Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Age- and Sex-related Reference Ranges of Alanine Aminotransferase Levels in Children: European Paediatric HCV Network

Background: Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels are commonly used to indicate liver damage. Although elevated levels indicate possible liver injury, abnormalities, or disease, some patients with “normal” ALT levels have minimal to mild liver disease. Recently, ALT reference ranges for adults were queried and revised ranges proposed with lower upper limits of normality. The appropriateness of current paediatric ALT reference ranges is unclear. Material and Methods: Hepatitis C virus (HCV)–uninfected children from the European Paediatric HCV Network represent a large population of healthy children born to HCV-infected mothers, with ALT observations collected prospectively from birth. Linear regression identified factors associated with ALT levels while accounting for within-child repeated measurements. ALT centiles stratified by sex were calculated using maximum penalized likelihood methods and LMS software. Results: A total of 1293 HCV-uninfected children had 5011 ALT measurements during follow-up. ALT levels significantly decreased with increasing age, whilst ALT levels were significantly lower in girls than boys. Reference cutoffs representing the 95th centiles before 18 months of age were 60 U/L for boys and 55 U/L for girls, decreasing to 40 U/L for boys and 35 U/L for girls after 18 months of age. Conclusions: These reference ranges represent a unique investigation of ALT levels in a healthy child population. We show lower and more detailed age-related cutoffs of normality than available. Additionally, we demonstrate a significant effect of sex on ALT reference ranges, which has not previously been described in children younger than 5 years of age.
Fresh-frozen plasma and platelet transfusions are associated with development of acute lung injury in critically ill medical patients.

BACKGROUND Transfusion has long been identified as a risk factor for acute lung injury (ALI)/ARDS. No study has formally evaluated the transfusion of specific blood products as a risk factor for ALI/ARDS in critically ill medical patients. METHOD In this single-center retrospective cohort study, 841 consecutive critically ill patients were studied for the development of ALI/ARDS. Patients who received blood product transfusions were compared with those who did not, in univariate and multivariate propensity analyses. RESULTS Two hundred ninety-eight patients (35%) received blood transfusions. Transfused patients were older (mean [+/- SD] age, 67 +/- 17 years vs 62 +/- 19 years; p < 0.001) and had higher acute physiologic and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) III scores (74 +/- 32 vs 58 +/- 23; p < 0.001) than those who had not received transfusions. ALI/ARDS developed more commonly (25% vs 18%; p = 0.025) in patients exposed to transfusion. Seventeen patients received massive RBC transfusions (ie, > 10 U of blood transfused within 24 h), of whom 13 also received fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) and 11 received platelet transfusions. When adjusted for the probability of transfusion and other ALI/ARDS risk factors, any transfusion was associated with the development of ALI/ARDS (odds ratio [OR], 2.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24 to 3.75). Among those patients receiving individual blood products, ALI/ARDS was more likely to develop in patients who received FFP transfusions (OR, 2.48; 95% CI, 1.29 to 4.74) and platelet transfusions (OR, 3.89; 95% CI, 1.36 to 11.52) than in those who received only RBC transfusions (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 0.79 to 2.43). CONCLUSION Transfusion is associated with an increased risk of the development of ALI/ARDS in critically ill medical patients. The risk is higher with transfusions of plasma-rich blood products, FFP, and platelets, than with RBCs.
Blood–brain barrier dysfunction in parkinsonian midbrain in vivo

Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with a loss of neurons from the midbrain. The cause of PD is unknown, but it is established that certain neurotoxins can cause similar syndromes. The brain is normally protected from these noxious blood‐borne chemicals by the blood–brain barrier which includes specialized proteins on the inside of blood vessels in the brain. These act as molecular efflux pumps and P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp) is an abundant representative. Vulnerability to PD appears codetermined by the genotype for the P‐gp gene. We hypothesized that PD patients have reduced P‐gp function in the blood–brain barrier. We used positron emission tomography to measure brain uptake of [11C]‐verapamil, which is normally extruded from the brain by P‐gp. Here, we show significantly elevated uptake of [11C]‐verapamil (18%) in the midbrain of PD patients relative to controls. This is the first evidence supporting a dysfunctional blood–brain barrier as a causative mechanism in PD. Ann Neurol 2005;57:176–179
Formation shape and orientation control using projected collinear tensegrity structures

The goal of this work is to stabilize the shape and orientation of formations of N identical and fully actuated agents, each governed by double-integrator dynamics. Using stability and rigidity properties inherent to tensegrity structures, we first design a tensegrity-based, globally exponentially stable control law in one dimension. This stabilizes given inter-agent spacing along the line, thereby enabling shape control of one-dimensional formations. We then couple one-dimensional control laws along independent orthogonal axes to design a distributed control law capable of stabilizing arbitrary shapes and orientations in n dimensions. We also present two methods for formation shape and orientation change, one using smooth parameter variations of the control law, and the other, an n-step collision-free algorithm for shape change between any two formations in n-dimensional space.
Collective Robotics: From Social Insects to Robots

Achieving tasks with multiple robots will require a control system that is both simple and scalable as the number of robots increases. Collective behavior as demonstrated by social insects is a form of decentralized control that may prove useful in controlling multiple robots. Nature's several examples of collective behavior have motivated our approach to controlling a multiple robot system using a group behavior. Our mechanisms, used to invoke the group behavior, allow the system of robots to perform tasks without centralized control or explicit communication. We have constructed a system of five mobile robots capable of achieving simple collective tasks to verify the results obtained in simulation. The results suggest that decentralized control without explicit communication can be used to perform cooperative tasks requiring a collective behavior.
Cellular composition of the cyclic corpus luteum of the cow.

The cellular composition of CL from 6 cows on approximately Day 12 of the oestrous cycle, after synchronization with cloprostenol, was studied by ultrastructural morphometry. Point-count measurements of volume density (mean +/- s.d.) showed that large luteal cells occupied 40.2 +/- 7.0% of the luteal tissue, and small luteal cells 27.7 +/- 6.3%. Of the total of 393.4 +/- 52.0 x 10(3) cells per mm3 of luteal tissue, large luteal cells made up only 3.5% and small luteal cells 26.7%, a ratio of 1:7.6. Endothelial cells/pericytes, at 52.3%, were the most numerous cell type. The mean volume per large luteal cell was 29.6 +/- 6.3 x 10(3) microns 3, while that of small luteal cells was 2.7 +/- 0.4 x 10(3) microns 3. In spherical form, these volumes would represent mean diameters of 38.4 microns and 17.2 microns respectively, and are consistent with published measurements on dispersed luteal cells. However, the values for cell numbers are much higher than published values based on luteal tissue dispersion, suggesting that dispersion may result in substantial and possibly selective losses of luteal cells.
Noise-induced alternative response in MAP kinase pathways with mutual inhibition

All organisms have the ability to detect and respond to changes in the environment for survival, and as a result, a variety of mechanisms, i.e., specific cellular signaling pathways, have evolved by which organisms sense their environment and respond to signals that they detect. However, an important unsolved problem in cell biology is to understand how specificity from signal to cellular response is maintained between different signal transduction pathways that share similar or identical components. Here, we show, using mathematical and computational modeling, that two typical signaling pathways in a single cell, hyperosmolar and pheromone motigen-avtivated protein kinase in the yeast, despite mutual inhibition, can respond alternatively to two costimulated signals in the fluctuated environment.
A Test of the “Flexible Stem” Model of Evolution: Ancestral Plasticity, Genetic Accommodation, and Morphological Divergence in the Threespine Stickleback Radiation

If an ancestral stem group repeatedly colonizes similar environments, developmental plasticity specific to that group should consistently give rise to similar phenotypes. Parallel selection on those similar phenotypes could lead to the repeated evolution of characteristic ecotypes, a property common to many adaptive radiations. A key prediction of this “flexible stem” model of adaptive radiation is that patterns of phenotypic divergence in derived groups should mirror patterns of developmental plasticity in their common ancestor. The threespine stickleback radiation provides an excellent opportunity to test this prediction because the marine form is representative of the ancestral stem group, which has repeatedly given rise to several characteristic ecotypes. We examined plasticity of several aspects of shape and trophic morphology in response to diets characteristic of either the derived benthic ecotype or the limnetic ecotype. When marine fish were reared on alternative diets, plasticity of head and mouth shape paralleled phenotypic divergence between the derived ecotypes, supporting the flexible stem model. Benthic and limnetic fish exhibited patterns of plasticity similar to those of the marine population; however, some differences in population means were present, as well as subtle differences in shape plasticity in the benthic population, indicating a role for genetic accommodation in this system.
Broad activation of the olfactory bulb produces long-lasting changes in odor perception

A number of electrophysiological experiments have shown that odor exposure alone, unaccompanied by behavioral training, changes the response patterns of neurons in the olfactory bulb. As a consequence of these changes, across mitral cells in the olfactory bulb, individual odors should be better discriminated because of previous exposure. We have previously shown that a daily 2-h exposure to odorants during 2 weeks enhances rats' ability to discriminate between chemically similar odorants. Here, we first show that the perception of test odorants is only modulated by enrichment with odorants that activate at least partially overlapping regions of the olfactory bulb. Second, we show that a broad activation of olfactory bulb neurons by daily local infusion of NMDA into both olfactory bulbs enhances the discrimination between chemically related odorants in a manner similar to the effect of daily exposure to odorants. Computational modeling of the olfactory bulb suggests that activity-dependent plasticity in the olfactory bulb can support the observed modulation in olfactory discrimination capability by enhancing contrast and synchronization in the olfactory bulb. Last, we show that blockade of NMDA receptors in the olfactory bulb impairs the effects of daily enrichment, suggesting that NMDA-dependent plasticity is involved in the changes in olfactory processing observed here.
Influence of fatigue on EMG/force ratio and cocontraction in cycling.

PURPOSE The purpose of the present study was to observe force and power losses and electromyographic manifestations of fatigue during repeated sprints performed on a friction-loaded cycle ergometer. METHODS Ten subjects performed 15 maximal 5-s sprints with 25-s rests between them. Power, velocity, and torque were measured during sprints 1 and 13 and during two submaximal constant-velocity (50 rpm) periods of cycling performed before and after the sprints. The EMG signals of five leg muscles were stored to determine the EMG/force ratio of power producer muscles and the coactivation of antagonist muscles. The power producer muscles were activated to the same level during sprints 1 and 13, despite a loss of force, whereas the vastus lateralis muscle was recruited more during the submaximal cycling period under fatigue conditions. RESULTS This led to an increased EMG/force ratio for the power producer muscles, indicating the peripheral fatigue status of these muscles. Antagonist muscles were less activated during the sprints after fatigue; whereas they stayed unchanged during the last submaximal cycling period. CONCLUSIONS This suggests that there is a decrease in coactivation as agonist force is lost. This decrease in coactivation under fatigue conditions has not been previously reported and is probably due to the training status of the subjects. Subjects may have learned to better use their antagonist muscles to efficiently transfer force and power to the rotating pedal. This coordination can be adapted to cope with fatigue of the power producer muscles.
A practical routing strategy in Delay Tolerant Networks using multiple pigeons

The development of delay tolerant networks (DTN) has attracted significant attention in the networking research community. In this paper, we investigate a new type of delay tolerant network - homing pigeon based DTN (HoP-DTN) system. In HoP-DTN, each node owns multiple dedicated messengers (called pigeons), and each pigeon will take a round trip starting from its home, through the destination nodes and then return home, disseminating the messages on its way. The proposed scheme is a practical and effective way to overcome end-to-end disconnection in DTN. We obtain the average message delay of the scheme through theoretical analysis. The analytical model is validated by simulations. We also study the effects of several key parameters on system performance.
Title : Negative pressure wound therapy in a community setting valued therapy or vacuum of evidence ?

Recent government documents (Department of Health 2009) have suggested that as a result of advances in tissue viability, more complex wound care can now be provided in the community setting and that therapies such as Negative Pressure Wound Therapy [NPWT] should be common place with tissue viability professionals appointed to direct service provision and ensure high standards (DH 2009). This is a major step forward in current thinking however there are still gaps in our understanding of NPWT with regard to both the mechanism of action and which wound types will respond most favourably to the therapy. Managing complex patients in the community setting can be challenging add to this scenario a device that has to remain attached for around 22 out of 24 hours a day certainly brings new challenges. It yet remains to be ascertained if it is appropriate for all patients or if some definitive exclusion criteria should be agreed. This paper will seek to explore the mechanism of action, benefits, and barriers to adoption in community settings.
PREDICTIVE POWER FOR TWO BINOMIAL POPULATIONS IN CLINICAL TRIALS

The Bayesian approach involves synthesising data and judgement in order to reach conclusions about unknown quantities and make predictions. In recent years, many authors have stressed the interest of the Bayesian predictive approach for designing and monitoring experiments. In the planning and design of new clinical trials, the calculation of the sample size and power is an essential part of the process. Power calculations are usually based on the estimated quantities of the analysis of historical data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. In many cases, this is addressed by the sensitivity analysis but simple sensitivity analysis provides an incomplete picture of the uncertainty of estimates of power. We describe here a Bayesian analysis of historical data in clinical trials using the binary data with a prior beta (a, b), which gives by the generation of the power distribution of a fully probabilistic predictive description of uncertainty in computing power.
VERGILIUS: A Scenario Generator for VANET

Vehicular networks are on the fast track to become a reality either through a car manufacturer that introduces a communication device in the car electronics or through an aftermarket vendor such a GPS navigator or a in-vehicle entertainment system. This paper introduces VERGILIUS a nouvelle urban mobility and propagation toolbox designed to streamline the mobility trace generation and path loss computation in vehicular network studies. The aim of VERGILIUS is to enable a whole new level of simulation through the introduction of Urban Maps, finely tunable motion patterns, and detailed trace analysis.
Sequence and genetic map of Meloidogyne hapla: A compact nematode genome for plant parasitism

We have established Meloidogyne hapla as a tractable model plant-parasitic nematode amenable to forward and reverse genetics, and we present a complete genome sequence. At 54 Mbp, M. hapla represents not only the smallest nematode genome yet completed, but also the smallest metazoan, and defines a platform to elucidate mechanisms of parasitism by what is the largest uncontrolled group of plant pathogens worldwide. The M. hapla genome encodes significantly fewer genes than does the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (most notably through a reduction of odorant receptors and other gene families), yet it has acquired horizontally from other kingdoms numerous genes suspected to be involved in adaptations to parasitism. In some cases, amplification and tandem duplication have occurred with genes suspected of being acquired horizontally and involved in parasitism of plants. Although M. hapla and C. elegans diverged >500 million years ago, many developmental and biochemical pathways, including those for dauer formation and RNAi, are conserved. Although overall genome organization is not conserved, there are areas of microsynteny that may suggest a primary biological function in nematodes for those genes in these areas. This sequence and map represent a wealth of biological information on both the nature of nematode parasitism of plants and its evolution.
Understanding of Its Caretaker’s Affective Gestures by the Young Infant Is the Basis of a Theory of Body

Understanding people begins with the understanding of the infant-directed actions of the primary caretaker. The infant is cuddled and handled, thus acquiring an affective experience of its mother’s body. We asked the mothers of a hundred 2.5- to 5.5-month-old infants whether infants reacted in an understandable way to the mother’s gestures and when the mother had first noticed this. From the age of 3 to 4 months, infants’ reactions suggest they “understand” these gestures. The degree of understanding decreases depending on whether gestures are infant-directed, or only infant-related, and on whether simple or complex motor responses or more abstract ones are involved. Here we propose the concept of a Theory of Body (ToB), the understanding of the caretaker’s bodily behavior, arguing that ToB is a neuropsychological construct. ToB is more than mere mechanistic understanding: gestures are affect-attuned—in psychoanalytic terms they have a libidinal charge—and induce emotional states. As the mother handles the infant, targeting the entire body as an erogenous zone, ToB becomes part of the body image, Freud’s körperliches Ich. A ToB harbors internalized maternal libidinous energy, constituting infantile sexuality. Feeling, understanding, and unconscious imprinting of the mother’s libidinal investment means that ToB is also a neuropsychoanalytic construct
El diseño de investigación en educación: conceptos actuales Educational research design: current concepts

Coordinadora del Consejo Academico del Area de las Ciencias Sociales. Profesora Titular C Deinitiva, Division de Estudios de Posgrado, Facultad de Psicologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico.Recepcion 3 de octubre 2011; aceptacion 31 de octubre 2011El presente manuscrito ofrece un panorama global de va-rios conceptos relevantes para la investigacion en edu-cacion aplicables a las ciencias de la salud, destacando las caracteristicas (tradicionales y novedosas) de las dife-rentes aproximaciones en la busqueda del conocimiento.
Whose Marital Adjustment—Hers, His, or Theirs?

Some researchers report marital adjustment scores for unrelated husbands and wives; studies of pairs typically report scores correlate about . GO. What can be said of adjustment in the marriage? This exploratory research was undertaken to determine how relationships between communication and marical adjustment might vary when individual scores and various types of group scores were utilized. Self-reports were obtained from 44 married pairs (88 individuals) by interval sampling in a midwestern village, using the Bienvenu Communication Scale (1970), the Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Scale (1959), ad the Crowne-Marlowe Social Desirability Scale (1964). Bienvenu validated by comparing responses of 23 couples receiving marriage counseling and 23 couples not having difficulties; Locke and Wallace by a comparison of 48 subjects known to be maladjusted in their marriages and 48 judged to be exceptionally well adjusted by friends who knew them well. Presenr alpha reliability coefficients for these scales were . 81, . 91, and . 82, respectively. Here the mean marital adjustment score for wives was 115.8 (SD, 54.5), for husbands 115.1 (SD, 33.6) for a theoretical range of 2 to 153. This compares to means of 71.7 for"ma1adjusted" and 135.9 for "adjusted" couples in the Lde-Wallace study (1959). The mean communication score for wives was 213.1 (SD, 167.0). for husbands 203.8 (SD, 125.4) of a possible range of 19 to 304. Mean social desirability score for wives was 174.5 (SD, 80.2), for husbands 164.9 (SD, 33.9) of a possible range of 19 to 320. In addition to the traditional use of individual scores, we constructed three group scores: a minimum marital adjustment score (husband's or wife's, whichever was lower), a maximum (the higher of the two) and a mean. Correlations between marital adjustment and communication were: . 73 for individual; . 73 for minimum; . 71 for maximum and . 76 for mean. Social desirability correlated moderately (7, .31) with four marital adjustment factors. Controlling for social desirability reduced' the correlations to . 70, . 71, . 67, and . 73. Thus, the issue of whether one uses an individual's or a couple's score need not overly concern scientists, in spite of the very plausible theoretical questions