Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Calf lengthening may improve knee recurvatum in specific children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy

Abstract Purpose Knee hyperextension in stance is a difficult condition to treat in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy (CP). In children with passive knee hyperextension, the presence of contracture or spasticity of the calf leads to knee hyperextension in stance phase. We hypothesize surgical treatment of the contracture of the calf will lead to less knee hyperextension. Methods We performed a retrospective review of children who were evaluated in our movement laboratory over 23 years with a diagnosis of CP Gross Motor Function Classification System I, II or III. We selected children who had passive knee hyperextension on exam and who underwent calf lengthening surgery. Children were divided into two groups: early recurvatum (ER) (n = 20) and late recurvatum (LR) (n = 14). Results There was no difference in the preoperative passive knee extension among the groups or the surgeries performed. For children who had passive knee hyperextension, calf lengthening improved static dorsiflexion with knee flexion on clinical exam by 9.3° in the ER group, 9.6° in the LR group as well as dorsiflexion with knee extension on clinical exam by 9.5° in the ER group and 6.4° in the LR group. The kinematic data showed that the ER group improved their knee hyperextension by 11° (p < 0.001), whereas the LR group did not significantly change their stance phase knee position. Conclusion Children with passive knee hyperextension who have a calf contracture and walk in knee hyperextension in the first half of stance phase may improve after calf lengthening. Level of Evidence: III
miR-204-5p promotes apoptosis and inhibits migration of gastric cancer cells by targeting HER-2

Gastric cancer is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide, with a high incidence and mortality rate. MicroRNAs (miRs) play an important role in tumorigenesis, cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis and metastasis of cancer. The present study aimed to investigate the role and potential mechanism of miR-204-5p in gastric cancer. The mRNA expression levels of miR-204-5p in gastric cancer were determined by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Cell proliferation was determined using Cell Counting Kit-8 and colony formation assays. Flow cytometry analysis was performed to detect the cell apoptosis rate. Wound healing and Transwell assays were carried out to determine the cell migration and invasion rates, respectively. A putative binding site of miR-204-5p in the 3′ untranslated region of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) was predicted using a bioinformatics algorithm and confirmed using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. miR-204-5p levels were downregulated in gastric cancer cells. Overexpression of miR-204-5p significantly inhibited cell proliferation and decreased cell colony formation. Additionally, miR-204-5p decreased the migration and invasion rates of gastric cancer cells. Furthermore, an increased apoptotic rate was detected following overexpression of miR-204-5p, along with increased expression levels of Bax and decreased expression levels of Bcl-2. HER-2 was a direct target of miR-204-5p, and inhibition of HER-2 acted as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and promoting cell apoptosis, which was reversed by the inhibition of miR-204-5p expression. These results suggested that miR-204-5p could exert its anti-tumor function by inhibiting cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and promoting cell apoptosis via regulation of HER-2, which may be a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer.
User Perceptions of Virtual Hospital Apps in China: Systematic Search

Background Virtual hospital apps are mobile apps that offer functionalities of online consultation, medical guidance, health community forums, referrals, outpatient appointments or virtual hospital-to-home care services. With an increasing number of online medical and health care consulting services, virtual hospital apps have made health care more accessible and fairer for all, especially in China. However, they have occurred without control or regulation. User evaluation can provide directions to help apps optimize identification, lower risks, and guarantee service quality. Objective We aimed to conduct a systematic search for virtual hospital apps in China. To get a global view, virtual hospital apps were assessed and characterized by means of quantitative analysis. To get a local view, we conducted a content feedback analysis to explore user requirements, expectations, and preferences. Methods A search was conducted of the most popular Apple and Android app stores in China. We characterized and verified virtual hospital apps and grouped apps according to quantification analysis. We then crawled apps and paid attention to corresponding reviews to incorporate users’ involvement, and then performed aspect-based content labeling and analysis using an inductive approach. Results A total of 239 apps were identified in the virtual hospital app markets in China, and 2686 informative corresponding reviews were analyzed. The evidence showed that usefulness and ease of use were vital facts for engagement. Users were likely to trust a consulting service with a high number of downloads. Furthermore, users expected frequently used apps with more optimization to improve virtual service. We characterized apps according to 4 key features: (1) app functionalities, including online doctor consultation, in-app purchases, tailored education, and community forums; (2) security and privacy, including user data management and user privacy; (3) health management, including health tracking, reminders, and notifications; and (4) technical aspects, including user interface and equipment connection. Conclusions Virtual hospitals relying on the mobile internet are growing rapidly. A large number of virtual hospital apps are available and accessible to a growing number of people. Evidence from this systematic search can help various types of virtual hospital models enhance virtual health care experiences, go beyond offline hospitals, and continuously meet the needs of individual end users.
Lung toxicity of paraquat.

Paraquat (1, 1'-dimethyl-4, 4'-bipyridylium), a widely used and effective herbicide, can cause a severe lung injury in both humans and experimental animals. The injury is characterized by initial damage to the alveolar epithelium and capillary endothelium with the development of hemorrhagic pulmonary edema, followed by development of intra-alveolar and interstitial fibrosis. Although the lung is thought to be a primary target organ for paraquat toxicity, the mechanism of action of this herbicide remains to be uncertain. A possible mechanism of selective toxicity to the lung is the accumulation of paraquat in the lung. Data from experimental animals in vivo and in vitro indicate the accumulation of paraquat in the lung by an energy-dependent transport system. However, paraquat does not appear to be selectively concentrated by the lung in human paraquat poisoning. A widely accepted theory regards lipid peroxidation and NADPH depletion as the basic mechanism of paraquat toxicity. According to this theory, paraquat can be reduced by microsomal enzymes and undergoes a cyclic reduction and reoxidation, giving rise to a reactive oxygen radical. This continuous generation of oxygen radicals within the cells of the lung then in turn destroy this tissue through various mechanisms of oxidative damage such as lipid peroxidation and NADPH depletion. However, there are data in the literatures that contradict the active oxygen species theory of paraquat toxicity. Most of these findings show a lack of extensive oxidative damage to the lung. Extent of lipid peroxidation and NADPH depletion is not always correlated with that of lung tissue damage. Moreover, the mechanism of paraquat toxicity leading to the development of lung fibrosis have not been fully elucidated. Recent studies suggest that inflammatory cells such as polymorphonuclear leukocytes and alveolar macrophage, and chemical mediators released by these cells may play an important role in lung fibrosis caused by paraquat. To sum up, the mechanism of selective lung toxicity in paraquat poisoning is not clearly explained by the theory mentioned above. Study on the secondary pulmonary response following cell injury directly caused by paraquat may become a clue to elucidate this mechanism.
Photodynamic Therapy Using a Novel Phosphorus Tetraphenylporphyrin Induces an Anticancer Effect via Bax/Bcl-xL-related Mitochondrial Apoptosis in Biliary Cancer Cells

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses photosensitizer activation by light of a specific wavelength, and is a promising treatment for various cancers; however, the detailed mechanism of PDT remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the anticancer effect of PDT using a novel phosphorus tetraphenylporphyrin (Ptpp) in combination with light emitting diodes (Ptpp-PDT) in the NOZ human biliary cancer cell line. Cell viability and apoptosis were examined by MTT assay, flow cytometry and TUNEL assay for 24 hr after Ptpp-PDT. MitoTracker and JC-1 were used as markers of mitochondrial localization and membrane potential. The levels of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes, Bcl-2 family proteins, cytochrome c and cleaved caspase-3 were examined by western blotting and immunohistochemistry. The results revealed that Ptpp localized to mitochondria, and that Ptpp-PDT efficiently decreased cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner. JC-1 and OXPHOS complexes decreased, but apoptotic cells increased from 6 to 24 hr after Ptpp-PDT. A decrease in Bcl-xL and increases in Bax, cytochrome c and cleaved caspase-3 were also found from 6 to 24 hr after Ptpp-PDT. Based on these results, we conclude that Ptpp-PDT induces anticancer effects via the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway by altering the Bax/Bcl-xL ratio, and could be an effective treatment for human biliary cancer.
Untangling the Mystery of Alzheimer's Disease Understanding Molecular Mechanisms for Novel Therapeutic Approaches

Alzheimer's disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders amongst the elderly, leading to dementia. Current studies of its molecular basis reveal various factors culminating in the cytotoxic cascade associated with the disease. Progress in understanding these events has led to the identification of novel therapeutic targets. This article is an attempt to understand the global scientific efforts in deciphering the mystery of this disease for a possible cure.
DIAMetrics

This paper introduces DIAMetrics: a novel framework for end-to-end benchmarking and performance monitoring of query engines. DIAMetrics consists of a number of components supporting tasks such as automated workload summarization, data anonymization, benchmark execution, monitoring, regression identification, and alerting. The architecture of DIAMetrics is highly modular and supports multiple systems by abstracting their implementation details and relying on common canonical formats and pluggable software drivers. The end result is a powerful unified framework that is capable of supporting every aspect of benchmarking production systems and workloads. DIAMetrics has been developed in Google and is being used to benchmark various internal query engines. In this paper, we give an overview of DIAMetrics and discuss its design and implementation. Furthermore, we provide details about its deployment and example use cases. Given the variety of supported systems and use cases within Google, we argue that its core concepts can be used more widely to enable comparative end-to-end benchmarking in other industrial environments.
Group Nesting in Peromyscus maniculatus

During long-term studies of breeding success among individual female Peromyscus maniculatus , we recorded a single instance of group nesting by 5 overwintered, breeding females. Two of the females were related (siblings), one was unrelated (known parentage), and two were of unknown origin. Their breeding success was not dramatically different from that exhibited by solitary nesters. We conclude that group nesting is a phenotypic response to local conditions rather than aberrant behavior with no chance of success.
Task shifting of emergency caesarean section in south Ethiopia: are we repeating the brain drain

Introduction preventable mortality from complications which arise during pregnancy and childbirth continue to claim more than a quarter of million women´s lives every year, almost all in low- and middle-income countries. However, lifesaving emergency obstetric services, including caesarean section (CS), significantly contribute to prevention of maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity. Between 2009 and 2013, a task shifting intervention to train caesarean section (CS) teams involving 41 CS surgeons, 35 anesthetic nurses and 36 scrub nurses was implemented in 13 hospitals in southern Ethiopia. We report on the attrition rate of those upskilled to provide CS with a focus on the medium-term outcomes and the challenges encountered. Methods a cross-sectional study involving surveys of focal persons and a facility staff audit supplemented with a review of secondary data was conducted in thirteen hospitals. Mean differences were computed to appreciate the difference between numbers of CSs conducted for the six months before and after task shifting commenced. Results from the trained 112 professionals, only 52 (46.4%) were available for carrying out CS in the hospitals. CS surgeons (65.9%) and nurse anesthetists (71.4%) are more likely to have left as compared to scrub nurses (22.2%). Despite the loss of trained staff, there was an increase in the number of CSs performed after the task shifting (mean difference=43.8; 95% CI: 18.3-69.4; p=0.003). Conclusion our study, one of the first to assess the medium-term effects of task shifting highlights the risk of ongoing attrition of well-trained staff and the need to reassess strategies for staff retention.
Analysis of longevity in Slovenian holstein cattle

The longevity of Slovenian Holstein population was analysed using survival analysis with a Weibull proportional hazard model. Data spanned the period between January 1991 and January 2010 for 116,200 cows from 3,891 herds. Longevity was described as the length of productive life – from first calving till culling or censoring. Records above the sixth lactation were censored to partially avoid preferential treatment. Statistical model included the effect of age at first calving, stage of lactation within parity, yearly herd size deviation, season defined as year, herd, and sire-maternal grandsire (mgs). Some effects had time varying covariates, which lead to 1,839,307 or on average 16 elementary records per cow. Herd and sire-maternal grandsire effects were modelled hierarchically. Pedigree for sires and maternal grandsires included 2,284 entries. Estimated variance between herds was 0.12, while between sire variance was 0.04. Heritability was evaluated at 0.14. Genetic trend for sires was unfavourable, but not significant. A further research is needed to define the required number of daughters per sire and the dynamics of genetic evaluation for sires whose majority of daughters still have censored records.
Opinion on the re‐evaluation of ascorbyl palmitate (E 304i) as a food additive in foods for infants below 16 weeks of age and the follow‐up of its re‐evaluation as a food additive for uses in foods for all population groups

Abstract Ascorbyl palmitate (E 304(i)) was re‐evaluated in 2015 by the former EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient sources added to Food (ANS). As a follow‐up to this assessment, the Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF) was requested to assess the safety of ascorbyl palmitate (E 304(i)) for its uses as food additive in food for infants below 16 weeks of age belonging to food categories 13.1. 1 (Infant formulae) and 13.1. 5.1 (Dietary foods for infants for special medical purposes and special formulae for infants) and as carry over in line with Annex III, Part 5 Section B to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008. In addition, the FAF Panel was requested to address the issues already identified during the re‐evaluation of the food additive when used in food for the general population. The process involved the publication of a call for data to allow the interested business operators to provide the requested information to complete the risk assessment. On the basis of the data submitted by interested business operators and the considerations from the Panel, a revision of the existing EU specifications for ascorbyl palmitate (E 304 (i)) has been recommended. Based on in vitro data, the FAF Panel assumed that ascorbyl palmitate fully hydrolyses pre‐systemically to ascorbic acid and palmitate. The Panel concluded that the intake of both metabolites, at the MPLs for ascorbyl palmitate as a food additive in infant formula belonging to FC 13.1. 1 or in food for special medical purposes belonging to FC 13.1. 5.1, does not raise health concerns.
Governance Structures and Bank Performance: An Empirical Study of Commercial Banks In Uganda

This quantitative correlational study is devoted to three internal governance structures and one external governance structure that influence commercial banks’ performance. The paper focuses on the relationship between board composition, board size, audit committee independence, and capital adequacy ratio and commercial banks’ performance in Uganda. The data was analyzed using partial correlation analysis statistical technique after controlling for bank size and leverage. Based on survey data collected from the commercial banks in Uganda, the study results revealed that board composition, board size, and capital adequacy ratio are positively associated with bank performance in Uganda. In contrast, audit committee independence is negatively associated with commercial banks' performance in Uganda. However, the study yielded only two bank governance structures that have a statistically significant positive relationship with commercial banks’ performance in Uganda. These governance structures are the internal governance structures of board composition and board size. The author recommends that the Bank of Uganda as the regulator and supervisor of banks and financial institutions in Uganda, should ensure that the governance structures discussed in this paper are strictly adhered to. This arrangement will ensure more effective internal and external governance structures, thereby enhancing bank performance in Uganda.
Improving Phonon Predictions in Organic Semiconductors with Classical Molecular Dynamics and Force-Matching

The most important challenge in the development of organic electronics is the limited charge mobility of organic small-molecule semiconductors. The mobility is limited in these materials due to longrange, low-energy molecular vibrations which localize charge transiently across a small number of molecules. We can measure the low-energy vibrational spectrum using inelastic neutron scattering (INS), but the peaks cannot be assigned without accurate simulations of every molecular configuration. Previously we showed that density functional theory (DFT) could be used to simulate the INS spectrum. However, these simulations are confined to infinite crystals with a small unit cell. In contrast, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are much less expensive and can consequently be used to simulate more complex materials. In this study, a MD forcefield is parametrized using DFT calculations of the small molecule semiconductor rubrene in both crystalline and amorphous samples. After parametrization, the INS spectrum, predicted from MD, more closely resembles the experimental spectrum than the DFT predictions in the low-energy region. This is likely because MD can probe a variety of molecular arrangements simultaneously whereas DFT can probe only one. Our study indicates that MD simulations are a viable tool to study the molecular motions in materials too complex for DFT alone if the force fields are properly parameterized. E02.01. 03 Incoherent Dynamics of Hybrid Halide Semiconductors and a Photovoltaic Revolution James R. Neilson; Colorado State University, United States
Lysis of Skeletonema costatum by Cytophaga sp. Isolated from the Coastal Water of the Ariake Sea.

Many heterotrophic bacteria isolated from the coastal waters of the Ariake Sea were screened as to their ability to lyse diatoms. Among them a strain of Cytophaga, which has strong algal-lytic activity against the diatom Skeletonema costatum, was selected. This strain was derived from samples collected during the period of small-scale bloom of S. costatum. Cytophaga sp. could lyse Dytilum brightwellii, S. costatum, Tharassiosira sp. , and Chattonella antiqua, but could not lyse Chaetoceros didymum or Gymnodinium nagasakiense. The process of lysis of S. costatum by Cytophaga sp. was examined in coculture. Several days after the bacterium was inoculated to the culture of S. costatum, the cell number of the bacterium increased rapidly without lysing algal cells, and after it reached the order of 106 cells/ml the lysis of algae began to be observed. The bacterial number increased again with the progress of lysis and reached the order of 107 cells/ml. These results suggest that Cytophaga sp. can utilize not only algal cells but also EOC excreted from the algae. A significant increase in the number of protoplasts of diatom was microscopically observed in the process of lysis of the algae, following which these protoplasts were thoroughly lysed and disappeared in the last stage of lysis.
Probabilistic Liquefaction Triggering and Lateral Spread Hazard Maps for Davis, Weber, and Salt Lake Counties, Utah: Collaborative Research with University of Utah and Brigham Young University

Utah’s intermountain valleys along the western edge of the Wasatch Front contain widespread deposits of loose, saturated, cohesionless soils that are susceptible to liquefaction during major, nearby earthquakes. Liquefaction can induce ground deformations that can be very damaging to buildings, roadways, bridges, pipelines, buried structures, etc. The most pervasive type of liquefaction-induced ground deformation is lateral spreading, where blocks of mostly intact soil above a layer of liquefied soil may displace down gentle slopes up to tens of feet, thereby compressing or tearing apart foundations, crippling utility lines, damaging roadways, etc. To address this hazard, probabilistic-based hazard assessment is an important component in quantifying the risk and reducing potential losses from earthquakes. The development of probabilistic national seismic hazard maps and the adoption of these maps by various building codes and government agencies allow for the development of complementary liquefaction triggering and ground deformation hazard maps. Liquefaction and ground deformation hazard maps assist hazard planners, emergency responders, risk analysts, and public/private decision makers in the preliminary and/or regional assessment of liquefaction hazard. In addition, they help prioritize and complement site-specific liquefaction and lateral spread hazard evaluation procedures. This report presents the development of an improved, fully-probabilistic procedure for mapping liquefaction triggering and lateral spread displacements at multiple return periods. It incorporates performance-based models for liquefaction triggering (Kramer and Mayfield 2007) and lateral spread displacement (Franke and Kramer 2014). The procedure is applied to develop liquefaction triggering and lateral spread displacement hazard maps for Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, and Utah Counties, Utah at return periods of 475, 1033, and 2475 years. Table of