Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protein Inhibitor of Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) and the N-Methyl-d-Aspartate Receptor Are Expressed in the Rat and Mouse Penile Nerves and Colocalize with Penile Neuronal NOS1

Abstract Nitrergic neurotransmission triggering penile erection is mediated by nitric oxide (NO) synthesized in the cavernosal nerves of the penis by penile neuronal NO synthase (PnNOS). In the central nervous system, nNOS is activated by the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) and, presumably, is inhibited by the protein inhibitor of NOS (PIN). The PnNOS and NMDAR are expressed in the penis, and PnNOS has been localized in penile nerves. Both proteins colocalize with PIN in the hypothalamus and the spinal cord involved in the control of erection. The present study aimed to elucidate the relationship between PnNOS, PIN, and NMDAR in the penis. It was found that in the rat, PIN was expressed in the pelvic ganglion and the cavernosal nerve, and penile PIN cDNA was cloned, sequenced, and expressed. Immunohistochemistry localized PIN to the cavernosal and dorsal nerve of the penis, whereas NMDAR was not detected in the latter. Dual-fluorescence labeling showed that PnNOS colocalized with PIN in both nerves but with NMDAR only in the cavernosal nerve. Aging did not affect the mRNA levels of PnNOS, nNOS, NMDAR, and PIN. Both PIN and NMDAR were detected in penile nerves of the wild-type and nNOS−/− mouse. The PIN protein did not inhibit or bind NOS in penile extracts, and in vivo, PIN cDNA reduced the erectile response to electrical field stimulation. In conclusion, PIN and NMDAR colocalize with PnNOS in penile nerves, but the functional significance of these protein interactions for penile erection remains to be elucidated.
Photoperiod and heat stress influence on lactating sow performance and photoperiod effects on nursery pig performance.

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate sow and piglet productivity under extended photoperiod. In Exp. 1, 98 crossbred, lactating sows were housed in one of four treatments: thermoneutral air temperature (23.6 degrees C) in either (h of light:dark) 1:23 or 16:8 photoperiods, or heat stress (30.4 degrees C) in either 1:23 or 16:8 photoperiods. Heat stress reduced (P less than .05) sow feed intake, piglet mortality and piglet weaning weight and increased (P less than .01) sow lactation weight loss. Number of pigs weaned per litter was increased (P less than .01) when sows were heat-stressed. Extended photoperiod reduced (P greater than .05) time for sows to rebreed postweaning by . 4 d. The interaction between air temperature and photoperiod was significant only for sow lactation weight loss. Heat stress increased sow lactation weight loss, but this effect was more severe in the 1:23 than in the 16:8 photoperiod. Experiments 2 and 3 examined the effects of 1:23 or 16:8 photoperiods on nursery pig performance when pigs were weaned from sows experiencing 1:23 (Exp. 3) or 16:8 (Exp. 2) photoperiods. In both nursery studies, photoperiod did not influence (P greater than .10) postweaning pig mortality, feed intake, weight gain or gain:feed ratio. In conclusion, extended photoperiod reduced days to return to estrus and reduced sow lactation weight loss, especially during heat stress. No benefits in preweaning or postweaning piglet weight or survival were observed by use of extended photoperiod.
Motor execution and imagination networks in post-stroke dystonia

Reorganization of motor execution and imagination networks was studied in six patients with unilateral dystonia secondary to a subcortical stroke and compared with seven control subjects using fMRI. Patients performed imagined and real auditory-cued hand movements. Movements of the dystonic hand resulted in overactivity in bilateral motor, premotor, and prefrontal cortex, insula, precuneus, and cerebellum, in parietal areas and the striatum contralateral to the lesion. Movements of the unaffected hand resulted in overactivity in bilateral preSMA, prefrontal, and parietal areas, insula and cerebellum, the ipsilateral premotor cortex and the contralateral striatum to the lesion. Mental representation of movements with each hand resulted in overactivity in bilateral parietal, premotor and prefrontal areas. These results suggest that execution and mental representation of movement are altered in these patients.
Convergence Analysis of Proximal Gradient with Momentum for Nonconvex Optimization

In many modern machine learning applications, structures of underlying mathematical models often yield nonconvex optimization problems. Due to the intractability of nonconvexity, there is a rising need to develop efficient methods for solving general nonconvex problems with certain performance guarantee. In this work, we investigate the accelerated proximal gradient method for nonconvex programming (APGnc). The method compares between a usual proximal gradient step and a linear extrapolation step, and accepts the one that has a lower function value to achieve a monotonic decrease. In specific, under a general nonsmooth and nonconvex setting, we provide a rigorous argument to show that the limit points of the sequence generated by APGnc are critical points of the objective function. Then, by exploiting the Kurdyka-{\L}ojasiewicz (\KL) property for a broad class of functions, we establish the linear and sub-linear convergence rates of the function value sequence generated by APGnc. We further propose a stochastic variance reduced APGnc (SVRG-APGnc), and establish its linear convergence under a special case of the \KL property. We also extend the analysis to the inexact version of these methods and develop an adaptive momentum strategy that improves the numerical performance.
Influence of particle size on persistence and clearance of aerosolized silver nanoparticles in the rat lung.

The growing use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in consumer products raises concerns about potential health effects. This study investigated the persistence and clearance of 2 different size AgNPs (20 and 110 nm) delivered to rats by single nose-only aerosol exposures (6 h) of 7.2 and 5.4 mg/m(3), respectively. Rat lung tissue was assessed for silver accumulations using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), autometallography, and enhanced dark field microscopy. Involvement of tissue macrophages was assessed by scoring of silver staining in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Silver was abundant in most macrophages at 1 day post-exposure. The group exposed to 20 nm AgNP had the greatest number of silver positive BALF macrophages at 56 days post-exposure. While there was a significant decrease in the amount of silver in lung tissue at 56 days post-exposure compared with 1 day following exposure, at least 33% of the initial delivered dose was still present for both AgNPs. Regardless of particle size, silver was predominantly localized within the terminal bronchial/alveolar duct junction region of the lung associated with extracellular matrix and within epithelial cells. Inhalation of both 20 and 110 nm AgNPs resulted in a persistence of silver in the lung at 56 days post-exposure and local deposition as well as accumulation of silver at the terminal bronchiole alveolar duct junction. Further the smaller particles, 20 nm AgNP, produced a greater silver burden in BALF macrophages as well as greater persistence of silver positive macrophages at later timepoints (21 and 56 days).
HLA Associations in a Cohort of Children With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis With and Without Uveitis.

PURPOSE Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)-associated uveitis can lead to ocular complications and vision loss. Alleles HLA-DRB1*08, *11, and *13 are risk alleles for JIA, whereas HLA-DRB1*11 and *13 alleles increase uveitis susceptibility. We examined the association of common HLA-DRB1 alleles in children with JIA alone and JIA-associated uveitis. METHODS High-resolution HLA-DRB1 genotyping was performed in 107 children with oligoarticular and polyarticular rheumatoid factor (RF) negative JIA and 373 non-Hispanic white controls. Children with JIA alone and JIA-associated uveitis were of similar race, ethnicity, sex, and age at arthritis diagnosis. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. RESULTS There were 47 children with JIA-associated uveitis and 60 with JIA alone. Compared to controls, only children with JIA-associated uveitis had increased odds of carriage of HLA-DRB1*11 (OR, 2.2 95% [CI, 1.1-4.3], P = 0.023). There also was increased carriage of HLA-DRB1*08 and *13 (OR, 12.6 [95% CI, 2.0-77.8], P = 0.011). Compared to controls and children with JIA alone, those with JIA-associated uveitis had increased odds of carriage of HLA-DRB1*11 and *13 (OR, 9 [95% CI, 2.8-29.0], P < 0.0001 and OR, 8.6 [95% CI, 1.0-74.4], P = 0.042), respectively. CONCLUSIONS We report the novel finding that carriage of HLA-DRB1*11 and *13 appears to increase the risk of uveitis in children with JIA.
Overexpression of Nuclear Protein Kinase CK2 α Catalytic Subunit (CK2α) as a Poor Prognosticator in Human Colorectal Cancer

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies but the current therapeutic approaches for advanced CRC are less efficient. Thus, novel therapeutic approaches are badly needed. The purpose of this study is to investigate the involvement of nuclear protein kinase CK2 α subunit (CK2α) in tumor progression, and in the prognosis of human CRC. Methodology/Principal Findings Expression levels of nuclear CK2α were analyzed in 245 colorectal tissues from patients with CRC by immunohistochemistry, quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot. We correlated the expression levels with clinicopathologic parameters and prognosis in human CRC patients. Overexpression of nuclear CK2α was significantly correlated with depth of invasion, nodal status, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging, degree of differentiation, and perineural invasion. Patients with high expression levels of nuclear CK2α had a significantly poorer overall survival rate compared with patients with low expression levels of nuclear CK2α. In multi-variate Cox regression analysis, overexpression of nuclear CK2α was proven to be an independent prognostic marker for CRC. In addition, DLD-1 human colon cancer cells were employed as a cellular model to study the role of CK2α on cell growth, and the expression of CK2α in DLD-1 cells was inhibited by using siRNA technology. The data indicated that CK2α-specific siRNA treatment resulted in growth inhibition. Conclusions/Significance Taken together, overexpression of nuclear CK2α can be a useful marker for predicting the outcome of patients with CRC.
Speech recognition with automatic punctuation

We present a method of speech recognition with automatic punctuation based on a combination of acoustic and lexical evidence. In the recognizer vocabulary, punctuation marks are treated as word entries. By assigning the acoustic baseforms of silence, breath, and other non-speech sounds to punctuation marks, and using a properly processed N-gram language model, unpronounced punctuation marks of various types (commas, periods, etc.) appear naturally in the recognizer output. This technology can be used in dictation systems to improve usability, in commercial broadcast transcription systems to reduce editing time, and in information retrieval systems to provide phrasing information to facilitate natural language understanding.
Metabolism and excretion of a new antipsychotic drug, ziprasidone, in humans.

The pharmacokinetics, metabolism, and excretion of a new antipsychotic drug, ziprasidone, were studied in four normal male volunteers after oral administration of a single 20 mg dose of a mixture of 14C- and 3H-labeled ziprasidone. Blood, urine, and feces were collected at various intervals for determination of total radioactivity and metabolic profiles. Eleven days after the dose, 20.3 +/- 1% of the administered radioactivity was recovered in the urine and 66.3 +/- 4.8% in feces. The absorption of ziprasidone was rapid, and the C(max) for ziprasidone and metabolites occurred at 2 to 6 hr postdose. Mean peak serum concentration of unchanged drug was 45 ng/ml and a mean AUC(0-t) of 335.7 ng x hr/ml. Mean peak serum concentration of total radioactivity (average of 3H and 14C) was 91 ng-eq/ml and a mean AUC(0-t) of 724.6 ng-eq x hr/ml. On the basis of AUC(0-t) values, approximately 46% of circulating radioactivity was attributable to unchanged drug. Ziprasidone was extensively metabolized and only a small amount (<5% of the administered dose) was excreted in urine and feces as unchanged drug. Twelve metabolites in human urine and serum were identified by ion-spray LC/MS and LC/MS/MS with simultaneous monitoring of radioactivity. The major urinary metabolites were identified as oxindole-acetic acid and its glucuronide conjugate, benzisothiazole-3-yl-piperazine (BITP), BITP-sulfoxide, BITP-sulfone and its lactam, ziprasidone-sulfoxide, and sulfone similar to those identified in rats. In addition, two novel metabolic pathways (reductive cleavage and N-dearylation of the benzisothiazole ring) were identified for ziprasidone in humans. The metabolites resulted by these pathways were characterized as S-methyl-dihydroziprasidone, S-methyl-dihydro-ziprasidone sulfoxide, and 6-chloro-5-(2-piperazin-1-yl-ethyl)-1,3-dihydro-indol-2-one, respectively. Ziprasidone sulfoxide and sulfone were the major metabolites in human serum. The affinities of the sulfoxide and sulfone metabolites for 5-HT2 and D2 receptors are low with respect to ziprasidone, and are thus unlikely to contribute to its antipsychotic effects. Structures of the major metabolites were confirmed by chromatographic and spectroscopic comparisons to synthetic standards. Based on the structures of these metabolites, four routes of metabolism of ziprasidone were identified: 1) N-dealkylation of the ethyl side chain attached to the piperazinyl nitrogen, 2) oxidation at sulfur resulting in the formation of sulfoxide and sulfone, 3) reductive cleavage of the benzisothiazole moiety, and 4) hydration of the C=N bond and subsequent sulfer oxidation or N-dearylation of the benzisothiazole moiety. The identified metabolites accounted for >90% of total radioactivity recovered in urine.
Emerging hormonal treatments for menopausal symptoms

Introduction: The majority of women experience bothersome symptoms postmenopause (e.g., hot flushes, vaginal symptoms). Estrogen receptor agonists remain the most effective options for ameliorating menopausal symptoms. However, use of hormonal therapies has declined in the wake of issues raised by the Women’s Health Initiative trials. As a result, there is a need for new safe and effective alternatives to estrogen-progestogen hormone therapy. Areas covered: We review the efficacy and safety profile of hormonal menopausal therapies that are in Phase III clinical trials or recently approved. Investigational treatments discussed include two new vaginal estrogen products (TX-004HR, WC-3011); the first combination of estradiol and progesterone, and a novel combination of dehydroepiandrosterone and acolbifene. We also review a new selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), ospemifene, recently approved for treatment of dyspareunia related to menopause, and conjugated estrogens plus bazedoxifene, an estrogens/SERM combination, recently approved for moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms and prevention of osteoporosis. Expert opinion: New and emerging hormonal treatments for managing menopausal symptoms may have improved safety and efficacy profiles compared with traditional estrogen-progestogen therapy; however, long-term safety data will be needed.
Nexus between Fiscal Performance and Stock Market: Does Institutional Quality Matter?

This study analyses the relationship between the stock market and fiscal performance by adding the moderating role of institutional quality in the nexus between fiscal performance and the stock market in advanced countries. The study employs panel data of advanced countries with the span of 2007-2021 using the Generalized method of moments(GMM). The results find that fiscal performance plays a major role in determining the stock market returns, more over institutional quality further enhancing the relationship between fiscal performance and the stock market. This study contributes to ongoing literature by providing new evidence on the moderating role of institutional quality in the nexus between fiscal performance and the stock market.
Does the formulation of enteral feeding products influence infectious morbidity and mortality rates in the critically ill patient? A critical review of the evidence

ObjectiveTo examine the relationship between the formulation of enteral nutrition and nosocomial infection in critical illness. Data SourcesComputerized search of published research and reference list review. Study SelectionReview of 151 citations. Included are 31 primary studies in which the authors described the formulation of enteral nutrition and its effect on infectious morbidity and mortality rates in critically ill humans or animals. Data ExtractionAbstraction of the methods of primary studies and the impact of the composition of enteral nutrition on infectious morbidity and mortality rates. Data SynthesisThere is no evidence that the addition of branch-chain amino acids or nucleotides to enteral nutrition reduces infectious morbidity in animals or humans. Supplementation with fish oil, arginine, or glutamine has a variable impact on survival in animal models; there are no clinical trials in critically ill patients that demonstrate reduced infectious morbidity or mortality rates. Some animal studies suggest that intestinal overgrowth and bacterial translocation may be related to the type of fiber used, or elemental or polymeric formulas. Preliminary evidence suggests that Modular Tube Feeds (an enteral formula developed at the Shriner's Burn Institute, Cincinnati, OH), and a commerically available enteral formula (enhanced with co-3-fatty acids, arginine, and yeast RNA; Impact, Sandoz Nutrition, Minneapolis, MN) may result in decreased infections in burn and postoperative cancer patients, respectively, but not in critically ill patients. Acidification of enteral feeding results in decreased bacterial colonization of the stomach in critically ill patients. ConclusionsInsufficient experimental data exist to permit conclusions that enteral nutrition formulations or supplements reduce infectious morbidity and mortality rates, but results are promising enough to warrant further research. (Crit Care Med 1994; 22:1192–1202)
Tackling Car Sequencing Problems Using a Generic Genetic Algorithm

The car sequencing problem (CarSP) was seen as a challenge to artificial intelligence. The CarSP is a version of the job-shop scheduling problem, which is known to be NP-complete. The task in the CarSP is to schedule a given number of cars (of different types) in a sequence to allow the teams in each workstation on the assembly line to fit the required options (e.g. radio, sunroof) on the cars within the capacity of that workstation. In unsolvable problems, one would like to minimize the penalties associated with the violation of the capacity constraints. Previous attempts to tackle the problem either have been unsuccessful or have been restricted to solvable CarSPs only. In this paper, we report on promising results in applying a generic genetic algorithm, which we call GAcSP, to tackle both solvable and unsolvable CarSPs.
Identifying Process Improvement Targets in Test Processes: A Case Study

In this paper, we present the results of case studies conducted in three software companies in order to identify the improvement targets in their test processes. The test processes were modeled using the LAPPI (A Light-weight Technique to Practical Process Modeling and Improvement Target Identification) technique. Identifying improvement targets quickly and in a cost-effective way is important to maximize the value of SPI (Software Process Improvement) initiatives. The most significant problems identified in this study were the low level of unit testing, unknown repercussions of code changes, and missing exit criteria for testing. These findings support the results of earlier studies. Further, a less reported problem was identified. It appears that software companies find it difficult to integrate test automation with their manual test processes. Making the recurring test related problems known among the software industry helps to justify the need for test process improvement and standardization of test processes.
Predicting ion cyclotron emission from neutral beam heated plasmas in Wendelstein7-X stellarator

Measurements of ion cyclotron emission (ICE) are planned for magnetically confined fusion (MCF) plasmas heated by neutral beam injection (NBI) in the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator (W-7X). Freshly injected NBI ions in the edge region, whose velocity-space distribution function approximates a delta-function, are potentially unstable against the magnetoacoustic cyclotron instability (MCI), which could drive a detectable ICE signal. Prediction of ICE from NBI protons in W-7X hydrogen plasmas is challenging, owing to the low ratio of the ions’ perpendicular velocity to the local Alfvén speed, v⊥(NBI)/vA ≃ 0.14. We address this from first principles, using the particle-in-cell (PIC) kinetic code EPOCH. This selfconsistently solves the Lorentz force equation and Maxwell’s equations for tens of millions of computational ions (both thermal majority and energetic NBI minority) and electrons, fully resolving gyromotion and hence capturing the cyclotron resonant phenomenology which gives rise to ICE. Our simulations predict an ICE signal which is predominantly electrostatic while incorporating a significant electromagnetic component. Its frequency power spectrum reflects novel MCI physics, reported here for the first time. The NBI ions relaxing under the MCI first drive broadband field energy at frequencies a little below the lower hybrid frequency ωLH, across the wavenumber range kωc/VA= 40 to 60, where ωc and VA denote ion cyclotron frequency and Alfvén velocity. Nonlinear coupling between these waves then excites spectrally structured ICE with narrow peaks, at much lower frequencies, typically the proton cyclotron frequency and its lower harmonics. The relative strength of these peaks depends on the specifics of the NBI ion velocity-space distribution and of the local plasma conditions, implying diagnostic potential for the predicted ICE signal from W7-X.
Association between anxiety and C-reactive protein levels in stable coronary heart disease patients.

BACKGROUND Anxiety is highly prevalent among patients with stable coronary heart disease (CHD). However, the biologic effects that may connect these two seemingly unrelated disorders is not well understood. OBJECTIVE This study aimed for a comprehensive evaluation of anxiety in stable CHD patients, in addition to cardiac biomarkers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), troponin T, and amino-terminal pro-B-type brain natriuretic peptide. METHOD The study included 43 CHD patients with anxiety disorder and 42 CHD patients without psychiatric disorder given the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. RESULTS Regression analyses showed an association between anxiety (anxiety disorder, not otherwise specified) and CRP levels, despite model adjustment for various related demographic and clinical variables. Anxiety was associated with CRP levels. CONCLUSION There are significant associations between anxiety and CHD risk, with a potential biologic link between anxiety and elevations in a biomarker with powerful prognostic risk, namely CRP. It is not clear whether this association is directly causal or relates to other medical processes among patients with heightened anxiety. The findings suggest that the current focus on depressive disorders with respect to biomarkers and CHD outcomes should be broadened to include anxiety disorders, as well.