Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationship Between Motor Vehicle Collisions and Results of Perimetry, Useful Field of View, and Driving Simulation in Drivers With Glaucoma.

PURPOSE To examine the relationship between Motor Vehicle Collisions (MVCs) in drivers with glaucoma and standard automated perimetry (SAP), Useful Field of View (UFOV), and driving simulator assessment of divided attention. METHODS A cross-sectional study of 153 drivers from the Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study. All subjects had SAP and divided attention was assessed using UFOV and driving simulation using low-, medium-, and high-contrast peripheral stimuli presented during curve negotiation and car following tasks. Self-reported history of MVCs and average mileage driven were recorded. RESULTS Eighteen of 153 subjects (11.8%) reported a MVC. There was no difference in visual acuity but the MVC group was older, drove fewer miles, and had worse binocular SAP sensitivity, contrast sensitivity, and ability to divide attention (UFOV and driving simulation). Low contrast driving simulator tasks were the best discriminators of MVC (AUC 0.80 for curve negotiation versus 0.69 for binocular SAP and 0.59 for UFOV). Adjusting for confounding factors, longer reaction times to driving simulator divided attention tasks provided additional value compared with SAP and UFOV, with a 1 standard deviation (SD) increase in reaction time (approximately 0.75 s) associated with almost two-fold increased odds of MVC. CONCLUSIONS Reaction times to low contrast divided attention tasks during driving simulation were significantly associated with history of MVC, performing better than conventional perimetric tests and UFOV. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE The association between conventional tests of visual function and MVCs in drivers with glaucoma is weak, however, tests of divided attention, particularly using driving simulation, may improve risk assessment.
Effects of oil on internal gas transport, radial oxygen loss, gas films and bud growth in Phragmites australis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Oil pollution of wetlands is a world-wide problem but, to date, research has concentrated on its influences on salt marsh rather than freshwater plant communities. The effects of water-borne light oils (liquid paraffin and diesel) were investigated on the fresh/brackish wetland species Phragmites australis in terms of routes of oil infiltration, internal gas transport, radial O(2) loss (ROL), underwater gas films and bud growth. METHODS Pressure flow resistances of pith cavities of nodes and aerenchyma of leaf sheaths, with or without previous exposure to oil, were recorded from flow rates under applied pressure. Convective flows were measured from living excised culms with oiled and non-oiled nodes and leaf sheaths. The effect of oil around culm basal nodes on ROL from rhizome and root apices was measured polarographically. Surface gas films on submerged shoots with and without oil treatment were recorded photographically. Growth and emergence of buds through water with and without an oil film were measured. KEY RESULTS Internodes are virtually impermeable, but nodes of senesced and living culms are permeable to oils which can block pith cavity diaphragms, preventing flows at applied pressures of 1 kPa, natural convective transport to the rhizome, and greatly decreasing ROL to phyllospheres and rhizospheres. Oil infiltrating or covering living leaf sheaths prevents humidity-induced convection. Oil displaces surface gas films from laminae and leaf sheaths. Buds emerge only a few centimetres through oil and die. CONCLUSIONS Oil infiltrates the gas space system via nodal and leaf sheath stomata, reducing O(2) diffusion and convective flows into the rhizome system and decreasing oxygenation of phyllospheres and rhizospheres; underwater gas exchange via gas films will be impeded. Plants can be weakened by oil-induced failure of emerging buds. Plants will be most at risk during the growing season.
Meeting the needs of children with congenital and developmental cataract in Africa

In much of Africa, childhood cataract is becoming one of the leading causes of new cases of blindness reported per year. 1 Although there is insufficient data on childhood cataract, both congenital and developmental, the backlog of children in need of surgery is estimated to be around 100 children per million population. The number of new cases of corneal blindness is estimated to be around 20 children per million population per year. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that there be one paediatric ophthalmology tertiary centre per 10 million population 4 ; however, few countries in Africa have reached this target. Even in settings with tertiary centres, few children are brought in for surgery; of those who are, most are brought in too late for surgeons to be able to achieve outcomes of the highest quality. 5 This can be explained by the fact that both communities and health care providers are not sufficiently aware that children can develop cataract. The lack of programmes to identify and refer children with cataract compounds this problem. It also needs to be noted that, in most hospitals or other surgical facilities, boys outnumber girls; this is primarily due to cultural constraints and does not reflect any recognised biological risk factors associated with males. Virtually all children receiving surgery for congenital cataract in Africa will require long term follow-up for refractive error correction and low vision care. However, follow-up remains either patchy or non-existent. 7 Although they are still few in number, tertiary facilities for paediatric ophthal-mology in Africa have strengthened the quality of their surgical services over the past three to five years. Unfortunately, better surgical services have not usually been matched by improvement in the other services needed to strengthen overall management of congenital and developmental cataract. These include better programmes promoting early identification and referral, adequate follow-up, provision of spectacles, low vision care, or referral to inclusive education. In May 2007, the Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology (KCCO), with financial support from Dark & Light Blind Care, brought together 18 people from throughout Africa, as well as key personnel from Europe and Asia, to draft recommendations and to prepare a practical manual of best practice for the management of childhood cataract in Africa. This manual will be available by August 2008. Materials from the workshop are available on the KCCO website: www.kcco. net Recommendations efforts needed at the national level in Africa …
Differential effect of pioglitazone (PGZ) and rosiglitazone (RGZ) on postprandial glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a prospective, randomized crossover study

Postprandial metabolism is impaired in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2Dm). Two thiazolidinediones pioglitazone (PGZ) and rosiglitazone (RGZ) have similar effects on glycaemic control but differ in their effects on fasting lipids. This study investigated the effects of RGZ and PGZ on postprandial metabolism in a prospective, randomized crossover trial.
A Multi-agent Based Method for Reconstructing Buckets in Encrypted Databases

Outsourcing databases to third parties demonstrates a trend for many enterprise users. A bucket-based storage method is proposed for this emerging scenario. However, the introduction of buckets brings out challenges in balancing query efficiency and data secrecy. By measuring the query efficiency on false hits and the data secrecy on entropy amounts, an optimization problem is formalized to find a set of buckets on a tradeoff between efficiency and secrecy. We propose a multi-agent based method to find an approximate solution to this problem. In our solving, each agent manages a bucket and always tries to decrease the number of false hits by moving out a managed element on local evaluations. These local behaviors are aggregated as a global trend to find a set of buckets with fewer false hits. We validate this method by conducting simulated experiments on range queries.
Artificial Life as a Tool for Biological Inquiry

Artificial life embraces those human-made systems that possess some of the key properties of natural life. We are specifically interested in artificial systems that serve as models of living systems for the investigation of open questions in biology. First we review some of the artificial life models that have been constructed with biological problems in mind, and classify them by medium (hardware, software, or wetware) and by level of organization (molecular, cellular, organismal, or population). We then describe several grand challenge open problems in biology that seem especially good candidates to benefit from artificial life studies, including the origin of life and self-organi- zation, cultural evolution, origin and maintenance of sex, shifting balance in evolution, the relation between fitness and adaptedness, the structure of ecosystems, and the nature of mind.
Cancer Incidence of 2,4-D Production Workers

Despite showing no evidence of carcinogenicity in laboratory animals, the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) has been associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in some human epidemiology studies, albeit inconsistently. We matched an existing cohort of 2,4-D manufacturing employees with cancer registries in three US states resulting in 244 cancers compared to 276 expected cases. The Standardized Incidence Ratio (SIR) for the 14 NHL cases was 1.36 (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.74–2.29). Risk estimates were higher in the upper cumulative exposure and duration subgroups, yet not statistically significant. There were no clear patterns of NHL risk with period of hire and histology subtypes. Statistically significant results were observed for prostate cancer (SIR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.57–0.94), and “other respiratory” cancers (SIR = 3.79, 95% CI 1.22–8.84; 4 of 5 cases were mesotheliomas). Overall, we observed fewer cancer cases than expected, and a non statistically significant increase in the number of NHL cases.
Calcium‐PS‐dependent protein kinase C and surfactant protein A in isolated fetal rabbit type II alveolar cells and surfactant‐related material

The fetal lung secretes significant quantities of surfactant during late gestation to prepare for initiation of respiration at birth. However, the mechanism by which this occurs has not been determined. Since Ca2+‐phosphatidylserine (PS)‐dependent protein kinase C has been implicated in surfactant secretion in adult lung, the present study was done to determine whether this enzyme is also involved in the initiation of surfactant release from fetal type II cells. Type II cells isolated from gestational day‐24 fetal rabbits were used. Cells were prelabelled with [32P] and [3H]choline and exposed to 4β phorbol ester (10−5 M) for 2 h. Secretion product and subcellular fractions were isolated by removing the culture medium, mixing with homogenate from adult rabbit lung, and subfractionating by centrifugation on a sucrose gradient. Samples of secretion product were also prepared for electron microscopy. Ca2+‐PS‐dependent protein kinase C was also assayed in some samples, and an add‐back technique was used to determine whether enzyme activity in the intracellularly stored surfactant fraction was due to contamination.
Revision of biliary sphincterotomy by re-cut, balloon dilation or temporary stenting: comparison of clinical outcome and complication rate (with video)

Abstract Background and study aims Revision of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) may be necessary following previous biliary endoscopic sphincterotomy for recurrent biliary symptoms related to biliary stone recurrence, cholangitis or post-biliary endoscopic sphincterotomy (bEST) papillary stenosis and cholestasis. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the clinical outcome and complication rate associated with re-cut, balloon dilation and biliary metal stenting in revision ERCP. Patients and methods From January 2010 to January 2015, 139 subjects with stigma of a previous sphincterotomy required a revision ERCP (64 Men/75 Women; mean age 71 years; range 32 – 101 years). The most appropriate technique (re-cut, balloon dilation or fully covered self-expandable metal stent [FCSEMS] placement) was tailored according to underlying pathologies and anatomical features. Results Technical success was achieved in all cases (100 %). Clinical success (definitive clearance of common bile duct stones and liver test normalization) was achieved in 127 out of 139 patients (91.4 %) with a mean follow up of 12 months. 12 clinical failures occurred: 11 patients required a new ERCP after an average of 9 months meanwhile 1 patient required surgery for definite treatment. The overall complication rate was 9 % (13 /139) with 5 acute complications (intra-procedural) and 8 short-term complications (before 1 month). Group specific overall complication rates were as follow: re-cut 11.5 % (8 bleeds and 3 perforations), balloon dilation 25 % (4 mild PEP [post-ERCP pancreatitis]), FCSEMS 14.3 % (1 moderate PEP), re-cut + balloon dilation and re-cut + FCSEMS 0 %. A statistically significant higher risk of post-ERCP pancreatitis was highlighted in the balloon dilation group meanwhile re-cut was burdened by a higher risk of bleeding and perforation. Conclusions Revision ERCP following previous bEST is a feasible procedure enabling clinical success in most cases. Different approaches are available and must be considered according to underlying pathologies. Re-cut is burdened by a higher risk of perforation and bleeding compared to balloon dilation and SEMS meanwhile balloon dilation is associated to increased risk of PEP.
Optimized single pulse stimulation strategy for retinal implants

Retinal implants offer prospects of vision restoration for some blind patients by eliciting visual percepts of spots of light called ‘phosphenes’. Recently, a mathematical model has been developed that predicts patients' perception of phosphene brightness for current-driven electrical stimulation of the retina. This model is explored for different stimulation parameters on a single electrode, including safety and hardware limitations, to produce phosphenes of specified brightness. We describe a procedure to derive stimulation parameters to account for such constraints, and describe methods to construct optimal stimuli in terms of producing maximal perceived brightness and efficient generation of phosphenes of a given brightness by employing minimal energy. In both cases, it is found that the resulting optimized stimulation waveforms consist of a long stimulation period, and interphase delays between initial and charge-balancing phases.
Age, Structure, and Sexuality:

The paper compares selected examples of age-structured homosexuality to understand same-sex eroticism as a “predictable” outcome of particular combinations of age, gender, and kinship. Unlike traditional models of homosexuality, which view it as exceptional or abnormal, cross-cultural evidence demonstrates that homosexuality is an inextricable component of the structural codes of the societies in which it appears.
L'évolution de la négociation collective en Allemagne : une décentralisation coordonnée

Dans cet article, G. Bosch propose aux lecteurs francais une interpretation des tendances recentes de la negociation collective en Allemagne. Dans une demarche a bien des egards systemique, l'auteur decrit l'evolution des contextes tant economiques, que techniques avec la transformation des systemes productifs sous le jeu de la mondialisation, et du contexte specifique de la reunification des deux Allemagnes. Il presente avec finesse les acteurs patronaux et syndicaux, et les reorganisations qu'ils mettent en oeuvre en echo aux modifications de frontieres professionnelles et de places dans le systeme productif. Il demonte les mecanismes institutionnels permettant l'adaptation du systeme de negociation collective, tels que le tres interessant systeme de derogation, autorisee par les partenaires sociaux de branche, de negociation au niveau de l'entreprise et menee par les conseils d'entreprise, et son interaction avec le pouvoir de co-decision. On est frappe par la plasticite du systeme allemand de negociation collective, qui peut organiser une certaine decentralisation de ses fonctions tout en maintenant la branche comme foyer des relations collectives de travail. Le point de gravite de la negociation collective en Allemagne semble bien demeurer la branche, et le terme de « decentralisation coordonnee propose par l'auteur particulierement bien choisi pour caracteriser son evolution.
The effect of a single BRCA2 mutation on cancer in Iceland

Objective: To estimate the risk of malignant diseases in families of probands with the same mutation in the BRCA2 gene. Design: A cohort study using record linkage of a breast cancer family resource and the Icelandic Cancer Registry. Setting: Iceland. Subjects: Families of 995 breast cancer patients, from which 887 were tested for a single founder 999del5 mutation; 90 had the mutation and 797 did not. Results: Relatives of probands with the mutation had significantly increased relative risk (RR) of breast cancer. For first degree relatives, the RR was 7.55 (95% CI 6.04 to 9.03) but was 1.72 (95% CI 1.49 to 1.96) in first degree relatives of probands without the mutation. For prostate and ovarian cancer, the first and second degree relatives of probands with the mutation had a significantly increased RR, but in families of probands without the mutation no significant familial risk was found. Conclusions: The 999del5 mutation in the BRCA2 gene explains a substantial proportion of familial risk of breast cancer in Iceland, but significant familial risk remains in relatives of probands without the mutation. For prostate and ovarian cancer, the mutation accounts for most of the familiality observed in families of breast cancer patients.
Growth hormone and prolactin concentrations in plasma of horses: sex differences and the effects of acute exercise and administration of growth hormone-releasing hormone.

Three experiments were conducted to determine 1) the relationship between prolactin and growth hormone (GH) secretion in mares and the response to GH-releasing hormone (GHRH), 2) whether plasma GH and prolactin concentrations differed among mares, stallions, and geldings, and 3) whether sexual differences existed after administration of GHRH and acute exercise. In Exp. 1, 10-min blood samples were collected from 12 mares for 8 h, and GHRH (0, 45, 90, or 180 micrograms) was administered at 6 h. In Exp. 2, 15-min blood samples were collected for 4 h from 10 mares, stallions, and geldings. In Exp. 3, eight horses of each sexual status were administered GHRH at 0900; later that day, each horse was exercised for 5 min. Blood samples were collected every 10 min around each event. In Exp. 1, prolactin concentrations decreased (P < .01) over the 8-h period, and there was an average of 2.9 +/- . 5 episodes of increased secretion during that time; there was no correlation between these episodes and those in GH secretion. Prolactin concentrations were not affected (P > .1) by GHRH. In Exp. 2, average concentrations of GH were 2.4, 8.6, and 8.5 ng/mL for mares, stallions, and geldings, respectively; males differed from females (P < .05). Stallions and geldings had more (P < .05) peaks in GH concentrations and greater (P < .05) amplitude of peaks than mares. In contrast, prolactin concentrations were greater (P < .02) in mares and stallions than in geldings. In Exp. 3, GH response to GHRH was greater (P < .03) in stallions than in mares or geldings. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
RNA sequencing: platform selection, experimental design, and data interpretation.

Next generation sequencing technologies are evolving rapidly and it is likely that RNA-seq will become routine for many laboratories within the next 5 years. Sequencers are becoming smaller and more personal and are beginning to equip individual departments and laboratories. Library preparation protocols are also becoming shorter and more efficient. Single molecule sequencing will afford insights into the precise orientation of transcription. Advances in methods to acquire sequences are likely to be accompanied by equally rapid advances in computation and data analysis. For most investigators who are not computational biologists, wisely choosing available commercial resources or seeking multidisciplinary partnerships is a short path to success in RNA-seq in the foreseeable future.
Evolution and connectionism

of the original article: A set of hypotheses is formulated for a connectlonist approach to cognitive modeling. These hypotheses are shown to be incompatible with the hypotheses underlying traditional cognitive models. The connectionist models considered are massively parallel numerical computational systems that are a kind of continuous dynamical system. The numerical variables in the system correspond semantically to fine-grained features below the level of the concepts consciously used to describe the task domain. The level of analysis is intermediate between those of symbolic cognitive models and neural models. The explanations of behavior provided are like those traditional in the physical sciences, unlike the explanations provided by symbolic models. Higher-level analyses of these connectionist models reveal subtle relations to symbolic models. Parallel connectionist memory and linguistic processes are hypothesized to give rise to processes that are describable at a higher level as sequential rule application. At the lower level, computation has the character of massively parallel satisfaction of soft numerical constraints; at the higher level, this can lead to competence characterizable by hard rules. Performance will typically deviate from this competence since behavior is achieved not by interpreting hard rules but by satisfying soft constraints. The result is a picture in which traditional and connectionist theoretical constructs collaborate intimately to provide an understanding of cognition.
Urine and Serum Metabolomics Analyses May Distinguish between Stages of Renal Cell Carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a heterogeneous disease that is usually asymptomatic until late in the disease. There is an urgent need for RCC specific biomarkers that may be exploited clinically for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. Preoperative fasting urine and serum samples were collected from patients with clinical renal masses and assessed with 1H NMR and GCMS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) based metabolomics and multivariate statistical analysis. Alterations in levels of glycolytic and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates were detected in RCC relative to benign masses. Orthogonal Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis plots discriminated between benign vs. pT1 (R2 = 0.46, Q2 = 0.28; AUC = 0.83), benign vs. pT3 (R2 = 0.58, Q2 = 0.37; AUC = 0.87) for 1H NMR-analyzed serum and between benign vs. pT1 (R2 = 0.50, Q2 = 0.37; AUC = 0.83), benign vs. pT3 (R2 = 0.72, Q2 = 0.68, AUC = 0.98) for urine samples. Separation was observed between benign vs. pT3 (R2 = 0.63, Q2 = 0.48; AUC = 0.93), pT1 vs. pT3 (R2 = 0.70, Q2 = 0.54) for GCMS-analyzed serum and between benign vs. pT3 (R2Y = 0.87; Q2 = 0.70; AUC = 0.98) for urine samples. This pilot study suggests that urine and serum metabolomics may be useful in differentiating benign renal tumors from RCC and for staging RCC.