Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How many times can we use a phosphor plate? A preliminary study.

OBJECTIVES Digital radiography has become a useful tool in daily dental practice due to the advances in imaging technologies. Charge coupled devices (CCDs) and photostimulable phosphor plates (PSPs) are currently in use for dental imaging; however, the longevity of PSPs in dental practice is not yet established. The aim of this study was to determine the service life of PSPs in a clinical setting. METHODS Five unused PSPs were exposed with a conventional X-ray device and converted into digital images with Digora Optime (Soredex, Milwaukee, WI). These were recorded as the baseline images. Subsequent digital images of the plates were obtained after 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 140, 160, 180 and 200 exposures. All radiographic images were subtracted from the first digital image (baseline) and the mean grey values (MGVs) of the subtracted images were established using software. The data were grouped in 3 classes according to the number of exposures (20-80; 100-140; 160-200), and were analysed using variance analysis and chi(2) tests. RESULTS The MGVs of the subtracted images varied between 126.25 and 127.59, and the difference was not significant among the groups (P = 0.11). However, the differences between the MGVs of the plates on each exposure settings were significantly different than those of the baseline image (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study revealed that even though a slight deterioration occurred after the first exposure, each plate can be used up to 200 times. Further studies are required to reach a more concrete conclusion.
Sensitivity of channel mapping techniques to uncertainty in digital elevation data

Digital elevation data are now commonly used to map channel networks automatically. This paper evaluates the sensitivity of six methods of extracting channel networks from digital elevation models (DEMs) to elevation error. As such, the robustness of channel mapping techniques against noisy data was evaluated and not the accuracy of DEM extracted channel networks. Stochastic simulations were used in combination with a fine‐resolution LiDAR DEM of a small upland catchment to assess the robustness of each of the channel mapping algorithms. Findings showed that the four tested methods that were based on identifying patterns or positions in the surface morphology were more sensitive to elevation error than the two methods that were based on simulating overland flow and channelization processes, particularly at lower error magnitudes. While the morphology‐based channel‐mapping methods were highly sensitive to the degree of spatial autocorrelation in elevation error fields, the channelization based methods were relatively insensitive. Drainage network extent and the geometry of exterior stream channels were both found to be greatly influenced by low to moderate degrees of topographic error. Although LiDAR data were found to provide a sufficient resolution for mapping fine‐scale headwater channels, the greater surface roughness did present challenges for automated channel‐mapping techniques.
Rac GTPase interacts with GAPs and target proteins through multiple effector sites.

Rac, a small GTPase in the ras superfamily, regulates at least two biological processes in animal cells: (i) the polymerization of actin and the assembly of integrin complexes to produce lamellipodia and ruffles; and (ii) the activity of an NADPH oxidase in phagocytic cells. NADPH oxidase activation is mediated through a rac effector protein, p67phox, and using chimeras made between rac and the closely related GTPase, rho, we have identified two distinct effector sites in rac, one N‐terminal and one C‐terminal, both of which are required for activation of p67phox. The same two effector sites are essential for rac‐induced actin polymerization in fibroblasts. p65PAK, a ubiquitous serine/threonine kinase, interacts with rac at both the N‐ and C‐terminal effector sites, but the GTPase‐activating protein, bcr interacts with rac at a different region. This makes p65PAK, but not bcr, a candidate effector of rac‐induced lamellipodium formation.
Reciprocal remodeling upon binding of the prion protein to its signaling partner hop/STIl

The glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)‐anchored prion protein (PrPC), usually associated with neurodegenerative diseases, modulates various cellular responses and may scaffold multiprotein cell surface signaling complexes. Engagement of PrPC with the secret‐able cochaperone hop/STIl induces neurotrophic transmembrane signals through unknown molecular mecha‐nisms. We addressed whether interaction of PrPC and hop/STIl entails structural rearrangements relevant for signaling. Using recombinant wild‐type and mutant mouse proteins and binding peptides, we measured circular dichroism (CD), fluorescence spectroscopy, and small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). PrPC:hop/STll interaction triggers loss of PrP helical structures, involving at least a perturbation of the PrP143‐153 α‐helix, but no secondary structural modification of hop/STIl was detected. Novel SAXS models revealed a significant C‐terminal compaction of hop/STIl when bound to PrP. Differing from a recent dimeric model of human hop/STIl, both size‐exclusion chromatography and SAXS data support a monomeric form of free murine hop/STIl. Changes in the PrP143‐153 α‐helix, may engage the transmembrane signaling proteins laminin receptor precursor and neural cell adhesion molecule, both of which bind that domain of PrPC, and further ligands may be engaged by the tertiary structural changes of hop/STI1. These reciprocal structural modifications indicate a versatile mechanism for signaling mediated by PrPC:hop/STI1 interaction, consistent with the hypothesis of PrPC‐dependent multiprotein signaling complexes. —Romano, S. A. , Cordeiro, Y. , Lima, L. M. T. R. , Lopes, M. H. , Silva, J. L. , Foguel, D. , Linden, R. Reciprocal remodeling upon binding of the prion protein to its signaling partner hop/STI1. FASEBJ. 23, 4308‐4316 (2009). www.fasebj. org
Anatomy of the interosseous region of the sacroiliac joint.

STUDY DESIGN Anatomical study of the interosseous region of the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) complex. OBJECTIVES To document and quantify the surface topography of the interosseous region of the SIJ. BACKGROUND A review of the literature reveals that little consideration has been given to the interosseous region of the SIJ anatomically, biomechanically, and clinically. METHODS AND MEASURES The interosseous region of 11 cadaveric specimens (9 formalin embalmed and 2 fresh frozen) were studied. Ten specimens were 55 years of age or older and 1 was 20 years old. To view the interosseous surfaces of the sacrum and ilium the specimens were either axially sectioned (1-cm slices) or disarticulated. One fresh-frozen and 6 embalmed specimens were disarticulated and the remainder axially sectioned. The topography (surface ridging and areas of ossification) of the interosseous region was documented in all specimens and in 2 specimens the surfaces were 3-dimensionally reconstructed using modeling and animation software (MAYA; Autodesk, Inc, San Rafael, CA). RESULTS Surface characteristics of the SIJ complex observed in specimens 55 years of age or older included moderate to extensive ridging of the interosseous region of the sacrum and ilium in 100% of specimens and ossification of the central interosseous region of the sacroiliac (SI) ligament in 60% of specimens. CONCLUSIONS Central region ossification of the interosseous SI ligament and the presence of ridges and depressions over the opposing interosseous surfaces of the sacrum and ilium are features common to specimens that are in or beyond their sixth decade. These findings further support the contention that there is little to no movement available at this joint in older individuals.
A light and electron microscopic analysis of the mossy fibers of the rat dentate gyrus

The axon collaterals of dentate granule cells have been analyzed with the aid of a computerized microscope, following intracellular injections of horseradish peroxidase in hippocampal slice preparations. The axon of each granule cell gives rise to approximately seven primary collaterals; these collaterals usually divide into secondary and tertiary branches, which form an extensive plexus within the hilar region of the dentate gyrus. Individual axon collaterals vary greatly in length, but most have been found to be between 100 and 300 μm long. On average, the summed lengths of the collaterals (exclusive of the parent mossy fiber) are approximately 2,300 μm. Except for an occasional collateral that is given off by a mossy fiber in the proximal part of field CA3 of the hippocampus, the collaterals of the granule cell axons are confined to the hilar region; they are rarely seen in the granule cell layer itself and have never been observed in the molecular layer. In the longitudinal dimension of the dentate gyros, most of the collaterals are contained within a zone about 400 μm wide. The distribution of the collaterals within the hilar region is correlated with the location of the granule cell body. Those that arise from cells near the tip of the suprapyramidal blade tend to be confined to the region above field CA3; those from cells nearer the crest and from the infrapyramidal blade ramify widely throughout the hilus.
Information Systems and Healthcare XXXIII: An Institutional Theory Perspective on Physician Adoption of Electronic Health Records

With the recent legislation providing financial incentives to physicians who acquire electronic health record systems, we will be afforded an opportunity to study incentivized adoption of technology coupled with the threat of future penalties for non-adoption. This research uses institutional theory to propose factors that are expected to influence the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) by independent physician practices in the coming years. The study presents a model describing the role of coercive, mimetic, and normative forces on adoption intent. Payer incentives/penalties as well as dominant healthcare delivery partners will exert coercive pressures on physician practices. Additionally, since physicians identify with their own specialties, it is expected that they will also be subject to mimetic forces resulting from successful adoption by similar specialists, particularly given their concerns about expected benefits from these systems. Finally, normative forces resulting from the successful interoperation of electronic health records among regional providers should influence physician adoption. The ability to partner with other physicians and healthcare providers or vendors adopting the same system should increase individual practice adoption intent in the presence of coercive, mimetic, and/or normative forces.
Structural Requirements for Interaction of Peroxisomal Targeting Signal 2 and Its Receptor PEX7*

Background: Type 2 peroxisomal targeting signals (PTS2) tag proteins for import into peroxisomes. Results: Characterization of structural properties of PTS2 allows the prediction of novel PTS2 and identification of the binding site on the receptor PEX7. Conclusion: PTS2 forms helical structures that bind to a groove on PEX7. Significance: Understanding the recognition of PTS2 by its receptor is a critical step in peroxisomal protein transport. The import of a subset of peroxisomal matrix proteins is mediated by the peroxisomal targeting signal 2 (PTS2). The results of our sequence and physical property analysis of known PTS2 signals and of a mutational study of the least characterized amino acids of a canonical PTS2 motif indicate that PTS2 forms an amphipathic helix accumulating all conserved residues on one side. Three-dimensional structural modeling of the PTS2 receptor PEX7 reveals a groove with an evolutionarily conserved charge distribution complementary to PTS2 signals. Mammalian two-hybrid assays and cross-complementation of a mutation in PTS2 by a compensatory mutation in PEX7 confirm the interaction site. An unstructured linker region separates the PTS2 signal from the core protein. This additional information on PTS2 signals was used to generate a PTS2 prediction algorithm that enabled us to identify novel PTS2 signals within human proteins and to describe KChIP4 as a novel peroxisomal protein.
Analysis of the Isoprenoid Biosynthesis Pathways in Listeria monocytogenes Reveals a Role for the Alternative 2-C-Methyl-d-Erythritol 4-Phosphate Pathway in Murine Infection

ABSTRACT Most bacteria synthesize isoprenoids through one of two essential pathways which provide the basic building block, isopentyl diphosphate (IPP): either the classical mevalonate pathway or the alternative non-mevalonate 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway. However, postgenomic analyses of the Listeria monocytogenes genome revealed that this pathogen possesses the genetic capacity to produce the complete set of enzymes involved in both pathways. The nonpathogenic species Listeria innocua naturally lacks the last two genes (gcpE and lytB) of the MEP pathway, and bioinformatic analyses strongly suggest that the genes have been lost through evolution. In the present study we show that heterologous expression of gcpE and lytB in L. innocua can functionally restore the MEP pathway in this organism and confer on it the ability to induce Vγ9Vδ2 T cells. We have previously confirmed that both pathways are functional in L. monocytogenes and can provide sufficient IPP for normal growth in laboratory media (M. Begley, C. G. Gahan, A. K. Kollas, M. Hintz, C. Hill, H. Jomaa, and M. Eberl, FEBS Lett. 561:99-104, 2004). Here we describe a targeted mutagenesis strategy to create a double pathway mutant in L. monocytogenes which cannot grow in the absence of exogenously provided mevalonate, confirming the requirement for at least one intact pathway for growth. In addition, murine studies revealed that mutants lacking the MEP pathway were impaired in virulence relative to the parent strain during intraperitoneal infection, while mutants lacking the classical mevalonate pathway were not impaired in virulence potential. In vivo bioluminescence imaging also confirmed in vivo expression of the gcpE gene (MEP pathway) during murine infection.
Assessing viewing pattern consistency in mammogram readers

Breast cancer screening programs typically require very large volumes of x-ray images (mammograms) to be viewed by highly experienced human readers. The readers can recognise a wide range of different visible features indicative of clinically abnormal situations, which they use as a basis to generate a report on their findings. Errors in reporting can occur if the readers fail to identify a particular feature of interest for further visual inspection during the viewing process. This risk is typically reduced by training readers to follow a particular viewing path through an image, which they should be able to apply consistently. Knowledge of the extent of consistency in this viewing behaviour within and between viewers would inform the development of an automated checking approach, based on monitoring of viewer visual attention. This paper presents an analysis of some reader viewing pattern profiles obtained using eye tracking with an infra red computer vision system, as a basis for developing a suitable consistency assessment model.
brlA requires both zinc fingers to induce development

Expression of the Aspergillus nidulans brlA gene induces a developmental pathway leading to the production of asexual spores. We have introduced mutations into brlA that are expected to disrupt either or both Cys2-His2 Zn(II) coordination sites postulated to exist in the BrlA polypeptide. The resultant brlA alleles fail to induce either the asexual reproductive pathway or the expression of development-specific genes. These data support the hypothesis that brlA encodes a nucleic acid-binding protein whose activity requires each of two zinc fingers.
Skills for the 21st Century in Latin America and the Caribbean

There is growing interest, worldwide, in the link between education systems and the production of skills that are valued in the labor market. With growth stagnating and unemployment soaring in much of the world, educators are being asked to focus more on producing skills that feed into labor productivity and support the sustainable growth of employment and incomes. This timely volume contributes important new findings on the dynamics of education systems and labor market outcomes in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). It analyzes an important recent shift in labor market trends in LAC: the first decade of the 21st century has witnessed a marked decline in the earnings premia for university and secondary education. This, in turn, is contributing to reduced income inequality across the region. The recent trend contrasts with the sharp rise in tertiary earnings premia that was observed in the 1990s and that helped to reinforce high levels of income inequality in the region at that time. The authors recommend that, having achieved very large increases in secondary and tertiary enrollment, the region should now focus on improving the quality of its education systems and the pertinence of education curricula for the needs of the labor market. At age 15, the learning achievement of the average Latin American student still lags two years behind his or her Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) contemporary. The study opens up an important agenda for future research. While the evidence presented on the trends in education earnings premia is clear, the conclusions about the causes and significance of those trends are largely based on suggestive evidence for a limited number of countries, and are not definitive because of data limitations. The findings call for further in-depth analysis of the nature of skill mismatches, to inform policies that can strengthen the region's future economic growth by enhancing the productivity and earnings potential of the workforce.
Predictive value of electron beam computed tomography of the coronary arteries. 19-month follow-up of 1173 asymptomatic subjects.

BACKGROUND Coronary electron beam computed tomography (EBCT) detects atherosclerotic coronary artery disease by measuring calcium deposition in the walls of coronary arteries. EBCT-derived coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores correlate with the severity of underlying coronary artery disease. METHODS AND RESULTS We followed 1173 asymptomatic patients who underwent EBCT between September 1993 and March 1994. During average follow-up of 19 months, 18 subjects had 26 cardiovascular events: 1 death, 7 myocardial infarctions, 8 coronary artery bypass graft procedures, 9 coronary angioplasties, and 1 nonhemorrhagic stroke. For CAC score thresholds of 100, 160, and 680, EBCT had sensitivities of 89%, 89%, and 50% and specificities of 77%, 82%, and 95%, respectively. Odds ratios ranged from 20.0 to 35.4 (P < .0001 for all). CONCLUSIONS Coronary EBCT predicts future atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events in asymptomatic subjects.
Prospects for multi-TeV two-beam linear colliders

Recent work at CERN and SLAC has opened the possibility of the development of concrete designs for electron positron linear colliders that have a center of mass energy substantially above 1 TeV. These designs are based on high gradient, normal conducting acceleration with the power provided by an auxiliary beam that is efficiently accelerated in a fully loaded, low frequency linac. This type of power source offers a flexibility to develop linear collider designs that have a wide range of parameters. In particular, the choice of frequency can be made without regard to the availability of high power RF sources, at least up to about 30 GHz. This paper explores possible linear collider designs taking into account limits on acceleration gradient and beam-beam effects. The study shows that electron positron linear colliders have an energy reach far in excess of 1 TeV. In particular we show that an X-band linear collider powered with conventional sources might be upgraded using two-beam techniques to an energy far above 1 TeV. Thus, the linear collider offers a platform for continued exploration at the energy frontier of High Energy Physics.
Initial management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: a 10-year experience.

OBJECTIVES First-line conservative treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) may be challenged by recurrence rates and complications associated with different treatment options. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a standardized surgical treatment as 'first-line' treatment. METHODS In a 10-year period, 185 patients with PSP were treated with a standardized video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) approach including wedge resection and parietal pleurectomy. Data were evaluated retrospectively. All patients with a first event of PSP were included in the study. In addition, follow-up was done by a questionnaire. RESULTS Mean follow-up period was 70.8 months (±33.5 months). Sub-pleural emphysematous changes were found in every histopathological specimen. In addition, 70.8% had fibrosis of visceral pleura. Recurrence occurred in 4 patients (2.2%). Ten-year freedom from recurrence was 96.2%. Procedure-related morbidity rate was 7.6%. Approximately 85.7% of patients were satisfied with the procedure and the cosmetic result. Three patients died during follow-up (1.6%). CONCLUSIONS Treatment of first episode of PSP by VATS is a safe procedure, with a very low rate of recurrence and a high patient satisfaction. This management of first episode of PSP is based on the underlying pathology. We recommend the use of VATS as the treatment of first choice for patients with PSP.
Computational prediction of clinical outcome of sepsis from critical care database ( Life Sciences

Sepsis affects over a million patients annually and remains one of the largest contributors to mortality in the ICU. However, prior models for the early detection of sepsis have typically relied on either manual chart review or a small number of hand-selected features. We propose a electronic phenotyping pipeline that utilizes the full numeric and categorical entries in the MIMIC-III database to extract relevant features for sepsis classification and mortality risk prediction. We have demonstrated that these derived feature are informative (1) to retrospectively identify sepsis cases with high performance (Lasso AUC = 0.796, Random Forest AUC = 0.816) and (2) to predict the risk of mortality following sepsis (concordance index = 0.81) without the use of ICD-9 billing codes. This high performance is promising for the future development of real-time risk models that utilize a large EHR-based feature set.
Platelet Function in Patients with Depression

Depression accelerates the development and progression of cardiovascular disease and confers an increased risk of mortality. Platelets share biochemical similarity with the central nervous system, particularly in the uptake, storage, and metabolism of serotonin. Given this similarity, and considering the central role of platelets in the biology of cardiovascular disease, it is highly plausible that platelets play an important role in the increased cardiovascular risk of patients with depression. This article provides a comprehensive review of the evidence in this area and shows that the relationship between depression and platelet function is hardly straightforward. Whereas many studies have found that patients with depression have exaggerated platelet activation, quite a number of others show no such relationship or even lower levels of platelet activation in patients with depression. Larger, carefully designed, adequately powered studies with standardized methods of assessing platelet function are needed to address this issue.