Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modulation of Pituitary LH and Prolactin Pools in Amenorrheic Women I. Effects of High Dose Estrogen or Gestagen Treatment

Summary The pituitary LH and PRL pools were investigated in normal ly cycling volunteers as well as in amenorrheic women using repeated LH-RH and metoclopramide (MTCL) stimulation, respectively. Following each injection of LH-RH significant increases of LH were observed in the volunteers. During the early follicular and midluteal phase of the menstrual cycle the greatest response was noted after the third LH-RH bolus, while during the late follicular phase, the LH release to the first stimulation was greatest. In patients with functional nor-moprolactinemic amenorrhea LH release patterns were similar to those observed during the early follicular phase of the men strual cycle except that after the third bolus injection of LH—RH no significant amounts of LH were released. Retest-ing of the patients, after either a gestagen or estrogen with drawal bleeding test had been carried out, revealed that the LH release was profoundly diminished after each LH—RH bolus. Estimating pituitary PRL release capacity by MTCL stimula tion a continuous augmentation was observed from the folli cular to the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Following gestagen as well as estrogen withdrawal bleeding tests amenor rheic patients exhibited an increased PRL release to MTCL stimulation, which was more pronounced after estrogen than gestagen application. The data presented suggest that the negative feedback in amenorrheic patients is functioning and gestagens as well as estrogens decrease not only the readily releasable pituitary LH pool but also the total LH capacity. This observation casts doubt on the therapeutic usefulness of gestagen as well as estrogen withdrawal bleeding tests in individuals, where induction of ovulation by means of antiestrogens is indi cated. In contrast, high doses of both sex steroids, synthetic gestagens as well as estrogens increase pituitary PRL reserve in amenorrheic women.
Optimization of the high-speed train head using the radial basis function morphing method

Aerodynamic drag reduction is one of the most important issues in the development of high-speed trains. This study focused on the aerodynamic optimization of the train by modifying the shape of the head car and tail car. Three shape parameters were studied in this paper: the angle of cab-window, nose-length, and nose-width of the train. The effects of shape parameters on the aerodynamic drag coefficients of the head car and tail car were discussed, respectively. It can be concluded that the flat surface of the window region, long and sharp nose are the distinguishing characters of a high-speed train with low resistance. Response surface models of the shape parameters and the aerodynamic drag of the head car and tail car were obtained, respectively. Based on these models, an aerodynamic optimization was performed to achieve the optimal shape. As a result, the total aerodynamic drag of the optimal train decreased by 2.05% compared with the original value.
Lateral ridge augmentation using particulated or block bone substitutes biocoated with rhGDF-5 and rhBMP-2: an immunohistochemical study in dogs.

OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to immunohistochemically evaluate lateral ridge augmentation using a particulated (BOG) or block (BOB) natural bone mineral biocoated with rhGDF-5 and rhBMP-2 in dogs. MATERIALS AND METHODS Three standardized box-shaped defects were surgically created at the buccal aspect of the alveolar ridge in each quadrant of eight beagle dogs. After 2 months of healing, the chronic-type defects were randomly allocated in a split-mouth design to either (i) BOG or (ii) BOB biocoated with (a) rhGDF-5 or (b) rhBMP-2, respectively. Uncoated grafts served as controls. After 3 and 8 weeks, dissected blocks were prepared for immunohistochemical [osteocalcin (OC)] and histomorphometrical analysis [e.g. area (mm(2)) of new bone fill (BF), newly formed mineralized (MT) and non-mineralized tissue (NMT)]. RESULTS rhBMP-2 biocoated BOG revealed significantly highest BF and MT values at 3 (upper and lower jaws - UJ/LJ - compared with BOG) and 8 weeks (UJ - compared with rhGDF-5). Biocoating of BOB using both rhGDF-5 and rhBMP-2 resulted in significantly increased MT values at 8 weeks (UJ/LJ - compared with BOB). In all groups, NMT adjacent to BOG and BOB scaffolds revealed pronounced signs of an OC antigen reactivity. CONCLUSIONS Within the limits of the present study, it was concluded that both rhGDF-5 and rhBMP-2 have shown efficacy; however, their bone regenerative effect was markedly influenced by the carrier.
Adaptive Collaboration in Peer-to-Peer Systems (Extended Abstract)

We consider a simple model for reputation systems such as the one used by eBay. In our model there are n players, some of which may exhibit arbitrarily malicious (Byzantine) behavior, and there are m objects, some of which are bad. The goal of the honest players is to find a good object. To facilitate collaboration, the system maintains a shared billboard. A basic step of a player consists of consulting the billboard, probing an object to learn its true value, and posting the result on the billboard for the benefit of others. Probing an object incurs a unit cost to the player, and consulting the billboard is free. The dilemma of an honest player is how to balance between the desire to reduce its cost by taking advantage of the reports posted by honest peers, and the fear of being exploited by adopting reports posted by malicious players. In prior work, we presented an algorithm solving this problem in an asynchronous model, and we analyzed the total cost of the probes made by honest players during the algorithm. In this paper, we focus on the individual cost, and we consider a synchronous model in which each player takes a step in each round. Our prior algorithm
Impact of emotional intelligence on psychological well-being among 1st year medical students of public and private colleges

The purpose of the present study was to explore the difference of emotional intelligence on psychological well-being among 1st year medical students of public and private college and to see the correlation of emotional intelligence with psychological well-being. The sample consisted of one hundred and fifty (n=150) students (75 males and 75 females students) taken from two institutes of Multan. The scale of emotional intelligence and Ryff's psychological well-being scale were used to measure the level of emotional intelligence and psychological well-being among males and females students. Results showed the significant correlation of emotional intelligence with psychological well-being. The findings of results showed that the emotional intelligence and psychological well-being has significant difference on dimensions of psychological well-being (autonomy, environmental mastery and personal growth) and has insignificant difference on three dimensions of psychological well-being (positive relations, purpose in life and self- acceptance) among two age groups. The findings of the results further showed that the emotional intelligence and psychological well-being has significant difference on dimensions of psychological well-being (autonomy, environmental mastery and personal growth) and has insignificant difference on three dimensions of psychological well-being (positive relations, purpose in life and self-acceptance) among private and public college. When comparison made with the gender, findings of results showed that there is insignificant difference between emotional intelligence and dimensions of psychological well-being (autonomy, environmental mastery and personal growth) and has significant difference on these three dimensions of psychological well-being (positive relations, purpose in life and self-acceptance) among male and female students of private and public college.
Molecular, Structural, and Functional Characterization of Alzheimer's Disease: Evidence for a Relationship between Default Activity, Amyloid, and Memory

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and antecedent factors associated with AD were explored using amyloid imaging and unbiased measures of longitudinal atrophy in combination with reanalysis of previous metabolic and functional studies. In total, data from 764 participants were compared across five in vivo imaging methods. Convergence of effects was seen in posterior cortical regions, including posterior cingulate, retrosplenial, and lateral parietal cortex. These regions were active in default states in young adults and also showed amyloid deposition in older adults with AD. At early stages of AD progression, prominent atrophy and metabolic abnormalities emerged in these posterior cortical regions; atrophy in medial temporal regions was also observed. Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging studies further revealed that these cortical regions are active during successful memory retrieval in young adults. One possibility is that lifetime cerebral metabolism associated with regionally specific default activity predisposes cortical regions to AD-related changes, including amyloid deposition, metabolic disruption, and atrophy. These cortical regions may be part of a network with the medial temporal lobe whose disruption contributes to memory impairment.
Viscously damped acoustic waves with the lattice Boltzmann method

Acoustic wave propagation in lattice Boltzmann Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook simulations may be analysed using a linearization method. This method has been used in the past to study the propagation of waves that are viscously damped in time, and is here extended to also study waves that are viscously damped in space. Its validity is verified against simulations, and the results are compared with theoretical expressions. It is found in the infinite resolution limit k→0 that the absorption coefficients and phase differences between density and velocity waves match theoretical expressions for small values of ωτν, the characteristic number for viscous acoustic damping. However, the phase velocities and amplitude ratios between the waves increase incorrectly with (ωτν)2, and agree with theory only in the inviscid limit k→0, ωτν→0. The actual behaviour of simulated plane waves in the infinite resolution limit is quantified.
A study of influence of word lip reading by change of frame rate

This paper discusses the influence of the word lip reading by change of the frame rate. The proposed method applies active appearance model to extract the face and several lip regions. Then, our method calculates trajectory feature and applies DP matching. We set the target words as the Japanese 25 words, and took 250 utterance scenes per a speaker from ten Japanese men. Though many of researchers on the lip reading using the utterance scene of 30fps, we took the utterance scene by 60fps. We changed the utterance scene of 60 fps to the 11 kinds of pseudo utterance scenes. Using 12 kinds of frame rates, we carried out the recognition experiments with various combinations of the difference frame rate of the learning and recognition data, and evaluated the influence of the recognition accuracy. As a result, it was found that the frame rate of the recognition data is more sensitive than that of the learning data.
Speech and language skills and cognitive functioning in children with Apert syndrome: a pilot study.

There are few studies that report findings on the speech and language characteristics of Apert syndrome and little is known about the cognitive profile of the syndrome. The current study addresses this gap and explores speech, language, resonance/voice, attention oro-motor and cognitive skills in a group of 10 children (4;1-5;11) with Apert syndrome. The speech and language battery included: the CELF-Pre-school, the PLS-3, the Vocal Profile Analysis, GOS.SP. ASS, PACS; and the Brodsky Drooling Scale. Subscales of the BAS II-Early Years Version were used to assess cognition. Data were also collected on other factors that could influence developmental outcome such as audiological history and management; occlusion/dentition; respiratory problems and management; neuroanatomical abnormalities; the number and nature of cranial surgeries; and the occurrence of raised intracranial pressure. All children for whom a Performance IQ was obtained (n = 8) had abilities within the average range and IQ scores were considerably higher than those reported in previous studies. Eight children had moderate or severe language difficulties and expressive language difficulties were the most frequent. These language difficulties were not associated with a general cognitive deficit. All the children had problems with attention, speech and oro-motor skills. Nine had abnormal voice. In addition, a range of other associated factors that could affect functioning were identified. The discrepancies between the current study and previous investigations are outlined. Parameters for assessment are considered. The implications of these findings for valid assessments of children with Apert syndrome are discussed. Multidisciplinary assessment of children with Apert syndrome across a broad range of dimensions is recommended to obtain a profile of each child's strengths and weaknesses to ensure that appropriate educational placements and early interventions are implemented. Considering patterns of development over time at key ages is also argued to be of central importance.
Ultraviolet Spectral Irradiance Scale Comparison: 210 nm to 300 nm

Comparison of the irradiances from a number of ultraviolet spectral irradiance standards, based on different physical principles, showed agreement to within their combined standard uncertainties as assigned to them by NIST. The wavelength region of the spectral irradiance comparison was from 210 nm to 300 nm. The spectral irradiance sources were: an electron storage ring, 1000 W quartz-halogen lamps, deuterium arc lamps, and a windowless argon miniarc.
A 26-week open-label study of quetiapine in children with conduct disorder.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to describe the long-term safety and effectiveness of quetiapine in conduct disorder (CD). METHODS This was an 18-week outpatient follow-up study of an acute trial that enrolled aggressive children ages 6-12 years with a primary diagnosis of CD. To be enrolled into this study, subjects had to have successfully completed participation in the initial 8-week, open-label, outpatient quetiapine trial. Psychometric measures included the Rating of Aggression Against People and/or Property Scale (RAAPP), the Nisonger Child Behavior Rating Form (NCBRF), the Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS-48), the Clinical Global Impressions Scale of Severity (CGI-S), and the Children's Global Assessment Scale. RESULTS Nine males with a mean age of 8.9 (SD = 1.2) years were treated. The median quetiapine dose at end of study was 150 mg/day (range 75-350). Mean psychometric scores did not change substantively from baseline. No patients experienced extrapyramidal side effects. Three subjects discontinued due to study nonadherence. No patients discontinued treatment due to an adverse event. CONCLUSIONS These preliminary data suggest that quetiapine might be a generally safe and effective maintenance treatment for aggressive children with CD who initially respond to an acute therapeutic trial of quetiapine. More research is needed to confirm or refute these initial findings.
Principal component analysis of gene expression data: The case of atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common persistent cardiac arrhythmia. AF is also associated with extensive structural, contractile, and electrophysiological remodeling, which can sustain AF itself. The understanding of the molecular events of these remodeling processes is essential for the development of new targeted therapeutic interventions. In this paper microarray data related to permanent AF patients and controls were analyzed using the principal components extracted from a matrix having gene expression values as statistical units and patients as variables. The data were obtained from the public functional genomics data repository of the National Institute of Health (called Gene Expression Omnibus, GEO). Data from record #GSE2240 have been analyzed, consisting of samples of right atrial myocardium (appendage). Data were related to two Affymetrix platforms U133A and U133B. Right atrial appendages were obtained from 30 patients undergoing open heart surgery for valve repair or coronary artery bypass grafting. Of these, 10 patients had permanent AF and 20 patients had no history of AF. The differences in gene expression profiles between permanent AF patients and controls are related to a very small part of the data variability. However, the analysis of such a small difference in terms of factor loadings and scores, succeed in discriminating patients from controls and in offering a mechanistic view relating AF condition to both cardiac muscle organization and inflammatory processes.
Identification of novel key biomarkers in Simpson-Golabi-Behmel Syndrome: Evidence from bioinformatics analysis

Background The Simpson-Golabi-Behmel Syndrome (SGBS) or overgrowth Syndrome is a rare inherited X-linked condition characterized by pre- and postnatal overgrowth. The aim of the present study is to identify functional non-synonymous SNPs of GPC3 gene using various in silico approaches. These SNPs are supposed to have a direct effect on protein stability through conformation changes. Material and methods The SNPs were retrieved from the Single Nucleotide Polymorphism database (dbSNP) and further used to investigate a damaging effect using SIFT, PolyPhen, PROVEAN, SNAP2, SNPs&GO, PHD-SNP and P-mut, While we used I-mutant and MUPro to study the effect of SNPs on GPC3 protein structure. The 3D structure of human GPC3 protein is not available in the Protein Data Bank, so we used RaptorX to generate a 3D structural model for wild-type GPC3 to visualize the amino acids changes by UCSF Chimera. For biophysical validation we used project HOPE. Lastly we run conservational analysis by BioEdit and Consurf web server respectively. Results our results revealed three novel missense mutations (rs1460413167, rs1295603457 and rs757475450) that are found to be the most deleterious which effect on the GPC3 structure and function. Conclusion This present study could provide a novel insight into the molecular basis of overgrowth Syndrome.
Domestication of Campylobacter jejuni NCTC 11168

Reference and type strains of well-known bacteria have been a cornerstone of microbiology research for decades. The sharing of well-characterised isolates among laboratories has parallelised research efforts and enhanced the reproducibility of experiments, leading to a wealth of knowledge about trait variation in different species and the underlying genetics. Campylobacter jejuni strain NCTC 11168, deposited at the National Collection of Type Cultures in 1977, has been adopted widely as a reference strain by researchers worldwide and was the first Campylobacter for which the complete genome was published (in 2000). In this study, we collected 23 C. jejuni NCTC 11168 reference isolates from laboratories across the UK and compared variation in simple laboratory phenotypes with genetic variation in sequenced genomes. Putatively identical isolates identified previously to have aberrant phenotypes varied by up to 281 SNPs (in 15 genes) compared to the most recent reference strain. Isolates also display considerable phenotype variation in motility, morphology, growth at 37°C, invasion of chicken and human cell lines and susceptibility to ampicillin. This study provides evidence of ongoing evolutionary change among C. jejuni isolates as they are cultured in different laboratories and highlights the need for careful consideration of genetic variation within laboratory reference strains. Impact statement In this paper, we comment on the changing role of laboratory reference strains. While the model organism allows basic comparison within and among laboratories, it is important to remember the effect even small differences in isolate genomes can have on the validity and reproducibility of experimental work. We quantify differences in 23 reference Campylobacter genomes and compare them with observable differences in common laboratory phenotypes. Data summary Short read data are archived on the NCBI SRA associated with BioProject accession PRJNA517467 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bioproject/PRJNA517467). All assembled genomes are also available on FigShare (doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.7849268). Phylogeny visualised on microreact: https://microreact.org/project/NCTC11168. Repositories Short read data are archived on the NCBI SRA repository, associated with BioProject accession PRJNA517467 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bioproject/PRJNA517467; Table S1). The authors confirm all supporting data, code and protocols have been provided within the article or through supplementary data files.
SCOC: High-radix switches made of bufferless clos networks

In today's datacenters handling big data and for exascale computers of tomorrow, there is a pressing need for high-radix switches to economically and efficiently unify the computing and storage resources that are dispersed across multiple racks. In this paper, we present SCOC, a switch architecture suitable for economical IC implementation that can efficiently replace crossbars for high-radix switch nodes. SCOC is a multi-stage bufferless network with O(N2/m) cost, where m is a design parameter, practically ranging between 4-16. We identify and resolve more than five fairness violations that are pertinent to hierarchical scheduling. Effectively, from a performance perspective, SCOC is indistinguishable from efficient flat crossbars. Computer simulations show that it competes well or even outperforms flat crossbars and hierarchical switches. We report data from our ASIC implementation at 32 nm of a SCOC 136×136 switch, with shallow buffers, connecting 25 Gb/s links. In this first incarnation, SCOC is used at the spines of a server-rack, fat-tree network. Internally, it runs at 9.9 Tb/s, thus offering a speedup of 1.45 ×, and provides a fall-through latency of just 61 ns.
Two novel factor V null mutations associated with activated protein C resistance phenotype/genotype discrepancy

Summary. Activated protein C (APC) resistance phenotype/genotype discrepancy is a very rare event. The objective of this study was to characterize the molecular mechanisms in two cases of APC phenotype/genotype discrepancy. An approach using direct sequencing of each exon and splicing junctions of the factor V gene showed that two novel factor V null mutations combined with heterozygous factor V Leiden mutation were responsible for this discrepancy. Our results suggest the necessity to use both phenotypic and genotypic analyses in some cases to determine an accurate diagnosis.