Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of isoflurane, sevoflurane and methoxyflurane on the electroencephalogram of the chicken.

OBJECTIVE Anaesthetics have differing effects on mammalian electroencephalogram (EEG) but little is known about the effects on avian EEG. This study explored how inhalant anaesthetics affect chicken EEG. STUDY DESIGN Experimental study. ANIMALS Twelve female Hyline Brown chickens aged 6-11 weeks. METHODS Each chicken was anaesthetized with isoflurane, sevoflurane, and methoxyflurane. For each, anaesthesia was adjusted to 1, 1.5 and 2 times Minimum Anaesthetic Concentration (MAC). Total Power (Ptot), Median Frequency (F50), Spectral Edge Frequency (F95) and Burst Suppression Ratio (BSR) were calculated at each volume concentration. BSR data were analyzed using doubly repeated measures anova. Neither isoflurane nor sevoflurane could be included in analysis of F50, F95 and Ptot because of extensive burst suppression; Methoxyflurane data were analyzed using RM anova. RESULTS There was a significant interaction between anaesthetic and concentration on BSR [F(4,22) = 10.65, p < 0.0001]. For both isoflurane and sevoflurane, BSR increased with concentration. Isoflurane caused less suppression than sevoflurane at 1.5 MAC and at final 1 MAC while methoxyflurane caused virtually no burst suppression. Methoxyflurane concentration had a significant effect on F50 [F(2,20) = 3.83, p = 0.04], F95 [F(2,20) = 4.03, p = 0.03] and Ptot [F(2,20) = 5.22, p = 0.02]. Decreasing methoxyflurane from 2 to 1 MAC increased F50 and F95. Ptot increased when concentration decreased from 1.5 to 1 MAC and tended to be higher at 1 MAC than at 2 MAC. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Isoflurane and sevoflurane suppressed chicken EEG in a dose-dependent manner. Higher concentrations of methoxyflurane caused an increasing degree of synchronization of EEG. Isoflurane and sevoflurane suppressed EEG activity to a greater extent than did methoxyflurane at equivalent MAC multiples. Isoflurane caused less suppression than sevoflurane at intermediate concentrations. These results indicate the similarity between avian and mammalian EEG responses to inhalant anaesthetics and reinforce the difference between MAC and anaesthetic effects on brain activity in birds.
Dental implant surface chemistry and energy alter macrophage activation in vitro

OBJECTIVES To determine the effects of dental implant surface chemistry and energy on macrophage activation in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS Disks made from two clinically used implant materials (titanium [Ti], titanium zirconium alloy [TiZr]) were produced with two different surface treatments (sandblast/acid-etch [SLA], hydrophilic-SLA [modSLA]). Surface roughness, energy, and chemistry were characterized. Primary murine macrophages were isolated from 6- to 8-week-old male C57Bl/6 mice and cultured on test surfaces (Ti SLA, TiZr SLA, Ti modSLA, TiZr modSLA) or control tissue culture polystyrene. mRNA was quantified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction after 24 h of culture. Pro- (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory (IL-4, IL-10) protein levels were measured by ELISA after 1 or 3 days of culture. RESULTS Quantitatively, microroughness was similar on all surfaces. Qualitatively, nanostructures were present on modSLA surfaces that were denser on Ti than on TiZr. modSLA surfaces were determined hydrophilic (high-energy surface) while SLA surfaces were hydrophobic (low-energy surface). Cells on high-energy surfaces had higher levels of mRNA from anti-inflammatory markers characteristic of M2 activation compared to cells on low-energy surfaces. This effect was enhanced on the TiZr surfaces when compared to cells on Ti SLA and Ti modSLA. Macrophages cultured on TiZr SLA and modSLA surfaces released more anti-inflammatory cytokines. CONCLUSIONS The combination of high-energy and altered surface chemistry present on TiZr modSLA was able to influence macrophages to produce the greatest anti-inflammatory microenvironment and reduce extended pro-inflammatory factor release.
Disease specificity of autoantibodies to cytosolic 5′-nucleotidase 1A in sporadic inclusion body myositis versus known autoimmune diseases

Objectives The diagnosis of inclusion body myositis (IBM) can be challenging as it can be difficult to clinically distinguish from other forms of myositis, particularly polymyositis (PM). Recent studies have shown frequent presence of autoantibodies directed against cytosolic 5′-nucleotidase 1A (cN-1A) in patients with IBM. We therefore, examined the autoantigenicity and disease specificity of major epitopes of cN-1A in patients with sporadic IBM compared with healthy and disease controls. Methods Serum samples obtained from patients with IBM (n=238), PM and dermatomyositis (DM) (n=185), other autoimmune diseases (n=246), other neuromuscular diseases (n=93) and healthy controls (n=35) were analysed for the presence of autoantibodies using immunodominant cN-1A peptide ELISAs. Results Autoantibodies directed against major epitopes of cN-1A were frequent in patients with IBM (37%) but not in PM, DM or non-autoimmune neuromuscular diseases (<5%). Anti-cN-1A reactivity was also observed in some other autoimmune diseases, particularly Sjögren's syndrome (SjS; 36%) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE; 20%). Conclusions In summary, we found frequent anti-cN-1A autoantibodies in sera from patients with IBM. Heterogeneity in reactivity with the three immunodominant epitopes indicates that serological assays should not be limited to a distinct epitope region. The similar reactivities observed for SjS and SLE demonstrate the need to further investigate whether distinct IBM-specific epitopes exist.
Activation of Protein Kinase C-Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Signaling in Response to Inositol Starvation Triggers Sir2p-dependent Telomeric Silencing in Yeast*

Background: Inhibition of complex sphingolipid synthesis by inositol starvation activates the PKC-MAPK signaling pathway. Results: Sir2p-dependent telomeric silencing is activated by interrupting sphingolipid synthesis and requires the MAPK, Slt2p. Conclusion: Telomeric silencing is regulated by PKC-MAPK signaling in response to interruption of sphingolipid synthesis. Significance: Sphingolipid metabolism plays an important role in regulating silencing and chronological life span. Depriving wild type yeast of inositol, a soluble precursor for phospholipid, phosphoinositide, and complex sphingolipid synthesis, activates the protein kinase C (PKC)-MAPK signaling pathway, which plays a key role in the activation of NAD+-dependent telomeric silencing. We now report that triggering PKC-MAPK signaling by inositol deprivation or by blocking inositol-containing sphingolipid synthesis with aureobasidin A results in increased telomeric silencing regulated by the MAPK, Slt2p, and the NAD+-dependent deacetylase, Sir2p. Consistent with the dependence on NAD+ in Sir2p-regulated silencing, we found that inositol depletion induces the expression of BNA2, which is required for the de novo synthesis of NAD+. Moreover, telomeric silencing is greatly reduced in bna2Δ and npt1Δ mutants, which are defective in de novo and salvage pathways for NAD+ synthesis, respectively. Surprisingly, however, omitting nicotinic acid from the growth medium, which reduces cellular NAD+ levels, leads to increased telomeric silencing in the absence of inositol and/or at high temperature. This increase in telomeric silencing in response to inositol starvation is correlated to chronological life span extension but is Sir2p-independent. We conclude that activation of the PKC-MAPK signaling by interruption of inositol sphingolipid synthesis leads to increased Sir2p-dependent silencing and is dependent upon the de novo and salvage pathways for NAD+ synthesis but is not correlated with cellular NAD+ levels.
Experimental Verification of the Influence of Time-Dependent Material Properties onLong-Term Bridge Characteristics

This report describes research which focused on developing a more precise method for predicting the long-term prestress loss in concrete bridges. The research examined current specifications available for predicting the creep coefficient and shrinkage strain. These predictions were then compared to the experimentally derived creep and shrinkage in order to report any major discrepancies. Prestress loss and long-term deformations were monitored in two spans of a recently constructed post-tensioned concrete bridge that were instrumented with vibrating wire strain gages. The influence of creep and shrinkage on the prestress loss were examined and the recorded measurements of prestress loss were compared with existing bridge specifications as well as with analytical models developed for long-term deformations of concrete structures.
Glutamine and the regulation of intestinal permeability: from bench to bedside

Purpose of review Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in plasma and plays a key role in maintaining the integrity of intestinal barrier. Recent findings Experimental studies showed that glutamine is able to modulate intestinal permeability and tight junction protein expression in several conditions. Recent articles underlined its putative beneficial role in gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome. Summary Glutamine is a major nutrient to maintain intestinal barrier function in animals and humans. Depletion of glutamine results in villus atrophy, decreased expression of tight junction proteins and increased intestinal permeability. Moreover, glutamine supplementation can improve gut barrier function in several experimental conditions of injury and in some clinical situations. Furthermore, preventive effects of glutamine in experimental models of intestinal injuries have been recently reported. Despite promising data in experimental models, further studies are needed to evaluate glutamine supplementation in clinical practice.
Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Hydrogels for Storage and Delivery of Reagents to Paper-Based Analytical Devices

The thermally responsive hydrogel N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide-cross-linked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) was developed and evaluated as a reagent storage and delivery system for microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (microPADs). PNIPAM was shown to successfully deliver multiple solutions to microPADs in specific sequences or simultaneously in laminar-flow configuration and was found to be suitable for delivering four classes of reagents to the devices: Small molecules, enzymes, antibodies and DNA. PNIPAM was also able to successfully deliver a series of standard glucose solutions to microPADs equipped to perform a colorimetric glucose assay. The results of these tests were used to produce an external calibration curve, which in turn was used to determine the concentration of glucose in sample solutions. Finally, PNIPAM was used to store the enzyme horseradish peroxidase for 35 days under ambient conditions with no significant loss of activity. The combination of PNIPAM and microPADs may allow for more complex assays to be performed on paper-based devices, facilitate the preparation of external calibration curves in the field, and extend the shelf life of microPADs by stabilizing reagents in an easy-to-use format.
Simulation-assisted machine learning

Abstract Motivation In a predictive modeling setting, if sufficient details of the system behavior are known, one can build and use a simulation for making predictions. When sufficient system details are not known, one typically turns to machine learning, which builds a black-box model of the system using a large dataset of input sample features and outputs. We consider a setting which is between these two extremes: some details of the system mechanics are known but not enough for creating simulations that can be used to make high quality predictions. In this context we propose using approximate simulations to build a kernel for use in kernelized machine learning methods, such as support vector machines. The results of multiple simulations (under various uncertainty scenarios) are used to compute similarity measures between every pair of samples: sample pairs are given a high similarity score if they behave similarly under a wide range of simulation parameters. These similarity values, rather than the original high dimensional feature data, are used to build the kernel. Results We demonstrate and explore the simulation-based kernel (SimKern) concept using four synthetic complex systems—three biologically inspired models and one network flow optimization model. We show that, when the number of training samples is small compared to the number of features, the SimKern approach dominates over no-prior-knowledge methods. This approach should be applicable in all disciplines where predictive models are sought and informative yet approximate simulations are available. Availability and implementation The Python SimKern software, the demonstration models (in MATLAB, R), and the datasets are available at https://github.com/davidcraft/SimKern. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
What Is the Nature of the Reach and Grasp Deficit in Wet Age-related Macular Degeneration?

SIGNIFICANCE Vision is paramount for motor actions directed toward objects. Vision allows not only the identification of objects and their shape and spatial location, but also the adaptation of our movement when it arrives on the object. These findings show that vision deficits, as in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), can lead to reaching and grasping deficits. PURPOSE Few studies have investigated reaching and grasping in patients with AMD. They showed a deficit in the execution of motor actions in people with AMD, even though these people do not mention difficulties in their daily lives. The purpose of this study was to understand the nature of impairments in motor actions in patients. METHODS We compared performance in two reach-and-grasp tasks determined by whether the participants (16 people with wet AMD and 17 age-matched control subjects) had time to look at the object before reaching and grasping it. RESULTS The results show that the kinematic parameters of reach-and-grasp movements do not differ between groups when participants are provided time to look at the object before the movement. In contrast, performance in terms of movement duration, acceleration time, time to reach the maximum grip aperture, and the maximum velocity differ between patients and control subjects when the object is displayed immediately before the movement. CONCLUSIONS The motor perturbations observed in people with AMD in previous studies seem to result from difficulties in target identification rather than from visuomotor deficits.
Genomic signatures of pancreatic adenosquamous carcinoma (PASC)

In pancreatic cancer, pancreatic adenosquamous carcinoma (PASC) containing both ductal adenocarcinoma and squamous carcinoma in the same tumour represents ∼4% of the total incidence. To date, the genomic features of this mixed tumour are still unknown. We analysed the genomes of 17 PASCs and 34 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs), and showed that PASC carried highly enriched TP53 mutations and 3p loss as compared with PDAC. We also showed that adenomatous and squamous components of PASC harboured comparable genomic alterations, suggesting that the two cellular components develop from the same progenitor cancer cells. Our study has updated genomic knowledge to help with understanding mixed cancers of the pancreas. Copyright © 2017 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Operative Treatment of the Knee Contractures in Cerebral Palsy Patients

Introduction: Knee flexion is one of the main problems of the lower extremities in cerebral palsy patients. Many operative procedures are recommended for contractures of the knee in cerebral palsy patients. We performed simple operation and analyzed the results after operative treatment with nine years follow up. Method: 85 patients with spastic cerebral palsy were treated in period 2001 – 2010. 40 were ambulatory and 45 non ambulatory with ability to stand with support. All of them underwent same surgical procedure with distal hamstrings lengthening. Tenotomies were performed on m. semitendinosus, m. semimembranosus, m. gracillis and biceps femoris. Only m. semitendinosus was tenotomized completely, other muscles were tenotomized only on tendinous part. The patients had a plaster immobilization for five days after the surgery with the knee extended. Results: All 85 patients had improvement of the popliteal angle pre and post operative respectively. Improvement in the crouch gait was noticed in the period of rehabilitation. We had no complication with the wound. Three of the patients had overcorrection and achieved recurvatum of the knees. Conclusion: We consider this procedure very simple with satisfying improvement of standing, walking and sitting abilities in children with spastic cerebral palsy.
Compressor and priority panel optimization for an energy efficient CNG fuelling station

Optimized operation of the fast-fill compressed natural gas station(CNG) can result in energy savings in a time-of-use (TOU) electricity tariff regime. The present study seeks to optimize the scheduling of compressor activity for the refill of gas into the cascade storage of a fast-fill station so as to minimize electricity costs where the TOU has been implemented for demand response. The optimized operation of the fast-fill station priority panel in pursuit of minimizing the frequency of compressor on-off action is also presented. The proposed strategy shows possibility to deliver 65.6% savings in energy costs while also minimizing the on-off instances of the compressor which contribute to higher maintenance costs.
Kraken: Online and Elastic Resource Reservations for Cloud Datacenters

In cloud environments, the absence of strict network performance guarantees leads to unpredictable job execution times. To address this issue, recently, there have been several proposals on how to provide guaranteed network performance. These proposals, however, rely on computing resource reservation schedules a priori. Unfortunately, this is not practical in today’s cloud environments, where application demands are inherently unpredictable, e.g., due to differences in the input data sets or phenomena, such as failures and stragglers. To overcome these limitations, we designed Kraken, a system that allows to dynamically update minimum guarantees for both network bandwidth and compute resources at runtime. Unlike previous work, Kraken does not require prior knowledge about the resource needs of the applications but allows to modify reservations at runtime. Kraken achieves this through an online resource reservation scheme, which comes with provable optimality guarantees. In this paper, we motivate the need for dynamic resource reservation schemes, present how this is provided by Kraken, and evaluate Kraken via extensive simulations and a preliminary Hadoop prototype.
Attitude and Knowledge about Genetics and Genetic Testing

Background: Increasing numbers of health care users may be confronted with new genetic knowledge and discoveries that offer new types of medical decision-making. How people use these new insights and make decisions about genetic risk depends, at least in part, on their knowledge and attitudes about human genetics. Methods: A postal survey administered to 560 women who had been offered prenatal screening in Ontario measured knowledge about, and attitudes toward, genetic testing and the uses of genetic information. Results: Respondents strongly supported the use of genetic information to improve disease diagnosis and to help understand disease causes; however, people also held a more critical attitude towards certain aspects of testing and genetic information. Relatively high levels of knowledge about genetics were also observed in this sample, although there were deficits in specific areas (e.g., transmission patterns). Conclusions: Despite overall positive attitudes towards genetics, participants held more critical attitudes towards certain aspects of testing and the uses of genetic information. It would be unwise for genetics policy-makers and stakeholders to assume that a better-informed public would automatically be more supportive of all genetics research and new genetic discoveries.
The Influence of Peg and F_Score on Stock Return by Valued Investment Portfolios: Empirical Evidence from Vietnam

The study determines the effects of the PEG valuation factor (P/E combined growth rate) and the F_score on the calculation of the impacts on the return on the portfolio of empirically value stocks at 250 non-financial firms listed on the Vietnam? s stock market from 2006 to 2017. The authors used system-GMM estimation method, quantile regression and t-test estimation to confirm the research hypotheses made by the authors. The results show that firms with low PEG and high F_score will yield higher return from empirical tests in the Vietnamese market, which is consistent with previous theories. Firms with increasing F_score will earn higher stock return and the portfolio of PEG-valued stocks will outperform others in the market. The authors used system-GMM estimation method to deal with the defects of the model and used quantile regression analysis to determine the effect level of the rate of return on each quantile in the Vietnamese stock market.
Integrative analysis of protein-coding and non-coding RNAs identifies clinically relevant subtypes of clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Protein-coding genes and non-coding RNAs cooperate mutually in cells. Integrative analysis of protein-coding and non-coding RNAs may facilitate characterizing tumor heterogeneity. We introduced integrated consensus clustering (ICC) method to integrate mRNA, miRNA and lncRNA expression profiles of 431 primary clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs). We identified one RCC subgroup easily misdiagnosed as ccRCC in clinic and four robust ccRCC subtypes associated with distinct clinicopathologic and molecular features. In subtype R1, AMPK signaling pathway is significantly upregulated, which may improve the oncologic-metabolic shift and partially account for its best prognosis. Subtype R2 has more chromosomal abnormities, higher expression of cell cycle genes and less expression of genes in various metabolism pathways, which may explain its more aggressive characteristic and the worst prognosis. Moreover, much more miRNAs and lncRNAs are significantly upregulated in R2 and R4 respectively, suggesting more important roles of miRNAs in R2 and lncRNAs in R4. Triple-color co-expression network analysis identified 28 differentially expressed modules, indicating the importance of cooperative regulation of mRNAs, miRNAs and lncRNAs in ccRCC. This study establishes an integrated transcriptomic classification which may contribute to understanding the heterogeneity and implicating the treatment of ccRCC.
The Rate-and-State Capacity with Feedback

The rate-and-state capacity of a state-dependent channel with a state-cognizant encoder is the highest possible rate of communication over the channel when the decoder—in addition to reliably decoding the data—must also reconstruct the state sequence with some required fidelity. Feedback from the channel output to the encoder is shown to increase this capacity even for channels that are memoryless with memoryless states. This capacity is calculated here for such channels with feedback when the state reconstruction fidelity is measured using a single-letter distortion function and the state sequence is revealed to the encoder in one of two different ways: strictly–causally or causally. For the noncausal case, we provide bounds on the capacity and identify a condition under which the bounds coincide. Feedback does not increase the rate-and-state capacity when the decoder must reconstruct the state sequence perfectly or, in some settings, when the channel is Gaussian and fidelity is measured in terms of mean squared-error.