Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Local Shwartzman Reaction in the Rat Induced by Endotoxin and Ischemia: Potential Model for Skin Necrosis in Meningococcemia

The local Shwartzman reaction (LSR) is an inflammatory response in the skin that is considered a model for skin necrosis associated with meningococcemia. We tested the hypothesis that ischemia can act as the provocative agent to produce this response. In eight rats, bilateral inferior epigastric flaps were outlined. Within each flap, three injection sites were marked. Site 1 had 0.1 mL of endotoxin injected 24 h before surgery. The other two sites had either endotoxin or saline injected immediately before surgery. Both flaps were raised on their pedicle and one side rendered ischemic for 6 h and then reperfused. Animals were killed either 30 min or 48 h later and the tissue from each site examined. After 48 h of reperfusion, necrosis was grossly visible at the site of 24-h preischemia injection of endotoxin in three of four rats. No abnormalities were present at the other injection sites. Microscopically, all 24-h-delayed injection sites showed hemorrhage into all layers of the skin after both 30 min and 48 h of reperfusion. No hemorrhage was present at the other sites. These findings may serve as a potential model for the skin necrosis seen in meningococcemia.
The influence of the choice of glide plane on the theory of the velocity of dislocations in ice

Abstract According to a theory by Whitworth, Paren and Glen (1976) the disorder of the protons in ice Ih presents an obstacle to the glide of dislocations on the (0001) planes which is so great that it is very difficult to understand how dislocations can move at the velocities observed experimentally. Their theory makes the usual assumption that dislocations glide between the most widely spaced pairs of planes (the shuffle set). It is now shown that if the dislocations move between the more closely spaced pairs of planes (the glide set) the predicted dislocation velocity is greatly increased.
Measurement Invariance of the Chinese Gifted Rating Scales

The Gifted Rating Scales—School Form (GRS-S) has been validated in several countries; however, no study has examined the rater invariance of this measure. The present study built on previous validity studies and examined configural and metric invariance between parent and teacher raters using the Chinese version of the GRS-S Teacher and Parent Forms. Analyses were conducted from a Jöreskog tradition, with testing of hypotheses related to group invariance. Model fit indices (i.e., comparative fit index [CFI], root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA], χ 2/df) supported equivalence in factor structure and standardized loadings between raters. Additionally, hypothesis testing revealed equivalence in loadings for raters. Implications of the results, as well as limitations and directions for future research, are discussed.
Argilas da formação Corumbataí como base para obtenção de grés porcelanato por via seca

For this research, clays from Corumbatai Formation were used as the main raw material in the formulation of various mixtures, with the objective of obtaining a ceramic tile with porcelain stoneware characteristics. These mixtures were formulated using clays from the Sartori (Rio Claro-SP) and Cruzeiro (Limeira –SP) deposits, along with diabase waste, basalt and manganese ore. Different process modifications were studied in order to obtain tiles with porcelain stoneware properties, using clays with a high content of Fe2O3. Test samples were produced in laboratorial scale using traditional porcelain stoneware production methodology combined with the method used in BIIb class ceramic floor tiles. Dry milling was the main innovation used to prepare the different mixtures for this study. The laboratorial tests were designed to characterize the raw materials, and to evaluate the physical and chemical properties of the fired test samples. The evaluation consisted of verifying the final results in respect to the requirements of Brazilian Technique Norm (ABNT – NBR 13818/1997) for BIa class ceramic tiles. The objective of this research was realized in that some experimental mixtures produced tiles with low water absorption, high mechanical strength and chemical stability, while being aesthetically pleasing at the same time.
Spinal Cord Injury Reveals Multilineage Differentiation of Ependymal Cells

Spinal cord injury often results in permanent functional impairment. Neural stem cells present in the adult spinal cord can be expanded in vitro and improve recovery when transplanted to the injured spinal cord, demonstrating the presence of cells that can promote regeneration but that normally fail to do so efficiently. Using genetic fate mapping, we show that close to all in vitro neural stem cell potential in the adult spinal cord resides within the population of ependymal cells lining the central canal. These cells are recruited by spinal cord injury and produce not only scar-forming glial cells, but also, to a lesser degree, oligodendrocytes. Modulating the fate of ependymal progeny after spinal cord injury may offer an alternative to cell transplantation for cell replacement therapies in spinal cord injury.
Defective somite patterning in mouse embryos with reduced levels of Tbx6

During vertebrate embryogenesis, paraxial mesoderm gives rise to somites, which subsequently develop into the dermis, skeletal muscle, ribs and vertebrae of the adult. Mutations that disrupt the patterning of individual somites have dramatic effects on these tissues, including fusions of the ribs and vertebrae. The T-box transcription factor, Tbx6, is expressed in the paraxial mesoderm but is downregulated as somites develop. It is essential for the formation of posterior somites, which are replaced with ectopic neural tubes in Tbx6-null mutant embryos. We show that partial restoration of Tbx6 expression in null mutants rescues somite development, but that rostrocaudal patterning within them is defective, ultimately resulting in rib and vertebral fusions, demonstrating that Tbx6 activity in the paraxial mesoderm is required not simply for somite specification but also for their normal patterning. Somite patterning is dependent upon Notch signaling and we show that Tbx6 genetically interacts with the Notch ligand, delta-like 1 (Dll1). Dll1 expression, which is absent in the Tbx6-null mutant, is restored at reduced levels in the partially rescued mutants, suggesting that Dll1 is a target of Tbx6. We also identify the spontaneous mutation rib-vertebrae as a hypomorphic mutation in Tbx6. The similarity in the phenotypes we describe here and that of some human birth defects, such as spondylocostal dysostosis, raises the possibility that mutations in Tbx6 or components of this pathway may be responsible for these defects.
Comparison of uncommon EGFR exon 21 L858R compound mutations with single mutation

Non-small-cell lung cancer with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation is sensitive to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). But little is known about the response to EGFR TKIs and the prognostic role of compound mutations. This study compared the uncommon EGFR exon 21 L858R compound mutations with single mutation to characterize EGFR compound mutations and investigated their response to EGFR TKI treatment. We retrospectively screened 799 non-small-cell lung cancer patients from August 1, 2009 to June 1, 2012 by EGFR mutation testing. EGFR mutations were detected in 443 patients, with 22 (4.97%) compound mutations. Subsequently, six patients with EGFR exon 21 L858R compound mutations and 18 paired patients with single L858R mutation were well characterized. Finally, we also analyzed the EGFR TKI treatment response and patients’ outcomes of compound or single L858R mutations. There was no differential treatment effect on the disease control rate and objective response rate between the L858R compound mutations and single mutation groups. No significant difference in overall survival or progression-free survival of these two groups was found by log-rank test. In conclusion, we demonstrated that no significant difference was detected in the response to EGFR TKIs and patients’ outcomes in the compound and single mutation groups.
Investigating topic models for social media user recommendation

This paper presents a user recommendation system that recommends to a user new friends having similar interests. We automatically discover users' interests using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), a linguistic topic model that represents users as mixtures of topics. Our system is able to recommend friends for 4 million users with high recall, outperforming existing strategies based on graph analysis.
A 2-$\mu$ m BiCMOS Rectifier-Free AC–DC Piezoelectric Energy Harvester-Charger IC

A fundamental problem that miniaturized systems, such as biomedical implants, face is limited space for storing energy, which translates to short operational life. Harvesting energy from the surrounding environment, which is virtually a boundless source at these scales, can overcome this restriction, if losses in the system are sufficiently low. To that end, the 2-μm bi-complementary metal-oxide semiconductor switched-inductor piezoelectric harvester prototype evaluated and presented in this paper eliminates the restrictions associated with a rectifier to produce and channel 30 μW from a periodic 72- μW piezoelectric source into a battery directly. In doing so, the circuit also increases the system's electrical damping force to draw more power and energy from the transducer, effectively increasing its mechanical-electrical efficiency by up to 78%. The system also harnesses up to 659 nJ from nonperiodic mechanical vibrations, which are more prevalent in the environment, with 6.1±1.5% to 8.8±6.9% of end-to-end mechanical-electrical efficiency.
Association of Genetic Variants of CYP2C19 and CYP2D6 with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Risk in Northern India, Kashmir

ABSTRACT Genetic polymorphism in xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes (XMEs) is associated with various malignancies. However, the association of esophageal cancer with XMEs is mixed. The current study was aimed to explore the association of genetic polymorphisms of cytochrome (CYP) 2C19 and CYP2D6 genotypes with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) risk in Kashmir, India. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and sequencing methods were used for genotyping of 492 ESCC cases and equal number of individually matched controls. Conditional logistic regression models were used to assess odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals. Increased ESCC risk was observed in subjects with variant genotypes of CYP2C19 (OR = 3.3) or CYP2D6 (OR = 2.1) and risk was higher (OR = 4.6) in subjects who harbored both the genotypes. Almost same but higher risk turned when subjects were smokers and carried a variant genotype of CYP2C19 (OR = 4.4) or CYP2D6 (OR = 4.7). Risk was appreciably increased in subjects who had family history of any cancer and also harbored a variant genotype of either CYP2C19 (OR = 15.5) or CYP2D6 (OR = 9.7). Subjects harboring a variant genotype of CYP2D6 showed an added risk when they used biomass as fuel (OR = 4.6). In conclusion, variant genotypes of CYP2C19 and CYP2D6 are associated with an increased risk of ESCC.
Influence of Canola Oil and Lysine Supplementation Diets on Growth Performance and Fatty Acid Composition of Meat in Broiler Chicks

A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of diets containing different levels of lysine and canola oil on growth performance and fatty acid composition of meat of broilers chicks. 240-day old Ross broiler chicks were used in a 3×2 factorial arrangement with canola oil (1, 3, and 5%) and lysine (recommended, and 25% more than recommended by Ross broiler manual) in completely randomized design with four replicates and 10 birds per each. The experimental diets were iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous. Feed intake and body weight gain were recorded at the end of starter (10 d), grower (24 d) and finisher (42 d) periods, and feed conversion ratio was calculated. The results showed that the weight gain of chickens fed diets containing 5% canola oil were greater than those of birds fed on other diets (P<0.05). The dietary lysine had significant effect on feed intake and diets with 25% more than recommended, increased feed intake significantly (P<0.05). The canola oil×lysine interaction effects on performance were not significant. Among all treatment birds, those fed diets containing 5% canola oil had the highest meristic acid and oleic acid content in their meat. Broilers fed diets containing 3 or 5% canola oil possessed the higher content of linolenic acid and lower content of arachidonic acid in their meat (P<0.05). The results of the present experiment indicated that the diets containing canola oil (5%) and lysine at 25% higher than requirement, improve the growth performance, carcass and breast yield of broiler, and increase the accumulation of Omega-3 fatty acids in breast meat. Keywords—Broiler, canola oil, lysine, fatty acid.
High-performance polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistor with multiple nanowire channels and lightly doped drain structure

This investigation examines polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistors (TFTs) with multiple nanowire channels and a lightly doped drain (LDD). A device with an LDD structure exhibits low leakage current because the lateral electrical field is reduced in the drain offset region. Additionally, multiple nanowire channels can generate fewer defects in the polysilicon grain boundary and have more efficient NH3 plasma passivation than single-channel TFTs, further reducing leakage current. They exhibit superior electrical characteristics to those of single-channel TFTs, such as a higher ON/OFF current ratio (>108), a better subthreshold slope of 110 mV/decade, an absence of drain-induced barrier lowering, and suppressed kink-effect. Devices with the proposed TFTs are highly promising for use in active-matrix liquid-crystal display technologies.
Community pharmacists’ interest in and attitude to pharmacy practice research in Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

Pharmacy practice-research became an important component in the pharmacy practice. However, limited studies were conducted in sub-Saharan Africa to understand the pharmacists’ interest and attitude towards pharmacy practice-research. We aimed to assess the community pharmacists’ interest and attitude towards pharmacy practice-research in Ethiopia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among community pharmacists in eight major cities in Ethiopia. A validated 25-item self-administered questionnaire covering interest and attitude related to pharmacy practice-research was distributed. Responses were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. A total of 389 community pharmacists responded to the survey (response rate- 88.4%). Most of community pharmacists showed a high level of interest and positive attitude in being involved in all aspects of pharmacy practice-research. The median summary score for interest and attitude were 38 (IQR 20–40) (range possible 10–50) and 30 (IQR 18–39), respectively. Sixty-seven percent of the respondents thought about being involved in research, felt research is important for their career (57.6%), confident to conduct the research (56.2%), and agreed that research is a part of pharmacy practice (48.5%). However, only forty-six percent agreed that they underwent research training. A multivariate analysis showed that females were more interested in pharmacy practice research than males [AOR: 1.50, 95% CI: 0.99–2.27; p<0.05]. Community pharmacists showed high interest towards several areas of research competencies and demonstrated positive attitude towards pharmacy practice-research. Our findings suggest that providing research training to community pharmacists may contribute in undertaking research activities and build the research capacity in Ethiopia.
Pneumonitis in cancer patients receiving anti-PD-1 and radiotherapies

Introduction: In development of novel therapies for the treatment of patient with cancer, the use of radiotherapy (RT) can produce significant local control and, in recent studies, has also been shown to mediate anti-tumor responses at distant sites by triggering and enhancing the endogenous cellular immune responses. Although RT induces an abscopal effect in some patients due to enhanced immune response to the tumor, immune-escape mechanisms, including up-regulation of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) on tumor cells, limit this benefit in other patients. Hence, many studies have promoted the synergy of RT and anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) treatment for antitumor immunity. However, outcome may be improved when more therapies are combined, but risk of side effects can be increased. Case Presentation: We herein present 3 advanced cancer patients with pulmonary metastasis and who received RT. Later, they underwent anti-PD-1 treatment and unfortunately suffered from anti-PD-1-related pneumonitis over the nonirradiated areas after 4 cycles of treatment. The upregulation of cellular PD-1 expression in these areas was considered and the immune overreaction by anti-PD-1 treatment may cause these severe pulmonary adverse effects. Conclusion: Our review of 3 cases warrants careful workup to reduce the risk of side effects by combinative therapy with RT and anti-PD-1 treatment.
A randomised, placebo controlled, comparative trial of the gastrointestinal safety and efficacy of AZD3582 versus naproxen in osteoarthritis

Objective: To evaluate the gastrointestinal safety and efficacy of the COX inhibiting nitric oxide donator AZD3582 in patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis. Methods: 970 patients were randomised (7:7:2) to AZD3582 750 mg twice daily, naproxen 500 mg twice daily, or placebo twice daily in a double blind study. The primary end point was the six week incidence of endoscopic gastroduodenal ulcers (diameter ⩾3 mm). Overall damage measured on the Lanza scale was a secondary end point. Safety and tolerability assessments included endoscopic upper gastrointestinal erosions and the gastrointestinal symptom rating scale (GSRS). Efficacy was primarily assessed by WOMAC. Results: The incidence of ulcers with AZD3582 was 9.7% and with naproxen 13.7% (p = 0.07, NS), v 0% on placebo. The incidence of Lanza scores >2 was higher with naproxen (43.7%) than with AZD3582 (32.2%) (p<0.001). Compared with baseline, significantly fewer ulcers and erosions developed in stomach and stomach/duodenum combined, and fewer erosions developed in stomach, duodenum, and both combined on AZD3582 than on naproxen. GSRS reflux and abdominal pain subscale scores were lower for AZD3582 than for naproxen but there was no difference for indigestion, constipation, and diarrhoea. AZD3582 was as effective as naproxen at improving WOMAC scores. Both agents were well tolerated, with no significant effects on blood pressure. Conclusions: At doses with similar efficacy in relieving osteoarthritis symptoms, the primary end point of six week endoscopic gastroduodenal ulcer incidence was not significantly different between AZD3582 and naproxen. Most secondary endoscopic gastrointestinal end points favoured AZD3582.
High‐density lipoprotein inhibits human M1 macrophage polarization through redistribution of caveolin‐1

Monocyte‐derived macrophages are critical in the development of atherosclerosis and can adopt a wide range of functional phenotypes depending on their surrounding milieu. High‐density lipoproteins (HDLs) have many cardio‐protective properties including potent anti‐inflammatory effects. We investigated the effects of HDL on human macrophage phenotype and the mechanisms by which these occur.
Effects of a Weight Maintenance Diet on Bulimic Symptoms: An Experimental Test of the Dietary Restraint Theory

It is widely accepted that dieting increases the risk for bulimic nervosa, but there have been few experimental tests of this theory. We conducted a randomized experiment with adolescent girls (N=188) to examine the effects of a weight maintenance diet on bulimic symptoms. A manipulation check verified that the diet intervention resulted in weight maintenance and significantly reduced the risk for obesity onset and weight gain observed in assessment-only controls. As hypothesized, the diet intervention resulted in significantly greater decreases in bulimic symptoms and negative affect than observed in controls. These experimental findings, which converge with those from a weight loss diet experiment, appear antithetical to dietary restraint theory and suggest instead that dietary restriction curbs bulimic symptoms.
Optimizing the benefit of sound processors coupled to personal FM systems.

BACKGROUND Use of personal frequency modulated (FM) systems significantly improves speech recognition in noise for users of cochlear implants (CI). There are, however, a number of adjustable parameters of the cochlear implant and FM receiver that may affect performance and benefit, and there is limited evidence to guide audiologists in optimizing these parameters. PURPOSE This study examined the effect of two sound processor audio-mixing ratios (30/70 and 50/50) on speech recognition and functional benefit for adults with CIs using the Advanced Bionics Auria sound processors. RESEARCH DESIGN Fully-repeated repeated measures experimental design. Each subject participated in every speech-recognition condition in the study, and qualitative data was collected with subject questionnaires. STUDY SAMPLE Twelve adults using Advanced Bionics Auria sound processors. Participants had greater than 20% correct speech recognition on consonant-nucleus-consonant (CNC) monosyllabic words in quiet and had used their CIs for at least six months. INTERVENTION Performance was assessed at two audio-mixing ratios (30/70 and 50/50). For the 50/50 mixing ratio, equal emphasis is placed on the signals from the sound processor and the FM system. For the 30/70 mixing ratio, the signal from the microphone of the sound processor is attenuated by 10 dB. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Speech recognition was assessed at two audio-mixing ratios (30/70 and 50/50) in quiet (35 and 50 dB HL) and in noise (+5 signal-to-noise ratio) with and without the personal FM system. After two weeks of using each audio-mixing ratio, the participants completed subjective questionnaires. RESULTS Study results suggested that use of a personal FM system resulted in significant improvements in speech recognition in quiet at low-presentation levels, speech recognition in noise, and perceived benefit in noise. Use of the 30/70 mixing ratio resulted in significantly poorer speech recognition for low-level speech that was not directed to the FM transmitter. There was no significant difference in speech recognition in noise or functional benefit between the two audio-mixing ratios. CONCLUSIONS Use of a 50/50 audio-mixing ratio is recommended for optimal performance with an FM system in quiet and noisy listening situations.