Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coronoid process and radial head as posterolateral rotatory stabilizers of the elbow.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of the radial head and the coronoid process as posterolateral rotatory stabilizers of the elbow and to determine the stabilizing effect of radial head replacement and coronoid reconstruction. METHODS The posterolateral rotatory displacement of the ulna was measured after application of a valgus and supinating torque (1). in seven intact elbows, (2). after radial head excision, (3). after sequential resection of the coronoid process, (4). after subsequent insertion of each of two different types of metal radial head prostheses (a rigid implant and a bipolar implant with a floating cup), and (5). after subsequent reconstruction of the coronoid with each of two different techniques in the same cadaveric elbow. RESULTS The posterolateral rotatory laxity averaged 5.4 degrees in the intact elbows. The surgical approach used in this study insignificantly increased the mean laxity to 9 degrees. Excision of the radial head in an elbow with intact collateral ligaments caused a mean posterolateral rotatory laxity of 18.6 degrees (p < 0.0001). Additional removal of 30% of the height of the coronoid fully destabilized the elbows, always resulting in ulnohumeral dislocation despite intact ligaments. Implantation of a rigid radial head prosthesis stabilized the elbows. However, a mean laxity of 16.9 degrees persisted after insertion of a floating prosthesis (p < 0.0001). The elbows with a defect of 50% or 70% of the coronoid, loss of the radial head, and intact ligaments could not be stabilized by radial head replacement alone, but additional coronoid reconstruction restored stability. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest that the coronoid and the radial head contribute significantly to posterolateral rotatory stability.
Suppressed UDP‐galactose: Ceramide galactosyltransferase and myelin protein mRNA in twitcher mouse brain

The developmental changes in expression of steady‐state mRNA that encode proteins that are important for myelination (myelin basic protein, myelin‐associated glycoprotein, proteolipid protein, UDP‐galactose:ceramide galactosyltransferase) and glial fibrillary acidic protein were investigated in the brain of the twitcher mouse, a model of human globoid cell leukodystrophy. This disease is caused by a mutation in the gene encoding the lysosomal enzyme, galactosylceramidase, which catalyzes the degradation of the myelin lipid galactosylceramide. Before postnatal day (PND) 20, the levels of myelin protein mRNA were similar in twitcher and normal mice. With progression of demyelination after PND 25‐30, myelin protein mRNA levels gradually decreased. The period of maximum expression of the myelin protein genes in twitcher mice was, however, similar to that of normal control mice. mRNA levels for the gene that encodes the enzyme UDP‐galactose:ceramide galactosyltransferase which is responsible for catalyzing the final step in galactosylceramide synthesis, was exceptionally downregulated from the early stages of the disease. The increase of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) mRNA levels preceded morphological evidence of demyelination. J. Neurosci. Res. 51:536–540, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Age-dependence of effects of A1 adenosine receptor antagonism in rat hippocampal slices.

1. Population excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) and population spikes evoked in area CA1 of hippocampal slices from aged Fischer 344 rats were significantly smaller in amplitude than responses obtained in slices from young Fischer 344 rats. 2. The A1 adenosine receptor antagonist 8-cyclopentyltheophylline (8-CPT) produced a concentration-dependent increase in synaptic potentials in slices from both young and aged rats. Low concentrations (1 nM) of 8-CPT were effective in producing increases in both population spike amplitudes and population EPSP slopes in young and aged rat slices. Response increases were maximized by 100 nM 8-CPT in slices from rats of both age groups. 3. Adenosine antagonism produced greater average increases in synaptic responses in hippocampal slices from aged rats at all concentrations tested (1.0 nM-1.0 microM). A qualitative age-related difference in the response to 8-CPT was also observed; 8-CPT produced a late component, consisting of multiple population spikes, in evoked responses in slices obtained from aged but not young rats. 4. Adenosine antagonism significantly increased the maximum evocable response (both spike amplitude and EPSP slope) in slices from aged rats, relative to increases observed in slices from young rats. This suggested that smaller synaptic potentials seen in slices from aged rats were in part due to greater levels of "tonic" adenosinergic inhibition. 5. Slices from young and aged rats were incubated in the adenosine reuptake inhibitor soluflazine (R64719; 1.0, 10, and 100 microM) and the inhibition of population EPSPs was observed for 60 min. No difference was observed in the rate of inhibition or the maximal level of inhibition produced by soluflazine, in slices from rats of either age group. 6. Application of (+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo-[a,d]cyclo-hepten- 5,10-imine hydrogen maleate (MK-801) and 2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (2-AP5), antagonists of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) excitatory amino acid (EAA) receptors, reduced the late multiple population spike component in slices from aged rats incubated in 8-CPT. A smaller direct effect of the NMDA antagonists was observed in slices from aged rats in the absence of 8-CPT treatment at maximal response levels. No effect of NMDA receptor antagonism was observed in slices from young rats under either condition. 7. Hippocampal tissue, from young and old rats utilized in the electrophysiological experiments, was assayed for A1 adenosine binding site density with a saturating concentration of radiolabeled agonist and antagonist. Guanine nucleotide modulation of agonist binding was also measured. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Childhood Abuse History and Substance Use Among Men and Women Receiving Detoxification Services

According to data collected from women and adolescents, a strong link exists between childhood abuse history and substance abuse. Using a sample of 274 women and 556 men receiving detoxification services, we explored whether the same pattern emerged across genders and types of abuse. Results revealed 20% of men and more than 50% of women reported childhood physical or sexual abuse. Sexual or physical abuse had negative sequelae, regardless of gender. Individuals with abuse history reported earlier age of onset of drinking, more problems associated with use of alcohol/drugs, more severe psychopathology, and more lifetime arrests, arrests related to substance use, and arrests related to mental health. Prevention and proactive intervention activities are crucial to prevent negative sequelae of childhood victimization.
Better than Being There: Next Millennium Networks

At the culmination of the 20th Century, people in universities and research laboratories have achieved networks of sufficient bandwidth to effectively eliminate the need to physically ship documents, images, and videotapes. Will the next millennium bring us networks that deliver services so efficiently and expediently that we can claim they are, for us, better than being there? As professionals in computer graphics and applications, it is critical that we obtain the quality of image, sound, and interaction over distance that we can enjoy locally.
Organising Development Knowledge: Towards Situated Classification Work on the Web

This paper addresses the classification of development knowledge in web-based resources. Seven categories of a marginalised knowledge domain are mapped across eleven web resources, with additional observations of classification work in India and Kenya. The analysis discusses how technological designs for web-based classification systems can become global hegemonic structures that may limit the participation of marginalised knowledge communities. The question of a more inclusive design is further explored in two offline, indigenous approaches to classifications. They suggest that a combination of both online and offline classification work, in which localised classifications are created, using local categories and tags, may enhance the participation of marginalised communities. The results of this research point to the need to design web-based resources that support the participation of diverse knowledge communities as well as the generation and representation of the diversity of knowledge. Future research may focus on the use of tags and the visualisation of the diverse ways in which an item can be categorised, in order to make web-based classifications more meaningful to marginalised knowledge communities.
Biotransformation and Excretion: Quantitative Studies

T he technique of quantifying both exogenous and endogenous compounds from complex biologic matrices by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) coupled to the use of stable isotope analogues as internal standards has grown dramatically in the last decade. Indeed, its growth in all probability has only been limited by the initial cost of the instrumentation and the general availability of suitably labeled isotopic standards. The literature on the subject published between 1970 and 1980 has been exhaustively reviewed and the techniques critically and lucidly evaluated in an excellent article by Garland and Powell.1 A number of more recent but more limited reviews have also appeared.2-7
A Low Cost Design of Powered Ankle-Knee Prosthesis for Lower Limb Amputees - Preliminary Results

In this paper we described a new kind of a powered knee and powered ankle prosthesis for individuals who have suffered a complete or partial lower limb amputation. Our prototype prosthesis consist of two modules, the ankle module and the knee module. The first contains a unidirectional spring configured in parallel with a force-controlled actuator. This spring is intended to store energy in dorsiflexion, and then released it to assist power plantar flexion. The knee modules consist of a series of elastic clutch actuators and a unidirectional spring positioned in parallel to the motor. Preliminary results show two modules designs and ankle module prosthesis prototype almost complete. Two modules working together will enhance the performance of amputee individual, producing more natural gait and reducing the metabolic cost at walking in level-ground.
Segregation and early dispersal of neural crest cells in the embryonic zebrafish

We have exploited our ability to visualize and follow individual cells in situ, in the living embryo, to study the development of trunk neural crest in the embryonic zebrafish. In most respects, the development of zebrafish trunk neural crest is similar to the development of trunk neural crest in other species: zebrafish trunk neural crest cells segregate from the dorsal neural keel in a rostrocaudal sequence, migrate ventrally along two pathways, and give rise to neurons of the peripheral nervous system, Schwann cells, and pigment cells. However, some aspects of the development of zebrafish trunk neural crest differ from those of other vertebrates: zebrafish trunk neural crest cells are significantly larger and fewer in number than those in avian embryos and the locations of their migratory pathways are slightly different. This initial description of neural crest development in the zebrafish embryo provides the foundation for future experimental studies. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
New condition of stabilization for non linear Takagi-Sugeno discrete time uncertain system

This paper deals with the control law design with state feedback, and give a new approach of stabilization of discrete time Takagi-Sugeno uncertain fuzzy system. Using non quadratic Lyapunov function, the new condition of stabilization is used in terms of linear matrix inequalities LMIs. By using the simulation we verify the robustness of this approach.
Increased numbers of circulating polyfunctional Th17 memory cells in patients with seronegative spondylarthritides.

OBJECTIVE A distinct subset of proinflammatory CD4+ T cells that produce interleukin-17 was recently identified. These cells are implicated in different autoimmune disease models, such as experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and collagen-induced arthritis, but their involvement in human autoimmune disease has not yet been clearly established. The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency and functional properties of Th17 cells in healthy donors and in patients with different autoimmune diseases. METHODS Peripheral blood was obtained from 10 psoriatic arthritis (PsA), 10 ankylosing spondylitis (AS), 10 rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and 5 vitiligo patients, as well as from 25 healthy donors. Synovial tissue samples from a separate group of patients were also evaluated (obtained as paraffin-embedded sections). Peripheral blood cells were analyzed by multiparameter flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. Cytokine production was examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and intracellular cytokine staining using specific monoclonal antibodies. Synovial tissue was examined for infiltrating T cells by immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS We found increased numbers of circulating Th17 cells in the peripheral blood of patients with seronegative spondylarthritides (PsA and AS), but not in patients with RA or vitiligo. In addition, Th17 cells from the spondylarthritis patients showed advanced differentiation and were polyfunctional in terms of T cell receptor-driven cytokine production. CONCLUSION These observations suggest a role of Th17 cells in the pathogenesis of certain human autoimmune disorders, in particular the seronegative spondylarthritides.
Learning the Structure of Continuous Markov Decision Processes

There is growing interest in artificial, intelligent agents which can operate autonomously for an extended period of time in complex environments and fulfill a variety of different tasks. Such agents will face different problems during their lifetime which may not be foreseeable at the time of their deployment. Thus, the capacity for lifelong learning of new behaviors is an essential prerequisite for this kind of agents as it enables them to deal with unforeseen situations. However, learning every complex behavior anew from scratch would be cumbersome for the agent. It is more plausible to consider behavior to be modular and let the agent acquire a set of reusable building blocks for behavior, the so-called skills. These skills might, once acquired, facilitate fast learning and adaptation of behavior to new situations. This work focuses on computational approaches for skill acquisition, namely which kind of skills shall be acquired and how to acquire them. The former is commonly denoted as “skill discovery” and the latter as “skill learning”. The main contribution of this thesis is a novel incremental skill acquisition approach which is suited for lifelong learning. In this approach, the agent learns incrementally a graph-based representation of a domain and exploits certain properties of this graph such as its bottlenecks for skill discovery. This thesis proposes a novel approach for learning a graph-based representation of continuous domains based on formalizing the problem as a probabilistic generative model. Furthermore, a new incremental agglomerative clustering approach for identifying bottlenecks of such graphs is presented. Thereupon, the thesis proposes a novel intrinsic motivation system which enables an agent to intelligently allocate time between skill discovery and skill learning in developmental settings, where the agent is not constrained by external tasks. The results of this thesis show that the resulting skill acquisition approach is suited for continuous domains and can deal with domain stochasticity and different explorative behavior of the agent. The acquired skills are reusable and versatile and can be used in multi-task and lifelong learning settings in high-dimensional problems.
Visualizing lymphocyte recognition

Studies of T cell recognition have entered new territory now that some of the basic issues of genetics, biochemistry and structure have been addressed, at least in outline form. In the present work, the focus is on a new aspect of T cell recognition that goes beyond classical biochemistry to ask, ‘how do TCR and other cell surface molecules cooperate to initiate and control recognition? ’
T1‐insensitive flow suppression using quadruple inversion‐recovery

A new flow suppression method has been proposed for the acquisition of blood‐suppressed (black‐blood) images in combination with administration of a positive contrast agent. The technique employs the quadruple inversion‐recovery (QIR) preparative pulse sequence, which consists of two double‐inversion modules followed by two delays. Within each double inversion, a nonselective RF pulse is immediately followed by a slice‐selective one. The time intervals of the sequence can be calculated using an algorithm based on minimization of the variation of a signal equation over an entire range of T1 occurring in blood before and after contrast administration. QIR is highly insensitive to variations of T1, providing efficient suppression of a flow signal with T1 in a range of 200–1200 ms. The technique utilizes identical scan parameters for pre‐ and postcontrast acquisition, and thus allows reliable quantitative interpretation of contrast enhancement (CE). The clinical application of QIR was demonstrated in high‐resolution, contrast‐enhanced, black‐blood imaging of atherosclerotic plzzaque. Magn Reson Med 48:899–905, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
“It’s not really worth my while”: understanding contextual factors contributing to decisions to participate in community aphasia groups

Abstract Purpose: Community aphasia groups represent a formalised opportunity for social participation. The potential barriers and facilitators to accessing and maintaining group participation remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to explore environmental and personal factors contributing to community aphasia group participation. Methods: A framework analysis (FA) was used to analyse the semi-structured interview data from 22 current and past members of community aphasia groups. Results: People with aphasia weigh up the benefits of group participation in the context of a range of personal and environmental factors. These include personal coping mechanisms, perceptions of existing social support as well as the practicalities of accessing the group. Conclusions: Understanding factors that contribute to participation experiences is critical to ensure that, people with aphasia are well supported to access and engage in community aphasia groups. This study found that people may be more able to participate when they are accepting of the chronic nature of the aphasia, when they identify tangible benefits to participation, and when they have easy access to the group. This suggests a role for speech pathologists to recognise critical periods of need and support people with aphasia and their significant others to access and engage in group services. Implications for Rehabilitation Critical stages exist when people with aphasia may feel more ready and able to participate in community aphasia groups. These critical stages include an acceptance of the chronic nature of aphasia, as well as a desire to make positive change. There is a need for clinicians to minimise barriers to participation early in the therapeutic relationship. Proliferation of community aphasia groups will function to alleviate environmental barriers associated with poor public awareness of groups and group accessibility.
Long-term adjustment of families following traumatic brain injury where comprehensive rehabilitation has been provided

Objectives : The present study aimed to examine long-term family and emotional adjustment in close relatives of individuals with TBI, who had access to comprehensive rehabilitation services. It also examined the relative influence thereon of factors including injury severity, handicap and cognitive and behavioural changes in the injured person, relationship with the injured person and caregiver status. Methods : Participants were 143 TBI individuals and their close relatives. They completed the Family Assessment Device (FAD), Leeds Scales of Anxiety and Depression, Structured Outcome Questionnaire, CHART, SIP Psychosocial Dimension and Novaco Anger Control Questionnaire 2-5 years post-injury. Results : Results showed that families were, on average, functioning in the normal range on the FAD. Anxiety and depression were more likely to be present in those responsible for care of their injured relative. There were no differences between spouses and parents. Presence of cognitive, behavioural and emotional changes was the strongest predictor of anxiety and depression in relatives and of unhealthy family functioning. Conclusions : Every attempt should be made to develop models of long-term support and care that alleviate these sources of burden on relatives.
CBT for the treatment of depression in Parkinson’s disease: a promising nonpharmacological approach

Depression is very common in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and linked with a faster progression of physical symptoms, greater cognitive decline and poorer quality of life. Nonpharmacological approaches, such as cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT), for the treatment of depression in PD (dPD) have received little experimental attention despite strong demonstrated efficacy in other geriatric and medical populations. Depressed PD patients often differ from the depressed non-PD elderly in that they present with increased rates of both executive dysfunction and comorbid psychiatric diagnoses, may differ in their depressive symptom presentation and typically have caregivers who are highly involved in their treatment. Therefore, it is not possible to conclude that empirically validated treatments in the depressed aged will generalize to those with PD. In order to be most effective for PD patients, CBT should be tailored to their unique needs. Additional controlled research is needed to further explore the efficacy of CBT for dPD.
The BCCT family of carriers: from physiology to crystal structure

Increases in the environmental osmolarity are key determinants for the growth of microorganisms. To ensure a physiologically acceptable level of cellular hydration and turgor at high osmolarity, many bacteria accumulate compatible solutes. Osmotically controlled uptake systems allow the scavenging of these compounds from scarce environmental sources as effective osmoprotectants. A number of these systems belong to the BCCT family (betaine‐choline‐carnitine‐transporter), sodium‐ or proton‐coupled transporters (e.g. BetP and BetT respectively) that are ubiquitous in microorganisms. The BCCT family also contains CaiT, an l‐carnitine/γ‐butyrobetaine antiporter that is not involved in osmotic stress responses. The glycine betaine transporter BetP from Corynebacterium glutamicum is a representative for osmoregulated symporters of the BCCT family and functions both as an osmosensor and osmoregulator. The crystal structure of BetP in an occluded conformation in complex with its substrate glycine betaine and two crystal structures of CaiT in an inward‐facing open conformation in complex with l‐carnitine and γ‐butyrobetaine were reported recently. These structures and the wealth of biochemical data on the activity control of BetP in response to osmotic stress enable a correlation between the sensing of osmotic stress by a transporter protein with the ensuing regulation of transport activity. Molecular determinants governing the high‐affinity binding of the compatible solutes by BetP and CaiT, the coupling in symporters and antiporters, and the osmoregulatory properties are discussed in detail for BetP and various BCCT carriers.