Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fruit Senescence and Decay Simulation

Aging and imperfections provide important visual cues for realism. We present a novel physically‐based approach for simulating the biological aging and decay process in fruits. This method simulates interactions between multiple processes. Our biologically‐derived, reaction‐diffusion model generates growth patterns for areas of fungal and bacterial infection. Fungal colony spread and propagation is affected by both bacterial growth and nutrient depletion. This process changes the physical properties of the surface of the fruit as well as its internal volume substrate. The fruit is physically simulated with parameters such as skin thickness and porosity, water content, flesh rigidity, ambient temperature, humidity, and proximity to other surfaces. Our model produces a simulation that closely mirrors the progression of decay in real fruits under similar parameterized conditions. Additionally, we provide a tool that allows artists to customize the input of the program to produce generalized fruit simulations.
Radiocarbon Dating of the Human Eye Lens Crystallines Reveal Proteins without Carbon Turnover throughout Life

Background Lens crystallines are special proteins in the eye lens. Because the epithelial basement membrane (lens capsule) completely encloses the lens, desquamation of aging cells is impossible, and due to the complete absence of blood vessels or transport of metabolites in this area, there is no subsequent remodelling of these fibers, nor removal of degraded lens fibers. Human tissue ultimately derives its 14C content from the atmospheric carbon dioxide. The 14C content of the lens proteins thus reflects the atmospheric content of 14C when the lens crystallines were formed. Precise radiocarbon dating is made possible by comparing the 14C content of the lens crystallines to the so-called bomb pulse, i.e. a plot of the atmospheric 14C content since the Second World War, when there was a significant increase due to nuclear-bomb testing. Since the change in concentration is significant even on a yearly basis this allows very accurate dating. Methodology/Principal Findings Our results allow us to conclude that the crystalline formation in the lens nucleus almost entirely takes place around the time of birth, with a very small, and decreasing, continuous formation throughout life. The close relationship may be further expressed as a mathematical model, which takes into account the timing of the crystalline formation. Conclusions/Significance Such a life-long permanence of human tissue has hitherto only been described for dental enamel. In confront to dental enamel it must be held in mind that the eye lens is a soft structure, subjected to almost continuous deformation, due to lens accommodation, yet its most important constituent, the lens crystalline, is never subject to turnover or remodelling once formed. The determination of the 14C content of various tissues may be used to assess turnover rates and degree of substitution (for example for brain cell DNA). Potential targets may be nervous tissues in terms of senile or pre-senile degradation, as well as other highly specialised structures of the eyes. The precision with which the year of birth may be calculated points to forensic uses of this technique.
INDUCED SECRETION OF PEPSIN-RICH GASTRIC JUICE IN THE RAT BY THE CRUDE EXTRACT FROM ELAEOPHORBIA DRUPIFERA LEAVES: A DUAL PATHWAY MECHANISM

Ninety male white Wistar rats (200 - 320g) were fasted for 48 hours, and used in the experiments for the collection of gastric juice according to the method of Shay et al, 1954. The extract (2.5 - 200 mg/kg) increased the secretion of gastric juice which was low in volume but rich in pepsin concentration. The adrenergic drugs dihydroergoergotoxine (hydergine) (1.25 mg/kg) and phentolamine (1.5 mg/kg) both also increased gastric secretion, which were high in volume, titratable acidity and total acid output but low in pepsin concentration. When the extract (20 mg/kg) was given in combination with either of the two sympatholytic drugs, the pepsin concentration in the juice was richer than that evoked by either of the two drugs alone. Also, atropine-extract combination significantly (P E. drupifera leaf extract-induced secretion of gastric juice. One of which may be mediated by the muscarinic cholinoceptors and the other via histamine H 2 -receptor subtype. Key words: Elaeophorbia drupifera; gastric juice, muscarinic- and histaminergic-receptors Nigerian Journal of Physiological Sciences Vol.19(1&2) 2004: 53-59
Application of stem cell transplant for brain tumors

Abstract: Brain tumors are the second most common malignancy in children and the most common solid tumor. The majority of children are treated with surgery alone or in combination with radiation and/or chemotherapy. Recently investigators have used high dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell rescue (ASCR) in patients with malignant brain tumors. This approach has been most successful in chemosensitive tumors including medulloblastoma, supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumors (SPNET) and central nervous system germ cell tumors (CNS GCT). In addition, the use of high dose chemotherapy has enabled the reduction and in many cases elimination of radiation therapy to very young children. To date there have been no prospective randomized studies comparing high dose chemotherapy and ASCR with conventional therapy. Radiation therapy is often not an option for patients with recurrent disease and conventional dose chemotherapy rarely if ever results in long‐term survival. Unfortunately, the majority of studies using conventional therapy in order to delay irradiation in young children newly diagnosed with malignant brain tumors have been unsuccessful. Although the numbers are small, preliminary data suggest that not only is survival but also quality of life is superior with the use of high dose chemotherapy. Future studies will most likely include the use of new agents as part of the cytoreduction. In addition, through the use of peripheral blood stem cells and improvements in supportive care, multiple courses of high dose chemotherapy can be administered. High dose chemotherapy with ASCR is a foundation upon which many different types of therapies can be built. Several possibilities include the use of anti‐angiogenesis agents, monoclonal antibodies and biologic response modifiers.
Wave Dispersion Study in the Indian Ocean-Tsunami of December 26, 2004

A numerical study which takes into account wave dispersion effects has been carried out in the Indian Ocean to reproduce the initial stage of wave propagation of the tsunami event that occurred on December 26, 2004. Three different numerical models have been used: the nonlinear shallow water (nondispersive), the nonlinear Boussinesq, and the full Navier-Stokes aided by the volume of fluid method to track the free surface. Numerical model results are compared against each other. General features of the wave propagation agreed very well in all numerical studies. However some important differences are observed in the wave patterns, i.e., the development in time of the wave front is shown to be strongly connected to the dispersion effects. Discussions and conclusions are made about the spatial and temporal distribution of the free surface reaffirming that the dispersion mechanism is important for tsunami hazard mitigation.
Acute Allergic Contact Dermatitis Due to Para‐Phenylenediamine after Temporary Henna Painting

The use of temporary natural henna painting for body adornment and hair dyeing is very common in several countries of the Indian subcontinent, Middle East, and North Africa, and the fad is spreading in other parts of the world. Several cases of para‐phenylenediamine (PPD) contaminated, temporary traditional/natural henna induced sensitization and acute allergic reaction have been reported, along with occasional serious long term and rare fatal consequences. We report here a 17‐year‐old girl with blisters over her hands of five‐days duration that appeared within 72 hours of applying a temporary henna paint to her hands during a social occasion. Similar lesions were noted on her face. She had previously applied black henna only once, a year earlier without developing any lesions. Clinical diagnosis of acute allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) was made. After a short course of oral corticosteroids, topical mometasone furaote 1.0% cream, and oral antihistamines, the lesions healed completerly over the next four weeks leaving post‐inflammatory hypopigmentation. Patch testing done with standard European battery, PPD 1% in petrolatum, and commercially available natural henna powder revealed a 3+ reaction to PPD at 48 hours. No reaction was seen at the natural henna site. Awareness of the condition among physicians and the public and regulation regarding warnings of the risks of using such products is urgently warranted.
DISORDERS : A META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED PLACEBO-CONTROLLED TRIALS

Objective—Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is frequently used for various adult anxiety disorders, but there has been no systematic review of randomized placebo-controlled trials. The present study meta-analytically reviewed the efficacy of CBT versus placebo for adult anxiety disorders. Data Sources—We conducted a computerized search of treatment outcome studies of anxiety disorders between the 1st available year and March 1, 2007. Furthermore, we examined reference lists from identified articles and asked international experts to identify eligible studies. Study Selection—We included studies that randomly assigned adult patients meeting DSM-IIIR or DSM-IV criteria for an anxiety disorder to either CBT or placebo. Of 1,165 studies that were initially identified, 27 met all inclusion criteria Data Extraction—The two authors independently identified the eligible studies and selected for each study the continuous measures of anxiety severity. Dichotomous measures reflecting treatment response and continuous measures of depression severity were also collected. Data were extracted separately for completer (25 studies for continuous measures and 21 studies for response rates) and intent-to-treat analyses (6 studies for continuous measures and 8 studies for response rates). Data Synthesis—There were no significant differences in attrition rates between CBT and placebo. Random effect models of completer samples yielded a pooled effect size (Hedges’ g) of 0.73 (95% confidence interval, 0.88–1.65) for continuous anxiety severity measures and 0.45 (90% confidence interval, 0.25–0.65) for depressive symptom severity measures. The pooled odds ratio for completer treatment response rates was 4.06 (95% confidence interval, 2.78–5.92). The strongest effect sizes were observed for obsessive-compulsive disorder and acute stress disorder. The advantage of CBT over placebo did not depend on placebo modality, number of sessions, or study year. Conclusions—Our review of randomized placebo-controlled trials indicates that CBT is efficacious for adult anxiety disorders. There is, however, considerable room for improvement. Also, more studies need to include intent-to-treat analyses in the future.
Accurate model of metal-insulator-semiconductor interconnects

An accurate nonlinear circuit model for metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) interconnects is presented based on a device level simulation. The device level simulation gives detailed information regarding field-carrier interactions, semiconductor substrate loss and nonlinearity, as well as slow-wave effect, external bias effect and screening effect of the charged carriers. This model consists of an equivalent transmission line that mimics the energy transport characteristics of the actual MIS interconnect, and provides a generalized nonlinear and electronic tunable circuit model suitable for both small-signal and large-signal analyses.
Validation of Walkway Tribometers: Establishing a Reference Standard *

Abstract: Tribometers are mechanical devices used to measure walkway coefficient of friction (COF) for the purpose of assessing slip risk. The purpose of this study was to define a tribometer reference standard and use it to assess the performance of various tribometers. Eighty subjects were randomly assigned to walk across one of four wet walkway surfaces (polished black granite, porcelain, vinyl composition tile, and ceramic tile) to establish the relative slipperiness of each surface. Eleven tribometers were subsequently used to measure and rank the COF of all four surfaces. Our results revealed that only four of the 11 tribometers (Wessex pendulum, Sigler pendulum, Mark II, and Mark III) met our compliance criteria by both correctly ranking all four surfaces and differentiating between surfaces of varying degrees of slipperiness. Our protocol demonstrates that human gait‐based measures of slipperiness can be used to create reference standards against which tribometer measurements can be validated.
Elucidating the pathogenesis of synchronous and metachronous tumors in a woman with endometrioid carcinomas using a whole-exome sequencing approach

Synchronous endometrial and ovarian (SEO) carcinomas involve endometrioid neoplasms in both the ovary and uterus at the time of diagnosis. Patients were traditionally classified as having independent primary SEO lesions or as having metastatic endometrioid carcinoma. Recent studies have supported that SEO tumors result from the dissemination of cells from one organ site to another. However, whether this can be considered a “metastasis” or “dissemination” remains unclear. In this report, we performed whole-exome sequencing of tumor samples from a woman with well-differentiated endometrioid SEO tumors and a clinical “recurrent” poorly differentiated peritoneal tumor that was diagnosed 8 years after the complete resection of the SEO tumors. Somatic mutation analysis identified 132, 171, and 1214 nonsynonymous mutations in the endometrial, ovarian, and peritoneal carcinomas, respectively. A unique mutation signature associated with mismatch repair deficiency was observed in all three tumors. The SEO carcinomas shared 57 nonsynonymous mutations, whereas the clinically suspected recurrent carcinoma shared only eight nonsynonymous mutations with the SEO tumors. One of the eight shared somatic mutations involved PTEN; these shared mutations represent the earliest genetic alteration in the ancestor cell clone. Based on analysis of the phylogenetic tree, we predicted that the so-called recurrent peritoneal tumor was derived from the same endometrial ancestor clone as the SEO tumors, and that this clone migrated and established benign peritoneal endometriosis where the peritoneal tumor later arose. This case highlights the usefulness of next-generation sequencing in defining the etiology and clonal relationships of synchronous and metachronous tumors from patients, thus providing valuable insight to aid in the clinical management of rare or ambiguous tumors.
The Susceptibility of Trypanosomatid Pathogens to PI3/mTOR Kinase Inhibitors Affords a New Opportunity for Drug Repurposing

Background Target repurposing utilizes knowledge of “druggable” targets obtained in one organism and exploits this information to pursue new potential drug targets in other organisms. Here we describe such studies to evaluate whether inhibitors targeting the kinase domain of the mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) and human phosphoinositide-3-kinases (PI3Ks) show promise against the kinetoplastid parasites Trypanosoma brucei, T. cruzi, Leishmania major, and L. donovani. The genomes of trypanosomatids encode at least 12 proteins belonging to the PI3K protein superfamily, some of which are unique to parasites. Moreover, the shared PI3Ks differ greatly in sequence from those of the human host, thereby providing opportunities for selective inhibition. Methodology/Principal Findings We focused on 8 inhibitors targeting mTOR and/or PI3Ks selected from various stages of pre-clinical and clinical development, and tested them against in vitro parasite cultures and in vivo models of infection. Several inhibitors showed micromolar or better efficacy against these organisms in culture. One compound, NVP-BEZ235, displayed sub-nanomolar potency, efficacy against cultured parasites, and an ability to clear parasitemia in an animal model of T. brucei rhodesiense infection. Conclusions/Significance These studies strongly suggest that mammalian PI3/TOR kinase inhibitors are a productive starting point for anti-trypanosomal drug discovery. Our data suggest that NVP-BEZ235, an advanced clinical candidate against solid tumors, merits further investigation as an agent for treating African sleeping sickness.
Quantum catalysis in B12-dependent methylmalonyl-CoA mutase: experimental and computational insights

B12-dependent methylmalonyl-CoA mutase catalyses the interchange of a hydrogen atom and the carbonyl-CoA group on adjacent carbons of methylmalonyl-CoA to give the rearranged product, succinyl-CoA. The first step in this reaction involves the transient generation of cofactor radicals by homolytic rupture of the cobalt–carbon bond to generate the deoxyadenosyl radical and cob(II)alamin. This step exhibits a curious sensitivity to isotopic substitution in the substrate, methylmalonyl-CoA, which has been interpreted as evidence for kinetic coupling. The magnitude of the isotopic discrimination is large and a deuterium isotope effect ranging from 35.6 at 20 °C to 49.9 at 5 °C has been recorded. Arrhenius analysis of the temperature dependence of this isotope effect provides evidence for quantum tunnelling in this hydrogen transfer step. The mechanistic complexity of the observed rate constant for cobalt–carbon bond homolysis together with the spectroscopically silent nature of many of the component steps limits the insights that can be derived by experimental approaches alone. Computational studies using a newly developed geometry optimization scheme that allows determination of the transition state in the full quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical coordinate space have yielded novel insights into the strategy deployed for labilizing the cobalt–carbon bond and poising the resulting deoxyadenosyl radical for subsequent hydrogen atom abstraction.
MicroRNA-206 Delays ALS Progression and Promotes Regeneration of Neuromuscular Synapses in Mice

An Innervative Small RNA Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a relentless disease characterized by progressive degeneration of motor neurons that control muscle movement, leading to muscle atrophy and paralysis. Williams et al. (p. 1549; see the Perspective by Brown) show that a small noncoding RNA that is selectively expressed in skeletal muscle, miR-206, senses motor neuron injury or loss and helps ameliorate resultant muscle damage by promoting regeneration of neuromuscular synapses. Expression of miR-206 was dramatically induced in a mouse model of ALS, and when this RNA was removed from mice by genetic manipulation, the disease progressed at a faster rate. The salutary effects of miR-206 appear to be mediated through a signaling pathway in muscle cells involving histone deacetylase 4 and a fibro-blast growth factor modulator, activation of which leads to release of factors that promote nerve-muscle interactions. A small noncoding RNA promotes nerve-muscle interactions in response to motor neuron injury and slows disease progression. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by loss of motor neurons, denervation of target muscles, muscle atrophy, and paralysis. Understanding ALS pathogenesis may require a fuller understanding of the bidirectional signaling between motor neurons and skeletal muscle fibers at neuromuscular synapses. Here, we show that a key regulator of this signaling is miR-206, a skeletal muscle–specific microRNA that is dramatically induced in a mouse model of ALS. Mice that are genetically deficient in miR-206 form normal neuromuscular synapses during development, but deficiency of miR-206 in the ALS mouse model accelerates disease progression. miR-206 is required for efficient regeneration of neuromuscular synapses after acute nerve injury, which probably accounts for its salutary effects in ALS. miR-206 mediates these effects at least in part through histone deacetylase 4 and fibroblast growth factor signaling pathways. Thus, miR-206 slows ALS progression by sensing motor neuron injury and promoting the compensatory regeneration of neuromuscular synapses.
Clinical analysis and evaluation of the function of replanted and revascularized parts of the upper limb

During the past four years, we have attempted to replant and revascularize 57 hands and fingers in 43 patients. The total success rate was 81 %. Replantation of hands severed cleanly (guillotine type) and those with slight local crush injuries had the highest success rate. As for hand function, amputations at zones III and IV with end‐to‐end suturing of the tendons and nerves presented the highest degree of function when evaluated objectively and subjectively. All patients presented a high degree of satisfaction with the outcome of the Operation. © Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Long-range synchrony of gamma oscillations and auditory hallucination symptoms in schizophrenia

Phase locking in the gamma-band range has been shown to be diminished in patients with schizophrenia. Moreover, there have been reports of positive correlations between phase locking in the gamma-band range and positive symptoms, especially hallucinations. The aim of the present study was to use a new methodological approach in order to investigate gamma-band phase synchronization between the left and right auditory cortex in patients with schizophrenia and its relationship to auditory hallucinations. Subjects were 18 patients with chronic schizophrenia (SZ) and 16 healthy control (HC) subjects. Auditory hallucination symptom scores were obtained using the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms. Stimuli were 40-Hz binaural click trains. The generators of the 40Hz-ASSR were localized using eLORETA and based on the computed intracranial signals lagged interhemispheric phase locking between primary and secondary auditory cortices was analyzed. Current source density of the 40 ASSR response was significantly diminished in SZ in comparison to HC in the right superior and middle temporal gyrus (p<0.05). Interhemispheric phase locking was reduced in SZ in comparison to HC for the primary auditory cortices (p<0.05) but not in the secondary auditory cortices. A significant positive correlation was found between auditory hallucination symptom scores and phase synchronization between the primary auditory cortices (p<0.05, corrected for multiple testing) but not for the secondary auditory cortices. These results suggest that long-range synchrony of gamma oscillations is disturbed in schizophrenia and that this deficit is related to clinical symptoms such as auditory hallucinations. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho. 2010.08. 004 Other titles: Unspecified Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich ZORA URL: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-42147 Accepted Version Originally published at: Mulert, C; Kirsch, V; Pascual-Marqui, R; McCarley, R W; Spencer, K M (2011). Long-range synchrony of gamma oscillations and auditory hallucination symptoms in schizophrenia. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 79(11):55-63. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho. 2010.08. 004