Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Laufband Therapy Based on‘Rules of Spinal Locomotion’is Effective in Spinal Cord Injured Persons

Rehabilitation of locomotion in spinal cord (s.c.) injured patients is unsatisfactory. Here we report the effects of a novel ‘Laufband (LB; treadmill) therapy’ based on ‘rules of spinal locomotion’ derived from lower vertebrates. Eighty‐nine incompletely paralysed (44 chronic and 45 acute) para‐ and tetraplegics underwent this therapy, then were compared with 64 patients (24 chronic and 40 acute) treated conventionally. The programme consisted of daily upright walking on a motor driven LB initially with body weight support (BWS) provided by a harness and assisted limb movements by the therapists when necessary. Forty‐four chronic patients with different degrees of paralysis undertook the programme for 3‐20 weeks (median = 10.5), 0.5–18 years after S.C. damage. At the onset of LB therapy 33/44 patients were wheelchair‐bound (no standing and/or walking without help by others) compared with 25 at completion of LB therapy, i.e. 76% had learned to walk independently, 7 patients with help. Only 1 subject did not improve. It was striking that voluntary muscle activity in the resting position was still low in several patients who had gained walking capability. Eleven patients who could already walk before LB therapy improved in speed and endurance. Of the 44 patients, six were capable of staircase walking before LB therapy compared with 34 afterwards. In order to validate the apparent superiority of LB therapy two types of comparisons were performed. In a ‘temporal’ control 12 spastic paretic patients, still wheelchair‐bound after the period of postacute conventional therapy, performed LB immediately thereafter. After completion of LB therapy nine of these patients had learned to walk without help from others. In another control, two groups of chronic patients, matched in type of injury, time after injury (1 or more years) and history of previous rehabilitation (one or several periods of conventional therapy), were compared. One group underwent LB therapy (n= 29), the other conventional therapy (n= 24) for similar periods of time. From 18 wheelchair‐bound patients, 14 became independent walkers after LB, but only 1/14 after conventional therapy. From 45 acute patients 92% (33/36) of those wheelchair‐bound at the onset of LB therapy became independent, but only 50% (12/24) after conventional therapy (n= 40). It is noteworthy that voluntary muscle activity at rest was similar in both groups. The presumed underlying mechanisms are discussed in the light of the absence of any apparent effects in seven functionally completely paralysed paraplegic persons.
Improved late survival with arterial revascularization.

NEW CORONARY ARTERY REVASCULARIZATION STRATEGIES ARE DEVELOPING improved quantification of coronary artery disease by the SYNTAX score, new-generation drug-eluting stents and increased use of stents for multivessel disease, ongoing evaluation of stents for left main disease, new strategies for minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) including the use of robotic-assisted CABG, hybrid procedures, and off pump CABG. In comparisons of all these strategies, the impact on survival is arguably the most important parameter. It has long been accepted that using the left internal mammary artery (LIMA) to bypass the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) is the gold standard and may confer the survival advantage reported for CABG compared with percutaneous coronary intervention in the literature. The survival advantage of using additional arterial conduits as compared to the conventional use of LIMA with saphenous veins only has long been debated. Our study, which involved a large cohort of 8,622 patients with multivessel disease, followed over a long period of time, has shown that in primary isolated CABG surgery performed more than 15 years ago with the use of LIMA to the LAD, bypassing the non-LAD targets with at least 1 additional arterial graft, either the right internal mammary artery and/or the radial artery, was an independent predictor of increased survival during the following 15 years. The results were confirmed with both a propensity-matched analysis that included 1,153 patients in each group and a multivariate analysis that was able to control for all differences between the groups because of the power of the large cohort in this series. The significant survival advantage of coronary artery bypass surgery with the use of multiple arterial grafting cannot be ignored in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease as various revascularization strategies are considered.
Pharmacokinetics of Intraperitoneal Cefepime in Automated Peritoneal Dialysis

Objective This study determined the pharmacokinetics of intraperitoneal (IP) cefepime in automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) patients. Design and Methods A prospective pharmacokinetic study was performed in 6 noninfected adult APD patients. All patients were administered a single IP dose of cefepime (15 mg/kg) over a 6-hour dwell. Patients then underwent a fixed APD regimen consisting of the first 6-hour dwell, followed by an 8-hour dialysate-free period and a subsequent series of 3 overnight APD exchanges. Blood and dialysate samples were collected at t = 0, 1, 2, 4, 6 (end of dwell), and 24 hours. Any urine produced during the study period was collected. Cefepime concentrations in serum, dialysate, and urine were determined by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated assuming a mono-exponential model. Results One hour after IP administration, serum cefepime levels exceeded the minimum inhibitory concentration (8 μg/mL) for susceptible organisms. The mean serum and dialysate concentrations at 24 hours were 15.8 ± 3.6 and 6.2 ± 2.3 μg/mL respectively. Bioavailability was 84.3% ± 6.2%, volume of distribution 0.34 ± 0.07 L/kg, and serum half-life 13.8 ± 3.2 hours. Total, peritoneal, and renal clearances were 16.5 ± 4.4, 4.3 ± 0.7, and 3.5 ± 2.5 mL/minute, respectively. Conclusions IP cefepime dosed at 15 mg/kg resulted in adequate serum concentrations in APD patients at 24 hours post dose. Pharmacokinetic predictions suggest that most APD and CAPD patients would achieve adequate serum cefepime concentrations if treated with standard doses of 1000 mg given IP once daily. Patients using APD regimens different from that used in this study, anuric patients, and those with significant residual renal function may require a more individualized approach.
UVB-Induced Conversion of 7-Dehydrocholesterol to 1α,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 in an In Vitro Human Skin Equivalent Model

We have previously shown that keratinocytes in vitro can convert biologically inactive vitamin D3 to the hormone calcitriol (1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3). This study was initiated to test whether the ultraviolet-B-induced photolysis of provitamin D3 (7-dehydrocholesterol), which results in the formation of vitamin D3, can generate calcitriol in an in vivo-like human skin equivalent model made of fibroblasts in a collagen matrix as the dermal component and keratinocytes as the epidermal component. Cultures were preincubated with increasing concentrations of 7-dehydrocholesterol (0.53–5.94 nmol per cm2 human skin equivalent) at 37°C and irradiated with monochromatic ultraviolet B at wavelengths ranging from 285 to 315 nm (effective ultraviolet doses 7.5–45 mJ per cm2). In our in vitro model irradiation with ultraviolet B resulted in a sequential metabolic process with generation of previtamin D3 followed by the time-dependent formation of vitamin D3, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, and ultimately calcitriol in the femtomolar range. Unirradiated cultures and irradiated cultures without keratinocytes generated no calcitriol. Irradiation of skin equivalents at wavelengths > 315 nm generated no or only trace amounts of calcitriol. The ultraviolet-B-triggered conversion of 7-dehydrocholesterol to calcitriol was strongly inhibited by ketoconazole indicating the involvement of P450 mixed function oxidases. The amount of calcitriol generated was dependent on the 7-dehydrocholesterol concentration, on wavelength, and on ultraviolet B dose. Hence, keratinocytes in the presence of physiologic concentrations of 7-dehydrocholesterol and irradiated with therapeutic doses of ultraviolet B may be a potential source of biologically active calcitriol within the epidermis.
Effect of Positively and Negatively Charged Liposomes on Skin Permeation of Drugs

To clarify the effect of the surface charge of liposomes on percutaneous absorption, the permeation of liposomal drugs through rat skin was investigated in vitro and in vivo. Liposomes were prepared using egg yolk lecithin (EPC, phase transition temperature, -15 to -17°C), cholesterol and dicetylphosphate (DP) or stearylamine (SA) (10:1:1, mol/mol). Also examined was the penetration behavior of positively and negatively charged liposomes, using a fluorescent probe (Nile Red). The in vitro penetration rate of melatonin (MT) entrapped in negatively charged liposomes was higher than that of positively charged ones (p<0.05). When the percutaneous absorption of ethosuximide (ES) encapsulated was estimated in vivo, the absorption of ES from negatively charged liposomes was slightly higher than that from positively charged liposomes. Additionally, the absorption of ES from both types of liposomes was superior to that from the lipid mixtures consisting of the same composition as the vesicles. The percutaneous absorption of betahistine (BH) from a gel formulation containing negatively charged liposomes of BH was much more than that from the formulation with positively charged ones, with 2-fold higher AUC (p<0.05). Histological studies revealed that the negatively charged liposomes diffused to the dermis and the lower portion of hair follicles through the stratum corneum and the follicles much faster than the positive vesicles at the intitial time stage after application. Thus, the rapid penetration of negatively charged liposomes would contribute to the increased permeation of drugs through the skin.
Selection for Cry3Bb1 Resistance in a Genetically Diverse Population of Nondiapausing Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

ABSTRACT Five short-diapause laboratory lines of western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), were selected for resistance to MON863, a variety of corn genetically modified with the Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) transgene that expresses the Cry3Bb1 &dgr;-endotoxin. Three of the selected lines were developed by incremental increase in the duration of exposure to MON863 over 11 generations (moderate selected lines). Two selected lines were developed from a control group by constant exposure to MON863 for at least 14 d posthatch over seven generations (intense selected lines). At the end of the experiment, survivorship, as measured by adult emergence, was ≈4 times higher in each of the selected lines reared on MON863 compared with control lines. Estimates of realized heritabilities (h2) were 0.16 and 0.15 for the moderate and intense selected lines, respectively, and are consistent with h2 estimates reported previously from a variety of pest insects. These lines provide data necessary for evaluating the potential for Bt resistance within diabroticite beetles and will be useful for developing improved insect resistance management strategies.
The Influence of Age on Isokinetic Torque of the Upper and Lower Leg Musculature in Sedentary Men

While strength patterns in aging for the knee joint have been well investigated in the concentric mode, few data are available about the behaviour in the eccentric mode and for either modus in the ankle. The purpose of this study was to compile reference data for the lower extremities in untrained men between 20 and 60 years of age to determine the influence of age, especially in the eccentric work mode. Sixty-four male subjects between 20 and 60 years were divided into four age groups. Using a LIDO ACTIVE dynamometer, maximum torque was tested for the knee between 90 degrees to 0 degrees and for the ankle between 30 degrees to -10 degrees at velocities 60, 180, 240, 300 degrees/s concentric, 60 and 120 degrees/s eccentric and isometric with angles 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, 75 degrees for the knee and 30 degrees, 20 degrees, 10 degrees, 0 degrees , -10 degrees for the ankle. Individual parameters for age-dependence were checked using linear correlation calculation with p < 0.01 set as significant. The peak torque (PT) of the knee extensors and flexors showed a typical course with the highest values in the eccentric and isometric mode and a decrease in the concentric mode with increasing angular velocity. In the concentric mode there was a significant negative correlation between PT and age at all angular velocities, but none for isometric and eccentric mode. The greatest maximum torque in the ankle was attained in the eccentric mode at 60 degrees/s. The difference to the knee was smallest in this mode compared to isometric and concentric. The plantar flexion showed age-dependence at all concentric velocities, less in eccentric and none in isometric mode. There was no correlation in dorsiflexion. The influence of loss of muscle fiber and degeneration in the course of aging has thus less influence in eccentric measurements than in the concentric mode. On the contrary, it must be assumed that the high eccentric tensions which are possible due to the quasi-elastic structures in the muscle, are maintained by the increase in stiffness of the connective tissue.
At-risk and not at-risk primary school children: an examination of goal orientations and social reputations.

AIMS The purpose of the present research was to examine whether at-risk and not at-risk primary school aged students differ in two social and psychological domains (future goal orientations and social reputation). SAMPLE A total of 886 years 5, 6 and 7 students from five primary schools in the Brisbane metropolitan area of Queensland, Australia, participated in the study. METHOD The Children's Activity Questionnaire which constitutes three parts (demographic information, the Importance of Goals Scale, and the Reputation Enhancement Scale) was administered under standardised conditions. RESULTS A series of multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) and univariate F-tests performed on each of the sets of dependent variables (goal orientations and reputation enhancement) revealed significant differences between the at-risk and not at-risk participants on both goals and reputation. CONCLUSIONS Not at-risk children sought to attain an Academic Image through education and interpersonal goals, whereas at-risk children sought a Social Image and attached greater importance to physical goals. In line with this, children in the not at-risk group perceived themselves and ideally wished to be perceived as a conforming person, while at-risk children perceived themselves and ideally wished to be perceived as non-conforming. Significant gender differences were also found on both sets of dependent variables. COMMENT The findings are compared to recent research conducted with high school adolescents.
Thermogravimetric characterization of dairy manure as pyrolysis and combustion feedstocks

Thermogravimetric analysis was used to examine the thermal behavior of dairy manure as a pyrolysis and combustion feedstock. Nitrogen and air were used as purging gases to analyze the pyrolysis and combustion reactions, respectively, and heating rates of 20°C min−1, 40°C min−1 and 60°C min−1 were applied. An Arrhenius model was used to estimate the kinetic parameters (activation energy, reaction order and pre-exponential factor). Results showed four steps for both the pyrolysis and the combustion reactions, with the second step being the most critical one and during which most thermal decomposition of cellulose, hemicelluloses, starch and protein occurred. Thermochemical reactions were determined mainly by temperature. Heating rate influenced the start and the end of the thermal conversions. The activation energies for the two major reaction zones were 93.63 kJ mol−1 and 84.53 kJ mol−1 for pyrolysis, and 83.03 kJ mol−1 and 55.65 kJ mol−1 for combustion. Knowledge of the thermal behavior of dairy manure provides guidelines for future energy utilization.
A framework analysis for managing feedback of visitors of a web site

Purpose – An important issue in the management of a web‐based user community, where users are registered to a web portal, is to identify patterns of users' interest. In this context, the users' feedback plays a major role. The purpose of this paper is to define a novel framework analysis for managing the feedback given by registered visitors of a web site.Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a new technique to integrate the feedback explicitly given by users into already existing user profiles. The authors introduce the novel concepts of scope, filtering, and relevance profiles for managing users' feedback. The new concept of Relevance Profile (RP) is defined.Findings – Using the framework, the authors were able to discover patterns of usage of registered users of a web site.Practical implications – The practical applicability of the approach is validated by a use case study showing how the framework can be used with a real web site. The authors used Gugubarra as a reference system, a prototyp.
Access block and ED overcrowding

Prospective and retrospective access block hospital intervention studies from 1998 to 2008 were reviewed to assess the evidence for interventions around access block and ED overcrowding, including over 220 documents reported in Medline and data extracted from The State of our Public Hospitals Reports. There is an estimated 20–30% increased mortality rate due to access block and ED overcrowding. The main causes are major increases in hospital admissions and ED presentations, with almost no increase in the capacity of hospitals to meet this demand. The rate of available beds in Australia reduced from 2.6 beds per 1000 (1998–1999) to 2.4 beds per 1000 (2002–2007) in 2002, and has remained steady at between 2.5–2.6 beds per 1000. In the same period, the number of ED visits increased over 77% from 3.8 million to 6.74 million. Similarly, the number of public hospital admissions increased at an average rate of 3.4% per year from 3.7 to 4.7 million. Compared with 1998–1999 rates, the number of available beds in 2006–2007 is thus similar (2.65 vs 2.6 beds per 1000), but the number of ED presentations has almost doubled. All patient groups are affected by access block. Access block interventions may temporarily reduce some of the symptoms of access block, but many measures are not sustainable. The root cause of the problem will remain unless hospital capacity is addressed in an integrated approach at both national and state levels.
Selection of Appropriate Chinese Terms to Represent Intensity and Types of Physical Activity Terms for Use in the Taiwan Version of IPAQ

&NA; In order to analyze the health risks of insufficient activity by international comparisons, the first author obtained the permission to translate and develop a Taiwan version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The objective was to determine culturally sensitive Chinese translations for the terms “moderate”, “vigorous” and “physical activity” as well as to identify representative types of physical activity for Taiwanese. This study used discussions by 12 expert focus groups, 6 expert audits, a scale survey, field study, Cognitive Aspect Survey Methodology (CASM), dual independent translation and back-translation to establish a consensus on physical activity-related concepts, terminologies and types that define the intensity of common activities of Taiwanese by integrating both local and foreign studies. The Chinese terms “fei li”, “zhong deng fei li” and “shen ti huo dong”, respectively, were identified as suitable and adequate translations for the English terms “vigorous”, “moderate” and “physical activity”. The common Taiwanese activities were accurately categorized and listed in questionnaires, forming culturally sensitive scales. Taiwan versions of IPAQ's self-administered long version (SL), self-administered short version (SS), and telephone interview short version (TS) were developed. Their content validity indices were . 992, . 994, and . 980, as well as . 994, . 992, and . 994 for language equivalence and meaning similarity between the English and Chinese versions of the IPAQ-LS, IPAQ-SS, and IPAQ-TS, respectively. Consistency values for the English and Chinese versions in terms of intraclass correlation coefficients were . 945, . 704, and . 894, respectively. The IPAQ-Taiwan is not only a sensitive and precise tool, but also shows the effectiveness of the methodology (CASM) used in tool development. Subjects who did not regularly exercise and had an education less than a junior high school level underestimated the moderate-intensity physical activity.
FANCL Replaces BRCA1 as the Likely Ubiquitin Ligase Responsible for FANCD2 Monoubiquitination

Monoubiquitination of FANCD2 is a key step in the DNA damage response pathway involving Fanconi anemia proteins and the breast cancer susceptibility gene products, BRCA1 and BRCA2. One critical unresolved issue is the identity of the ubiquitin ligase responsible for this reaction. Two proteins, BRCA1 and FANCL(PHF9), have been suggested to be this ligase. Here we found that FANCL, but not BRCA1, evolutionarily co-exists with FANCD2 in several species. Moreover, the proportion of FANCD2 in chromatin and nuclear matrix is drastically reduced in a cell line mutated in FANCL, but not in that mutated in BRCA1. This defective distribution of FANCD2 in the FANCL-mutant cell line is likely due to its defective monoubiquitination, because the monoubiquitinated FANCD2 preferentially associates with chromatin and nuclear matrix, whereas non-ubiquitinated FANCD2 largely resides in the soluble fraction. Our data support the notion that FANCL, but not BRCA1, is the likely ligase for FANCD2 monoubiquitination.
Experimental investigation on impacts of PAPR reduction schemes in OFDM-based VLC systems

In this paper, different PAPR reduction schemes for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based visible light communication (VLC) system are experimentally investigated. We show that PAPR reduction may not always result in performance improvement in VLC systems. Compared to the linear selective mapping (SLM) precoding scheme, the nonlinear companding schemes, albeit providing larger PAPR reduction, may result in worse bit error rate (BER) performance due to additional noise induced in its expanding process. Experimental results show that for the VLC system with severe frequency-selective fading, SLM scheme exhibits the best BER performance compared to the exponential and logarithmic companding schemes.
Quality of Genetic Algorithm in the Cloud

Genetic Algorithms are a form of artificial intelligence used in adaptive techniques and solution searching. Similar to the notion of natural selection in which the ’most fit’ of the population have a greater influence on the following population, genetic algorithms use the most fit of a population to construct the next generation. In terms of use, genetic algorithms are simpler to implement and are one of the more efficient algorithms for complex systems with multiple factors at play. When implementing Genetic algorithms the effects of parameter usage can be unknown when taking the system as a whole into consideration, such a population size, termination criteria, generation length, introduction rate and so on. The focus of this study is to determine if there is a difference in the quality of outcome of a genetic algorithm on different network topologies.