Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tuberculous pleurisy: a study of 254 patients.

OBJECTIVES To determine the age at which tuberculous pleural effusions occur, the radiological and biochemical characteristics of the effusions, the sensitivities of the various diagnostic tests, and the utility of combining clinical, radiological, and analytic data in diagnosis. METHODS We studied the case histories of 254 patients in whom tuberculous pleural effusions were diagnosed with certainty between January 1, 1989, and June 30, 1997, in a Spanish university hospital in a region with a high incidence of tuberculosis. RESULTS The mean (+/-SD) age of the patients was 34.1+/-18.1 years, and 62.2% were younger than 35 years. The effusion was on the right side in 55.9% of patients, on the left side in 42.5% of patients, and on both sides in 1.6% of patients. In 81.5% of patients, less than two thirds of the hemithorax was affected. Associated pulmonary lesions were detected in 18.9% of patients, of whom 14.6% exhibited cavitation. In 93.3% of the effusions, more than 50% of leukocytes were lymphocytes, and almost all had the biologic characteristics of exudates (98.8% had high total protein contents, 94.9% had high cholesterol levels, and 82.3% had high lactate dehydrogenase levels). All but 1 effusion (99.6%) had an adenosine deaminase (ADA) concentration higher than 47 U/L, 96.8% (123/127) of the effusions had high ADA2 levels, and 89% (73/82) of the effusions had high interferon gamma levels. Adenosine deaminase 2 contributed 72.2%+/-12.5% (mean +/- SD) of total ADA activity. Total ADA activity was significantly correlated with ADA2 (r = 0.83) and with interferon gamma (r = 0.30) levels. Definitive diagnosis was based on the observation of caseous granulomas in pleural biopsy tissue samples in 79.8% of patients, on the results of biopsy cultures in 11.7% of patients, and on pleural effusion cultures in the remaining 8.5% of patients. Results of the tuberculin skin test were positive in only 66.5% of patients. CONCLUSIONS In these patients, lymphocyte-rich exudative pleural effusions occurred, on average, at a young age, with no preference for either the right or the left side; normally affected no more than two thirds of the hemithorax; and were generally unaccompanied by pulmonary infiltrates. High ADA concentration was a highly sensitive diagnostic sign and was caused by a rise in ADA2 concentration. The most sensitive criterion based on pleural biopsy was the observation of caseous granulomas, and culture of biopsy material further increased overall sensitivity. Negative skin test results were no guarantee of the effusion being nontuberculous. This, together with the low mean age of the patients and the low frequency of associated pulmonary lesions, suggests that tuberculous pleural effusion is a primary form of tuberculosis in this region.
The phenomenological and conceptual interface between borderline personality disorder and PTSD.

OBJECTIVE The authors explore the conceptual and phenomenological interface between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder as well as the therapeutic and research implications of this interface. METHOD They systematically review the relevant empirical, conceptual, and clinical literature. RESULTS These seemingly separate disorders are related. Borderline personality disorder is often shaped in part by trauma, and individuals with borderline disorder are therefore vulnerable to developing PTSD. CONCLUSIONS The authors draw a distinction between the enduring effects that traumas can have on formation (or change) of axis II personality traits (including those found in borderline personality disorder) and acute symptomatic reactions to trauma, called PTSD, that are accompanied by specific psychophysiological correlates. They describe the implications of these conclusions for DSM-IV, therapy, and future research.
A Coalitional Graph Game for Device-to-Device Data Dissemination with Power Budget Constraints

With the evolution of wireless networks and pervasive mobile devices, device-to-device (D2D) communications have been envisioned as an effective means for data dissemination, e.g., in disaster alerts and event notifications. As mobile devices are battery-powered, it is essential to save power when scheduling D2D links for data dissemination. Also, users are generally more willing to forward data to others with social connections. In this paper, we take into account two important aspects, i.e., D2D users' social incentive constraint and power budget constraint, to enable more practical data dissemination. It is found that it is very difficult to obtain an optimal solution that minimizes the total power consumption while satisfying such constraints. Therefore, we propose a coalitional graph game based approach, which iteratively derives a transmission graph to reach every interested user. Simulations are conducted to compare the proposed approach with the optimal solution and two other reference schemes. The simulation results demonstrate the high performance of our approach in various scenarios with different network scales and social connections.
Learning about Ambiguous Technologies: Conceptualization and Research Agenda

Information Technologies (IT) have gradually transformed into complex digital artefacts with blurred and constantly changing functional boundaries. While this shift offers promising venues that unfold in front of our eyes every day, it also challenges the deeply entrenched knowledge structures on which ordinary users rely to learn about unfamiliar technologies. We propose to take a step back in order to theorize the ambiguous nature of modern IT and to speculate on how users learn to use them. This paper revisits a wide array of management (BYOD, Gamification) and IS design trends (generativity, everyday computing, incompleteness) through the lens of the categorization framework. Our review of the literature on ambiguous products suggests that users exposed to ambiguous technologies may experience a categorization difficulty that disrupts the process of learning how to use them. This difficulty stems from a user’s belief that there are multiple or inconsistent interpretations of why and how to use an IT, as well as a perception that a given IT has some attributes in common with one or several seemingly unrelated ITs. We build on this theorization to propose a research agenda and discuss the expected practical implications of this path of research.
Managing Horse Wounds Either Presenting or not with Exuberant Granulation Tissue Using an Innovative Wound Dressing: A Retrospective Non-Controlled Study

Reasons for performing study: Because we used a different innovative protocol for treating equine traumatic wounds, it was decided to analyse retrospectively all the cases treated during the years 2005-2012. Objective: Evaluate the healing performances of traumatic horse wounds, either presenting or not with exuberant granulation tissue (EGT) or exposed bone, using an innovative plant-derived wound dressing and restricting the systemic antibiotic administration only to the first week after trauma. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of all horses (n = 57) presenting with accidental wounds and treated with a plant-derived wound dressing. Classification of Wounds using COW score (Simple Wounds –SW- or Wounds presenting with Exuberant Granulation Tissue – EGT-W), Time To Heal (days), Epithelialisation Rate (cm/days), Health Of Wounds score, Time of First Epithelium appearance (TFE), Cosmetic Aspect of the final Scar (CAS), ease of handling, pain and complications were recorded and evaluated. Results: COW score determined 32 Simple Wounds (SW) with mean size varying from 12,72±6.48 cm 2 ( 100cm 2 ) and 25 EGT-Wounds (EGT-W) with mean size varying from 12,90±4,51cm
Expression of Mucosal Homing Receptor α4β7 Is Associated with Enhanced Migration to theChlamydia-Infected Murine Genital Mucosa In Vivo

ABSTRACT The CD4 T helper cell type 1 (Th1) response is essential for the resolution of chlamydial genital infection in mice. However, not all Th1 clones are equally protective in eradicating the infection. Since oral immunization regimens produce protective immunity, we evaluated the role of the mucosa-associated homing receptor, α4β7, in trafficking to the genital mucosa. Using a panel of CD4, Th1 cell lines and clones, we compared the lymphocyte homing patterns of aChlamydia-specific, protective clone (P-MoPn), a nonprotective clone (N-MoPn), and a keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH)-specific cell line (KLH-1). T cells were labeled with the fluorescent dye PKH-26, adoptively transferred intoChlamydia-infected mice, and monitored at different time points throughout the course of a genital infection. We found that clones P-MoPn and N-MoPn migrated to similar extents to the genital tract and in significantly greater numbers than the KLH-specific T-cell line. Both clones and the KLH-1 line expressed similar levels of the adhesion molecules α4, β1, CD44, and CD11a. However, clones P-MoPn and N-MoPn expressed higher levels of the mucosal homing receptor, α4β7. Also, clones P-MoPn and N-MoPn but not the KLH-1 line migrated to the mesenteric lymph node, suggesting a mucosal recirculation pattern. Moreover, blocking α4β7 adhesion interaction in vivo significantly reduced the recruitment of P-MoPn but not KLH-1 to the genital tract. These findings show that the mucosal homing receptor α4β7 is utilized by a subset of CD4 cells during migration to the Chlamydia-infected genital tract.
Specknets : a case study for artificial immune systems

This thesis examines the role of wireless sensor networks, as illustrated by specknets, as an appropriate platform for developing novel immune-inspired algorithms. Properties of the immune system and wireless sensor networks are examined in parallel, revealing a potential mapping between the two. The cognitive view of the immune system is identified as appropriate for further investigation at the theoretical level, while the functionality of dendritic cells becomes the focus in terms of biology. An agent-based model is developed as an exercise in understanding the dendritic cell function, emphasising the aspect of mobility. The model is then developed into a simulated implementation for specknets, using the application problem of temperature monitoring and control. The thesis concludes with an analysis about certain aspects the immune system and the specknet, and the proposal of a methodology to allow blending of ideas derived from two such complex systems.
Thrombolytic Therapy of Pulmonary Embolism

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common disorder that is accompanied by significant morbidity and mortality. Although anticoagulation is the standard treatment for PE, thrombolytic therapy, with its ability to produce rapid clot lysis, has long been considered an attractive alternative. Although many studies have been performed over the past three decades, however, the indications for the use of thrombolytic agents in patients with PE remain controversial. In this article, we review the medical literature and provide evidence-based guidelines for the use of thrombolytic therapy. We will also discuss the practical aspects of PE thrombolysis. (CHEST 1999; 115:1695–1707)
Emergent Models of Supple Dynamics in Life and Mind

The dynamical patterns in mental phenomena have a characteristic suppleness--a looseness or softness that persistently resists precise formulation--which apparently underlies the frame problem of artificial intelligence. This suppleness also undermines contemporary philosophical functionalist attempts to define mental capacities. Living systems display an analogous from of supple dynamics. However, the supple dynamics of living systems have been captured in recent artificial life models, due to the emergent architecture of those models. This suggests that analogous emergent models might be able to explain supple dynamics of mental phenomena. These emergent models of the supple mind, if successful, would refashion the nature of contemporary functionalism in the philosophy of mind.
The primary immunity determinant in modulating the lysogenic immunity of the filamentous bacteriophage cf.

Bacteriophage cf is the first single-stranded DNA phage that has been shown to set up a stable lysogenic state with its genome integrated into the host chromosome. From the isolation and characterization of a virulent mutant, cf-tv2, we report the first investigation into the mechanisms of the immunity established by the filamentous bacteriophage. The mutation in cf-tv2 enables the phage to produce plaques on lawns of cf lysogenic cells. The mutation was defined as a 49-nucleotide deletion located in a 0.59 kb NcoI/KpnI fragment of cf replicative form DNA. Two messages, cM1 and cM2, transcribed from the immunity region of wild-type cf but in opposite directions, were detected. In cf-tv2, the 49-nucleotide deletion abolishes cM2 transcription. The primer extension assay suggests a possible RNA-RNA interaction directed by base-pairing of the cM1 and cM2 RNAs. A frameshift mutation of the open reading frame ORF 165, encoded by cM2, resulted in a 10(5) plating efficiency on the cf lysogen. These observations suggest that both RNA-RNA interaction and repressor protein inhibition are involved in the mechanism of cf immunity. A model is proposed for the regulation of cf immunity.
Characterization of Notch3‐deficient mice: Normal embryonic development and absence of genetic interactions with a Notch1 mutation

The Notch signaling pathway is an evolutionarily conserved signaling mechanism and mutations in its components disrupt cell fate specification and embryonic development in many organisms. To analyze the in vivo role of the Notch3 gene in mice, we created a deletion allele by gene targeting. Embryos homozygous for this mutation developed normally and homozygous mutant adults were viable and fertile. We also examined whether we could detect genetic interactions during early embryogenesis between the Notch3 mutation and a targeted mutation of the Notch1 gene. Double homozygous mutant embryos exhibited defects normally observed in Notch1‐deficient embryos, but we detected no obvious synergistic effects in the double mutants. These data demonstrate that the Notch3 gene is not essential for embryonic development or fertility in mice, and does not have a redundant function with the Notch1 gene during early embryogenesis. genesis 37:139–143, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging

Summary Aim: To determine the long-term prognostic value of SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) for the occurrence of cardiovascular events in diabetic patients. Patients, methods: SPECT MPI of 210 consecutive Caucasian diabetic patients were analysed using Kaplan-Meier event-free survival curves and independent predictors were determined by Cox multivariate analyses. Results: Follow-up was complete in 200 (95%) patients with a median period of 3.0 years (0.8-5.0). The population was composed of 114 (57%) men, age 65 ±10 years, 181 (90.5%) type 2 diabetes mellitus, 50 (25%) with a history of coronary artery disease (CAD) and 98 (49%) presenting chest pain prior to MPI. The prevalence of abnormal MPI was 58%. Patients with a normal MPI had neither cardiac death, nor myocardial infarction, independently of a history of coronary artery disease or chest pain. Among the independent predictors of cardiac death and myocardial infarction, the strongest was abnormal MPI (p <0.0001), followed by history of CAD (Hazard Ratio (HR)=15.9; p=0.0001), diabetic retinopathy (HR=10.0; p=0.001) and inability to exercise (HR=7.7; p=0.02). Patients with normal MPI had a low revascularisation rate of 2.4% during the followup period. Compared to normal MPI, cardiovascular events increased 5.2 fold for reversible defects, 8.5 fold for fixed defects and 20.1 fold for the association of both defects. Conclusion: Diabetic patients with normal MPI had an excellent prognosis independently of history of CAD. On the opposite, an abnormal MPI led to a >5-fold increase in cardiovascular events. This emphasizes the value of SPECT MPI in predicting and risk-stratifying cardiovascular events in diabetic patients.
Cognition and Life: The Autonomy of Cognition

In this paper we propose a philosophical distinction between biological and cognitive domains based on two conditions that are postulated to obtain a useful characterization of cognition: biological grounding and explanatory sufficiency. According to this, we argue that the origin of cognition in natural systems (cognition as we know it) is the result of the appearance of an autonomous system embedded into another more generic one: the whole organism. This basic idea is complemented by another one: the formation and development of this system, in the course of evolution, cannot be understood but as the outcome of a continuous process of interaction between organisms and environment, between different organisms, and, specially, between the very cognitive organisms. Finally, we address the problem of the generalization of a theory of cognition (cognition as it could be) and conclude that this work would imply a grounding work on the problem of the origins developed in the frame of a confluence between both Artificial Life and an embodied Artificial Intelligence.
TUNNELING INTO FERROMAGNETIC QUANTUM HALL STATES : OBSERVATION OF A SPIN BOTTLENECK

We explore the characteristics of equilibrium tunneling of electrons from a 3D electrode into a high mobility 2D electron system. For most noninteger filling factors, we find that tunneling can be characterized by a single, well-defined tunneling rate. However, for spin-polarized quantum Hall states (n 1 ,3 , and13) tunneling occurs at two distinct rates that differ by up to 2 orders of magnitude. The dependence of the two rates on temperature and tunnel barrier thickness suggests that slow in-plane spin relaxation creates a bottleneck for tunneling of electrons.
Migration of bisphenol A from can coatings—effects of damage, storage conditions and heating

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an important monomer used in the manufacture of epoxy resins for internal food can linings. Experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of different storage conditions and can damage on the migration of BPA to foods. These experiments were conducted in a systematic fashion by filling empty epoxyphenolic coated cans with four foods: soup, minced beef, evaporated milk and carrots and a food simulant (10% ethanol). Filled cans of each food type or simulant were then sealed and processed using appropriate conditions, before storage at three different temperatures: 5°C, 20°C and 40°C. For each of the storage regimes, 50% of the cans were dented to establish if this would lead to increased BPA migration. Cans were removed from these stocks at intervals of 1, 3 and 9 months storage at 5°C and 20°C or 10 days, 1 and 3 months at 40°C. Some initial problems of heterogeneity between samples was overcome by determining the amount of BPA in food as well as in the can lining. It was found that 80–100% of the total BPA present in the coating had migrated to foods directly after can processing by pilot plant filling with food or simulant, sealing and sterilization. This level was not changed by extended storage (up to 9 months) or can damage, indicating most migration was occurring during the can processing step. There was no noticeable difference, in this respect, between the different foods or the food simulant. Analysis of control samples (foods fortified with ∼0.1 mg kg−1 BPA and contained in Schott bottles) showed that BPA was stable under both processing and storage. Experiments were also conducted to investigate the potential effects, on the migration of BPA from can coatings, of cooking or heating foods in the can prior to consumption. Food cans were purchased and the food either cooked or heated in the can. BPA was analysed prior to and after the heating/cooking process. It was concluded from the results that there were no appreciable differences in the BPA level before and after cooking or heating.
Hierarchical QoS routing in ATM networks based on MDP cost function

The ATM private network-to-network interface (PNNI) adopts hierarchical routing which reduces nodal and link information to accomplish scalability and efficiency in large ATM networks. We design and evaluate two different aggregation schemes (asymmetric simple and full-mesh). Information aggregated includes available bandwidth, delay and cost. In the past, the definition of the cost function has received much less attention. We study two approaches: the Markov decision process (MDP) approach and the competitive on-line (COL) routing approach. Our simulation results show that the proposed asymmetric simple aggregation scheme yields a very good performance while it significantly reduces the amount of advertised information. Among these two link cost functions, the MDP-based approach provides a systematic way of defining the call admission function and yields a better network utilization than the COL-based approach.
Remodeling of the zero-stress state of femoral arteries in response to flow overload.

The goal of this study is to quantitatively describe the remodeling of the zero-stress state of the femoral artery in flow overload. Increased blood flow, approximately as a unit step change, was imposed on the femoral artery by making an arteriovenous (a-v) fistula with the epigastric vein. The a-v fistula was created in the right leg of 36 rats, which were divided equally into six groups (2 days and 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 wk after the fistula). The vessels in the left leg were used as controls without operative trauma. The in vivo blood pressure, flow, and femoral outer diameter and the in vitro zero-stress state geometry were measured. The in vivo shear rate at the endothelial surface increased approximately as a step function by approximately 83%, after 2 days, compared with the control artery. The arterial luminal and wall area significantly increased postsurgically from 0.15 +/- 0.02 and 0.22 +/- 0.02 mm(2) to 0.28 +/- 0.04 and 0.31 +/- 0.05 mm(2), respectively, after 12 wk. The wall thickness did not change significantly over time (P > 0.1). The opening angle decreased to 82 +/- 4.2 degrees postsurgically when compared with controls (102 +/- 4.4) after 12 wk and correlated linearly with the thickness-to-radius ratio. Histological analysis revealed vascular smooth muscle cell growth. The remodeling data are expressed mathematically in terms of indicial functions, i.e., change of a particular feature of a blood vessel in response to a unit step change of blood flow. The indicial function approach provides a quantitative description of the remodeling process in the blood vessel wall.
Female suicides: Psychosocial and psychiatric characteristics identified by a psychological autopsy study in Japan

Although the female suicide rate in Japan is one of the highest among OECD countries, little has been done to assess the psychosocial and psychiatric characteristics of Japanese female suicide completers. This study aimed to examine sex differences in psychosocial and psychiatric characteristics of suicide completers using a psychological autopsy study method, and to identify female suicide factors and intervention points to prevent female suicides.
Herbivores and the success of exotic plants: a phylogenetically controlled experiment

In a field experiment with 30 locally occurring old-field plant species grown in a common garden, we found that non-native plants suffer levels of attack (leaf herbivory) equal to or greater than levels suffered by congeneric native plants. This phylogenetically controlled analysis is in striking contrast to the recent findings from surveys of exotic organisms, and suggests that even if enemy release does accompany the invasion process, this may not be an important mechanism of invasion, particularly for plants with close relatives in the recipient flora.