Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide in patients with macular oedema due to central retinal vein occlusion.

PURPOSE To evaluate treatment of macular oedema due to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) with intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide. METHODS In a prospective case series, 13 patients with macular oedema due to non-ischaemic CRVO received an intravitreal injection of 4 mg triamcinolone acetonide. Examination included assessment of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) for distance and reading, measurement of intraocular pressure (IOP), fluorescein angiography and high resolution imaging by optical coherence tomography, preoperatively and 1 week, 1 month, 3, 6 and 9 months postoperatively. RESULTS Preoperative mean BCVA was 0.9 +/- 0.4 for distance vision and 1.0 +/- 0.3 for reading acuity, respectively. A significant improvement in distance VA (0.5 +/- 0.3, p < 0.001) and reading acuity (0.7 +/- 0.3, p = 0.03) was observed until 3 months and 6 months, respectively. Mean macular thickness was significantly reduced until 9 months postoperatively. CONCLUSION Intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide led to a significant improvement in mean VA in patients with macular oedema due to CRVO. However, the significant effect was not permanent and persisted for a maximum of 6 months.
Spectrum Auctions and the Public Interest

Last year, the Federal Communications Commission held its largest ever spectrum auction, selling exclusive rights to use coveted wireless frequencies for approximately $20 billion. This turned out to be the largest ever single auction of public property in U.S. history. Aside from its sheer magnitude, the auction of frequencies in the 700 MHz band was notable for the federal government's attempt to use the auction process as a mechanism to value various conflicting public policy goals. For the first time, the FCC set out to ascertain just how much a contested policy goal would cost in foregone auction revenue and vowed to give up the goal if it cost too much. This use of auctions as a heuristic for valuing public interest goals raises interesting questions about the relationship between markets and policy, and between government as a proprietor of public resources and as a regulator of those resources. I argue that it is possible to use auction results to inform the policy process without elevating revenue goals over other public policy objectives. In the 700 MHz auction, however, the FCC misunderstood what information auctions can yield and then failed to design an auction that would supply even that information. Correcting these problems for the spectrum auctions of the future - what may be the last great "land rush" to obtain wireless resources valued at more than $1 trillion - would lead to a more rational, transparent, and equitable communications policy.
Flatness of Multi-Input Control-Affine Systems Linearizable via One-Fold Prolongation

We study flatness of multi-input control-affine systems. We give a geometric characterization of systems that become static feedback linearizable after an invertible one-fold prolongation of a suitably chosen control. They form a particular class of flat systems. Namely, they are of differential weight $n + m+1$, where $n$ is the dimension of the state-space and $m$ is the number of controls. We propose conditions (verifiable by differentiation and algebraic operations) describing that class and provide a system of PDEs giving all minimal flat outputs. We illustrate our results by several examples, in particular, an example of the quadrotor helicopter.
Pre-slaughter injection of sodium ascorbate as a method of inhibiting metmyoglobin formation in fresh beef.

Colour deterioration, measured by metmyoglobin accumulation, in four muscles, from 10 beef animals, intravenously injected pre-slaughter with sodium ascorbate, is compared with similar muscles from 10 control animals, at 0 °C and 5 °C. Meat from sodium ascorbate treated animals has significantly better colour stability, particularly M. psoas major and M. gluteus medius at the higher storage temperature.
Characterization of Two Members among the Five ADP-Forming Acyl Coenzyme A (Acyl-CoA) Synthetases Reveals the Presence of a 2-(Imidazol-4-yl)Acetyl-CoA Synthetase in Thermococcus kodakarensis

ABSTRACT The genome of Thermococcus kodakarensis, along with those of most Thermococcus and Pyrococcus species, harbors five paralogous genes encoding putative α subunits of nucleoside diphosphate (NDP)-forming acyl coenzyme A (acyl-CoA) synthetases. The substrate specificities of the protein products for three of these paralogs have been clarified through studies on the individual enzymes from Pyrococcus furiosus and T. kodakarensis. Here we have examined the biochemical properties of the remaining two acyl-CoA synthetase proteins from T. kodakarensis. The TK0944 and TK2127 genes encoding the two α subunits were each coexpressed with the β subunit-encoding TK0943 gene. In both cases, soluble proteins with an α2β2 structure were obtained and their activities toward various acids in the ADP-forming reaction were examined. The purified TK0944/TK0943 protein (ACS IIITk) accommodated a broad range of acids that corresponded to those generated in the oxidative metabolism of Ala, Val, Leu, Ile, Met, Phe, and Cys. In contrast, the TK2127/TK0943 protein exhibited relevant levels of activity only toward 2-(imidazol-4-yl)acetate, a metabolite of His degradation, and was thus designated 2-(imidazol-4-yl)acetyl-CoA synthetase (ICSTk), a novel enzyme. Kinetic analyses were performed on both proteins with their respective substrates. In T. kodakarensis, we found that the addition of histidine to the medium led to increases in intracellular ADP-forming 2-(imidazol-4-yl)acetyl-CoA synthetase activity, and 2-(imidazol-4-yl)acetate was detected in the culture medium, suggesting that ICSTk participates in histidine catabolism. The results presented here, together with those of previous studies, have clarified the substrate specificities of all five known NDP-forming acyl-CoA synthetase proteins in the Thermococcales.
The Subacute Neurotoxicity of Excess Pyridoxine HCl and Clioquinol (5-Chloro-7-Iodo-8-Hydroxyquinoline) in Beagle Dogs. I. Clinical Disease

The clinical and clinicopathologic effects of excess oral pyridoxine hydrochloride (150 mg/kg body weight/day) and clioquinol (200 mg/kg body weight/day) alone and in combination were evaluated in adult Beagle dogs over an experimental period of approximately 100 days. Anorexia and loss of body weight occurred in the first weeks of the trial period in each treatment group, but was most severe in dogs given both compounds. Dogs in each treatment group (10 of 10 pyridoxine-treated dogs, 6 of 13 clioquinol-treated dogs and 12 of 13 pyridoxine plus clioquinol-treated dogs) developed neurologic disease, manifested principally by ataxia. Pyridoxine-treated dogs had proprioceptive loss involving both fore- and hindquarters, characterized by stiff, spastic, dysmetric leg movements. In clioquinol-treated dogs, dysmetric leg movements were accompanied by failure to support body weight in the hindquarters, but similar forelimb involvement occurred in severely affected dogs. The neurologic disease in dogs given both compounds varied; signs in some dogs resembled those of affected dogs of the pyridoxine-treated group, and in others, those in the clioquinol-treated group. Erythrocyte counts, hemoglobin concentrations and packed cell volumes were reduced in dogs in each treatment group and were lowest in dogs given both compounds. Plasma protein was mildly reduced in dogs given pyridoxine or pyridoxine plus clioquinol. Few or no differences were present in the leukocyte counts, blood urea nitrogen concentrations, in activities of serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase, and in concentrations of sodium, chloride or potassium in treated dogs as compared to control dogs.
Validating measures of pediatric health status, functional status, and health-related quality of life: key methodological challenges and strategies.

OBJECTIVE To describe key methodological challenges in the validation of measures of pediatric health status, functional status, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and ways to address them. METHODS Validation strategies of measures of pediatric health status, functional status, and HRQOL were reviewed. RESULTS Three key challenges were identified: 1) clarifying and testing measurement models; 2) measuring responsiveness to clinically meaningful change; and 3) considering data from multiple respondents. CONCLUSIONS Research strategies to enhance validity of measures include specifying intended validity and measurement models, documenting sensitivity of measures to clinically meaningful change, and considering data from multiple informants.
Control of circulating current in two parallel three-phase boost rectifiers

One unique feature in parallel three-phase converters is a potential zero-sequence circulating current. To avoid the circulating current, most present technology uses an isolation approach, such as transformers or separate power supplies. This paper proposes a parallel system where individual converters connect both AC and DC sides directly without additional passive components to reduce size and cost of the overall parallel system. In this case, the control of the circulating current becomes an important objective in the converter design. This paper: (1) develops an averaged model of the parallel converters based on a phase-leg averaging technique; (2) a zero-sequence model is then developed to predict the dynamics of the zero-sequence current; (3) based on the zero-sequence model, this paper introduces a new control variable, which is associated with space-vector modulation; (4) a strong zero-sequence current control loop is designed to suppress the circulating current; and (5) simulation and experimental results validate the developed model and the proposed control scheme.
High efficacy of Rituximab in indolent HCV-related lymphoproliferative disorders associated with systemic autoimmune diseases.

OBJECTIVE The evidence of an increased frequency of B-non Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) in patients with HCV and systemic autoimmune diseases suggests a close relationship between infection, autoimmunity and cancer. Choosing the best therapy for patients affected either by HCV-related lymphoma or autoimmune disorders is not easy; in fact, some treatments may be accompanied by an excessive hepatic toxicity and may be followed by a reactivation of hepatitis. There is growing interest in the search for an ideal therapy for this kind of patient. Thanks to its mechanism of action and good toxicity profile, Rituximab could prove to be an attractive therapeutic option: it has been reported to be highly active in low-grade NHLs and has been proposed for the management of autoimmune diseases. RESULTS In this paper we evaluate the role of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody in mono-therapy in 10 patients with either indolent HCV-related lymphoma or autoimmune disease. A very high rate of response, of both NHL and of the associated autoimmune disease, was observed (100% of clinical response), with no significant hepatic and extra-hepatic toxicity. CONCLUSION Thus, although the number of patients was small, our data strongly support the use of anti-CD20 in this patient setting.
What's new in management of sexually transmitted infections? Canadian Guidelines on Sexually Transmitted Infections, 2006 Edition.

In Canada, a steady increase in the incidence of all 3 reportable sexually transmitted infections (STIs), gonorrhea, chlamydia, and infectious syphilis, has been documented since 1997. The 1998 Canadian guidelines on sexually transmitted diseases[1][1] have recently been extensively revised. The new
Objective vs subjective measures of fixation disparity for short and long fixation periods

Purpose: Fixation disparity, i.e. the vergence error for stationary fusion stimuli, can be measured objectively with eye trackers and subjectively with nonius lines. Between these two measures, previous studies found differences that tended to be proportional to the amount of forced vergence, i.e. the discrepancy between vergence and accommodative stimulus. We investigate whether objective and subjective fixation disparity might be similar without forced vergence.
An implementation and analysis of a concurrent built-in self-test technique

The authors propose a built-in concurrent self-test (BICST) technique for testing combinational logic circuits concurrently with their normal operation. They also introduce a concept of sharing the test hardware between identical circuits to reduce the overall area overhead. They implemented this technique in the design of an ALU (arithmetic logic unit) with online test capability in CMOS technology. The additional hardware used for a 12-bit ALU was 19% of the total chip area, and it did not impose any timing overhead on the operation of the ALU. The overhead decreases with an increase in the size of the ALU. The authors define some measures for evaluating the performance of the BICST technique and discuss methods for their computation and include both simulation and analytical results. In addition to detecting permanent faults, the BICST technique can also be used for detecting intermittent and transient faults. The authors propose some methods for detecting intermittent faults and for computing the transient fault coverage. <<ETX>>
The Impact of Software Testing Governance Choices

Software testing is becoming a critical component of software development, especially because of the proliferation of complex, interconnected, and real-time business applications. As a result, information technology IT managers are struggling with pragmatic governance mechanisms for integrating testing with development. Governance issues pertaining to how software testing is organized at strategic, tactical, and operational levels, however, have not received adequate attention in the literature. This study explores the impact of three specific governance mechanisms, including the existence of a distinct corporate testing unit, developers and testers reporting to different executives, and the existence of one-to-one matching between developers and testers, on the organizational integration of testing with development. A national survey of 196 software development and testing professionals was undertaken to investigate the impact of these governance variables on a set of dependent variables comprising organizational, group, and individual outcomes. The results indicate that these governance mechanisms have significant impacts and need to be considered for successful integration of development and testing.
Prolonged Maturation and Enhanced Transduction of Dendritic Cells Migrated from Human Skin Explants After In Situ Delivery of CD40-Targeted Adenoviral Vectors1

Therapeutic tumor vaccination with viral vectors or naked DNA, carrying the genetic code for tumor-associated Ags, critically depends on the in vivo transduction of dendritic cells (DC). Transfection of predominantly nonprofessional APC and only small numbers of DC may hamper proper T cell activation. Aim of this study was, therefore, the targeted, selective, and enhanced in situ transduction of DC. A human skin explant model was used to explore targeted transduction of cutaneous DC after intradermal injection of a bispecific Ab conjugate to link adenoviral (Ad) vectors directly to CD40 on the DC surface. A significantly enhanced transduction efficiency and selectivity, and an increased activation state of migrating DC were thus achieved. Moreover, DC transduced by CD40-targeted Ad maintained their Ag-specific CTL-stimulatory ability for up to 1 wk after the start of migration, in contrast to DC transduced by untargeted Ad, which had lost this capacity by that time. Because DC targeting in vivo might obviate the need for the in vitro culture of autologous DC for adoptive transfer, CD40-targeted Ad vectors constitute a promising new vaccine modality for tumor immunotherapy.
Association of Fas/Apo1 gene promoter (-670 A/G) polymorphism in Tunisian patients with IBD.

AIM To detect a possible association between the polymorphism of the (-670 A/G) Fas/Apo1 gene promoter and susceptibility to Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) in the Tunisian population. METHODS The (-670 A/G) Fas polymorphism was analyzed in 105 patients with CD, 59 patients with UC, and 100 controls using the polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism method. RESULTS Significantly lower frequencies of the Fas -670 A allele and A/A homozygous individuals were observed in CD and UC patients when compared with controls. Analysis of (-670 A/G) Fas polymorphism with respect to sex in CD and UC showed a significant difference in A/A genotypes between female patients and controls (P corrected = 0.004 in CD patients and P corrected = 0.02 in UC patients, respectively). Analysis also showed a statistically significant association between genotype AA of the (-670 A/G) polymorphism and the ileum localization of the lesions (P corrected = 0.048) and between genotype GG and the colon localization (P corrected = 0.009). The analysis of inflammatory bowel disease patients according to clinical behavior revealed no difference. CONCLUSION Fas-670 polymorphism was associated with the development of CD and UC in the Tunisian population.
AgNOR counts in recurrent and non‐recurrent meningiomas

Recurrences occur in 8-1 5% of all meningiomas, even after a presumed complete removal’. Angioblastic and atypical meningiomas show a recurrence rate of 2-10%, and about 10% of non-angioblastic and non-atypical meningiomas recur. Counts of nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) have been shown to correlate with proliferation and differentiation in several tissues and tumours, and to assist in differential diagnosis and prognostic evaluation2. The present study aimed to evaluate the relevance of NOR counts in predicting the clinical behaviour of meningiomas.
Local climatic adaptation in a widespread microorganism

Exploring the ability of organisms to locally adapt is critical for determining the outcome of rapid climate changes, yet few studies have addressed this question in microorganisms. We investigated the role of a heterogeneous climate on adaptation of North American populations of the wild yeast Saccharomyces paradoxus. We found abundant among-strain variation for fitness components across a range of temperatures, but this variation was only partially explained by climatic variation in the distribution area. Most of fitness variation was explained by the divergence of genetically distinct groups, distributed along a north–south cline, suggesting that these groups have adapted to distinct climatic conditions. Within-group fitness components were correlated with climatic conditions, illustrating that even ubiquitous microorganisms locally adapt and harbour standing genetic variation for climate-related traits. Our results suggest that global climatic changes could lead to adaptation to new conditions within groups, or changes in their geographical distributions.
Biotransformation of fluorophenyl pyridine carboxylic acids by the model fungus Cunninghamella elegans

Abstract 1. Fluorine plays a key role in the design of new drugs and recent FDA approvals included two fluorinated drugs, tedizolid phosphate and vorapaxar, both of which contain the fluorophenyl pyridyl moiety. 2. To investigate the likely phase-I (oxidative) metabolic fate of this group, various fluorinated phenyl pyridine carboxylic acids were incubated with the fungus Cunninghamella elegans, which is an established model of mammalian drug metabolism. 3. 19F NMR spectroscopy established the degree of biotransformation, which varied depending on the position of fluorine substitution, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) identified alcohols and hydroxylated carboxylic acids as metabolites. The hydroxylated metabolites were further structurally characterised by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), which demonstrated that hydroxylation occurred on the 4′ position; fluorine in that position blocked the hydroxylation. 4. The fluorophenyl pyridine carboxylic acids were not biotransformed by rat liver microsomes and this was a consequence of inhibitory action, and thus, the fungal model was crucial in obtaining metabolites to establish the mechanism of catabolism.
Sporternährung für „everyone“: Brauchen wir spezielle Empfehlungen für Breitensportler?

Zusammenfassung Ernährungsfragen für Sporttreibende sollten auch von Hausärzten und Ernährungsfachkräften beantwortet werden können. Für den Großteil der Freizeitsportler ist von einer gesicherten Nährstoffzufuhr auszugehen, bei einer ausgeglichenen Energiebilanz ist die Qualität der zugeführten Makronährstoffe entscheidend. Lesen Sie, warum die Empfehlungen zu einer ausgewogenen Ernährung für Sporttreibende kritischer als für Normalpersonen umzusetzen sind.
Motor skill under pressure: games, stress and automaticity

Choking under pressure is described by distraction and explicit monitoring theories (DeCaro, Thomas, Albert, & Beilock, 2011). Distraction theories propose that distraction disrupts tasks that rely on working memory, while explicit monitoring disrupts automatic processes such as proceduralized motor skills. Furthermore, the attentional control theory (ACT) incorporates emotion in the form of anxiety to predict detrimental e�ects on performance e�ciency, but not e�ectiveness (Eysenck, Derakshan, Santos, & Calvo, 2007). The present study examined the use of a video game task intended to manipulate performance pressure and anxiety and investigated the resulting e�ects on a motor skill task. The discrete sequence production (DSP) task was proceduralized by practice and used as the motor skill task in a task switching design with the pressure manipulating game task. Evidence was found for both explicit monitoring, a�ecting the proceduralized DSP task, and distraction theories, a�ecting switching between the game task and the DSP task. E�ects of anxiety were also found, but no main a�ects that were predicted by ACT, indicating the need for further research on this matter. In conclusion, it appears that video games are indeed suitable to manipulate pressure situations on motor skills.
The Relation Between Negative Emotional Suppression and Emotional Distress in Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Our objective was to investigate differences in emotional distress between negative emotional suppression and expression patients in the progress of medical treatment, including the operation. We studied the differences in affective response between patients who suppress negative emotion and those who express negative emotion by using Profile of Mood States (McNair, Lorr, & Droppleman, 1971) at four sessions: (a) at the first visit to the clinic, (b) immediately after being told the diagnosis of breast cancer, (c) after the operation, and (d) at 3 months after discharge. Our results showed that emotional suppression patients tended to report more emotional distress (in particular, anxiety, depression, and anger) than did emotional expression patients on 3 sessions, the exception being after the operation. Also, patients who suppress anger and anxiety felt strong psychological distress. We suggest that it is essential to encourage suppressive patients to express both negative and positive emotion clearly and appropriately.