Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patients with Moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis: One Year after the European Medicines Agency Recommendation of Efalizumab Suspension

Background: In February 19, 2009, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) had recommended the suspension of the marketing authorization for efalizumab after the occurrence of cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. Objective: To explore the efficacy of alternative therapies for psoriasis and the health status of patients who discontinued efalizumab. Methods: An observational study was performed on 101 patients. After the EMA communication, efalizumab was discontinued in the following 2–3 months. In agreement with the patients, we decided to either prescribe other treatments or none at all. Results: After 1 year, 11 patients are still not treated, 63 patients are treated with biologics, and 9 patients are treated with systemic conventional therapies. Conclusion: In order to prevent rebound or relapse, various approaches are available, including cyclosporine, methotrexate and biologic therapies. Interestingly, in 11 out of 31 patients who did not receive any systemic drug, psoriasis is still under control, suggesting a long-term effect of efalizumab.
A noninvasive method for distinguishing among canid species: amplification and enzyme restriction of DNA from dung

Endangered San Joaquin kit foxes Vulpes macrotis mutica can be sympatrically distributed with as many as four other canids: red fox, gray fox, coyote and domestic dog. Canid scats are often found during routine fieldwork, but cannot be reliably identified to species. To detect and study the endangered kit fox, we developed mitochondrial DNA markers that can be amplified from small amounts of DNA extracted from scats. We amplified a 412‐bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome‐b gene from scat samples and digested it with three restriction enzymes. The resulting restriction profiles discriminated among all five canid species and correctly identified 10 ‘unknown’ fox scats to species in blind tests. We have applied our technique to identify canids species for an environmental management study and a conservation study. We envision that our protocol, and similar ones developed for other endangered species will be greatly used for conservation management in the future.
Nemaline myopathy: current concepts. The ENMC International Consortium and Nemaline Myopathy.

*ENMC International Consortium on Nemaline Myopathy: Dr Anthony Akkari, USA; Prof Richard Barohn, USA; Prof Peter Barth, The Netherlands; Dr Alan Beggs, USA; Prof Albert de la Chapelle, Finland; Prof Marianne de Visser, The Netherlands; Prof Victor Dubowitz, UK; Dr Marc Fiszman, France; Prof Hans Goebel, Germany; Prof Susan lannaccone, USA; Dr Bharat Jasani, UK; Dr Siegfried Labeit, Germany; Dr Nigel Laing, Australia; Dr Martin Lammens, Belgium; Dr Carmen Navarro, Spain; Dr Geoffrey Newman, UK; Dr Kathryn North, Australia; Dr Katrina Pelin, Finland; Dr Norma Romero, France; Dr Caroline Sewry, UK; Dr Avril Sloane, Canada; Dr Carina Wallgren-Pettersson, Finland. Definition Nemaline (rod) myopathy, first described in 1963 by Shy et al' and Conen et al,' is assigned to the group of congenital myopathies. These muscle disorders are defined on the basis of structural abnormalities of the muscle fibres, visible after staining of muscle biopsy sections with histochemical methods. The histological definition of nemaline myopathy is based on the presence of threador rod-like bodies, the nemaline (rod) bodies in the muscle fibres of patients. (7Med Genet 1997;34:705-713)
A INFLUÊNCIA DA CULTURA ORGANIZACIONAL NOS PROCESSOS DE RECRUTAMENTO, SELEÇÃO E SOCIALIZAÇÃO: UM ESTUDO DE CASO DE UMA EMPRESA DO SETOR DE HOTELARIA DE MINAS GERAIS

O objetivo geral da presente pesquisa foi analisar a influencia da cultura organizacional nas praticas de gestao de pessoas em uma organizacao hoteleira de grande porte, localizada em Belo Horizonte, pertencente ao Grupo Accor. A pesquisa realizada caracteriza-se como qualitativo-descritiva e o meio de investigacao utilizado foi o estudo de caso. Sete sujeitos de pesquisa foram escolhidos, intencionalmente, e as entrevistas foram analisadas por meio da tecnica de analise de conteudo do tipo categorial tematica. Os principais tracos da cultura que balizam a atuacao das unidades hoteleiras estao ancorados nos valores emanados do Grupo, e tratam de respeito, confianca, inovacao, espirito de conquista e performance. A pesquisa deixou claro que ha uma forte influencia da cultura do Grupo Accor sobre as praticas de gestao de pessoas e, ainda, que as esferas de atuacao dos colaboradores e gestores sao amplamente controladas. Palavras-chave: Cultura Organizacional – Recursos Humanos – Hotelaria.
Using Phenotypic Expression in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Childhood Obesity

Four phenotypes categorize patients participating in the Wellness Improvement Initiative program. I. Immediate BMI (Body Mass Index) Reducers expressed a readiness for change and immediately followed through with the nutrition and exercise portions of the program. II. Roadblocked BMI Reducers had physical issues that were uncontrolled, poorly controlled or undiagnosed. III. Psychological BMI Flat-liners had behavioral health issues, including depression and anxiety. IV. Roadblocked with Psychological Problems BMI Reducers experienced physical, psychological and social challenges. A systematic method of discovery, including these phenotypes, was used to individualize treatment. The greatest BMI reduction occurred with compliant participants in phenotypes I and II. The least successful participants faced a range of physical, psychological and social problems that likely affected compliance and certainly hampered weight control efforts.
Severely impaired production performance in broiler flocks with high incidence of Clostridium perfringens-associated hepatitis

Historical meat inspection data and production performance data collected from a large poultry processing plant in Norway were used to study the association between Clostridium perfringens infection and production performance in commercial broiler flocks. The study period was limited to the first 2.5 years after withdrawal of the in-feed antibiotic avoparcin, when necrotic enteritis was frequently seen. High levels of C. perfringens-associated hepatitis at slaughter were used as an indicator of C.perfringens infection. The contribution margins were 25 to 43% lower from flocks with high levels of C. perfringens-associated hepatitis than those with low levels. Impaired feed conversion ratio and reduced bodyweight at slaughter were major causes of the losses, while condemnations per se contributed to one-fifth of the losses in profit. Incidence of liver lesions showed remarkable variation throughout the study period, and there was considerable difference in frequency of liver lesions between farms.
Distribution of cardiac output during diurnal changes of activity in rats.

Rat locomotor and feeding behavior varies on a diurnal basis; at night the animals actively forage and eat, whereas during the day they are more inactive and somnolent. At night, cardiac output is higher, presumably for enhanced perfusion of the active muscles to support increased metabolism and for enhanced perfusion of the digestive organs to support increased digestion and nutrient absorption. Conversely, it is hypothesized that during the daytime, blood flow to these two tissues is relatively low. The purpose of this study was to test these hypotheses by measuring cardiac output and the distribution of cardiac output in rats at various times in the diurnal cycle (8:00 A.M., 4:00 P.M., and 8:00 P.M.). The radiolabeled microsphere technique was used to measure cardiac output and distribution of blood flow to the tissues. Distribution of the total cardiac output was accounted for by complete dissection, weighing, and counting of organs and carcass. Cardiac output at 8:00 P.M. (136 +/- 9 ml/min) was elevated 13% (P less than 0.05) over that at 4:00 P.M. The proportion of the cardiac output distributed to the skeletal muscles (4:00 P.M.: 25%; 8:00 P.M.: 27%) and to the digestive tract (4:00 P.M.: 14%; 8:00 P.M.: 14%) did not change between the two time periods. Thus total muscle blood flow increased (P less than 0.05) from 31 +/- 2 at 4:00 P.M. to 36 +/- 4 ml/min at 8:00 P.M. ; the only digestive organ to show a significant increase in blood flow from 4:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. was the stomach (133 +/- 17 to 166 +/- 19 ml/min, respectively). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A new algorithm for pedestrian detection

This article puts forward a novel framework for pedestrian detection tasks, which proposing a model with both sparse reconstruction and class discrimination components, jointly optimized during dictionary learning. We present an efficient pedestrian detection system using mixing sparse features of HOG, FOG and CSS to combine into a Kernel classifier. Results presented on our data set show competitive accuracy and robust performance of our system outperforms current state-of-the-art work.
Seasonality, timing, and climate drivers of influenza activity worldwide.

BACKGROUND Although influenza is a vaccine-preventable disease that annually causes substantial disease burden, data on virus activity in tropical countries are limited. We analyzed publicly available influenza data to better understand the global circulation of influenza viruses. METHOD We reviewed open-source, laboratory-confirmed influenza surveillance data. For each country, we abstracted data on the percentage of samples testing positive for influenza each epidemiologic week from the annual number of samples testing positive for influenza. The start of influenza season was defined as the first week when the proportion of samples that tested positive remained above the annual mean. We assessed the relationship between percentage of samples testing positive and mean monthly temperature with use of regression models. FINDINGS We identified data on laboratory-confirmed influenza virus infection from 85 countries. More than one influenza epidemic period per year was more common in tropical countries (41%) than in temperate countries (15%). Year-round activity (ie, influenza virus identified each week having ≥ 10 specimens submitted) occurred in 3 (7%) of 43 temperate, 1 (17%) of 6 subtropical, and 11 (37%) of 30 tropical countries with available data (P = .006). Percentage positivity was associated with low temperature (P = .001). INTERPRETATION Annual influenza epidemics occur in consistent temporal patterns depending on climate.
Preventing Loss of Basic Activities of Daily Living and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living in Elderly: Identification of Individual Risk Factors in a Holistic Perspective

This study investigated the association between physical functioning and activities of daily living (ADL) of elderly people, taking into account the role of cognitive, psychological, and social factors. We administered physical, cognitive, psychological, and social instruments to investigate the level of basic and instrumental activities of daily living (BADL and IADL). The analysis showed that physical functioning was the only individual factor that was significantly linked with the level of BADL and IADL. This study underlines that physical functioning is the main individual characteristic directly associated with the level of BADL and IADL in old age.
Studies on mescaline. VIII. Psychodynamic observations.

Psychodynamic observations made during the mescaline-induced state in 124 patients are reviewed. Mescaline produces a "state of being" in which the clinical spectrum can range from sleep to rage and from normalcy to thoroughly disorganized mental states. Anxiety is considered the background upon which the mescaline experience evolves. One may consider the mescaline-induced state under three headings: 1. Hostility-aggression, 2. Sexuality, and 3. The transference. Various recurring symbolic gestures were noted, and many were frequently of a sexual nature. The primary role of anxiety is reviewed and some theoretical concepts presented. Much further work remains to be done.
Effects of exhaustive exercise on the sleep of men and women.

The effects of exhaustive exercise on sleep were examined in 5 women and 4 men who performed an acute bout of submaximal exercise (50–70% Vo2max) to the point of volitional exhaustion. Significant changes were observed in the quantity and temporal distribution of slow-wave sleep (SWS) on the exercise night. The duration of SWS prior to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep onset increased markedly, along with a moderate increase in stage 4 and total SWS. REM sleep variables were affected in the early portion of the night, with an increased latency to first REM onset and a decrease in the duration of the first REM period. Initial REM cycle length (from first to second REM period onset) decreased as well. The magnitude of the SWS increase prior to REM onset was sex-related, averaging 24 min for women and 5.7 min for men. A correlation of . 85 was observed between this increase and total caloric expenditure during exercise for the women. Cardiovascular measures indicated significant elevations of heart rate and cardiac output during sleep on the exercise night. Analysis of urine samples revealed a significant drop in nocturnal cortisol excretion rates after exercise. The results suggest that exhaustive exercise affects sleep primarily in the early portion of the night, inducing an increase in SWS pressure at the expense of REM sleep.
Accurate segmentation of digitized dental X-ray records

Recent disasters have emphasized the significance of automated dental identification systems. Statistics show that 20% of the 9/11 victims, identified in the first year, were manually identified using dental records. Moreover, 75% of Tsunami victims in Thailand were similarly identified using dental records, compared to 0.5% identified using DNA. This paper addresses the first important problem of an Automated Dental Identification System (ADIS). This system matches image features extracted from multiple dental radiographic records. Dental radiograph record of an individual usually consists of radiographic films. It is an essential step to accurately segment these films from their constituent dental records in order to extract the dental features and achieve high level of automated postmortem identification. In this paper, we propose an automated approach to the problem of segmenting films from their dental records. Challenges include the variability in the background of the dental records including its gray intensity and texture, and variation in the number of films and their dimensions. Our three-stage approach is based on concepts of thresholding, connectivity, and mathematical morphology. We show by experimental evidence that our approach achieves 92% accuracy compared to 74% using previous work suggested in the literature.
The Analysis about UWB's EMI Cause to UAV System Based on Matlab/Simulink

To research the systems' EMC problem between UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) and UWB (ultra wide band) is very important and practical to multi-communication-system corporate working. This paper chooses a wireless channel model to research the EMI problem between UAV and UWB systems, which based on Matlab/Simulink. And it gives the simulation experimental analytical results
Resilient application layer signaling based on supervised Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks

This thesis investigates the benefits of supervised Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks for resilient application layer signaling, specifically for Voice over IP (VoIP) session setup. An analysis is provided on how a supervisor in a P2P network can optimize the operation of the P2P network, notably security, load balancing and routing. A supervised P2P network can be considered as a solution between server-based and pure P2P-based signaling solutions leading to improved resilience. A reliability analysis of the supervised P2P network is provided based on reliability theory and traces from the Skype network. Storing user contact data in a P2P network raises also severe privacy issues. Thus, concepts and experiences learned from anonymization networks such as Tor and I2P are adjusted to build a privacy preserving P2P signaling protocol for VoIP.
A programmable multiple-sequence generator for BIST applications

In this paper, a programmable multiple-sequence generation scheme, which is constructed from a two-dimension-like feedback shift register structure, to generate a set of deterministic sequence of vectors followed by pseudo-random vectors is presented. A sequence segmentation method is employed to handle a long sequence of vectors. The proposed scheme has a regular structure, and the sequences so generated are more efficient in detecting faults for sequential circuit testing, stuck-open fault testing and delay fault testing. Hence, it is very suitable for the BIST application for MCM testing.
The cholesteryl ester transfer protein I405V polymorphism is associated with increased high-density lipoprotein levels and decreased risk of myocardial infarction: the Rotterdam Study

Background and design The effect of the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) I405V polymorphism on lipid levels, atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction (MI) was examined in 6421 participants from the Rotterdam Study. Methods Quantitative outcomes were studied with linear models; Cox models were used to assess MI risk. Results High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) increased by 0.06 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.03, 0.09] mmol/l in VV carriers. The V allele was further associated with decreased MI risk in men [hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) = 0.57 (0.45, 0.73), VV versus II] (P trend = 0.02). Conclusion This study provides additional evidence for the association of CETP with HDL levels and suggests that CETP is an atherogenic protein increasing the risk of MI.
[The clinical significance of detection of urinary ceruloplasmin in type 2 diabetes].

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical significance of detection of urinary ceruloplasmin (Cp) in type 2 diabetes. METHODS To measure albumin/creatinine(Alb/Cr) and Cp/Cr in morning urinary specimens, from 134 normal controls and 3 960 diabetes, with RIA and ELISA separately. RESULTS (1) The range of urinary Cp/Cr for normal controls was 0.01 - 1.12 ng/mmol, median 0.36 ng/mmol. Cp/Cr > 0.924 ng/mmol was considered as abnormal, and there was no significant difference between males and females, as well as among subjects of different age. (2) The sensitivity and specificity of Cp/Cr were 90% and 66% respectively with Alb/Cr > 2.5 mg/mmol as a golden standard for diabetic nephropathy, and Kappa value 0.48. Urinary Cp/Cr correlated well with Alb/Cr. (3)After sub-maximal exercise, Cp/Cr elevated markedly with no significant change of Alb/Cr. CONCLUSION Urinary Cp/Cr could be considered as a marker of diabetic nephropathy and might be more sensitive than Alb/Cr.
Use of Aripiprazole in treatment resistant schizophrenia

For various reasons large numbers of patients treated with Clozapine end up discontinuing the treatment. The authors present the results of switching to Aripiprazole in patients who had to discontinue Clozapine because of neutropenia below the acceptable level for treatment with Clozapine. To summarize and present three cases of individuals with treatment resistant schizophrenia based on the ICD-10 diagnosti criteria. In all cases Clozapine was discontinued and treatment changed to Aripiprazole. Favorable clinical results were noticed in all three patients. The findings from this case series suggest that there is scope for a trial of Aripiprazole for patients with treatment resistant schizophrenia and an invitation for further research of this area.
Ecology of Tropical Dry Forest

widespread, usually transitional between semidesert or savanna and moist forest. About 40% of the earth's tropical and subtropical landmass is dominated by open or closed forest. Of this, 42% is dry forest, 33% is moist forest, and only 25% is wet and rain forest (sensu Holdridge, 42; 15). We will never know the true original or potential extent of dry forest because many savannas and scrub or thorn woodlands are thought to be derived from disturbed dry forest. Walter (110), for example, considers most or all of the grassland in India to have been derived from seasonal or dry forest. Some of the processes that cause this conversion are addressed later in this review. The largest proportion of dry forest ecosystems is in Africa and the world's tropical islands, where they account for 70-80% of the forested area. In South America they
Pattern and Polarization Diversity Antenna With High Isolation for Portable Wireless Devices

A compact two-element antenna with both pattern and polarization diversities and high isolation for 2.4 GHz WLAN application is reported. The antenna is composed of a low-profile monopole and a pair of inverted-L antennas fed by 180deg out-of-phase excitations. A prototype is fabricated and the measured S-parameters and radiation patterns are presented. The measured isolation is better than 29 dB across the required bandwidth. The envelope correlation coefficient, the mean effective gains and the diversity gain are calculated to evaluate the diversity potential of the proposed antenna.
Plasma levels and zymographic activities of matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 in type II diabetics with peripheral arterial disease

Deregulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is an important factor contributing to the development of vascular lesions. Plasma levels and zymographic activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were investigated in type II diabetics with (n = 51) or without (n = 42) peripheral artery disease (PAD) and in normal volunteers (n = 23). Plasma MMP-2 levels were higher in type II diabetics with (p < 0.01) or without (p < 0.05) PAD in comparison with normal volunteers. Similarly, type II diabetics with (p < 0.0001) or without (p > 0.05) PAD had higher plasma MMP-9 levels than normal volunteers. Plasma zymographic activities of both MMP-2 and MMP-9 were positively correlated with their plasma levels. Plasma MMP-2 zymographic activity was higher in type II diabetics with PAD than type II diabetics without PAD (p > 0.05). Plasma MMP-9 zymographic activity was higher in type II diabetics with (p < 0.0001) or without (p < 0.0001) PAD in comparision with normal volunteers. Together, these results indicate that increased plasma levels and zymographic activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 may contribute to PAD in type II diabetics. In particular, plasma MMP-9 may be a useful marker for the development of vascular disease in type II diabetics.