Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modafinil prevents inhibitory avoidance memory deficit induced by sleep deprivation in rats.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Evaluation of modafinil effects on the inhibitory avoidance task (IA). DESIGN Rats were trained on a multiple trial IA task after receiving modafinil or vehicle injections. In experiment 1 they were trained with a weak protocol under baseline condition and in experiment 2, with a stronger protocol under sleep-deprivation condition. RESULTS In experiment 1 modafinil improved rats' acquisition whereas the retention test remained unaffected. In Experiment 2 modafinil did not interfere with training performance, but the lower dose prevented the retention impairment in sleep-deprived animals. CONCLUSIONS Modafinil is able to improve acquisition in normal rats and reverse the long-term memory impairment induced by sleep-deprivation.
B Cell-Activating Factor Belonging to the TNF Family (BAFF)-R Is the Principal BAFF Receptor Facilitating BAFF Costimulation of Circulating T and B Cells1

BAFF (B cell-activating factor belonging to the TNF family) is a cell survival and maturation factor for B cells, and overproduction of BAFF is associated with systemic autoimmune disease. BAFF binds to three receptors, BAFF-R, transmembrane activator and calcium modulator and cyclophilin ligand interactor (TACI), and B cell maturation Ag (BCMA). Using specific mAbs, BAFF-R was found to be the predominant BAFF receptor expressed on peripheral B cells, in both humans and mice, and antagonist mAbs to BAFF-R blocked BAFF-mediated costimulation of anti-μ responses. The other BAFF receptors showed a much more restricted expression pattern, suggestive of specialized roles. BCMA was expressed by germinal center B cells, while TACI was expressed predominantly by splenic transitional type 2 and marginal zone B cells, as well as activated B cells, but was notably absent from germinal center B cells. BAFF was also an effective costimulator for T cells, and this costimulation occurs entirely through BAFF-R. BAFF-R, but not TACI or BCMA, was expressed on activated/memory subsets of T cells, and T cells from BAFF-R mutant A/WySnJ mice failed to respond to BAFF costimulation. Thus, BAFF-R is important not only for splenic B cell maturation, but is the major mediator of BAFF-dependent costimulatory responses in peripheral B and T cells.
Ab initio protein structure prediction of CASP III targets using ROSETTA

To generate structures consistent with both the local and nonlocal interactions responsible for protein stability, 3 and 9 residue fragments of known structures with local sequences similar to the target sequence were assembled into complete tertiary structures using a Monte Carlo simulated annealing procedure (Simons et al., J Mol Biol 1997;268:209–225). The scoring function used in the simulated annealing procedure consists of sequence‐dependent terms representing hydrophobic burial and specific pair interactions such as electrostatics and disulfide bonding and sequence‐independent terms representing hard sphere packing, α‐helix and β‐strand packing, and the collection of β‐strands in β‐sheets (Simons et al., Proteins 1999;34:82–95). For each of 21 small, ab initio targets, 1,200 final structures were constructed, each the result of 100,000 attempted fragment substitutions. The five structures submitted for the CASP III experiment were chosen from the approximately 25 structures with the lowest scores in the broadest minima (assessed through the number of structural neighbors; Shortle et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1998;95:1158–1162). The results were encouraging: highlights of the predictions include a 99‐residue segment for MarA with an rmsd of 6.4 Å to the native structure, a 95‐residue (full length) prediction for the EH2 domain of EPS15 with an rmsd of 6.0 Å, a 75‐residue segment of DNAB helicase with an rmsd of 4.7 Å, and a 67‐residue segment of ribosomal protein L30 with an rmsd of 3.8 Å. These results suggest that ab initio methods may soon become useful for low‐resolution structure prediction for proteins that lack a close homologue of known structure. Proteins Suppl 1999;3:171–176. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Use of the Descending Lateral Femoral Circumflex Artery and Vein for Vascular Grafting: A Better Alternative to an Arteriovenous Loop

When free flaps are required at a distance from compatible recipient vessels, an arteriovenous loop is a logical solution.1 The loop can be constructed and used immediately, effectively bringing recipient vessels to the flap recipient site. Use of a loop does have some potential downsides, such as vessel caliber mismatch; lack of tissue support predisposing to kinking or torsion; and sometimes thickened, diseaseprone superficial veins often used for graft material. The use of vascular pedicles as grafts, containing both an artery and vein, has been described and is ultimately limited by the availability of such noncritical pedicles of sufficient length for the job.2 Our familiarity with and common use of the anterolateral thigh flap have introduced us to the descending branch of the lateral femoral circumflex artery and vein, the nutrient vessels to the anterolateral thigh. These have the advantage of being large-caliber vessels with adequate length that are not critical to blood supply of the leg. These attributes make the descending branch of the lateral femoral circumflex a perfect alternative to an arteriovenous loop with autogenous vein.
Automated Instrumentation and the Laboratory Diagnosis of Bleeding and Thrombotic Disorders

Due to the contributions of various disciplines that have elucidated the molecular mechanisms involved in the physiologic regulation and pathologic alterations of the hemostatic system, there has been a dramatic growth in the clinical testing of the coagulation system. Laboratory assessment of coagulation processes is no longer limited to the monitoring of clot formation and/or its dissolution employing such basic tests as the bleeding, whole blood clotting, prothrombin time (PT), partial thromboplastin time (PTT), and thrombin time. New diagnostic tests based on biochemical, physiologic, radiochemical, pharmacologic, chemical, physical, and immunologic principles have emerged to identify the locale and nature of hemostatic defects. Numerous instruments have been developed to evaluate blood clotting, platelet function, and fibrinolysis. With the introduction of synthetic peptide substrates, it has become possible to assay for specific serine proteases and related enzymes, their activators and inhibitors. Instruments found in the clinical chemistry laboratory are amenable to the synthetic peptide and the immunologic methodologies of coagulation. Automation has thus become an important consideration. Many new tests are now available on the ACA, centrifugal analyzers, solid phase analyzers, kinetic analyzers, immunoanalytic instruments, and other automated and semiautomated instruments. Coagulation profiling of presurgical and hospitalized patients has been found to be useful, as well as drug therapy monitoring for oral and systemic anticoagulants, thrombolytic therapy employing streptokinase or urokinase, antithrombotic therapy, blood component therapy, and prophylactic treatments. Prostaglandin determinations provide a useful evaluation of vascular function which in the past has only been accomplished by invasive techniques. The development of coagulation methods on automated instrumentation opens a new era in the diagnosis and management of hemostatic disorders which will provide not only better information in terms of reliability of data, time, and cost effectiveness, but also more specific and sensitive data on diagnostically decisive parameters.
Trk C receptor signaling regulates cardiac myocyte proliferation during early heart development in vivo.

Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) is a member of the neurotrophin family of growth factors, best characterized by its survival- and differentiation-inducing effects on developing neurons bearing the trk C receptor tyrosine kinase. Through analysis of NT-3 and trk C gene-targeted mice we have identified NT-3 as critically regulating cardiac septation, valvulogenesis, and conotruncal formation. Although these defects could reflect cardiac neural crest dysfunction, the expression of NT-3 and trk C by cardiac myocytes prior to neural crest migration prompted analysis of cell-autonomous actions of NT-3 on cardiac myocytes. Retroviral-mediated overexpression of truncated trk C receptor lacking kinase activity was used to inhibit activation of trk C by endogenous NT-3, during early heart development in ovo. During the first week of chicken development, expression of truncated trk C reduced myocyte clone size by more than 60% of control clones. Direct mitogenic actions of NT-3 on embryonic cardiac myocytes were demonstrated by analysis of BrdU incorporation or PCNA immunoreactivity in control and truncated trk C-expressing clones. Inhibition of trk C signaling reduced cardiac myocyte proliferation during the first week of development, but had no effect at later times. These studies demonstrate that endogenous NT-3:trk C signaling regulates cardiac myocyte proliferation during cardiac looping and the establishment of ventricular trabeculation but that myocyte proliferation becomes NT-3 independent during the second week of embryogenesis.
Dispersion of MWNT under Different Solvents and Its Effect on the Electrical Properties of Cured-Epoxidized Linseed Oil Composites

Non-functionalized and functionalized multiwalled nanotubes (MWCNTs) were dispersed in epoxidized linseed oil (ELO) using an ultrasonic bath. Qualitative dispersion of the three different carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in four different solvents with and without ELO was followed by optical microscopy, and quantitative analysis of CNTs was performed by calculating the critical concentration from their percolation curves after they were thermally cured. Dimethyl formamide (DMF) was found to be a better solvent for dispersing the three kinds of MWCNTs, but some re-agglomeration of the functionalized MWCNTs occurs upon the addition of ELO. This effect had a weak impact, with the critical concentration of the polymer composites (PCs) being 18% higher for those prepared with functionalized MWCNTs than for those prepared with non-functionalized MWCNTs.
Response to treatment in Brazilian patients with chronic hepatitis C is associated with a single-nucleotide polymorphism near the interleukin-28B gene

A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) upstream of interleukin (IL)28B was recently identified as an important predictor of the outcome of chronic hepatitis C patients treated with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin (PEG-IFN/RBV). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the IL28B gene polymorphism (rs12979860) and virological response in chronic hepatitis C patients. Brazilian patients (n = 263) who were infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 and were receiving PEG-IFN/RBV were genotyped. Early virological response (EVR) (12 weeks), end-of-treatment response (EOTR) (48 weeks), sustained virological response (SVR) (72 weeks) and relapse were evaluated using conventional and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. The frequency of the C allele in the population was 39%. Overall, 43% of patients experienced SVR. The IL28B CC genotype was significantly associated with higher treatment response rates and a lower relapse rate compared to the other genotypes [84% vs. 58% EVR, 92% vs. 63% EOTR, 76% vs. 38% SVR and 17% vs. 40% relapse rate in CC vs. other genotypes (CT and TT), respectively]. Thus, the IL28B genotype appears to be a strong predictor of SVR following PEG-IFN/RBV therapy in treatment-naïve Brazilian patients infected with HCV genotype 1. This study, together with similar research examining other SNPs, should help to define adequate protocols for the treatment of patients infected with HCV genotype 1, especially those with a poor prognosis.
Role of the Y-located putative gonadoblastoma gene in human spermatogenesis

The gonadoblastoma locus on the human Y chromosome (GBY) is postulated to serve normal functions in spermatogenesis, but could exert oncogenic properties in predisposing susceptible germ cells to tumorigenesis in incompatible niches such as streaked gonads in XY sex reversed patients or dysfunctional testis in males. The testis-specific protein Y-linked (TSPY) repeat gene has recently been demonstrated to be the putative gene for GBY, based on its location on the GBY critical region, expression patterns in early and late stages of gonadoblastoma and ability to induce gonadoblastoma-like structures in the ovaries of transgenic female mice. Over-expression of TSPY accelerates G2/M progression in the cell cycle by enhancing the mitotic cyclin B-CDK1 kinase activities. Currently the normal functions of TSPY in spermatogenesis are uncertain. Expression studies of TSPY, and its X-homologue, TSPX, in normal human testis suggest that TSPY is co-expressed with cyclin B1 in spermatogonia and various stages of spermatocytes while TSPX is principally expressed in Sertoli cells in the human testis. The co-expression pattern of TSPY and cyclin B1 in spermatogonia and spermatocytes suggest respectively that 1) TSPY is important for male spermatogonial cell replication and renewal in the testis; and 2) TSPY could be a catalyst/meiotic factor essential for augmenting the activities of cyclin B-cyclin dependent kinases, important for the differentiation of the spermatocytes in prophase I and in preparation for consecutive rounds of meiotic divisions without an intermediate interphase during spermatogenesis.
Rainfall downscaling and flood forecasting: a case study in the Mediterranean area

The prediction of the small-scale spatial-temporal pattern of intense rainfall events is crucial for flood risk assessment in small catchments and urban areas. In the absence of a full deterministic modelling of small-scale rainfall, it is common practice to resort to the use of stochastic downscaling models to generate ensemble rainfall predictions to be used as inputs to rainfall-runoff models. In this work we present an application of a new spatial-temporal downscaling procedure, called RainFARM, to an intense precipitation event predicted by the limited-area meteorological model Lokal Model over north-west Italy. The uncertainty in flood prediction associated with the small unresolved scales of forecasted precipitation fields is evaluated by using an ensemble of downscaled fields to drive a semi-distributed rainfall-runoff model.
Age Trends and Age Norms for the NEO Personality Inventory-3 in Adolescents and Adults

The NEO Personality Inventory-3 (NEO-PI-3) is a modification of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) designed to be more understandable to adolescents. Data from adults aged 21 to 91 showed that the NEO-PI-3 also functions as well or better than the NEO-PI-R in adults. Age trends from combined adolescent (n = 500) and adult (n = 635) samples confirmed previous cross-sectional findings and demonstrated the importance of studying age changes especially at the facet level and during the decade of the 20s. Normative data for self-report and observer rating forms for adolescents, younger and older adults, and all adults are discussed, as well as for a combined-age group. It is argued that combined-age norms may be most appropriate for depicting the personality scores of individuals, but the utility for some purposes of within-age group scores is also acknowledged.
Automatic Generation of Grounded Visual Questions

In this paper, we propose the first model to be able to generate visually grounded questions with diverse types for a single image. Visual question generation is an emerging topic which aims to ask questions in natural language based on visual input. To the best of our knowledge, it lacks automatic methods to generate meaningful questions with various types for the same visual input. To circumvent the problem, we propose a model that automatically generates visually grounded questions with varying types. Our model takes as input both images and the captions generated by a dense caption model, samples the most probable question types, and generates the questions in sequel. The experimental results on two real world datasets show that our model outperforms the strongest baseline in terms of both correctness and diversity with a wide margin.
Disclosure control methods and information loss for microdata

Statistical disclosure control (SDC) seeks to modify statistical data so that they can be published without giving away confidential information that can be linked to specific respondents. The challenge for SDC is to achieve this modification with minimum loss of the detail and accuracy sought by database users. SDC methods for microdata are usually known as masking methods, of which there is a wide range. From the point of view of their operational principles, current masking methods fall into the following two categories (Willenborg and De Waal 2001): • Perturbative. The microdata set is distorted before publication. In this way, unique combinations of scores in the original dataset may disappear and new unique combinations may appear in the perturbed dataset; such confusion is beneficial for preserving statistical confidentiality. The perturbation method used should be such that statistics computed on the perturbed dataset do not differ significantly from the statistics that would be obtained on the original dataset. • Nonperturbative. Nonperturbative methods do not alter data; rather, they produce partial suppressions or reductions of detail on the original dataset. Global recoding, local suppression, and sampling are examples of nonperturbative masking.
Gender Constancy and Genital Knowledge in Filipino Preschool Children

In line with Jean Piaget’s conservation concepts and Lawrence Kohlberg’s work on gender constancy, a study was conducted among Filipino preschoolers to determine the development of their gender constancy and determine the relationship between gender constancy and genital knowledge. Age and gender differences were also determined. The 87 preschoolers, aged 3-5 years old, from three laboratory schools completed the following tests: the Own-gender constancy test, Other-Gender Constancy test, and the Genital Knowledge test. For own-gender constancy, sex was a significant variable. The mean score of male preschoolers was higher than female preschoolers. For other-gender constancy, age was a significant variable. There was a difference in mean scores across the three age groups. There was a positive but low correlation between own-gender constancy scores and other-gender constancy scores. This relationship was also observed for other-gender constancy and genital knowledge.
Parameter Optimization of Simplified Propulsive Model for Biomimetic Robot Fish

This paper is concerned with the parameter optimization for a simplified propulsive model of biomimetic robot fish propelled by a multiple linked mechanism. Taking account of both theoretic hydrodynamic issues and practical problems in engineering realization, the optimal link-length ratio is numerically calculated by an improved constrained cyclic variable method. The result is successfully applied to the 4-linked robot fish developed in our laboratory. The comparative experiments on forward swimming speed of the robot fish before and after parameter optimization verify the effectiveness of our method.
Characterization of the Potential Subpopulation of Bone Marrow Cells Involved in the Repair of Injured Liver Tissue

In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that bone marrow (BM) stem cells can differentiate into hepatocytes. However, it is not known whether such a differentiation event occurs during normal liver regeneration process. We investigated the role of endogenous BM cells in liver regeneration following acute injury and phenotypically characterized them. We showed that Lin−Sca‐1+ cells proliferate in the BM and subsequently mobilize in the peripheral blood in response to liver injury by CCl4 or an injury simulating condition. In vitro studies confirmed that the damaged liver tissue was capable of inducing migration of a distinct population of BM cells, phenotypically characterized as Lin−CXCR4+OSMRβ+, which can differentiate into albumin and cytoketarin‐18 expressing cells. In order to study the migration of BM cells to the regenerating liver, the hematopoietic system was reconstituted with green fluorescent protein (GFP)+ BM cells by intra‐bone marrow transplantation prior to liver damage. The BM‐derived cells were found to express hepatocyte‐specific genes and proteins in the regenerating liver. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis for a recipient specific gene (sry) in sorted GFP+Alb+ donor cells suggested that fusion was a rare event in this experimental model. In conclusion, we first demonstrated the potential phenotype of BM cells involved in regeneration of liver from acute injury, primarily by the process of direct differentiation.
Palliative treatment of advanced esophageal cancer with metal-covered expandable stents. A cost-effectiveness and quality of life study.

PURPOSE The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic therapy with self-expanding metallic endoprostheses in the management of inoperable primary malignant esophageal obstruction or stenosis and the cost-effectiveness of the method. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between 5/1997-12/2002, obstruction of the esophagus was diagnosed in 78 patients (52 males, 26 females, age range 53-102, mean 72.3 years). The etiology was squamous cell carcinoma (n=42) and adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus (n=36). In total, 89 ultraflex metal stents were introduced endoscopically. In 46 patients dilation with Savary dilators prior to stent placement was required. A cost-effective analysis was performed, comparing oesophageal stenting with laser therapy. RESULTS Stents were placed successfully in all patients. After 48 h, all patients were able to tolerate solid or semi-solid food. During the follow-up period 8 patients developed dysphagia due to food impaction (treated successfully endoscopically). Eleven patients developed recurrent dysphagia 4-16 weeks after stenting due to tumor overgrowth and were treated with placement of a second stent. The median survival time was 18 weeks. There was no survival difference between squamous cell and adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. A similar cost was calculated for both procedures. A significant improvement in quality of life was noted in patients undergoing stenting (96% and 75% vs. 71% and 57% for the first two months). CONCLUSION Placement of self-expanding metal stents is a safe and cost-effective treatment modality that improves the quality of life, compared with laser therapy, for patients with inoperable malignant esophageal obstruction.