Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antihypertensive effect of methanolic extract from the leaves of Hibiscus Sabdariffa L. in rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the antihypertensive effects of methanol extract of H. sabdariffa leaves (MEHS) in rats. Hypertension was induced in the rats by adding 8% NaCl in their diet (salt-loading) for 6 weeks. The rats were randomly divided into five groups of 5 rats each. Group 1 was the normotensive control group and was fed with normal rat chow and water ad libitum; groups 2 and 3 were the hypertensive and positive control groups respectively while groups 4 and 5 were the experimental groups. Group 2 was given normal rat chow and water while group 3 was treated with 30 mg/kg captopril. Groups 4 and 5 were treated (p.o) with 200 and 400 mg/kg b. wt. of MEHS respectively per day for 4 weeks. The LD50 of MEHS was greater than 2000 mg/kg. Qualitative phytochemical studies revealed the presence of saponins, tannins, flavonoids, phenols, steroids, triterpenoids, and fixed oils. The MEHS significantly reduced (p<0.05) blood pressure and heart rate in hypertensive rats in a dose-dependent manner. The blood pressure reduction was associated with a reduction in serum lipid peroxidation product, as well as with an increase in serum antioxidant enzyme activities in hypertensive rats. The effects of MEHS on blood pressure and oxidative stress markers were similar to those of captopril. The results suggest that the MEHS possesses significant antihypertensive effect against salt-induced hypertension in rats. The antihypertensive effect appears to be mediated by a reduction in serum oxidative stress.
The Relationship of Cerebral Vessel Pathology to Brain Microinfarcts

The relationship of cerebral vessel pathology to brain microinfarcts is not fully understood. We examined associations of cerebral vessel pathology with microinfarcts among community‐dwelling persons who came to autopsy. Brain specimens were derived from 1,066 deceased subjects (mean age‐at‐death = 88 years, 65% women) participating in a cohort study of aging. Microinfarcts were classified by number, age and location. Severity of vessel pathologies was graded semi‐quantitatively. Almost a third of subjects (n = 300; 28%) had at least one chronic microinfarct, including 128 cortical only, 120 subcortical only, and 47 with both. Moderate‐to‐severe atherosclerosis was present in 430 (41%) subjects, arteriolosclerosis in 382 (36%), and amyloid angiopathy in 374 (35%). The odds of one or multiple microinfarct(s) was increased for more severe atherosclerosis (OR =1.22; 95%CI: 1.03–1.45), arteriolosclerosis (OR =1.18; 95%CI: 1.02–1.37) and amyloid angiopathy (OR =1.13; 95%CI: 1.00–1.28). Separately, the odds of subcortical microinfarct(s) was increased for atherosclerosis (OR =1.49; 95%CI: 1.20–1.84) and arteriolosclerosis (OR =1.39; 95%CI: 1.16–1.67) but not amyloid angiopathy; whereas the odds of cortical microinfarct(s) was increased for amyloid angiopathy (OR =1.26; 95%CI: 1.09–1.46) only. While cerebral vessel pathologies are associated with microinfarct burden, atherosclerosis and arteriolosclerosis are associated with subcortical microinfarcts, and amyloid angiopathy with cortical microinfarcts.
Preventing progression of cardiac hypertrophy and development of heart failure by paricalcitol therapy in rats.

AIMS Vitamin D deficiency is associated with cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure, and vitamin D therapy prevents the progression of cardiac hypertrophy in animal models. Here, we examine whether vitamin D therapy prevents progression of pre-existing cardiac hypertrophy and development of heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS When male Dahl salt-sensitive rats were fed a high salt (HS) diet, all rats developed cardiac hypertrophy after 5 weeks. Thereafter, rats were treated with vehicle (V), paricalcitol (PC, an active vitamin D analogue, at 200 ng, IP 3x/week), enalapril (EP, 90 μg/day), and PC + EP. All groups were continued on the HS diet and evaluated after 4 weeks of therapy. The PC and PC + EP groups, but not the V and EP only groups, showed significant prevention of progression of pre-existing cardiac hypertrophy. The signs of decompensated heart failure were evident in the vehicle-treated group; these heart failure parameters significantly improved with PC, EP or PC + EP therapy. The expression of PKCα, which is regulated by Ca(2+)and known to stimulate cardiac hypertrophy, was significantly increased in the vehicle group, and PC, EP or PC + EP effectively decreased PKCα activation. We also observed normalization of genetic alterations during progression to heart failure with PC treatment. CONCLUSION PC treatment resulted in both the prevention of progression of pre-existing cardiac hypertrophy and the development of heart failure, compared with improvement in progression to heart failure by EP alone. These beneficial findings in heart were associated with inhibition of PKCα activation and reversal of gene alterations.
On the design of a secure user authentication and key agreement scheme for wireless sensor networks

A wireless sensor network (WSN) typically consists of a large number of resource‐constrained sensor nodes and several control or gateway nodes. Ensuring the security of the asymmetric nature of WSN is challenging, and designing secure and efficient user authentication and key agreement schemes for WSNs is an active research area. For example, in 2016, Farash et al. proposed a user authentication and key agreement scheme for WSNs. However, we reveal previously unpublished vulnerabilities in their scheme, which allow an attacker to carry out sensor node spoofing, password guessing, user/sensor node anonymity, and user impersonation attacks. We then present a scheme, which does not suffer from the identified vulnerabilities. To demonstrate the practicality of the scheme, we evaluate the scheme using NS‐2 simulator. We then prove the scheme secure using Burrows–Abadi–Needham logic. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Life Cycle, Ultrastructure and Molecular Phylogeny of Hyalinocysta chapmani (Microsporidia: Thelohaniidae), a parasite of Culiseta melanura (Diptera: Culicidae) and Orthocyclops modestus (Copepoda: Cyclopidae)

Abstract The complete life cycle of the microsporidium Hyalinocysta chapmani is described from the primary mosquito host Culiseta melanura and the intermediate copepod host Orthocyclops modestus. Infections are initiated in larval C. melanura following the oral ingestion of uninucleate spores from infected copepods. Spores germinate within the lumen of the midgut and directly invade fat body tissue where all development occurs. Uninucleated schizonts undergo binary division (schizogony) followed by karyokinesis (nuclear division) to form diplokaryotic meronts. Merogony is by synchronous binary division. The onset of sporogony is characterized by the simultaneous secretion of a sporophorous vesicle and meiotic division of the diplokaryon resulting in the formation of eight ovoid meiospores enclosed within a sporophorous vesicle. Most infected larvae die during the fourth stadium and there is no evidence of a developmental sequence leading to vertical transmission. Hyalinocysta chapmani is horizontally transmitted to O. modestus via oral ingestion of meiospores. Infections become established within ovarian tissue of females and all parasite development is haplophasic. Uninucleate schizonts divide by binary division during an initial schizogonic cycle. Newly formed uninucleate cells produce a thin sporophorous vesicle and undergo repeated nuclear division during sporogony to produce a rosette-shaped, multinucleated sporogonial plasmodium with up to 18 nuclei. This is followed by cytoplasmic cleavage, sporogenesis, and disintegration of the sporophorous vesicle to form membrane-free uninucleate spores. Infected females eventually die and there is no egg development. The small subunit rDNA sequence of H. chapmani isolated from meiospores from C. melanura was identical to the small subunit rDNA sequence obtained from spores from O. modestus, corroborating the laboratory transmission studies and confirming the intermediary role of O modestus in the life cycle. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted with closely related microsporidia from mosquitoes. Hyalinocysta chapmani did not cluster within described Amblyospora species and can be considered a sister group, warranting separate genus status.
5G next generation VANETs using SDN and fog computing framework

The growth of technical revolution towards 5G Next generation networks is expected to meet various communication requirements of future Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). Motivated by the consumer needs for variety of ITS applications, bandwidth, high speed and ubiquity, researches are currently exploring different network architectures and techniques, which could be employed in Next generation ITS. To provide flexible network management, control and high resource utilization in Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) on large scale, a new hierarchical 5G Next generation VANET architecture is proposed. The key idea of this holistic architecture is to integrate the centralization and flexibility of Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Cloud-RAN (CRAN), with 5G communication technologies, to effectively allocate resources with a global view. Moreover, a fog computing framework (comprising of zones and clusters) has been proposed at the edge, to avoid frequent handovers between vehicles and RSUs. The transmission delay, throughput and control overhead on controller are analyzed and compared with other architectures. Simulation results indicate reduced transmission delay and minimized control overhead on controllers. Moreover, the throughput of proposed system is also improved.
Unsuccessful mitosis in multicellular tumour spheroids

Multicellular spheroids are very attractive models in oncology because they mimic the 3D organization of the tumour cells with their microenvironment. We show here using 3 different cell types (mammary TSA/pc, embryonic kidney Hek293 and cervical cancer HeLa), that when the cells are growing as spheroids the frequency of binucleated cells is augmented as occurs in some human tumours. We therefore describe mitosis in multicellular spheroids by following mitotic markers and by time-lapse experiments. Chromosomes alignment appears to be correct on the metaphasic plate and the passenger complex is well localized on centromere. Moreover aurora kinases are fully active and histone H3 is phosphorylated on Ser 10. Consequently, the mitotic spindle checkpoint is satisfied and, anaphase proceeds as illustrated by the transfer of survivin on the spindle and by the segregation of the two lots of chromosomes. However, the segregation plane is not well defined and oscillations of the dividing cells are observed. Finally, cytokinesis fails and the absence of separation of the two daughter cells gives rise to binucleated cells. Division orientation is specified during interphase and persists throughout mitosis. Our data indicate that the cancer cells, in multicellular spheroids, lose their ability to regulate their orientation, a feature commonly encountered in tumours. Moreover, multicellular spheroid expansion is still sensitive to mitotic drugs as pactlitaxel and aurora kinase inhibitors. The spheroids thus represent a highly relevant model for studying drug efficiency in tumours.
Consolidation of vocabulary is associated with sleep in children.

Although the acquisition of a novel word is apparently rapid, adult research suggests that integration of novel and existing knowledge (measured by engagement in lexical competition) requires sleep-associated consolidation. We present the first investigation of whether a similar time-course dissociation characterizes word learning across development. Consistent with previous research but counter to adults, 7-12-year-olds showed sleep-associated consolidation effects in declarative but not procedural memory. Nevertheless, the relationship between sleep and word learning in children was remarkably similar to the pattern for adults. Following exposure to nonword competitors (e.g. biscal) in the a.m. or p.m. , children's ability to recognize and recall the nonwords improved only after sleep (after approximately 12-hrs for the p.m. group and 24-hrs for the a.m. group), with performance stable 1 week later. Novel nonwords only induced lexical competition effects after sleep. These findings suggest that children utilize a dual memory system when acquiring and integrating new vocabulary and highlight sleep as integral to this process. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at http://www.youtube. com/watch? feature=youtube_gdata&v=2UNuKCAakOk&gl=GB.
A test of a state-based, self-control theory of binge eating in adults with obesity

ABSTRACT It has been theorized that state the levels of self-control depletion (as caused by negative affect and restraint) may lead to binge eating (BE) when individuals also endorse momentary expectancies that eating will make them feel better (EE). Given commonalities in precipitants of BE across populations, the current study tested this theory in a sample of adults with obesity using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Fifty obese adults completed the EMA protocol during which they provided pre-eating episode ratings of negative affect, restraint, and EE, and post-eating episode ratings of BE. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) identified a 3-way interaction between within-person pre-eating episode variables: higher self-control depletion (e.g., higher restraint and higher negative affect) was predictive of BE episodes only when individuals also endorsed higher EE. To our knowledge, this is the first empirical test of this theory, highlighting the impact of momentary self-control depletion and EE on BE in obese adults.
Process Trace Clustering: A Heterogeneous Information Network Approach

A computer-implemented method of generating process models from process event logs, including receiving an identification of node types and edge types of an application event log to generate a heterogeneous information network graph of the application event log, where node types include events and traces, where each trace is a finite sequence of event type nodes; reducing a number of event types of the set of input traces to generate clusters of new event types; and clustering the set of input traces to generate a plurality of disjoint partitions based on the clusters of new event types, where the clustering maximizes an average fitness of each partition and minimizes an average complexity of each partition, where each partition is a graph model of a process in the application event log.
Immediate effects of a single session of robot-assisted gait training using Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) for cerebral palsy

[Purpose] Robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) using Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL, CYBERDYNE) was previously reported beneficial for stroke and spinal cord injury patients. Here, we investigate the immediate effect of a single session of RAGT using HAL on gait function for cerebral palsy (CP) patients. [Subjects and Methods] Twelve patients (average age: 16.2 ± 7.3 years) with CP received a single session of RAGT using HAL. Gait speed, step length, cadence, single-leg support per gait cycle, hip and knee joint angle in stance, and swing phase per gait cycle were assessed before, during, and immediately after HAL intervention. [Results] Compared to baseline values, single-leg support per gait cycle (64.5 ± 15.8% to 69.3 ± 12.1%), hip extension angle in mid-stance (149.2 ± 19.0° to 155.5 ± 20.1°), and knee extension angle in mid-stance (137.6 ± 20.2° to 143.1 ± 19.5°) were significantly increased immediately after intervention. Further, the knee flexion angle in mid-swing was significantly decreased immediately after treatment (112.0 ± 15.5° to 105.2 ± 17.1°). Hip flexion angle in mid-swing also decreased following intervention (137.2 ± 14.6° to 129.7 ± 16.6°), but not significantly. Conversely, gait speed, step length, and cadence were unchanged after intervention. [Conclusion] A single-time RAGT with HAL improved single-leg support per gait cycle and hip and knee joint angle during gait, therapeutically improving gait function in CP patients.
Water Load Test in Children with Chronic Abdominal Pain or Obesity Compared with Nonobese Controls

Objective Satiety is the perception of satisfied fullness and represents a summation of neural and hormonal influences. Satiety can be assessed by drink tests, including water load. The objective of our study was to confirm the difference in water load volume between nonobese control children and children with functional dyspepsia (FD), children with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and obese children. Methods A total of 158 children ages 6 to 13 years participated in the study. There were 43 children with FD, 25 with IBS, 44 obese children, and 46 nonobese age-matched control children. Subjects drank as much water as possible in 3 minutes or until their stomachs felt full. Results Children in the FD and IBS groups drank less water than did the nonobese controls; the obese children drank more water than did the nonobese controls. The water load test demonstrated high specificity but poor sensitivity in predicting children with FD. Conclusions A water load test offers a simple, noninvasive research tool to measure satiety. Children with chronic abdominal pain drank less than nonobese control children; however, the water load test did not discriminate between FD and IBS. Obese children drank more water than the other groups, suggesting the possibility of an underlying abnormality in the perception of satiety.
Denosumab Use in a Patient with Bisphosphonate-Resistant Humoral Hypercalcemia of Malignancy

Objective: To describe the use of denosumab as an option for treating bisphosphonate-resistant humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy (HHM). Methods: We present the clinical history and laboratory findings of a patient with a review of related literature. Results: A 62 year-old male with stage IV laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and lung metastases had multiple hospital admissions for asymptomatic hypercalcemia. The patient had no known bone metastases. His laboratory data showed a high calcium level, a low level of intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) and a high level of parathyroid hormone related peptide (PTHrP), which confirmed the diagnosis of humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy. There was atypically an elevated level of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D]. The patient was treated with fluids, prednisone, calcitonin, and bisphosphonates. Hypercalcemia was refractory to bisphosphonate treatment as well as other modalities. Denosumab treatment was then added. Denosumab along with bisphosphonate produced an added effect on lowering calcium levels. Conclusion: Denosumab provides potentially a new treatment option for bisphosphonate refractory humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy, especially in the presence of high PTHrP and 1,25(OH)2D.
The Relaxase of the Rhizobium etli Symbiotic Plasmid Shows nic Site cis-Acting Preference

ABSTRACT Genetic and biochemical characterization of TraA, the relaxase of symbiotic plasmid pRetCFN42d from Rhizobium etli, is described. After purifying the relaxase domain (N265TraA), we demonstrated nic binding and cleavage activity in vitro and thus characterized for the first time the nick site (nic) of a plasmid in the family Rhizobiaceae. We studied the range of N265TraA relaxase specificity in vitro by testing different oligonucleotides in binding and nicking assays. In addition, the ability of pRetCFN42d to mobilize different Rhizobiaceae plasmid origins of transfer (oriT) was examined. Data obtained with these approaches allowed us to establish functional and phylogenetic relationships between different plasmids of this family. Our results suggest novel characteristics of the R. etli pSym relaxase for previously described conjugative systems, with emphasis on the oriT cis-acting preference of this enzyme and its possible biological relevance.
The role of academic motivation in high school students' current and lifetime alcohol consumption: adopting a self-determination theory perspective.

OBJECTIVE The current study investigated the relationship between different types of academic motives-specifically, intrinsic motivation, introjected regulation, and external regulation-and high school students' current and lifetime alcohol consumption. METHOD One thousand sixty-seven high school students completed measures of academic motivation, other school-related factors, and lifetime and current alcohol consumption. RESULTS Using structural equation modeling, different types of motivation and school-related factors were differentially related to student drinking. Specifically, intrinsic motivation was negatively related to lifetime and current alcohol consumption. External regulation, on the other hand, was positively associated with current drinking. Grade point average was the only school-related factor related to student alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that motivation is an important construct to consider in predicting students' alcohol use, even when other more commonly studied educational variables are considered. In addition, it supports the adoption of a motivation framework that considers different types of motivation in understanding the relationship between academic motivation and alcohol use. Suggestions for incorporating the self-determination model of motivation into studies of alcohol and substance use, as well as potential impacts on intervention efforts, are discussed. In particular, it may be important to foster only certain types of motivation, rather than all types of academically-focused motives, in efforts to deter alcohol use.
Patterns of Sensitivity to Parenting and Peer Environments: Early Temperament and Adolescent Externalizing Behavior

Although parenting behavior and friendship quality predict adolescent externalizing behaviors (EBs), individual differences in temperament may differentially affect susceptibility to these factors over time. In a multi-method and multi-informant study of 141 children followed prospectively from toddlerhood to adolescence, we tested the independent and interactive associations of age 3 reactive temperament (e.g., negative emotionality) and age 13 observed parenting (i.e., positive and negative behavior) and friendship (i.e., conflict and warmth), with multi-informant ratings of age 15 aggression and rule-breaking behavior. Negative parenting predicted growth in parent-rated EB, but only for adolescents with early reactive temperament. Temperament did not affect sensitivity to positive parenting or friendship. Results are discussed in the context of differential susceptibility theory and intervention implications for adolescents.
Aarhus University Transmembrane Protein Prediction using Long Short-Term Memory Networks

Transmembrane Protein Prediction is a problem with many uses as experimental determination of protein structures is still expensive and for different purposes it can be useful to know the structure. Here I introduce a small long short-term memory network based model which gives a precision of 67 ± 3 and a recall of 71± 3. The model manages, when compared to TMSEG [3], slightly worse but is still a lot better than a simple Hidden Markov Model.