Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A 10-year follow-up review of patients who underwent Leksell's posteroventral pallidotomy for Parkinson disease.

OBJECT The clinical condition of patients with Parkinson disease (PD) who had undergone posteroventral pallidotomy (PVP) between 1985 and 1990 was evaluated at a mean of 10 years postsurgery. These patients were part of a larger series described in the first paper on Leksell's PVP that was published in 1992. METHODS Thirteen consecutive patients who had undergone pallidotomy at the University Hospital of Northern Sweden were tracked. Hospital and clinic records that had been updated regularly by the patients' various neurologists, geriatricians, and other clinicians were reviewed. Emphasis was placed on assessing the evolution of PD symptoms after surgery, and changes in the general health and social condition of the patients. The mean follow-up duration was 10.5 years (range 3-13.5 years). Five patients underwent a total of seven subsequent surgeries for their PD, 4 months to 11 years after the initial pallidotomy. The mean Hoehn and Yahr stage was 3 at the first surgery and 3.7 at the last follow-up review (p < 0.005). Dosages of levodopa and dopamine agonists were increased in all patients, without recurrence or induction of dyskinesias contralateral to the pallidotomy. Contralateral tremor, if it was initially controlled by surgery, remained improved. However, most patients exhibited a gradual recurrence of akinesia and an increase in gait freezing. Cognitive decline and presentation with diseases unrelated to PD were not uncommon. CONCLUSIONS The long-term effect of PVP on dyskinesias was not only curative but also appeared to be prophylactic. Contralateral tremor was improved in the majority of patients, although additional surgeries for PD were needed in some patients. Further progression of axial and akinetic symptoms, and an eventual decline in cognition together with other concomitant illnesses, contributed to increased disability in several patients.
Insurer and out-of-pocket costs of osteoarthritis in the US: evidence from national survey data.

OBJECTIVE Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major debilitating disease affecting approximately 27 million persons in the US. Yet, the financial costs to patients and insurers remain poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to quantify by multivariate analyses the relationships between OA and annual health care expenditures borne by patients and insurers. METHODS Data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) for the years 1996-2005 were used. MEPS is a large, nationally representative US database that includes information on health care expenditures, medical conditions, health insurance status, and sociodemographic characteristics. Individual and nationally aggregated cost estimates are provided. RESULTS OA was found to contribute substantially to health care expenditures. Among women, OA increased out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures by $1,379 per annum (2007 dollars) and insurer expenditures by $4,833. Among men, OA increased OOP expenditures by $694 per annum and insurer expenditures by $4,036. Given the high prevalence of OA, the aggregate effects on health care expenditures were very large. OA raised aggregate annual medical care expenditures by $185.5 billion. Of that amount, insurer expenditures were $149.4 billion and OOP expenditures were $36.1 billion. Because of the greater prevalence of OA in women and their more intensive use of health care, total expenditures for this group accounted for $118 billion, or almost two-thirds of the total increase in health care expenditures resulting from OA. CONCLUSION The health care cost burden associated with OA is quite large for all groups examined and is disproportionately higher for women. Although insurers bear the brunt of treatment costs for OA, the OOP costs are also substantial.
Relationship of dysphoric premenstrual changes to depressive disorders

ABSTRACT An association between premenstrual dysphoric changes and depressive disorders is demonstrated in 170 women. Each woman underwent an evaluation for current and life‐time diagnosis using the Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC). Premenstrual dysphoric changes were evaluated with the Premenstrual Assessment Form (PAF). Criteria for PAF Full Depressive Syndrome were met by 57 % of women with a life‐time diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder. Only 14 % of the Never Mentally 111 women met these PAF criteria. Eighty‐four percent of those who had PAF Full Depressive Syndrome also had RDC Major Depressive Disorder while only 9 % were Never Mentally Ill.
Measuring core bereavement phenomena

As part of a longitudinal study of bereavement phenomena in three groups, bereaved spouses, bereaved adult children and bereaved parents, scale development was carried out using a pool of bereavement phenomenology questions administered prospectively. The items were derived from the literature, in particular studies dealing with the measurement of grief/bereavement, as well as from clinical experience. Factor analysis of theoretically grouped items produced seven subscales, three of which tapped frequently experienced phenomena in the bereaved. These three subscales formed the basis of a single measure, labelled the Core Bereavement Items (CBI), which demonstrated high reliability and sound face and discriminant validity. Preliminary analysis suggested that the CBI will prove to be a reliable and valid instrument with respect to the measure of core bereavement phenomena in commonly bereaved groups in Western society.
Gαq Directly Activates p63RhoGEF and Trio via a Conserved Extension of the Dbl Homology-associated Pleckstrin Homology Domain*

The coordinated cross-talk from heterotrimeric G proteins to Rho GTPases is essential during a variety of physiological processes. Emerging data suggest that members of the Gα12/13 and Gαq/11 families of heterotrimeric G proteins signal downstream to RhoA via distinct pathways. Although studies have elucidated mechanisms governing Gα12/13-mediated RhoA activation, proteins that functionally couple Gαq/11 to RhoA activation have remained elusive. Recently, the Dbl-family guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) p63RhoGEF/GEFT has been described as a novel mediator of Gαq/11 signaling to RhoA based on its ability to synergize with Gαq/11 resulting in enhanced RhoA signaling in cells. We have used biochemical/biophysical approaches with purified protein components to better understand the mechanism by which activated Gαq directly engages and stimulates p63RhoGEF. Basally, p63RhoGEF is autoinhibited by the Dbl homology (DH)-associated pleckstrin homology (PH) domain; activated Gαq relieves this autoinhibition by interacting with a highly conserved C-terminal extension of the PH domain. This unique extension is conserved in the related Dbl-family members Trio and Kalirin and we show that the C-terminal Rho-specific DH-PH cassette of Trio is similarly activated by Gαq.
Extensive Use of RNA-Binding Proteins in Drosophila Sensory Neuron Dendrite Morphogenesis

The large number of RNA-binding proteins and translation factors encoded in the Drosophila and other metazoan genomes predicts widespread use of post-transcriptional regulation in cellular and developmental processes. Previous studies identified roles for several RNA-binding proteins in dendrite branching morphogenesis of Drosophila larval sensory neurons. To determine the larger contribution of post-transcriptional gene regulation to neuronal morphogenesis, we conducted an RNA interference screen to identify additional Drosophila proteins annotated as either RNA-binding proteins or translation factors that function in producing the complex dendritic trees of larval class IV dendritic arborization neurons. We identified 88 genes encoding such proteins whose knockdown resulted in aberrant dendritic morphology, including alterations in dendritic branch number, branch length, field size, and patterning of the dendritic tree. In particular, splicing and translation initiation factors were associated with distinct and characteristic phenotypes, suggesting that different morphogenetic events are best controlled at specific steps in post-transcriptional messenger RNA metabolism. Many of the factors identified in the screen have been implicated in controlling the subcellular distributions and translation of maternal messenger RNAs; thus, common post-transcriptional regulatory strategies may be used in neurogenesis and in the generation of asymmetry in the female germline and embryo.
Tales from the trenches: physician assistants' perspectives about precepting students.

PURPOSE A national survey of physician assistants (PAs) found that only 25% of respondents were involved as preceptors for PA students in 2011, and it also identified important barriers and incentives to precept PA students. These findings offer limited information for understanding the nature of this complex phenomenon within its context. The purpose of this study was to further describe key factors that influence the involvement of PAs as preceptors. METHODS A qualitative study of four focus groups with clinically practicing PAs (N = 29) was conducted at the American Academy of Physician Assistants' annual conference in May 2012. Semistructured interview questions and follow-up probes were used to elicit participants' perspectives about their own and/or witnessed preceptor experiences. The group discussions were audio-recorded, professionally transcribed, and then analyzed line-by-line by four investigators using conceptual and free coding. The independently coded transcripts were merged, and iterative analysis was used to identify recurrent themes until saturation was reached. RESULTS Four themes emerged: (1) The preceptor role provides an opportunity to "pay back," or contribute to future colleagues' training while advancing the clinician's own knowledge; (2) Student qualities that incentivize precepting are characterized by motivation and self-directed learning, independent of the level of medical knowledge and/or prior experience; (3) Preceptors value feeling connected with the PA program through initial and ongoing communication; (4) Significant competition for clinical rotation sites for various health professional learners limits the access to sites and preceptors. CONCLUSION PAs identified key areas for potential preceptor recruitment and retention interventions.
Capsazepine: a competitive antagonist of the sensory neurone excitant capsaicin

1 Capsazepine is a synthetic analogue of the sensory neurone excitotoxin, capsaicin. The present study shows the capsazepine acts as a competitive antagonist of capsaicin. 2 Capsazepine (10 μm) reversibly reduced or abolished the current response to capsaicin (500 nm) of voltage‐clamped dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurones from rats. In contrast, the responses to 50 μm γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) and 5 μm adenosine 5′‐triphosphate (ATP) were unaffected. 3 The effects of capsazepine were examined quantitatively with radioactive ion flux experiments. Capsazepine inhibited the capsaicin (500 nm)‐induced 45Ca2+ uptake in cultures of rat DRG neurones with an IC50 of 420 ± 46 nm (mean ± s.e.mean, n = 6). The 45Ca2+ uptake evoked by resiniferatoxin (RTX), a potent capsaicin‐like agonist was also inhibited. (Log concentration)‐effect curves for RTX (0.3 nm‐1 μm) were shifted in a competitive manner by capsazepine. The Schild plot of the data had a slope of 1.08 ± 0.15 (s.e.) and gave an apparent Kd estimate for capsazepine of 220 nm (95% confidence limits, 57–400 nm). 4 Capsazepine also inhibited the capsaicin‐ and RTX‐evoked efflux of 86Rb+ from cultured DRG neurones. The inhibition appeared to be competitive and Schild plots yielded apparent Kd estimates of 148 nm (95% confidence limits, 30–332 nm) with capsaicin as the agonist and 107 nm (95% confidence limits, 49–162 nm) with RTX as agonist. 5 A similar competitive inhibition by capsazepine was seen for capsaicin‐induced [14C]‐guanidinium efflux from segments of adult rat vagus nerves (apparent Kd = 690 nm; 95% confidence limits, 63 nm‐1.45 μm). No significant difference was noted in the apparent Kd estimates for capsazepine in assays on cultured DRG neurones and vagus nerve as shown by the overlap in the 95% confidence limits. 6 Capsazepine, at concentrations up to 10 μm, had no significant effects on the efflux of 86Rb+ from cultured DRG neurones evoked either by depolarization with high (50 mm) K+ solutions or by acidification of the external medium to pH 5.0–5.6. Similarly capsazepine had no significant effect on the depolarization (50 mm KCl)‐induced efflux of [14C]‐guanidinium from vagus nerve preparations. 7 Ruthenium Red was also tested for antagonism against capsaicin evoked [14C]‐guanidinium release from vague nerves and capsaicin induced 45Ca2+ uptake in cultures of DRG neurones. In contrast to capsazepine the inhibition by Ruthenium Red (10–500 nm in DRG and 0.5–10 μm in vagus nerve experiments) was not consistent with a competitive antagonism, but rather suggested a more complex, non‐competitive inhibition.
Optimal polymerase chain reaction amplification for preimplantation diagnosis in cystic fibrosis ((Delta)F508)

Abstract Objective: To evaluate direct polymerase chain reaction amplification of mutation on single embryo cells for the routine preimplantation diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. >Design: Direct polymerase chain reaction amplification of mutation was performed to identify the cystic fibrosis F508 mutation in human blood DNA, single lymphocytes, embryos, and embryo cells obtained by biopsy. Preimplantation diagnosis was performed for a couple who were heterozygous carriers of the F508 mutation. Setting: Laboratory for preimplantation diagnosis in a reproductive medicine unit. Main outcome measure: Correct diagnosis of homozygous normal, heterozygous, and homozygous abnormal DNA of the cystic fibrosis F508 mutation. Results: 45 blood samples (18 homozygous normal, 17 heterozygous, and 10 homozygous abnormal) and 204 single lymphocytes from known sources showed 100% amplification and were diagnosed correctly. 17 human embryos and 52 normal nucleated embryo cells obtained by single cell embryo biopsy also showed 100% amplification. After a miscarriage of the initial pregnancy (diagnosed at preimplantation to be homozygous normal) in the heterozygous carrier couple, fetal tissue was confirmed to be homozygous normal. Conclusion: Direct polymerase chain reaction amplification of mutation is a simple, fast, reliable test for the common cystic fibrosis mutation in blood DNA and single cells and should be applicable to routine programmes of general screening, maternal blood examination, and preimplantation diagnosis.
A Differentially Methylated Imprinting Control Region within the Kcnq1 Locus Harbors a Methylation-sensitive Chromatin Insulator*

The mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of genomic imprinting remain poorly understood. In one instance, a differentially methylated imprinting control region (ICR) at theH19 locus has been shown to involve a methylation-sensitive chromatin insulator function that apparently partitions the neighboringIgf2 and H19 genes in different expression domains in a parent of origin-dependent manner. It is not known, however, if this mechanism is unique to theIgf2/H19 locus or if insulator function is a common feature in the regulation of imprinted genes. To address this question, we have studied an ICR in the Kcnq1 locus that regulates long range repression on the paternally derived p57Kip2 andKcnq1 alleles in an imprinting domain that includesIgf2 and H19. We show that this ICR appears to possess a unidirectional chromatin insulator function in somatic cells of both mesodermal and endodermal origins. Moreover, we document that CpG methylation regulates this insulator function suggesting that a methylation-sensitive chromatin insulator is a common theme in the phenomenon of genomic imprinting.
RF performance of inkjet and stencil printed traces for flexible electronics applications

Interest in body area networks (BAN) operating in the millimeter-wave regime (60 GHz) is increasing due to concerns over the security of data transfer. Obtaining low loss in the higher frequencies is important for high performance interconnects. In this paper, two materials deposition techniques — inkjet printing and stencil printing are being investigated for creating conductive traces on fabrics to enable high frequency (up to 20 GHz) applications. In the inkjet printing, various surface treatments were considered and utilized to improve the ink-substrate interaction for the enhancement of adhesion of the deposited structures. Finally the RF losses of printed microstrip lines using the above techniques were analyzed, compared against the copper traces which are conventionally achieved by etching process.
Analysis on Gated Recurrent Unit Based Question Detection Approach

Recent studies have shown various kinds of recurrent neural networks (RNNs) are becoming powerful sequence models in speech related applications. Our previous work in detecting questions of Mandarin speech presents that gated recurrent unit (GRU) based RNN can achieve significantly better results. In this paper, we try to open the black box to find the correlations between inner architecture of GRU and phonetic features of question sentences. We find that both update gate and reset gate in GRU blocks react when people begin to pronounce a word. According to the reactions, experiments are conducted to show the behavior of GRU based question detection approach on three important factors, including keywords or special structure of questions, final particles and interrogative intonation. We also observe that update gate and reset gate don’t collaborate well on our dataset. Based on the asynchronous acts of update gate and reset gate in GRU, we adapt the structure of GRU block to our dataset and get further performance improvement in question detection task.
A Comparison of Tibiofemoral Joint Forces and Electromyographic Activit During Open and Closed Kinetic Chain Exercises

We chose to investigate tibiofemoral joint kinetics (compressive force, anteroposterior shear force, and extension torque) and electromyographic activity of the quadriceps, hamstring, and gastrocnemius muscles during open kinetic chain knee extension and closed kinetic chain leg press and squat. Ten uninjured male subjects performed 4 isotonic repetitions with a 12 repetition maximal weight for each exercise. Tib iofemoral forces were calculated using electromyo graphic, kinematic, and kinetic data. During the squat, the maximal compressive force was 6139 ± 1708 N, occurring at 91° of knee flexion; whereas the maximal compressive force for the knee extension exercise was 4598 ± 2546 N (at 90° knee flexion). During the closed kinetic chain exercises, a posterior shear force (poste rior cruciate ligament stress) occurred throughout the range of motion, with the peak occurring from 85° to 105° of knee flexion. An anterior shear force (anterior cruciate ligament stress) was noted during open kinetic chain knee extension from 40° to full extension; a peak force of 248 ± 259 N was noted at 14° of knee flexion. Electromyographic data indicated greater hamstring and quadriceps muscle co-contraction during the squat compared with the other two exercises. During the leg press, the quadriceps muscle electromyographic activ ity was approximately 39% to 52% of maximal velocity isometric contraction; whereas hamstring muscle ac tivity was minimal (12% maximal velocity isometric contraction). This study demonstrated significant differ ences in tibiofemoral forces and muscle activity be tween the two closed kinetic chain exercises, and be tween the open and closed kinetic chain exercises.
Relationship of BCS Prepartum with Reproductive Performance and Lipomobilization in Holstein Dairy Cows

Received: Revised: Accepted: Published online: September 16, 2016 January 05, 2017 February 04, 2017 March 11, 2017 Body condition score (BCS) changes and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) are good indicators for measuring lipomobilization during the transition period. The aim of this study was to establish the possible correlation between cows with a higher BCS during this period and their reproductive performance postpartum. A total of 47 Holstein dairy cows were randomly allotted into two groups according to their prepartum BCS, including: G1 (BCS 3.5 to 3.75, n = 20) and G2 (BCS >3.75, n=27). Moreover, another two groups were established at 14 day postpartum: G3, 37 cows lost more than 0.75 points of BCS and G4, 10 cows lost 0.75 points or less. Blood samples were obtained from 10 to 7 days before expected calving, and 14 days postpartum in all groups and serum concentrations of glucose, βhydroxybutyrate, NEFA, urea, calcium and hepatic enzymes, and reproductive parameters were determined. NEFA values showed that cows of G2 and G4 had a higher lipomobilization than G1 and G3. Moreover, cows with a BCS of more than 3.75 and NEFA values of more than 495 μmol/L prepartum had a higher risk of non-pregnancy at first AI, and there was an increase in the number of open cows at 150 DIM, this being the reason why the elimination rate due to non-pregnancy increases (20%) and their reproductive lives shorten.
Enhanced confinement and stability in DIII-D discharges with reversed magnetic shear.

Peaked pressure profiles and central ion temperatures up to 20 keV are observed in DIII-D {ital H}-mode discharges with a central region of strongly reversed magnetic shear. Short wavelength ballooning modes are stabilized by access to the second stable regime, longer wavelength modes by a conducting wall and possibly by rotational shear. Values of normalized beta, {beta}{sub {ital N}}={beta}{ital aB}/{ital I}, up to 4 ({percent}-{ital m}-T/MA), energy confinement are a factor of 3 better than {ital L} mode, and at least 50{percent} of the noninductive plasma current in this regime demonstrates compatibility with requirements for a steady-state high-beta tokamak power plant. {copyright} {ital 1995 The American Physical Society. }
A fast and scalable supervised topic model using stochastic variational inference and MapReduce

An important and widespread topic in cloud computing is text analyzing. People often use topic model which is a popular and effective technology to deal with related tasks. Among all the topic models, sLDA is acknowledged as a popular supervised topic model, which adds a response variable or category label with each document, so that the model can uncover the latent structure of a text dataset as well as retains the predictive power for supervised tasks. However, sLDA needs to process all the documents at each iteration in the training period. When the size of dataset increases to the volume that one node cannot deal with, sLDA will no longer be competitive. In this paper we propose a novel model named Mr.sLDA which extends sLDA with stochastic variational inference (SVI) and MapReduce. SVI can reduce the computational burden of sLDA and MapReduce extends the algorithm with parallelization. Mr.sLDA makes the training become more efficient and the training method can be easily implemented in a large computer cluster or cloud computing. Empirical results show that our approach has an efficient training process, and similar accuracy with sLDA.
Verbal inflection, articles and object clitics in Italian specific language impairment

Morphosyntactic skills in spontaneous and elicited production of a 7-year-old boy with specific language impairment (SLI) were examined and compared to those of younger, mean length of utterance (MLU)-matched, typically-developing children. This study focused on inflectional phrase structures as well as complex constructions in order to investigate hypotheses which suggest verbal inflection is a key deficit underlying SLI. It analysed the most affected morphemes in Italian: articles and direct and indirect object clitics. A deficit was found in verbal inflection as well as in articles and object clitics. The difficulties with verbal inflection found were expected given the child's MLU. Problems with articles and clitics were unexpected for MLU, presenting a challenge for hypotheses that focus on verbal inflection.