Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An exploratory survey of the applications of telemedicine in Ghana

We examined the use of telemedicine at two major medical institutions in Ghana. Doctors and administrators were surveyed to assess their knowledge of computers and familiarity with telemedicine. The use of modern telecommunications and information technology products within the health service was also examined. Thirty questionnaires were distributed to staff at the two hospitals, one urban and one rural. Twenty were returned (a response rate of 67%). Although most of the respondents were computer literate, they were less familiar with telemedicine applications. Only a minority of the respondents were participating in an information-sharing network, transmitting information by fax or telephone, or had Internet access. Financial constraint appeared to be the major barrier to establishing information-sharing networks. Other constraints were technological and organizational. The respondents expressed an interest in using telemedicine, having access to health-care databases and specific telemedicine applications such as tele-education and videoconferencing. Staff in the urban hospital were more likely to be familiar with telemedicine and more likely to have access to information technology than those in the rural hospital.
Effect of low cytoplasmic [ATP] on excitation–contraction coupling in fast‐twitch muscle fibres of the rat

In this study we investigated the roles of cytoplasmic ATP as both an energy source and a regulatory molecule in various steps of the excitation–contraction (E–C) coupling process in fast‐twitch skeletal muscle fibres of the rat. Using mechanically skinned fibres with functional E–C coupling, it was possible to independently alter cytoplasmic [ATP] and free [Mg2+]. Electrical field stimulation was used to elicit action potentials (APs) within the sealed transverse tubular (T‐) system, producing either twitch or tetanic (50 Hz) force responses. Measurements were also made of the amount of Ca2+ released by an AP in different cytoplasmic conditions. The rate of force development and relaxation of the contractile apparatus was measured using rapid step changes in [Ca2+]. Twitch force decreased substantially (∼30%) at 2 mm ATP compared to the level at 8 mm ATP, whereas peak tetanic force only declined by ∼10% at 0.5 mm ATP. The rate of force development of the twitch and tetanus was slowed only slightly at [ATP]≥ 0.5 mm, but was slowed greatly (> 6‐fold) at 0.1 mm ATP, the latter being due primarily to slowing of force development by the contractile apparatus. AP‐induced Ca2+ release was decreased by ∼10 and 20% at 1 and 0.5 mm ATP, respectively, and by ∼40% by raising the [Mg2+] to 3 mm. Adenosine inhibited Ca2+ release and twitch responses in a manner consistent with its action as a competitive weak agonist for the ATP regulatory site on the ryanodine receptor (RyR). These findings show that (a) ATP is a limiting factor for normal voltage‐sensor activation of the RyRs, and (b) large reductions in cytoplasmic [ATP], and concomitant elevation of [Mg2+], substantially inhibit E–C coupling and possibly contribute to muscle fatigue in fast‐twitch fibres in some circumstances.
Features, Color Spaces, and Boosting: New Insights on Semantic Classification of Remote Sensing Images

A major yet largely unsolved problem in the semantic classification of very high resolution remote sensing images is the design and selection of appropriate features. At a ground sampling distance below half a meter, fine-grained texture details of objects emerge and lead to a large intraclass variability while generally keeping the between-class variability at a low level. Usually, the user makes an educated guess on what features seem to appropriately capture characteristic object class patterns. Here, we propose to avoid manual feature selection and let a boosting classifier choose optimal features from a vast Randomized Quasi-Exhaustive (RQE) set of feature candidates directly during training. This RQE feature set consists of a multitude of very simple features that are computed efficiently via integral images inside a sliding window. This simple but comprehensive feature candidate set enables the boosting classifier to assemble the most discriminative textures at different scale levels to classify a small number of broad urban land-cover classes. We do an extensive evaluation on several data sets and compare performance against multiple feature extraction baselines in different color spaces. In addition, we verify experimentally if we gain any classification accuracy if moving from boosting stumps to trees. Cross-validation minimizes the possible bias caused by specific training/testing setups. It turns out that boosting in combination with the proposed RQE feature set outperforms all baseline features while still remaining computationally efficient. Particularly boosting trees (instead of stumps) captures class patterns so well that results suggest to completely leave feature selection to the classifier.
The prevalence of prodromal features of schizophrenia in adolescence: a preliminary survey

In most cases of schizophrenia the onset of frank psychosis is preceded by a period of prodromal features. This period has been relatively neglected by researchers and is potentially important in promoting early intervention. The prevalence of DSM‐III‐R schizophrenia prodrome symptoms was assessed as part (n= 657) of a large (n= 2525) questionnaire‐based survey of high school students. Individual symptoms were highly prevalent and the prevalence of DSM‐III‐R prodromes ranged from 10–15% to 50%. Despite methodological weaknesses, the data suggest that DSM‐III‐R prodromal features are extremely prevalent among older adolescents and unlikely to be specific for subsequent schizophrenia. Clinically these features cannot be regarded as sufficient evidence of early schizophrenia and more accurate predictors of incipient schizophrenia need to be defined.
Impaired Activity of the Extraneuronal Monoamine Transporter System Known as Uptake-2 inOrct3/Slc22a3-Deficient Mice

ABSTRACT Two uptake systems that control the extracellular concentrations of released monoamine neurotransmitters such as noradrenaline and adrenaline have been described. Uptake-1 is present at presynaptic nerve endings, whereas uptake-2 is extraneuronal and has been identified in myocardium and vascular and nonvascular smooth muscle cells. The gene encoding the uptake-2 transporter has recently been identified in humans (EMT), rats (OCT3), and mice (Orct3/Slc22a3). To generate an in vivo model for uptake-2, we have inactivated the mouseOrct3 gene. Homozygous mutant mice are viable and fertile with no obvious physiological defect and also show no significant imbalance of noradrenaline or dopamine. However,Orct3-null mice show an impaired uptake-2 activity as measured by accumulation of intravenously administered [3H]MPP+ (1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium). A 72% reduction in MPP+ levels was measured in hearts of both male and female Orct3 mutant mice. No significant differences between wild-type and mutant mice were found in any other adult organ or in plasma. When [3H]MPP+ was injected into pregnant females, a threefold-reduced MPP+accumulation was observed in homozygous mutant embryos but not in their placentas or amniotic fluid. These data show that Orct3is the principal component for uptake-2 function in the adult heart and identify the placenta as a novel site of action of uptake-2 that acts at the fetoplacental interface.
The impact of adenotonsillectomy on children’s quality of life

Objectives: Although adenotonsillectomy is one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in the pediatric population, there is little known about its impact on Health‐related Quality of Life (HRQL). The aim of this study was to measure children’s HRQL‐benefit after adenotonsillectomy.
FRACTALS IN PATHOLOGY

Many natural objects, including most objects studied in pathology, have complex structural characteristics and the complexity of their structures, for example the degree of branching of vessels or the irregularity of a tumour boundary, remains at a constant level over a wide range of magnifications. These structures also have patterns that repeat themselves at different magnifications, a property known as scaling self‐similarity. This has important implications for measurement of parameters such as length and area, since Euclidean measurements of these may be invalid. The fractal system of geometry overcomes the limitations of the Euclidean geometry for such objects and measurement of the fractal dimension gives an index of their space‐filling properties. The fractal dimension may be measured using image analysis systems and the box‐counting, divider (perimeter‐stepping) and pixel dilation methods have all been described in the published literature. Fractal analysis has found applications in the detection of coding regions in DNA and measurement of the space‐filling properties of tumours, blood vessels and neurones. Fractal concepts have also been usefully incorporated into models of biological processes, including epithelial cell growth, blood vessel growth, periodontal disease and viral infections. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effective professional development for 21st Century Vocational Education and Training Teachers

In order to implement training reform the Queensland Government, has committed substantial funding towards the professional development of VET teachers. This report reviews current literature and government reports relating to the effectiveness of professional development practices to achieve sustained changes to the classroom practices of teachers. A number of barriers and problems exist that prevent or limit VET teachers from engaging in professional development. An examination of these issues leads to the recommendation that organisations must develop a professional learning culture if they are to improve the quality of professional development and its outcomes.
Analysis of a repetitive DNA sequence from Bordetella pertussis and its application to the diagnosis of pertussis using the polymerase chain reaction

A tandemly repeated 1,046-base-pair (bp) ClaI DNA fragment from Bordetella pertussis was cloned into Escherichia coli by using the vector pUC19. This fragment, when isolated, hybridized strongly to DNA from all 100 clinical isolates of B. pertussis tested. It was shown to have homology to single-copy sequences in Bordetella bronchiseptica but not Bordetella parapertussis and did not hybridize to lysate blots of a wide range of other bacteria, including members of the closely related genera Pasteurella, Alcaligenes, and Haemophilus. The 1,046-bp fragment was sequenced, and complementary synthetic oligonucleotides flanking a 153-bp region within the repeated element were used as primers for specific amplification of this region using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This procedure was then applied to the rapid (5-h) detection of B. pertussis in nasopharyngeal secretions collected from 332 children with suspected pertussis. The test yielded positive results in a total of 98 samples, compared with 66 for culture and 33 for direct immunofluorescence (IF). All of the IF-positive samples were PCR positive, as were 63 of the samples from which B. pertussis was eventually cultured. Two hundred thirty-one specimens which were negative by IF and culture were also negative in the PCR assay. However, 33 culture- and IF-negative specimens were positive by PCR assay. Several of these specimens were collected from close contacts of culture-proven pertussis patients, were follow-up specimens from such patients, or were from patients with serological evidence of pertussis and therefore may be true-rather than false-positives.
Spontaneous spinal cerebrospinal fluid leaks and intracranial hypotension.

CONTEXT Spontaneous intracranial hypotension is caused by spontaneous spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks and is known for causing orthostatic headaches. It is an important cause of new headaches in young and middle-aged individuals, but initial misdiagnosis is common. OBJECTIVE To summarize existing evidence regarding the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of spontaneous spinal CSF leaks and intracranial hypotension. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION MEDLINE (1966-2005) and OLDMEDLINE (1950-1965) were searched using the terms intracranial hypotension, CSF leak, low pressure headache, and CSF hypovolemia. Reference lists of these articles and ongoing investigations in this area were used as well. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS Spontaneous intracranial hypotension is caused by single or multiple spinal CSF leaks. The incidence has been estimated at 5 per 100,000 per year, with a peak around age 40 years. Women are affected more commonly than men. Mechanical factors combine with an underlying connective tissue disorder to cause the CSF leaks. An orthostatic headache is the prototypical manifestation but other headache patterns occur as well, and associated symptoms are common. Typical magnetic resonance imaging findings include subdural fluid collections, enhancement of the pachymeninges, engorgement of venous structures, pituitary hyperemia, and sagging of the brain (mnemonic: SEEPS). Myelography is the study of choice to identify the spinal CSF leak. Treatments include bed rest, epidural blood patching, percutaneous placement of fibrin sealant, and surgical CSF leak repair, but outcomes have been poorly studied and no management strategies have been studied in properly controlled randomized trials. CONCLUSIONS Spontaneous intracranial hypotension is not rare but it remains underdiagnosed. The spectrum of clinical and radiographic manifestations is varied, with diagnosis largely based on clinical suspicion, cranial magnetic resonance imaging, and myelography. Numerous treatment options are available, but much remains to be learned about this disorder.
Influence of neighboring plants on the dynamics of an ant-acacia protection mutualism.

Ant-plant protection symbioses, in which plants provide food and/or shelter for ants in exchange for protection from herbivory, are model systems for understanding the ecology of mutualism. While interactions between ants, host plants, and herbivores have been intensively studied, we know little about how plant-plant interactions influence the dynamics of these mutualisms, despite strong evidence that plants compete for resources, that hosting ants can be costly, and that host-plant provisioning to ants can therefore be constrained by resource availability. We used field experiments in a semiarid Kenyan savanna to examine interactions between the ant-plant Acacia drepanolobium, neighboring grasses, and two species of symbiotic acacia-ants with divergent behaviors: Crematogaster mimosae, an aggressive symbiont that imposes high costs to host trees via consumption of extrafloral nectar, and Tetraponera penzigi, a less-protective symbiont that imposes lower costs because it does not consume nectar. We hypothesized that by competing with acacias for resources, neighboring grasses (1) reduce hosts' ability to support costly C. mimosae, while having little or no effect on the ability of hosts to support low-cost T. penzigi, and (2) reduce sapling growth rates irrespective of ant occupant. We factorially manipulated the presence/absence of grasses and the identity of ant occupants on saplings and evaluated effects on colony survivorship and sapling growth rates over 40 weeks. Contrary to prediction, the high-cost/high-reward nectar-dependent mutualist C. mimosae had higher colony-survival rates on saplings with grass neighbors present. Grasses appear to have indirectly facilitated the survival of C. mimosae by reducing water stress on host plants; soils under saplings shaded by grasses had higher moisture content, and these saplings produced more active nectaries than grass-removal saplings. Consistent with prediction, survival of low-cost/low-reward T. penzigi did not differ significantly between grass-removal treatments. Saplings occupied by low-cost/low-reward T. penzigi grew 100% more on average than saplings occupied by high-cost/high-reward C. mimosae, demonstrating that mutualist-partner identity strongly and differentially influences demographic rates of young plants. In contrast, contrary to prediction, grass neighbors had no significant net impact on sapling growth rates. Our results suggest that neighboring plants can exert strong and counterintuitive effects on ant-plant protection symbioses, highlighting the need to integrate plant-plant interactions into our understanding of these mutualisms.
Fetal cells in maternal blood: the use of primed in situ (PRINS) labelling technique for fetal cell detection and sex assessment

Prenatal diagnosis is presently performed following invasive procedures with variable risks of fetal loss; non‐invasive procedures using fetal cells in maternal blood would be welcome for the early detection of fetal sex or aneuploidy. We describe a simple and rapid protocol to detect fetal cells and thus to assess fetal sex. In a first step, nucleated blood cells were separated into mononuclear and polynuclear cells using a double density gradient centrifugation. In a second step primed in situ (PRINS) labelling technique was performed to label Y‐chromosomes. 15 samples were studied and correct gender assignment was made in 13/15. The number of labelled nuclei was higher in polynuclear cell phases than in mononuclear cell phases. Moreover, the polylobular aspect of labelled nuclei from polynuclear cell phases strongly suggested that they could belong to fetal polynuclear cells. The PRINS technique combines some advantages of FISH, such as visual assessment of in situ chromosome labelling and the powerful specificity and sensitivity of PCR. In association with a simple enrichment procedure it constitutes a rapid protocol for fetal cell detection, non‐invasive early prenatal sex assessment, and could further be applied to detect the main viable aneuploidies. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
PREDICTING RESPONSE OF EXUDATIVE AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION TO BEVACIZUMAB BASED ON SPECTRALIS OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY

Purpose: To identify baseline optical coherence tomography factors in exudative age-related macular degeneration that predict response to bevacizumab injections. Methods: Patients underwent spectral domain optical coherence tomography at diagnosis and the width, height, area, and location of the subretinal fluid, intraretinal fluid, pigment epithelial detachment, and subretinal tissue were measured. The location and size of photoreceptor and the loss of retinal pigment epithelium were recorded as well as quantitative retinal measurements. Patients received three consecutive monthly injections of bevacizumab after which their best-corrected visual acuity was recorded. Results: Overall 105 eyes of 105 patients aging 88 ± 8.6 years were included. In univariate correlational analyses, only subretinal fluid width demonstrated a significant positive correlation with improved best-corrected visual acuity (R2 = 0.230, P = 0.018). Eyes with intraretinal fluid (P = 0.020) and retinal pigment epithelial loss (P = 0.009) located in the subfoveal (as opposed to the juxtafoveal area) demonstrating worst visual outcomes. In stepwise backwards regression, the subretinal fluid width and intraretinal fluid location were the only parameters that remained significant explaining 9.23% of the variation in delta best-corrected visual acuity scores. Conclusion: Improvement in best-corrected visual acuity after three injections of bevacizumab can be predicted from optical coherence tomography measurements. Specifically, the authors identified subretinal fluid width and intraretinal fluid location as significant markers.
Identification of Sperm-specific Proteins That Interact with A-kinase Anchoring Proteins in a Manner Similar to the Type II Regulatory Subunit of PKA*

The cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) is targeted to specific subcellular compartments through its interaction with A-kinase anchoringproteins (AKAPs). AKAPs contain an amphipathic helix domain that binds to the type II regulatory subunit of PKA (RII). Synthetic peptides containing this amphipathic helix domain bind to RII with high affinity and competitively inhibit the binding of PKA with AKAPs. Addition of these anchoring inhibitor peptides to spermatozoa inhibits motility (Vijayaraghavan, S., Goueli, S. A., Davey, M. P., and Carr, D. W. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 4747–4752). However, inhibition of the PKA catalytic activity does not mimic these peptides, suggesting that the peptides are disrupting the interaction of AKAP(s) with proteins other than PKA. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, we have now identified two sperm-specific human proteins that interact with the amphipathic helix region of AKAP110. These proteins, ropporin (a protein previously shown to interact with the Rho signaling pathway) and AKAP-associated sperm protein, are 39% identical to each other and share a strong sequence similarity with the conserved domain on the N terminus of RII that is involved in dimerization and AKAP binding. Mutation of conserved residues in ropporin or RII prevents binding to AKAP110. These data suggest that sperm contains several proteins that bind to AKAPs in a manner similar to RII and imply that AKAPs may have additional and perhaps unique functions in spermatozoa.
Safety review of kava (Piper methysticum) by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration

This systematic review discusses the proposed uses, dosing parameters, adverse effects, toxicology, interactions and mechanism of action of kava. The widespread concern regarding the potential hepatotoxicity of kava is discussed. A recommendation is made to consolidate and analyse available reports and to continue postmarket surveillance in an international repository to prevent duplicates and promote collection of thorough details at the time of each report so that any association with kava is clearly defined.
Rice transposable elements: a survey of 73,000 sequence-tagged-connectors.

As part of an international effort to sequence the rice genome, the Clemson University Genomics Institute is developing a sequence-tagged-connector (STC) framework. This framework includes the generation of deep-coverage BAC libraries from O. sativa ssp. japonica c.v. Nipponbare and the sequencing of both ends of the genomic DNA insert of the BAC clones. Here, we report a survey of the transposable elements (TE) in >73,000 STCs. A total of 6848 STCs were found homologous to regions of known TE sequences (E<10(-5)) by FASTX search of STCs against a set of 1358 TE protein sequences obtained from GenBank. Of these TE-containing STCs (TE-STCs), 88% (6027) are related to retroelements and the remaining are transposase homologs. Nearly all DNA transposons known previously in plants were present in the STCs, including maize Ac/Ds, En/Spm, Mutator, and mariner-like elements. In addition, 2746 STCs were found to contain regions homologous to known miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs). The distribution of these MITEs in regions near genes was confirmed by EST comparisons to MITE-containing STCs, and our results showed that the association of MITEs with known EST transcripts varies by MITE type. Unlike the biased distribution of retroelements in maize, we found no evidence for the presence of gene islands when we correlated TE-STCs with a physical map of the CUGI BAC library. These analyses of TEs in nearly 50 Mb of rice genomic DNA provide an interesting and informative preview of the rice genome.