Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Palmoplantar keratoses and Bowen's disease in a Vietnam veteran: Could Agent Blue be implicated?

Agent Blue was an arsenical herbicide used extensively in the Vietnam War. Arsenic is one of the known causes of acquired palmoplantar keratoderma (PPK). The most common manifestation of arsenic exposure in susceptible individuals is bilateral palmoplantar hyperkeratosis. We report a 67‐year‐old man with no known prior exposure to arsenic in the USA or family history of PPK who developed multiple squamous cell carcinoma in situ (SCCIS) and palmoplantar hyperkeratotic lesions beginning 23 years after service in Vietnam. The SCCIS were located on the trunk and extremities in both sun‐exposed and non‐sun‐exposed sites and his palmoplantar lesions were diagnosed concurrently with his SCCIS. He has continued to develop SCCIS since his first visit to our clinic 25 years ago.
The impact of obesity-related SNP on appetite and energy intake

An increasing number of studies have reported a heritable component for the regulation of energy intake and eating behaviour, although the individual polymorphisms and their ‘effect size’ are not fully elucidated. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between specific SNP and appetite responses and energy intake in overweight men. In a randomised cross-over trial, forty overweight men (age 32 (sd 09) years; BMI 27 (sd 2) kg/m2) attended four sessions 1 week apart and received three isoenergetic and isovolumetric servings of dairy snacks or water (control) in random order. Appetite ratings were determined using visual analogue scales and energy intake at an ad libitum lunch was assessed 90 min after the dairy snacks. Individuals were genotyped for SNP in the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO), leptin (LEP), leptin receptor (LEPR) genes and a variant near the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) locus. The postprandial fullness rating over the full experiment following intake of the different snacks was 17·2 % (P= 0·026) lower in A carriers compared with TT homozygotes for rs9939609 (FTO, dominant) and 18·6 % (P= 0·020) lower in G carriers compared with AA homozygotes for rs7799039 (LEP, dominant). These observations indicate that FTO and LEP polymorphisms are related to the variation in the feeling of fullness and may play a role in the regulation of food intake. Further studies are required to confirm these initial observations and investigate the ‘penetrance’ of these genotypes in additional population subgroups.
Embroidered Wearable Multiresonant Folded Dipole Antenna for FM Reception

A wearable textile antenna with multiple resonance frequencies is proposed for the reception of FM signals using conductive embroidery of metal composite embroidery yarn (MCEY) on a polyester woven substrate. This embroidered FM antenna comprises five individual folded dipoles connected in parallel so that the bandwidth can be broadened via multiple resonances. The MCEY embroidered multiresonant folded dipole (MRFD) antenna is attached to a jacket, stretched from the left forearm, over the shoulder, and to the right forearm. The proposed antenna provides a wide operating band of 80.5 MHz to over 130 MHz at 5 dB return loss regardless of the arm movements, satisfying the FM broadcast band (87.5-108 MHz). The gain of this body-worn antenna is in the range of - 7.08 to - 15.79 dBd in the FM broadcast band regardless of the arm movements.
Intradural Lumbar Disc Herniation Associated with Degenerative Spine Disease

The first case of lumbar intradural disc herniation was reported as early as 1942; since then more than 150 cases have been reported, mostly in the lumbar spine. Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance image (MRI) is considered the “gold standard” for diagnosing this entity, although it is rarely performed routinely in lumbar disc disease and diagnosis is often made intra-operatively and in retrospect in regard to the imaging. A 63-year-old Italian man presented to the emergency department complaining of lower back pain, difficulty in walking, and in urination, with bilateral leg pain. On examination, he showed uneven gait, pain in the right thigh and leg with intact sphincter function. A magnetic resonance image of the lumbar spine showed a large mediolateral herniated disc at L3-L4, also the patient had a stenosis at the thoracic level at T11-T12 and T12-L1. The plan was to do an MRI with Gado however the patient went into retention and so was operated before the MRI with Gado. Results: Intraoperatively the pathology was first identified as a big cyst like structure, that as thought to be a synovial cyst, and then once it was opened it turned out to be an intradural extension of a herniated disc. Decompression was also done at the thoracic level and finally instrumentation was done from T10 to S1. Conclusion: Intradural lumbar disc herniations are a rare entity, most of the time the diagnosis is not made pre operatively, however once it is diagnosed intra-operatively, careful removal of the herniated material should be done to avoid damaging the rootlets, sometimes u have double pathologies that need to be addressed like in this patient where he had both lumbar and thoracic stenoses.
Executive Functions are not Affected by 24 Hours of Sleep Deprivation: A Color-Word Stroop Task Study

Background: Sleep is an important factor affecting cognitive performance. Sleep deprivation results in fatigue, lack of concentration, confusion and sleepiness along with anxiety, depression and irritability. Sleep deprivation can have serious consequences in professions like armed forces and medicine where quick decisions and actions need to be taken. Color-Word Stroop task is one of the reliable tests to assess attention and it analyzes the processing of information in two dimensions i.e., reading of words and naming of colour. The evidence regarding the effect of sleep deprivation on Stroop interference is conflicting. The present study evaluated the effect of 24 hours of sleep deprivation on reaction time and interference in Stroop task. Materials and Methods: The present study was done on 30 healthy male medical student volunteers in the age group of 18-25 years after taking their consent and clearance from Institute Ethics Committee. Recordings of Stroop task were at three times: baseline (between 7-9 am), after 12 hours (7-9 pm) and after 24 hours (7-9 am, next day). The subjects were allowed to perform normal daily activities. Results: The study revealed a significant increase in reaction time after 24 hours of sleep deprivation in comparison to baseline and after 12 hours of sleep deprivation. There was no significant change in interference and facilitation after sleep deprivation in comparison to baseline. The number of errors also did not show any significant change after sleep deprivation. Conclusion: The study indicated that there was slowing of responses without change in executive functions after 24 hours of sleep deprivation. It is probable that 24 hours of sleep deprivation does not bring about change in areas of brain affecting executive functions in healthy individuals who have normal sleep cycle. The present study indicated that in professions like armed forces and medicine working 24 hours at a stretch can lead to decrease in motor responses without affecting information processing and judgment ability.
Computational studies of silicon interfaces and amorphous silica

Computational simulations are a new branch of science where one can perform computational experiments by simulating a model system. The model contains an approximation of a real system with simplified physical laws and reduced size in order to make it computationally tractable. Many physical systems cannot be analytically solved and also experimentally not everything can be measured. Computational simulations fill the gaps and allow new kinds of problems to be addressed. Two main issues are studied in this thesis with computational simulations. The first issue concerns interfaces in silicon and is studied with deterministic molecular dynamics simulations. The second issue concerns the amorphous state of silicon and silica created with a stochastic algorithm. As for the first issue the first study is a preliminary investigation of the heat conductivity over an amorphous-crystalline interface in silicon. Second, we present a methodology for calculating the life-time of large amorphous clusters embedded in a crystalline matrix by simulating much smaller clusters. We employ this methodology to study amorphous silicon clusters and find that the activation energy of the boundary movement is temperature dependent with a change in behavior at 1150 K. The last problem concerns the structure of twist grain boundaries at 0 K. We present detailed simulations where we explore many possible grain boundary structures by allowing the number of atoms at the interface to change. This is a degree of freedom that has not been previously considered in computational studies and proved to be of utmost importance. We find that the twist grain boundaries have ordered structures at 0 K for atomic densities at the interface not previously considered. We also find that the structural unit model is valid for twist grain boundaries and present the structural units forming the boundary. The second issue concerns the amorphous state of silicon and silica. With a stochastic Monte Carlo simulation method that operates on the bond network of silicon and silica, we have created both amorphous silicon and silica. We find that we can improve the structural description of amorhous silica by adjusting the potential model. In addition, we developed optimizations for the simulation method which made it tractable for larger systems.
Análisis de las vocalizaciones tempranas : su patrón evolutivo y su función determinante en la emergencia de la palabra

La presente Tesis se inscribe en el campo de la investigacion psicolinguistica evolutiva sobre la adquisicion temprana del lenguaje. Su objetivo ha sido contribuir a la explicacion del proceso de la emergencia de la palabra, a traves del analisis exhaustivo y multidimensional de las vocalizaciones tempranas de un sujeto, seguido longitudinalmente con registros semanales, a partir de los 7 hasta los 18 meses (n=1993). Despues de presentar una revision de las investigaciones relacionadas con el desarrollo comunicativo temprano (Capitulo II), se presentan nuestras propias hipotesis (Capitulo III) definidas desde el Modelo constructivista-emergentista (Capitulo I) segun el cual la adquisicion de la palabra es un producto emergente, resultado de un proceso complejo, continuo y no-lineal de aprendizaje: el sistema-que-aprende es capaz de generar estructuras especificamente linguistica (las palabras) a partir de formas aun no-linguisticas (las vocalizaciones). Dada la falta de instrumentos especificos para el estudio de dichas vocalizaciones, un objetivo principal de este trabajo ha sido la creacion de un nuevo sistema de transcripcion y codificacion (Capitulo IV), capaz de describir simultaneamente tanto la funcion pragmatica, como cada uno de los componentes formales de las vocalizaciones [Contenido Articulatorio, Numero de segmentos articulatorios, Duracion relativa, Numero de suprasegmentos (niveles tonales), Tonemas (junturas terminales) y Ritmo]. A partir de los resultados obtenidos (Capitulo V) apreciamos que el proceso de adquisicion de la palabra consiste en muchos procesos de aprendizaje paralelos y hasta cierto punto independientes que, en un momento dado del desarrollo, confluyen para producir la emergencia de una estructura de un nivel de complejidad superior: la palabra. Como se explica en el capitulo de Discusion y Conclusiones (Capitulo VI) todos los resultados obtenidos implican un proceso de aprendizaje lento y continuo, que se pude explicar por el principio de auto-organizacion, desde una perspectiva constructivista-emergentista
Retinitis pigmentosa, external ophthalmophegia, and complete heart block: unusual syndrome with histologic study in one of two cases.

Pigmentary degeneration of the retina (retinitis pigmentosa) may appear as an isolated finding unassociated with other systemic abnormalities. Often, however, the patient may present other abnormalities, a number of which occur frequently enough in association with retinitis pigmentosa to be recognized as a syndrome. The Lawrence-Moon-Biedl syndrome, consisting of pigmentary degeneration of the retina, obesity, mental retardation, hypogenitalism, and polydactyly, is such an example. There also may be other less common abnormalities, such as deafness, convulsions, ophthalmoplegia, cerebellar ataxia, and progeria (premature aging) associated with retinitis pigmentosa. External ophthalmoplegia is one of the uncommoner abnormalities found associated with pigmentary degeneration of the retina. Barnard and Scholz1reported four cases of this association and concluded that the association was more than just coincidental. Walsh2agreed with them and stated that the association is not just fortuitous but rather represents a syndrome. He listed five cases that he had observed,
Role of Nitric Oxide and Reactive Oxygen Species in Platelet-Activating Factor-Induced Microvascular Leakage

Platelet-activating factor (PAF), released during inflammatory responses, increases microvascular permeability to fluid and macromolecules. Previous studies in the hamster cheek pouch microcirculation have shown that PAF-induced increases in permeability can be diminished by pretreatment with a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor indicating that nitric oxide is required for PAF to cause leakage, although nitric oxide itself does not cause leakage. We evaluated the hypothesis that PAF stimulates the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that then react with nitric oxide to form a new species that signals the increase in vascular permeability. The hamster cheek pouch microcirculation was used to quantify the leakage of FITC-dextran following topical application of PAF. PAF-induced leakage was markedly inhibited (70%) by prior superfusion of the cheek pouch with superoxide dismutase and catalase. Superfusing the cheek pouch with ROS generated by xanthine oxidase and hypoxanthine produced leakage similar to that observed with PAF. Pretreating the cheek pouch with a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor (Nω-nitro-L-arginine, L-NA) inhibited ROS-induced leakage by 59% and PAF-induced leakage by 64%. The effects of L-NA and superoxide dismutase plus catalase on PAF-induced leakage were not additive. Systemic administration of mercaptoethylguanidine, a peroxynitrite scavenger, inhibited PAF-induced leakage by 60%. These results suggest that PAF-induced leakage may be mediated by an interaction between ROS and NO, perhaps through the formation of peroxynitrite or one of its products.
A Further Comparison of Pathologies after Thoracic Irradiation among Different Mouse Strains: Finding the Best Preclinical Model for Evaluating Therapies Directed Against Radiation-Induced Lung Damage

The human lung is among the most sensitive and critical tissues of concern in localized and systemic radiation exposures, and it is a subject of active preclinical research for evaluating mitigating therapies within the radiation countermeasures program. Our previous study comparing C57BL/6, CBA and C57L mice after whole-thorax irradiation pointed to the problems of late pleural effusions that prevented the full development of lung injury in C57BL/6 mice and suggested that the CBA and C57L strains are more favorable for modeling lung injury in humans (Jackson et al., Radiat. Res. 173, 10–20, 2010). We extended these comparisons to include three other mouse strains (BALB/c, C57BR/J and A/J mice) irradiated with 10, 12.5 or 15 Gy. Most of these mice were unable to survive the first 6 months and presented with a mixture of lung injury and pleural effusions as determined from gross pathology, histology and micro-CT. The independent and varying development of compressive pleural effusions of ill-defined etiology represents a concern for these strains in that they may not satisfy the preclinical requirements for approval of medical countermeasures (e.g. radiation mitigators) for human use. Thus, among the various different mouse strains studied so far for these pathologies, only three (CBA, C3H and C57L) appear to be desirable in exhibiting an early wave of pulmonary dysfunction attributed exclusively to radiation pneumonitis and for further assessment of radioprotective and mitigating therapies. C57L mice are particularly relevant in that they show significant lung damage at lower radiation doses that are closer to what is predicted for humans.
ADAPTAÇÃO COMENTADA DE UNIDADE DIDÁTICA AO CONTEXTO LOCAL: LEARNING EXPERIENCES

O objetivo do presente trabalho e apresentar e discutir o processo de elaboracao de uma unidade didatica para a 3a serie do Ensino Medio a partir da adaptacao do livro didatico ao contexto local da turma e da escola. Para tanto, articula-se uma reflexao sobre as orientacoes curriculares para o Ensino Medio brasileiro e os papeis do livro didatico nesse processo, atribuindo-se a ele uma funcao mediadora advinda de uma perspectiva sociocultural de educacao, ensino e aprendizagem. A discussao aponta para a necessidade de edicao, adaptacao e autoria docente na preparacao de unidades didaticas e para seu aspecto de inacabamento, visto que a elaboracao de materiais didaticos marca o ponto de partida do fazer docente, nao sua conclusao. Este obra esta licenciado com uma Licenca Creative Commons Atribuicao-NaoComercial 4.0 Internacional .
Bioscaffolds impregnated with Ormocarpum cochinchinense mediated Ag nanoparticles

Bioscaffolds have been one of the greatest advancements in the field of biomedical engineering. It serves as a boon in the healing of bones. To enhance the process and reduce the time of healing of an injured bone, an attempt to impregnate green synthesized silver nanoparticles was done. These Ag nanoparticles were synthesized from Ormocarpum cochinchinense which is a plant traditionally used in bone fixing. The particles synthesized were approximately 88 nm and the organic group responsible for the reduction was found to be alcohol. Varying concentrations of the nanoparticle in the bioscaffold suspension were experimented in the prepared freeze dried scaffold and optimized. The bioscaffolds can be put to use in clinical trials after various analyzes which includes its strength, compressibility and cytotoxicity.
Evaluation of a culturally adapted German version of the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC 5A) questionnaire in a sample of osteoarthritis patients.

OBJECTIVE The chronic care model and the 5A approach have achieved widespread acceptance and reflect the core elements of patient-centred care in chronic diseases, including arthritis. Appropriate assessment tools are indispensable to assess whether provided care is in alignment with these evidence-based conceptual frameworks of care. The aim of this study was to examine the validity of a translated and culturally adapted version of the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC 5A) questionnaire among osteoarthritis (OA) patients. METHODS Of 300 administered questionnaires, 236 (78.6%) were returned. Established statistical approaches were used in order to assess psychometric properties. Test-retest reliability was tested in 75 randomly selected patients who received the questionnaire a second time after 2 weeks. The EUROPEP questionnaire was used in order to address external validity. RESULTS Scale internal consistency was confirmed with values ranging from 0.52 to 0.97 for Pearson's r. Internal consistency reliability was satisfying: Cronbach's alpha was 0.78 or higher for all scales. Test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient) exceeded 0.77. Correlations with the EUROPEP, which is not organized according to a conceptual approach to care, were only strong in corresponding scales. CONCLUSIONS The PACIC 5A is a reliable and valid instrument to assess the congruency of care to the chronic care model of OA patients. Its use is encouraged in quality improvement projects but also in further research.
Formation control for nonlinear multi-agent systems with linear extended state observer

This paper investigates the formation control problem for nonlinear multi-agent systems with a virtual leader. A distributed formation control strategy based on linear extended state observer (LESO) is proposed under the hypothesis that velocity of the agent's neighbors could not be measured. Some sufficient conditions are established to ensure that the nonlinear multi-agent systems form a predefined formation with switching topology when the nonlinear function is known. Moreover, the tracking errors are bounded with external disturbance. Lastly, a numerical example with different scenarios is presented to demonstrate the validity of the obtained results.
Treatment of survivors after the tsunami.

To the Editor: The tsunami that struck the Asian subcontinent and Africa on December 26, 2004, caused the deaths of more than 200,000 people. In Thailand more than 10,000 people were treated in ambulatory health centers. After a tsunami, the effects on people occur in three phases. The injuries that are incompatible with life (e.g., severe cardiovascular events, head injury, and blunt injury) happen in the first minutes; then, over the following hours, complications such as massive hemorrhage, hemopneumothorax, and pulmonary embolism are seen. These are followed, in turn, by the late complications, including infectious diseases that develop over days .
La entrada léxica de los verbos de movimiento: los contenidos sintácticamente relevantes

El presente trabajo argumenta a favor de la gramaticalidad en espanol de combinaciones formadas por un verbo de manera de moverse del tipo de caminar acompanado de un complemento de trayectoria referido al origen o al destino del desplazamiento. El objetivo es, pues, examinar y explicar tales construcciones en terminos del Lexicon Generativo (dentro del marco teorico de Pustejovsky 1995); es decir, en terminos sub-lexicos. Esto es, parece que la legitimacion e interpretacion de tales construcciones estan determinadas por la Estructura de Qualia de esas palabras. La informacion sub-lexica codificada, en parte, en la Estructura de Qualia de los verbos y sus complementos interactua dentro del lexico con la Estructura Eventiva del verbo, generando ciertas modificaciones aspectuales que determinan su comportamiento sintactico.
H-bridge buck-boost converter with dual feedforward control

This paper presents a new control method for H-bridge buck-boost converter regulated by single voltage feedback and dual feedforward controls. This converter has two pairs of the switch, one acts as a synchronous buck and another as a synchronous boost operations, and therefore is suited for battery powered applications to provide an output voltage that is below or above the input voltage. In order to realize good transient performance not only with high conversion efficiency but also with seamless circuitry transitions between the buck and buck-boost regions of operation, it is proposed that the voltage feedback is only applied to the buck section and the input voltage and the road current feedforward signals are applied to the boost section. As a result, excellent transient performances for the step load change are obtained without spoiling the efficiency for wide range of the input voltage.