Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Endovascular stents: Preliminary clinical results and future developments

At present, there is an exponential use of new interventional techniques whose proper role and value have not yet been defined. The intracoronary stent is just one example. There is no doubt that stents can be implanted with a high technical success rate associated with highly predictable immediate angiographic results and that they appear to be superior to all other interventional techniques. However, the intrinsic thrombogenicity of all devices currently available for clinical use warrants a vigorous anticoagulation, exposing the patient either to the risk of (sub) acute stent thrombosis or to the risk of hemorrhage and vascular complications. It remains to be determined whether stent implantation will reduce the incidence of restenosis and whether this results in an improved long‐term event and symptom‐free survival. Experimental studies indicate that the thrombogenic nature of stents may be controlled by coating the struts with endothelial cells or polymers. With respect to restenosis, it is evident that as long as mechanical injury is applied to the vessel wall, the vessel wall will respond with neointimal thickening. The intracoronary stent has the potential to control this tissue response by serving as a carrier for local antiproliferative drug delivery or eventually for genetic manipulation. The intensive research which is now going on in combination with experimental animal data, human postmortem pathologic observations, and angiographic studies is yielding clear insights and future directions to address these issues.
Quantitative myocardial SPECT for infarct sizing: feasibility of a multicenter trial evaluated using a cardiac phantom.

UNLABELLED This study determined the feasibility of performing a multicenter trial using quantitative SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging in patients with acute myocardial infarction. The feasibility was assessed by a cardiac phantom. METHODS Twenty-two gamma camera systems in 19 laboratories were evaluated. Each laboratory performed nine studies on the cardiac phantom and performed quality control tests of system uniformity, collimator quality and gantry alignment on their gamma camera system. Defects simulating "hypoperfused" myocardium of differing amounts were placed in the myocardium for eight of the nine studies. Measured defect size was compared to true defect size. RESULTS A total of 198 studies from 22 systems were analyzed. Three studies were technically inadequate. For all 22 systems, the average correlation coefficient between true and measured defect size was 0.992 +/- 0.009, with a range from 1.00 to 0.97. Three systems were rejected due to slopes of the regression line outside the limits 1.00 +/- 0.10 and mean errors > 5% in estimating defect size. The remaining systems had a correlation coefficient of 0.995 + 0.008 with an average slope of 1.00 +/- 0.04 and an intercept of 0.11% +/- 1.57%. The mean error in estimating defect size was 2.08% +/- 0.69%. CONCLUSION The small interlaboratory variation and the close correlation with true defect size observed in a cardiac phantom indicate the feasibility of quantitative myocardial SPECT as a useful tool in multicenter trials evaluating therapy in acute myocardial infarction. Preliminary objective testing is required, however, to identify systems with technical deficiencies.
Autonomous obstacle avoidance for fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles

Abstract This paper investigates a method for autonomous obstacle avoidance for fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), utilising potential fluid flow theory. The obstacle avoidance algorithm needs only compute the instantaneous local potential velocity vector, which is passed to the flight control laws as a direction command. The approach is reactive, and can readily accommodate real-time changes in obstacle information. UAV manoeuvring constraints on turning or pull-up radii, are accounted for by approximating obstacles by bounding rectangles, with wedges added to their front and back to shape the resulting fluid pathlines. It is shown that the resulting potential flow velocity field is completely determined by the obstacle field geometry, allowing one to determine a non-dimensional relationship between obstacle added wedge-length and the corresponding minimum pathline radius of curvature, which can then be readily scaled in on-board implementation. The efficacy of the proposed approach has been demonstrated numerically with an Aerosonde UAV model.
Disorders in intentional gestural organization in Alzheimer’s disease: combined or selective impairment of the conceptual and production systems?

This study examines disorders which affect the intentional gestural organization in Alzheimer’s disease. An original and prospective protocol which assessed both the conceptual and production systems (with reference to the Roy and Square model 1985) was presented to 16 patients with Alzheimer’s disease (mild to moderate dementia) and 40 healthy elderly subjects. Our study showed impairment of both systems in the Alzheimer’s patients group. Two patients presented reverse performance profiles, which were characterized in one case by preservation of the conceptual system and impairment of the production system and in the other by the reverse dissociation. The findings demonstrated that disorders in the intentional gestural organization in Alzheimer’s disease usually affect both the conceptual and production systems. The hypothesis concerning the existence of two functionally distinct systems underlying the organization of intentional body movement was corroborated (1) by a lack of significant correlation between the scores obtained in the assessment of the two systems and (2) by the demonstration of the double dissociation.
The Harvard Pigeon Lab, 1970-1998: graduate students and matching law research.

we do, is what Skinner once called methodological behaviorism. Its practitioners still are in the business of inventing intervening variables: Only the names of the intervening variables have changed. ‘‘Theories’’ that sprout like mushrooms, rather than basic research, are currently the popular roads to fame and tenure. The operational details of research on the behavior of nonhuman organisms offer little to practitioners who are practically concerned with knowing which of their customers is most likely to jump off a bridge this week, and in the present climate of ‘‘relevance,’’ funds to pursue basic lab research are hard to come by. The Pigeon Lab was initially supported by money given for answers to the question of how most effectively to steer a bomb or nuclear missile to a remote target. Those who funded the Pigeon Lab were almost certainly innocent of the very real advances in the study of behavior that their grants subsidized. Of course all of this activity went forward with our implicit assumption that something like Newtonian determinism was the appropriate paradigm for all scientific inquiry. Nonetheless, day-to-day observations continually revealed that behavior, whether that of rats, pigeons, or humans, violated one of the prime implications of ontological determinism; namely, that the behavior of an organism reverts to the steady state that prevailed before an intervention. If there is a fundamental truth about operant behavior, it is that it is a constantly evolving process characterized by an unending series of divergences. No organism can ever be the same as it was before its behavior was selectively reinforced. Skinner certainly did not propose the concept of a class of ‘‘emitted’’ behavior to anticipate quantum mechanics. The concept was simply the honest concession of the fact that we do not know, nor can we know, the specific eliciting stimulus that is responsible for the occasion of a particular operant response. The research conducted in the Pigeon Lab would be valid even if the new physical paradigm had been recognized and broadly accepted as the appropriate paradigm for behavioral research. In this respect, its work stands alone as a model for the new century and beyond.
Sambo and the Heathen Chinee: Californians' Racial Stereotypes in the Late 1870s

IF HUMPTY DUMPTY ever sits down to read some of the recent discussions of "racism" in American historical literature, he should feel right at home. "Racism" no longer refers only to the long predominant set of white attitudes toward blacks; it has also been applied by various authors to white attitudes toward Indians, Mexican Americans, Orientals, and some European immigrants. ' There is a certain analytical neatness in characterizing racism as a single phenomenon. By equating one bias with another, the various authors have constructed a mechanism of prejudice which is composed of interchangeable parts: one bias may be substituted for another, or all may be used at once, without grinding the gears. According to Robert Heizer and Alan Almquist, for example, "it may be suggested that in the absence of blacks the anti-Negro sentiments
HOW VITAMIN B12 ACTS

The manner in which lack of cobalamin (vitamin BI2) in man leads to megaloblastic anaemia and a neuropathy has led to many hypotheses but little hard fact. At a biochemical level cobalamin is a cofactor in two pathways, i.e. the methylation of homocysteine to yield methionine (methionine synthetase reaction) and the conversion of a product of the metabolism of propionic acid, leucine and valine, namely methylmalonic acid into succinic acid (methylmalonyl CoA-mutase reaction) (Poston & Stadtman, 1975; Babior, 1975). Disturbance of conversion of methylmalonic acid occurs as an inborn error of metabolism with excretion of large amounts of this substance in the urine. These chddren do not show any of the features of cobalamin deficiency and, for this and other reasons, methylmalonic acid is not believed to be significant in producing either megaloblastic anaemia or the characteristic neuropathy (Mahoney & Rosenberg, 1975). The observation that the anaesthetic gas nitrous oxide (N20) produced megaloblastic changes in the marrow by an effect on cobalamin, transformed the situation (Lassen et a l , 1956; Amess et a l , 1978). It had already been shown that transition-metal complexes of which cobalamin was one, activated and cleaved N 2 0 (Banks et a l , 1968). At the same time the cobalamin itself was oxidized. In practice, N 2 0 is a specific inactivator of the enzyme, methionine synthetase, of which both cobalamin and folate are co-factors. Thus ‘biochemical’ pernicious anaemia can be produced in any convenient experimental animal by short-term exposure to N 2 0 . Current research suggests that the sequence of changes that arise from vitamin BIZ deficiency are as follows: (1) The primary defect, which has been recognized for many years, is failure to make methionine from homocysteine. (2) Methionine is needed as a source of formate derived by oxidation of methionine methyl. (3) Formate with tetrahydrofolate forms formyltetrahydrolate and this is converted into folate polyglutamate, the folate coenzyme. Formate, too, is essential for purine synthesis and after reduction, for conversion of deoxyuridine to thymidine. (4) Methionine is also needed to produce S-adenosylmethionine which is a donor of methyl groups. Lack of S-adenosylmethionine may be important in the nervous system. Failure of methiortine synthesis (Fig 1). Impaired activity of the enzyme, methionine synthetase, has been demonstrated in marrow from patients with untreated pernicious anaemia (Taylor et al, 1974; Sauer & Wilmanns, 1977) as well as in the N20-treated experimental animal (Deacon et al, 1978). In the rat the activity of the enzyme falls after 30 min exposure to N20 and is barely detectable after 6 h. There is no recovery as long as exposure to N 2 0
4 Cannabinoids and Neuropathic Pain

Cannabinoids are drugs that are either derived from cannabis or that induce similar behavioural and physiological effects to cannabis. They fall into three classes: those that are produced by plants of the Cannabis genus, termed phytocannabinoids (plant cannabinoids); those that are produced within the body, termed endocannabinoids (endogenous cannabinoids); and those that are produced synthetically to mimic the pharmacology of naturally occurring cannabinoids.
Detection of Rotavirus A and Escherichia coli from Diarrhea Cases in Children and Coliphage Characterization

ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 5 Number 4(2016) pp. 68-83 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com Acute gastroenteritis is a common disorder in young children. The purpose of this study was to comprehensive determination of main diarrheagenic pathotypes in children with acute gastroenteritis in the pediatric population in Basra city/Iraq, and characterization of E.coli phag. This study determined Rotavirus A and bacterial pathogens in 300 stool samples of children by using different techniques. In our study among children with gastroenteritis was 93/300 (31%) Rotavirus positive cases by Immunochromatographic (IC) test as monoinfection, coinfection, and mixing infections. Out of 50 IC positives fecal samples were tested using EM, 50(100%) were found positive. A total of 80 stools were examined for Rotavirus using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The overall agreement was 68/80(85%). Out of 277/300 (92.33%) bacterial pathogens isolated, 163 (54.33%) children had infections with EPEC Escherichia coli, 39/300 (13%) cases with Salmonella spp. , While, Shigella spp. was reported in 12/300 (4.01%) samples. Also parasitic causes were found in 6/300 (2%) samples. Coinfection with another pathogen was observed in 109/300 (36.34%) cases, coinfection with Rotavirus and EPEC Escherichia coli were the most common and occurred in 75/300 (25%). The phage ɸEC-MH1 was isolation successfully from sewage. The phage titer was determined by serial dilution (10 -1 , 10 -2 , 10 -3 , 10 -4 , 10 -5 , 10 -6 , 10 -7 , 10 -8 , 10 -9 ) of the sample by counting the number of plaque forming units (p.f.u.) for each dilution. Our results revealed that dilution factor 10 -2 was the best countable number of plaques. Effects of chloroform on phage titer during different times was completely inactivated, while sensitivity to saline environments was 3.0*10 -4 , 4.2*10 -4 , 4.2*10 4 , 5.6*10 -4 , 6.0*10 -4, 6.7*10 -4 , 8.2*10 -4 , 8.0*10 -4 , and 8.4*10 -4 during 5,10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 minutes. The statistical analysis was significantly decrease P≤ 0.05 in phage titer at the temperature 50C° and 65C° comparing with phage titer at the temperature 37C°. We concluded that Rotavirus A could be diagnosed in stool samples of children with gastroenteritis by IC test as a rapid technique. Rotavirus and EPEC Escherichia coli were the most common coinfectious agents responsible for gastroenteritis. K ey wo rd s Acute gastroenteritis, Rotavirus, Escherichia coli, Coliphage. Accepted: 08 March 2016
Oestrogen receptors in benign epithelial lesions and intraduct carcinomas of the breast: an immunohistological study

We examined 198 breast lesions, representing commonly encountered benign epithelial proliferative disorders, lobular carinoma in situ and intraduct carcinoma, immunohistologically for oestrogen receptors (ER). A mixture of three ER monoclonal antibodies—H222, D75 and D547—was used on sections of routinely processed and paraffin‐embedded tissue blocks. Over 65% of the benign and malignant lesions showed some evidence of ER expression and significant staining was recorded by two observers in 28–31% of fibroadenomas, 18–28% of ductal epithelial hyperplasias, 30–40% of sclerosing adenosis cases, 38–45% of papillomas, 60% of in situ lobular carcinomas and 42–45% of intraduct carcinomas. Apocrine metaplastic cells and myoepithelial cells showed absent or only weak staining. Amongst intraduct carcinomas, less than 20% of comedo carcinomas and over 50% of cribriform, papillary and solid variants showed significant ER staining.
Seriell-Elastische Aktoren als Antrieb für aktive Orthesen / Serial-Elastic Actuators for Active Orthoses

Zusammenfassung Aktive Kniegelenkorthesen können eingesetzt werden, um älteren Menschen im Alltag ein selbstbestimmtes Leben im vertrauten Umfeld zu ermöglichen. Als Antrieb für solche Geräte erweisen sich seriell-elastische Antriebe (SEA) als vorteilhaft, da sie im engen Kontakt zum Menschen besser regelbar sind als direkt gekoppelte getriebeunterstützte DC-Motoren. Sie weisen darüber hinaus in vielen Fällen ein besseres Systemleistungsgewicht als fluidische Antriebe oder elektrodynamische Direktantriebe auf. Im Folgenden werden die Auswahl und Auslegung eines SEA für eine aktive Kniegelenkorthese, seine Regelung mit einem Zustandsregler sowie erste experimentelle Ergebnisse präsentiert und diese in den Stand der Technik eingeordnet. Summary Active knee orthoses can be used to allow the elderly comfortable everyday living in their familiar environment. To actuate these devices, serial-elastic actuators (SEA) prove to be advantageous as their controllability in close contact to the user is better when compared to directly coupled geared DC motors. SEA, in addition, usually provide a better overall system power-to-weight ratio than fluidic actuators or direct drive electrodynamic actuators. In the following, the selection and the dimensioning of an SEA for an active knee orthosis, its control strategy using a state-space controller, and first experimental results as well as their relation to the state of the art are presented.
Alternatives to anthelmintics for the control of nematodes in livestock

Efficient and welfare-friendly livestock production demands the control of nematode infection. Current control measures rely upon anthelmintic treatment but are threatened by the widespread evolution of drug-resistance in parasite populations. Several methods have been advocated to control nematodes without relying on effective anthelmintics. These include grazing management, biological control, nutritional supplementation, vaccination, and genetic approaches. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. There are several grazing management schemes that can reduce the severity of infection but they are insufficient on their own to control infection. Biological control includes the use of predatory fungi to control nematode populations and the use of pasture species that can reduce the intensity of infection. Fungi can control nematodes but the current requirement for daily feeding means that this approach will be most useful for animals that are handled daily. Feeding supplementary protein can control nematode infection. The method is simple but can be expensive and may not be cost-effective for some marginal enterprises. Genetic approaches include the use of resistant breeds and selective breeding. Some breeds will thrive in conditions that kill animals from other breeds but substitution of resistant breeds is not always feasible. Selective breeding is effective and inexpensive but requires a high level of expertize. The most appropriate method or set of methods to minimize the adverse consequences of nematode infection may vary among farms.
Analysis of rainfall variability using generalized linear models: A case study from the west of Ireland

In the early 1990s a cluster of extreme flood events occurred in the south Galway region of western Ireland, and this led to speculation of changing rainfall patterns in the area. In this paper we illustrate the use of generalized linear models (GLMs) to test for such changes and quantify their structure. GLMs, long established in the statistical literature, provide a flexible and rigorous formal framework within which to distinguish between possible climate change scenarios and are able to deal with high levels of variability, such as those typically associated with daily rainfall sequences. The study indicates that the GLM approach provides a powerful tool for interpreting historical rainfall records.
Crystal structures of (Mg1-x,Fex)SiO3postperovskite at high pressures

X-ray diffraction experiments on postperovskite (ppv) with compositions (Mg0.9Fe0.1)SiO3 and (Mg0.6Fe0.4)SiO3 at Earth core-mantle boundary pressures reveal different crystal structures. The former adopts the CaIrO3-type structure with space group Cmcm, whereas the latter crystallizes in a structure with the Pmcm (Pmma) space group. The latter has a significantly higher density (ρ = 6.119(1) g/cm3) than the former (ρ = 5.694(8) g/cm3) due to both the larger amount of iron and the smaller ionic radius of Fe2+ as a result of an electronic spin transition observed by X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES). The smaller ionic radius for low-spin compared to high-spin Fe2+ also leads to an ordered cation distribution in the M1 and M2 crystallographic sites of the higher density ppv structure. Rietveld structure refinement indicates that approximately 70% of the total Fe2+ in that phase occupies the M2 site. XES results indicate a loss of 70% of the unpaired electronic spins consistent with a low spin M2 site and high spin M1 site. First-principles calculations of the magnetic ordering confirm that Pmcm with a two-site model is energetically more favorable at high pressure, and predict that the ordered structure is anisotropic in its electrical and elastic properties. These results suggest that interpretations of seismic structure in the deep mantle need to treat a broader range of mineral structures than previously considered.
FFT Selective and Adaptive Filtering for Removal of Systematic Noise in ETM+ Imageodesy Images

The images of imageodesy derived from Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) image pairs across an earthquake event exhibit severe horizontal and vertical striping noise patterns that obscure the desired information relating to earthquake-induced terrain displacements. The periodic noise patterns were analyzed to reveal that the principal cause of these errors was due to the two-way across-track scanning mechanism of the ETM+ instrument in relation to the minor shift of the satellite orbits between two acquisitions. We first focused on the design of selective filters pinpointing the noise frequencies of horizontal striping based on frequency-domain analysis, via fast Fourier transform (FFT). As a result, the horizontal striping patterns have been successfully eliminated, but meanwhile the systematic varying frequency nature of the more complicated wavy vertical striping patterns is better revealed. This has led to the successful design of an adaptive FFT frequency filtering mechanism based on the function characterizing the relationship between angular speed of a scanner imaging system and its corresponding line speed on the curved surface of the Earth. Finally, the horizontal and vertical striping patterns have been successfully eliminated by semiautomatic selective and adaptive filtering procedures without subduing the key information of coseismic displacement
The Fas Signaling Pathway: More Than a Paradigm

Apoptosis and related forms of cell death have central importance in development, homeostasis, tumor surveillance, and the function of the immune system. Apoptosis is initiated by two principal pathways. The intrinsic pathway emerges from mitochondria, whereas the extrinsic pathway is activated by the ligation of death receptors. This Viewpoint introduces the basic mechanisms of the extrinsic pathway, using the example of the prototypical death receptor Fas and its role in apoptosis, but it also points out the increasingly understood importance of this receptor as a non-apoptotic signal transducer.