Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Single-Port Bilateral Thoracscopic Dorsal Sympathectmy for Primary Hyperhidrosis: Long-Term Outcome

Background: Primary hyperhidrosis of the upper limbs is characterized by over activity of the eccrine sweat glands, primarily occurring on palmar, plantar and axillary regions. It is distressing and often socially disabling condition. Conservative treatment is usually not effective in controlling the disease mainly due to adverse effect of therapies. Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy is considered as the treatment of choice, causing minimal morbidity and high success rates and patient satisfaction. Objective: The study aims to evaluate the long-term outcomes of single port bilateralthoracoscopic dorsal sympathectomyin treatment of primary hyperhidrosis of the palm and axilla. Methods: In this prospective study, performed primarily by a single surgeon, between August 1st 2010, and August 1st 2012, we performed 200 thoracoscopies on 100 patients with signs and symptoms of primary palmar and axillary hyperhidrosis in different age groups and in both genders, and all were studied and analyzed following treatment by single-port bilateral thoracoscopic dorsal sympathectomy in Sulaimani teaching hospital. Results: Total of 99 patients were satisfied with the outcome of post-surgery with a follow-up in the mean of 27 months and only one patient was reported no change in symptoms postoperatively. Complications reported in 6 patients inform of compensatory sweating (n = 2), Gestatory sweating (n = 1), Pneumothorax (n = 1), Intraoperative minor bleeding (n = 1) and only 1% failure rate was reported. No mortality was reported. Conclusions: Single port bilateral thoracoscopic thoracic sympathectomy is a very effective method in the management of primary hyperhidrosis. Single port provides less postoperative pain, safety, short operative time, and quick method for the treatment of primary hyperhidrosis in comparison to two or three ports approaches.
Toddlers’ Fine Motor Milestone Achievement Is Associated with Early Touchscreen Scrolling

Touchscreen technologies provide an intuitive and attractive source of sensory/cognitive stimulation for young children. Despite fears that usage may have a negative impact on toddlers’ cognitive development, empirical evidence is lacking. The current study presents results from the UK Toddler Attentional Behaviours and LEarning with Touchscreens (TABLET) project, examining the association between toddlers’ touchscreen use and the attainment of developmental milestones. Data were gathered in an online survey of 715 parents of 6- to 36-month-olds to address two research questions: (1) How does touchscreen use change from 6 to 36 months? (2) In toddlers (19–36 months, i.e., above the median age, n = 366), how does retrospectively reported age of first touchscreen usage relate to gross motor (i.e., walking), fine motor (i.e., stacking blocks), and language (i.e., producing two-word utterances) milestones? In our sample, the proportion of children using touchscreens, as well as the average daily usage time, increased with age (youngest quartile, 6–11 months: 51.22% users, 8.53 min per day; oldest quartile, 26–36 months: 92.05% users, average use of 43.95 min per day). In toddlers, aged 19–36 months, age of first touchscreen use was significantly associated with fine motor (stacking blocks), p = 0.03, after controlling for covariates age, sex, mother’s education (a proxy for socioeconomic status) as well as age of early fine motor milestone achievement (pincer grip). This effect was only present for active scrolling of the touchscreen p = 0.04, not for video watching. No significant relationships were found between touchscreen use and either gross motor or language milestones. Touchscreen use increases rapidly over the first 3 years of life. In the current study, we find no evidence to support a negative association between the age of first touchscreen usage and developmental milestones. Indeed, earlier touchscreen use, specifically scrolling of the screen, was associated with earlier fine motor achievement. Future longitudinal studies are required to elucidate the temporal order and mechanisms of this association, and to examine the impact of touchscreen use on other, more fine-grained, measures of behavioral, cognitive, and neural development.
Pancolonic chromoendoscopy with indigo carmine versus standard colonoscopy for detection of neoplastic lesions: a randomised two-centre trial

Objective Colonoscopy is the accepted gold standard for detecting colorectal adenomas, but the miss rate, especially for small and flat lesions, remains unacceptably high. The aim of this study was to determine whether enhanced mucosal contrast using pancolonic chromoendoscopy (PCC) allows higher rates of adenoma detection. Methods In a prospective, randomised two-centre trial, PCC (with 0.4% indigo carmine spraying during continuous extubation) was compared with standard colonoscopy (control group) in consecutive patients attending for routine colonoscopy. The histopathology of the lesions detected was confirmed by evaluating the endoscopic resection or biopsy specimens. Results A total of 1008 patients were included (496 in the PCC group, 512 in the control group). The patients' demographic characteristics and indications for colonoscopy were similar in the two groups. The proportion of patients with at least one adenoma was significantly higher in the PCC group (46.2%) than in the control group (36.3%; p=0.002). Chromoendoscopy increased the overall detection rate for adenomas (0.95 vs 0.66 per patient), flat adenomas (0.56 vs 0.28 per patient) and serrated lesions (1.19 vs 0.49 per patient) (p<0.001). There was a non-significant trend towards increased detection of advanced adenomas (103 vs 81; p=0.067). Mean extubation times were slightly but significantly longer in the PCC group in comparison with the control group (11.6±3.36 min vs 10.1±2.03 min; p<0.001). Conclusions Pancolonic chromoendoscopy markedly enhances adenoma detection rates in an average-risk population and is practicable enough for routine application.
Improve the surface hardness of the blend PMMA / n- MgTiO3 to resist caries and bacteria

In this study, the MgTiO3 ceramic system was used in a dry mixing method with 2: 1 mol and was reinforced to white acrylic powder used in dental applications to form a mixture of 1%, 2%, 3%, 4% and 5% of ceramic powder. The ultrasound technique was used to disperse the powder and distribute it homogeneously in the chloroform solution for one hour and then mixed it with acrylic powder in the same technique for half an hour. The tests were done for the samples made using industrial saliva with bacteria. Calculate the rate of wear using Pin on disc method. The results were interpreted based on the resulting images from the scanning electron microscope and the density of the prepared samples.
Numerical modelling of long-term stability of the rock joint

Abstract This paper is focused on the numerical modelling of long-term stability of the rock joint, which has been performed using the extended finite element method. An elastoplastic damage model is developed for the rock matrix around the joints, while a specially developed interface model has been used for the joints. The proposed model for rock joint is based on the assumptions made on the aperture scale. The simplest exponential degradation law has been proposed for both the residual friction angle and the aperture erosion, for taking into consideration the time effects. The proposed model is then used to simulate some direct shear tests realised on the intact and eroded rock interfaces. Comparison of available test results shows that the proposed model is capable to predict satisfactorily the time-dependant degradation caused by either the residual friction angle decrease and/or interface roughness erosion. Therefore, the time effects is numerically analysed via a parametric study on an academic example. The numerical results show that the degradation caused by the decrease in residual friction angle and erosion on the joint surface reduce dramatically joint’s resistance.
Norovirus Disease in the United States

Although recognized as the leading cause of epidemic acute gastroenteritis across all age groups, norovirus has remained poorly characterized with respect to its endemic disease incidence. Use of different methods, including attributable proportion extrapolation, population-based surveillance, and indirect modeling, in several recent studies has considerably improved norovirus disease incidence estimates for the United States. Norovirus causes an average of 570–800 deaths, 56,000–71,000 hospitalizations, 400,000 emergency department visits, 1.7–1.9 million outpatient visits, and 19–21 million total illnesses per year. Persons >65 years of age are at greatest risk for norovirus-associated death, and children <5 years of age have the highest rates of norovirus-associated medical care visits. Endemic norovirus disease occurs year round but exhibits a pronounced winter peak and increases by ≤50% during years in which pandemic strains emerge. These findings support continued development and targeting of appropriate interventions, including vaccines, for norovirus disease.
Dependency-Based PropBanking of Clinical Finnish

In this paper, we present a PropBank of clinical Finnish, an annotated corpus of verbal propositions and arguments. The clinical PropBank is created on top of a previously existing dependency treebank annotated in the Stanford Dependency (SD) scheme and covers 90% of all verb occurrences in the treebank. We establish that the PropBank scheme is applicable to clinical Finnish as well as compatible with the SD scheme, with an overwhelming proportion of arguments being governed by the verb. This allows argument candidates to be restricted to direct verb dependents, substantially simplifying the PropBank construction. The clinical Finnish PropBank is freely available at the address http://bionlp.utu. fi.
Characterisation of time-dependent mechanical behaviour of trabecular bone and its constituents

Trabecular bone is a porous composite material which consists of a mineral phase (mainly hydroxyapatite), organic phase (mostly type I collagen) and water assembled into a complex, hierarchical structure. In biomechanical modelling, its mechanical response to loads is generally assumed to be instantaneous, i.e. it is treated as a time-independent material. It is, however, recognised that the response of trabecular bone to loads is time-dependent. Study of this time-dependent behaviour is important in several contexts such as: to understand energy dissipation ability of bone; to understand the age-related non-traumatic fractures; to predict implant loosening due to cyclic loading; to understand progressive vertebral deformity; and for pre-clinical evaluation of total joint replacement. To investigate time-dependent behaviour, bovine trabecular bone samples were subjected to compressive loading, creep, unloading and recovery at multiple load levels (corresponding to apparent strain of 2,000-25,000 με). The results show that: the time-dependent behaviour of trabecular bone comprises of both recoverable and irrecoverable strains; the strain response is nonlinearly related to applied load levels; and the response is associated with bone volume fraction. It was found that bone with low porosity demonstrates elastic stiffening followed by elastic softening, while elastic softening is demonstrated by porous bone at relatively low loads. Linear, nonlinear viscoelastic and nonlinear viscoelastic-viscoplastic constitutive models were developed to predict trabecular bone’s time-dependent behaviour. Nonlinear viscoelastic constitu-
A Minimum Reconfiguration Probability Routing Algorithm for RWA in All-Optical Networks

In this paper, we present a detailed study of Minimum Reconfiguration Probability Routing (MRPR) algorithm, and its performance evaluation in comparison with Adaptive unconstrained routing (AUR) and Least Loaded routing (LLR) algorithms. We have minimized the effects of failures on link and router failure in the network under changing load conditions, we assess the probability of service and number of light path failures due to link or route failure on Wavelength Interchange(WI) network. The computation complexity is reduced by using Kalman Filter(KF) techniques. The minimum reconfiguration probability routing (MRPR) algorithm selects most reliable routes and assign wavelengths to connections in a manner that utilizes the light path(LP) established efficiently considering all possible requests.
Assessment of the Therapeutic Alliance in Face-to-Face or Videoconference Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Telepsychotherapy is a cutting-edge intervention that shows great promise in the mental health care field. However, the possibility of developing a high-quality therapeutic alliance is often doubted when psychotherapy is provided remotely. This study assesses the development of a therapeutic alliance in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder who were treated either by videoconference therapy or a face-to-face therapy. Forty-six participants with PTSD received cognitive behavioral therapy, 17 of them by videoconference and 29 in person. A variety of questionnaires evaluating the quality of the therapeutic relationship were administered at five different times during treatment. Each session was also assessed by the therapist and the participant immediately afterwards. The results indicate that a therapeutic alliance can develop very well in both treatment conditions and that there is no significant difference between the two. Certain clinical and practical implications are discussed.
JETS: Achieving Completeness through Coverage and Closure

Work in progress on JETS, the successor to PLANES, is described. JETS is a natural language question answering system that is intended to interface users to a large relational data base. The architecture is designed to extend the conceptual coverage of JETS to better meet the conversational and data base usage requirements of users. The implementation of JETS is designed to gain a high degree of closure over concept manipulation, contributing to a solution to the problems of perspicuity and scale. Specific examples are given of concept manipulation through the implied relationships of modification and of an approach to problem-solving through the use of frames.
Real-Time Kernel-Based Tracking in Joint Feature-Spatial Spaces

We will demonstrate an object tracking algorithm that uses a novel simple symmetric similarity function between spatially-smoothed kernel-density estimates of the model and target distributions. The similarity measure is based on the expectation of the density estimates over the model or target images. The density is estimated using radial-basis kernel functions which measure the affinity between points and provide a better outlier rejection property. The meanshift algorithm is used to track objects by iteratively maximizing this similarity function. To alleviate the quadratic complexity of the density estimation, we employ Gaussian kernels and the fast Gauss transform to reduce the computations to linear order. This leads to a very efficient and robust nonparametric tracking algorithm. More details can be found in [2]. The system processes online video stream on a P4 1.4GHz and achieves 30 frames per second using an ordinary webcam.
Cryptic chromosomal rearrangements in children with idiopathic mental retardation in the Czech population.

AIMS The aim of our study was to scan for cryptic rearrangements using the multiplex ligation probe amplification method in a cohort of 64 probands with mental retardation or developmental delays in combination with at least one of the following symptoms: hypotonia after birth, congenital anomalies, or face dysmorphisms; but without a positive cytogenetic finding. The study contributes to the knowledge of microdeletion syndromes and helps disclose their natural phenotypic variability. RESULTS In total, 10 positives (16%) were detected, particularly 3 duplications (Xpter-p22.32; 17p11.2; 22q11) and 6 different deletions (1p36; 7q11.23; 10p15; 15q11-q13; 17p11.2; 17p13.3), 1 of these in 2 probands. Besides the well-characterized syndromes, less-often described rearrangements with ambiguous phenotype associations were also detected. CONCLUSIONS Some rearrangements, particularly duplications, are associated with vague phenotypes; and their frequency could be underestimated.
GaAsP Nanowire Solar Cell Development Towards Nanowire/Si Tandem Applications

III - V based nanowire solar cells are a promising candidate to be employed as the top cell in a III - V/Si tandem structure. Here, we report on the development of p/i/n GaAsP nanowire solar cells with the appropriate bandgap for such tandem structure. The performance of single NW devices is analyzed with current-voltage and electron beam induced current measurements.
Diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.

A 39-year-old woman presented to our hospital with visual loss in her right eye for 3 years and in her left eye for 5 years. Her medical history was significant for albinism from childhood. Skin and hair follicles were involved (Figure 1). Visual acuity was light perception without accurate light projection. Nystagmus and iris transillumination of both eyes existed. Ophthalmoscopy revealed generalized fundus hypopigmentation and total retinal detachment (RD) with irregular retinal break posterior to the equator and fixed retinal folds in four quadrants. Intraocular pressure of both eyes was 12 mmHg. A B-ultrasound showed RD of both eyes and a retinal cyst in the right eye (Figure 2). The fundus color photographs, fluorescein angiogram, and images of optical coherence tomography could not be obtained because of nystagmus. The diagnoses in this patient included 1) proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) stages C, Posterior to equator 12 of both eyes, 2) cataract in both eyes, 3) retinal cyst in the right eye, 4) nystagmus in both eyes, and 5) true albinism.
Training Endogenous Task Shifting Using Music Therapy: A Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND People with acquired brain injury (ABI) are highly susceptible to disturbances in executive functioning (EF), and these effects are pervasive. Research studies using music therapy for cognitive improvement in this population are limited. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of a Musical Executive Function Training (MEFT) intervention to address task-shifting skills in adults with ABI and to obtain preliminary evidence of intervention effect on task shifting. METHODS Fourteen participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a music therapy intervention group (MTG), a singing group (SG), or the no-intervention control group (CG). The SG and MTG met for one hour a day for five days. Feasibility measures included participant completion rates and intervention fidelity. Potential benefits were measured using the Trail Making Test and the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task as a pre- and posttest measure. RESULTS Participant completion rates and interventionist fidelity to the protocol supported feasibility. One-way ANOVA of the pre- and posttest group differences revealed a trend toward improvement in the MTG over the SG. CONCLUSIONS Feasibility and effect size data support a larger trial of the MEFT protocol.
The Sound Absorption Properties Comparison of Metal Foams and Flexible Cellular Materials

The third octave sound absorption coefficient testing is conducted to compare the sound absorption properties metal foam and flexible cellular materials, by using sound absorption tester with the method of trasfer function sound absorption tester with the method of trasfer function. The sound absorption mechanisms are discussed by changing the parameters of sound absorption structure, such as the thickness of matrix materials and the thickness of cavity. The results show that pearl wool and glass wool exhibited excellent sound absorption properties. The peak value of sound absorption coefficient for pearl wool reaches to 0.991, and for glass wool, 0.985. The average sound absorption coefficient for pearl wool is 0.729, and for glass wool, 0.679. Among of three metal foams, the foamed aluminum material exhibited optimum sound absorption properties, and is superior to flexible sound absorption materials. The peak value of sound absorption coefficient reaches to 0.993, and the average value reaches to 0.781. This can be attributed to the flow resistance, porosity, thickness, cavity and structure factor, which influence the sound absorption of open cell materials.
Towards the rational design of antimicrobial proteins

The ribonuclease (RNase) A superfamily lineage includes distant members with antimicrobial properties, suggesting a common ancestral host‐defense role. In an effort to identify the minimal requirements for the eosinophil cationic protein (ECP or RNase 3) antimicrobial properties we applied site‐directed mutagenesis on its closest family homolog, the eosinophil‐derived neurotoxin (EDN or RNase 2). Both eosinophil secretion proteins are involved in human immune defense, and are reported as being among the most rapidly evolving coding sequences in primates. Previous studies in our laboratory defined two regions at the N–terminus involved in the protein antimicrobial action, encompassing residues 8–16 and 34–36. Here, we demonstrate that switching two single residues is enough to provide EDN with ECP antipathogen properties. That is, the EDN double‐mutant Q34R/R35W displays enhanced bactericidal activity, particularly towards Gram‐negative bacteria, and a significant increase in its affinity towards the bacterial outer membrane lipopolysaccharides. Moreover, we confirmed the direct contribution of residue W35 in lipopolysaccharide binding, membrane interaction and permeabilization processes. Furthermore, additional T13 to I substitution provides EDN with an exposed hydrophobic patch required for protein self‐aggregation and triggers bacterial agglutination, thereby increasing the final antimicrobial activity by up to 20–fold. Our results highlight how single selected mutations can reshape the entire protein function. This study provides an example of how structure‐guided protein engineering can successfully reproduce an evolution selection process towards the emergence of new physiological roles.
Automatic lane detection from vehicle motion trajectories

Lane detection is important in intelligent transportation systems. This paper presents a novel algorithm for vehicle motion trajectory and lane boundary detection that uses Gaussian mixture model-based background subtraction and active contours. The algorithm uses an adaptive GMM that can cope with sudden illumination changes for detecting moving vehicles (resulting in a road score map, RSmap), followed by a Kalman filter tracker to generate pixel-level motion vectors. A novel active contour energy expression based on the accumulation of motion trajectories and the spatio-temporal RSmaps is used to detect lane boundaries. Experimental results are presented for video from a real road scene to show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, without the need for road lane markings.