Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MiDAS I (mild Decompression Alternative to Open Surgery): a preliminary report of a prospective, multi-center clinical study.

BACKGROUND Neurogenic claudication due to lumbar spinal stenosis is a common problem that can be caused by many factors including hypertrophic ligamentum flavum, facet hypertrophy, and disc protrusion. When standard medical therapies such as pain medication, epidural steroid injections, and physical therapy fail, or when the patient is unwilling, unable, or not severe enough to advance to more invasive surgical procedures, both physicians and patients are often left with a treatment dilemma. Patients in this study were treated with mild, an ultra-minimally invasive lumbar decompression procedure using a dorsal approach. The mild procedure is performed under fluoroscopic imaging to resect bone adjacent to, and achieve partial resection of, the hypertrophic ligamentum flavum with minimal disruption of surrounding muscular and skeletal structure. OBJECTIVE To assess the clinical application and patient safety and functional outcomes of the mild lumbar decompression procedure in the treatment of symptomatic central canal spinal stenosis. STUDY DESIGN Multi-center, non-blinded, prospective clinical study. SETTING Fourteen US spine specialist practices. METHODS Between July 2008 and January 2010, 78 patients were enrolled in the MiDAS I Study and treated with the mild procedure for lumbar decompression. Of these patients, 6-week follow-up was available for 75 patients. OUTCOME ASSESSMENT Visual Analog Score (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Zurich Claudication Questionnaire (ZCQ), and SF-12v2 Health Survey. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and 6 weeks post-treatment. RESULTS There were no major device or procedure-related complications reported in this patient cohort. At 6 weeks, the MiDAS I Study showed statistically and clinically significant reduction of pain as measured by VAS, ZCQ, and SF-12v2. In addition, improvement in physical function and mobility as measured by ODI, ZCQ, and SF-12v2 was statistically and clinically significant in this study. LIMITATIONS This is a preliminary report encompassing 6-week follow-up. There was no control group. CONCLUSIONS In this 75-patient series, and in keeping with a previously published 90-patient safety cohort, the mild procedure proved to be safe. Further, based on near-term follow-up, the mild procedure demonstrated efficacy in improving mobility and reducing pain associated with lumbar spinal canal stenosis.
Predominance of Flavobacterium, Pseudomonas, and Polaromonas within the prokaryotic community of freshwater shallow lakes in the northern Victoria Land, East Antarctica.

A polyphasic approach that included PCR-dependent and PCR-independent molecular techniques was applied to analyze the prokaryotic community in surface waters of shallow Antarctic lakes. The in situ abundance of different bacterial groups was determined by the fluorescence in situ hybridization, whereas bacterial diversity was investigated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing of bacterial clones and isolates. The different approaches allowed the identification of the significant microbial components of the lake bacterioplanktonic communities, indicating a predominance of Flavobacterium, Pseudomonas, and Polaromonas (up to about 56% of total sequences). These genera also appear to be important in freshwater systems elsewhere in the world. Interestingly, closest blast matches to our sequences were predominantly from polar lakes and ponds, in addition to streams and glaciers, suggesting a bipolar distribution of freshwater lake bacterioplankton. Bacteria that are more traditionally associated with the marine environment were also detected, thus indicating an external input by atmospheric deposition and/or seabird excreta. Finally, a slightly different microbial community occurred in the lake at Inexpressible Island that was characterized by low N : P ratio and very high conductivity value, reinforcing the idea that physicochemical and trophic status may affect the structure and composition of the bacterioplankton assemblages in Antarctic lakes.
Interleukin‐17A is required to suppress invasion of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium to enteric mucosa

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. typhimurium) causes a localized enteric infection and its elimination is dependent on a T helper type 1 immune response. However, the mechanism of the protective immune response against the pathogen in gut‐associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) at an early stage of the infection is not yet clarified. Here, we show that interleukin‐17A (IL‐17A) was constitutively expressed in GALT; it was also detected on crypt and epithelial cells of the small intestine. Neutralization of the IL‐17A in the intestinal lumen exacerbated epithelial damage induced by intestinal S. typhimurium infection at an early stage of the infection. The result suggests that IL‐17A has a pivotal role in the immediate early stage of protection against bacterial infection at the intestinal mucosa. As IL‐17A neutralization also suppressed the constitutive localization of β‐defensin 3 (BD3), an IL‐17A‐induced antimicrobial peptide, at the apical site of the intestinal mucosa, it is estimated that IL‐17A constitutively induces the expression of the antimicrobial peptide to kill invading pathogens at the epithelial surface immediately after the infection. In contrast, interferon‐γ is induced around 3 days after S. typhimurium infection, and its expression level increases thereafter. Taken together, the findings lead to the hypothesis that IL‐17A participates in the immediate early stage of protection against S. typhimurium intestinal infection whereas interferon‐γ is important at a later stage of the infection.
Lhx9: A Novel LIM-Homeodomain Gene Expressed in the Developing Forebrain

A novel LIM-homeodomain gene, Lhx9, was isolated by degenerate RT-PCR followed by mouse embryonic library screening.Lhx9 cDNA encodes a protein that is most closely related to Drosophila apterous and rodent Lhx2 proteins. TheLhx9 spatiotemporal pattern of expression during embryogenesis was similar but distinct from Lhx2. Highest expression levels were found in the diencephalon, telencephalic vesicles, and dorsal mesencephalon. Domains of expression respected the proposed neuromeric boundaries (Puelles and Rubenstein, 1993). Lhx9 was also expressed in the spinal cord, forelimb and hindlimb mesenchyme, and urogenital system. AlthoughLhx9 expression was sustained in diencephalon and mesencephalon from embryonic day 10.5 (E10.5) to postnatal stages, it was transient in the future cerebral cortex, where it was turned off between E14.5 and E16.5. Lhx9 expression was highest if not exclusively located (depending on the region of interest) in the intermediate and mantle zones, as opposed to the mitotic ventricular zone. Lhx9 protein was tested for interaction with the recently discovered cofactors of LIM-homeodomain proteins and was found to interact strongly both with CLIM1 and CLIM2. The expression pattern and structural characteristics of Lhx9 suggest that it encodes a transcription factor that might be involved in the control of cell differentiation of several neural cell types. Furthermore, Lhx9 protein could act in a combinatorial manner with other LIM-homeodomain factors expressed in overlapping pattern.
Injury risk from popular childhood physical activities: results from an Australian primary school cohort

Background: Children engage in various physical activities that pose different injury risks. However, the lack of adequate data on exposure has meant that these risks have not been quantified or compared in young children aged 5–12 years. Objectives: To measure exposure to popular activities among Australian primary school children and to quantify the associated injury risks. Method: The Childhood Injury Prevention Study prospectively followed up a cohort of randomly selected Australian primary and preschool children aged 5–12 years. Time (min) engaged in various physical activities was measured using a parent-completed 7-day diary. All injuries over 12 months were reported to the study. All data on exposure and injuries were coded using the International classification of external causes of injury. Injury rates per 1000 h of exposure were calculated for the most popular activities. Results: Complete diaries and data on injuries were available for 744 children. Over 12 months, 314 injuries relating to physical activity outside of school were reported. The highest injury risks per exposure time occurred for tackle-style football (2.18/1000 h), wheeled activities (1.72/1000 h) and tennis (1.19/1000 h). Overall, boys were injured more often than girls; however, the differences were non-significant or reversed for some activities including soccer, trampolining and team ball sports. Conclusion: Although the overall injury rate was low in this prospective cohort, the safety of some popular childhood activities can be improved so that the benefits may be enjoyed with fewer negative consequences.
Disruption of the A3 Adenosine Receptor Gene in Mice and Its Effect on Stimulated Inflammatory Cells*

The A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) is one of four receptor subtypes for adenosine and is expressed in a broad spectrum of tissues. In order to study the function of A3AR, a mouse line carrying a mutant A3 allele was generated. Mice homozygous for targeted disruption of the A3AR gene,A3AR −/−, are fertile and visually and histologically indistinguishable from wild type mice. The lack of a functional receptor in the A3AR −/− mice was confirmed by molecular and pharmacological analyses. The absence of A3AR protein expression in the A3AR −/− mice was demonstrated by lack ofN 6-(4-amino-3-[125I]iodobenzyl)adenosine binding to bone marrow-derived mast cell membranes that were found to express high levels of A3AR in wild type mice. InA3AR −/− mice, the density of A1and A2A adenosine receptor subtypes was the same as inA3AR +/+ mice as determined by radioligand binding to brain membranes. Additionally, A2B receptor transcript expression was not affected by ablation of theA3AR gene. A3AR −/− mice have basal heart rates and arterial blood pressures indistinguishable fromA3AR +/+ mice. Functionally, in contrast to wild type mice, adenosine and the A3AR-specific agonist, 2-chloro-N 6-(3-iodobenzyl)-adenosine-5′-N-methyl-carboxamide (2-Cl-IB-MECA), elicit no potentiation of antigen-dependent degranulation of bone marrow-derived mast cells fromA3AR −/− mice as measured by hexosaminidase release. Also, the ability of 2Cl-IB-MECA to inhibit lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor-α productionin vivo was decreased in A3AR −/−mice in comparison to A3AR +/+ mice. The A2A adenosine receptor agonist, 2-p-(2-carboxyethyl)phenylamino)-5′-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine, produced inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated tumor necrosis factor-α production in both A3AR −/− andA3AR +/+ mice. These results show that the inhibition in vivo can be mediated by multiple subtypes, specifically the A3 and A2A adenosine receptors, and A3AR activation plays an important role in both pro- and anti-inflammatory responses.
Addressing curriculum decolonisation and education for sustainable development through epistemically diverse curricula

Abstract Transformation in Higher Education has been an ongoing concern in post-apartheid South Africa, especially in light of universities’ expected contribution to economic and socio-political transformation. In particular, curriculum transformation has proved challenging, as evidenced in actions and calls by students in recent years for decolonisation of the curriculum. This study, which formed part of an institutional response to the challenge of curriculum transformation and decolonisation, initially sought to examine perceptions of the term ‘decolonisation’ amongst a group of early career lecturers at a leading university in South Africa. Highlighted in the outcomes of the study was the centrality of personal and contextual relevance in notions of decolonised curricula, the impact of curriculum conversations on lecturers’ well-being, and the broader implications of responsive and relevant curricula for institutional and societal well-being. In this respect, the findings of the study illustrated the similarities of curriculum decolonisation approaches and the concept of education for sustainable development which is underpinned by the goal of global well-being and the common good. Also highlighted was the need for greater balance between Mode 1 (theoretical) and Mode 2 (contextually relevant) knowledge in curricula, leading us to posit that both curriculum decolonisation and education for sustainable development are equally necessary for institutional and broader societal reform and well-being, and that both imperatives may potentially be achieved by focusing on the principles of epistemically diverse curricula.
Serum Immune Responses Predict Rapid Disease Progression among Children with Crohn's Disease: Immune Responses Predict Disease Progression

BACKGROUND AND AIM:Crohn's disease (CD) is a heterogeneous disorder characterized by diverse clinical phenotypes. Childhood-onset CD has been described as a more aggressive phenotype. Genetic and immune factors may influence disease phenotype and clinical course. We examined the association of immune responses to microbial antigens with disease behavior and prospectively determined the influence of immune reactivity on disease progression in pediatric CD patients.METHODS:Sera were collected from 196 pediatric CD cases and tested for immune responses: anti-I2, anti-outer membrane protein C (anti-OmpC), anti-CBir1 flagellin (anti-CBir1), and anti-Saccharomyces-cerevisiae (ASCA) using ELISA. Associations between immune responses and clinical phenotype were evaluated.RESULTS:Fifty-eight patients (28%) developed internal penetrating and/or stricturing (IP/S) disease after a median follow-up of 18 months. Both anti-OmpC (p < 0.0006) and anti-I2 (p < 0.003) were associated with IP/S disease. The frequency of IP/S disease increased with increasing number of immune responses (p trend = 0.002). The odds of developing IP/S disease were highest in patients positive for all four immune responses (OR (95% CI): 11 (1.5–80.4); p= 0.03). Pediatric CD patients positive for ≥1 immune response progressed to IP/S disease sooner after diagnosis as compared to those negative for all immune responses (p < 0.03). CONCLUSIONS:The presence and magnitude of immune responses to microbial antigens are significantly associated with more aggressive disease phenotypes among children with CD. This is the first study to prospectively demonstrate that the time to develop a disease complication in children is significantly faster in the presence of immune reactivity, thereby predicting disease progression to more aggressive disease phenotypes among pediatric CD patients.
An improved Aihara chaotic neural network and its dynamic characteristics

Emergence describes the macroscopic dynamic phenomena of complex systems with mutual effects of local members on each other. At present, emergent mechanism needs to be further studied, and types of researched emergence computation model are limited. The study method of well-known Swarm model also lacks of generality. A different emergent model which is improved from Aihara chaotic neural network is proposed in this paper to give the diversity of the current emergent model. Firstly, considering the features of emergent model and based on characteristics of Aihara chaotic neural network, the connection mechanism of cellular automata is introduced to the chaotic neural networks to improve it. By comparing with existing network model, there is an obvious emergency for the interaction rules and forms in our new model. Then, by calculating dynamic index of the model emergency of the model is verified. Finally, the emergence and chaos characteristics of improved model are proved via emergence analysis methods.
Apoptosis-inducing Membrane Vesicles

The CD95 ligand (FasL) transmembrane protein is found on activated T cells and cells outside the immune system. A well-known turnover process of membrane FasL is mediated by matrix metalloproteinase, which generates soluble FasL (sFasL). Here, we demonstrate that membrane FasL turnover occurs effectively through the release of membrane vesicles. Quantitative analysis indicates that this process is as effective as sFasL release for FasL-3T3 cells but somewhat less effective for FasL-expressing T cells. The apoptosis-inducing membrane vesicles display unique properties not found in FasL-expressing cells and sFasL. Unlike sFasL, vesicle-associated FasL remained bioactive, killing the same panel of targets that are susceptible to FasL-expressing cells. In contrast to FasL-expressing T cells, FasL-mediated killing by vesicles do not involve LFA-1/ICAM interaction and do not depend on de novoprotein synthesis. These observations indicate that the release of FasL-bearing vesicles contributes to the turnover of cell-associated FasL, but the impact of the bioactive FasL-expressing vesicles on the function of cell-associated FasL is different from that of sFasL.
Inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis causes myocardial ischemia in endotoxemic rats.

Inhibitors of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis have been used in the treatment of septic and endotoxic shock. However, several studies question the beneficial effect of inhibiting NO production in sepsis and endotoxemia. We have investigated the effect of inhibition of NO synthesis after endotoxemia in the isolated perfused rat heart. In hearts from endotoxin-treated animals, coronary flow was elevated 64% and oxygen consumption was elevated 20% compared with control hearts. NADH fluorescence imaging was used as an indicator of regional hypoperfusion. A homogeneous low-surface NADH fluorescence, indicative of adequate tissue perfusion, was observed in both control and endotoxin-treated hearts. The increase in coronary flow and oxygen consumption could only partially be prevented by pretreatment of the animals with dexamethasone. Addition of N omega-nitro-L-arginine (NNLA), an inhibitor of NO synthesis, to the perfusion medium eliminated differences in coronary flow and oxygen consumption between normal and endotoxin-treated hearts. However, NADH surface fluorescence images of endotoxin-treated hearts after NNLA revealed areas of high fluorescence, indicating local ischemia, whereas the control hearts remained without signs of ischemia. The ischemic areas were present at various perfusion pressures and disappeared after the infusion of L-arginine, the natural precursor of NO, or the exogenous NO donor sodium nitroprusside. Methylene blue (MB), an inhibitor of soluble guanylate cyclase, the effector enzyme of NO, also eliminated differences in coronary flow and produced similar areas of local myocardial ischemia in endotoxin-treated hearts but not in control hearts. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
On using antenna diversity in underground channels

One way to combat channel fading and improve the wireless system performance is by using antenna diversity. Because of the presence of multiple multipath components, underground channels are prone to fading. In this paper, the performance enhancement provided by using a 1 2 space diversity system with the antennas designed at the LRCTS is investigated. The effect of the size of the demeaning window which allows to extract the fast fading signal component is also studied.
Efficient calculation of the MMSE-GDFE decoding order in non-ideal DSL multiple-access channels

The minimum mean squared error (MMSE)-generalized decision feedback equalizer (GDFE) provides a high multi-user crosstalk cancellation performance in upstream digital subscriber lines (DSL) scenarios. The weighted sum rate maximization approach can be used to find the points located on the boundary of the corresponding rate region (RR). The performance of the MMSE-GDFE depends on the decoding order of the users. Unfortunately, unlike in ideal multiple access channels (MAC), the optimal decoding order is not determined by the order of weight factors in practical DSL MACs. To reach the boundary of the RR, a tonal exhaustive search (TES) with computational complexity O(N2N! ) is required for each tone, where N is the number of users. In this paper, we investigate the main deviations of the DSL receiver from the ideal MAC receiver and model their effects as a set of update factors on the weight factors. The order of the updated weight factors is then used to determine the decoding order of the users in an iterative fashion. The computational complexity of our updated weight factor ordering (UWFO) algorithm is O(N4) which is significantly smaller than that of TES. Moreover, our simulation results show that the algorithm achieves bit rates very close to the boundary of the RR leading to approximately the same performance as TES. UWFO can be applied to wireless MACs and zero-forcing GDFEs as well.
A randomized trial assessing the effects of 4 weeks of daily stretching on ankle mobility in patients with spinal cord injuries.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of 4 weeks of 30 minutes of daily stretching on ankle mobility in patients with recent spinal cord injuries (SCIs). DESIGN Assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial. SETTING Two spinal injury units in Sydney, Australia. PATIENTS Consecutive sample of 14 recently injured patients with paraplegia and quadriplegia. INTERVENTION Treated ankles were stretched continuously into dorsiflexion with a torque of 7.5 N x m for 30 minutes each weekday for 4 weeks. Contralateral ankles received no stretches. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Passive torque-angle curves for both ankles were obtained at study commencement, then at weeks 2, 4, and 5 (ie, during, at the end of, and 1 week after the stretching program). Torque-angle measurements were obtained with the knee extended and flexed. Mean values for parameters (baseline angle, angle at 10 N x m, slope) describing the characteristics of the torque-angle curves were derived for each knee position. Changes from pretest to each subsequent test were calculated, as well as 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for differences in these changes between stretched and controlled ankles. RESULTS The stretching intervention did not significantly change any of the 3 parameters describing the torque-angle curves of the ankle in either knee position. At the beginning of the study, the mean (+/-SD) angles obtained with the application of a standardized torque with the knee extended for the control and stretch ankles were 105 degrees (+/- 10.4 degrees) and 106 degrees (+/- 9.8 degrees), respectively. After 4 weeks, these values were 106 degrees (+/- 10.6 degrees) and 107 degrees (+/- 10.6 degrees) (mean difference in change of angle = 0 degrees; 95% CI, -3.3 degrees to 3.3 degrees). CONCLUSION Thirty minutes of daily stretching for 4 weeks does not significantly change ankle mobility in recently injured patients with SCIs.
Simulation of the effect of arsenic discrete distribution on device characteristics in silicon nanowire transistors

We have theoretically investigated the effects of random discrete dopant (RDD) distribution on the device characteristics in silicon nanowire (NW) transistors by performing non-equilibrium Green's function simulation combined with kinetic Monte Carlo method for generating RDD distribution. We show that a small number of dopant atoms diffusing into the channel have a significant impact on the threshold voltage (Vth) variation. We examine the dependence of the Vth variation on RDD distribution and find that the fluctuation can be significantly reduced by introducing side-wall gate spacers. We also find that the on-current fluctuation is mainly caused by randomness of As dopants in the source and drain extensions and hence is inherent in ultra-small NW transistors.