischemia triggers progressive I/R injury with vascular endothelial damage and may lead to irrecoverable local and remote organ damage. These experimental findings are important in guiding future therapies for human VCA recipients.
Inverse Optimal Design for Position Control of a Quadrotor

In this paper, we propose an inverse optimal design method for the position control of a quadrotor. First, we derive the dynamics of a quadrotor using the Newton-Euler formulation. Second, we present the state transformation technique to derive the position dynamics from the kinematic and dynamic models of a quadrotor. Then, we present the nonlinear inverse optimal position control of a quadrotor. The stability analysis based on Lyapunov theorem shows that the proposed control method can realize a quadrotor system that is exponentially stabilized. In addition, we show the inverse optimality of the proposed inverse optimal controller for the position control of a quadrotor. The inverse optimality can simply and clearly be shown using the state transformation technique. Finally, we present some simulation results to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control method.
A multi-frequency sparse hemispherical ultrasound phased array for microbubble-mediated transcranial therapy and simultaneous cavitation mapping

Focused ultrasound (FUS) phased arrays show promise for non-invasive brain therapy. However, the majority of them are limited to a single transmit/receive frequency and therefore lack the versatility to expose and monitor the treatment volume. Multi-frequency arrays could offer variable transmit focal sizes under a fixed aperture, and detect different spectral content on receive for imaging purposes. Here, a three-frequency (306, 612, and 1224 kHz) sparse hemispherical ultrasound phased array (31.8 cm aperture; 128 transducer modules) was constructed and evaluated for microbubble-mediated transcranial therapy and simultaneous cavitation mapping. The array is able to perform effective electronic beam steering over a volume spanning (−40, 40) and (−30, 50) mm in the lateral and axial directions, respectively. The focal size at the geometric center is approximately 0.9 (2.1) mm, 1.7 (3.9) mm, and 3.1 (6.5) mm in lateral (axial) pressure full width at half maximum (FWHM) at 1224, 612, and 306 kHz, respectively. The array was also found capable of dual-frequency excitation and simultaneous multi-foci sonication, which enables the future exploration of more complex exposure strategies. Passive acoustic mapping of dilute microbubble clouds demonstrated that the point spread function of the receive array has a lateral (axial) intensity FWHM between 0.8–3.5 mm (1.7–11.7 mm) over a volume spanning (−25, 25) mm in both the lateral and axial directions, depending on the transmit/receive frequency combination and the imaging location. The device enabled both half and second harmonic imaging through the intact skull, which may be useful for improving the contrast-to-tissue ratio or imaging resolution, respectively. Preliminary in vivo experiments demonstrated the system’s ability to induce blood–brain barrier opening and simultaneously spatially map microbubble cavitation activity in a rat model. This work presents a tool to investigate optimal strategies for non-thermal FUS brain therapy and concurrent microbubble cavitation monitoring through the availability of multiple frequencies.
Structures of the platelet calcium‐ and integrin‐binding protein and the αIIb‐integrin cytoplasmic domain suggest a mechanism for calcium‐regulated recognition; homology modelling and NMR studies

Calcium‐ and integrin‐binding protein (CIB) binds to the 20‐residue αIIb cytoplasmic domain of platelet αIIbβ3 integrin. Amino acid sequence similarities with calmodulin (CaM) and calcineurin B (CnB) allowed the construction of homology‐based models of calcium‐saturated CIB as well as apo‐CIB. In addition, the solution structure of the αIIb cytoplasmic domain in 45% aqueous trifluoroethanol was solved by conventional two‐dimensional NMR methods. The models indicate that the N‐terminal domain of CIB possesses a number of positively charged residues in its binding site that could interact with the acidic carboxy‐terminal LEEDDEEGE sequence of αIIb. The C‐terminal domain of CIB seems well‐suited to bind the sequence WKVGFFKR, which forms a well‐structured alpha helix; this is analogous to calmodulin and calcineurin B, which also bind alpha helices. Similarities between the C‐terminal domains of CIB and calmodulin suggest that binding of CIB to the cytoplasmic domain of αIIb may be affected by fluctuations in the intracellular calcium concentration. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The DigiTracker, a Three Degrees of Freedom Pointing Device

For a variety of reasons, only a few computer devices allow to achieve pointing, tracking and selecting tasks in a precise, fast and intuitive way in 3D workspaces. This article presents the ergonomic and technical principles that have conditioned the proposal of a desktop input device called "DigiTracker". The user controls the position of a virtual object by grasping an isotonic end-effector between the thumb and the forefinger while his forearm is laying on the desk. This equivalent to an absolute three degrees of freedom mouse is especially suitable for closed virtual workspaces. The low technological cost of this solution could provide a really worth alternative to complex VR tracking systems. Possible applications are remote positioning tasks or CAD in simultaneous use with a device dedicated to rotations control.
Expression of CD 38 and CXCR 3 in children with atopic dermatitis

Background : Atopic dermatitis ( AD) is a chronic or chronically relapsing inflammatory skin disease with a prevalence ranging from 10% to 20% in children of developed countries. Skin-infiltrating leukocytes play a pivotal role in the initiation and amplification of atopic skin inflammation. The cytokines produced by T helper2 ( Th2) cells are crucial factors in the induction and maintenance of the disease . Aim: to study the percentage of expression and mean fluorescence intensity( MFI) of the activation marker CD38 and the chemokine receptor CXCR3 on peripheral blood CD3+ lymphocytes in children with atopic dermatitis . Also total serum IgE and absolute differential count were evaluated . This might be targets for therapy in disease . Methods: This study was conducted on thirty cases of AD children. Their age range was 310 years. Also non atopic fifteen children age and sex matched with disease group were included as a control group. The percentage of expression of the CD38 , CXCR3 and MFI were analyzed by flowcytometry on peripheral blood CD3+ T lymphocytes . Also total serum IgE levels was measured by immunonephelometry . The absolute eosinophil , absolute lymphocytes, absolute neutrophil count were evaluated . Results: The mean percentage of CD38 expression on CD3 + lymphocytes and MFI were 70.5% and 5.8 respectively in AD children compared with 17.8 % and 5.1 in non –atopic children healthy control ( p < 0.01 and p > 0.05 respectively ) . The mean percentage of CXCR3 expression on CD3+ T lymphocytes and MFI in AD children were 17.9 % and 2.9 respectively compared with 67.93 %and 3.3 in healthy controls (p < 0.01 and p > 0.05 respectively ). The mean of the total serum IgE in the patient group was 199.3 IU/ml compared with 62.27 IU/ml in non-atopic children (p < 0.01). Conclusion : These results suggest that there is a relation between atopic conditions and an increase in peripheral blood T lymphocyte expressing CD38% and decrease expression of CXCR3%. The presence of high expression of CD38 in atopic patients seems to confirm the role of this molecule as an activation marker useful for evaluation of Th2 immune response . whereas CXCR3-expression on CD3+ lymphocytes decreased in AD than normal control as the chemokine receptor profile determine the migratory patterns of leukocytes . These results may suggest the dysbalance between Th1/ Th2 in AD patients .
Race Coding and the Other-Race Effect in Face Recognition

Other-race faces are generally recognised more poorly than own-race faces. According to Levin's influential race-coding hypothesis, this other-race recognition deficit results from spontaneous coding of race-specifying information, at the expense of individuating information, in other-race faces. Therefore, requiring participants to code race-specifying information for all faces should eliminate the other-race effect by reducing recognition of own-race faces to the level of other-race faces. We tested this prediction in two experiments. Race coding was induced by requiring participants to rate study faces on race typicality (experiment 1) or to categorise them by race (experiment 2). Neither manipulation reduced the other-race effect, providing no support for the race-coding hypothesis. Instead, race-coding instructions marginally increased the other-race effect in experiment 1 and had no effect in experiment 2. These results do not support the race-coding hypothesis. Surprisingly, a control task of rating the attractiveness of study faces increased the other-race effect, indicating that deeper encoding of faces does not necessarily reduce the effect (experiment 1). Finally, the normally robust other-race effect was absent when participants were instructed to individuate other-race faces (experiment 2). We suggest that poorer recognition of other-race faces may reflect reduced perceptual expertise with such faces and perhaps reduced motivation to individuate them.
Power output and muscle metabolism during and following recovery from 10 and 20 s of maximal sprint exercise in humans.

On two separate days eight male subjects performed a 10- or 20-s cycle ergometer sprint (randomized order) followed, after 2 min of recovery, by a 30-s sprint. Muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis at rest, immediately after the first sprint and after the 2 min of recovery on both occasions. The anaerobic ATP turnover during the initial 10 s of sprint 1 was 129 +/- 12 mmol kg dry weight-1 and decreased to 63 +/- 10 mmol kg dry weight-1 between the 10th and 20th s of sprint 1. This was a result of a 300% decrease in the rate of phosphocreatine breakdown and a 35% decrease in the glycolytic rate. Despite this 51% reduction in anaerobic ATP turnover, the mean power between 10 and 20 s of sprint 1 was reduced by only 28%. During the same period, oxygen uptake increased from 1.30 +/- 0.15 to 2.40 +/- 0.23 L min-1, which partially compensated for the decreased anaerobic metabolism. Muscle pH decreased from 7.06 +/- 0.02 at rest to 6.94 +/- 0.02 after 10 s and 6.82 +/- 0.03 after 20 s of sprinting (for all changes P < 0.01). Muscle pH did not change following a 2-min recovery period after both the 10- and 20-s sprints, but phosphocreatine was resynthesized to 86 +/- 3 and 76 +/- 3% of the resting value, respectively (n.s. 10- vs. 20-s sprint). Following 2 min of recovery after the 10-s sprint subjects were able to reproduce peak but not mean power. Restoration of both mean and peak power following the 20-s sprint was 88% of sprint 1, and was lower compared with that after the 10-s sprint (P < 0.01). Total work during the second 30-s sprint after the 10- and the 20-s sprint was 19.3 +/- 0.6 and 17.8 +/- 0.5 kJ, respectively (P < 0.01). As oxygen uptake was the same during the 30-s sprints (2.95 +/- 0.15 and 3.02 +/- 0.16 L min-1), and (Phosphocreatine) before the sprint was similar, the lower work may be related to a reduced glycolytic ATP regeneration as a result of the higher muscle acidosis.
Four orders of magnitude cost reduction in the Viterbi algorithm for GSM MIMO demodulation

It is shown that multiple complementary techniques for trading BER performance for cost reduction in the Viterbi algorithm for multiple-input/multiple-output joint demodulation can be merged to obtain substantial and efficient cost reduction. Quantitative results for application to the separation of GSM and IS-136 cochannel signals are presented. It is shown that up to six signals can be separated at a GSM base station with BER of 10% before decoding gain with only a single dual-polarized antenna and E/sub b//N/sub o/=10 dB in real time on a Compaq 1 GHz ES-40 server, with cost savings of up to four orders of magnitude. It is also shown that for a specified BER and number of signals, the cost of MIMO demodulation decreases as the number of sensors increases. Finally, it is shown that for a fixed computational cost, BER decreases by a factor of eight, on average, for each sensor added.
End User Adoption of ERP Systems: Investigation of Four Beliefs

This paper studies the effects of four beliefs of a group of end users on the adoption of ERP systems. The beliefs examined were perceived usefulness, ease of use, expected capability, and expected value. A sample of 58 SAP users was collected, via online survey, from a large company in Saudi Arabia. The validity and the reliability of the data collection instrument were tested using the exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's Alpha coefficients, respectively. Using multiple regression analysis, the perceived ease of use and the expected value of ERP system was found to have a significant direct effect on the acceptance of ERP system. However, the perceived usefulness and expected capability did not have a direct significant effect on acceptance of ERP systems. The study provides insights for organizations implementing ERP systems in developing countries.
Regulation of Two JunD Isoforms by Jun N-terminal Kinases*

The JunD transcription factor is one member of the Jun family of proteins that also includes c-Jun and JunB. Although c-Jun can function to promote cell proliferation and can cooperate with other oncogenes to transform cells, JunD slows proliferation of fibroblasts and antagonizes transformation by activatedras. Two isoforms of JunD, a full-length isoform containing 341 amino acids (JunD-FL) and a truncated isoform lacking 48 amino acids at the N terminus (ΔJunD), are generated through utilization of two translation start sites within a single mRNA. Here we show that both isoforms of JunD are phosphorylated by Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) at three identical residues and that both contain a docking domain that specifically binds JNKs. The JunD-FL isoform binds to and is phosphorylated by JNK more efficiently than ΔJunD in vitro; correspondingly, JunD-FL is a more potent transcriptional activator than ΔJunD. Although increased JNK signaling can activate both JunD isoforms, mutating either the JNK docking domain or the target JNK phosphorylation sites blocks this activation. These results identify two distinct isoforms of JunD with differential responses to JNK signaling pathways.
Statistical investigation of skin image for disease analyzing in rural area using Matlab

This paper discusses the analysis of skin disease images. The purpose of the study is to find the unique characteristic of an image for digital processing purposes. Fast and simple processing is necessary for analyzing skin diseases, especially in remote areas where there is no or less medical support. Nine images that have been selected randomly were changed into three-dimensional matrices using Matlab. Then, the analysis is done in several color formats such as RGB, YCbCr, HSV, and HSI. The images were also analyzed after their contrast level was increased using contrast enhancement, histogram equalization, and contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalization techniques. Some statistical parameters such as mean, median and standard deviation are used as a reference in the analysis process. The most suitable color format for the above purposes is YCbCr and the most appropriate contrast enhancement technique if required is the histogram equalization.