Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electrical stimulation for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND Electrical stimulation is one of several rehabilitation interventions suggested for the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to enhance muscle performance. OBJECTIVES To assess the effectiveness of electrical stimulation for improving muscle strength and function in clients with RA. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Healthstar, Sports Discus, CINAHL, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, the PEDro database, the specialized registry of the Cochrane musculoskeletal group and the Cochrane field of physical and related therapies up to January 2002 according to the sensitive search strategy for RCTs designed for the Cochrane Collaboration. The search was complemented with handsearching of the reference lists. Key experts in the area were contacted for further articles. SELECTION CRITERIA All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs), case-control and cohort studies comparing ES against placebo or another active intervention in patients with RA were selected, according to an a priori protocol. No language restrictions were applied. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two independent reviewers determined the studies to be included based on a priori inclusion criteria. Data were independently abstracted by the same two reviewers, and checked by a third reviewer using a pre-developed form. The same two reviewers, using a validated scale, independently assessed the methodological quality of the RCTs and CCTs. The data analysis was performed using Peto Odds ratios. MAIN RESULTS Of the two relevant studies that were identified in the literature, only one RCT met the inclusion criteria. This RCT compared the effects of two electrostimulation (ES) protocols on hand function in general and on the performance of the first dorsal interosseous muscle in particular, in 15 patients with RA and secondary disuse atrophy of the first dorsal interosseous of the dominant hand. The results showed that ES had significant benefit when compared to a control no treatment group in terms of muscle strength and fatigue resistance of the first dorsal interosseous. Most favourable results were obtained by using a patterned stimulation derived from a fatigued motor unit of the first dorsal interosseous in a normal hand rather than a fixed 10 Hz stimulation frequency. Side effects of the ES application were not reported. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS ES was shown to have a clinically beneficial effect on grip strength and fatigue resistance for RA patients with muscle atrophy of the hand. However, these conclusions are limited by the low methodological quality of the trial included. More well-designed studies are therefore needed to provide further evidence of the benefits of ES in the management of RA.
Does patient ethnicity affect site of craniosynostosis?

OBJECT There are no published papers examining the role of ethnicity on suture involvement in nonsyndromic craniosynostosis. The authors sought to examine whether there is a significant difference in the epidemiological pattern of suture(s) affected between different ethnic groups attending a regional craniofacial clinic with a diagnosis of nonsyndromic craniosynostosis. METHODS A 5-year retrospective case-notes analysis of all cases involving patients attending a regional craniofacial clinic was undertaken. Cases were coded for the patients' declared ethnicity, suture(s) affected by synostosis, and the decision whether to have surgical correction of synostosis. The chi-square test was used to determine whether there were any differences in site of suture affected between ethnic groups. RESULTS A total of 312 cases were identified. Of these 312 cases, ethnicity data were available for 296 cases (95%). The patient population was dominated by 2 ethnic groups: white patients (222 cases) and Asian patients (56 cases). There were both more cases of complex synostosis and fewer cases of sagittal synostosis than expected in the Asian patient cohort (χ(2) = 9.217, p = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS There is a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of the various sutures affected within the nonsyndromic craniosynostosis patient cohort when Asian patients are compared with white patients. The data from this study also suggest that nonsyndromic craniosynostosis is more prevalent in the Asian community than in the white community, although there may be inaccuracies in the estimates of the background population data. A larger-scale, multinational analysis is needed to further evaluate the relationship between ethnicity and nonsyndromic craniosynostosis.
Direct Marine-Continental Correlation: 150,000-Year Oxygen Isotope—Pollen Record from the North Pacific

Core Y72 II I (43�15'N, 126�22'W) contains sediment of oxygen isotope stages I through 6 (substages 5a through 5e are well developed) and abundant pollen from the nearby continent, enabling us for the first time to obtain a direct marine-continental correlation of events in the last interglacial sensu lato. From stage 6 to substage 5e the vegetational record resembles that during the waning of the last glacial. During substage 5e, after a rapid increase of alder, western hemlock was abundant and significant amounts of redwood, oak, and Douglas fir appeared. These results suggest that vegetation on the adjacent continent during substage 5e was similar to that of the temperate conifer forests which developed in the Pacific Northwest during the Holocene. The vegetation record since that brief episode (which like the Eemian in northwest Europe lasted only afew thousand years) has been complex.
An evidence based clinical aid for cardiovascular disease--what do GPs think?

Out of 259 GPs surveyed at pharmaceutical company sponsored educational meetings on cardiovascular disease guidelines: ? 75% said they used journals as a source of evidence ? 58% pharmaceutical representatives ? 42% clinical meetings, and ? 22% used the internet. Many felt positive about EBM and decision aids, although 82% thought it was difficult to maintain being up-to-date with the latest evidence. Only 29% thought EBM was a basis for gold standard clinical practice. GPs thought being engaged in developing decision support tools before dissemination should increase acceptability and uptake. (non-author abstract)
Dominance of international 'high-risk clones' among metallo-β-lactamase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the UK.

OBJECTIVES Carbapenem-resistant isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa producing metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) are increasingly reported worldwide and often belong to particular 'high-risk clones'. This study aimed to characterize a comprehensive collection of MBL-producing P. aeruginosa isolates referred to the UK national reference laboratory from multiple UK laboratories over a 10 year period. METHODS Isolates were referred to the UK national reference laboratory between 2003 and 2012 for investigation of resistance mechanisms and/or outbreaks. MBL genes were detected by PCR. Typing was carried out by nine-locus variable-number tandem repeat (VNTR) analysis and MLST. RESULTS MBL-producing P. aeruginosa isolates were referred from 267 source patients and 89 UK laboratories. The most common isolation sites were urine (24%), respiratory (18%), wounds (17%) and blood (13%). VIM-type MBLs predominated (91% of all MBLs found), but a few IMP- and NDM-type enzymes were also identified. Diverse VNTR types were seen, but 86% of isolates belonged to six major complexes. MLST of representative isolates from each complex showed that they corresponded to STs 111, 233, 235, 357, 654 and 773, respectively. Isolates belonging to these complexes were received from between 9 and 25 UK referring laboratories each. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of MBL-producing P. aeruginosa is increasing in the UK. The majority of these isolates belong to several 'high-risk clones', which have been previously reported internationally as host clones of MBLs.
Effects of Combined Strength and Endurance Training on Physical Performance and Biomarkers of Healthy Young Women

Abstract Kyröläinen, H, Hackney, AC, Salminen, R, Repola, J, Häkkinen, K, and Haimi, J. Effects of combined strength and endurance training on physical performance and biomarkers of healthy young women. J Strength Cond Res 32(6): 1554–1561, 2018—Cardiovascular fitness has decreased and obesity has increased in young adults worldwide during the last 10 years. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find out optimal exercise training programs for improving physical performance and health outcomes, especially among sedentary women. Subjects were 25- to 30-year-old women with a very low physical activity, and 65% of them were overweight (body mass index > 25). They performed endurance and strength training 3 times a week for 9 weeks. Independent strength training and instructed endurance training by indoor cycling were prescribed. Measurements were performed before, in the middle, and after the training period. No nutritional guidelines were given to the subjects. The 9-week training period led to an 8.5% increase in estimated maximal oxygen uptake. Maximal isometric strength of the leg and arm extensors as well as trunk flexors and extensors increased by 28.9, 7.8, 27.2, and 16.1%, respectively. Total cholesterol values lowered by 7.6%, and high-density lipoprotein increased by 8.8%, whereas low-density lipoprotein, hemoglobin, serum glucose, and triglyceride remained unchanged. Serum cortisol increased by 22.7%, but no changes in plasma testosterone, estradiol, or sex hormone binding globulin were observed. The skeletal muscle mass increased by 0.8% without other changes in body composition. Our results indicated that only 27 combined endurance and strength training sessions in 9 weeks improved maximal endurance and strength capacity as well as some health outcomes. Thus, combined strength and endurance training itself can induce significant health benefits without the necessity of changes in dietary habits.
Adaptive Trial Design: Could We Use This Approach to Improve Clinical Trials in the Field of Global Health?

We need more clinical trials in the world's poorest regions to evaluate new drugs and vaccines, and also to find better ways to manage health issues. Clinical trials are expensive, time consuming, and cumbersome. However, in wealthier regions these limiting factors are being addressed to make trials less administrative and improve the designs. A good example is adaptive trial design. This innovation is becoming accepted by the regulators and has been taken up by the pharmaceutical industry to reduce product development times and costs. If this approach makes trials easier and less expensive surely we should be implementing this approach in the field of tropical medicine and international health? As yet this has rarely been proposed and there are few examples. There is a need for raising the awareness of these design approaches because they could be used to make dramatic improvements to clinical research in developing countries.
Linguistic Maps, Literary Geographies, and Cultural Landscapes: Languages, Languaging, and (Trans)nationalism

L'A. veut montrer que les modeles theoriques qui traitent du langage ont ete construits en accord avec l'expansion coloniale. Les modeles linguistiques et philosophiques du 20 e siecle sont de peu d'usage pour traiter la dimension transnationale du langage puisqu'ils apparaissent dans le discours academique comme un sujet universel. En Amerique latine, differentes manifestations des tensions entre les cartes linguistiques, les geographies litteraires et les paysages culturels peuvent etre liees au rejet linguistique de l'expansion coloniale et occidentale
Data Center Switch Based on Temporal Cloaking

Data centers have become the major technology for collecting, storing, and processing information. The latency requirement for transferring information between servers has become more stringent from year to year as the speed of the new generation of servers increases at an almost exponential pace. In this paper, we propose a new method to compress switching information over data sequence packets using temporal cloaking. The main advantages of this method in comparison to electronic switching or the use of microelectromechanical system technology are that the compression and removal of the switching information are done entirely in the optical domain without increasing the packet duration time, changing or adding overhead bits, reducing the signal-to-noise ratio, or distorting the polarization or the phase of the signal. Only a small delay is added to the signal due to the cloaking process. This method requires tight synchronization; to address this issue, a mathematical model that describes the effect of clock jitter on the system bit error rate performance is derived in this paper. The same concept could also be used to increase the capacity of legacy communication systems as well as in coherent digital communication or analog communication, e.g., radio over fiber.
Molecular phylogenetic study of Tephritidae (Insecta: Diptera) using partial sequences of the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA.

We analyzed sequence data from 925 base pairs within the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA from 34 tephritid species and two outgroup taxa. DNA sequences were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction and sequenced by the dideoxy chain-termination method. Patterns of nucleotide composition and substitution were assessed based on sequence comparison. Phylogenetic relationships among the included taxa were inferred using neighbor-joining and maximum parsimony methods. The trees were congruent with the morphological classification and suggested the following phylogenetic relationships: (1) monophyly of the tribe Trypetini, s. str. , excluding Parastenopa; (2) a possible sister group relationship between Platyparea and the subfamily Tephritinae; (3) a sister group relationship between Hexachaeta and the tribe Toxotrypanini; (4) monophyly of the Dacinae and possible relationship of Oedicarena to this subfamily; (5) monophyly of the tribe Adramini; and (6) the nonmonophyletic nature of the genus Rhagoletis. We propose that the 16S rDNA shows great promise for helping to create a phylogenetically based higher classification of the Tephritidae.
Ribulose-1,5-Bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase Activase cDNAS from Nicotiana tabacum

Rubisco-the key regulatory enzyme in photosynthetic carbon assimilation-is activated in vivo by the chloroplast enzyme Rubisco activase (Portis, 1990). Previous studies in which Rubisco antisense DNA mutants of tobacco were used have revealed that under some circumstances Rubisco activase can play a central role in regulating the photosynthetic process (Rodermel et al., 1988; Quick et al., 1991a, 1991b; Stitt et al., 1991). To assess better the impact of activase on photosynthesis, we wish to generate and characterize activase antisense DNA mutants of tobacco. A prerequisite for these experiments is that a highly expressed Rubisco activase gene (Rca) sequence from tobacco be cloned and sequenced. Higher plant Rca sequences have been previously reported in Arabidopsis (Wemeke and Ogren, 1989; Werneke et al., 1989), spinach (Wemeke et al., 1988, 1989), and barley (Rundle and Zielinski, 1991). Screening of two Nicotiana tabacum cDNA libraries yielded a total of 20 Rca cDNA clones (Table I). These clones fel1 into three classes. One class is represented by pJQ4, which is a near full-length cDNA (1656 bp), and the other two classes are represented by pJQll and pTAl.l, which are partia1 cDNAs (897 and 1012 bp, respectively). The coding regions of pTAl.1 and pJQ4 are greater than 99% similar to one another at both the nucleotide and amino acid sequence levels, and the 3’ flanking regions of these cDNAs are 96% similar to one another. In contrast, pJQ11 is the most divergent of the three cDNAs. Although the amino acid sequence of the coding region of this clone is 96% similar to pTAl.l and pJQ4, the coding and flanking regions of this cDNA bear only 90 and 76% nucleotide similarity, respectively, to the corresponding sequences from the other two clones. Overall, the three tobacco Rca cDNAs code for polypeptides that are from 85 to 94% similar to other higher plant activase proteins. The data in this report indicate that Rca is a member of a small multigene family in N. tabacum. This finding is consistent with genomic Southem hybridization experiments, which have revealed that the N. tabacum genome may contain from three to five Rca gene family members (data not shown). This is the highest number of Rca copies found in any plant genome to date (Wemeke et al., 1988; Rundle and Zielinski, 1991).
Connection between tunneling and localized configurational relaxations in glasses.

It is postulated that tunneling centers responsible for the low-temperature thermodynamic behavior of a glass are linked with those local regions where thermally excited orientational and/or translational diffusion occurs at T\ensuremath{\le}${T}_{g}$ in an otherwise rigid glassy matrix. This postulate is tested by three sets of different experiments, namely, (i) physical aging, (ii) regions created in crystals by neutron irradiation, and (iii) regions created by addition of a second component to a glass, by using results from the literature. These results seem to confirm the postulate. The number of such local regions is \ensuremath{\sim}${10}^{16}$ per mole of a glass.
On Program Dicing

Since it is sometimes difficult to apply the technique of static program dicing in debugging programs, we introduce dynamic dicing as the dynamic counterpart of static dicing. As the effectiveness of program dicing techniques depends on the size of the program dices used, this paper uses a probabilistic approach to investigate the relationship between the size of static and dynamic program dices. In making a comparison between dynamic and static program dicing, we present and prove six propositions. This leads us to the conditions under which a dynamic program dice is smaller than a static program dice. Based on those findings, we offer five strategies for constructing dynamic program dices. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. J. Software Maintenance 9: 33–46, 1997
Choques Estocásticos na Renda Mundial e os Efeitos na Economia Brasileira

Este trabalho tem o objetivo principal de estudar o comportamento do produto brasileiro em relacao a um choque na renda mundial. Para essa finalidade, usou-se a abordagem DSGE. Os parâmetros foram obtidos usando o metodo de calibragem e a analise dos resultados foi feita atraves de funcoes impulso-resposta. A caracteristica basica desse artigo e que o choque na renda mundial expande as exportacoes liquidas a qual se torna o canal de retorno das outras variaveis do modelo ao estado estacionario. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que nao ocorreram grandes alteracoes no produto, apenas um rearranjamento entre os fatores de producao (trabalho e capital), contudo essas duas variaveis retornam ao estado estacionario ainda no periodo de simulacao.
Clinical features and mismatch repair genes analyses of Chinese suspected hereditary non‐polypsis colorectal cancer: A cost‐effective screening strategy proposal

China has the largest numbers of hereditary non‐polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) patients based on its population of 1.4 billion. However, the clinical data and mismatch repair (MMR) gene analyses have been limited. Here we performed microsatellite instability (MSI) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analyses on a series of patients with a high‐risk for HNPCC: 61 patients with family histories fulfilling Amsterdam criteria II (ACII‐HNPCC) or suspected HNPCC criteria (S‐HNPCC), and 106 early onset colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Sixty late‐onset CRC patients were used as control. Methylation of the hMLH1 promoter was analyzed on tumors lacking hMLH1 expression. MMR germ‐line mutations were screened on patients with tumors classified as MSI‐H/L or negative for IHC. We identified 27 germ‐line MMR variants in the 167 patients with a high‐risk for HNPCC while only one germ‐line mutation in hMSH6 was found in the late‐onset CRC group. Of those, 23 were pathogenic mutations. The high incidence of gastric and hepatobiliary cancers coupled with the increasing number of small families in China reduces the sensitivity (43.5%, 30.4%) and positive predictive value (PPV) (45.5%, 17.9%) of the ACII‐ or S‐HNPCC criteria. MSI or IHC testing are highly sensitive in detecting pathogenic mutations (sensitivities = 91.3% and 95.6%, respectively), but the PPVs are quite low (25.6% and 27.8%, respectively). Considering that all 12 tumors with pathogenic mutations in hMLH1 also showed promoter unmethylation, the sensitivity of IHC in conjunction with hMLH1 promoter methylation analysis is not reduced, but the PPV was increased from 27.8% to 61.1%, and the total cost was greatly reduced. (Cancer Sci 2008; 99: 770–780)
Flyback-Based Single-Stage Power-Factor-Correction Scheme With Time-Multiplexing Control

A flyback-based single-stage power-factor-correction scheme with time-multiplexing control (TMC) is proposed. As a portion of the input power will be transferred to the output after the first power processing to improve the conversion efficiency, the output voltage would contain substantial low-frequency ripple. An isolated auxiliary circuit based on forward topology is therefore added to the converter to serve as a buffer and a ripple suppression circuit. With TMC, all the power processes can be achieved by a single transformer to lower the size and cost of the converter. In addition, the proposed converter inherits bulk capacitor (auxiliary) voltage clamping capability. The experimental results confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed scheme with high power factor, natural bulk capacitor (auxiliary) clamping voltage, and tight output regulation.
Cdc42 stimulates neurite outgrowth and formation of growth cone filopodia and lamellipodia.

To assess the role of cdc42 during neurite development, cmyc-tagged constitutively active (CA) and dominant negative (DN) cdc42 were expressed in dissociated primary chick spinal cord neurons using adenoviral-mediated gene transfer. Three days after infection, >85% of the neurons in infected cultures expressed cdc42 proteins, as detected by indirect immunofluorescence against cmyc. Growth cones of infected neurons displayed 1.83- (CAcdc42) and 1.93-fold (DNcdc42) higher cmyc immunofluorescence per square micrometer than uninfected controls. CAcdc42 expression stimulated growth cones, almost doubling growth cone size and number of filopodia, and increased neurite growth rates by 65-89%. In neurons plated onto fibronectin, the percent of growth cones with both filopodia and lamellipodia increased from 71 to 92%. Total Texas Red-phalloidin staining in these growth cones doubled, and the percent of growth cones with F-actin localized to peripheral regions increased from 52% in controls to 78% after CAcdc42 expression. Expression of DNcdc42 did not significantly alter growth cone morphology or neurite growth rates. Addition of soluble laminin to spinal cord neurons resulted in the identical phenotype as CAcdc42 expression, including changes in growth cone morphology, F-actin localization, and neurite growth rates. Significantly, expression of DNcdc42 blocked the effects of laminin on growth cones. These results show that cdc42 promotes neurite outgrowth and filopodial and lamellipodial formation in growth cones and suggests that cdc42 and laminin share a common signaling pathway during neurite development. Addition of laminin to CAcdc42-expressing neurons is inhibitory to growth cones, indicating that laminin also may activate some other pathways.