Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neuronal death in brain infarcts in man

The mechanism of neuronal death in brain ischaemia remains unclear. Morphology, terminal transferase‐mediated dUTP‐digoxigenin nick end‐labelling (TUNEL) and immunohistochemistry for the pro‐apoptotic enzyme caspase‐3 (CASP3), for its substrates poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP) and the DNA‐dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA–PKCS) and for poly(ADP‐ribose) (PAR), an end‐product of PARP activity, were used to investigate neuronal death in brain infarcts from 15 men and 20 women, aged 46–95 years. The infarcts varied in age from 18 h to several months. Neuronal death was characterized morphologically by cell shrinkage, cytoplasmic hypereosinophilia and moderate nuclear pyknosis with later chromatin dispersal and disintegration, but not features of apoptosis. Occasional apoptotic bodies were seen but these appeared to be related to inflammatory cells, endothelial cells and occasional glia, including satellite cells. Neurones within infarcts showed strong nuclear and cytoplasmic labelling for CASP3 during the first 2 days after infarction. Neuronal DNA–PKCS, PARP and poly(ADP‐ribose) immunoreactivity was demonstrable in scattered neurones in and adjacent to infarcts for 18–24 h but thereafter declined to below detectable levels in most cases. TUNEL labelled cells towards the edge of the infarcts, particularly at 2–4 days, but most of the labelling could be prevented by preincubation of the sections in diethyl pyrocarbonate to inactivate endogenous nucleases. Between 3 days and 3 weeks, CASP3 and DNA–PKCS were detected in proliferating capillaries and CASP3, PARP and poly(ADP‐ribose) in infiltrating macrophages. Our findings indicate that neuronal death in human brain infarcts has some of the early biochemical features of programmed cell death, with upregulation of CASP3 and rapid disappearance of DNA–PKCS and PARP. However, the morphological changes are not those of apoptosis, the DNA cleavage occurs relatively late, and some of the TUNEL is probably mediated by the release of endogenous endonucleases during protease or microwave pretreatment of the damaged tissue.
High-resolution Temporal Representations of Alcohol and Tobacco Behaviors from Social Media Data

Understanding tobacco- and alcohol-related behavioral patterns is critical for uncovering risk factors and potentially designing targeted social computing intervention systems. Given that we make choices multiple times per day, hourly and daily patterns are critical for better understanding behaviors. Here, we combine natural language processing, machine learning and time series analyses to assess Twitter activity specifically related to alcohol and tobacco consumption and their sub-daily, daily and weekly cycles. Twitter self-reports of alcohol and tobacco use are compared to other data streams available at similar temporal resolution. We assess if discussion of drinking by inferred underage versus legal age people or discussion of use of different types of tobacco products can be differentiated using these temporal patterns. We find that time and frequency domain representations of behaviors on social media can provide meaningful and unique insights, and we discuss the types of behaviors for which the approach may be most useful.
Principles and applications of thermal analysis

1 A Practical Introduction to Differential Scanning Calorimetry. 2 Fast Scanning DSC. 3 ThermoGravimetric Analysis. 4 Principles and applications of mechanical thermal analysis. 5 Applications of thermal analysis in electrical cable manufacture. 6 Application to Thermoplastics and Rubbers. 7 Thermal Analysis of Biomaterials. 8 Pharmaceuticals. 9 Thermal methods in the study of foods and food ingredients. 10 Thermal analysis of inorganic compound glasses and glass-ceramics
Toward a single‐cell‐based analysis of neuropeptide expression in Periplaneta americana antennal lobe neurons

A multitude of potential neurotransmitters and neuromodulators, including peptides, have been detected in the antennal lobe (AL), the first synaptic relay of the central olfactory pathway in the insect brain. However, the functional role of neuropeptides in this system has yet to be revealed. An important prerequisite to understanding the role of neuropeptides is to match the functionally different cell types in the AL with their peptide profiles by using electrophysiological recordings combined with immunocytochemical studies and/or single‐cell mass spectrometry. The olfactory system of Periplaneta americana is particularly well suited to accomplish this goal because several physiologically distinct neuron types can be unequivocally identified. With the aim to analyze the neuropeptide inventory of the P. americana AL, this study is an essential step in this direction. First, we systematically analyzed different parts of the AL by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectrometry to obtain the complete set of neuropeptides present. Altogether, 56 ion signals could be assigned to products of 10 neuropeptide genes (allatostatins A, B, C, SIFamide, allatotropin, FMRFamide‐related peptides [myosuppressin, short neuropeptides F, extended FMRFamides], crustacean cardioactive peptide, tachykinin‐related peptides). In a second step, a combination of immunocytochemistry and mass spectrometric profiling of defined AL compartments was used to reveal the spatial distribution of neuropeptide‐containing cells. Finally, we demonstrated the feasibility of MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometric profiling of single AL neurons, which is an important precondition for combining electrophysiology with peptide profiling at the single‐cell level. J. Comp. Neurol. , 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Impact of sustained viral response postcurative therapy of hepatitis C‐related hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Antiviral therapy with interferon based therapies (IBT) has shown potential in improving survival in patients who have undergone resection or locoregional therapy for hepatitis C‐associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCV‐HCC). However, this benefit has not been definitively ascribed to sustained viral response (SVR). Since IBT has been replaced with new directly acting agents (DAA), which are more efficacious in the treatment of HCV, we sought to better determine the prognostic impact of SVR in HCV‐HCC. A systematic search of MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception through October 2015 was performed to identify studies that described the impact of presence of SVR in patients who underwent curative treatment of HCV‐HCC. Summary hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was estimated for recurrence‐free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) utilizing a random‐effects model. After reviewing 858 abstracts, ten studies which included a total of 1,794 patients were selected and data was extracted. Of these ten studies, the impact of SVR on RFS and OS was reported in eight and seven studies respectively. In a meta‐analysis which included 1,519 patients, SVR was associated with improved OS (HR 0.18; 95% CI 0.11–0.29, I2 = 2%). We also found that SVR was associated with better RFS in a meta‐analysis (1,241 patients; HR 0.50; 95% CI 0.40–0.63, I2 = 0). In conclusion, SVR is associated with improved OS and RFS in patients with HCV who have undergone resection or locoregional therapy for HCC. Newer DAA therapies which offer increased tolerability and viral eradication should be considered as adjunctive therapy.
Heteromultimeric Kv1.2-Kv1.5 Channels Underlie 4-Aminopyridine-Sensitive Delayed Rectifier K+ Current of Rabbit Vascular Myocytes

The molecular identity of vascular delayed rectifier K+ channels (KDR) is poorly characterized. Inhibition by 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) of KDR of rabbit portal vein (RPV) myocytes was studied by patch clamp and compared with that of channels composed of Kv1.5 and/or Kv1.2 subunits cloned from the RPV and expressed in mammalian cells. 4-AP block of KDR was pulse-frequency dependent, required channel activation, and was associated with a positive shift in voltage dependence of activation. 4-AP caused a voltage-dependent reduction in mean open time of KDR. Relief of 4-AP block of whole cell currents during washout required channel activation and was unaffected by voltage. Homotetrameric Kv1.5 channels did not exhibit the shift in voltage dependence of activation exhibited by the native channels. In contrast, Kv1.2 channels displayed a shift in voltage dependence of activation, and this characteristic was also evident during 4-AP treatment when Kv1.2 was coexpressed with Kv1.5 or coupled to Kv1.5 in a tandem construct to produce heterotetrameric [Kv1.5/Kv1.2]2 channels. KDR currents were not sensitive to charybdotoxin, which blocks homotetrameric Kv1.2 channels. The findings of this study (1) indicate that vascular KDR are inhibited by 4-AP via an open-state block mechanism and trapping of the drug within the pore on channel closure and (2) provide novel evidence based on a comparison of functional characteristics that indicate the dominant form of vascular KDR channel complex in RPV involves the heteromultimeric association of Kv1.2 and Kv1.5 subunits.
STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF RC COLUMNS WRAPPED WITH FRP SHEET SUBJECTED TO VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS INCLUDING CORROSION

Although the short-term performance of reinforced concrete (RC) columns wrapped with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials has been widely studied, research studies on the long-term performance are limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of various environmental conditions on the long-term behavior of RC columns wrapped with FRP sheets. The experimental program comprised two parts - ambient environmental effect tests and corrosion tests. The environmental conditions considered in the ambient environmental tests included (1) freeze-thaw cycles, (2) high-temperature cycles, (3) high-humidity cycles, (4) ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and (5) saline solution; while the corrosion tests dealt with the corrosion of steel reinforcement embedded in RC columns wrapped with FRP sheets. RC columns were wrapped with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets and glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) sheets and conditioned under the environmental conditions listed. After the environmental conditioning, uni-axial compression tests were conducted in order to evaluate the effects on the mechanical properties, such as column capacity, stiffness, and ductility. The test results showed that the mechanical properties were affected due to the environmental conditioning and the corrosion of steel reinforcement, and the effects varied according to the types of environmental conditions. Based on these results, improved design guidelines for the RC columns wrapped with FRP sheet were proposed. The proposed design guidelines included an analytical model and reduction factors to account for the effects of various environmental conditions.
Loss-Reduction in Flexibly Vertical Coupled Ring Lasers Through Asymmetric Double Shallow Ridge and ICP/ICP Cascade Etching

Loss-reduction in flexibly vertical coupled ring lasers is demonstrated through asymmetric double shallow ridge in the main ring area and inductively coupled plasma (ICP)/ICP cascade etching. Compared with the previous counterpart, the reduced threshold current and enhanced output power are obtained; coupling ratio is tuned from 27% to 1.5% when threshold current is varied from 60 to 80 mA. Single-mode lasing with sidemode-suppression ratio of 27 dB and quality factor of 13120 is achieved when I c=15 mA, I d=58 mA, which are nearly twofolds of that in the previous one. Such strategies can be widely employed to reduce loss in other vertical coupled photonic circuits.
Building quantum wires: the long and the short of it

As quantum computing moves closer to reality the need for basic architectural studies becomes more pressing. Quantum wires, which transport quantum data, is a fundamental component in all anticipated silicon quantum architectures. We introduce a quantum wire architecture based upon quantum teleportation. We compare this teleportation channel with the traditional approach to transporting quantum data, which we refer to as the swapping channel. We characterize the latency and bandwidth of these two alternatives in a device-independent way and describe how the advanced architecture of the teleportation channel overcomes a basic limit to the maximum communication distance of the swapping channel. In addition, we discover a fundamental tension between the scale of quantum effects and the scale of the classical logic needed to control them. This "pitch-matching" problem imposes constraints on minimum wire lengths and wire intersections, which in turn imply a sparsely connected architecture of coarse-grained quantum computational elements. This is in direct contrast to the "sea of gates " architectures presently assumed by most quantum computing studies.
Retinal function in carriers of Bardet-Biedl syndrome.

OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that carriers of Bardet-Biedl syndrome have abnormal rod-mediated responses. METHODS Parents (n = 26) of children with Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), who are obligate carriers of BBS, consented to scotopic, full-field electroretinography (ERG). Responses were recorded over a 4 to 5 log unit range, up to a maximum stimulus of approximately +3.6 log scotopic troland seconds. The parameters of activation of the rod photoresponse, S (sensitivity parameter) and Rmp3(amplitude of the saturated rod response), were derived by fitting a transduction model to the ERG a-waves. For the b-wave, the stimulus producing a half maximum response (log sigma) and the saturated amplitude (Vmax) were determined. The model of the rod photoresponse was subtracted from the intact ERG to demonstrate a corneal positive potential (P2), and log kP2 and P2max were determined. The carriers' ERG responses were compared with those of healthy control subjects (n = 26). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Sensitivity (S, log sigma, and log kP2) and saturated amplitude (Rmp3, Vmax, and P2max) of receptoral and postreceptoral response components. RESULTS All parents had decreased P2 sensitivity, and most (15 [60%] of 26) had decreased b-wave sensitivity. The rod photoresponse sensitivity and the saturated amplitudes of the rod cell response, b-wave and P2, did not differ significantly between carriers and controls. CONCLUSIONS Diminished P2 sensitivity is characteristic of the carriers of BBS. The site of the primary defect in the BBS rod pathway appears to be proximal to the outer segments, most likely before the rod-bipolar cell synapse.
Association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and systemic inflammation: a systematic review and a meta-analysis

Background: Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, and muscle wasting. Systemic inflammation may be involved in the pathogenesis of these disorders. A study was undertaken to determine whether systemic inflammation is present in stable COPD. Methods: A systematic review was conducted of studies which reported on the relationship between COPD, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) or forced vital capacity (FVC), and levels of various systemic inflammatory markers: C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, leucocytes, tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukins 6 and 8. Where possible the results were pooled together to produce a summary estimate using a random or fixed effects model. Results: Fourteen original studies were identified. Overall, the standardised mean difference in the CRP level between COPD and control subjects was 0.53 units (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.34 to 0.72). The standardised mean difference in the fibrinogen level was 0.47 units (95% CI 0.29 to 0.65). Circulating leucocytes were also higher in COPD than in control subjects (standardised mean difference 0.44 units (95% CI 0.20 to 0.67)), as were serum TNF-α levels (standardised mean difference 0.59 units (95% CI 0.29 to 0.89)). Conclusions: Reduced lung function is associated with increased levels of systemic inflammatory markers which may have important pathophysiological and therapeutic implications for subjects with stable COPD.
Sex and the Infertile Male

Infertility is a major stressor in life and can cause disturbances in both sexual and marital relationships. The following review focuses on sexual function in men who are diagnosed with infertility. The impact of the diagnosis of infertility on male sexuality, including related diagnostic procedures and specific infertility treatments, is scrutinized in light of current scientific literature.
Biologics: Targets and Therapy Dovepress Epoetin Zeta in the Management of Anemia Associated with Chronic Kidney Disease, Differential Pharmacology and Clinical Utility

Epoetin zeta was granted marketing authorization in October 2007 by the European Medicines Agency as a recombinant human erythropoietin erythropoiesis-stimulating agent to treat symptomatic anemia of renal origin in adult and pediatric patients on hemodialysis and adults on peritoneal dialysis, as well as for symptomatic renal anemia in adult patients with renal insuf-ficiency not yet on dialysis. Currently, epoetin zeta can be administered either subcutaneously or intravenously to correct for hemoglobin concentrations #10 g/dL (6.2 mmol/L) or with dose adjustment to maintain hemoglobin levels at desired levels not in excess of 12 g/dL (7.5 mmol/L). This review article focuses on epoetin zeta indications in chronic kidney disease, its use in managing anemia of renal origin, and discusses its pharmacology and clinical utility.
Extensor Mechanism Disruption after Total Knee Arthroplasty

Extensor mechanism disruption after total knee arthroplasty is a challenging complication for orthopaedic surgeons. The treatment options for repair include observation, direct primary repair, direct primary repair with synthetic ligament or autogenous tissue augmentation, or reconstruction with allograft tissue. A computerized systemic review and literature search was performed to identify the relevant literature on extensor mechanism disruptions associated with total knee arthroplasty. A comprehensive review of the literature and description of relevant treatment options and outcomes were performed using the information gained with the literature review. A multi-center prospective study on a consecutive series of patients recruited from the North American Knee Arthroplasty Revision (NAKAR) study was performed and data collected pre-operatively, intra-operatively, and post-operatively on patients that had a failed total knee arthroplasty using validated health related quality of life measures was analyzed. Six out of 290 patients in the study had extensor mechanism disruption and this group of patients had overall worse functional outcomes. The results of the study have solidified our knowledge that patients with extensor mechanism disruptions have worse functional outcomes and will need intensive management and rehabilitation.Level of Evidence: Economic and decision analyses, level III (systematic review of level III studies). See Guide for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Evolution of rhe Locrimol G/ond Inflommorory Lesions

Lacrimal gland inflammation develops in a number of autoimmune mice, including the MRL/Mp-/pr/ Ipr (MRL/lpr), MRL/Mp-+/+ (MRL/+), and NZB X NZW Fl hybrid (NZB/W) strains. The authors studied the evolution of this process, MRL/lpr mice had inflammatory lesions at 4 weeks old. The lesions had enlarged by 2 months and were fully developed by 4 to 5 months of age. In MRL/+ mice, 4-week-old mice had no lesions, although some focal inflammation was detectable at 3 months old. Significant abnormalities were present at 6 months, and persisted and increased throughout life, with all mice having extensive lesions at 18 months or older. In NZB/W mice, the authors detected no lesions until 6 months of age, and these lesions were fully developed in 9 months. Immunocytochemical profiles, of the cell types infiltrating the lacrimal gland, showed differences not only between the strains, but also in each strain as inflammation progressed. All three types of mice had L3T4+ T cells as the major lymphocyte component, although MRL/+ had significantly more Lyt 2+ T cells than the other strains. NZB/W mice had significantly more B cells than the two MRL substrains. In both NZB/W and MRL/+ mice, there was a significant increase in the B cell population, and a decrease in the percentage of L3T4+ T cells. There was a significant decline in Lyt 2+ T suppressor/cytotoxic cells in both NZB/W and MRL/lpr mice. This last finding was consistent with the more rapid development of inflammation in these strains than in the MRL/+ mice, where Lyt 2+ T suppressor/ cytotoxic cells persist. Together, these results indicate that the autoimmune response in murine models of Sjogren's syndrome is a dynamic, evolving process with strain-related changes in lymphocyte subsets. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 32:371-380,1991
Development of a Sustained-release System for Nitric Oxide Delivery using Alginate/Chitosan Nanoparticles

Free radical nitric oxide (NO) has been known to interact with various physiological processes, such as wound repair processes and control of vascular tone. However, NO is an unstable molecule and the development of NO delivery systems that enhance its stability has also been studied. In this work, alginate/chitosan nanoparticles have been studied as a drug delivery system of the S- nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) as NO donor. For this, glutathione, GSH, the GSNO precursor, was encapsulated in alginate/chitosan nanoparticles. The presence of GSNO was confirmed by UV spectra at 336 nm. Alginate/chitosan nanoparticles with negative and posi- tive surface charges were obtained by increasing the chitosan amount. The encapsulation efficiency (EE) relied on the nanoparticle zeta potential, obtaining 80% of EE for positive particles. The NO release from GSNO showed that polymeric nanoparticles lead to the stabi- lization of GSNO decomposition, at physiological temperature. Moreover, this system did not exhibit cytotoxicity for fibroblast V79 cells up to the maximum concentration tested (18 μmolL -1 ). These results showed that alginate/chitosan nanoparticles are interesting particles to encapsulate NO donors for biomedical applications where NO might have a therapeutic effect.
Sign language animation using TVML

The deaf communities in Japan use a visual language called Japanese Sign Language (JSL) as their first language. Learning to read Japanese can be difficult for some deaf people, because JSL has a totally different grammar from Japanese. NHK broadcasts news and other programs in sign language (sign language broadcasts), but there is a strong demand from deaf communities for more sign language broadcasts. This motivated us to pursue technology for generating sign language animation. Our recent work has focused on adapting TVML (TV program Making Language) [Hayashi 1996; TVML Website] for use in producing sign language animation. TVML is a text-based computer language that produces computer graphics (CG) animated TV programs by simply writing a script in TVML. At first, we recorded body movements representing sign language words using an optical motion capture technology. In addition, we improved TVML to express manual movements of sign language and developed a Japanese-to-JSL dictionary with a collection of about 4,900 sign language words. Now in this latest work, we have developed a scheme for combining multiple captured motion data to generate sign language sentences using CG animation.