Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bronchial Involvement in the Cramp-Fasciculation Syndrome

Background/Aims: Cramp-fasciculation syndrome (CFS) is an acquired, chronic, usually benign and rather heterogeneous condition with isolated fasciculations and muscle cramps generally induced by physical exercise. They commonly involve calf and quadriceps muscles. The pathophysiology of CFS is related to peripheral nerve hyperexcitability, most often located at the motor nerve terminal or intramuscular arborization. Methods: A 21-year-old man presented with a progressive syndrome of bronchospasm, cramps and muscle twitches related to physical exercise. Spirography showed bronchial hyperresponsiveness, so he received inhaled corticosteroids and β2-agonists that improved respiratory symptoms. Electrodiagnostic studies were consistent with CFS. Gabapentin was then introduced. Results: Both respiratory and muscle symptoms improved. A new spirogram after all inhaled medication had been discontinued was normal. Conclusion: This picture suggests a concomitant involvement of the peripheral motor nerves of both skeletal and airway autonomic smooth muscle, a presentation not previously reported in CFS.
Fault tolerant distributed shared memory algorithms

Distributed shared memory (DSM) has received increased attention as a mechanism for interprocess communication in loosely-coupled distributed systems because of its perceived advantages over direct use of message passing or remote procedure calls. One problem with most DSM algorithms proposed to date, however, is that they do not tolerate faults. The paper extends four basic DSM algorithms to tolerate single host failures and argues that this degree of fault tolerance is sufficient for most applications. It analyzes the performance behavior of the fault tolerant DSM algorithms and shows that for some algorithms the additional overhead for fault tolerance is quite small, but that for other algorithms the extra overhead can be substantial and even unpredictable. <<ETX>>
Historical Indigenous use of aquatic resources in Australia's Murray‐Darling Basin, and its implications for river management

Summary Indigenous people demonstrably lived along rivers and around lakes and wetlands of Australia's Murray-Darling Basin in pre-European times. Waterways were, and continue to be, of major significance to the society and culture of Aboriginal peoples throughout Australia. Historically, they exploited most of the fauna – from mussels and crayfish, to fish and birds – and either ate, or used for other purposes, many species of aquatic plants. Such practices placed them in the role of environmental modifiers, a role played by all human groups from both past and present. They built sophisticated fish traps, cut gaps in river banks to allow fish to move on to floodplains, and there is evidence that they practised a form of fish culture by creating small impoundments in which small fish could live and grow in normally ephemeral tributary streams away from predatory larger fish. Knowledge of the numbers of Aboriginal people inhabiting the riverine regions of the Murray-Darling Basin are sketchy, but at times large groups congregated for cultural reasons, facilitating fishing with extensively engineered fish traps, such as that at Brewarrina, on the Barwon River in New South Wales. At other times, densities may have been about 0.5 person per river kilometre, although this was certainly not evenly distributed and the calculation postdated deaths from smallpox. From archaeological and anthropological evidence, aquatic fauna and flora would have constituted between about 30% and 100% of the diets of Indigenous people historically, depending on season and location. As such, Indigenous people were very much a part of the ecology of aquatic ecosystems and their effects may have been profound. Despite this, their role in influencing these ecosystems has largely been ignored by contemporary freshwater ecologists and managers. Current management practices do not seem to have considered the loss of this component of riverine ecosystems, and there is little debate about how the historical part that Indigenous people played in shaping these systems and their biota might be incorporated into management generally.
Greenland Ice Evidence of Hemispheric Lead Pollution Two Millennia Ago by Greek and Roman Civilizations

Analysis of the Greenland ice core covering the period from 3000 to 500 years ago—the Greek, Roman, Medieval and Renaissance times—shows that lead is present at concentrations four times as great as natural values from about 2500 to 1700 years ago (500 B.C. to 300 A.D.). These results show that Greek and Roman lead and silver mining and smelting activities polluted the middle troposphere of the Northern Hemisphere on a hemispheric scale two millennia ago, long before the Industrial Revolution. Cumulative lead fallout to the Greenland Ice Sheet during these eight centuries was as high as 15 percent of that caused by the massive use of lead alkyl additives in gasoline since the 1930s. Pronounced lead pollution is also observed during Medieval and Renaissance times.
BOLD response during spatial working memory in youth with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure.

BACKGROUND Prenatal alcohol exposure has been consistently linked to neurocognitive deficits and structural brain abnormalities in affected individuals. Structural brain abnormalities observed in regions supporting spatial working memory (SWM) may contribute to observed deficits in visuospatial functioning in youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). METHODS We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response in alcohol-exposed individuals during a SWM task. There were 22 young subjects (aged 10-18 years) with documented histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure (ALC, n = 10), and age- and sex-matched controls (CON, n = 12). Subjects performed a SWM task during fMRI that alternated between 2-back location matching (SWM) and simple attention (vigilance) conditions. RESULTS Groups did not differ on task accuracy or reaction time to the SWM condition, although CON subjects had faster reaction times during the vigilance condition (617 millisecond vs. 684 millisecond, p = 0.03). Both groups showed similar overall patterns of activation to the SWM condition in expected regions encompassing bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal lobes and parietal areas. However, ALC subjects showed greater BOLD response to the demands of the SWM relative to the vigilance condition in frontal, insular, superior, and middle temporal, occipital, and subcortical regions. CON youth evidenced less increased brain activation to the SWM relative to the vigilance task in these areas (p < 0.05, clusters > 1,664 microl). These differences remained significant after including Full Scale IQ as a covariate. Similar qualitative results were obtained after subjects taking stimulant medication were excluded from the analysis. CONCLUSIONS In the context of equivalent performance to a SWM task, the current results suggest that widespread increases in BOLD response in youth with FASDs could either indicate decreased efficiency of relevant brain networks, or serve as a compensatory mechanism for deficiency at neural and/or cognitive levels. In context of existing fMRI evidence of heightened prefrontal activation in response to verbal working memory and inhibition demands, the present findings may indicate that frontal structures are taxed to a greater degree during cognitive demands in individuals with FASDs.
CORRELATION OF CERVICAL AUSCULTATION WITH PHYSIOLOGICAL RECORDING DURING SUCKLE‐FEEDING. IN NEWBORN INFANTS

Pharyngeal swallows during infant suckle‐feeding are associated with a characteristic sequence of sounds audible by stethoscope or by an accelerometer or microphone held over the larynx. In rhythmically feeding term‐born neonates, the delineating acoustic elements are discrete sounds which precede and succeed pharyngeal swallows. Digital signal processing shows similarities in morphological detail between the discrete sounds preceding swallows and between those succeeding swallows; those succeeding swallows are more variable in temporal relation to swallows, amplitude and morphological detail. Variations in the pattern of interswallow respiration, including apnea, are correlated with variations in the discrete sounds. Specification of physiological correlates of these internal feeding sounds increases the utility of cervical auscultation as a method of investigation and of clinical observation of feeding.
Equivalent radius of dipole-patch nanoantennas with parasitic nanoparticle at THz band

Recent developments in nano-technology have jumped from well established radiowave concept and analogy. Many designs have been proposed to investigate the capabilities of this high frequency regime. In this article, the dipole-patch nanoantenna has been designed based on effective wavelength scaling and equivalent radius concept. The square cross-sectional dimension has been adapted from circular radius equivalent geometry. The concept that has been used could be a prime knowledge for designing more complex patch nanoantennas structures. In addition, the nanoantennas have a unique interest because of its capability in focusing light into a small gap region and it can be tuned at various frequency bands. Due to this, a parasitic nanoparticle is introduced at the center of the feed gap to provide a double gap region. This has enabled the field radiation to increase by approximately 22%. The enhancement factor of the field radiation will increase the efficiency of energy collector and light-emitting applications.
Relationship between minimal residual disease and outcome in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

In children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the level of minimal residual disease (MRD) at the end of induction strongly predicts outcome, presumably because it measures both drug sensitivity and the number of leukemic cells requiring elimination. Children with high levels (> 10(-3) leukemic cells per marrow cell) nearly always relapse, whereas those with low levels (<2 x 10(-5)) seldom do. However, the importance of MRD in adult ALL is unclear. We studied 27 patients aged 14 to 74 who were treated with a standard protocol and who attained morphological remission. MRD in the marrow at first remission was quantified by using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), with the rearranged immunoglobulin heavy chain gene as a molecular marker. Levels of MRD varied from 3 x 10(-1) to <7 x 10(-7). The probability of long-term relapse-free survival was significantly related to the level of MRD and only one of nine patients with MRD >10(-3) did not relapse. For patients who did relapse, there was an inverse relationship between MRD level and the length of remission. Overall, MRD in adults in whom a translocation had not been identified was significantly higher than in comparably-treated children, suggesting that ALL in adults is more drug-resistant than in children.
The Effect of Atorvastatin on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Bromocriptine-Treated Premenopausal Women with Isolated Hypercholesterolemia.

AIMS Hyperprolactinemia is often associated with hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, atherogenic dyslipidemia, and subclinical atherosclerosis. Dopamine agonists were found to reduce the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and cardiometabolic risk. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of statin therapy on cardiovascular risk factors between patients treated with a dopamine agonist and patients treated with metformin. METHODS The study included two age-, weight-, lipid-, and prolactin level-matched groups of premenopausal women with hypecholesterolemia and a history of hyperprolactinemia: patients treated with bromocriptine (5.0-7.5 mg daily, n = 14) and subjects receiving metformin (1.7-2.55 g daily, n = 17). Plasma prolactin, lipids, glucose homeostasis markers, and plasma levels of cardiometabolic risk factors were assessed before and after 12 weeks of atorvastatin treatment. RESULTS Baseline levels of the investigated variables were similar in women treated with bromocriptine and metformin. Apart from lowering total and LDL cholesterol, atorvastatin decreased plasma levels of uric acid, hsCRP, homocysteine, and fibrinogen, with no difference between treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS The obtained results suggest that the effect of atorvastatin on plasma lipids and circulating levels of cardiometabolic risk factors does not differ between patients receiving bromocriptine and metformin. Bromocriptine-statin combination therapy may be an alternative to metformin-statin combination therapy in hypercholesterolemic patients with glucose metabolism abnormalities in whom metformin administration is either contraindicated or results in adverse effects.
Rapid Screening for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Novel Method and Comparison With Established Others

Purpose: The authors have observed that in healthy people, the Ulnar wrist-to-first dorsal interosseous distal motor latency does not differ significantly compared with median wrist-to-abductor pollicis brevis distal motor latency. The aim of our study was to investigate whether the difference between these two latencies can be used as a screening tool for diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome and how this technique compares with other established techniques. Methods: The study was set up as a prospective observational study. As gold standard for the clinical diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome, the authors used the opinion of two neurologists who independently examined the patients. A third neurologist, also independently, performed the electrophysiological study. Results: Eighty-four subjects, 42 patients and 42 age- and sex-matched controls, participated in the study. Among all subjects using a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the area under the curve was 0.924 (95% CI, 0.857–0.991; SE, 0.034; P < 0.001). To detect carpal tunnel syndrome, at a cutoff score of equal to or greater than 0.575 milliseconds, our technique showed a sensitivity of 91%, a specificity of 93%, a positive predictive value of 93%, and a negative predictive value of 91%. Compared with other “classical” techniques, our technique showed better area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and better Youden index. Conclusions: The median wrist-to-abductor pollicis brevis motor latency minus ulnar wrist-to-first dorsal interosseous motor latency may be used as a novel rapid screening tool of patients suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome.
Healthy Birth after Use of Sperm from a Male Who Suffered from Copper Toxicity

We report the birth a healthy baby after use of sperm from a male who suffered from copper toxicity due to prolonged occupational exposure to copper dust. The male had been working as plumber for many years. Copper dust inhalation had been occurring very often. Two years ago, the male partner was diagnosed with copper toxicity. After proper treatment of copper toxicity, the couple tried one ICSI cycle elsewhere but failed. At our clinic, the semen evaluation revealed very rare motile sperm. One sample was cryopreserved for ICSI back up. Due to extremely poor acrosome morphology, the oocytes were artificially activated with calcium ionophore. Twentyone oocytes were injected; sixteen showed normal fertilization. The embryo transfer was performed on day five, which resulted in a clinical pregnancy. At six-week ultrasound, one fetal sac and heartbeat were detected. A healthy baby boy was delivered after 36 weeks gestation. The results of this study indicate that pregnancy and healthy birth are possible in a couple when the young male partner has suffered from copper toxicity and has severely compromised sperm quality.
Posturography as an indicator of fatigue due to sleep deprivation.

BACKGROUND Fatigue is one of the main causes for accidents in transportation. This study was designed to assess the efficacy of a short objective posturographic test as an indicator of fatigue due to sleep deprivation. OBJECTIVES To assess the efficiency of a short objective posturographic test as an indicator of fatigue due to sleep deprivation. METHODS Postural control was measured using four-plate posturograhy with eyes open and eyes closed. Over a period of 26 h of sleep deprivation (from 08:00 to 10:00 the following day) 12 subjects were studied 10 times. The posturographic data were correlated with a subjective fatigue assessed by means of the Stanford Sleepiness Score. RESULTS Stability and sway intensity while eyes were closed showed a statistically significant circadian pattern with a peak at early morning hours and a recovery at 10:00 the following day. When eyes were open, only changes within the medium-low frequency band (0.1-0.05 Hz), believed to be linked with vestibular function, reached statistical significance. The Subjective Feeling Scale pattern was similar to the postural parameters, but with an absence of recovery at 10:00 the following day. Excluding this point, significant correlations were found between posturography with eyes closed and this scale. CONCLUSIONS Fatigue caused by sleep deprivation can be objectively assessed by a short, non-invasive, postural test. The vestibular function appears to be relatively more strongly affected by fatigue than the visual and somato-sensory sub-systems. Occlusion of vision appears to enhance the effect of fatigue on postural performance. Our results may imply that this test could be used as an efficient screening tool for detection of fatigue.
Articular Cartilage Restoration With Costal Cartilage Previously Fused With Bone

A novel procedure was developed for restoration of an articular cartilage defect using an autologous costal cartilage prepared with iliac bone, and the durability in vivo of this biologic construct was examined. First, an osteochondral complex was prepared (successful preparation, 67 of 80). Cancellous bone blocks isolated from the ilium of male Japanese White rabbits aged 5 months were implanted onto the surface of the costal cartilage before being tied by a pair of 3–0 silk thread sutures that were looped around the costal cartilage from behind. Second, 3 months later, the bone-attached costal cartilage was harvested and implanted into a full-thickness cartilage defect induced in a trochlear groove of the femur. All of the grafts were fixed to the recipient, maintaining its cartilage structure until 6 months (n = 28) and 12 months (n = 12) after implantation. However, when the costal cartilage without any bony portion was implanted into a similarly induced defect, 42% (10 of 24) were detached from the recipient before 12 months after implantation. The nontreated defect did not heal spontaneously to a satisfactory level (n = 12). These findings suggest that an osteochondral fragment, prepared by grafting cancellous bone onto costal cartilage, can be used for articular cartilage restoration.
Levcromakalim may induce a voltage‐independent K‐current in rat portal veins by modifying the gating properties of the delayed rectifier

1 Smooth muscle cells of the rat portal vein were dispersed by enzymatic treatment and recordings of whole‐cell currents under calcium‐free conditions were made by the voltage‐clamp technique. The effects of the potassium (K)‐channel opener, levcromakalim, on K‐currents were compared with those of agents which modify protein phosphorylation. 2 Levcromakalim (1–10 μm) added to the extracellular (bath) fluid caused the development of a non‐inactivating current (IK(ATP)) and simultaneously inhibited the delayed rectifier current (IK(V)) in a concentration‐dependent manner. On prolonged exposure to levcromakalim (10 μm), IK(ATP) declined and IK(V) was further diminished. 3 Addition to the pipette (intracellular) solution of the selective inhibitor of protein kinase C, calphostin C, itself had no effect on K‐currents and did not modify the induction of IK(ATP) or the simultaneous inhibition of IK(V) produced by 1 μm levcromakalim. 4 Addition of the protein kinase inhibitor (PKI(6–22)amide, 1 μm) to the pipette solution caused the production of a glibenclamide‐sensitive, non‐inactivating current and inhibited IK(V). 5 In an assay system, levcromakalim (10 μm) did not inhibit the activity of purified protein kinase A (Type 1 or Type 2). 6 Addition to the pipette solution of the phosphatase inhibitor, okadaic acid (1 μm), did not itself modify K‐currents and had little effect on the simultaneous induction of IK(ATP) and inhibition of IK(V) by levcromakalim (1 μm). 7 When the pipette solution contained 1 mm MgATP (but was depleted of substrates for ATP production), a non‐inactivating, glibenclamide‐sensitive K‐current developed spontaneously in 5 out of 11 cells with the simultaneous reduction of IK(V). In 3 of the 6 remaining cells, addition of the dephosphorylating agent, butanedione monoxime (5 mm) to the bath inhibited IK(V) and stimulated a glibenclamide‐sensitive non‐inactivating current. 8 Depletion of intracellular Mg2+ slightly enhanced IK(V). Under these conditions, levcromakalim (1 μm and 10 μm) did not significantly induce IK(ATP) or inhibit IK(v). 9 It is concluded that the effects of levcromakalim on K‐currents can be mimicked by procedures designed to reduce channel phosphorylation. The results are consistent with the view that levcromakalim dephosphorylates the delayed rectifier channel, Kv, which becomes converted into a voltage‐independent, non‐inactivating form known as KATP. The possible mechanisms which underlie this interconversion are discussed.
Reliability polynomials crossing more than twice

In this paper we study all-terminal reliability polynomials of networks having the same number of nodes and the same number of links. First we show that the smallest possible size for a pair of networks that allows for two crossings of their reliability polynomials have seven nodes and fifteen edges. Then we propose a construction of pairs of graphs whose reliability polynomials exhibit an arbitrary number of crossings. The construction does not depend on multigraphs. We also give concrete examples of pairs of graphs whose reliability polynomials have three, four and five crossings, respectively, and provide the first example of a graph with more than one point of inflection in (0,1).
Paediatric and geriatric drug delivery

Age-adapted drug formulations are a challenge in drug development. This paper describes the special requirements of paediatric and geriatric patients, and new ideas to solve the most prominent problems in the application of drugs to these patients. Most requirements are very similar in each subpopulation, but there are also some particularities. In neonates and infants, the immaturity of enzymes may determine the pharmacokinetics of the excipients, which must be carefully selected. Pharmacokinetics in the elderly are strongly influenced by co-morbidity, multiple-drug use or reduced organ functions. The drug handling and the readability of the product information are key issues in both subpopulations. Children and the elderly show difficulties in swallowing solid dosage forms for oral use. In both patient groups, small sized particulates or liquid dosage forms are superior to classic tablets or capsules. The main problem with using liquids is the palatability of the solution, especially when considering that taste sensation differs age-dependently and interindividually. Recent technological developments such as the dose sipping technology, promise improvements. The new EU legislation for the development of new paediatric drugs may also stimulate the research into drug delivery for the elderly.
The Sociomaterialty of Information Systems: Current Status, Future Directions

Our motivation for putting together this special issue on “Sociomateriality of Information Systems and Organizing” was the mounting interest in the relationship between the social and the material, in the context of our increasingly digital society. The attention to this relationship is manifested in the emergence of studies of technology intended to augment and complement, but also and importantly, to question the received views on technology in social life (see Carlile et al. 2013a; Leonardi et al. 2012; Suchman, 2007).