Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Proximal row carpectomy: study with a minimum of ten years of follow-up.

BACKGROUND Proximal row carpectomy is an accepted motion-sparing surgical procedure for the treatment of degenerative conditions of the wrist. However, there is little information regarding the long-term clinical and radiographic results following this procedure. METHODS Twenty-two wrists in twenty-one patients underwent proximal row carpectomy for the treatment of degenerative arthritis between 1980 and 1992. Objective and subjective function was assessed after a minimum duration of follow-up of ten years (average, fourteen years). RESULTS There were four failures (18%) requiring fusion at an average of seven years. All four failures occurred in patients who were thirty-five years of age or less at the time of the proximal row carpectomy (p = 0.03). The wrists that did not fail had an average flexion-extension arc of 72 degrees , associated with an average grip strength of 91% of that on the contralateral side. The patients were very satisfied with fourteen of the eighteen wrists that did not fail and were satisfied with the remaining four. The patients rated nine wrists as not painful, four as mildly painful, five as moderately painful, and none as severely painful. The average Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score was 9 points. Radiographs revealed no loss of the radiocapitate space in three of the seventeen wrists for which radiographs were made, reduced space in seven, and complete loss of the space in seven. With the numbers available, there was no significant association between loss of joint space seen on radiographs and subjective and objective function. CONCLUSIONS At the time of long-term follow-up, all patients older than thirty-five years of age at the time of a proximal row carpectomy had maintained a satisfactory range of motion, grip strength, and pain relief and were satisfied with the result. Caution should be exercised in performing the procedure in patients younger than thirty-five years of age. Although degeneration of the radiocapitate joint was seen radiographically in fourteen of the seventeen wrists, it did not preclude a successful clinical result.
A new marking strategy for the adaptive finite element approximation of optimal control constrained problems

We present a new marking strategy, named the conditional marking strategy, to be employed in the adaptive finite element approximation of distributed control constrained problems governed by second-order elliptic partial differential equations. The key feature of the conditional marking strategy is the possibility of dynamically choosing among separate marking strategies allowing the independent, possibly concurrent, reduction of different types of error. We assess the efficiency of this new strategy on several test problems.
Systemic Functional Perspectives of Japanese: Descriptions and Applications

Foreword (Noboru Yamaguchi, Tohoku University) 1. Systemic Functional Theory: Description and Application (Elizabeth Thomson and William Armour) Part I: Description 2. How to Argue in Japanese: A Systemic Functional Interpretation of the Logico-semantic Relations in Japanese Exposition (Motoki Sano and Elizabeth Thomson, University of Wollongong) 3. Description of MOOD in Japanese: Examining Mood Types in a Selected Set of Texts (Nagisa Fukui, University of New South Wales) 4. The System of THEME in Japanese (Elizabeth Thomson) 5. Classifying Natural Phenomena through Language: Lexicogrammatical Resources for Constructing Taxonomies in Japanese Biology Textbooks (Chie Hayakawa, Meijo and Chukyo University) 6. Nominalisation and Nouniness as Meaning Strategies in Japanese Political Manifestos (Kinuko Suto and Christopher Barnard, Teikyo University) Part II: Application 7. Learning How to Mean in Japanese as an Additional Language (William Armour and Reiko Furuya, Nagoya University) 8. Modelling Writing: Using the Genre Approach in the Japanese as a Foreign Language Classroom (Yuko Ramzan and Elizabeth Thomson, University of Wollongong) 9. A Computational Model of Language in Context and its Application to the Understanding of Japanese Text (Noriko Ito, Doshisha University and Toru Sugimoto, Shibaura Institute of Technology) 10. The Components and Structure of the Context Base, a Database for Computer Text Generation (Yusuke Takahashi, Justsystem Corporation, Ichiro Kobayashi, Ochanomizu University, and Michiaki Iwazume, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology)
Real-Time ATO Reconfiguration for Operational Stability

This paper briefly describes a technique for improving capacity and operational stability of busy mainline junctions and stations. The technique, called the SafeCap advisory system, employs a mixture of existing train monitoring and control technologies to introduce an advisory control layer on top of fixed-block signalling. The authors present the main design principles and illustrate the advantages of the proposed solution with some experiments conducted in a train simulation toolkit.
Formal specification of agent-object oriented programs

This paper presents a methodology for the formal specification of agent-object oriented programs. Agent-object oriented programming is a programming paradigm that integrates both agent-oriented programming and object- oriented programming (e.g, see Jack, Jadex). Even if there are several formal specification frameworks and methodologies both for agent-oriented programs and for object- oriented programs, nothing exists for agent-object programming. In this paper, the rewriting logic language Maude has been used as a formal framework. This opens to us the possibility of using the wide-spectrum of formal modeling and reasoning supported by Maude: analyzing agent-object programs by means of execution, search, model checking, or theorem proving to verify properties of a given program such as goal satisfaction and plan termination.
Evolution of Visual Feature Detectors

This paper describes how sets of visual feature detectors are evolved starting from simple primitives. The primitives, of which some are inspired on visual processing observed in mammalian visual pathways, are combined using genetic programming to form a feed-forward feature-extraction hierarchy. Input to the feature detectors consists of a series of real-world images, containing objects or faces. The results show how each set of feature detectors self-organizes into a set which is capable of returning feature vectors for discriminating the input images. We discuss the innuence of diierent settings on the evolution of the feature detectors and explain some phenomena.
An investigation into the design artefact concept as a vehicle for systems development research

System development is studied from the viewpoint of artefacts utilised during the design process. Different aspects of design artefacts are discussed based on a pragmatic classification of design activities and a philosophical notion of perception and representational artefacts. Statements about the relation between theory and design are made based on materialist pragmatism.
Intra‐uterine growth restriction and the programming of left ventricular remodelling in female rats

Epidemiological studies link intra‐uterine growth restriction (IUGR) with increased incidence of hypertension and cardiac disease in adulthood. Our rat model of IUGR supports this contention and provides evidence for the programming of susceptibility for hypertension in all offspring. Moreover, in the female offspring only, gross anatomical changes (cardiac ventricle to body ratios) and increased left cardiac ventricular atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) mRNA levels provide evidence for programming of cardiac disease in this gender. The aim of the current study was to measure changes in cardiac tissue that support remodelling that could be implicated in the initiation of hypertrophy. Adult female rats from our IUGR model and age‐ and sex‐matched controls were killed at 12 weeks of age. Left cardiac ventricles were removed and used for monitoring changes in several key genes, Na+,K+‐ATPase β1 protein expression, cardiomyocyte morphology and contractility as well as citrate synthase and aconitase activities. When compared to controls, female offspring of our IUGR rat model exhibit higher expression (mRNA) of ANP and the atrial isoform of the myosin light chain, lower levels of Na+,K+‐ATPase β1 protein, increased cardiomyocyte depth and volume, increased sarcomere length, diminished cardiomyocyte contractility and lower aconitase activity. Female offspring of our IUGR rat model exhibit changes as adults that are consistent with the onset of cardiac remodelling. The decrease in aconitase activity suggests that oxidative stress may be implicated in this response.
Identification: The missing link between joint attention and imitation?

In this paper we outline our hypothesis that human intersubjective engagement entails identifying with other people. We tested a prediction derived from this hypothesis that concerned the relation between a component of joint attention and a specific form of imitation. The empirical investigation involved “blind” ratings of videotapes from a recent study in which we tested matched children with and without autism for their propensity to imitate the self-/other-orientated aspects of another person's actions. The results were in keeping with three a priori predictions, as follows: (a) children with autism contrasted with control participants in spending more time looking at the objects acted upon and less time looking at the tester; (b) participants with autism showed fewer “sharing” looks toward the tester, and although they also showed fewer “checking” and “orientating” looks, they were specifically less likely to show any sharing looks; and, critically, (c) within each group, individual differences in sharing looks (only) were associated with imitation of self–other orientation. We suggest that the propensity to adopt the bodily anchored psychological stance of another person is essential to certain forms of joint attention and imitation, and that a weak tendency to identify with others is pivotal for the developmental psychopathology of autism.This research was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (award reference R000239355), the Baily Thomas Charitable Foundation, and the Tavistock Clinic, London (with NHS R&D funding). The manuscript was completed while the authors were at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford. We are grateful to the staff, students, and parents at Edith Borthwick School, Helen Allison School, Springhallow School, and Swiss Cottage School for their generous involvement in this project; Dave Williams, Valentina Levi, and Susana Caló for their assistance with ratings of joint attention; and Tony Lee and Rosa García Pérez for their many contributions to the research.
Unexpected Decrease in Milk Production after Fenbendazole Treatment of Dairy Cows during Early Grazing Season

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) infection can impair milk production (MP) in dairy cows. To investigate whether MP would be optimized by spring targeted-selective anthelmintic treatment in grazing cows, we assessed (1) the effect on MP of an anthelmintic treatment applied 1.5 to 2 months after turn-out, and (2) herd and individual indicators associated with the post-treatment MP response. A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted in 13 dairy farms (578 cows) in western France in spring 2012. In each herd, lactating cows of the treatment group received fenbendazole orally, control cows remained untreated. Daily cow MP was recorded from 2 weeks before until 15 weeks after treatment. Individual serum pepsinogen and anti-Ostertagia antibody levels (expressed as ODR), faecal egg count and bulk tank milk (BTM) Ostertagia ODR were measured at treatment time. Anthelmintic treatment applied during the previous housing period was recorded for each cow. In each herd, information regarding heifers’ grazing and anthelmintic treatment history was collected to assess the Time of Effective Contact (TEC, in months) with GIN infective larvae before the first calving. The effect of treatment on weekly MP averages and its relationships with herd and individual indicators were studied using linear mixed models with two nested random effects (cow within herd). Unexpectedly, spring treatment had a significant detrimental effect on MP (-0.92 kg/cow/day on average). This negative MP response was particularly marked in high producing cows, in cows not treated during the previous housing period or with high pepsinogen levels, and in cows from herds with a high TEC or a high BTM ODR. This post-treatment decrease in MP may be associated with immuno-inflammatory mechanisms. Until further studies can assess whether this unexpected result can be generalized, non-persistent treatment of immunized adult dairy cows against GIN should not be recommended in early grazing season.
Epigenetic Modulation of Stem Cells in Neurodevelopment: The Role of Methylation and Acetylation

The coordinated development of the nervous system requires fidelity in the expression of specific genes determining the different neural cell phenotypes. Stem cell fate decisions during neurodevelopment are strictly correlated with their epigenetic status. The epigenetic regulatory processes, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications discussed in this review article, may impact both neural stem cell (NSC) self-renewal and differentiation and thus play an important role in neurodevelopment. At the same time, stem cell decisions regarding fate commitment and differentiation are highly dependent on the temporospatial expression of specific genes contingent on the developmental stage of the nervous system. An interplay between the above, as well as basic cell processes, such as transcription regulation, DNA replication, cell cycle regulation and DNA repair therefore determine the accuracy and function of neuronal connections. This may significantly impact embryonic health and development as well as cognitive processes such as neuroplasticity and memory formation later in the adult.
On the Use of Gene Ontology Annotations to Assess Functional Similarity among Orthologs and Paralogs: A Short Report

A recent paper (Nehrt et al., PLoS Comput. Biol. 7:e1002073, 2011) has proposed a metric for the “functional similarity” between two genes that uses only the Gene Ontology (GO) annotations directly derived from published experimental results. Applying this metric, the authors concluded that paralogous genes within the mouse genome or the human genome are more functionally similar on average than orthologous genes between these genomes, an unexpected result with broad implications if true. We suggest, based on both theoretical and empirical considerations, that this proposed metric should not be interpreted as a functional similarity, and therefore cannot be used to support any conclusions about the “ortholog conjecture” (or, more properly, the “ortholog functional conservation hypothesis”). First, we reexamine the case studies presented by Nehrt et al. as examples of orthologs with divergent functions, and come to a very different conclusion: they actually exemplify how GO annotations for orthologous genes provide complementary information about conserved biological functions. We then show that there is a global ascertainment bias in the experiment-based GO annotations for human and mouse genes: particular types of experiments tend to be performed in different model organisms. We conclude that the reported statistical differences in annotations between pairs of orthologous genes do not reflect differences in biological function, but rather complementarity in experimental approaches. Our results underscore two general considerations for researchers proposing novel types of analysis based on the GO: 1) that GO annotations are often incomplete, potentially in a biased manner, and subject to an “open world assumption” (absence of an annotation does not imply absence of a function), and 2) that conclusions drawn from a novel, large-scale GO analysis should whenever possible be supported by careful, in-depth examination of examples, to help ensure the conclusions have a justifiable biological basis.
Online optimization of 802.11 mesh networks

802.11 wireless mesh networks are ubiquitous, but suffer from severe performance degradations due to poor synergy between the 802.11 CSMA MAC protocol and higher layers. Several solutions have been proposed that either involve significant modifications to the 802.11 MAC or legacy higher layer protocols, or rely on 802. MAC models seeded with off-line measurements performed during network downtime. We introduce a technique for online optimization of 802.11 wireless mesh networks using rate control at the network layer. The technique is based on a lightweight model that characterizes the feasible rates region of an operational 802.11 wireless mesh network. Unlike existing 802.11 modeling approaches, the parameters of this model can be estimated online, incur minimal overhead and can be realized using standard probing mechanisms at the network layer. Using analysis and extensive measurements over a wireless mesh network testbed, we validate the assumptions on which the model is built, and explain the principles behind the choice and estimation of its parameters. The benefits of the model and its solution in terms of fairness, throughput and stability are demonstrated operationally for a range of multi-hop topologies and configurations.
Social Capital and IT Capital as a Factors Creating the Society of Knowledge

All social capital theories refer to social factors, resources and relationships between those factors. What differentiates them in the detailed layer is the question, what aspects they high-light, what theory they use, which general paradigms they are based on. The theories differ with regard to the fact, if they highlight individual or collective/corporate actors (family, class, organization, group of neighbors, nation) as social capital “owners. " Resources are another important aspect of social capital; they can considerably differ from each other in financial, cultural, psychological, social, or political terms. The third component involves relationships between the actors. It is probably central element of the concept, since it helps to single out social capital definitions. From the above it follows, that social capital can be restricted to less or more closed networks (class, family, persons), or it can have an impact beyond the observable networks of individual and collective actors (town district, town, province).
Intra‐abdominal adhesion formation induces anti‐oxidative injury, enhances cell proliferation, and prevents complement‐mediated lysis

Whether the alteration of gene expression is accompanied with intra‐abdominal adhesion formation is unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze the dynamic gene expression patterns in an animal model of intra‐abdominal adhesion formation. The mRNA was extracted from the jejunums of sham control mice and jejunum‐abrading mice at 1, 3, 7, and 14 days postsurgery. The mouse cDNA microarray was used to monitor the dynamic changes of the tested genes and up‐regulated and down‐regulated genes were calculated. Quantitative real‐time RT‐PCR, and immunohistochemistry staining were used to confirm the accuracy of microarray results at RNA and protein levels. The top 100 genes with the greatest change across all studied mice groups were identified and 93 of them were correct after sequencing verification. Of the 93 genes, 74 genes were up‐regulated and 19 were down‐regulated following jejunal abrasion. Gene expressions of complement‐mediated lysis, anti‐oxidative response, and cell proliferation were significantly induced during adhesion formation. Intra‐abdominal adhesion induces several genes to eliminate overfilled complement‐mediated lysis, prevent oxidative injuries, and enhance cell proliferation. These findings may provide insights into the pathogenesis of intra‐abdominal adhesion formation and might also help to identify some new target genes for specific diagnostic tools and novel therapeutic strategies.
Descending auditory pathways in the adult male zebra finch (Taeniopygia Guttata)

Here, we examine the connectivity of two previously identified telencephalic stations of the auditory system of adult zebra finches, the neostriatal “shelf” that underlies the high vocal center (HVC) and the archistriatal “cup” adjacent to the robust nucleus of the archistriatum (RA). We used different kinds of neuroanatomical tracers to visualize the projections from the shelf to the HVC. In addition, we show that the shelf projects to the cup and that the cup projects to thalamic, midbrain, and pontine nuclei of the ascending auditory pathway. Our observations extend to songbirds anatomical features that are found in the auditory pathways of a nonoscine bird, the pigeon (Wild et al. [1993] J. Comp. Neurol. 337:32–62), and we suggest that the descending auditory projections found in mammals may also be a general property of the avian brain. Finally, we show that the oscine song control system is closely apposed to auditory pathways at many levels. Our observations may help in understanding the evolution and organization of networks for vocal communication and vocal learning in songbirds. J. Comp. Neurol. 395:137–160, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Case Studies of Multidisciplinary Approaches to Integrating Mathematics, Science and TechnologyEducation

Traditionally, school curriculum has been largely based on the concept that instruction should be separated into distinct subjects for ease of understanding and then reassembled when complex applications are required. Although it is assumed that students readily re-connect their school knowledge and then use it in an applied context outside of the classroom, recent research does substantiate this belief (Crohn, 1983; Hawkins, 1982). Here in lies the crux of the matter, the school curricula is a segregated approach to instructional topics which does not adequately address the reassemblage of topics into a coherent body of knowledge to be used by students. Senge (1990) addresses the fragmented way that we as a culture have been trained to solve problems. He writes:
Differential blood flow responses to CO2 in human internal and external carotid and vertebral arteries

• Arterial CO2 serves as a mediator of cerebral blood flow, and its relative influence on the regulation of cerebral blood flow is defined as cerebral CO2 reactivity. • Because of methodological limitations, almost all previous studies have evaluated the response of blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery to changes in CO2 as a measure of CO2 reactivity across the whole brain. • We found that the vertebral artery has lower CO2 reactivity than the internal carotid artery. Moreover, CO2 reactivity in the external carotid artery was markedly lower than in the cerebral circulation. • These results demonstrate regional differences in CO2 regulation of blood flow between the internal carotid, external carotid, and vertebro‐basilar circulation.
The thermal response of laser irradiated tissue

The extent of thermal destruction of tissue by visible and near-infrared lasers is governed by heat deposition in the tissue, heat transfer, and temperature-dependent rate reactions. Often the thermal response has been analyzed by linear models with constant coefficients that presume exponential absorption of the laser irradiation with depth. However, for weakly absorbing tissues, light scattering dominates the optical properties. These properties may be altered by thermal damage of the tissue. Also, thermal properties for tissue vary with temperature and water content. Typical therapeutic laser irradiations vaporize water in the tissue causing sharp increases in temperature beyond 100°C, and continued irradiation causes ablation of the tissue. Models for all these events are discussed.