Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative study of two evaluation methods on radiographic bone loss at the mandibular canines and incisors.

The approximal bone loss of the mandibular canines and incisors was scored with two different units of measurement on 30 sets of standardized paralleling radiographs: 1) with absolute values ("true" millimeter) unrelated to casual variables and 2) with relative values (i.e. percentage of the root length). Absolute bone loss scores revealed that the space between the canines and the lateral incisors of the present material seemed to be more susceptible to bone loss than the spaces between the incisors, with a tendency towards the mesial bone loss of the canines being still greater than the distal bone loss of the laterals. There was a high degree of correspondence between absolute bone loss scores at different teeth and corresponding gingival pocket depths of a previous analysis by the present authors. Relative bone loss scores led to divergent and partly direct-opposite results compared with the absolute scores. The correspondence between percentage bone loss scores and gingival pocket depths at corresponding tooth surfaces was poor. When investigating the susceptibility of different teeth to periodontal breakdown it seems as if bone loss should be expressed in absolute values in the same way as are gingival pocket depths and loss of attachment. If a common standard is being used the results of different investigations may be compared. However, when studying the inception and advancement of the disease at the same tooth over a period of time, or when evaluating the remaining bone support the percentage bone loss method may be of clinical importance.
Dermatitis under Soccer Shin Guards: Allergy or Contact Irritant Reaction?

Abstract: We report a retrospective analysis of eight children aged 9 to 16 years who were evaluated for a persistent or recurrent dermatitis that appeared under soccer shin guards. To examine the possibility of contact allergy, all had 51 standard epicutaneous (patch) tests applied and three or four additional tests comprised of pieces of the shin guard components. Tests were read at 48 and 120 hours and all were negative in each subject. Irritant contact dermatitis, not allergy, was the cause of dermatitis in these subjects. It was postulated that sweating and friction contributed to the irritancy.
Interstimulus jitter facilitates response control in children with ADHD

Abstract Interstimulus “jitter” involves randomization of intervals between successive stimulus events, and can facilitate performance on go/no-go tests among healthy adults, though its effect in clinical populations is unclear. Children with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) commonly exhibit deficient response control, leading to increased intra-subject variability (ISV), which has been linked to anomalous functioning within frontal circuits, as well as their interaction with posterior “default mode” regions. We examined effects of interstimulus jitter on response variability in 39 children, ages 9–14 years (25 ADHD, 14 controls). Participants completed 2 computerized go/no-go tests: one with fixed interstimulus interval (ISI) and one with jittered ISI. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a significant group–by test interaction, such that introduction of jitter produced a significant decrease in ISV among children with ADHD, but not among controls. Whereas children with ADHD were significantly more variable than controls on the go/no-go test with fixed ISI, their performance with jittered ISI was equivalent to that of controls. Jittering stimulus presentation provides a nonpharmacologic mechanism for improving response control in ADHD. This bottom-up approach may be mediated by increases in vigilance through noradrenergic circuits that facilitate maintenance of frontal circuits critical to response control. (JINS, 2010, 16, 388–393.)
Thymoquinone treatment for inner-ear acoustic trauma in rats

Abstract Objective: To investigate whether thymoquinone has any eliminative effects against inner-ear damage caused by acoustic trauma. Methods: Thirty-two male rats were divided into four groups. Group 1 was only exposed to acoustic trauma. Group 2 was given thymoquinone 24 hours before acoustic trauma and continued to receive it for 10 days after the trauma. Group 3 was only treated with thymoquinone, for 10 days. Group 4, the control group, suffered no trauma and received saline instead of thymoquinone. Groups 1 and 2 were exposed to acoustic trauma using 105 dB SPL white noise for 4 hours. Results: There was a significant decrease in distortion product otoacoustic emission values and an increase in auditory brainstem response thresholds in group 1 on days 1, 5 and 10, compared with baseline measurements. In group 2, a decrease in distortion product otoacoustic emission values and an increase in auditory brainstem response threshold were observed on day 1 after acoustic trauma, but measurements were comparable to baseline values on days 5 and 10. In group 3, thymoquinone had no detrimental effects on hearing. Similarly, the control group showed stable results. Conclusion: Thymoquinone was demonstrated to be a reparative rather than preventive treatment that could be used to relieve acoustic trauma.
The dose–response relation for rat spinal cord paralysis analyzed in terms of the effective size of the functional subunit

Radiobiological models for estimating normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) are increasingly used in order to quantify or optimize the clinical outcome of radiation therapy. A good NTCP model should fulfill at least the following two requirements: (a) it should predict the sigmoid shape of the corresponding dose–response curve and (b) it should accurately describe the probability of a specified response for arbitrary non-uniform dose delivery for a given endpoint as accurately as possible, i.e. predict the volume dependence. In recent studies of the volume effect of a rat spinal cord after irradiation with narrow and broad proton beams the authors claim that none of the existing NTCP models is able to describe their results. Published experimental data have been used here to try to quantify the change in the effective dose (D50) causing 50% response for different field sizes. The present study was initiated to describe the induction of white matter necrosis in a rat spinal cord after irradiation with narrow proton beams in terms of the mean dose to the effective volume of the functional subunit (FSU). The physically delivered dose distribution was convolved with a function describing the effective size or, more accurately, the sensitivity distribution of the FSU to obtain the effective mean dose deposited in it. This procedure allows the determination of the mean D50 value of the FSUs of a certain size which is of interest for example if the cell nucleus of the oligodendrocyte is the sensitive target. Using the least-squares method to compare the effective doses for different sizes of the functional subunits with the experimental data the best fit was obtained with a length of about 9 mm. For the non-uniform dose distributions an effective FSU length of 8 mm gave the optimal fit with the probit dose–response model. The method could also be used to interpret the so-called bath and shower experiments where the heterogeneous dose delivery was used in the convolution process. The assumption of an effective FSU size is consistent with most of the effects seen when different portions of the rat spinal cord are irradiated to different doses. The effective FSU length from these experiments is about 8.5 ± 0.5 mm. This length could be interpreted as an effective size of the functional subunits in a rat spinal cord, where multiple myelin sheaths are connected by a single oligodendrocyte and repair is limited by the range of oligodendrocyte progenitor cell diffusion. It was even possible to suggest a more likely than uniform effective FSU sensitivity distribution from the experimental data.
Characterization of Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli Isolates from Animals Presenting at a University Veterinary Hospital

ABSTRACT In this study, we examined molecular mechanisms associated with multidrug resistance (MDR) in a collection of Escherichia coli isolates recovered from hospitalized animals in Ireland. PCR and DNA sequencing were used to identify genes associated with resistance. Class 1 integrons were prevalent (94.6%) and contained gene cassettes recognized previously and implicated mainly in resistance to aminoglycosides, β-lactams, and trimethoprim (aadA1, dfrA1-aadA1, dfrA17-aadA5, dfrA12-orfF-aadA2, bla OXA-30-aadA1, aacC1-orf1-orf2-aadA1, dfr7). Class 2 integrons (13.5%) contained the dfrA1-sat1-aadA1 gene array. The most frequently occurring phenotypes included resistance to ampicillin (97.3%), chloramphenicol (75.4%), florfenicol (40.5%), gentamicin (54%), neomycin (43.2%), streptomycin (97.3%), sulfonamide (98.6%), and tetracycline (100%). The associated resistance determinants detected included bla TEM, cat, floR, aadB, aphA1, strA-strB, sul2, and tet(B), respectively. The bla CTX-M-2 gene, encoding an extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESβL), and bla CMY-2, encoding an AmpC-like enzyme, were identified in 8 and 18 isolates, respectively. The mobility of the resistance genes was demonstrated using conjugation assays with a representative selection of isolates. High-molecular-weight plasmids were found to be responsible for resistance to multiple antimicrobial compounds. The study demonstrated that animal-associated commensal E. coli isolates possess a diverse repertoire of transferable genetic determinants. Emergence of ESβLs and AmpC-like enzymes is particularly significant. To our knowledge, the bla CTX-M-2 gene has not previously been reported in Ireland.
Indium solder as a thermal interface material using fluxless bonding technology

The capability and diversity of high performance microprocessors is increasing with each process technology generation in order to meet increasing application demand. The cooling designs for these electronic chips have to deal with larger temperature gradients across the die than previously. The key to thermal management is to dissipate the thermal energy from a heat-generating device to a heat sink via conduction through a thermal interface material (TIM). The TIM must also relieve the mechanical stress and absorb strain caused by coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch between heat spreader lid and silicon die during field operation. Low modulus TIM is excellent at strain absorption and relieves stress from CTE mismatch of different materials. In this study we explore the fluxless bonding of Indium as a candidate TIM for high performance microprocessors due to its high thermal conductivity, low melting temperature and low tensile strength and its ‘green’ness (non-hazardous material, minimal waste and ease of product reworkability). Challenges in the development process include: controlling bond line thickness, fillet extent and controlling voids in the TIM assembly at reflow temperatures. This paper aims to investigate these key challenges and provide some general recommendations.
Genome Sequencing and Comparative Genomics of Tropical Disease Pathogens

The sequencing of eukaryotic genomes has lagged behind sequencing of organisms in the other domains of life, archae and bacteria, primarily due to their greater size and complexity. With recent advances in high‐throughput technologies such as robotics and improved computational resources, the number of eukaryotic genome sequencing projects has in‐creased significantly. Among these are a number of sequencing projects of tropical pathogens of medical and veterinary importance, many of which are responsible for causing widespread morbidity and mortality in peoples of developing countries. Uncovering the complete gene complement of these organisms is proving to be of immense value in the develop‐ment of novel methods of parasite control, such as antiparasitic drugs and vaccines, as well as the development of new diagnostic tools. Combining pathogen genome sequences with the host and vector genome sequences is promising to be a robust method for the identification of host–pathogen interactions. Finally, comparative sequencing of related species, especially of organisms used as model systems in the study of the disease, is beginning to realize its potential in the identification of genes, and the evolutionary forces that shape the genes, that are involved in evasion of the host immune response.
Deployment algorithms for coverage improvement in a network of mobile sensors with measurement error in the presence of obstacles

In this work, a novel Voronoi-based diagram is introduced which assigns a distinct region to each sensor in the presence of obstacles such that the regions are mutually disjoint and if one sensor cannot cover a point inside its region, no other sensor can detect it either. The proposed diagram called obstructed guaranteed additively weighted (OG/\ W) Voronoi diagram is the main tool for developing the sensor deployment algorithms in a network of mobile sensors with nonidentical sensing ranges in the presence of obstacles. Then, two algorithms are developed to improve the prioritized coverage when the exact location of sensors is not available due to measurement error. The developed algorithms are iterative, and in each iteration each sensor calculates its new location based on the value of a priority function of the points inside the corresponding OGAW Voronoi region and moves toward it such that the overall weighted coverage of the network is increased. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the developed algorithms.
Medical humanities and medical informatics: an unlikely alliance? Is there a role for patients’ voices in the modern case record?

The modern case record and the role of the patients voice Immanuel Kant once said “Physicians think that they do a lot for a patient when they give his disease a name”. The individual, experiential side of medicine is nowhere more explicit than in the detailed case history upon examination. It is nowhere more ironically suppressed than in the patient record during treatment. Clinical notes must of course include the values of measurable variables—temperature, blood pressure, fluids in and out—but there seems no reason other than pressure of time (and, perhaps, a reluctance to contaminate the factually indisputable with the experientially unverifiable) to exclude from the notes first-hand expressions of the ‘inner’ natural history of disease which we may call illness. Of course, phrases such as “The patient complained of . ” may routinely appear, but it would take diligence and perhaps nerve on the clinician’s part to transcribe faithfully the patient’s attempt to convey the quality of her post-operative pain; “It feels like chewing rubber bands” was Karen Fiser’s memorable and, one suspects, despairing description given in the hope that her pain management might be better-targeted, which is to say perhaps better-conceived.1 The medical humanities calendar in the UK has two national events, the annual academic conference of the Association for Medical Humanities, and the annual conference organised by University College London. The question of writing down what patients say and feel was raised at both of these events this year. In July, Professor Brian Hurwitz gave a keynote to the AMH conference in which he reviewed how medical case notes had evolved from the 18th century and earlier up to the present day, detailing in particular the extent to which the personal has diminished as we approach the present. Hurwitz referred to a contemporary account of Severe …
Short-term persistence of oculomotor rehabilitative changes in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI): A pilot study of clinical effects

Abstract Primary objective: In our earlier published studies, oculomotor therapy (OMT) was performed in 15 individuals with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and over 90% of the clinical oculomotor parameters abnormal at baseline significantly improved immediately following the OMT. There was no placebo (P) effect on any of the parameters. The purpose of the present pilot study was to assess the short-term persistence of the previously obtained positive OMT findings. Research design: Upon completion of the OMT, clinical oculomotor parameters were re-assessed at 3-month and 6-month periods. No subsequent training was performed during this 6-month period. Methods and procedures: Clinical measures were repeated in eight of the 15 subjects who subsequently completed both the 3-month and 6-month follow-up assessments. All measures were assessed using conventional clinical testing methods. Main outcomes and results: Eight of the 13 (62%) clinical oculomotor parameters exhibited either persistence of, or delayed, improvement at the 3 and 6 month follow-up intervals. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate both the presence and persistence of oculomotor-based changes, suggestive of neural plasticity even in the adult, compromised brain. Further studies are warranted to confirm and extend the present pilot findings.
Generation of Amyloidogenic C-terminal Fragments during Rapid Axonal Transport in Vivo of -Amyloid Precursor Protein in the Optic Nerve (*)

The amyloid β-protein (Aβ) is a major component of extracellular deposits that are characteristic features of Alzheimer's disease. Aβ is derived from the large transmembrane β-amyloid precursor protein (βAPP). In the rabbit optic nerve/optic tract (ON), βAPP is synthesized in vivo in retinal ganglion cell perikarya, rapidly transported into the ON axons in small transport vesicles and is subsequently transferred to the axonal plasma membrane as well as to the presynaptic nerve terminals (Morin, P. J., Abraham, C. R., Amaratunga, A., Johnson, R. J., Huber, G., Sandell, J. H., and Fine, R. E.(1993) J. Neurochem. 61, 464-473). Present results indicate that there is rapid processing of βAPP in the ON to generate a 14-kDa C-terminal membrane-associated fragment that contains the Aβ sequence. By using equilibrium sucrose density gradient fractionation, this fragment, as well as non-amyloidogenic C-terminal fragments and intact βAPP, are detected in at least two classes of transport vesicles destined for the plasma membrane and the presynaptic nerve terminal. The two classes of transported vesicles are distinguished by labeling kinetics as well as by density. In contrast to the ON, only non-amyloidogenic C-terminal fragments are generated in the retina, which contains the perikarya of retinal ganglion cells and glial (Muller) cells which also produce βAPP.
Signal Transduction of Sphingosine-1-Phosphate G Protein—Coupled Receptors

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive lipid capable of eliciting dramatic effects in a variety of cell types. Signaling by this molecule is by a family of five G protein—coupled receptors named S1P1–5 that signal through a variety of pathways to regulate cell proliferation, migration, cytoskeletal organization, and differentiation. These receptors are expressed in a wide variety of tissues and cell types, and their cellular effects contribute to important biological and pathological functions of S1P in many processes, including angiogenesis, vascular development, lymphocyte trafficking, and cancer. This review will focus on the current progress in the field of S1P receptor signaling and biology.
Longitudinal Study of Looming in Infants with High-Density EEG

A rapidly approaching object provides information about the object's approach and how imminent a collision is. Prospective control when responding to a looming virtual object approaching on a direct collision course was studied longitudinally in 10 infants aged 5/6 and 12/13 months. Different characteristics of the looming-related visual evoked potential (VEP) responses from infants' brain electrical recordings (EEG) were explored and compared between the infants at these different ages. The aim of this study was to find evidence for infant brain electrical responses coherent with a looming stimulus approaching the infant under three different accelerations. It was also investigated whether the use of different timing strategies to estimate the loom's time-to-collision would produce differences in the EEG recordings. The results showed that the timing and the duration of the VEP responses differed with age. At the age of 5/6 months, infants showed VEP peaks earlier in the looming sequence and VEP responses with longer duration than when they were 12/13 months old. Results from the timing-strategy analysis showed that with age, 4 infants shifted from a less efficient timing strategy involving the loom's velocity to the more efficient strategy involving the loom's time-to-collision. Further, it was found that peak VEP activation in the investigated areas propagated across the cortex, showing the highest observed activation in the occipital area at the age of 5/6 months, whereas the parietal area showed the highest activation when the infants were 12/13 months. The decrease in processing time together with a peak VEP response closer to the loom's time-to-collision indicate a developmental trend in infants' prediction of an object's time-to-collision. This developmental trend is further substantiated by the shift from a less efficient to a more efficient timing strategy and by evidence of propagated peak VEP activation towards higher information processing areas in the visual pathway with age. As infants grow older and become more mobile, one of the underlying causes of the developmental trend found in our study could be due to an increase in locomotor experience. More follow-up research is needed to investigate the relation between behavioural development and changes in brain activity associated with infants' perception of looming motion.
Zum sozialpsychologischen Konzept internalisierter Homophobie. Eine Rekonstruktion ‚integrierter Identität‘ als Emanzipationsvision

Das sozialpsychologische Konzept internalisierter Homophobie ist vielfach prasent in Wissenschaft, Psychotherapie und politischem Aktivismus. Es erklart psychische Belastungen Schwuler und Lesben durch die Ubernahme abwertender gesellschaftlicher Werthaltungen und Stereotype. Damit assoziierte Folgen seien verminderter Selbstwert, Beziehungsprobleme, sexuelle Risikopraxen bis hin zur Suizidalitat. Der Beitrag rekonstruiert dieses wissenschaftliche Konzept ausgehend von den verwendeten Messskalen. Die Operationalisierungen der gesellschaftlichen Beschadigung setzen ex negativo ein gesundes homosexuelles Subjekt voraus und vermessen dessen (in)koharentes Selbst anhand der Integration lesbischer bzw. schwuler Identitat. Indikator dafur seien der unerschrockene Wunsch nach einem Coming-out, der Stolz auf die eigene Sexualitat und die Bewahrung der erwarteten Eigengruppe. Derartige Selbstverhaltnisse bilden die politische Vision des wissenschaftlichen Diskurses und den Horizont der anvisierten, individuell zu verantwortenden Emanzipation.
Electroplated Ni-CNT Nanocomposite for Micromechanical Resonator Applications

In this letter, electroplated Ni-CNT nanocomposite is synthesized and utilized as a structural material for micromechanical resonator fabrication. Pretreated by sulfate sodium dodecyl, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) disperse well in electrolyte and can be incorporated in an electroplated Ni film. Clamped-clamped beam resonators fabricated using the nanocomposite show 27% resonant frequency enhancement (from 498.75 to 634.72 kHz). Meanwhile, the Q factors of 781 and 760 for Ni and Ni-CNT nanocomposite resonators, which are comparable with the prior art, indicate that the anchor loss could dominate the Q performance of the beam resonators.