Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In vivo evidence of neuronal loss in the hypothalamus of narcoleptic patients

A dysfunction of the orexin (hypocretin) system in the hypothalamus has recently been linked to the pathogenesis of narcolepsy. The authors used in vivo proton MR spectroscopy to assess the N-acetylaspartate (NAA) content in the hypothalamus of narcoleptic patients. Hypothalamic NAA/creatine-phosphocreatine was reduced in narcoleptic patients compared with control subjects (p < 0.01). Hypothalamic neuronal loss/damage is a central pathogenetic feature in narcolepsy.
Efficient Schemes for Total Variation Minimization Under Constraints in Image Processing

This paper presents new fast algorithms to minimize total variation and more generally $l^1$-norms under a general convex constraint. Such problems are standards of image processing. The algorithms are based on a recent advance in convex optimization proposed by Yurii Nesterov. Depending on the regularity of the data fidelity term, we solve either a primal problem or a dual problem. First we show that standard first-order schemes allow one to get solutions of precision $\epsilon$ in $O(\frac{1}{\epsilon^2})$ iterations at worst. We propose a scheme that allows one to obtain a solution of precision $\epsilon$ in $O(\frac{1}{\epsilon})$ iterations for a general convex constraint. For a strongly convex constraint, we solve a dual problem with a scheme that requires $O(\frac{1}{\sqrt{\epsilon}})$ iterations to get a solution of precision $\epsilon$. Finally we perform some numerical experiments which confirm the theoretical results on various problems of image processing.
Communication behaviours in a hospital setting: an observational study

Abstract Objective: An exploratory study to identify patterns of communication behaviour among hospital based healthcare workers. Design: Non-participatory, qualitative observational study. Setting: British district general hospital. Subjects: Eight doctors and two nurses. Results: Communication behaviours resulted in an interruptive workplace, which seemed to contribute to inefficiency in work practice. Medical staff generated twice as many interruptions via telephone and paging systems as they received. Hypothesised causes for this level of interruption include a bias by staff to interruptive communication methods, a tendency to seek information from colleagues in preference to printed materials, and poor provision of information in support of contacting individuals in specific roles. Staff were observed to infer the intention of messages based on insufficient information, and clinical teams demonstrated complex communication patterns, which could lead to inefficiency. Conclusion: The results suggest a number of improvements to processes or technologies. Staff may need instruction in appropriate use of communication facilities. Further, excessive emphasis on information technology may be misguided since much may be gained by supporting information exchange through communication technology. Voicemail and email with acknowledgment, mobile communication, improved support for role based contact, and message screening may be beneficial in the hospital environment. Key messages We observed communication behaviour among 10 hospital based healthcare workers Communication behaviours resulted in an interruptive work place, which seemed to contribute to inefficiency in work practice Medical staff generated twice as many interruptions via telephone and paging systems as they received, and possible causes for this included a bias by staff to interruptive communication methods, a tendency to seek information from colleagues in preference to printed materials, and poor provision of information in support of contacting individuals in specific roles Staff were observed to infer the intention of messages based on insufficient information, and clinical teams showed complex communication patterns, which could lead to inefficiency We conclude that hospital staff may need instruction in appropriate use of communication facilities and that some communication technology—voicemail and email with acknowledgment, cellular telephones for mobile communication, improved support for role based contact, and message screening—may be beneficial
The build-up of the red sequence in the galaxy cluster MS1054−0321 at z= 0.831

Using one of the deepest data sets available, we determine that the red sequence of the massive cluster MS 1054-0321 at z = 0.831 is well populated at all studied magnitudes, showing no deficit of faint (down to M' + 3.5) red galaxies: the faint end of the colour-magnitude relation is neither empty nor underpopulated. The effect is quantified by the computation of the luminosity function (LF) of red galaxies. We found a flat slope, showing that the abundance of red galaxies is similar at faint and at intermediate magnitudes. Comparison with present-day and z ∼ 0.4 LFs suggests that the slope of the LF is not changed, within the errors, between z = 0.831 and 0. Therefore, the analysis of the LF shows no evidence for a decreasing (with magnitude or redshift) number of faint red galaxies. The presence of faint red galaxies in high-redshift clusters disfavours scenarios where the evolution of red galaxies is mass-dependent, because the mass dependency should differentially depopulate the red sequence, while the MS1054-0321 colour-magnitude relation is populated as in nearby clusters and as in z ∼ 0.4 clusters. The presence of abundant faint red galaxies in the high-redshift cluster MS 1054-0321 restricts the room for allocating descendants of Butcher-Oemler galaxies, because they should change the faint end slope of the LF of red galaxies, while instead the same faint end slopes are observed in MS1054-0321, at z ∼ 0 and at z ∼ 0.4. In the rich MS1054-0321 cluster, the colour-magnitude relation seems to be fully in place at z = 0.831 and therefore red galaxies of all magnitudes were wholly assembled at higher redshift.
Effect of Latent Iron Deficiency on 5‐Hydroxytryptamine Metabolism in Rat Brain

Abstract: Eight weeks of latent iron deficiency in weaned rats maintained on an experimental low iron content diet (18–20 mg/kg) did not significantly alter the packed cell volume and hemoglobin concentration; however, the hepatic and brain nonheme iron contents decreased by 66% and 21% (p < 0.001), respectively. The tryptophan concentration decreased by 31% and 34% in liver and brain, respectively, in rats on experimental diet (p < 0.01). The brain 5‐hydroxytryptamine and 5‐hydroxyindoleacetic acid contents were reduced by 21% and 23% (p < 0.01 and p < 0.02), respectively. However, in the brain, weight, protein, DNA, and the activities of monoamine oxidase, aldehyde dehydrogenase, and liver tryptophan oxygenase were found to remain unaltered.
Sensor-based probabilistic roadmaps for car-like robots

This work deals with the sensor-based motion planning problem for car-like robots. Sensor-based versions of PRM and Lazy-PRM are used to exploit the information obtained from sensors and to compute a feasible collision-free path. The algorithm tries to reach the goal by executing the local method in the known free region. If it succeeds, a feasible path to the goal is found and the algorithm finishes. Otherwise, the algorithm executes more scans to extend its free space, and so on. Experimental results are promising.
How is sexual conflict over parental care resolved? A meta‐analysis

Biparental care of offspring is both a form of cooperation and a source of conflict. Parents face a trade‐off between current and future reproduction: caring less for the current brood allows individuals to maintain energy reserves and increase their chances of remating. How can selection maintain biparental care, given this temptation to defect? The answer lies in how parents respond to changes in each other’s effort. Game‐theoretical models predict that biparental care is evolutionarily stable when reduced care by one parent leads its partner to increase care, but not so much that it completely compensates for the lost input. Experiments designed to reveal responses to reduced partner effort have mainly focused on birds. We present a meta‐analysis of 54 such studies, and conclude that the mean response was indeed partial compensation. Males and females responded differently and this was in part mediated by the type of manipulation used.
Comparison of mammographic densities and their determinants in women from Japan and Hawaii

Breast cancer incidence increases considerably in women who migrate from Japan to the United States. Based on the hypothesis that mammographic density in healthy mammograms reflects differences in breast cancer risk, we compared mammographic density in 3 groups of women at different levels of risk: Caucasian and Japanese women in Hawaii and Japanese women in Japan. In a cross‐sectional design, pre‐ and postmenopausal women without a history of breast cancer and with a mammogram free of suspicious lesions were recruited in mammography clinics and completed a self‐administered questionnaire. Cranio‐caudal mammograms were scanned into a computer and the densities measured using a computer‐assisted method. Statistical analyses included ANOVA and multiple linear regression. Breast size among women of Japanese ancestry was similar in Hawaii and Japan but 50% smaller than that among Caucasian women. Dense areas were smallest among women in Japan, intermediate among Japanese women in Hawaii and largest among Caucasian women. Percent densities were greater in Japanese women than Caucasian women because of the larger breast sizes in Caucasians. However, percent densities were significantly higher among Japanese women in Hawaii than in Japan. These results indicate that the size of the total breast differs primarily by ethnicity and the size of the dense areas differs mainly by place of residence. Therefore, when comparing ethnic groups with distinct physical proportions, the absolute size of the dense areas appears to be a better measure of breast cancer risk than the relative density. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Haematopoietic stem cells and endothelial progenitor cells in healthy men: effect of aging and training

The number of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) and endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) is thought to be a marker for neovascularization and vascular repair. Because physical inactivity and aging are risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, these factors may influence the numbers of HSCs and EPCs. Therefore, we examined baseline and exercise‐induced levels of HSCs and EPCs in sedentary and trained young and older men. To study the role of aging in eight sedentary young (19–28 years) and eight sedentary older men (67–76 years), baseline and acute exercise‐induced numbers of HSCs (CD34+‐cells) and EPCs (CD34+/VEGFR‐2+‐cells) were quantified by fluorescence‐activated cell sorter (FACS) analysis. To examine the effect of chronic training, eight age‐matched trained young men (18–28 years) were compared with sedentary young men, whereas older men performed an 8‐week endurance training. Older men showed significantly lower baseline and exercise‐induced levels of HSCs/EPCs than the young men (P < 0.05). In young and older men, acute exercise significantly increased HSCs (P < 0.01), but not EPCs. The absolute increase in numbers of HSCs was attenuated in older men (P = 0.03). Apart from the lower baseline numbers of EPCs after chronic training in older men, training status did not alter baseline or exercise‐induced levels of HSCs/EPCs in young and older men. We concluded that advancing age results in lower circulating numbers of HSCs and EPCs and attenuates the acute exercise‐induced increase in HSCs. Interestingly, in young as well as in older men chronic endurance training does not affect baseline and exercise‐induced numbers of HSCs and EPCs.
Plasmin Plays an Essential Role in Amplification of Psoriasiform Skin Inflammation in Mice

Background Although increased levels of plasminogen activators have been found in psoriatic lesions, the role of plasmin converted from plasminogen by plasminogen activators in pathogenesis of psoriasis has not been investigated. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we examined the contribution of plasmin to amplification of inflammation in patients with psoriasis. We found that plasminogen was diminished, but that the amount and activity of its converted product plasmin were markedly increased in psoriasis. Moreover, annexin II, a receptor for plasmin was dramatically increased in both dermis and epidermis in psoriasis. Plasmin at sites of inflammation was pro-inflammatory, eliciting production of inflammatory factors, including CC chemokine ligand 20 (CCL20) and interleukin-23 (IL-23), that was mediated by the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) signaling pathway and that had an essential role in the recruitment and activation of pathogenic C-C chemokine receptor type 6 (CCR6)+ T cells. Moreover, intradermal injection of plasmin or plasmin together with recombinant monocyte/macrophage chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) resulted in induction of psoriasiform skin inflammation around the injection sites with several aspects of human psoriasis in mice. Conclusions/Significance Plasmin converted from plasminogen by plasminogen activators plays an essential role in amplification of psoriasiform skin inflammation in mice, and targeting plasmin receptor - annexin II - may harbor therapeutic potential for the treatment of human psoriasis.
Cardiac Biomarkers and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Asymptomatic Hemodialysis Patients

BACKGROUND: Cardiac biomarkers are often elevated in dialysis patients showing the presence of left ventricular dysfunction. The aim of the study is to establish the plasma levels of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs TnT), precursor of B-natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs CRP) and their relation to the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in patients undergoing hemodialysis without signs of acute coronary syndrome or heart failure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We studied 48 patients - 26 men and 22 women. Pre and postdialysis levels of hs cTnT, NT-proBNP and hs CRP were measured at week interim procedure. Patients were divided in two groups according to the presence of echocardiographic evidence of LVH - gr A - 40 patients (with LVH), and gr B - 8 patients (without LVH). RESULTS: In the whole group of patients was found elevated predialysis levels of all three biomarkers with significant increase (p < 0.05) after dialysis with low-flux dialyzers. Predialysis values of NT-proBNP show moderate positive correlation with hs cTnT (r = 0.47) and weaker with hs CRP (r = 0.163). Such dependence is observed in postdialysis values of these biomarkers. There is a strong positive correlation between the pre and postdialysis levels: for hs cTnT (r = 0.966), for NT-proBNP (r = 0.918) and for hs CRP (r = 0.859). It was found a significant difference in the mean values of hs cTnT in gr. A and gr. B (0.07 ± 0.01 versus 0.03 ± 0.01 ng/mL, p < 0.05) and NT-proBNP (15,605.8 ± 2,072.5 versus 2,745.5 ± 533.55 pg/mL, p < 0.05). Not find a significant difference in hs CRP in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate the relationship of the studied cardiac biomarkers with LVH in asymptomatic patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment.
The Contact Resistance Performance of Gold Coated Carbon-Nanotube Surfaces under Low Current Switching

Multi-Walled CNT (MWCNT) are synthesized on a silicon wafer and sputter coated with a gold film. The planar surfaces are mounted on the tip of a piezo-electric actuator and mated with a gold coated hemispherical surface to form an electrical contact. These switching contacts are tested under conditions typical of MEMS relay applications; 4V, with a static contact force of 1mN, at a low current between 20-50mA. The failure of the switch is identified by the evolution of contact resistance which is monitored throughout the switching cycles. The results show that the contact resistance can be stable for up to 120 million switching cycles, which are 106 orders of higher than state-of-the-art pure gold contact. Bouncing behavior was also observed in each switching cycle. The failing mechanism was also studied in relation to the contact surface changes. It was observed that the contact surfaces undergo a transfer process over the switching life time, ultimately leading to switching failure the number of bounces is also related to the fine transfer failure mechanism.
The role of juvenile delinquency and intelligence to the stability of social system with reference to Pakhtoon culture.

The present research was to examine the level of intelligence among juvenile prisoners and non-delinquent boys of the same age group with rural and urban background respectively. The main purpose of the study was to look into the factors like family size and number of children does affect the socialization process with the same rate at both life patterns, mentioned above. A total sample of N= 30 subjects was randomly selected i.e., fifteen ( n=15) juvenile delinquents of Central Prison Haripur and fifteen (n=15) non-delinquent boys from different schools of Peshawar. The subjects were contacted through proper channels for juvenile delinquents in jail. Permission was taken from the jail administration authority and non-delinquents were contacted through permission from the heads of their schools. Standard Progressive Matrices was applied on both groups and results were formulated according. It was hypothesized that the level of intelligence will be higher in non-delinquent boys as compared to convicted juvenile delinquents. It was further assumed that number of siblings more specifically male siblings will have a contributory role in developing delinquent behavior. Which were supported by the results i.e., significant difference was found in the intelligence level of delinquents and non-delinquent boys (p <.0001) It was also found that greater the number of siblings greater will be the chances for delinquency (p <. 01. It was concluded that intelligence is one of the important factor of personality and healthy social life of an individual along with the family as the integral part of socialization providing stability and consistency to the social system. Thus emphasis is needed to look into functioning of the social system in terms of socialization and personality with reference to Pakhtoon society.
Structure and isomerization of an intrastrand cisplatin-cross-linked octamer DNA duplex by NMR analysis.

The anticancer platinum compound cis-Pt(NH3)2Cl2 (cisplatin) forms covalent cross-linked adducts with DNA, with the intrastrand didentate adduct between two adjacent guanines being the major product. The platinum atom is coordinated at the N7 positions of adjacent guanines. The duplex consisting of d(CCTG*G*TCC) and its complement d(GGACCAGG), where G*G* stands for the cisplatin cross-linked lesion site, has been analyzed by 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy and its structure solved by the NOE-restrained refinement procedure with the aim to understand the structural distortion associated with the lesion. The refined duplex is unwound (approximately -21 degrees) and kinked (approximately 58 degrees) toward the major groove at the G*G* site, and the minor groove is significantly widened. The deoxyriboses of the G4* and G5* nucleotides are of the N-type (C3'-endo) and S-type (C2'-endo) conformations, respectively. The two guanine bases adopt the R-configuration (the alpha/beta angles being 112 degrees/290 degrees, respectively), such that the G5*H8 proton (upfield at 8.19 ppm) senses the ring current shielding effect of the G4* base (G4*H8 at 8.76 ppm). The G4*. C13 base pair is perturbed significantly, consistent with the lack of detection of its imino proton. The intrastrand Pt-G*pG* cross-link is metastable in the present DNA duplex. The molecule is slowly converted into a more stable interstrand didentate adduct (between G4 and G9) promoted by the presence of the nucleophilic chloride ion. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Fast Patch-based Style Transfer of Arbitrary Style

Artistic style transfer is an image synthesis problem where the content of an image is reproduced with the style of another. Recent works show that a visually appealing style transfer can be achieved by using the hidden activations of a pretrained convolutional neural network. However, existing methods either apply (i) an optimization procedure that works for any style image but is very expensive, or (ii) an efficient feedforward network that only allows a limited number of trained styles. In this work we propose a simpler optimization objective based on local matching that combines the content structure and style textures in a single layer of the pretrained network. We show that our objective has desirable properties such as a simpler optimization landscape, intuitive parameter tuning, and consistent frame-by-frame performance on video. Furthermore, we use 80,000 natural images and 80,000 paintings to train an inverse network that approximates the result of the optimization. This results in a procedure for artistic style transfer that is efficient but also allows arbitrary content and style images.
Comparative effects of enzogenol® and vitamin C supplementation versus vitamin C alone on endothelial function and biochemical markers of oxidative stress and inflammation in chronic smokers

Chronic smoking is associated with endothelial dysfunction and inflammation, with oxidative stress contributing to both these processes. In this study, we investigated the effect of combined antioxidant treatment with Enzogenol®, a flavonoid extract from the bark of Pinus radiata and vitamin C, over and above vitamin C alone, on endothelial function, plasma markers of inflammation and oxidative stress, blood pressure (BP) and anthropometrics. Forty-four chronic smokers without established cardiovascular disease were assigned randomly to receive either 480 mg Enzogenol® and 60 mg vitamin C, or 60 mg vitamin C alone daily for 12 weeks. Endothelial function in the brachial artery was assessed by flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD). FMD improved in both treatment groups (p < 0.001), with no significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.84). In the group receiving Enzogenol® and vitamin C, protein carbonyl levels were significantly reduced compared to the group taking vitamin C alone (p = 0.03). Enzogenol® and vitamin C resulted in a significant reduction in fibrinogen levels in heavy smokers compared with vitamin C alone (p < 0.009). These findings demonstrated that co-supplementation with Enzogenol® and vitamin C in smokers conferred no additional beneficial effect on macrovascular endothelial function over and above that seen in the vitamin C alone group. However, Enzogenol® did demonstrate additional favourable effects on protein oxidative damage and fibrinogen levels.
Chromosomal Speciation and Molecular Divergence--Accelerated Evolution in Rearranged Chromosomes

Humans and their closest evolutionary relatives, the chimpanzees, differ in ∼1.24% of their genomic DNA sequences. The fraction of these changes accumulated during the speciation processes that have separated the two lineages may be of special relevance in understanding the basis of their differences. We analyzed human and chimpanzee sequence data to search for the patterns of divergence and polymorphism predicted by a theoretical model of speciation. According to the model, positively selected changes should accumulate in chromosomes that present fixed structural differences, such as inversions, between the two species. Protein evolution was more than 2.2 times faster in chromosomes that had undergone structural rearrangements compared with colinear chromosomes. Also, nucleotide variability is slightly lower in rearranged chromosomes. These patterns of divergence and polymorphism may be, at least in part, the molecular footprint of speciation events in the human and chimpanzee lineages.