Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum and red blood cell folate levels in parturients, in the intervillous space of the placenta and in full-term newborns

Folates, essential nutrients for man, are especially important during gestation. Serum and red blood cell folate levels were measured in 51 parturients and in their respective placentas and concepts, with the objective to further elucidate the mechanisms of folate transfer from mother to fetus. The interrelationships between the three compartments with respect to folate levels were also studied (Tab. I). Serum and red blood cell folates were measured by radioimmunoassay in samples of venous blood from the mother, from the intervillous space of the placenta, and from the umbilical cord. Higher folate levels were detected in newborns than in their mothers both in serum (3.9 times) and red blood cells (2.3 times). Serum folate levels were higher in the intervillous space of the placenta than in newborns (1.3 times) or mothers (4.5 times) Fig. 1, 2). These data suggest that the placenta concentrates folates, thus offering high concentrations of this vitamin to the fetus. It is possible that folate-binding proteins existing in the placenta participate in the mechanism of folate concentration in this organ. However, despite the existence of a transfer mechanism that benefits the fetus, a significant positive correlation was observed between serum folate levels of mothers, newborns and placentas.
Mixed-Initiative Design of Game Levels: Integrating Mission and Space into Level Generation

A level designer typically creates the levels of a game to cater for a certain set of objectives, or mission. But in procedural content generation, it is common to treat the creation of missions and the generation of levels as two separate concerns. This often leads to generic levels that allow for various missions. However, this also creates a generic impression for the player, because the potential for synergy between the objectives and the level is not utilised. Following up on the mission-space generation concept, as described by Dormans, we explore the possibilities of procedurally generating a level from a designer-made mission. We use a generative grammar to transform a mission into a level in a mixed-initiative design setting. We provide two case studies, dungeon levels for a rogue-like game, and platformer levels for a metroidvania game. The generators differ in the way they use the mission to generate the space, but are created with the same tool for content generation based on model transformations. We discuss the differences between the two generation processes and compare it with a parameterized approach.
THE NEUROSCIENCE OF ADHD olecular Genetics of Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity isorder

esults of behavioral genetic and molecular genetic studies have converged to suggest that both genetic and nongenetic factors ontribute to the development of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We review this literature, with a particular emphasis n molecular genetic studies. Family, twin, and adoption studies provide compelling evidence that genes play a strong role in ediating susceptibility to ADHD. This fact is most clearly seen in the 20 extant twin studies, which estimate the heritability of ADHD o be . 76. Molecular genetic studies suggest that the genetic architecture of ADHD is complex. The few genome-wide scans conducted hus far are not conclusive. In contrast, the many candidate gene studies of ADHD have produced substantial evidence implicating everal genes in the etiology of the disorder. For the eight genes for which the same variant has been studied in three or more ase–control or family-based studies, seven show statistically significant evidence of association with ADHD on the basis of the pooled dds ratio across studies: DRD4, DRD5, DAT, DBH, 5-HTT, HTR1B, and SNAP-25.
Efficient Positioning in MIMO Radars With Widely Separated Antennas

An algebraic closed-form solution for locating a moving target using a distributed multiple-input multiple-output radar system is proposed. The position and velocity of the target are estimated by presenting a two-stage weighted least squares algorithm. In contrast to existing research, the proposed estimator is shown analytically to be approximately unbiased and its variance is equal to the Cramer-Rao lower bound. Numerical simulations corroborate the theoretical studies and demonstrate the superiority of this algorithm over the existing methods.
Development and evaluation of the modiolar research array – multi-centre collaborative study in human temporal bones

Abstract Objective Multi-centre collaborative study to develop and refine the design of a prototype thin perimodiolar cochlear implant electrode array and to assess feasibility for use in human subjects. Study Design Multi-centre temporal bone insertion studies. Materials and Methods The modiolar research array (MRA) is a thin pre-curved electrode that is held straight for initial insertion with an external sheath rather than an internal stylet. Between November 2006 and February 2009, six iterations of electrode design were studied in 21 separate insertion studies in which 140 electrode insertions were performed in 85 human temporal bones by 12 surgeons. These studies aimed at addressing four fundamental questions related to the electrode concept, being: (1) Could a sheath result in additional intra-cochlear trauma? (2) Could a sheath accommodate variations in cochlea size and anatomies? (3) Could a sheath be inserted via the round window? and (4) Could a sheath be safely removed once the electrode had been inserted? These questions were investigated within these studies using a number of evaluation techniques, including X-ray and microfluoroscopy, acrylic fixation and temporal bone histologic sectioning, temporal bone microdissection of cochlear structures with electrode visualization, rotational tomography, and insertion force analysis. Results Frequent examples of electrode rotation and tip fold-over were demonstrated with the initial designs. This was typically caused by excessive curvature of the electrode tip, and also difficulty in handling of the electrode and sheath. The degree of tip curvature was progressively relaxed in subsequent versions with a corresponding reduction in the frequency of tip fold-over. Modifications to the sheath facilitated electrode insertion and sheath removal. Insertion studies with the final MRA design demonstrated minimal trauma, excellent perimodiolar placement, and very small electrode dimensions within scala tympani. Force measurements in temporal bones demonstrated negligible force on cochlear structures with angular insertion depths of between 390 and 450°. Conclusion The MRA is a novel, very thin perimodiolar prototype electrode array that has been developed using a systematic collaborative approach. The different evaluation techniques employed by the investigators contributed to the early identification of issues and generation of solutions. Regarding the four fundamental questions related to the electrode concept, the studies demonstrated that (1) the sheath did not result in additional intra-cochlear trauma; (2) the sheath could accommodate variations in cochlea size and anatomies; (3) the sheath was more successfully inserted via a cochleostomy than via the round window; and (4) the sheath could be safely removed once the electrode had been inserted.
Pregnancy in polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome affects 6 to 15% of reproductive age women worldwide. It is associated with increased risk of miscarriage, gestational diabetes mellitus, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, preterm delivery, and birth of small for gestational age infant. Many studies on issues relating to pathophysiology and management of these complications have been published recently. These issues are being reviewed here using relevant articles retrieved from Pubmed database, especially from those published in recent past.
Safety profile of platinum-based chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer in elderly patients

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may be considered typical of advanced age. More than 50% of NSCLC patients are diagnosed at > 65 years of age and approximately one-third of all patients are > 70 years of age. Elderly patients tolerate chemotherapy poorly compared with their younger counterpart because of the progressive reduction of organ function and comorbidities related to age. For this reason, these patients are often not considered eligible for aggressive platinum-based chemotherapy, the standard medical treatment for advanced NSCLC. In clinical practice, single-agent chemotherapy should remain the standard treatment. Feasibility of platinum-based chemotherapy remains an open issue and has to be proven prospectively. Moreover, a multidimensional geriatric assessment for individualised treatment choice in NSCLC elderly patients is mandatory. This review focuses on the currently-available evidences for the treatment of elderly patients affected by advanced NSCLC with regards to the role and safety of platinum-based chemotherapy.
Chapter 17. Hearing Aid Research Hearing Aid Research

Our long-term goal is to develop improved hearing aids for people suffering from sensorineural hearing impairments and cochlear implants for the deaf. Our efforts are focused on problems resulting from inadequate knowledge of the effects of various transformations of speech signals on speech reception by impaired listeners, specifically on the fundamental limitations on the improvements in speech reception that can be achieved by processing speech. Our aims are
Natural History of Asymptomatic Patients With Normally Functioning or Minimally Dysfunctional Bicuspid Aortic Valve in the Community

Background— Bicuspid aortic valve is frequent and is reported to cause numerous complications, but the clinical outcome of patients diagnosed with normal or mildly dysfunctional valve is undefined. Methods and Results— In 212 asymptomatic community residents from Olmsted County, Minn (age, 32±20 years; 65% male), bicuspid aortic valve was diagnosed between 1980 and 1999 with ejection fraction ≥50% and aortic regurgitation or stenosis, absent or mild. Aortic valve degeneration at diagnosis was scored echocardiographically for calcification, thickening, and mobility reduction (0 to 3 each), with scores ranging from 0 to 9. At diagnosis, ejection fraction was 63±5% and left ventricular diameter was 48±9 mm. Survival 20 years after diagnosis was 90±3%, identical to the general population (P=0.72). Twenty years after diagnosis, heart failure, new cardiac symptoms, and cardiovascular medical events occurred in 7±2%, 26±4%, and 33±5%, respectively. Twenty years after diagnosis, aortic valve surgery, ascending aortic surgery, or any cardiovascular surgery was required in 24±4%, 5±2%, and 27±4% at a younger age than the general population (P<0.0001). No aortic dissection occurred. Thus, cardiovascular medical or surgical events occurred in 42±5% 20 years after diagnosis. Independent predictors of cardiovascular events were age ≥50 years (risk ratio, 3.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.5 to 5.7; P<0.01) and valve degeneration at diagnosis (risk ratio, 2.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.2 to 4.5; P=0.016; >70% events at 20 years). Baseline ascending aorta ≥40 mm independently predicted surgery for aorta dilatation (risk ratio, 10.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.8 to 77.3; P<0.01). Conclusions— In the community, asymptomatic patients with bicuspid aortic valve and no or minimal hemodynamic abnormality enjoy excellent long-term survival but incur frequent cardiovascular events, particularly with progressive valve dysfunction. Echocardiographic valve degeneration at diagnosis separates higher-risk patients who require regular assessment from lower-risk patients who require only episodic follow-up.
The frequency evolution of interstellar pulse broadening from radio pulsars

Using radio pulsars as probes of the interstellar medium (ISM) we study the frequency evolution of interstellar scattering. The frequency dependence of scatter broadening times, τsc, for most of the pulsars with low and intermediate dispersion measures (DM ≲ 400 pc cm−3) is consistent with the Kolmogorov spectrum of electron density fluctuations in a turbulent medium. In contrast, the measured τsc’s for highly dispersed pulsars in the central region of the Galaxy are larger than expected and show a spectrum which is flatter than the Kolmogorov law. We analyse the first measurements of spectral indices of scatter broadening over the full known DM range and discuss possible explanations for the anomalous scattering behaviour along peculiar lines of sight (LOS).
Receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases and cancer

There is general agreement that many cancers are associated with aberrant phosphotyrosine signaling, which can be caused by the inappropriate activities of tyrosine kinases or tyrosine phosphatases. Furthermore, incorrect activation of signaling pathways has been often linked to changes in adhesion events mediated by cell surface receptors. Among these receptors, receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases (RPTPs) both antagonize tyrosine kinases as well as engage extracellular ligands. A recent wealth of data on this intriguing family indicates that its members can fulfill either tumor suppressing or oncogenic roles. The interpretation of these results at a molecular level has been greatly facilitated by the recent availability of structural information on the extra- and intracellular regions of RPTPs. These structures provide a molecular framework to understand how alterations in extracellular interactions can inactivate RPTPs in cancers or why the overexpression of certain RPTPs may also participate in tumor progression.
Algorithm 964

A simple and efficient algorithm to numerically compute the genus of surfaces of three-dimensional objects using the Euler characteristic formula is presented. The algorithm applies to objects obtained by thresholding a scalar field in a structured-collocated grid and does not require any triangulation of the data. This makes the algorithm fast, memory efficient, and suitable for large datasets. Applications to the characterization of complex surfaces in turbulent flows are presented to illustrate the method.
Identification of C-terminal hydrophobic residues important for dimerization and all known functions of ParB of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The ParB protein of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is important for growth, cell division, nucleoid segregation and different types of motility. To further understand its function we have demonstrated a vital role of the hydrophobic residues in the C terminus of ParBP.a. By in silico modelling of the C-terminal domain (amino acids 242–290) the hydrophobic residues L282, V285 and I289 (but not L286) are engaged in leucine-zipper-like structure formation, whereas the charged residues R290 and Q266 are implicated in forming a salt bridge involved in protein stabilization. Five parB mutant alleles were constructed and their functionality was defined in vivo and in vitro. In agreement with model predictions, the substitution L286A had no effect on mutant protein activities. Two ParBs with single substitutions L282A or V285A and deletions of two or seven C-terminal amino acids were impaired in both dimerization and DNA binding and were not able to silence genes adjacent to parS, suggesting that dimerization through the C terminus is a prerequisite for spreading on DNA. The defect in dimerization also correlated with loss of ability to interact with partner protein ParA. Reverse genetics demonstrated that a parB mutant producing ParB lacking the two C-terminal amino acids as well as mutants producing ParB with single substitution L282A or V285A had defects similar to those of a parB null mutant. Thus so far all the properties of ParB seem to depend on dimerization.
Conformal invariance and its breaking in a stochastic model of a fluctuating interface

Using Monte Carlo simulations on large lattices, we study the effects of changing the parameter u (the ratio of the adsorption and desorption rates) of the raise and peel model. This is a nonlocal stochastic model of a fluctuating interface. We show that for 0 < u < 1 the system is massive, for u = 1 it is massless and conformal invariant. For u > 1 the conformal invariance is broken. The system is in a scale invariant phase with the dynamical critical exponent z and other critical exponents varying continuously with u. As far as we know it is the first example of a system which shows such a behaviour. This also stays true for the critical exponent τ which characterizes the probability distribution function of avalanches (the critical exponent D staying unchanged).
Utility of cross‐matched platelet transfusions in patients with hypoproliferative thrombocytopenia: a systematic review

Multiply transfused hypoproliferative thrombocytopenic (HT) patients with alloimmune transfusion refractoriness require specially selected platelets (PLTs). Cross‐matching apheresis PLTs is a popular support option, avoiding requirements for large panels of typed donors for HLA‐based selection. We undertook a systematic review of the utility of various cross‐matching techniques on mortality reduction, prevention of hemorrhage, alloimmunization and refractoriness, and improvement in PLT utilization or count increments.
Serum Osteocalcin Is Significantly Related to Indices of Obesity and Lipid Profile in Malaysian Men

Background and aim: Recent studies revealed a possible reciprocal relationship between the skeletal system and obesity and lipid metabolism, mediated by osteocalcin, an osteoblast-specific protein. This study aimed to validate the relationship between serum osteocalcin and indices of obesity and lipid parameters in a group of Malaysian men. Methods: A total of 373 men from the Malaysian Aging Male Study were included in the analysis. Data on subjects' demography, body mass index (BMI), body fat (BF) mass, waist circumference (WC), serum osteocalcin and fasting lipid levels were collected. Bioelectrical impendence (BIA) method was used to estimate BF. Multiple linear and binary logistic regression analyses were performed to analyze the association between serum osteocalcin and the aforementioned variables, with adjustment for age, ethnicity and BMI. Results: Multiple regression results indicated that weight, BMI, BF mass, BF %, WC were significantly and negatively associated with serum osteocalcin (p < 0.001). There was a significant positive association between serum osteocalcin and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (p = 0.032). Binary logistic results indicated that subjects with low serum osteocalcin level were more likely to be associated with high BMI (obese and overweight), high BF%, high WC and low HDL cholesterol (p < 0.05). Subjects with high osteocalcin level also demonstrated high total cholesterol level (p < 0.05) but this association was probably driven by high HDL level. These variables were not associated with serum C-terminal of telopeptide crosslinks in the subjects (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Serum osteocalcin is associated with indices of obesity and HDL level in men. These relationships should be validated by a longitudinal study, with comprehensive hormone profile testing.
Oscillations in Activities of Enzymes in Pancreatic Islet Subcellular Fractions Induced by Physiological Concentrations of Effectors

Glucose, the most potent insulin secretagogue, stimulates insulin secretion by aerobic glycolysis, but other secretagogues stimulate insulin release exclusively by mitochondrial metabolism. It is well known that in the intact pancreatic β-cell, either kind of secretagogue can induce oscillations in metabolism (e.g., glycolysis, ATP/ADP, NAD(P)/NAD(P)H ratios) that occur with a periodicity similar to oscillations in membrane electrical potential and insulin secretion. In this study, pancreatic islet cytosol or mitochondrial fractions were incubated in the presence of physiological concentrations of substrates. Repeated additions of physiological effectors caused oscillations in the activities of the three enzymes studied. Succinate dehydrogenase activity in islet mitochondrial extracts was made to oscillate by adding oxaloacetate (5 μmol/l) to inhibit the enzyme. The enzyme was reactivated by adding acetyl-CoA (3 μmol/l), which combines with oxaloacetate in the citrate synthase reaction and lowers the concentration of oxaloacetate, thus beginning another oscillation. Pyruvate kinase activity was made to oscillate by adding fructose bisphosphate (10 μmol/l). Fructose bisphosphate was degraded to triose phosphates fairly rapidly, and, as it was degraded, there was a parallel decrease in pyruvate kinase activity. The enzyme was reactivated and made to oscillate with subsequent additions of fructose bisphosphate. The mitochondrial glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase was made to oscillate by adding EGTA to chelate calcium, which activates the enzyme. When the concentration of free calcium was raised to >0.1 μmol/l by adding more calcium, the activity of the enzyme increased. Repeated additions of chelator and calcium caused the enzyme activity to oscillate. The results with these three enzymes and physiological concentrations of naturally occurring effectors raise the possibility that the activities of not only these enzymes but of numerous enzymes oscillate in vivo in response to levels of allosteric effectors and substrates. If this is the case, pacemaker activity may result from complex effects distributed across multiple regulatory sites in both the cytosol and mitochondria, rather than from a single enzyme acting as a primary pacemaker.
Clinico-Epidemiological Analysis of HIV/AIDS Patients.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine clinico-epidemiological properties of HIV/AIDS patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS For this purpose, 115 HIV/AIDS patients monitored in our clinic between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2013, were retrospectively evaluated. RESULTS For the 115 patients with a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS that we monitored, the mean age at the time of presentation was 34.5±13.21 (10-79) years. Eighty-nine (76.5%) patients were male and 27 (23.5%), female. In this study, HIV/AIDS was the most prevalent in the young male population with a low educational and sociocultural level. The most common mode of transmission in our patients was heterosexual relations: approximately 1 patient in 3 had a history of traveling to countries with a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, namely, Russia and Ukraine. The examination of diagnosis with respect to years showed an increase in new cases since 2008. Only 21 (18.3%) of our patients were diagnosed through clinical symptoms, while 91 (81.7%) during routine scanning. At first presentation, 68% of our patients were stage A; 4.7%, stage B; and 27.3%, stage C. The mean length of the monitoring of our patients was 2.74 years (2-180 months). Thirteen (11.3%) patients died due to opportunistic infections and malignities. The most common opportunistic infection was tuberculosis (16.5%), followed by syphilis and HBV. Malignity, most commonly intracranial tumor, was seen in 8.6% patients. CONCLUSION The disease was generally seen in the young male population with a low sociocultural level, and it was most frequently transmitted by heterosexual sexual contact. This clearly shows the importance of sufficient, accurate information, and education on the subject of the disease and its prevention. The fact that many of our patients were diagnosed in the late stage due to stigma and that diagnosis was largely made through scanning tests confirms the importance of these tests in early diagnosis.