Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Blood Pressure Is Not Associated With Cerebral Blood Flow in Older Persons

Many studies showing a relation between low blood pressure (BP) and adverse health outcomes in older persons suggest that low BP gives rise to reduced cerebral blood flow (CBF). However, limited evidence is available about this association. Baseline data of 203 participants in the Discontinuation of Antihypertensive Treatment in the Elderly (DANTE) trial were used (mean age, 81 years, using antihypertensive medication and with mild cognitive deficits). BP, BP changes on standing, and CBF derived from pseudo-continuous arterial spin-labeling magnetic resonance imaging were assessed in all participants. In 102 participants who were randomly assigned to 4-month continuation (n=47) or discontinuation of antihypertensive treatment (n=55), BP and CBF change were evaluated at 4-month follow-up. Systolic and diastolic BP were not associated with CBF (B=−0.21, P=0.50 and B=−1.07, P=0.07), neither were mean arterial pressure, pulse pressure, and BP changes on standing. In subgroups of participants with small vessel–related cerebral pathologies, including high white matter hyperintensity volume, microbleeds, and lacunar infarcts, or in participants with lower cognition or diabetes mellitus, no association was found between any BP parameters and CBF. Furthermore, compared to the continuation group, CBF change at 4 months was not different in the discontinuation group (B=−0.12, P=0.23). Contrary to the notion that lower BP in old age is associated with decreased CBF, our data do not show this association in older persons using antihypertensive medication and with mild cognitive deficits. Also, this association was not present in subgroups of more vulnerable persons, reflected by small vessel–related cerebral pathologies, lower cognition, or diabetes mellitus.
An Analysis of Shared Library Performance on NUMA Architectures

Most modern multicore systems these days are Non Uniform Memory Architecture (NUMA), which means they have multiple memory controllers with non-uniform access latencies across them. There has been significant amount of work done in exploring and mitigating performance penalty due to NUMA overhead. In previous works, NUMA-aware schedulers were proposed, sometimes with an objective of keeping data close to the processors working on them and sometimes to attain a trade-off between data locality and cache contention. However, the effect of instructions on process’ performance in context of NUMA has not been explored yet. In this work, we present an analysis about the performance hit on processes due to instructions on NUMA machines. We limit our focus to the impact of shared code, which by definition has a single copy and resides on one of the NUMA nodes. We also discuss various scenarios in which a single copy of these shared objects can harm the performance due to remote fetches and present some ideas to alleviate the problem.
Synergistic anticancer effect of curcumin and chemotherapy regimen FP in human gastric cancer MGC-803 cells

Curcumin is an anticancer compound that exerts anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects via multiple molecular targets. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the anticancer effects of curcumin in combination with 5-fluorouracil plus cisplatin (FP) on the MGC-803 human gastric cancer cell line. Following treatment with curcumin and/or FP for 24, 48 and 72 h, cell viability, cell cycle progression and the apoptosis rate were evaluated using an MTT assay, flow cytometry and dual acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining, respectively. In addition, colony formation, Transwell migration and caspase-3/caspase-8 activity assays were performed. The expression of the apoptosis regulator B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) were detected by western blotting analysis. Following treatment with curcumin and/or FP, cell viability, colony formation and cell migration were significantly reduced compared with the untreated control group. The rate of apoptosis, caspase-3/caspase-8 activity and the expression of Bax were significantly increased, whereas Bcl-2 expression was significantly reduced following treatment with curcumin and/or FP, compared with the untreated control group. The efficacy of curcumin combined with low-dose FP was significantly increased, compared with that of curcumin combined with high-dose FP (P<0.05). Therefore, curcumin may enhance the anticancer effects of FP chemotherapy in MGC-803 cells through the promotion of apoptosis via the caspase-3/caspase-8, Bcl-2 and Bax signaling pathways. These results suggest that curcumin may serve as a synergistic drug with chemotherapy regimen FP for the treatment of gastric cancer.
A discrete search method for multi-modal non-rigid image registration

We consider the problem of image matching under the unknown statistical dependence of the signals, i.e. a signal in one image may correspond to one or more signals in the other image with different probabilities. This problem is widely known as multimodal image registration and is commonly solved by the maximization of the empirical mutual information between the images. The deformation is typically represented in a parametric form and optimization w.r. t. it is performed using gradient-based methods. In contrast, we represent the deformation as a field of discretized displacements and optimize w.r. t. it using pairwise Gibbs energy minimization technique. This has potential advantage of finding good solutions even for problems having many local minima. In experiments we demonstrate that the proposed method working on a single scale achieves comparable performance to a state-of-the-art multi-scale method.
Visualization of gold and platinum nanoparticles interacting with Salmonella Enteritidis and Listeria monocytogenes

Purpose Rapid development of nanotechnology has recently brought significant attention to the extraordinary biological features of nanomaterials. The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate morphological characteristics of the assembles of gold and platinum nanoparticles (nano-Au and nano-Pt respectively), with Salmonella Enteritidis (Gram-negative) and Listeria monocytogenes (Gram-positive), to reveal possibilities of constructing bacteria-nanoparticle vehicles. Methods Hydrocolloids of nano-Au or nano-Pt were added to two bacteria suspensions in the following order: nano-Au + Salmonella Enteritidis; nano-Au + Listeria monocytogenes; nano-Pt + Salmonella Enteritidis; nano-Pt + Listeria monocytogenes. Samples were inspected by transmission electron microscope. Results Visualization of morphological interaction between nano-Au and Salmonella Enteritidis and Listeria monocytogenes, showed that nano-Au were aggregated within flagella or biofilm network and did not penetrate the bacterial cell. The analysis of morphological effects of interaction of nano-Pt with bacteria revealed that nano-Pt entered cells of Listeria monocytogenes and were removed from the cells. In the case of Salmonella Enteritidis, nano-Pt were seen inside bacteria cells, probably bound to DNA and partly left bacterial cells. After washing and centrifugation, some of the nano-Pt-DNA complexes were observed within Salmonella Enteritidis. Conclusion The results indicate that the bacteria could be used as a vehicle to deliver nano-Pt to specific points in the body.
An overview regarding the analytical vs. numerical computation for a PMB used for FESS

The design stage optimization of passive magnetic bearing (PMB) for a flywheel energy storage system (FESS) is the result of computationally intensive task. Magnetic bearing are increasingly being used for large variety of applications. The paper presents the verification process of force vs. displacement for a PMB conducted with analytical computation and compared with a finite element analysis (FEA) which was made with Comsol Multiphysics 3.5a simulation software for various physics and engineering applications. Also there is shown the 3D CAD design of the PMB and the relative error between analytical and numerical results.
Skilled reaching deficits in unilateral dopamine-depleted rats: impairments in movement and posture and compensatory adjustments

Rats receiving unilateral dopamine (DA) depletions have bilateral deficits in using the forelimbs for skilled reaching. These impairments were investigated using end-point, video, and kinematic measures. Control rats and groups of rats with > 98% unilateral depletions (confirmed by tissue, apomorphine, and amphetamine assay), produced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) injected into the nigrostriatal bundle, were tested for 100 d on two reaching tasks. One depleted group used the contralateral-to-lesion (bad), and the other the ipsilateral-to-lesion (good), limb. Rats using their bad limb made few successful reaches and had dysfunctions in aiming, pronating, and supinating, and in using the digits to grasp and release food. Rats using the good limb were initially impaired, but improved, and could make these movements. Neither depleted group was able to use their bad limbs to assist actively the postural changes required for reaching. Thus, they did not use the diagonal supporting pattern (the nonreaching forelimb and diagonal hind limb) from which control rats initiated reaching. The group using their bad limb initiated reaching from a base of support distributed on the ipsilateral-to-lesion limbs, while the group using their good limb initiated reaching from a base of support centered on the ipsilateral rear limb. The impairments in making voluntary movements and postural adjustments with the bad limbs and the behavioral changes introduced by the compensatory dependency on good limbs account for the bilateral deficits in skilled movements. The results show that DA is required for skilled movements and postural adjustments and demonstrate that behavioral compensation can contribute to recovery.
Morphological Variations of Nutrient Foramina in Lower Limb Long

Background: The major blood supply to long bone is from the nutrient arteries, which enter through nutrient foramina. Nutrient foramen is an opening into the bone shaft which give passage to the blood vessels of the medullary cavity of a bone The direction of the nutrient foramen of all bones is away from growing end and has a particular position for each bone. Objective: The aim of the present study was to study the topographic anatomy and morphology of the nutrient foramina in human adult lower limb long bones. Material and Method: The study was performed on 150 lower limb long bones which included 50 femora, 50 tibiae and 50 fibulae. The bones were obtained from department of anatomy, Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences, Jalandhar. Results: The variations were found in number and location of nutrient foramen in different lower limb long bones. In femur double and triple foramina were observed. Absence of nutrient foramen was observed in femur and fibula. Conclusion: The topographical knowledge of these foramina is useful in certain operative procedures, in orthopedics as well as in plastic and reconstructive surgery, to avoid damage to the nutrient vessels.
On the Feedback Transfer Effort for Rate-Adaptive Multiuser Systems

The benefits of multiuser diversity for fading channels are well established in the literature. What is not well documented is the effort required to obtain this CSI information at the scheduler for a frequency division duplex (FDD) system. This paper investigates the practical aspects of the feedback transfer process for a discrete rate-adaptive multiuser system including multi-access, feedback delay and feedback channel imperfections due to fading and additive noise. We compute the optimal power and bandwidth allocated for channel estimation and show that tradeoffs exist between these resources and the number of users depending on the feedback delay. It is also shown that quantization and feedback errors may increase the outage region as the number of users increases. This in effect reduces the multiuser diversity gain expected in ideal feedback channels
Erythrocytes serve as a reservoir for cellular and extracellular sphingosine 1‐phosphate

Sphingosine 1‐phosphate (S1P) in blood is phosphorylated, stored, and transported by red blood cells (RBC). Release of S1P from RBC into plasma is a regulated process that does not occur in plasma‐ or serum‐free media. Plasma fractionation and incubations with isolated and recombinant proteins identified high density lipoprotein (HDL) and serum albumin (SA) as non‐redundant endogenous triggers for S1P release from RBC. S1P bound to SA and HDL was able to stimulate the S1P1 receptor in calcium flux experiments. The binding capability of acceptor molecules triggers S1P release, as demonstrated with the anti‐S1P antibody Sphingomab™. More S1P was extracted from RBC membranes by HDL than by SA. Blood samples from anemic patients confirmed a reduced capacity for S1P release in plasma. In co‐cultures of RBC and endothelial cells (EC), we observed transcellular transportation of S1P as a second function of RBC‐associated S1P in the absence of SA and HDL and during tight RBC‐EC contact, mimicking conditions in tissue interstitium and capillaries. In contrast to S1P bound to SA and HDL, RBC‐associated S1P was significantly incorporated by EC after S1P lyase (SGPL1) inhibition. RBC‐associated S1P, therefore, has two functions: (1) It contributes to the cellular pool of SGPL1‐sensitive S1P in tissues after transcellular transportation and (2) it helps maintain extracellular S1P levels via SA and HDL independently from SGPL1 activity. J. Cell. Biochem. 109: 1232–1243, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Bereavement and identity : making sense of bereavement in contemporary British society

This thesis examines the narrative reconstructions taken from extended conversations with 25 bereaved individuals, who volunteered their experiences of losing a loved one. By considering the interaction between self and other to be the source of knowledge, these interview conversations provided a vehicle through which the human encounter with death and loss not only found expression but came into being. Bereavement is approached as a ‘cultural object’, so as to capture prevailing ideas, norms and beliefs about how this should be handled and provide further insight into the place of death in contemporary British Society. Such ‘norms’ are taken to be co-constructed through discursive practice, and continually evolving through negotiation between the individual and social processes. Attention is therefore drawn to the way people use available cultural forms to construct and express meanings that are particular and personal to them. This study demonstrates the value of an interactive approach for gaining a fuller understanding of the complexity of social life, thereby contributing to methodological and ethical debates on the implications of using qualitative, interactive methods, particularly with sensitive topics. It highlights the co-constructed nature of the data and the crucial role of self-reflexivity in managing the emotional impact of the research on the researcher as well as the participants. An analysis of interview narratives has revealed how deceased loved ones retained a significant social presence in the life of survivors regardless of other social factors. It has highlighted the diversity of meanings people gave to their experiences, which convey how bereavement interacted with other agendas and priorities to shape their day to day social life and sense of identity. Such findings revise and extend current understandings of the ‘continuing bonds’ people forge with their dead and the nature of ‘personhood’ in contemporary British society.
Reconceiving Fidelity of Implementation: An Investigation of Elementary Whole-Number Lessons

Recent research on mathematics reforms in the United States indicates that the reforms are not yet widely implemented. Generally, this claim results from looking at the extent to which teachers use curricular materials or engage in particular classroom practices. This article moves beyond disparate questions of use and practice to examine interactions between teachers and curricula as evidenced by their enactments of whole-number lessons from a Standards-based curriculum. Specifically, we analyze videorecorded 1st- and 2nd-grade classroom lessons in terms of students' opportunities to reason and communicate about mathematics. This analysis indicates that the level of fidelity to the written curriculum differs from the level of fidelity to the authors' intended curriculum during lesson enactments. Drawing on this analysis, this article explores how curricula support and hinder teachers as they engage students in opportunities to learn mathematics and how teachers' instructional moves and choices impact the enactment of curricula.
Lactotrophs: The new and major source for VEGF secretion and the influence of ECM on rat pituitary function in vitro

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a pivotal role in pituitary endocrine function by influencing fenestration and blood vessel growth. Folliculostellate (FS) cells, which represent only a small number of pituitary cells, are recognized to produce VEGF. Tissue sections and primary pituitary cell cultures from rat pituitary glands were performed to co-localize VEGF and pituitary lactotrophs, which represents nearly 50% of all pituitary cells, by immunofluorescence. VEGF is co-localized with prolactin-producing cells in vivo and in vitro. FS cells are present infrequently in vivo (1.6%) and in vitro (2.4%). Culture supernatants were analyzed for the presence of VEGF by ELISA. VEGF levels are always significantly lower in supernatants from the cells that are seeded on Matrigel extracellular matrix (ECM) compared to the cells grown on plastic. Lower VEGF concentrations in supernatants from the pituitary cells cultured on ECM may reflect a more adequate cell environment compared to culture on plastic. These results demonstrate for the first time, that VEGF is expressed by lactotrophs, which outnumber FS cells. These results are of potential clinical relevance especially in oncology for the interpretation of studies investigating anti-angiogenic treatment of pituitary tumors.
A Pragmatic Approach to Coping with Matrix Effects during ICP-MS Analysis of Trace Elements in Silicate Rocks and Calibration of REE Interferences

Operating an Agilent 7700X ICP-MS spectrometer under robust plasma conditions (1550 W) with a He-filled octopole collision cell and analysing solutions (<2000 μg·g−1 total dissolved solids) still suffered analyte peak suppression due to matrix effects. International reference rocks BCR-1, BHVO-1, AGV-1, G-2 and BCR-2 all showed count rate reductions for 36 elements (mass range 7Li to 238U) averaging ~10% but with no dependence on isotope mass. Use of an internal standard (103Rh) and/or using a ten-fold dilution of sample solutions reduced these effects but problems with reduced count rates combined with larger errors for some elements introduced other problems. The best approach was to normalise the count rates for each element in the other samples against those for BCR-1 as an external standard; thus the count suppression due to the matrix effect is corrected for each individual element. This approach provides standardization “traceability” in line with the ERM ISO/IEC requirement. Experiments are also reported on quantifying the proportions of Ba and selected REE oxide/hydroxide components versus parent isotopes (XO/X and XOH/X). This information is essential for correcting peak interferences on higher mass number REE for the rock samples, and equations are developed to use measured CeO/Ce and CeOH/Ce ratios to predict such values for any other member of the REE suite. Concentrations obtained show excellent agreement with recommended values for the international reference materials especially for the REE. Robust data are also provided for two other standard rocks: nepheline syenite STM-1 and quartz syenite CAAS-1; the latter shows exceptional enrichments of Zr, REE, Th, and U.
A complex carotenoid palette tunes avian colour vision

The brilliantly coloured cone oil droplets of the avian retina function as long-pass cut-off filters that tune the spectral sensitivity of the photoreceptors and are hypothesized to enhance colour discrimination and improve colour constancy. Although it has long been known that these droplets are pigmented with carotenoids, their precise composition has remained uncertain owing to the technical challenges of measuring these very small, dense and highly refractile optical organelles. In this study, we integrated results from high-performance liquid chromatography, hyperspectral microscopy and microspectrophotometry to obtain a comprehensive understanding of oil droplet carotenoid pigmentation in the chicken (Gallus gallus). We find that each of the four carotenoid-containing droplet types consists of a complex mixture of carotenoids, with a single predominant carotenoid determining the wavelength of the spectral filtering cut-off. Consistent with previous reports, we find that the predominant carotenoid type in the oil droplets of long-wavelength-sensitive, medium-wavelength-sensitive and short-wavelength-sensitive type 2 cones are astaxanthin, zeaxanthin and galloxanthin, respectively. In addition, the oil droplet of the principal member of the double cone contains a mixture of galloxanthin and two hydroxycarotenoids (lutein and zeaxanthin). Short-wavelength-absorbing apocarotenoids are present in all of the droplet types, providing filtering of light in a region of the spectrum where filtering by hydroxy- and ketocarotenoids may be incomplete. Thus, birds rely on a complex palette of carotenoid pigments within their cone oil droplets to achieve finely tuned spectral filtering.
Effects of delivery speed on supply chain planning

Supply chain planning in manufacturing companies is approached in this paper through empirical case-study research. The target is to chart how different types of manufacturing companies are specifying their future volumes and to identify the type of collaborative planning they are implementing with customers and suppliers. Based on interview-study results, a framework is presented to explain how flexibility is gained in the supply chain and how flexibility sources are connected to planning. Two main supply chain planning approaches can be identified: forecast- and order-focused planning. The chosen planning approach is explained less according to the production master-scheduling approaches and more according to the delivery speed requirement.