Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neural Networks of Colored Sequence Synesthesia

Synesthesia is a condition in which normal stimuli can trigger anomalous associations. In this study, we exploit synesthesia to understand how the synesthetic experience can be explained by subtle changes in network properties. Of the many forms of synesthesia, we focus on colored sequence synesthesia, a form in which colors are associated with overlearned sequences, such as numbers and letters (graphemes). Previous studies have characterized synesthesia using resting-state connectivity or stimulus-driven analyses, but it remains unclear how network properties change as synesthetes move from one condition to another. To address this gap, we used functional MRI in humans to identify grapheme-specific brain regions, thereby constructing a functional “synesthetic” network. We then explored functional connectivity of color and grapheme regions during a synesthesia-inducing fMRI paradigm involving rest, auditory grapheme stimulation, and audiovisual grapheme stimulation. Using Markov networks to represent direct relationships between regions, we found that synesthetes had more connections during rest and auditory conditions. We then expanded the network space to include 90 anatomical regions, revealing that synesthetes tightly cluster in visual regions, whereas controls cluster in parietal and frontal regions. Together, these results suggest that synesthetes have increased connectivity between grapheme and color regions, and that synesthetes use visual regions to a greater extent than controls when presented with dynamic grapheme stimulation. These data suggest that synesthesia is better characterized by studying global network dynamics than by individual properties of a single brain region.
Creating Community

In this column, the editor of The Journal of Perinatal Education describes ways that Lamaze International is helping to create a community for those who share a common interest in promoting, supporting, and protecting natural, safe, and healthy childbirth. The editor also describes the contents of this issue, which offer a broad range of resources, research, and inspiration for childbirth educators in their efforts to promote normal birth.
A MicroRNA as a Translational Repressor of APETALA2 in Arabidopsis Flower Development

Plant microRNAs (miRNAs) show a high degree of sequence complementarity to, and are believed to guide the cleavage of, their target messenger RNAs. Here, Ishow that miRNA172, which can base-pair with the messenger RNA of a floral homeotic gene, APETALA2, regulates APETALA2 expression primarily through translational inhibition. Elevated miRNA172 accumulation results in floral organ identity defects similar to those in loss-of-function apetala2 mutants. Elevated levels of mutant APETALA2 RNA with disrupted miRNA172 base pairing, but not wild-type APETALA2 RNA, result in elevated levels of APETALA2 protein and severe floral patterning defects. Therefore, miRNA172 likely acts in cell-fate specification as a translational repressor of APETALA2 in Arabidopsis flower development.
Inclusion of the start-up effect in the electronic modeling of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

This paper presents a study regarding to modeling proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) using an improved electronic model. The original model is not able to reproduce the FC initialization (or start-up) effect FC. So, in this work a proposal to include this effect is accomplished. To validate this study, the results are compared with obtained data from manufacturers and previously published results in literature. These data are collected for a 500W BCS PEMFC stack.
Model-independent reconstruction of the expansion history of the Universe and the properties of dark energy

We have improved upon the method of smoothing supernovae data to reconstruct the expansion history of the universe, h(z), using two latest datasets, Gold and SNLS. The reconstruction process does not employ any parameterisation and is independent of any dark energy model. The reconstructed h(z) is used to derive the distance factor A up to redshift 0.35 and the results are compared with the given value of A from detection of baryon acoustic oscillation peak (BAO). We find very good agreement between supernovae observations and the results from BAO for 0m � 0.276±0.023. The estimated values of 0m are completely model-independent and are only based on observational data. The derived values of 0m are then used to reconstruct the equation of state of dark energy, w(z). Using our smoothing method we can demonstrate that
A subjective dissatisfaction with body weight in young women: do eating behaviours play a role?

BACKGROUND Food less frequently used to provide the necessary nutrients for the survival and the body begins to play a role, which it is not able to cope with, leading to a dysfunctional its use. In an era of obesity, excessive interest in his appearance and lean silhouette assigning too much significance relates to a growing number of young women. Young women due to a period of their procreative years are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of abnormal eating habits that threaten the health of women and their offspring. OBJECTIVES In young women of reproductive age, to determine the emotional and habitual reasons behind binge eating and the effect that restriction diets can have for achieving desired body mass in relation to physical activity and the willingness to improve their weight. MATERIAL AND METHODS Subjects surveyed were 372 women aged 18 to 27 years (mean 20.6 ± 1.4) who answered a questionnaire on dietary behaviour devised by Ogińska-Bulik and Putyński [21] which had been extended to include body mass perception/image, adoption of slimming diets, levels of physical activity and place of residence. The women's actual body mass, height and body fat (adipose tissue content) were also measured. RESULTS Most subjects (63.9%) were dissatisfied with their figures whilst 33.5% underwent slimming diets at least once. Those overweight, complained much more about their figures compared to normal weight women (97.9% vs. 65.1%, p<0.01), as well as being respectively more emotionally prone to overeating (4.5 ± 2.2 vs. 5.2 ± 2 points round, p<0.01), but less for adopting any dietary restriction (3.5 ± 2.7 vs. 4.8 ± 2.3, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS It seems necessary to create a prevention and educational programs on proper nutrition and the perception of one's own body as effective tools in reducing eating disorders in terms of the health of young women and multigenerational inheritance health of their offspring.
Randomized Space-Time Coding for Distributed Cooperative Communication

We study the design of distributed space-time codes for cooperative communication. We assume that each node is equipped with a single antenna; however, to obtain diversity and coding gains, the cooperating nodes act as elements of a multiantenna system. With few exceptions, most of the literature on the subject proposes coding rules in which each node emulates a predetermined antenna of a multiantenna system. Since the nodes need to know their specific antenna index, either internode communication or a central control unit is required. Our design objective is to obtain diversity and coding gains while eliminating the need for code or antenna allocation. We achieve our objective by introducing novel randomized strategies that decentralize the transmission of a space time code from a set of distributed relays. Our simple idea is to let each node transmit an independent random linear combination of the codewords that would have been transmitted by all the elements of a multiantenna system. In addition to introducing this new class of designs, we fully characterize the diversity order of the corresponding symbol error probability and also analyze how the performance is linked to different choices of the statistics of the random coefficients. We show that the proposed scheme achieves full diversity (N) if N < L, where N is the number of transmitters and L is the number of antennas assumed in the underlying space-time code structure. The diversity order L is achieved if N > L . Interestingly, in certain cases (e.g.,N = L = 2 ), we show that the achieved diversity order is fractional (d* = 1.5)!
Validation of a single-channel airflow monitor for screening of sleep-disordered breathing

A simple screening method for sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is desirable for primary care practices. In the present study, a simple monitor, which utilises a new type of flow sensor and a novel algorithm, was prospectively validated. Home recording for 2 nights with the monitor only, followed by in-laboratory recording with the monitor together with polysomnography, were carried out in consecutive patients (n = 100) suspected of SDB. A subjective sleep log was also recorded. The signal was analysed using power spectral analysis, which yielded the flow respiratory disturbance index (flow-RDI). There was no recording failure at home. The reproducibility of the flow-RDI between the 2 nights at home was high (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.92). The sensitivity and specificity of the in-laboratory flow-RDI to diagnose SDB were 0.96 and 0.82, 0.91 and 0.82, and 0.89 and 0.96, for apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI) ≥5, ≥15 and ≥30 events·h−1, respectively. The diagnostic ability in low-severity subgroups (female, normal weight, AHI <15 events·h−1) was almost comparable to that in the entire group. Excluding subjective waking time on the sleep log from the recording time had no significant effect on the flow-RDI. The single-channel monitor is considered feasible for ambulatory sleep disordered breathing monitoring because of its easy applicability, high reproducibility and relatively high agreement with polysomnography results.
Oxygen modulates growth of human cells at physiologic partial pressures

We have examined the growth of human diploid fibroblasts (WI-38 and IMR90) as a function of initial seeding density and oxygen tension. Cells at young and mid-passage levels were subcultivated in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium with 10% fetal bovine serum at 0.005, 0.01, 0.03, 0.1, 0.3, 1, and 2 X 10(4) cells/cm2. Flasks were equilibrated before and after seeding with 1 of 10 gas mixtures containing the desired oxygen tension (9-591 mm Hg) and placed in incubators that measure and maintain a preset oxygen tension. The partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) in media of all flasks was determined at harvest. Cells were shielded from light of wavelength less than 500 nm. Cell growth varied inversely with oxygen tension and seeding density. At 50 cells/cm2, growth was maximal at PO2 9 and 16 mm Hg. Growth was progressively inhibited as the oxygen tension was increased. The population doubling increase at 14 d was 8.6 for PO2 9 and 16 mm Hg, 5.8 for PO2 42 mm Hg, 3.8 for PO2 78 mm Hg, 3.8 for PO2 104 mm Hg, and 3 for PO2 138 mm Hg. As the seeding density was increased, the differences in growth at PO2 less than 140 mm Hg were progressively minimized, such that at seeding densities of 10(4) cells/cm2 there was little difference in the rate of exponential growth or the final saturation density of cells cultivated between PO2 9 and 96 mm Hg. At all seeding densities tested, growth was progressively inhibited when the PO2 was increased greater than 140 mm Hg. The seeding density dependence of oxygen's influence on cellular growth is not explained by oxygen consumption of higher density cultures. Oxygen acts directly on the cells and not by destroying some essential medium component. We have found that oxygen regulates the growth of human cells under pressures of oxygen physiologic to humans, and that oxygen toxicity contributes to the seeding density dependence of cellular growth commonly seen in cell culture.
When Gender Identity Doesn't Equal Sex Recorded at Birth: The Role of the Laboratory in Providing Effective Healthcare to the Transgender Community.

BACKGROUND Transgender is an umbrella term used to describe individuals who identify with a gender incongruent to or variant from their sex recorded at birth. Affirming gender identity through a variety of social, medical, and surgical interventions is critical to the mental health of transgender individuals. In recent years, awareness surrounding transgender identities has increased, which has highlighted the health disparities that parallel this demographic. These disparities are reflected in the experience of transgender patients and their providers when seeking clinical laboratory services. CONTENT Little is known about the effect of gender-affirming hormone therapy and surgery on optimal laboratory test interpretation. Efforts to diminish health disparities encountered by transgender individuals and their providers can be accomplished by increasing social and clinical awareness regarding sex/gender incongruence and gaining insight into the physiological manifestations and laboratory interpretations of gender-affirming strategies. This review summarizes knowledge required to understand transgender healthcare including current clinical interventions for gender dysphoria. Particular attention is paid to the subsequent impact of these interventions on laboratory test utilization and interpretation. Common nomenclature and system barriers are also discussed. SUMMARY Understanding gender incongruence, the clinical changes associated with gender transition, and systemic barriers that maintain a gender/sex binary are key to providing adequate healthcare to transgender community. Transgender appropriate reference interval studies are virtually absent within the medical literature and should be explored. The laboratory has an important role in improving the physiological understanding, electronic medical system recognition, and overall social awareness of the transgender community.
Preclinical Evaluation of Engineered Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Virus for the Treatment of Pediatric Solid Tumors

Recently, investigators showed that mice with syngeneic murine gliomas that were treated with a neuroattenuated oncolytic herpes simplex virus-1 (oHSV), M002, had a significant increase in survival. M002 has deletions in both copies of the γ134. 5 gene, enabling replication in tumor cells but precluding infection of normal cells. Previous studies have shown antitumor effects of other oHSV against a number of adult tumors including hepatocellular carcinoma and renal cell carcinoma. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the oncolytic potential of M002 against difficult to treat pediatric liver and kidney tumors. We showed that the oHSV, M002, infected, replicated, and decreased cell survival in hepatoblastoma, malignant rhabdoid kidney tumor, and renal sarcoma cell lines. In addition, we showed that in murine xenografts, treatment with M002 significantly increased survival and decreased tumor growth. Finally, these studies showed that the primary entry protein for oHSV, CD111 (nectin-1) was present in human hepatoblastoma and malignant rhabdoid kidney tumor specimens. We concluded that M002 effectively targeted these rare aggressive tumor types and that M002 may have potential for use in children with unresponsive or relapsed pediatric solid tumors.
Responses of coral‐associated bacterial communities to heat stress differ with Symbiodinium type on the same coral host

This study compared the effect of heat stress on coral‐associated bacterial communities among juveniles of the coral, Acropora tenuis, hosting different Symbiodinium types. In comparison to a control temperature treatment (28 °C), we documented dramatic changes in bacterial associates on juvenile corals harbouring ITS 1 type D Symbiodinium when placed in a high (32 °C) temperature treatment. In particular, there was a marked increase in the number of retrieved Vibrio affiliated sequences, which coincided with a 44% decline in the photochemical efficiency of the D‐juveniles. Interestingly, these Vibrio sequences affiliated most closely with the coral pathogen, Vibrio coralliilyticus, which has been implicated in some coral disease outbreaks. In contrast, A. tenuis hosting ITS 1 type C1 Symbiodinium did not exhibit major bacterial shifts in the elevated temperature treatment, indicating a more stable bacterial community during thermal stress; concomitantly a decline (10%) in photochemical efficiency was minimal for this group. D juveniles that had been exposed to moderately elevated sea temperatures (30 °C) in the field before being placed in the control temperature treatment displayed a decrease in the number of Vibrio affiliated sequences and bacterial profiles shifted to become more similar to profiles of corals harbouring type C1 Symbiodinium. In combination, these results demonstrate that thermal stress can result in shifts in coral‐associated bacterial communities, which may lead to deteriorating coral health. The lower resilience of A. tenuis to thermal stress when harbouring Symbiodinium D highlights the importance of inter‐kingdom interactions among the coral host, dinoflagellate endosymbiont and bacterial associates for coral health and resilience.
HER-2 Amplification, HER-1 Expression, and Tamoxifen Response in Estrogen Receptor-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer

Purpose: Preclinical data indicate that expression of the ErbB family of receptors, such as HER-2 and HER-1 (EGFR) may be involved in endocrine resistance. Evidence of resistance from clinical studies has been inconsistent. The present study examined whether HER-2 gene amplification or HER-1 expression predicted response to tamoxifen. Patients and Methods: Three hundred and forty nine patients had estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer and received daily tamoxifen as initial therapy for advanced disease. HER-2 gene amplification, detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization, and HER-1 expression, evaluated by immunohistochemistry, was determined on 136 and 204 patients, respectively. Results: HER-2 amplification was correlated with lower ER (P = 0.02), HER-1 positivity (P = 0.004), and HER-2 protein overexpression (P < 0.00001). The response rate was 56% for HER-2 non-amplified versus 47% for HER-2 amplified tumors (P = 0.38), and 58% for HER-1–negative versus 36% for HER-1–positive (P = 0.05). Time to treatment failure (TTF) was 7 months for non-amplified HER-2 tumors and 5 months (P = 0.007) for amplified HER-2 tumors, and there was a trend toward a better overall survival (OS) in patients with non-amplified HER-2 tumors (median 31 versus 25 months, respectively, P = 0.07). For positive versus negative HER-1 tumors, TTF was 4 versus 8 months (P = 0.08) and median survival was 24 versus 31 months (P = 0.41). Combining HER-1 expression and HER-2 gene status, patients with both negative HER-1 expression and non-amplified HER-2 had longer TTF (P = 0.001) and OS (P = 0.03) than if either were positive. In multivariate analysis, HER-2 was not an independent factor for TTF and OS, although HER-1 was significant for TTF only (P ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: Patients with HER-2 amplification and HER-1 expression had lower ER levels and were modestly less responsive to tamoxifen, suggesting that molecular events in addition to those involving the ErbB receptors are important in determining the endocrine-resistant phenotype.
Association of a Polymorphism of the Transforming Growth Factor‐β1 Gene with Genetic Susceptibility to Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Japanese Women

Transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) is both abundant in bone and an important regulator of bone metabolism. A T→C transition at nucleotide 29 in the signal sequence region of the TGF‐β1 gene results in a Leu→Pro substitution at amino acid position 10. The possible association of this polymorphism with bone mass and the prevalence of osteoporosis has now been investigated in a total of 287 postmenopausal women from two regions (Obu City, Aichi Prefecture, and Sanda City, Hyogo Prefecture) of Japan. A significant association of TGF‐β1 genotype with bone mass was detected in both populations; bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine was greater in individuals with the CC genotype than in those with the TT or TC genotype. The frequency of vertebral fractures was significantly lower in individuals with the CC genotype than in those with the TC or TT genotypes. For each region, multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that the frequency of the T allele was significantly higher in subjects with osteoporosis than in controls. Also, the serum concentration of TGF‐β1 in individuals with the CC genotype was significantly higher than that in age‐matched subjects with the TC or TT genotype in osteoporotic or osteopenic as well as healthy control groups. These results suggest that the T/C polymorphism of the TGF‐β1 gene is one of the genetic determinants of bone mass and that the T allele is an independent risk factor for the genetic susceptibility to osteoporosis in postmenopausal Japanese women. Thus, analysis of the TGF‐β1 genotype may be useful in the prevention and management of osteoporosis.
Both liver-X receptor (LXR) isoforms control energy expenditure by regulating Brown Adipose Tissue activity

Brown adipocytes are multilocular lipid storage cells that play a crucial role in nonshivering thermogenesis. Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) is a unique feature of brown fat cells that allows heat generation on sympathetic nervous system stimulation. As conventional transcriptional factors that are activated in various signaling pathways, liver-X receptors (LXRs) play important roles in many physiological processes. The role of LXRs in the regulation of energy homeostasis remains unclear, however. Female WT, LXRαβ−/−, LXRα−/−, and LXRβ−/− mice were fed with either a normal diet (ND) or a high-carbohydrate diet (HCD) supplemented with or without GW3965-LXR agonist. LXRαβ−/− mice exhibited higher energy expenditure (EE) as well as higher UCP1 expression in brown adipose tissue (BAT) compared with WT mice on the HCD. In addition, long-term treatment of WT mice with GW3965 showed lower EE at thermoneutrality (30 °C) and lower Ucp1 expression level in BAT. Furthermore, H&E staining of the BAT of LXRαβ−/− mice exhibited decreased lipid droplet size compared with WT mice on the HCD associated with a more intense UCP1-positive reaction. Quantification of triglyceride (TG) content in BAT showed lower TG accumulation in LXRβ−/− mice compared with WT mice. Surprisingly, GW3965 treatment increased TG content (twofold) in the BAT of WT and LXRα−/− mice but not in LXRβ−/− mice. Furthermore, glucose transporter (GLUT4) in the BAT of LXRα−/− and LXRβ−/− mice was sixfold and fourfold increased, respectively, compared with WT mice on the ND. These findings suggest that LXRα as well as LXRβ could play a crucial role in the regulation of energy homeostasis in female mice and may be a potential target for the treatment of obesity and energy regulation.
Screening for Diabetes and their risk factors among adults in Rural Kolar – A community based study

The prevalence of diabetes is rapidly rising globally. World Health Organization (WHO) reports show that 32 million people had diabetes in the year 2000 [1]. The International Diabetes Federation estimates the total number of diabetic subjects to be around 40.9 million in India and this is further set to rise to 69.9 million by the year 2025 [2]. India leads the world with largest number of diabetic subjects earning the title “Diabetes capital of the world”. Diabetes, which was known to be an epidemic in urban areas have found to be increasing rapidly in rural areas too as a result of the socioeconomic transitions [3]. Diabetes is no longer only disease of the elderly but is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality affecting youth and middle aged people. ABSTRACT