Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protective role of integrin-linked kinase against oxidative stress and in maintenance of genomic integrity

The balance between the production of reactive oxygen species and activation of antioxidant pathways is essential to maintain a normal redox state in all tissues. Oxidative stress caused by excessive oxidant species generation can cause damage to DNA and other macromolecules, affecting cell function and viability. Here we show that integrin-linked kinase (ILK) plays a key role in eliciting a protective response to oxidative damage in epidermal cells. Inactivation of the Ilk gene causes elevated levels of intracellular oxidant species (IOS) and DNA damage in the absence of exogenous oxidative insults. In ILK-deficient cells, excessive IOS production can be prevented through inhibition of NADPH oxidase activity, with a concomitant reduction in DNA damage. Additionally, ILK is necessary for DNA repair processes following UVB-induced damage, as ILK-deficient cells show a significantly impaired ability to remove cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers following irradiation. Thus, ILK is essential to maintain cellular redox balance and, in its absence, epidermal cells become more susceptible to oxidative damage through mechanisms that involve IOS production by NADPH oxidase activity.
Low Velocity Transverse Impact Behavior of 8-ply, Graphite-Epoxy Laminates

This work discusses the behavior of 8-ply, quasi-isotropic, graphite epoxy laminates subjected to low velocity transverse impact loading. Large deflection theory of plates was used to predict the load-deflection characteristics during the impact event. The im pact model considered that the indentation, flexural and shear stiffnesses could be represented by 3-equivalent springs in series. The analysis of static and dynamic impact loading test-data concluded that the mem brane parameter, β, used in flexural stiffness relation was proportional to the square of the coefficient of restitution, e, of the impactor. Use of β = 0.443 e2 was made in load- deflection relations to consider the drop in plate stiffness due to delamination. The results of impact tests up to impact velocity 5.3 m/sec. were found in close agreement of the predictions.
Alterations of Membrane Lipid Content Correlated With Chloroplast and Mitochondria Development in Euglena gracilis

Euglenoids are unique protists that can grow photoautotrophically, photomixotrophically, and heterotrophically. Here we grew Euglena gracilis under these different growth conditions and determined cellular contents of seven membrane lipids and one storage lipid (triacylglycerol), which account for more than 94 mol% of total membrane lipids. We also describe the relationship among chloroplast and mitochondria developments with lipid contents, protein contents, and oxygen evolution/consumption rates. In photoautotrophic growth conditions, E. gracilis cells accumulated chlorophyll, photosynthetic proteins, and glycolipids typical to thylakoid membranes. The same occurred for the cells grown under photomixotrophic conditions with higher respiration rates. In heterotrophic conditions, E. gracilis cells had higher respiration rates compared to cells grown in other conditions with the accumulation of pyruvate: NADP+ oxidoreductase, a mitochondrial protein and phospholipid common in mitochondria. Cells were also observed using a confocal laser scanning microscope and found to show more chlorophyll autofluorescence when grown photoautotrophically and photomixotrophycally, and fluorescence of MitoTracker when grown photomixotrophically and heterotrophically. These results suggest that under illumination, E. gracilis develops functional thylakoid membranes with membrane lipids and proteins for photosynthesis. In the medium with glucose, the cells develop mitochondria with phospholipids and proteins for respiration. Possible application based on lipid analysis for the enhancement of wax ester or alkene synthesis is discussed.
Experimental Methods in Consumer Preference Studies

Controlled experimental auctions can be used to elicit preferences for food products. We describe results from two series of experiments in which subjects revealed their willingness-to-pay for safer food. In one series, the risk reduction technology was not specified; in the other, it was identified as food irradiation. The results provide some evidence on the acceptability of food irradiation as a risk reduction technology.
Membrane Formation in Liquids by Adding an Antagonistic Salt

Antagonistic salts are composed of hydrophilic and hydrophobic ions. In a binary mixture, such as water and organic solvent, these ion pairs preferentially dissolve to those phases, respectively, and there is a coupling between the charge density and the composition. The heterogeneous distribution of ions forms a large electric double layer at the interface between these solvents. This reduces the interfacial tension between water and organic solvent, and stabilizes an ordered structure, such as a membrane. These phenomena have been extensively studied from both theoretical and experimental point of view. In addition, the numerical simulations can reproduce such ordered structures.
The influence of adherence to antipsychotics medication on the quality of life among patients with schizophrenia in Indonesia

PURPOSE Investigating factors that can predict medication adherence and quality of life, as well as the influence of adherence to medication on the quality of life among patients with schizophrenia. DESIGN AND METHODS This study applies descriptive cross-sectional design. Participants were determined from outpatient clinic in a psychiatric hospital in Indonesia. Several questionnaires were used, including self-report, Glasgow Antipsychotics Side-effect Scale, drug attitude inventory and SQOL-18. FINDINGS Side-effect factor (p < .05) could influence medication adherence. Residential area (p < .05) could significantly influence quality of life. There was also a correlation between medication adherence and quality of life (p < .05). PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Findings suggest to put more emphasis on assessing medication side effects.
Regulation of tryptophan biosynthesis in Caulobacter crescentus

We present an analysis of the expression of the trpE gene and the trpFBA operon in the dimorphic bacterium Caulobacter crescentus. The catalytic activity of component I of anthranilate synthase, the product of the trpE gene, was efficiently inhibited by tryptophan, the end product of the pathway, which suggests that tryptophan biosynthesis is likely controlled at the pathway level in C. crescentus. However, trpFBA mRNA levels and trpE enzyme levels did not vary significantly in wild-type C. crescentus in response to the presence of tryptophan in the growth medium or to growth in minimal versus rich medium. This lack of regulation of the trpE, trpF, trpB, and trpA genes is consistent with the idea that oligotrophic bacteria, such as C. crescentus, do not utilize regulatory mechanisms that greatly alter the biosynthetic capabilities in exponentially growing cells. In contrast, mRNA levels from the 5'-untranslated region and the upstream gene (usg) coding region increased dramatically in C. crescentus trpD or hisB auxotrophs starved for tryptophan or histidine, respectively. Surprisingly, concomitant increases in mRNA levels were not detected from the trpF, trpB, or trpA coding regions downstream in the operon. Thus, severe starvation of C. crescentus for amino acids appears to elicit a strong, general transcriptional response that is not observed in bacteria growing exponentially in medium lacking amino acids.
Hox genes in the adult skeleton: Novel functions beyond embryonic development

Hox genes encode evolutionarily conserved transcription factors that control skeletal patterning in the developing embryo. They are expressed in regionally restricted domains and function to regulate the morphology of specific vertebral and long bone elements. Recent work has provided evidence that Hox genes continue to be regionally expressed in adult tissues. Fibroblasts cultured from adult tissues show broadly maintained Hox gene expression patterns. In the adult skeleton, Hox genes are expressed in progenitor‐enriched populations of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs), and genetic loss‐of‐function analyses have provided evidence that Hox genes function during the fracture healing process. This review will highlight our current understanding of Hox expression in the adult animal and its function in skeletal regeneration. Developmental Dynamics 246:310–317, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Closed-Loop Feedback Computer-Controlled Phenylephrine for Maintenance of Blood Pressure During Spinal Anesthesia for Cesarean Delivery: A Randomized Trial Comparing Automated Boluses Versus Infusion

BACKGROUND: We previously described the use of closed-loop feedback computer-controlled infusion of phenylephrine for maintaining blood pressure (BP) during spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery. In this study, we report a modified system in which phenylephrine is delivered by intermittent boluses rather than infusion. We hypothesized that the use of computer-controlled boluses would result in more precise control of BP compared with infusions. METHODS: Two hundred fourteen healthy patients having spinal anesthesia for elective cesarean delivery were randomized to have their systolic BP maintained by phenylephrine administered by computer-controlled continuous infusion or computer-controlled intermittent boluses. From induction of anesthesia until the time of uterine incision, a noninvasive BP monitor was set to cycle at 1-minute intervals. In the infusion group, the infusion rate was automatically adjusted after each BP measurement using a previously described algorithm. In the bolus group, the algorithm was modified so that the mass of drug that would have been delivered over 1 minute was instead injected as a rapid intravenous bolus after each BP measurement. The precision of BP control was assessed using performance error calculations and compared between groups, with the primary outcome defined as median absolute performance error, and the latter being a measure of inaccuracy showing an average of the magnitudes of the differences of measured BP values above or below the target values. RESULTS: The precision of BP control was greater, as shown by smaller values for median absolute performance error, in the bolus group (median 4.38 [quartiles 3.22, 6.25] %) versus the infusion group (5.39 [4.12, 7.04] %, P = .008). In the bolus group, phenylephrine consumption was smaller; this was associated with smaller values for median performance error compared with the continuous infusion group (P < .001), which indicates that values for systolic BP, averaged over time, were slightly lower in the bolus group. There were no differences in cardiac output, nausea or vomiting, or neonatal outcome between groups. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed the hypothesis that BP control was more precise when computer-controlled phenylephrine was delivered using intermittent boluses rather than continuous infusion. However, the difference between groups was small and was not associated with any difference in clinical outcomes. In the infusion group, greater doses of phenylephrine were delivered, which was related to the time taken for the noninvasive BP monitor to complete measurements. The use of intermittent boluses may be a useful alternative in the design of closed-loop vasopressor systems.
Effect of rice husk ash on workability and strength of concrete

Rice husk ash (RHA) is an agricultural waste which is a pozzolanic material that can be blended with the cement for manufacturing concrete. Its use can reduce the environmental impact of the cement industry. The present study investigates the chemical and morphological nature of RHA and silica fume (SF). Both can be used to improve strength and durability properties of concrete. Particle size distribution, loss on ignition (LOI), X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopic were conducted. The effect of replacement of cement 5%, 10% and 15% by weight with SF and RHA on compressive strength and workability has also been investigated for 32 MPa grade concrete blended with 30% Fly ash. The results show that concrete mixed with RHA had better strength than a similar mix with Silica Fume. RHA required additional amount of superplasticizer to improve the workability of concrete. In order to reduce the carbon footprint associated with cement industry, this paper gives satisfactory results to use RHA in sustainable construction.
Risk profile and health vulnerability of female workers who pick cotton by organanochlorine pesticides from southern Punjab, Pakistan

The present study was conducted to highlight the existing level of organochlorine‐pesticides (OCPs) from human milk (n = 45) and blood serum (n = 40) of female workers who pick cotton in Khanewal District, southern Punjab, Pakistan. Source apportionment, congener‐specific analysis, and risk surveillance of OCPs are reported from human milk and blood samples. Levels of OCPs in milk and blood serum samples ranged from 15.7 ppb to 538.3 ppb and from 16.4 ppb to 747.1 ppb, respectively, and were lower than previously published reports from other regions of the globe. Congener‐specific analysis revealed that DDTs were predominant, followed by hexachlorocyclohexane, chlordane, and hexachlorobenzene. Calculated results for source apportionment analysis suggested that contamination load was a new input of DDTs as well as the historic use of lindane in the study area. Levels of OCPs in milk and blood serum were significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with age, time period of picking cotton, and number of children. Health risk revealed that female workers had risk of cancer among 1 per million; however, noncarcinogenic risks were not considerable. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1193–1201. © 2016 SETAC
Attacking the Madry Defense Model with L1-based Adversarial Examples

The Madry Lab recently hosted a competition designed to test the robustness of their adversarially trained MNIST model. Attacks were constrained to perturb each pixel of the input image by a scaled maximal $L_\infty$ distortion $\epsilon$ = 0.3. This discourages the use of attacks which are not optimized on the $L_\infty$ distortion metric. Our experimental results demonstrate that by relaxing the $L_\infty$ constraint of the competition, the elastic-net attack to deep neural networks (EAD) can generate transferable adversarial examples which, despite their high average $L_\infty$ distortion, have minimal visual distortion. These results call into question the use of $L_\infty$ as a sole measure for visual distortion, and further demonstrate the power of EAD at generating robust adversarial examples.
3,4‐diaminopyridine base effectively treats the weakness of Lambert‐Eaton myasthenia

Introduction: 3,4‐diaminopyridine has been used to treat Lambert‐Eaton myasthenia (LEM) for 30 years despite the lack of conclusive evidence of efficacy. Methods: We conducted a randomized double‐blind placebo‐controlled withdrawal study in patients with LEM who had been on stable regimens of 3,4‐diaminopyridine base (3,4‐DAP) for ≥ 3 months. The primary efficacy endpoint was >30% deterioration in triple timed up‐and‐go (3TUG) times during tapered drug withdrawal. The secondary endpoint was self‐assessment of LEM–related weakness (W‐SAS). Results: Thirty‐two participants were randomized to continuous 3,4‐DAP or placebo groups. None of the 14 participants who received continuous 3,4‐DAP had > 30% deterioration in 3TUG time versus 72% of the 18 who tapered to placebo (P < 0.0001). W‐SAS similarly demonstrated an advantage for continuous treatment over placebo (P < 0.0001). Requirement for rescue and adverse events were more common in the placebo group. Discussion: This trial provides significant evidence of efficacy of 3,4‐DAP in the maintenance of strength in LEM. Muscle Nerve 57: 561–568, 2018
Outcomes and Cost Analysis of Surveillance Strategies After Initial Treatment for Women With Recurrent Ovarian Cancer

Objective The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a survival or cost benefit dependent on detection strategy of recurrent ovarian cancer (ie, imaging, physical examination findings, report of symptoms, or rising cancer antigen 125 [CA-125] levels). Methods/Materials A retrospective chart review of 112 ovarian cancer patients was conducted, and method of detection of recurrent disease was determined from medical records. The following primary outcomes were determined using Cox proportional hazards regression model: progression-free survival (PFS) after diagnosis of recurrence and time to death after diagnosis of recurrence (overall survival [OS]). Several approaches to disease surveillance were proposed, and a cost model was applied. Results Median time to recurrence was 13.5 months. Overall, 6.3% presented with only physical examination findings; 24.1%, with elevating CA-125 levels; 34.8%, with imaging; and 32.1%, with symptoms. Most patients presenting with recurrent disease diagnosed by rising CA-125 were white (62.9%); those with imaging and symptomatic recurrences were blacks (56.4% and 57.1%, respectively). There was a small but not statistically significant OS benefit for recurrence detected via CA-125 (P = 0.85; OS per detection method: PE, 20.7 months; CA-125, 26.8 months; imaging, 17.8 months; and symptoms, 6.6 months). We modeled costs of surveillance in our patient cohort; up to 40.8% of cases of ovarian cancer recurrences would have been missed if no imaging were obtained during surveillance. Conclusions Results indicate minimal differences in PFS and statistically insignificant differences in OS, depending on detection method. Notably, black patients with Medicaid presented most often with symptomatic recurrences, which surprisingly did not affect patient OS and PFS; and interestingly, pr\ivate or self-pay insurance was associated with decreased OS among black patients. From our cost analysis, we estimate that the most cost-effective surveillance strategy for the first year costs $9.2 million annually and includes office visit biannually, biannual CA-125 levels, and annual asymptomatic imaging.
An Instrument to Measure Maturity of Integrated Care: A First Validation Study

Introduction: Lessons captured from interviews with 12 European regions are represented in a new instrument, the B3-Maturity Model (B3-MM). B3-MM aims to assess maturity along 12 dimensions reflecting the various aspects that need to be managed in order to deliver integrated care. The objective of the study was to test the content validity of B3-MM as part of SCIROCCO (Scaling Integrated Care into Context), a European Union funded project. Methods: A literature review was conducted to compare B3-MM’s 12 dimensions and their measurement scales with existing measures and instruments that focus on assessing the development of integrated care. Subsequently, a three-round survey conducted through a Delphi study with international experts in the field of integrated care was performed to test the relevance of: 1) the dimensions, 2) the maturity indicators and 3) the assessment scale used in B3-MM. Results: The 11 articles included in the literature review confirmed all the dimensions described in the original version of B3-MM. The Delphi study rounds resulted in various phrasing amendments of indicators and assessment scale. Full agreement among the experts on the relevance of the 12 B3-MM dimensions, their indicators, and assessment scale was reached after the third Delphi round. Conclusion and discussion: The B3-MM dimensions, maturity indicators and assessment scale showed satisfactory content validity. While the B3-MM is a unique instrument based on existing knowledge and experiences of regions in integrated care, further testing is needed to explore other measurement properties of B3-MM.
Persistent organic pollutant levels and the importance of source proximity in Baltic and Svalbard breeding common eiders

The distance to sources and the long‐range transport potential of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are important in understanding the impact of anthropogenic pollution on natural seabird populations. The present study documented blood concentrations of POPs in the Baltic Sea (Tvärminne, Finland) population of common eiders (Somateria mollissima) in 2009 and in 2011 and compared the concentrations with the presumably less exposed Arctic population in Svalbard (Kongsfjorden, Norway). The Baltic population had 26, 10, and 5 times greater concentrations of hexachlorocyclohexane, polychlorinated biphenyls, and p,p′‐dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene than the Svalbard population. Unexpectedly, concentrations of chlordanes were higher in Svalbard eiders, whereas concentrations of hexachlorobenzenes (HCBs) did not differ between the 2 populations. Although the similar HCB levels may partly be explained by the high transport potential of HCBs, unknown factors may have been more important than distance to sources and long‐range transport potential for the chlordanes. One plausible explanation may be that the fasting‐related redistribution of POPs from fat to blood was greater throughout the incubation in Arctic eiders, causing them to have higher blood levels of these POPs at the end of incubation. The blood concentrations of POPs in Baltic eiders were higher than documented in any other eider population and were comparable to levels in seabirds feeding at higher trophic positions in the food chain. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1526–1533. © 2015 SETAC
Oxalate, inflammasome, and progression of kidney disease

Purpose of reviewOxalate is an end product of metabolism excreted via the kidney. Excess urinary oxalate, whether from primary or enteric hyperoxaluria, can lead to oxalate deposition in the kidney. Oxalate crystals are associated with renal inflammation, fibrosis, and progressive renal failure. It has long been known that as the glomerular filtration rate becomes reduced in chronic kidney disease (CKD), there is striking elevation of plasma oxalate. Taken together, these findings raise the possibility that elevation of plasma oxalate in CKD may promote renal inflammation and more rapid progression of CKD independent of primary cause. Recent findingsThe inflammasome has recently been identified to play a critical role in oxalate-induced renal inflammation. Oxalate crystals have been shown to activate the NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 inflammasome (also known as NALP3, NLRP3, or cryopyrin), resulting in release of IL-1&bgr; and macrophage infiltration. Deletion of inflammasome proteins in mice protects from oxalate-induced renal inflammation and progressive renal failure. SummaryThe findings reviewed in this article expand our understanding of the relevance of elevated plasma oxalate levels leading to inflammasome activation. We propose that inhibiting oxalate-induced inflammasome activation, or lowering plasma oxalate, may prevent or mitigate progressive renal damage in CKD, and warrants clinical trials.