Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Review Article: Neuroimaging of Recovery of Function after Stroke: Implications for Rehabilitation

Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in individuals. Many patients have good functional recovery after stroke. The mechanisms of recovery remain largely unknown. Neuroimaging of patients recovering from stroke may provide important insight into the mechanisms of recovery as well as assist in the development of new rehabilitation techniques. The first part of this article reviews previous neuroimaging studies that have monitored the reorganization within the motor and language areas after stroke. In the second section, a unifying theory based on John Hughlings Jackson's “Principles of Compensation” is presented as a possible theory for recovery of function. In the final portion of the article, possible implications and future applications of neuroimaging studies for rehabilitation are presented.
Cloning and Characterization of a Transcription Factor That Binds to the Proximal Promoters of the Two Mouse Type I Collagen Genes*

We have used the yeast one-hybrid system to clone transcription factors that bind to specific sequences in the proximal promoters of the type I collagen genes. We utilized as bait the sequence between −180 and −136 in the pro-α2(I) collagen promoter because it acts as a functional promoter element and binds several DNA-binding proteins. Three cDNA clones were isolated that encoded portions of the mouse SPR2 transcription factor, whereas a fourth cDNA contained a potential open reading frame for a polypeptide of 775 amino acids and was designated BFCOL1. Recombinant BFCOL1 was shown to bind to the −180 to −152 segment of the mouse pro-α2(I) collagen proximal promoter and to two discrete sites in the proximal promoter of the mouse pro-α1(I) gene. The N-terminal portion of BFCOL1 contains its DNA-binding domain. DNA transfection experiments using fusion polypeptides with the yeast GAL4 DNA-binding segment indicated that the C-terminal part of BFCOL1 contained a potential transcriptional activation domain. We speculate that BFCOL1 participates in the transcriptional control of the two type I collagen genes.
Satisfaction And Continuance In An Online Information Market

Generating sustainable business value from information services is challenging on the web where free information and zero switching costs are the norm. This study examines the role of free comments given in a commercial information service through the lens of the expectation-confirmation theory and continuance. Data from the Google Answers web site is analyzed by structural equations modeling to test the theoretical model whereby customer satisfaction is key to continued use of the service. Customer satisfaction, in turn, is shown to relate to social interaction that takes place on the site. The model is supported by the field data retrieved from the site. The data show that people came with equal expectation, received equal service and continued to use the system if they were satisfied with it. Satisfaction was predicted by conversation. Free activity emerges as an integral part of the service in a fee-based information market, improving continuance, and thereby leading to measurable outcomes for the commercial owners of the site. The contribution of this study is twofold: First, the expectation-confirmation theory is extended by adding a social dimension to it, and second, the findings are based on unobtrusive field data rather than self-report questionnaires.
Phase III randomized trial of docetaxel-carboplatin versus paclitaxel-carboplatin as first-line chemotherapy for ovarian carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Chemotherapy with a platinum agent and a taxane (paclitaxel) is considered the standard of care for treatment of ovarian carcinoma. We compared the combination of docetaxel-carboplatin with the combination of paclitaxel-carboplatin as first-line chemotherapy for stage Ic-IV epithelial ovarian or primary peritoneal cancer. METHODS We randomly assigned 1077 patients to receive docetaxel at 75 mg/m2 of body surface area (1-hour intravenous infusion) or paclitaxel at 175 mg/m2 (3-hour intravenous infusion). Both treatments then were followed by carboplatin to an area under the plasma concentration-time curve of 5. The treatments were repeated every 3 weeks for six cycles; in responding patients, an additional three cycles of single-agent carboplatin was permitted. Survival curves were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and hazard ratios were estimated with the Cox proportional hazards model. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS After a median follow-up of 23 months, both groups had similar progression-free survival (medians of 15.0 months for docetaxel-carboplatin and 14.8 months for paclitaxel-carboplatin; hazard ratio [HR] docetaxel-paclitaxel = 0.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.83 to 1.13; P = .707), overall survival rates at 2 years (64.2% and 68.9%, respectively; HR = 1.13, 95% CI = 0.92 to 1.39; P = .238), and objective tumor (58.7% and 59.5%, respectively; difference between docetaxel and paclitaxel = -0.8%, 95% CI = -8.6% to 7.1%; P = .868) and CA-125 (75.8% and 76.8%, respectively; difference docetaxel-paclitaxel = -1.0%, 95% CI = -7.2% to 5.1%; P = .794) response rates. However, docetaxel-carboplatin was associated with substantially less overall and grade 2 or higher neurotoxicity than paclitaxel-carboplatin (grade > or =2 neurosensory toxicity in 11% versus 30%, difference = 19%, 95% CI = 15% to 24%; P<.001; grade > or =2 neuromotor toxicity in 3% versus 7%, difference = 4%, 95% CI = 1% to 7%; P<.001). Treatment with docetaxel-carboplatin was associated with statistically significantly more grade 3-4 neutropenia (94% versus 84%, difference = 11%, 95% CI = 7% to 14%; P<.001) and neutropenic complications than treatment with paclitaxel-carboplatin, although myelosuppression did not influence dose delivery or patient safety. Global quality of life was similar in both arms, but substantive differences in many symptom scores favored docetaxel. CONCLUSIONS Docetaxel-carboplatin appears to be similar to paclitaxel-carboplatin in terms of progression-free survival and response, although longer follow-up is required for a definitive statement on survival. Thus, docetaxel-carboplatin represents an alternative first-line chemotherapy regimen for patients with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer.
NATURAL AND EXPERIMENTAL INFECTION OF WHITE-TAILED DEER (ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS) FROM THE UNITED STATES WITH AN EHRLICHIA SP. CLOSELY RELATED TO EHRLICHIA RUMINANTIUM

An Ehrlichia sp. (Panola Mountain [PM] Ehrlichia sp.) closely related to Ehrlichia ruminantium was recently detected in a domestic goat experimentally infested with lone star ticks (LSTs, Amblyomma americanum) collected from Georgia, USA. The infected goat exhibited pyrexia and mild clinical pathologic abnormalities consistent with ehrlichiosis. At least two other Ehrlichia species (Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Ehrlichia ewingii) are maintained in nature by a cycle involving LSTs as the primary vector and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginanus) as a known or suspected reservoir. To investigate the possibility that white-tailed deer are potential hosts of the PM Ehrlichia sp. , whole blood samples collected from 87 wild deer from 2000 to 2002 were screened with a species-specific nested PCR assay targeting the citrate synthase gene. In addition, two laboratory-raised white-tailed deer fawns were each infested with 120 wild-caught LST adults from Missouri, USA, and blood samples were periodically collected and tested for the PM Ehrlichia sp. Of 87 deer tested from 20 locations in the southeastern United States, three (3%) deer from Arkansas, North Carolina, and Virginia were positive for the PM Ehrlichia sp. Wild-caught ticks transmitted the PM Ehrlichia sp. to one of two deer fawns, and colony-reared nymphal LSTs acquired the organism from the deer, maintained it transstadially as they molted to adults, and transmitted the PM Ehrlichia sp. to two naı¨ve fawns. These findings indicate that white-tailed deer are naturally and experimentally susceptible to infection with an Ehrlichia sp. closely related to E. ruminantium and are able to serve as a source of infection to LSTs.
Morphological and thermal properties of mammalian insulation: the evolutionary transition to blubber in pinnipeds

Carnivora includes three independent evolutionary transitions to the marine environment: pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses), sea otters, and polar bears. Among these, only the pinnipeds have retained two forms of insulation, an external fur layer and an internal blubber layer for keeping warm in water. In this study we investigated key factors associated with the transition to the use of blubber, by comparing blubber characteristics among the pinnipeds. Characteristics included gross morphology (blubber thickness), fat composition (fatty acid profiles, percentage lipid, and water), and thermal conductivity. Sea lions, phocids, and walrus, which have lower fur densities than fur seals, have thicker blubber layers than fur seals (P < 0.001). Comparisons of lipid content, water content, and fatty acid composition indicated significant differences in the composition of the inner and outer regions of the blubber between groups (P < 0.001), consistent with the hypothesis that phocids and sea lions utilize the outer layer of their blubber primarily for thermal insulation, and the inner layer for energy storage. Fur seals, by contrast, rely more on their fur for thermal insulation, and utilize their blubber layer primarily for energy storage. Comparing across carnivore species, differences in total insulation (fur and/or blubber) are influenced substantially by body size and habitat, and to a lesser extent by latitudinal climate. Overall, these results indicate consistent evolutionary trends in the transition to blubber and evidence for convergent evolution of thermal traits across lineages. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, ••, ••–••.
Infection with Toxoplasma gondii during Pregnancy: Seroepidemiological Studies in Austria

Seropositivity among pregnant woman in Austria has decreased from 48% to 50% at the end of the 1970s to 35% in recent years. Despite this decrease, knowledge of possible sources and risk factors for Toxoplasma infection remains important. We reviewed seroepidemiological studies that were undertaken to assess the roles of undercooked meat and oocysts in cat faeces as potential sources of infection in pregnant women. Improved management and hygiene in pig herds raised in confinement have resulted in less contact of pigs with cats and a decrease of infected pigs within one decade from 14% in 1982 to 0.9% in 1992. In Austrian wild boar populations, however, seroprevalences remained essentially unchanged during the same decade (18% in 1983 and 19% in 1990–1993). Austrian sheep and goats are usually kept on small farms where cats abound and are predominantly seropositive (66% in sheep and 69% in goats). The seroprevalence in cats has decreased from approximately 81% in 1987 to 59% in 1996; presumably because of cats’ increased consumption of processed food. Despite the decrease of infection in pregnant women via the cat‐to‐pig pathway, it may be offset by a recent concomitant increase in mutton consumption. Free‐ranging chickens are a good indicator of the prevalence of T. gondii oocysts in the soil because chickens are ground feeders. Antibodies to T. gondii, as evaluated by the modified agglutination test, were found in 36% of chickens from 12 Austrian ‘biofarms’. Because Austrians rarely consume raw pork, the fraction of human T. gondii infections associated with pig meat consumption is likely small. As meat consumption and lifestyle patterns change in Austria, the risk of human infection with T. gondii via different pathways needs re‐evaluation and targeted educational efforts to control transmission.
Interferon induction by several strains of avian infectious bronchitis virus, a coronavirus, in chickens.

Eight U.S. and Japanese strains of avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) were tested for their interferon-inducing ability in chickens. All strains induced interferon (IFN) in several organs of six-week-old SPF chickens. However, the extent of IFN formation in these chickens was not necessarily the same from one strain to another.
Herd immunity: history, theory, practice.

Herd immunity has to do with the protection of populations from infection which is brought about by the presence of immune individuals. The concept has a special aura, in its implication of an extension of the protection imparted by an immunization program beyond vaccinated to unvaccinated individuals and in its apparent provision of a means to eliminate totally some infectious diseases. It is a recurrent theme in the medical literature and has been discussed frequently during the past decade. This new popularity comes as a consequence of several recent major achievements of vaccination programs, i.e.: the historic success of the global smallpox eradication program; dramatic increases in vaccination coverage stimulated by national programs and by the Expanded Programme on Immunization; the commitment of several countries to eradicate measles; and international dedication to eliminate neonatal tetanus and to eradicate poliomyelitis from the world by the year 2000. '
The limiting effect of electromechanical coupling in self-biased electrostatic Vibration Energy Harvester

This paper reports on the drastic impact of the electromechanical coupling on the operating mode of a MEMS electrostatic Vibration Energy Harvester (e-VEH). A similar behavioral pattern was observed for two different conditioning circuits, which biased the e-VEH: one based on a classical charge pump circuit and one based on the Bennet doubler. The result of this study mitigates the commonplace opinion about the need of maximization of the bias voltage of electromechanical transducer for optimization of the converted power. When the circuits operated in self-biasing mode, in which the reservoir capacitor voltage increases exponentially for weak voltages, a slow down and saturation were consequently observed at average and high voltages. It is due to several phenomena, among which the nonlinear dynamics of the system, increase of the electromechanical damping with bias voltage, and basically by the fundamental limitation of the power that can be extracted from external vibrations.
Migratory capacity of the cell line RN33B and the host glial cell response after subretinal transplantation to normal adult rats

As previously reported, the brain‐derived precursor cell line RN33B has a great capacity to migrate when transplanted to adult brain or retina. This cell line is immortalized with the SV40 large T‐antigen and carries the reporter gene LacZ and the green fluorescent protein GFP. In the present study, the precursor cells were transplanted to the subretinal space of adult rats and investigated early after grafting. The purpose was to demonstrate the migration of the grafted cells from the subretinal space into the retina and the glial cell response of the host retina. Detachment caused by the transplantation method was persistent up to 4 days after transplantation, and then reattachment occurred. The grafted cells were shown to migrate in between the photoreceptor cells before entering into the plexiform layers. Molecules involved in migration of immature neuronal cells as the polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA‐NCAM) and the collapsing response‐mediated protein 4 (TUC‐4) was found in the plexiform layers of the host retina, but not in the grafted cells. The expression of the intermediate filaments GFAP, vimentin, and nestin was intensely upregulated immediately after transplantation. A less pronounced upregulation was observed on sham‐operated animals. In summary, the RN33B cell line migrated promptly posttransplantation and settled preferably into the plexiform layers of the retina, the same layers where the migration cues PSA‐NCAM and TUC‐4 were established. In addition, both the transplantation method per se and the implanted cells caused an intense glial cell response by the host retina. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
New directions in clinical imaging of cortical dysplasias

Neuroimaging is essential in the work‐up of patients with intractable epilepsy. In pediatric patients with medically refractory epilepsy, cortical dysplasias account for a large percentage of the epileptogenic substrate. Unfortunately, these are also the most subtle lesions to identify. For this reason, there has been ongoing interest in utilizing new advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to improve the ability to identify, diagnose, characterize, and delineate cortical dysplasias. Technologic gains such as multichannel coils (32 phased array and beyond) and higher field strengths (3T, 7T, and greater) coupled with newer imaging sequences such as arterial spin labeling (ASL), susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) and diffusion tensor/spectrum imaging (DTI/DSI) are likely to increase yield. Improved MRI techniques coupled with a multimodality approach including magnetoencephalography (MEG), positron emission tomography (PET), and other techniques will increase sensitivity and specificity for identifying cortical dysplasias.
Public health interventions involving travelers with tuberculosis--U.S. ports of entry, 2007-2012.

Every day, approximately 950,000 international travelers arrive in the United States. The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is authorized to prevent the introduction, transmission, and spread of communicable diseases by travelers into and within the United States. The Secretary, through the CDC director, delegates this authority to CDC's Division of Global Migration and Quarantine (DGMQ). Of the communicable diseases for which federal quarantine and isolation are authorized by executive orders of the president, infectious tuberculosis (TB) is encountered most commonly by DGMQ's network of quarantine stations at major U.S. ports of entry. Although legal immigrants and refugees undergo U.S. State Department-mandated TB screening overseas, CDC receives approximately 125 reports each year of arriving travelers with active TB, including foreign visitors, foreign students, and temporary workers (CDC, unpublished data, 2012). This report describes two cases that illustrate the TB control and prevention activities of quarantine stations. Such activities, including issuing federal isolation orders, restricting travel, arranging safe transport for patients across state lines, and conducting airline contact investigations, support CDC's mission to limit the spread of infectious disease from travelers.
Global Stage-Specific Gene Regulation during the Developmental Cycle of Chlamydia trachomatis

ABSTRACT Distinct morphological changes associated with the complex development cycle of the obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis have been historically well characterized by microscopy. A number of temporally regulated genes have been characterized previously, suggesting that the chlamydial developmental cycle is regulated at the transcriptional level. This hypothesis was tested by microarray analysis in which the entire C. trachomatis genome was analyzed, providing a comprehensive assessment of global gene regulation throughout the chlamydial developmental cycle. Seven temporally cohesive gene clusters were identified, with 22% (189 genes) of the genome differentially expressed during the developmental cycle. The correlation of these gene clusters with hallmark morphological events of the chlamydial developmental cycle suggests three global stage-specific networks of gene regulation.
Manipulation of Cassava Cultivation and Utilization to Improve Protein to Energy Biomass for Livestock Feeding in the Tropics

Cassava (Manihot esculenta, Crantz), an annual tropical tuber crop, was nutritionally evaluated as a foliage for ruminants, especially dairy cattle. Cultivation of cassava biomass to produce hay is based on a first harvest of the foliage at three months after planting, followed every two months thereafter until one year. Inter-cropping of leguminous fodder as food-feed between rows of cassava, such as Leucaena leucocephala or cowpea (Vigna unculata), enriches soil fertility and provides additional fodder. Cassava hay contained 20 to 25% crude protein in the dry matter with good profile of amino acids. Feeding trials with cattle revealed high levels of DM intake (3.2% of BW) and high DM digestibility (71%). The hay contains tannin-protein complexes which could act as rumen by - pass protein for digestion in the small intestine. As cassava hay contains condensed tannins, it could have subsequent impact on changing rumen ecology particularly changing rumen microbes population. Therefore, supplementation with cassava hay at 1-2 kg/hd/d to dairy cattle could markedly reduce concentrate requirements, and increase milk yield and composition. Moreover, cassava hay supplementation in dairy cattle could increase milk thiocyanate which could possibly enhance milk quality and milk storage, especially in small holder-dairy farming. Condensed tannins contained in cassava hay have also been shown to potentially reduce gastrointestinal nematodes in ruminants and therefore could act as an anthelmintic agent. Cassava hay is therefore an excellent multi-nutrient source for animals, especially for dairy cattle during the long dry season, and has the potential to increase the productivity and profitability of sustainable livestock production systems in the tropics.
The structure of hobo transposable elements and their insertion sites

The hobo transposable elements of Drosophila form a family of 3.0‐kb elements and their deletion derivatives. Their distribution is consistent with the model that 3.0‐kb elements are functionally complete but that smaller hobos are defective and require complete elements in trans for transposition. The sequence of one 3.0‐kb element is presented; it has several interesting features, including a 1.9‐kb open reading frame downstream from potential TATA and CAT sequences. Comparison of 11 independent insertion sites shows that in every case the hobo element has integrated at and duplicated either the sequence NNNNNNAC or CTTTNNNN. There is evidence that an eight nucleotide sequence internal to hobo that matches both of these sequences has been used as an insertion site for a second hobo element, as the first step in the creation of an internal deletion derivative. Structural similarities between hobo and the eukaryotic transposable elements P, Ac, 1723, and Tam3, found in widely divergent host organisms, suggest that they all transpose by a common mechanism.
Clinical and surgical anatomy of the liver: A review for clinicians

The liver is the largest gland in the body occupying 2.5% of total body weight and providing a host of functions necessary for maintaining normal physiological homeostasis. Despite the complexity of its functions, the liver has a homogenous appearance, making hepatic anatomy a challenging topic of discussion. To address this issue, scholars have devoted time to establishing a framework for describing hepatic anatomy to aid clinicians. Work by the anatomist Sir James Cantlie provided the first accurate division between the right and left liver in 1897. The French surgeon and anatomist Claude Couinaud provided additional insight by introducing the Couinaud segments on the basis of hepatic vasculature. These fundamental studies provided a framework for medical and surgical discussions of hepatic anatomy and were essential for the advancement of modern medicine. In this article, the authors review the normal anatomy and physiology of the liver with a view to enhancing the clinician's knowledge base. They also provide a convenient model to assist with understanding and discussion of liver anatomy. Clin. Anat. 27:764–769, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.