Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optische Kohärenztomografie bei Erkrankungen des zentralen Nervensystems

Zusammenfassung Inflammatorische, degenerative und tumoröse Erkrankungen des zentralen Nervensystems (ZNS) gehen häufig mit Veränderungen am Augenhintergrund und Sehstörungen einher. Mit der optischen Kohärenztomografie (OCT) hat erstmals eine Methode Einzug in das neuroophthalmologische Methodenspektrum gehalten, die das strukturelle Korrelat dieser Sehstörungen quantitativ und für den klinischen Alltag praktikabel erfassen kann. Das auf Interferometrie beruhende, nicht invasive Verfahren ist in der Lage, hochaufgelöste Volumenaufnahmen der Retina aufzunehmen und die Dicke bzw. das Volumen einzelner Schichten der Netzhaut zu messen. Insbesondere die pRNFL (peripapilläre retinale Nervenfaserschicht) und GCIPL (Ganglienzellschicht und innere plexiforme Schicht zusammen) sind in der Neurologie von großem Interesse, da sie Axone und zugehörige Nervenzellen enthalten, die im weiteren Verlauf den Sehnerv bilden. Bei einer akuten Optikusneuritis (ON) kann eine initiale Schwellung der pRNFL zur Diagnose und Differenzialdiagnose der ON und eine Verdünnung der GCIPL während der ersten 4 Wochen zur Prognose der Visuserholung beitragen. Bei der multiplen Sklerose (MS) ist die Rolle der OCT nicht nur in Zusammenhang mit der ON zu sehen. Auch MS-Augen ohne ON zeigen eine Verdünnung der pRNFL und GCIPL, die mit neurodegenerativen Prozessen im gesamten ZNS korreliert. Mehrere Studien haben Korrelationen zwischen diesen OCT-Parametern und dem Risiko für eine klinische Verschlechterung (Behinderungsprogression), kognitive Defizite, aber auch Krankheitsaktivität bei MS gezeigt, wobei es häufig noch unklar ist, wie dieser Zusammenhang in der Behandlung des individuellen Patienten nutzbar gemacht werden kann. OCT ist in den letzten Jahren zunehmend auch bei neurodegenerativen Erkrankungen wie Morbus Parkinson, amyotropher Lateralsklerose und diversen Demenzformen eingesetzt worden. Ein Einsatz in der klinischen Routine ist jedoch noch in deutlich weiterer Ferne als bei entzündlichen ZNS-Erkrankungen, da der klinische Stellenwert von OCT für Diagnostik, Differenzialdiagnostik und Prädiktion bzw. Verlaufsbeurteilung bislang nicht geklärt ist. Dieser Übersichtsartikel soll einen Überblick über die aktuelle Studienlage zu OCT-Parametern und deren Bedeutung bei inflammatorischen, degenerativen und tumorösen Erkrankungen des zentralen Nervensystems schaffen.
The resistomes of six carbapenem-resistant pathogens – a critical genotype–phenotype analysis

Carbapenem resistance is a rapidly growing threat to our ability to treat refractory bacterial infections. To understand how carbapenem resistance is mobilized and spread between pathogens, it is important to study the genetic context of the underlying resistance mechanisms. In this study, the resistomes of six clinical carbapenem-resistant isolates of five different species – Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, two Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa – were characterized using whole genome sequencing. All Enterobacteriaceae isolates and the A. baumannii isolate had acquired a large number of antimicrobial resistance genes (7–18 different genes per isolate), including the following encoding carbapenemases: blaKPC-2, blaOXA-48, blaOXA-72, blaNDM-1, blaNDM-7 and blaVIM-1. In addition, a novel version of blaSHV was discovered. Four new resistance plasmids were identified and their fully assembled sequences were verified using optical DNA mapping. Most of the resistance genes were co-localized on these and other plasmids, suggesting a risk for co-selection. In contrast, five out of six carbapenemase genes were present on plasmids with no or few other resistance genes. The expected level of resistance – based on acquired resistance determinants – was concordant with measured levels in most cases. There were, however, several important discrepancies for four of the six isolates concerning multiple classes of antibiotics. In conclusion, our results further elucidate the diversity of carbapenemases, their mechanisms of horizontal transfer and possible patterns of co-selection. The study also emphasizes the difficulty of using whole genome sequencing for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of pathogens with complex genotypes.
Histologically Verified Biliary Invasion was Associated with Impaired Liver Recurrence-Free Survival in Resected Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases

Background and Aims: The impact of biliary invasion on recurrence and survival, after resection of colorectal cancer liver metastases, is not well known as publications are limited to small patient series. The aim was to investigate if biliary invasion in liver resected patients associated with liver relapses and recurrence-free survival. Secondary endpoints included association with other prognostic factors, disease-free survival and overall survival. Materials and Methods: All patients with histologically verified biliary invasion (n = 31, 9%) were identified among 344 patients with liver resection between January 2009 and March 2015. Controls (n = 78) were selected from the same time period and matched for, among others, size and number of colorectal cancer liver metastasis. Results: Median liver recurrence-free survival was significantly shorter in patients with biliary invasion than in controls (15.3 months versus not reached; p = 0.031) and more relapses were noted in the liver (61.3% versus 33.3%; p = 0.010), respectively. In univariate analyses for liver recurrence-free survival, biliary invasion was the only significant prognostic factor; p = 0.034. There were no statistical differences in disease-free and overall survival between the groups. Conclusion: Biliary invasion was associated with higher liver recurrence rates and shorter liver recurrence-free survival in patients with resected colorectal cancer liver metastasis.
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in children: Retrospective series with a long-term follow-up and literature review.

BACKGROUND/AIMS To investigate the safety and long-term results of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in children with a literature review. MATERIALS AND METHODS All patients within the age range of 6-17 years who underwent ERCP between 1994 and 2014 at our institution were retrospectively evaluated. RESULT Twenty-four patients with a median age of 15 years underwent ERCP. Cannulation of the papilla was achieved in all patients (100%) without the use of needle-knife papillotomy. Before 1999, ERCP was used as a diagnostic method only in 7 patients (29%). In 17 (71%) patients, the procedure was used for therapeutic purposes. The indications were choledocholithiasis (10 cases, 42%), postoperative complications (5 patients, 21%), and recurrent pancreatitis (2 cases, 8%). In 2 patients (8%), the therapeutic effect was not achieved, thus requiring subsequent operations. There were no major complications. Mild pancreatitis occurred in only 1 patient (4%). Long-term follow-up information was obtained in 16 (67%) patients (median, 18 years; range, 3.5-22.5 years), and no long-term complications were detected. CONCLUSION Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography is a valuable tool in the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatobiliary disorders in the pediatric population. Large-scale studies are required to create evidence-based guidelines specific to children.
Bioequivalence and Therapeutic Equivalence of Generic and Brand Bupropion in Adults With Major Depression: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Controversy persists about bupropion XL 300 mg generic equivalence to brand product. A prospective, randomized, double‐blinded crossover in 70 adults with major depression in stable remission taking any bupropion XL 300 mg tested bioequivalence and therapeutic equivalence of available XL 300 mg products. After a 4‐week lead‐in on patients' existing bupropion, four 6‐week phases evaluated brand and three generics. Patients were uninformed of switching. Drug overencapsulation ensured blinding. There were no differences between any generic and brand, or between generics, in peak plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the plasma concentration‐time curve over the 24‐hour dosing interval (AUC0–24) for racemic bupropion or major metabolites. All generics met formal bioequivalence criteria for bupropion and metabolites. There were no differences between generics and brand, or between generics, in depression symptoms or side effects, assessed by every 3‐week in‐person interview and daily smartphone‐based self‐report. There were no differences in patients' perceptions of bupropion products. Results show three bupropion XL 300 mg generic products are both bioequivalent and not therapeutically different from brand drug and each other.
Analysis of the nucleotide content of Escherichia coli promoter sequences related to the alternative sigma factors

Promoters are DNA sequences located upstream of the transcription start site of genes. In bacteria, the RNA polymerase enzyme requires additional subunits, called sigma factors (σ) to begin specific gene transcription in distinct environmental conditions. Currently, promoter prediction still poses many challenges due to the characteristics of these sequences. In this paper, the nucleotide content of Escherichia coli promoter sequences, related to five alternative σ factors, was analyzed by a machine learning technique in order to provide profiles according to the σ factor which recognizes them. For this, the clustering technique was applied since it is a viable method for finding hidden patterns on a data set. As a result, 20 groups of sequences were formed, and, aided by the Weblogo tool, it was possible to determine sequence profiles. These found patterns should be considered for implementing computational prediction tools. In addition, evidence was found of an overlap between the functions of the genes regulated by different σ factors, suggesting that DNA structural properties are also essential parameters for further studies.
Acute Effects of Pedaling Cadence at Low Intensity on Arterial Stiffness in Healthy Young Men

Abstract To examine the acute influence of pedaling cadence on arterial stiffness in young men, 15 healthy men (21.8±0.4 years) underwent 3 trials in self-control crossover design: non-cycling control (CON), cycling at 60 (RPM60) and 90 rounds per min (RPM90). Cycling lasted 30 min at intensity of 35% heart rate reserve. Arterial stiffness in cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) was measured at baseline (BL), immediately after (0 min) and 40 min after cycling. There were no significant CAVI changes over time in CON. CAVI in RPM60 decreased immediately after exercise and returned to baseline afterwards (6.1±0.2, 5.6±0.2 and 6.0±0.2 at BL, 0 and 40 min, respectively). RPM90 elicited significant CAVI reduction from 6.2±0.2 at BL to 5.5±0.2 at 0 min, and reverted to 5.7±0.1 at 40 min, maintaining significant difference to its baseline. There was no significant CAVI difference between RPM60 and CON, whereas CAVI in RPM90 was significantly lower than that in CON at 0 min (5.5±0.2 vs 6.1±0.2, P<0.01) and 40 min (5.7±0.1 vs 6.3±0.1, P<0.05). Despite equivalent exercise volume, arterial stiffness improvement induced by cycling was influenced by pedaling cadence. Higher cadence resulted in superior effect on arterial stiffness.
Self-Dictionary Regression for Hyperspectral Image Super-Resolution

Due to sensor limitations, hyperspectral images (HSIs) are acquired by hyperspectral sensors with high-spectral-resolution but low-spatial-resolution. It is difficult for sensors to acquire images with high-spatial-resolution and high-spectral-resolution simultaneously. Hyperspectral image super-resolution tries to enhance the spatial resolution of HSI by software techniques. In recent years, various methods have been proposed to fuse HSI and multispectral image (MSI) from an unmixing or a spectral dictionary perspective. However, these methods extract the spectral information from each image individually, and therefore ignore the cross-correlation between the observed HSI and MSI. It is difficult to achieve high-spatial-resolution while preserving the spatial-spectral consistency between low-resolution HSI and high-resolution HSI. In this paper, a self-dictionary regression based method is proposed to utilize cross-correlation between the observed HSI and MSI. Both the observed low-resolution HSI and MSI are simultaneously considered to estimate the endmember dictionary and the abundance code. To preserve the spectral consistency, the endmember dictionary is extracted by performing a common sparse basis selection on the concatenation of observed HSI and MSI. Then, a consistent constraint is exploited to ensure the spatial consistency between the abundance code of low-resolution HSI and the abundance code of high-resolution HSI. Extensive experiments on three datasets demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.
Targeting Metabolism, Insulin Resistance, and Diabetes to Treat Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis

Obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes are strongly linked to the accumulation of excessive lipids in the liver parenchyma, a condition known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Given its association with obesity and related metabolic diseases, it is not surprising that the prevalence of NAFLD has dramatically increased in the past few decades. NAFLD has become the most common liver disease in many areas of the world. The term, NAFLD, encompasses a spectrum of disorders that ranges from simple steatosis to steatosis with inflammatory lesions (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis [NASH]). Although simple steatosis might be relatively benign, epidemiologic studies have linked NASH to greatly increased risk of developing cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Yet despite this, there are no approved treatments for the disease, and it remains a significant unmet medical need. This Perspective will review some of the relevant literature on the topic and examine approved and experimental NASH therapeutic concepts that target intermediary metabolism, insulin resistance, and diabetes to treat this emerging public health problem.
Neandertal features of the deciduous and permanent teeth from Portel-Ouest Cave (Ariège, France).

OBJECTIVES We describe 14 unpublished and nine published teeth from the Mousterian level of Portel-Ouest (Ariège, France), dated to 44 ka. In a comparative context, we explore the taxonomical affinities of those teeth with Neandertals and modern humans which are both known to exist at that time. We further make some paleobiological inferences about this human group. METHODS The comparative analysis of Neandertals and modern humans is based on nonmetric traits at the outer enamel surface and the enamel-dentine junction, crown diameters and three-dimensional (3D) enamel thickness measurements of lower permanent teeth. The crown and roots are explored in detail based on the μCT-scan data to identify the multiple criteria involved in the paleobiological approach. RESULTS Nonmetric traits and 3D enamel thickness tend to be more similar to Neandertals than modern humans, notably for C1 , P4 , and M2 (included in all analyses) as well as volume of the pulp cavity in roots of the anterior permanent teeth. The Portel-Ouest sample corresponds to a minimum of seven juveniles, one or two adolescents and one adult, which exhibit recurrent linear enamel hypoplasia (up to five events for one individual), the torsiversion of one anterior tooth and irregular oblique wear in some anterior deciduous teeth. DISCUSSION This morphological study confirms that the remains from Portel-Ouest are Neandertals, associated with a Mousterian complex. Furthermore, we found the expected pattern of mortality and stress for a Neandertal group, that is, various age categories and developmental defects (nonexclusive to Neandertals), while adults are underrepresented and juveniles are overrepresented. Further excavations would contribute finding new remains and maybe complete this demographic profile.
Environmental Drivers of Free-Living vs. Particle-Attached Bacterial Community Composition in the Mauritania Upwelling System

Saharan dust input and seasonal upwelling along North–West Africa provide a model system for studying microbial processes related to the export and recycling of nutrients. This study offers the first molecular characterization of prokaryotic particle-attached (PA; >3.0 μm) and free-living (FL; 0.2–3.0 μm) players in this important ecosystem during August 2016. Environmental drivers for alpha-diversity, bacterial community composition, and differences between FL and PA fractions were identified. The ultra-oligotrophic waters off Senegal were dominated by Cyanobacteria while higher relative abundances of Alphaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, and Planctomycetes (known particle-degraders) occurred in the upwelling area. Temperature, proxy for different water masses, was the best predictor for changes in FL communities. PA community variation was best explained by temperature and ammonium. Bray Curtis dissimilarities between FL and PA were generally very high and correlated with temperature and salinity in surface waters. Greatest similarities between FL and PA occurred at the deep chlorophyll maximum, where bacterial substrate availability was likely highest. This indicates that environmental drivers do not only influence changes among FL and PA communities but also differences between them. This could provide an explanation for contradicting results obtained by different studies regarding the dissimilarity/similarity between FL and PA communities and their biogeochemical functions.
SIW-based Broadband TE10 Mode to TE20 Mode Power Divider Design

In this paper, we proposed a novel broadband TE10 mode to TE20 mode power divider based on low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) technology. Simulated results show that the -15dB bandwidth is about 29% from 53.7 to 72 GHz. This power divider can be used in antenna feeding network, filters or any other passive component design based on SIW structure in millimeter-wave regime.
Size scaling of photophysiology and growth in four freshly isolated diatom species from Ryder Bay, western Antarctic peninsula

Diatoms are one of the dominant groups in phytoplankton communities of the western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). Although generally well‐studied, little is known about size dependent photophysiological responses in diatom bloom formation and succession. To increase this understanding, four Antarctic diatom species covering two orders of magnitude in cell size were isolated in northern Marguerite Bay (WAP). Fragilariopsis sp. , Pseudo‐nitzschia cf. subcurvata, Thalassiosira cf. antarctica, and Proboscia cf. alata were acclimated to three different irradiances after which photophysiology, electron transport, carbon fixation, and growth were assessed. The small species Fragilariopsis sp. , Pseudo‐nitzschia cf. subcurvata, and large species Proboscia cf. alata showed similar photoacclimation to higher irradiances with a decrease in cellular chlorophyll a and an increase in chlorophyll a specific absorption and xanthophyll cycle pigments and activity. In contrast, pigment concentrations and absorption remained unaffected by higher irradiances in the large species Thalassiosira cf. antarctica. Overall, the small species showed significantly higher growth rates compared to the large species, which was related to relatively high light harvesting capacity and electron transport rates in the smaller species. However, photophysiological responses related to photoinhibition and photoprotection and carbon fixation showed no relationship with cell size. This study supports the dominance of small diatoms at low irradiances during winter and early spring, but does not provide photophysiological evidence for the dominance of large diatoms during the phytoplankton bloom in the WAP. This suggests that other factors such as grazing and nutrient availability are likely to play a major role in diatom bloom formation.
Rhythm and Blues protest songs: voices of resistance

AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDIES YANCEY, EDDIE B.S. ILLiNOIS STATE UNIVERSITY, 1986 M.Div. iNTERDENOMINATIONAL THEOLOGICAL CENTER, 1994 RHYTHM AND BLUES PROTEST SONGS: VOICES OF RESISTANCE Advisor: Josephine Bradley, Ph.D. Dissertation dated: May 2007 This study was an investigation of seven selected rhythm and blues black protest songs, from 1964 to 1975, and their relationship to black empowerment during the era of the Black Power Movement. The songs were analyzed using content analysis and revealed three expected themes of self/black identity, racial equity and self-determination. A fourth theme, social change, evolved during the study. The study focused on the political, cultural and economic ramifications, especially of black music, as a form of protest against a system that proved to be one of inequality, and prejudicial segregation in every aspect of the black life. The rhythm and Blues black protest songs were seen as efforts to empower the black community to take responsibility for its own survival. Of the seven artists who participated in the Black Power Movement, Nina Simone, Curtis Mayfield and Sam Cooke were the most prolific musical contributors to
Retrospective semi-automated software feature extraction from natural language user manuals

Mature software systems comprise a vast number of heterogeneous system capabilities which are usually requested by different groups of stakeholders and evolve over time. Software features describe and logically bundle low level capabilities on an abstract level and thus provide a structured and comprehensive overview of the entire capabilities of a software system. Software features are often not explicitly managed. Quite the contrary,software feature-relevant information is often spread across several software engineering artifacts (e.g., user manual, issue tracking systems). It requires huge manual effort to (1) identify and extract software feature-relevant information from these artifacts in order to make software feature knowledge explicit and furthermore to (2) determine which software features the disclosed software feature-relevant information belongs to. This thesis presents a three-step-approach to semi-automatically enhance software features by software feature-relevant information from a user manual: first, a domain terminology is semi-automatically extracted from a natural language user manual based on linguistic patterns. Second, the extracted domain terminology, structural sentence information and natural language processing techniques are used to automatically identify and extract atomic software feature-relevant information with an F1-score of at least 92.00%. Finally, the determined atomic software feature-relevant information is semi-automatically assigned to existing and logically related software features. The approach is empirically evaluated by means of a user manual and corresponding gold standards of an industrial partner. This thesis provides tool support to identify and extract atomic software featurerelevant information from user manuals and furthermore recommend logically related software features.