Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neurophysiologic and Neurocognitive Case Profiles of Andean Patients with Chronic Environmental Lead Poisoning

This report presents case profiles of three siblings in a family of lead (Pb) glazing workers living in a Pb-contaminated Andean village who presented with extreme plumbism (blood Pb levels: 47 to 128 μg/dl) from childhood to adolescence. These cases are examples of persons who have chronic Pb poisoning as a result of prolonged occupational and environmental exposure in a Pb-glazing ceramic cottage industry in the study area. Using behavioral and physiological techniques for measuring the integrity of the peripheral and central auditory systems, including otoacoustic emissions, and replicated auditory brainstem electrophysiological potentials, the authors found normal auditory neurosensory function in each patient, thus ruling out hearing impairment as a basis for adverse neurocognitive outcomes. This finding is contrary to the prevailing view regarding the detrimental effects of Pb poisoning on the cochlear and auditory brainstem of children. Performance on tests of visual spatial intelligence and auditory memory/attention was below average in these patients, which may underlie their reported learning disabilities. In two of the cases, there was an improvement in cognitive performance following a lowering of PbB levels from chelation therapy and Pb prevention education, suggesting some level of reversibility of their neurocognitive deficits. Nevertheless, these case profiles suggest that if the patients persist in Pb-glazing activities, in spite of repeated chelation therapy and family counseling, they may continue to be re-intoxicated and remain at risk for learning disabilities and other neurological impairments.
Comprehensive Elastic Resource Management to Ensure Predictable Performance for Scientific Applications on Public IaaS Clouds

Scientists have become increasingly reliant on large-scale compute resources on public IaaS clouds to efficiently process their applications. Unfortunately, the reactive nature of auto-scaling techniques made available by the public cloud provider can cause insufficient response time and poor job deadline satisfaction rates. To solve these problems, we designed an end-to-end elastic resource management system for scientific applications on public IaaS clouds. This system employs the following strategies: 1) an accurate and dynamic job execution time predictor, 2) a resource evaluation scheme that balances cost and performance, and 3) an "availability-aware" job scheduling algorithm. This comprehensive system is deployed on Amazon Web Services and is compared with other state-of-the-art resource management schemes. Experimental results show that our system achieves a 9% - 32% improvement with respect to the deadline satisfaction rate over other schemes. We achieve this deadline satisfaction rate improvement while still providing improved cost-efficiency over other state-of-the-art approaches.
Quantitative Analysis of Debris and Plastic Pollution on Beaches in Northern Madagascar

Marine pollution, with the majority originating from land based sources, poses a significant threat to species in marine and coastal ecosystems. By understanding the make-up of the beach debris, more effective and targeted education and awareness programs can be developed to reduce marine pollution originating from land based sources. In this study, beach debris was recorded, quantified and classified, from three mostly sandy beaches in the northern Diana Region of Madagascar. At the time of this study there were no published reports about debris on Malagasy beaches, thus this paper provides original insight into debris composition and distribution in the region. The debris was observed and classified using transect methods and charts developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) complimented by visual observations. CSIRO has performed similar studies before, therefore the use of their methods made for easier data collection and allowed for ease of comparison for future studies. The abundance of debris per square metre varied between the beaches, which shows a predicted increase with usage. The beaches that had a high number of observed visitors also had a higher quantity of debris. Plastic debris density remained relatively stable between the beaches. A total of 1216 pieces of debris was recorded, with 758 pieces being of plastic, distributed at an average of 0.158 pieces of debris per square metre and 0.109 pieces of plastic per square metre. The highest total quantity of debris and plastic litter was found at Ramena followed by Ampasindava and Baïe de Sakalava.
Combined effects of moderately elevated blood glucose and locally produced TGF-beta1 on glomerular morphology and renal collagen production.

BACKGROUND There is a correlation between renal graft rejection and blood glucose (BG) levels. Furthermore, diabetic patients may develop non-diabetic renal diseases, which in some circumstances progress rapidly. Since transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta) levels are elevated in many renal diseases, the accelerated progression may be due to interactions between glucose and locally produced TGF-beta1. Therefore, we investigated the effect of mild hyperglycaemia on glomerular morphology and collagen production in TGF-beta1 transgenic mice. METHODS To achieve BG concentrations of approximately 15 mmol/l in TGF-beta1 transgenic and non-transgenic mice, we used multiple streptozotocin (STZ) injections, and after 8 weeks, we measured the changes in glomerular morphology and total collagen content. We also analysed extracellular matrix (ECM) and protease mRNA levels using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (pERK) expression by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Mild hyperglycaemia alone had no effect on glomerular structure or ECM deposition. Over-expression of TGF-beta1 increased basement membrane thickness (BMT) and the mesangial volume fraction. Furthermore, it augmented ECM, Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP), MMP-9, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP) gene expression and pERK1/2 immunostaining. Elevated BG in combination with TGF-beta1 resulted in enlargement of glomerular volume, total mesangial volume and renal collagen content. Moreover, high BG exaggerated TGF-beta1-induced changes in the BMT, MMP-2 and TIMP-1 expression and pERK1/2 staining. CONCLUSION Even moderate elevations in BG accelerate the progression of those kidney diseases in which TGF-beta1 is involved. This emphasizes the importance of strict BG control in renal transplant patients and diabetic patients with renal malfunctions unrelated to diabetes.
MRI Brain Tumor Classification Using SVM and Histogram Based Image Segmentation

A brain tumor arises due to an abnormal growth of cells that have proliferated in an uncontrolled manner. When normal cells grow old or get injured, they either undergo cell death or get repaired by own. Research shows that people affected by brain tumors die due to their inaccurate detection. In this paper,proposed an intelligent classification technique to recognize normal and abnormal MRI brain image. Medical images like ECG, MRI and CT-scan images are important way to diagnose disease of human being efficiently. To avoid manual errors, an automated intelligent classification technique is proposed which caters the need for classification of image. In this paper work, classification techniques based on Support Vector Machines (SVM) and histogram based image segmentation are proposed and applied to brain image classification. Here feature extraction from MRI Images will be carried out by gray scale, symmetrical and texture features. This intelligent system improves accuracy rate and reduces error rate of MRI brain tumor classification using SVM.
Hearing Loss in a Mouse Model of 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11DS) arises from an interstitial chromosomal microdeletion encompassing at least 30 genes. This disorder is one of the most significant known cytogenetic risk factors for schizophrenia, and can also cause heart abnormalities, cognitive deficits, hearing difficulties, and a variety of other medical problems. The Df1/+ hemizygous knockout mouse, a model for human 22q11DS, recapitulates many of the deficits observed in the human syndrome including heart defects, impaired memory, and abnormal auditory sensorimotor gating. Here we show that Df1/+ mice, like human 22q11DS patients, have substantial rates of hearing loss arising from chronic middle ear infection. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) measurements revealed significant elevation of click-response thresholds in 48% of Df1/+ mice, often in only one ear. Anatomical and histological analysis of the middle ear demonstrated no gross structural abnormalities, but frequent signs of otitis media (OM, chronic inflammation of the middle ear), including excessive effusion and thickened mucosa. In mice for which both in vivo ABR thresholds and post mortem middle-ear histology were obtained, the severity of signs of OM correlated directly with the level of hearing impairment. These results suggest that abnormal auditory sensorimotor gating previously reported in mouse models of 22q11DS could arise from abnormalities in auditory processing. Furthermore, the findings indicate that Df1/+ mice are an excellent model for increased risk of OM in human 22q11DS patients. Given the frequently monaural nature of OM in Df1/+ mice, these animals could also be a powerful tool for investigating the interplay between genetic and environmental causes of OM.
Amyloid β‐Peptides Increase Annular and Bulk Fluidity and Induce Lipid Peroxidation in Brain Synaptic Plasma Membranes

Abstract: Amyloid β‐peptides (Aβ) may alter the neuronal membrane lipid environment by changing fluidity and inducing free radical lipid peroxidation. The effects of Aβ1–40 and Aβ25–35 on the fluidity of lipids adjacent to proteins (annular fluidity), bulk lipid fluidity, and lipid peroxidation were determined in rat synaptic plasma membranes (SPM). A fluorescent method based on radiationless energy transfer from tryptophan of SPM proteins to pyrene and pyrene monomer‐eximer formation was used to determine SPM annular fluidity and bulk fluidity, respectively. Lipid peroxidation was determined by the thiobarbituric acid assay. Annular fluidity and bulk fluidity of SPM were increased significantly (p≤ 0.02) by Aβ1–40. Similar effects on fluidity were observed for Aβ25–35 (p≤ 0.002). Increased fluidity was associated with lipid peroxidation. Both Aβ peptides significantly increased (p≤ 0.006) the amount of malondialdehyde in SPM. The addition of a water‐soluble analogue of vitamin E (Trolox) inhibited effects of Aβ on lipid peroxidation and fluidity in SPM. The fluidizing action of Aβ peptides on SPM may be due to the induction of lipid peroxidation by those peptides. Aβ‐induced changes in neuronal function, such as ion flux and enzyme activity, that have been reported previously may result from the combined effects of lipid peroxidation and increased membrane fluidity.
Latitudinal and Seasonal Variations of Vertical Wave Number Spectra of Three‐Dimensional Winds Revealed by Radiosonde Observations

Aiming at investigating the vertical wave number spectral features of three‐dimensional winds in the lower atmosphere as well as their latitudinal and seasonal variations, we analyzed 11 year (1998–2008) radiosonde data from 92 United States stations in the Northern Hemisphere. The spatiotemporal variation of the horizontal wind spectral amplitude agrees well with that of the inertial gravity wave energy, revealing that the observed horizontal wind spectra are mainly attributed to the inertial gravity waves. The horizontal wind spectral slope is systematically and climatologically less negative than the canonical value of −3. For the first time we found that the vertical wind spectrum is much shallower than the horizontal wind spectrum over a wide latitude region, with slopes varying in −1.1 to −0.2 (−0.6 to 0.1) in the troposphere (lower stratosphere). Besides the slopes, the height, latitudinal, and seasonal variations of the vertical wind spectral showed evident difference from those of the horizontal wind spectrum. These differences are due to the horizontal and vertical wind spectra that might be constituted mainly by low and high frequency waves, respectively. Both the horizontal wind and vertical wind spectra exhibit evident universal features, which are more prominent in the lower stratosphere than in the troposphere, where it is thought to be the main source region of gravity waves, implying that the dynamical processes in the wave propagation might be the main cause of the universal spectrum. The background wind was found to have significant impact on the horizontal wind spectrum but has only weak impact on the vertical wind spectrum.
Results of Systematic Second-look Surgery Plus HIPEC in Asymptomatic Patients Presenting a High Risk of Developing Colorectal Peritoneal Carcinomatosis

Purpose: To analyze the impact of systematic second-look surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) performed 1 year after resection of the primary tumor in asymptomatic patients at high risk of developing peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC). Patients and Methods: From 1999 to 2009, 41 patients without any sign of recurrence on imaging studies underwent second-look surgery aimed at treating limited PC earlier and more easily. They were selected based on 3 primary tumor-associated criteria: resected minimal synchronous macroscopic PC (n = 25), synchronous ovarian metastases (n = 8), and perforation (n = 8). Results: PC was found and treated with complete surgery plus HIPEC in 23 of the 41 (56%) patients. The other patients underwent complete abdominal exploration plus systematic HIPEC. Median follow-up was 30 (9–109) months. One patient died postoperatively at day 69. Grade 3-4 morbidity was low (9.7%). The 5-year overall survival rate was 90% and the 5-year disease-free survival rate was 44%. Peritoneal recurrences occurred in 7 patients (17%), 6 of whom had macroscopic PC discovered during the second-look (26%), and one patient had no macroscopic PC (6%). In the univariate analysis, the presence of PC at second-look surgery was a significant risk factor for recurrence (P = 0.006). Conclusion: Selection criteria for high-risk patients appear to be accurate. In these patients, the second-look strategy treated peritoneal carcinomatosis preventively or at an early stage, yielding promising results. This study has allowed us to design a multicentric randomized trial (comparing the second-look + HIPEC approach versus standard follow-up alone), which is beginning.
Gastropod Diversity in Mangrove Forests of Mojo Village, Ulujami District, Pemalang Regency, Indonesia

The development of mangrove ecosystem has a significant impact on fishery resources, such as gastropod. This research aimed at studying the community structure of mangrove forest in Mojo village, to identifying and analyzing the composition and diversity of gastropod, and investigating the effect of mangrove community on the abundance and gastropod. The research was conducted in Mojo Village, Ulujami District, Pemalang Region from November to December 2017. Identification of species and density was conducted on mangrove species by means of line and plot transects, while the gastropod was sampled from the field then identified in the laboratory. Three sampling stations were occupied in the data collection. The data analysis was conducted for diversity indices, including heterogeneity and evenness both for mangrove and gastropod. Statistical data analysis was conducted by regression to analyze the effect of mangrove density on the abundance of gastropod. The result showed that only three mangrove species were found in Mojo village, including Rhizophora mucronata, Avicennia marina and A. officinalis. Eight gastropod species were identified from mangrove forest of Mojo village. The most dominant gastropod species was Telescopium telescopium, followed by Cerithidea cingulata. The analysis of heterogeneity index showed a low value for mangrove community and medium value for the gastropod community, ranging from 0.353 to 0.720 and 1.462 to 1.812, respectively. Statistical data analysis showed that the density of R. mucronata and A. marina had a significant effect on the abundance of gastropod specieses, including Cerithidea quadrata and Casidula nucleus, both of which had logarithmic relationship trends.
MLCMS Actual Use, Perceived Use, and Experiences of Use.

Mobile learning involves use of mobile devices to participate in learning activities. Most elearning activities are available to participants through learning systems such as learning content management systems (LCMS). Due to certain challenges, LCMS are not equally accessible on all mobile devices. This study investigates actual use, perceived usefulness and user experiences of LCMS use on mobile phones at Makerere University in Uganda. The study identifies challenges pertaining to use and discusses how to improve LCMS use on mobile phones. Such solutions are a cornerstone in enabling and improving mobile learning. Data was collected by means of focus group discussions, an online survey designed based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and LCMS log files of user activities. Data was collected from two courses where Moodle was used as a learning platform. The results indicate positive attitudes towards use of LCMS on phones but also huge challenges which are content related and technical in nature.
V-ATPase inhibition prevents recovery from anoxia in Artemia franciscana embryos: quiescence signaling through dissipation of proton gradients

SUMMARY The metabolic downregulation critical for long-term survival of Artemia franciscana embryos under anoxia is mediated, in part, by a progressive intracellular acidification. However, very little is known about the mechanisms responsible for the pH transitions associated with exposure to, and recovery from, oxygen deprivation. In the present study, we demonstrate with 31P-NMR that incubation of intact embryos with the V-ATPase inhibitor bafilomycin A1 severely limits intracellular alkalinization during recovery from anoxia without affecting the restoration of cellular nucleotide triphosphate levels. Based on these data, it appears that oxidative phosphorylation and ATP resynthesis can only account for the first 0.3 pH unit alkalinization observed during aerobic recovery from the 1 pH unit acidification produced during 1 h of anoxia. The additional 0.7 pH unit increase requires proton pumping by the V-ATPase. Aerobic incubation with bafilomycin also suggests that V-ATPase inhibition alone is not enough to induce an acute dissipation of proton gradients under anoxia. In intact embryos, the dissipation of proton gradients and uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation with carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) leads to an intracellular acidification similar to that seen after 1 h of anoxia. Subsequent exposure to anoxia, in the continued presence of CCCP, yields little additional acidification, suggesting that proton gradients are normally dissipated under anoxia. When combined with protons generated from net ATP hydrolysis, these data show that the dissipation of proton chemical gradients is sufficient to account for the reversible acidification associated with quiescence in these embryos.
Ecological Approach to User Sensemaking of Technology

Technology appears to have various intended and unintended consequences for organizations, and this is partly due to different understandings people have about the technology. Over two decades of sensemaking research examines various social and cognitive processes through which people understand organizational phenomena and attach meaning to them. However, the role of the IT artifact in shaping the user understandings and bringing the consequences has been marginally addressed. This study proposes an ecological approach to technology sensemaking that focuses on the relation between user perception of technology and the technological features to which they adapt. Moreover, it advances research and practice by providing the novel conceptual and analytical tools to examine the role of the IT artifact in technological phenomenon. To empirically illustrate the proposed approach and suggested methodology, we report the initial findings of a pilot study on students using Moodle at a North American business school.
Regulatory effects of a Mnk2-eIF4E feedback loop during mTORC1 targeting of human medulloblastoma cells

The mTOR pathway controls mRNA translation of mitogenic proteins and is a central regulator of metabolism in malignant cells. Development of malignant cell resistance is a limiting factor to the effects of mTOR inhibitors, but the mechanisms accounting for such resistance are not well understood. We provide evidence that mTORC1 inhibition by rapamycin results in engagement of a negative feedback regulatory loop in malignant medulloblastoma cells, involving phosphorylation of the eukaryotic translation-initiation factor eIF4E. This eIF4E phosphorylation is Mnk2- mediated, but Mnk1-independent, and acts as a survival mechanism for medulloblastoma cells. Pharmacological targeting of Mnk1/2 or siRNA-mediated knockdown of Mnk2 sensitizes medulloblastoma cells to mTOR inhibition and promotes suppression of malignant cell proliferation and anchorage-independent growth. Altogether, these findings provide evidence for the existence of a Mnk2-controlled feedback loop in medulloblastoma cells that accounts for resistance to mTOR inhibitors, and raise the potential for combination treatments of mTOR and Mnk inhibitors for the treatment of medulloblastoma.
Connexin 43 Affects Osteogenic Differentiation of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament Cells via Regulation of ERK Activity by Stabilizing Runx2 in Ossification

Aims: Connexin 43 is one of the most potent gap junction proteins related to osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. We hypothesized that Connexin 43 is a significant factor in osteogenic differentiation in the posterior longitudinal ligament through the regulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) activity by converging on Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) activity. In this study, we mapped the activity of Connexin 43 to ERK and Runx2 by extracting longitudinal ligament cell for culture and silencing Connexin expression in addition to dexamethasone treatment in vitro. Methods: qRT-PCR, Western Blot, and Runx2-responsive Luciferase Reporter Assay were performed to detect the activity of ERK, Runx2 and the expression levels of osseous genes under Connexin 43 modification. Results: Downregulation of Connexin 43 resulted in suppression of dexamethasone-induced osteogenic differentiation, inhibition of the ERK and Runx2 activity, and reduction of osseous gene expression. Conclusion: these data support that Connexin 43 significantly regulates osteogenic differentiation in the cells from posterior longitudinal ligament by altering the activity of ERK, and subsequently causing the modification of Runx2.