Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immunohistochemical assessment of human bone marrow macrophages in hematologic disorders

Changes in bone marrow macrophages may be associated with abnormal hematopoiesis in various hematologic disorders. We immunohistochemically evaluated the density of macrophages in bone marrow trephine biopsies. In reactive erythroid hyperplasia (hemolytic anemia and megaloblastic anemia), the macrophages slightly increased in density, extending their cytoplasmic processes between hematopoietic cells. In erythroid hypoplasia (pure red cell aplasia), they became rounded and frequently had hemosiderin granules. There was no significant difference in the macrophage density in the hematopoietic area between erythroid hyperplasia and hypoplasia. The macrophages increased in density in myeloproliferative disorders (polycythemia vera, chronic myelogenous leukemia and primary thrombocythemia). In myelofibrosis, some macrophages became extremely elongated along the line of the fibroblastic cells. In contrast, in conditions in which myelopoietic activity is considerably impaired (aplastic anemia, acute leukemia and multiple myeloma), they significantly decreased in density. These results suggest that the morphologic change in bone marrow macrophages is associated with erythropoietic activity and that there is a correlation between macrophage density and myelopoietic activity.
Pediatric Brain Death Determination

Abstract Clinical guidelines for the determination of brain death in children were first published in 1987. These guidelines were revised in 2011 under the auspices of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Child Neurology Society, and provide the minimum standards that must be satisfied before brain death can be declared in infants and children. After achieving physiologic stability and exclusion of confounders, two examinations including apnea testing separated by an observation period (24 hours for term newborns up to 30 days of age, and 12 hours for infants and children from 31 days up to 18 years) are required to establish brain death. Apnea testing should demonstrate a final arterial PaCO2 20 mm Hg above the baseline and ≥ 60 mm Hg with no respiratory effort during the testing period. Ancillary studies (electroencephalogram and radionuclide cerebral blood flow) are not required to establish brain death and are not a substitute for the neurologic examination. The committee concluded that ancillary studies may be used (1) when components of the examination or apnea testing cannot be completed, (2) if uncertainty about components of the neurologic examination exists, (3) if a medication effect may be present, or (4) to reduce the interexamination observation period. When ancillary studies are used, a second clinical examination and apnea test should still be performed and components that can be completed must remain consistent with brain death.
Supramolecular Assembly of Amelogenin Nanospheres into Birefringent Microribbons

Although both tooth enamel and bone are composed of organized assemblies of carbonated apatite crystals, enamel is unusual in that it does not contain collagen nor does it remodel. Self-assembly of amelogenin protein into nanospheres has been recognized as a key factor in controlling the oriented and elongated growth of carbonated apatite crystals during dental enamel biomineralization. We report the in vitro formation of birefringent microribbon structures that were generated through the supramolecular assembly of amelogenin nanospheres. These microribbons have diffraction patterns that indicate a periodic structure of crystalline units along the long axis. The growth of apatite crystals orientated along the c axis and parallel to the long axes of the microribbons was observed in vitro. The linear arrays (chains) of nanospheres observed as intermediate states before the microribbon formation give an important indication as to the function of amelogenin in controlling the oriented growth of apatite crystals during enamel mineralization.
A sequential approach for unconstrained optimization via a partitioning technique

In this paper, an alternative optimization strategy incorporating the ideas of lexicographic optimization and evolutionary algorithms is presented. The given optimization problem is approximated by others in which priorities are given. Under the sequential optimization method, they are optimized, not exhaustively, in order to produce an initial point for the given problem. An important role in the proposed approach plays the way of generating the involved problems and the given priorities on them. General principles to produce the objective functions of the involved problems are proposed. An algorithm named LexOpt Algorithm, which implements the suggested process, is given. Numerical results via LexOpt Algorithm, on a set of widely used test problems show noticeable promising convergence behaviour of the proposed strategy in comparison with the utilized optimization methods.
Stroke prevention with novel oral anticoagulants in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation

Due to the ease of treatment with Novel Oral Anticoagulants (NOACs) when compared to Vitamin K antagonist, Warfarin, this is increasingly becoming the first line anticoagulant in most circumstances. Here we review the major trials of the more readily available NOACs in stroke prevention in the setting of non-valvular atrial fibrillation.
Adipocytic proportion of bone marrow is inversely related to bone formation in osteoporosis

Aims: Preliminary studies have suggested that there is an increase in adipocytic tissue in osteoporotic (OP) bone, supporting in vitro evidence for a switch in differentiation of stromal cells from the osteoblastic to the adipocytic lineage. To investigate this the variation of the ratio of adipose tissue to haemopoietic/stromal tissue in OP bone was measured. Methods: The ratio of adipocytic to haemopoietic/stromal tissue (A/H) was measured by semi-automated image analysis in iliac crest biopsies from 127 patients with osteoporosis (84 female patients, 48 male patients; mean age, 55 years; range, 5–80). Fourteen patients with normal histomorphometric data (nine women; five men; mean age, 48 years; range 21–70) acted as controls. Results: The ratio of A/H was higher in OP bone than in the normal controls (OP mean 43.06% v normal mean 22.4%; p < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis showed that 98.5% of the variability in the A/H ratio was the result of age and several measures of bone formation, including cancellous wall thickness, osteoid volume, cancellous thickness, cortical wall thickness, cancellous apposition rate, and bone formation rate, together with cancellous separation (each significant at p < 0.001). Those with the greatest effect on the A/H ratio (in decreasing order) were cancellous apposition rate, osteoid volume, and age. Conclusions: Cancellous apposition rate, osteoid volume, and age were associated with the increase in the proportion of adipose tissue present in OP bone. Of these, cancellous apposition rate reflects osteoblast activity, indicating that the increase in the volume of adipose tissue in osteoporosis is associated with reduced bone formation, supporting the postulated switch in differentiation of stromal cells from the osteoblastic to the adipocytic pathway in osteoporosis.
Time since menopause does not affect plasma viscosity, plasma thromboxane levels and Doppler findings

Objectives. To evaluate whether the use of transdermal hormone replacement therapy (HRT), in women within 5 years of menopause compared with women who were postmenopausal for > 5 years, would significantly influence thromboxane B2 levels, plasma viscosity and Doppler flow parameters at the level of the uterine, internal carotid, ophthalmic and bladder wall arteries. Methods. Thirty-five normal-weight (body mass index > 19 and < 25 kg/m2) postmenopausal women (age 54.6 ± 3.9 years, mean ± standard deviation) participated in the study and were divided into two groups (Group I: n = 19, time since menopause < 5 years; and Group II: n = 16, time since menopause > 5 years). Patients were treated with a continuous estradiol transdermal supplementation and 12-day courses of medroxyprogesterone acetate every 2 months. They were studied at baseline and after 6 months (in the estrogen-only phase of the cycle). Results. Results showed a beneficial effect of hormone substitution after 6 months of therapy. Baseline plasma viscosity was similar in both groups, and decreased significantly after therapy in both Group I (–17.5%) and Group II (–15.6%). Plasma levels of thromboxane B2 were similar at baseline and diminished equally in Group I and Group II (–85.6% and – 85.2%, respectively) after treatment. Doppler assessment of the pulsatility index at the level of uterine, internal carotid, ophthalmic and bladder wall arteries showed no differences between groups at baseline and revealed a significant reduction of vascular impedance at the end of the treatment in both groups. Conclusions. Time since menopause does not affect the potential hemodynamic benefits of HRT in normal-weight women.
Inverse correlation of firing patterns of single topographically matched perigeniculate neurons and cat dorsal lateral geniculate relay cells

Action potentials of single perigeniculate (PGN) cells and relay cells of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) with topographically matched or at least partially overlapping receptive fields (RF) were simultaneously recorded in the anesthetized and paralyzed cat during visual stimulation with moving gratings or flashing light spots of different size. In many cases, PGN cells showed an activity pattern which appeared like a mirror image of distinct periods of dLGN activity. Flashing spots evoked transient volleys of activity in PGN cells which increased in strength and shortened in latency with increasing size of the stimulus. These responses were temporally matched with inhibitory phases in the early part of visual responses in the dLGN. The spatio-temporal properties of the RFs were established by reverse correlation of the spike activity with the spatially random presentation of bright and dark spots within an array of 20 × 20 positions. Anticorrelated firing patterns of such kind could also be elicited as interocular inhibition with stimulation of the perigeniculate RF in the nondominant eye. Inversely correlated changes in spontaneous and visually induced activity were also visible during spontaneous changes in EEG pattern. With increasing synchronization of the EEG (predominance of delta-waves) the strength of geniculate visual responses declined while maintained perigeniculate activity increased. A weakened interocular and monocular inhibition of dLGN relay cells during visual stimulation of PGN RFs could be achieved with local reversible inactivation of PGN areas topographically matched with the dLGN recording sites. The results indicate that the PGN contributes to the state-dependent control of retino-geniculate transmission and to the monocular and interocular inhibitory processes that shape the visual responses in the dLGN.
ALMA, an editor for large sequence alignments

A dedicated sequence editor ALMA, was developed for aligning many sequences of proteins or RNA molecules or longer DNA fragments. Like previously published editors, ALMA is menu directed, screen oriented, and offers similarity and consensus display. ALMA has the additional features of collective movement of sequences, acceptance of input from many sources including structure files and databases, secondary structure display, and easy merging of alignments. In order to maintain sequence integrity and save disk space, gaps and sequences are stored separately. Automatic recovery of a session is possible. Finally, The program allows interaction between manual and automatic alignment.
Sorption of Heavy Metals to the Filamentous Bacterium Thiothrix Strain A1

A study was undertaken to determine the ability of the filamentous bacterium Thiothrix strain A1 to sorb heavy metals from solution. Cells of Thiothrix strain A1 were harvested, washed, and suspended in solutions of metals. After an equilibration period, biomass was separated from solution and the metal content in acid-digested cells and/or filtrates was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Sorption of nickel and zinc was very rapid; most of the sorbed metal was bound in less than 10 min. The sorption data for copper fit the Freundlich isotherm, and nickel and zinc data fit biphasic Freundlich isotherms. Sorption of both nickel and zinc was dependent on cell age. Cells harvested 24 h after inoculation sorbed approximately one-half of the amount of metal per gram cell protein than did cells harvested after 48, 72, or 96 h. Calcium and magnesium effectively competed with zinc for binding sites, whereas potassium had only a slight effect on the capacity of cells to sorb zinc. The primary mechanism of metal sorption apparently was ion exchange, because 66 to 75% of nickel or zinc could be desorbed by placing metal-laden cells in a solution of 5 mM CaCl2. A competition experiment with nickel and zinc indicated that both metals occupied the same sorption sites. The strong chelating agents EDTA and NTA effectively prevented metal uptake, but lactate enhanced the uptake of nickel. Thiothrix strain A1 grown in nickel-containing medium had a relatively low uptake of nickel compared with uptake by resting cells suspended in a simple buffer solution.
Layering of the STIL extensions

STIL consists of a series of standards under the IEEE 1450 label. Some of these efforts are approved, others in balloting, and others still being defined. This paper identifies the various efforts and discusses the motivations for the partitioning of these efforts. Industry concerns with this partitioning are presented, and an option to lower the barrier to acceptance for these efforts is identified
Biomechanical Comparison of Instrumented and Uninstrumented Multilevel Cervical Discectomy Versus Corpectomy

Study Design. In vitro flexibility test comparing biomechanics of cervical corpectomy versus discectomy with and without instrumentation. Objectives. To evaluate whether the additional effort required to perform multilevel discectomies instead of corpectomies is worthwhile biomechanically. Summary of Background Data. Both cervical corpectomy and discectomy have been shown to be effective clinically. No previous biomechanical comparison exists. Methods. Fourteen human cadaveric cervical spines were studied: 1) intact, 2) after discectomy and wedge grafting at C4–C5, C5–C6, and C6–C7 (Group 1) or corpectomy and strut grafting of C5 and C6 (Group 2), 3) after attaching a locking metal plate from C4–C7, and 4) after adding posterior locking lateral mass screw/rod instrumentation across C4–C7. Nonconstraining, nondestructive torques induced flexion, extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation (maximum, 1.5 Nm) while angular motion was measured stereophotogrammetrically. Results. Discectomy and grafting did not alter the range of motion (ROM) significantly from normal during any loading mode (P > 0.11). Corpectomy and grafting allowed a significantly greater range of motion than normal during flexion, lateral bending, and axial rotation (P < 0.05). Addition of an anterior plate reduced ROM to significantly less than normal during all loading modes in both groups (P < 0.005). Addition of posterior instrumentation further reduced ROM significantly in both groups (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in ROM between corpectomy and discectomy groups in any loading mode whether uninstrumented (P > 0.18), anteriorly plated (P > 0.33), or anteriorly and posteriorly instrumented (P > 0.30). Conclusions. Less difference in stability was observed than was predicted between specimens receiving multilevel discectomy versus multilevel corpectomy, regardless of whether specimens were left unplated, plated anteriorly, or fixated with combined anterior/posterior instrumentation.
Flowcharts, Swimlanes, and Timelines

Government-published documents often fail to communicate clearly—not only with citizens but also with professional readers such as civil servants. Visual or multimodal approaches remain rare. This is a particularly unhelpful practice in regard to legal–bureaucratic instructions (e.g., contracts, rules, policies), which exist to guide compliant behavior. This study explores the development and experimental evaluation of a diagrammatic guide of terms and conditions for public procurement that is addressed to civil servants. Results show that the diagrammatic format, compared to prose, significantly enhances comprehension accuracy and answering speed and is perceived as more appealing and functional by users.
Santarém: o ponto de partida para o (ou de retorno) urbano utopia

Resumo Este artigo discute o progressivo descolamento observado entre cidade, urbano, rural e natureza em contexto amazônico. Partiu-se da geo-história, abordagem lefebvriana de análise da formação espacial, do sítio de Santarém (PA) e adjacências, para explicitar a natureza híbrida de um tecido urbano extensivo, formado por tipologias urbanas descontínuas (cidade e vilas), periurbanas (comunidades e assentamentos) e rurais (campo de soja, floresta e comunidades extrativistas), segundo arranjos socioespaciais herdeiros de diferentes matrizes culturais. A partir da revisão de literatura, da análise de cartografia histórica e de dados digitais, observa-se que o urbano, orientado por processos globais e pelo interesse econômico, nega e desestrutura territórios, nos quais a sociobiodiversidade e as práticas desenvolvidas ao longo dos séculos são portadoras de potencial reconciliação entre urbano e natureza, bem como valiosas em contexto de mudanças climáticas. O estudo detalha a análise para a mancha urbana da cidade de Santarém, assumida como um amálgama que espelha a diversidade socioespacial da região e que melhor ilustra a forma como a concepção hegemônica de cidade, aplicada ao urbano periférico amazônico, tem distanciado Santarém do potencial de expressar o urbano utopia, o qual será capaz de resgatar a indissociabilidade de pessoas, biodiversidade, solo e água, que já vem sendo manifestada há séculos na Amazônia.
A comparative study of Pseudomonas pseudomallei and Bacillus mallei.

SUMMARY A comparative study of many strains of Pseudom,onas pseudomallei and Bacillus mallei has shown that these two species are very similar with respect to their nutritional and biochemical properties, thus confirming earlier claims of a relationship between them, based on such criteria as pathological and serological properties. P. pseudomallei is in all respects a typical and nutritionally highly versatile member of the genus Pseudomonas. In view of this fact we propose that B. mallei should also be placed in the genus Pseudomonas, even though it is a permanently non-motile bacterium. The ecology and possible evolutionary relationships between the two species are discussed in the light of the present findings.
Statistical link analysis and in-situ characterization of high-speed memory bus in 3D package systems

High-speed link design in a 3D package system poses unique challenges due to the fact that it provides limited visibility to signal quality and that supply noise induced jitter is large due to a poor power distribution network in a small form factor. This paper outlines a statistical link simulation flow to accurately capture the impact of timing jitter due to power supply noise in 3D systems. The analysis includes on-chip jitter accumulation and link-level jitter tracking by considering both passive channel and on-chip signal path. On-chip measurement techniques which allow in-situ testing of the overall link margin are also described.
Randomized controlled trial of intradialytic resistance training to target muscle wasting in ESRD: the Progressive Exercise for Anabolism in Kidney Disease (PEAK) study.

BACKGROUND To determine whether prolonged (24 weeks) intradialytic progressive resistance training (PRT) could counteract muscle wasting more effectively than short-duration training (12 weeks) in patients with end-stage renal disease. STUDY DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS 49 patients (age, 62.6 +/- 14.2 years; 0.3 to 16.7 years on hemodialysis therapy) were randomly assigned to PRT plus usual care for 24 weeks (24WK group) or a crossover control group that received usual care for the first 12 weeks, then PRT plus usual care for the latter 12 weeks (12WK group). INTERVENTION Two sets of 10 free-weight PRT exercises were performed at a high intensity during routine thrice-weekly hemodialysis treatment under direct supervision. OUTCOMES & MEASUREMENTS Primary outcomes include thigh muscle cross-sectional area by means of computed tomography and intramuscular lipid content estimated through attenuation. Secondary outcomes include muscular strength, exercise capacity, and C-reactive protein level. RESULTS The 24WK group increased muscle cross-sectional area (+1.82 +/- 3.25 cm(2)) compared with losses in the 12WK group (-1.37 +/- 6.87 cm(2); relative effect size, 0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.27 to 6.65; P = 0.04). However, this outcome did not achieve the level of statistical significance required (P = 0.025) after Bonferroni correction for multiple primary outcomes. There was no significant change in intramuscular lipid content between groups (+0.19 +/- 1.32 versus +0.16 +/- 1.69 Hounsfield units in the 24WK and 12WK groups, respectively; P = 0.31). Log C-reactive protein level tended to decrease in the 24WK group compared with the 12WK group (relative effect size, -0.63; 95% CI, -0.27 [-0.54 to 0.00]; P = 0.05). The 24WK group improved muscular strength measures and exercise capacity throughout the trial. LIMITATIONS Single geographic site used; no control group without exercise exposure; unblinded assessment of some secondary outcome measures. CONCLUSIONS Prolonged intradialytic PRT did not significantly improve muscle cross-sectional area or intramuscular lipid content compared with a shorter duration of exercise. Future trials are required to more thoroughly investigate the clinical importance and magnitude of myogenic adaptations to PRT in this cohort.
Depth based methods for estimation a conditional distribution in data streams

Estimation of a conditional distribution is a very important part for a variety of statistical procedures used in the modern Economics. This estimation is especially difficult in case of an economic data stream, i.e., when data are generated by the multidimensional non-stationary process of unknown form which may contain outliers. In this paper we propose an approach for a dynamic and robust estimation of the conditional distribution in the data streams. Our depth based proposals appeal to the ideas of adjusted Nadaraya-Watson estimator proposed by Hall et al. (1999) and depth induced k-nearest neighbors rule described by Paindavaine & Van Bever (2012). We show very promising statistical properties of our proposal in cases of selected nonlinear data streams generated using a general CHARME setting.