Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF THORACIC KYPHOSIS MEASUREMENTS USING THE FLEXICURVE METHOD

Background: Thoracic hyperkyphosis is one of the most common postural abnormalities. It is defined as increased thoracic curvature in the sagittal plan of the vertebral column. Normal kyphosis may range from 20o to 50o according to Cobb’s radiographic method. The radiographic method is the most popular kyphosis measuring method, but because it is an expensive method and it exposes the individual to radiation, it is not the most appropriate method for periodic patient follow-up. Routine clinical examinations such as physiotherapeutic evaluation of thoracic kyphosis need to be valid, reliable, sensitive, practical and cheap. Objective: To investigate the comparative validity and the intra and inter-rater reliability of thoracic kyphosis measurements using the flexicurve method. Method: This was a cross-sectional study in which the thoracic kyphosis of 56 people was evaluated from sagittal radiography of the thoracic column using Cobb’s method and by means of the flexicurve method, by two evaluators. Results: The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between the measurements from the Cobb and flexicurve methods was 0.906. For diagnosing thoracic hyperkyphosis, the sensitivity was 85% and the specificity was 97%. Conclusion: The flexicurve method was shown to be a suitable quantitative clinical method for measuring the curvature of thoracic kyphosis.
Fractal behaviour of quantum paths in statistical physics

The path integral formalism is used to describe the statistical properties of an ideal gas of spinless particles. It is shown that the quantum paths exhibit the same properties in non-relativistic and relativistic domains provided the creation of new particles is avoided. Some quantities associated with the paths are introduced, they have a simple meaning if the quantity β~ , where β is the reverse of the temperature, is considered as an ordinary time. The relation between the velocity on the path and the momentum is not the usual one, an extra term appears showing that the thermostat can not fix the average value of this velocity although all the thermodynamic quantities have their traditional values. The paths describe fluctuating trajectories on which the particles do not follow the equation of motion. For time intervals much shorter than β~ we recover the properties of the Brownian motion. The trajectories are located in space in a volume restricted by the Compton wavelength for the short distances and the thermal de Broglie wavelength for the largest ones. It is shown that the time-energy uncertainty is verified on the quantum paths. This suggests that the density matrix obtained by quantification of the classical canonical distribution function via the path integral formalism should not be totally identical to that obtained via the usual route. Strong arguments are given showing that β~ can be considered as an ordinary time and not as a formal quantity having the same dimension as time. This paper shows that for a time scale of 10 femtoseconds a totally new physics can be expected at room temperature. In addition it is suggested that the ratio ~/kB may play a decisive role in the foundation of a covariant statistical physics.
LNA design for a fully integrated CMOS single chip UMTS transceiver

This work presents the design of low noise amplifiers (LNA) for a single chip fully integrated dual mode FDD/TDD UMTS transceiver in standard 0. 25µm CMOS. Circuit designs for both first and second stage LNA for the Zero-IF transceiver are presented. To minimize crosstalk risks, a minimal area feedback topology without any coil was preferred at the cost of a higher power consumption. The first stage FDD mode design consumes 19.7mA from a 2.5V supply for a gain of 14dB in a 50Ω system. Noise figure (@50Ω) is 2.1dB, 1dB- compression point is -13dBm. The second stage FDD design operates at differential 200Ω input impedance and consumes 7.5mA from a 2.5V supply for a voltage gain of 14dB. Its Noise figure (@50Ω) is 3dB and compression point is -14dBm. Furthermore, all differential LNA's are gain switchable to -5dB.
A ‘frozen electric-field’ approach to simulate repetitively pulsed nanosecond plasma discharges and ignition of hydrogen–air mixtures

High-fidelity modelling of nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharges (NRPDs) is burdened by the multiple time and length scales and large chemistry mechanisms involved, which prohibit detailed analyses and parametric studies. In the present work, we propose a ‘frozen electric-field’ modelling approach to expedite the NRPD simulations without adverse effects on the solution accuracy. First, a burst of nanosecond voltage pulses is simulated self-consistently until the discharge reaches a stationary state. The calculated spatial distributions and temporal evolution of the electric field, electron density and electron energy during the last pulse are then stored in a library and the electrical characteristics of subsequent pulses are frozen at these values. This strategy allows the timestep for numerical integration to be increased by four orders of magnitude (from 10−13 to 10−9 s), thereby significantly improving the computational efficiency of the process. Reduced calculations of a burst of 50 discharge pulses show good agreement with the predictions from a complete plasma model (electrical characteristics calculated during each pulse). The error in species densities is less than 20% at the centre of the discharge volume and about 30% near the boundaries. The deviations in temperature, however, are much lower, at 5% in the entire domain. The model predictions are in excellent agreement with measured ignition delay times and temperatures in H2–air mixtures subject to dielectric barrier NRPD over a pressure range of 54–144 Torr with equivalence ratios of 0.7–1.2. The OH density increases with pressure and triggers low-temperature fuel oxidation, which leads to rapid temperature rise and ignition. The ignition delay decreases by a factor of 2, with an increase in pressure from 54 to 144 Torr. In contrast, an increase in the H2–air equivalence ratio from 0.7 to 1.2 marginally decreases the ignition delay by about 20%. This behaviour is attributed to the insensitivity of OH production rates to the variation in the equivalence ratio.
Translational Research: Toward Better Characterization of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines

Current U.S. policy on human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines is a dual-track policy. About 20 lines derived from the 70 derivations undertaken before August 9, 2001, are available (and in sufficient quantities) such that basic researchers can obtain them for research studies. Research projects using these lines are eligible for federal funding, and the bulk of research reports published have used these cell lines. Despite their overall similarity in selfrenewal, expression of markers, and ability to differentiate, certain differences among these lines have also been reported. These include differences in growth rates, ability to form rosettes, gene methylation patterns, karyotypic stability, polymorphisms, and changes associated with long-term propagation in culture. In the last few years, a host of additional hESC lines have been generated. These include cell lines derived at different stages of early embryonic development, lines derived using different methods of isolation, and lines derived from embryos carrying a known genetic defect or generated via somatic cell nuclear transfer. Although it is legal to work on these lines in the U.S., the infrastructure for large-scale characterization of stem cell lines developed over many years involving NIH and other federal support cannot currently be used to characterize these lines. Given the numbers of new hESC lines that continue to become available, the lower cost to obtain them (free for many derived post-August 9, 2001, vs. more than $5,000 for most lines that predate that time), and their diversity and other qualitative advantages, it is likely that many of the new cell lines will be studied, perhaps by different investigators.
Carcinoid metastases to the liver: role of triple-phase helical CT.

PURPOSE To evaluate triple-phase helical computed tomography (CT) of carcinoid liver metastases. MATERIALS AND METHODS Triple-phase helical CT was performed in 31 patients with proved carcinoid liver metastases. Hepatic arterial-dominant phase (HAP) and portal venous-dominant phase (PVP) images were obtained 20 and 70 seconds after intravenous iopamidol injection. Four independent readers reviewed each phase for lesion number, conspicuity, and attenuation relative to liver. Three readers reviewed each phase to determine which phase best showed the lesions. RESULTS The lesions detected by readers 1-4 were as follows: noncontrast phase, 164, 177, 204, and 229 lesions; HAP, 178, 177, 214, and 238 lesions; and PVP, 180, 189, 215, and 250 lesions (P > .05). On HAP images, readers found that 80, 73, 96, and 102 lesions were hyperattenuating. Consensus indicated there were 206 focal lesions. Of these 206 lesions, 72, 72, and 62 lesions were best seen on the noncontrast phase, HAP, and PVP images, respectively. Six, 28, and six lesions were seen only on the noncontrast phase, HAP, and PVP images, respectively. Two patients had lesions seen only on the HAP images. CONCLUSION The HAP and, to a lesser extent, the noncontrast phase provide added value in evaluating carcinoid liver metastasis.
Subjective Learning

We study an individual who faces a dynamic decision problem in which the process of information arrival is unobserved by the analyst. We derive a sequence of representations of preferences over menus of acts that capture the individuals uncertainty about his future beliefs. Using the most general representation, we characterize a notion of more preference for exibilityvia a subjective analogue of Blackwells (1951, 1953) comparisons of experiments. A more re ned representation allows us to compare individuals who expect to learn di¤erently, even if they do not agree on their prior beliefs. The class of information structures that can support such a representation generalizes the notion of a partition of the state space. We apply the model to study an individual who anticipates gradual resolution of uncertainty over time. Both the ltration (the timing of information arrival with the sequence of partitions it induces) and prior beliefs are uniquely identi ed. Key words: Resolution of uncertainty, second-order beliefs, preference for exibility, valuing binary bets more, generalized partition, subjective ltration.
An operational analysis of a continuous ball throwing and catching task.

An operational analysis was carried out on a continuous ball throwing and catching task during the course of ten practice sessions composed of five one-minute trials with one-minute interpolated rest intervals. Subjects were ten male students (18-21 years) with varying degrees of sophistication in ball games. Group analysis showed a decrease in the amount of time the ball was watched while it was in flight as sessions proceeded. This result was paralleled by an increase in the amount of time before the ball reached the hand that the eyes transferred from ball to target. Results for the amount of time the ball was held from session to session were shown to fit an exponential model. Attention is drawn both to overall variance and individual differences within the composite model. Suggestions are made for further developments.
Simultaneous human granulocytic ehrlichiosis and Lyme borreliosis.

Infection with the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis occurs in areas in which Borrelia burgdorferi and Babesia microti are endemic.1–4 The most likely vector of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis is the deer tick, Ixodes scapularis, which is also the vector of Lyme disease and babesiosis.3,4 Coinfection in humans with both the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis and B. burgdorferi can be anticipated because ixodes ticks infected with the two organisms have been identified in several locales.3–5 The diagnosis of simultaneous infection with B. burgdorferi and the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis is important because the natural history of .
Axonal modulation of myelin gene expression in the peripheral nerve

Myelin gene expre(P0, MBP, P2, and MAG) was investigated during Wallerian degeneration and in the presence or absence of subsequent axonal regeneration and remyelination. The steady state levels of mRNA and protein were assessed in the crushed or permanently transected rat sciatic nerve at 0, 1, 4, 7, 10, 12, 14, 21, and 35 days after injury. The mRNA and protein steady state levels of the myelin specific genes, P0 and the MBPs, decreased to low yet detectable levels during Wallerian degeneration and returned to normal levels with subsequent axonal regeneration. The steady state level of P2 protein also followed a similar pattern of expression. The steady state level of MAG mRNA decreased to unddectable levels by 4 days of injury in the permanently transected nerve. After crush injury, re‐expression of MAG to levels comparable to those of normal nerves preceded that of P2 by 2 days and that of P0 and the MBPs by 3 weeks during axonal regeneration and remyelination. These results support the proposed roles for MAG in the formation of initial Schwann cell‐axonal contact required for myelin assembly, for P2 in fatty acid transport during myelination, and for P0 and the MBPs in the maintenance of the integrity and compactness of the myelin sheath. In addition, these results indicate that the expression of the myelin specific genes, P0 and MBP, is constitutive and that the level of myelin specific mRNAs is modulated by axonal contact and myelin assembly.
Quality of argument, leadership votes, and eye contact in three-person leaderless groups.

Summary Thirty female Ss and one female confederate enrolled in introductory psychology courses participated in the experiment. Each discussion group consisted of two naive Ss and the confederate. The effect of quality of argument on eye contact and the relationship between leadership votes and eye contact were studied. It was found that (a) when the confederate gave high quality arguments she received more eye contact and more leadership votes from naive group members (t = 3.69, p < .01, t = 5.36, p < .01, respectively); (b) when ranked on a leadership questionnaire, the confederate was ranked significantly higher in the high quality condition than in the low quality condition (X 2 = 41.00, p < .001); (c) the correlation between eye contact and leadership votes across quality conditions was r = . 69, p < . 01.
Activation of the Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/Protein Kinase Akt Pathway Mediates Nitric Oxide-Induced Endothelial Cell Migration and Angiogenesis

ABSTRACT To test the hypothesis that the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3 kinase)/protein kinase Akt signaling pathway is involved in nitric oxide (NO)-induced endothelial cell migration and angiogenesis, we treated human and bovine endothelial cells with NO donors, S-nitroso-l-glutathione (GSNO) and S-nitroso-N-penicillamine (SNAP). Both GSNO and SNAP increased Akt phosphorylation and activity, which were blocked by cotreatment with the PI3 kinase inhibitor wortmannin. The mechanism was due to the activation of soluble guanylyl cyclase because 8-bromo-cyclic GMP activated PI3 kinase and the soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-α]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) blocked NO-induced PI3 kinase activity. Indeed, transfection with adenovirus containing endothelial cell NO synthase (eNOS) or protein kinase G (PKG) increased endothelial cell migration, which was inhibited by cotransfection with a dominant-negative mutant of PI3 kinase (dnPI3 kinase). In a rat model of hind limb ischemia, adenovirus-mediated delivery of human eNOS cDNA in adductor muscles resulted in time-dependent expression of recombinant eNOS, which was accompanied by significant increases in regional blood perfusion and capillary density. Coinjection of adenovirus carrying dnPI3 kinase abolished neovascularization in ischemic hind limb induced by eNOS gene transfer. These findings indicate that NO promotes endothelial cell migration and neovascularization via cGMP-dependent activation of PI3 kinase and suggest that this pathway is important in mediating NO-induced angiogenesis.
Transcatheter closure of the left atrial appendage: A focused update on the Watchman closure device

Atrial fibrillation (AF) affects approximately 1.5% of the population in the developed world [1], with a lifetime risk of 25% and an incremental rise in incidence with age [2]. It is a major cause of ischemic stroke, accounting for more than 30% of strokes in patients over the age of 80 [3]. Strokes attributed to AF are often more severe and with a greater risk of permanent disability or death [4]. Warfarin mitigates this risk by 60 to 70% [5], however, it has multiple limitations: a narrow therapeutic window, bleeding risk, pharmacokinetic variability, and poor adherence. Due to these limitations, warfarin utilization decreases with advancing age and higher CHADS2 scores [3,6,7]. Although direct oral anticoagulants mitigate some of these risks, they are still associated with an increased risk of bleeding, a high discontinuation rate (20–30%), and a high cost that may be prohibitive for some patients [8–11]. Left atrial appendage (LAA) closure has garnered much attention as an alternative to anticoagulation therapy in patients who are not candidates for long-term anticoagulation.
Rheology and microstructure of (Ca0.9,Sr0.1)TiO3 perovskite deformed in compression and torsion

[1] Polycrystalline samples of (Ca0.9,Sr0.1)TiO3 were synthesized from high-purity oxides yielding samples with <1% porosity and grain sizes between 10 and 100 μm. These samples were used to study the rheological properties of the tetragonal and cubic phases of (Ca,Sr)TiO3. Data from compression experiments performed over a temperature range spanning the tetragonal to cubic phase transition show a change from a power law rheology at high stresses and large grain sizes to a linear-viscous rheology at low stresses and small grain sizes. The best fit flow law is = 100. 6σ5. 3 exp(−521 kJ mol−1/RT) + 108.4 (σ/z1.4)exp(−627 kJ mol−1/RT), where z (m) is the grain size parameter which includes the median grain size and the standard deviation of the grain size distribution and σ is in MPa. Microstructures from of both torsion and compression experiments point to grain boundary and cooperative grain boundary sliding accommodating ∼80% of the sample strain in both the power law and linear viscous fields. Misorientation axes align parallel to the kinematic axis of the imposed deformation in both compression and torsion tests. The crystallographic preferred orientations (CPO) are weak for both torsion and compression experiments but point to 〈100〉pc as the dominant Burger's vectors. We propose that our samples deform by grain boundary sliding accommodated by diffusion at low stresses and small grain sizes and grain boundary sliding accommodated by dislocation creep at high stresses and large grain sizes. Such deformation mechanisms will not lead to a significant CPO and hence would not create a substantial seismic anisotropy. Under the conditions investigated, little change in rheological behavior was observed across the tetragonal to cubic phase transformation of perovskite.
Cloud transitions and decoupling in shear‐free stratocumulus‐topped boundary layers

Large‐eddy simulations of shear‐free stratocumulus‐topped layers tend strongly toward a two‐layer structure as the negative area in the buoyancy flux profile that would be necessary to maintain a mixed layer increases to more than 10% of the positive area. In addition to identifying a threshold for what amounts to a convective transition, the simulations provide further evidence that a commonly used entrainment closure is ill‐founded. Lastly the simulations demonstrate that attempts to formulate a similarity theory for convective layers must account for the geometry of the buoyancy‐flux profile, and not simply its integral.
A peptide motif that recognizes A.T tracts in DNA.

The DAT1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes a DNA binding protein that specifically interacts with nonalternating oligo(A). oligo(T) tracts (A.T tracts). Deletion analysis of DAT1 coding information showed that the amino-terminal 36 residues are sufficient for specific DNA binding activity. Furthermore, a 35-residue synthetic peptide corresponding to amino acids 2-36 bound to A.T tracts with an equilibrium dissociation constant of 4 x 10(-10) M. Within this region the pentad Gly-Arg-Lys-Pro-Gly is repeated three times. Mutational analysis revealed that the Arg side chains are required for high-affinity binding, whereas the other pentad side chains are dispensable. Chemical interference experiments showed that the DAT1 protein interacts with the minor groove of the double helix. The data suggest that the pentad arginines interact in a cooperative manner with a repeated minor groove feature of A.T tract DNA to achieve high-affinity recognition. Amino acid similarities with other DNA binding proteins suggest that the DAT1 protein pentad represents a specialized example of a widespread motif used by proteins to recognize A.T base pairs.
Interplasmidic recombination following irradiation of the radioresistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans

Deinococcus radiodurans R1 and other members of the eubacterial family Deinococcaceae are extremely resistant to ionizing radiation and many other agents that damage DNA. For example, after irradiation, D. radiodurans can repair > 100 DNA double-strand breaks per chromosome without lethality or mutagenesis, while most other organisms can survive no more than 2 or 3 double-strand breaks. The unusual resistance of D. radiodurans is recA dependent, but the repair pathway(s) is not understood. Recently, we described how a plasmid present in D. radiodurans (plasmid copy number, approximately 6 per cell; chromosome copy number, approximately 4 per cell) during high-dose irradiation undergoes extreme damage like the chromosome and is retained by the cell without selection and fully repaired with the same efficiency as the chromosome. In the current work, we have investigated the repair of two similar plasmids within the same cell. These two plasmids were designed to provide both restriction fragment polymorphisms and a drug selection indicator of recombination. This study presents a novel system of analysis of in vivo damage and recombinational repair, exploiting the unique ability of D. radiodurans to survive extraordinarily high levels of DNA damage. We report that homologous recombination among plasmids following irradiation is extensive. For example, 2% of Tcs plasmids become Tcr as a result of productive recombination within a 929-bp region of the plasmids after repair. Our results suggest that each plasmid may participate in as many as 6.7 recombinational events during repair, a value that extrapolates to > 700 events per chromosome undergoing repair simultaneously. These results indicate that the study of plasmid recombination within D. radiodurans may serve as an accurate model system for simultaneously occurring repair in the chromosome.