Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Added value of breathhold diffusion‐weighted MRI in detection of small hepatocellular carcinoma lesions compared with dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI alone using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis

To evaluate the added value of single‐breathhold diffusion‐weighted MRI (DWI) in detection of small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lesions (≤2 cm) in patients with chronic liver disease, by comparing the detection sensitivity of combined DWI/conventional dynamic contrast‐enhanced (DCE)‐MRI to that of conventional DCE‐MRI alone.
Search for an HTLV‐I‐like retrovirus in patients with MS by enzymatic DNA amplification

A retroviral etiology to MS has been sought for some time, so far reports of retroviral presence have not been confirmed by other groups. DNA was isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 67 patients with MS and brain capillaries from six patients with MS. Enzymatic amplification by the polymerase chain reaction was conducted with ten primersets homologous to highly conserved HTLV‐I/HTLV‐II genetic sequences at stringent and non‐stringent annealing conditions. No HTLV I/II related DNA fragments were seen judging from hybridization to an HTLV‐I probe, even at relaxed conditions. The present study does not support a role for a HTLV‐I‐like virus in MS.
A Decision Rule for Evaluating Several Independent Clinical Trials Collectively

Abstract Usually, in applying for market approval of a new drug, more than one similarly designed clinical trial is conducted to support efficacy claims. How to evaluate these trials collectively and assess the overall type I error of a decision rule can be a challenging statistical issue. In this paper, we propose a decision rule to collectively evaluate p-values from several similarly designed and independently conducted trials. A concept of overall hypotheses, which is essentially union or intersection combinations of individual trials’ hypotheses, is used so that the overall type I error can be controlled at desired levels. We also discuss some important properties of the approach, including the selection of the overall type I error rates and power. Examples are presented.
Synchronous with Your Feelings: Sensorimotor γ Band and Empathy for Pain

Neuroscience studies on the social sharing of observed or imagined pain focused on whether empathic pain resonance is linked to affective or sensory nodes of the pain matrix. However, empathy, like other complex cognitive processes, is inherently linked to the activation of functional networks rather than of separate brain areas. Here, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to explore the relationship between empathy and functional coupling of neuronal activity in primary somatosensory (SI) and motor (MI) cortices. MEG recording was performed while healthy participants observed movie-clips depicting the static hand of a stranger model, the same hand deeply penetrated by a needle, or gently touched by a Q-tip. Subjects were asked to rate the movie-derived sensations attributed to self or to the model. For each type of clip observation, we analyzed spectral power and coherence values in α, β, and γ frequency bands. While spectral power indexes separate neural activity in SI and MI, coherence values index functional cross-talk between these two areas. No power changes of SI or MI sources were induced by observation conditions in any of the frequency bands. Crucially, γ-band coherence values were significantly higher during needle-in-hand than touch and static hand observation and correlated with self-and other-referred pain ratings derived from needle-in-hand movies observation. Thus, observation of others' pain increases neuronal synchronization and cross-talk between the onlookers' sensory and motor cortices, indicating that empathic resonance relies upon the activity of functional networks more than of single areas.
Solute recirculation

The compartmental model of Larsen et al. (2000, 2002) for solute-coupled water transport across toad intestine simulates a leaky epithelium involved in isotonic fluid absorption, allowing the osmolality of the transported fluid to either be fixed at isotonic or to vary depending on parameter selection. When the measured toad intestine water and solute permeabilities and active transport rates are incorporated into the model, a markedly hypertonic absorbate is predicted to exit from the lateral intercellular spaces. Most previous compartmental models of isotonic fluid absorption encountered the hypertonic absorbate problem and solved it either by increasing the water flux into the lateral intercellular spaces or by decreasing the solute diffusion coefficient within those spaces. In the present model, even when the water flux is increased by postulating that 75 % of the water flows across a highly water-permeable tight junction, formation of a hypertonic absorbate is predicted unless solute efflux is greatly retarded. The solution proposed by Larsen et al. (2000, 2002) is that 60–80 % of the solute that has been actively transported out of the cell re-enters it in a reversed flow across the basal membrane. This phenomenon has been denoted ‘solute recirculation’ and was first suggested by Ussing & Nedergaard (1993) as a way of explaining the non-unity caesium flux ratios in the toad intestine. The concept underwent further refinement and development in their investigations of toad intestine (Nedergaard et al. 1999) and the exocrine glands of frog skin (Ussing et al. 1996).
A Lyapunov controller for self-balancing two-wheeled vehicles

SUMMARY Segway is a self-balancing motorized two-wheeled vehicle which is able to carry the human body. The main issue in design of such a vehicle is to choose a stable control system capable of keeping the rider close to the upright position over smooth and non-smooth surfaces. This work extends the research previously performed by the authors for design of a controller, using the feedback linearization technique, to increase the stability of a two-wheeled vehicle carrying human. This paper investigates the design and validation of a controller for an inertial mobile vehicle using the Lyapunov's feedback control design technique. The system equations of motion are derived followed by finding the Lyapunov function required to design the controller. Owing to the discontinuity, originating from a sign function in the control law, the proposed control system is discontinuous. Therefore, the existence, continuity, and uniqueness of the solution are proven utilizing the Filippov's solution. Afterwards, the asymptotic stability of the control system is proven using the extensions of Lyapunov's stability theory to nonsmooth systems, and LaSalle's invariant set theorem. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed control system is validated using simulation studies. Results confirm that the controller keeps the system stable while provides good position tracking responses.
Shared and Unique Functions of the DExD/H-Box Helicases RIG-I, MDA5, and LGP2 in Antiviral Innate Immunity1

The cellular protein retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) senses intracellular viral infection and triggers a signal for innate antiviral responses including the production of type I IFN. RIG-I contains a domain that belongs to a DExD/H-box helicase family and exhibits an N-terminal caspase recruitment domain (CARD) homology. There are three genes encoding RIG-I-related proteins in human and mouse genomes. Melanoma differentiation associated gene 5 (MDA5), which consists of CARD and a helicase domain, functions as a positive regulator, similarly to RIG-I. Both proteins sense viral RNA with a helicase domain and transmit a signal downstream by CARD; thus, these proteins share overlapping functions. Another protein, LGP2, lacks the CARD homology and functions as a negative regulator by interfering with the recognition of viral RNA by RIG-I and MDA5. The nonstructural protein 3/4A protein of hepatitis C virus blocks the signaling by RIG-I and MDA5; however, the V protein of the Sendai virus selectively abrogates the MDA5 function. These results highlight ingenious mechanisms for initiating antiviral innate immune responses and the action of virus-encoded inhibitors.
Nonlinear and Damage Properties of BJT Injected With Microwave Pulses

The nonlinear and damage properties of silicon bipolar junction transistors (Si BJTs) injected with microwave pulses (MWPs) from base are studied in this paper. The experimental results of this injection research show that the feature of the output power of the Si BJT is from linear increase, saturation, reduction to increase again as the input power increases; the feature of the measured output voltage waveform is from linear increase, saturation, reduction to reversion and increase again as the input power increases. Permanent damage occurs to the BJT when the input power is high enough. The 3-D simulation model is established with Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) to further analyze the nonlinear and damage properties of the Si BJT injected with MWPs. The simulation results match with the experimental results.
Spc110p: assembly properties and role in the connection of nuclear microtubules to the yeast spindle pole body.

Spc110p is an essential component of the budding yeast spindle pole body (SPB). It binds calmodulin and contains a long central coiled‐coil rod which acts as a spacer element between the central plaque of the SPB and the ends of the nuclear or spindle microtubules. This suggests that the essential function of Spc110p is to connect the nuclear microtubules to the SPB. To confirm this, we examined the phenotype of ts alleles of SPC110, one of which contains a mutation in the calmodulin binding site and was suppressed by overexpression of calmodulin. The alleles fail to form a functional mitotic spindle because spindle microtubules are not properly connected to the SPB. We also examined the phenotype of the toxic overexpression of either the wild‐type or a truncated version of Spc110p containing a deletion of most of the coiled‐coil domain. Both of these proteins form large ordered spheroidal polymers in the nucleus. The polymerization of the truncated Spc110p appears to be initiated inside the SPB from the position where Spc110p is normally located, and as the polymer grows in size it severs the connection between the nuclear microtubules and the SPB. The polymers were purified and are composed of Spc110p and calmodulin. A model for the structure of the polymer is proposed.
Motivational effects on inhibitory control in children with ADHD.

OBJECTIVE The problems children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) encounter in tasks measuring inhibitory control are often theoretically related to deficits in cognitive processes. This study investigated the effects of different motivational incentives on the ability of children to inhibit intended or ongoing actions. METHOD In a large German industrial town, 33 children with ADHD were compared with 33 members of a combined group of children with major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, oppositional defiant disorder, or conduct disorder, and 33 children without any psychiatric disorder with respect to their performances in a stop-signal task. The children received continuous feedback under high- or low-incentive conditions. The children's performance was compared in terms of qualitative (inhibition rate) and quantitative (reaction time) measures. RESULTS There were no indications of deficits in sustained attention in children with ADHD. Under conditions of low incentives, children with ADHD were less able to inhibit their reactions and had longer stop-signal reaction times. But when given high incentives, children with ADHD performed the task as well as both other groups. CONCLUSIONS Supposed deficits in children with ADHD should be regarded from a perspective that differentiates performance from ability. Furthermore, the findings support a motivational explanation of the origins of lowered inhibitory control in children with ADHD.
Inhibition of the P2X7–PANX1 complex suppresses spreading depolarization and neuroinflammation

Spreading depolarization is a wave of neuronal and glial depolarization. Within minutes after spreading depolarization, the neuronal hemichannel pannexin 1 (PANX1) opens and forms a pore complex with the ligand-gated cation channel P2X7, allowing the release of excitatory neurotransmitters to sustain spreading depolarization and activate neuroinflammation. Here, we explore the hypothesis that the P2X7-PANX1 pore complex is a critical determinant of spreading depolarization susceptibility with important consequences for neuroinflammation and trigeminovascular activation. We found that genetic loss of function or ablation of the P2x7 gene inhibits spreading depolarization. Moreover, pharmacological suppression of the P2X7-PANX1 pore complex inhibits spreading depolarization in mice carrying the human familial hemiplegic migraine type 1 R192Q missense mutation as well as in wild-type mice and rats. Pore inhibitors elevate the electrical threshold for spreading depolarization, and reduce spreading depolarization frequency and amplitude. Pore inhibitors also suppress downstream consequences of spreading depolarization such as upregulation of interleukin-1 beta, inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 in the cortex after spreading depolarization. In addition, they inhibit surrogates for trigeminovascular activation, including expression of calcitonin gene-related peptide in the trigeminal ganglion and c-Fos in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that the P2X7-PANX1 pore complex is a critical determinant of spreading depolarization susceptibility and its downstream consequences, of potential relevance to its signature disorders such as migraine.
Asperger's Syndrome

SIR: There is controversy about the validity of Asperger'ssyndrome(AS)(Schopler, 1985;Volkmar et al, 1985; Wing, 1986). Although first described in 1944,interest in the condition was revivedby Wing (1981). Individuals with AS are describedas hay ing: pedantic, lengthy speech;stereotypedspeech; impaired non-verbal communication; Aprosodic speech; peculiar social interaction; lack of empathy for others; repetitive activities; resistanceto change; clumsy or stereotyped motor movements; and hyper trophied skills or circumscribedinterests.A number of investigators have conceptualised AS aspart of an â€ ̃¿ autistic spectrum', and note that no behavioural distinction can be made between AS and higher-level autism (Schopler, 1985). We recently re-read â€œ¿ Children with circumscribed interest patternsâ€•(Robinson & Vitale, 1954'). This paper is of interest not only becauseof the lucid clini cal case descriptions presented, but also in terms of the discussion following the paper by Kanner. None of the patients described fit DSMâ€”III criteria for autism as applied by us to casereport material. Fur thermore, Robinson & Vitale, as well as Kanner, see thesechildren as being different from autistics. The defining features of the children described include pursuit of special interests restricted to certain areas which have special value to them. There is an avoid ance of involvement in other conceptual, social, or interpersonal areas. We applied the above descriptive criteria for AS to each of thesepatients. Cases 1and 2 were positive for four criteria each, with insufficient data for the other six criteria. Case 3 was positive for five criteria, with insufficient data for five. Interestingly, case I exhibited severephonic tics (Kerbeshian & Burd, 1986). With thedata available,wecanonly statethat the cases as presented are not inconsistent with AS. Kanner's commentsmay beof somegeneralvalue in the controversy regarding the syndromic speci ficity of AS. He arguesthe value of an atheoretical description, and cautionsagainstputting â€œ¿ the in er pretive cart before the semeiologichorseâ€•. He notes that circumscribed interest patterns as a syndrome may alsobefound in children whom wetoday might describe as hyperlexic, in obsessive children, and in schizophrenic children, aswell as in autistic children. Finally, Kanner lauds Robinson & Vitale for their attempts to single out specific clinical patterns as a basis for diagnostic categorisation. It is with Kanner's thoughts in mind that we are concernedabout the potential diagnostic reification of conceptualisations such as â€œ¿ good-prognosis autismâ€• or â€œ¿ autistic spectrumâ€•. Whether AS rep resentsa point ofconfluence ofone or moreprimary syndromes,or whether it coheresas a primary syn drome itself, should be decided by studies based in data, and not by opinion. We should strive toward having the semeiologichorse pull the interpretive cart. LARRY BURD JACOB KERBESHIAN Medical Center Rehabilitation Hospital 1300 South Columbia Road Grand Forks ND 58202 USA
Peritoneal Surface Area and Its Permeability in Rats

Objective Evaluation of peritoneal surface area and its permeability during dialysis in rats of various ages. Design Study I: planimetry of peritoneum and its topographic areas was performed in 47 rats of various ages (8 -30 weeks). Study II: net ultrafiltration (UF), dialysate-to-serum ratios for urea, creatinine, albumin, and total protein as well as their peritoneal permeability coefficients, were measured during a 1-hour peritoneal exchange with Dianeal 2.5%, in 21 rats of different ages (9 30 weeks) and with various peritoneal surface areas. Animals: Male Wistar rats. Results The peritoneal surface area in rats increases during aging, but young animals with lower body weight have a relatively larger peritoneal surface area than older, larger animals. The area of the topographic fragments of peritoneum expressed as a percentage of the total peritoneal surface is steady during aging. Efficiency of transperitoneal water removal expressed as net UF per amount of absorbed glucose declines in older animals, with larger peritoneal surface areas. Dialysate/serum ratio of solutes transported from blood to dialysate is proportional to peritoneal surface area. Permeability coefficient (K) of peritoneum to urea and creatinine is unchanged during the aging of animals. However peritoneal permeability (K) to albumin increases during aging, with the opposite tendency for total proteins. Conclusions Kinetics of peritoneal dialysis in rats of different ages is determined by peritoneal surface area and permeability of peritoneum to individual solutes.
Family structure, socioeconomic status, and access to health care for children.

OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that among children of lower socioeconomic status (SES), children of single mothers would have relatively worse access to care than children in two-parent families, but there would be no access difference by family structure among children in higher SES families. DATA SOURCES The National Health Interview Surveys of 1993-95, including 63,054 children. STUDY DESIGN Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between the child's family structure (single-mother or two-parent family) and three measures of health care access and utilization: having no physician visits in the past year, having no usual source of health care, and having unmet health care needs. To examine how these relationships varied at different levels of SES, the models were stratified on maternal education level as the SES variable. The stratified models adjusted for maternal employment, child's health status, race and ethnicity, and child's age. Models were fit to examine the additional effects of health insurance coverage on the relationships between family structure, access to care, and SES. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Children of single mothers, compared with children living with two parents, were as likely to have had no physician visit in the past year; were slightly more likely to have no usual source of health care; and were more likely to have an unmet health care need. These relationships differed by mother's education. As expected, children of single mothers had similar access to care as children in two-parent families at high levels of maternal education, for the access measures of no physician visits in the past year and no usual source of care. However, at low levels of maternal education, children of single mothers appeared to have better access to care than children in two-parent families. Once health insurance was added to adjusted models, there was no significant socioeconomic variation in the relationships between family structure and physician visits or usual source of care, and there were no significant disparities by family structure at the highest levels of maternal education. There were no family structure differences in unmet needs at low maternal education, whereas children of single mothers had more unmet needs at high levels of maternal education, even after adjustment for insurance coverage. CONCLUSIONS At high levels of maternal education, family structure did not influence physician visits or having a usual source of care, as expected. However, at low levels of maternal education, single mothers appeared to be better at accessing care for their children. Health insurance coverage explained some of the access differences by family structure. Medicaid is important for children of single mothers, but children in two-parent families whose mothers are less educated do not always have access to that resource. Public health insurance coverage is critical to ensure adequate health care access and utilization among children of less educated mothers, regardless of family structure.
The use of converse ultrasonic capillary effect for the extraction of wound contents from capillary-porous human tissue

The article presents the results of studies on determination of optimum modes and conditions of the draining extraction of wound contents from human tissues by contact ultrasonic action. To optimize modes and conditions of the action we propose physical-mathematical model of converse capillary ultrasonic effect allowing determine extraction rate depending on amplitude of ultrasonic vibrations, area of radiating surface of the waveguide radiator, amount of drainage canals in it and physical properties of wound content.
Facilitators and barriers to engagement in physical activity for people with multiple sclerosis: a qualitative investigation

Purpose. To explore the barriers and facilitators to engagement in physical activity from the perspective of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Method. This study adopted a qualitative descriptive design, using semi-structured interviews. Participants were recruited through local MS Societies and one District Health Board as part of a larger study. Ten people with a definite diagnosis of MS were purposefully selected aiming for diversity on a range of characteristics. Results. A number of factors were identified that seemed to interact and work to tip the decisional balance regarding physical activity engagement for people with MS. The most prominent themes included beliefs about physical activity; related emotional responses; and the role of fatigue in the decision to take part in physical activity. One of the most striking findings was the apparent tension surrounding the decision to take part in physical activity which seemed to be related to the co-existence of conflicting beliefs. Conclusions. For people with MS, the decision to engage in physical activity (or not) is complex, fluid and individual; made more complex by the unpredictable nature of MS. Rehabilitation professionals attempting to engage people with MS in a physical activity programme should consider adopting an individualised approach to barrier management which takes into account personal beliefs and perceptions regarding physical activity engagement.