Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells promote apoptosis and inhibit proliferation and migration of RSC96 cells].

Objective To investigate the effect of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) on the proliferation and migration of rat RSC96 Schwann cells in vitro. Methods BMSCs of Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were isolated by bone marrow cell adherent method. The morphology of the third generation of BMSCs was observed by inverted microscopy. The cell surface antigen makers CD19, CD34, CD73, CD105 were detected by flow cytometry. The third-passage BMSCs differentiated into osteoblasts and adipocytes after exposed to bone-inducing and lipid-inducing media for 3 and 2 weeks, respectively, and then were identified by oil red O and alkaline phosphatase staining. The third generation of BMSCs was co-cultured with RSC96 cells for 24 hours in 24 mm co-culture plate. The cell proliferation and colony formation of RSC96 cells were determined by MTT assay and plate cloning assay. The migration of RSC96 cells was detected by scratch and TranswellTM chamber assay. Bax and Bcl-2 expression levels of RSC96 cells were detect by Western blot analysis. ResultsThe third generation of BMSCs showed fusiform, spiral arrangement with similar cell size under an inverted microscope. The CD73 and CD105 expression levels of BMSCs were high, however, the CD34 and CD19 were low. BMSCs had large lipid droplets after adipogenic induction for 3 weeks; and the alkaline phosphatase staining of BMSCs was positive after osteogenic induction for 2 weeks. Compared to the control group, co-culture of RSC96 cells and BMSCs induced a significant decrease in the proliferation, colony formation and migration of RSC96 cells. Meanwhile, Bax protein expression increased, and Bcl-2 protein expression decreases in RSC96 cells co-cultured with BMSCs. Conclusion BMSCs could promote the apoptosis and inhibit the proliferation and migration of RSC96 cells.
Sexuality in people with a lower limb amputation: a topic too hot to handle?

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze whether, and by whom sexuality is discussed in amputation departments. The focus was on whether professionals received questions about sexuality from their patients with a lower limb amputation and whether they addressed sexuality themselves, as well as on the knowledge and comfort level, approach and attitudes toward sexuality of these professionals. Method: An online questionnaire, including questions on self-perceived sexological competence and the Knowledge, Comfort, Approach and Attitudes towards Sexuality Scale. Results: Seventy-eight percent of the professionals had not received questions about sexuality from their patients and 67% had not addressed sexuality. Self-perceived knowledge about sexuality and self-perceived ability to recognize sexual problems increased the odds of receiving a question about sexuality and the odds of addressing this issue. Conclusions: Sexuality is rarely discussed by professionals in the amputation department. It is, however, the responsibility of the professional to do so. By addressing sexuality in a systematic way and discussing this as a common topic professionals “give permission” to patients and other team members to discuss eventual sexual problems or concerns. Therefore, the professionals’ self-perceived sexological competence and feeling of comfort with the topic of sexuality need to be increased. Implications for Rehabilitation Sexuality is rarely discussed by professionals in the amputation department, even though sexual problems do occur in patients with a lower limb amputation (LLA). By addressing sexuality in a systematic way and discussing this as a common topic professionals “give permission” to patients and other team members to discuss eventual sexual problems or concerns. Our study shows that self-perceived knowledge about sexuality and self-perceived ability to recognize sexual problems increases the odds of receiving a question about sexuality and the odds of addressing this issue. Investing in courses that focus on increasing the knowledge and feeling of comfort concerning sexuality of professionals working with people with a LLA is therefore of important value.
Is motility impaired in the entire upper gastrointestinal tract in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease?

BACKGROUND Although the pathogenesis of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease is multifactorial, abnormal function of the lower oesophageal sphincter has been established, and in some cases motility defects in the oesophageal body has been described. In some patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease delayed gastric emptying has also been observed. METHODS Oesophageal and gastric motor function, as evaluated by use of scintigraphy and manometry, were studied concomitantly in 105 patients with chronic, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease before and after antireflux surgery. In a subgroup of these patients (n = 29) similar data were retrieved also at 2.7 years after antireflux surgery. RESULTS Impaired oesophageal motor function expressed as delayed transit of a labelled bolus was closely associated with motor dysfunction also recorded in the stomach as determined by delayed emptying of labelled solid food items. A similar relationship was found when oesophageal motor dysfunction was characterized as the frequency of failed primary peristalses after water swallows during manometry. When the 105 patients were studied half a year after an antireflux operation, noncorrelation between oesophageal and gastric motor function could be recorded. CONCLUSIONS These data further substantiate the view that gastro-oesophageal reflux disease is associated with a disturbed motor function within the entire upper gastrointestinal tract.
Association between genetic variants and esophageal cancer risk

We investigated whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the nuclear assembly factor 1 (NAF1) and TNFAIP3-interacting protein 1 (TNIP1) gene were associated with susceptibility to esophageal cancer in a Chinese Han population. Five SNPs were genotyped and their relationship with esophageal cancer risk was analyzed in a sample of 386 esophageal cancer patients and 495 unrelated healthy controls recruited from the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University. Patients with the AG genotype of rs2320615 were at lower risk of developing esophageal cancer than those with the GG genotype (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.46-0.90, P = 0.009). The rs2320615 SNP was found to be associated with a decreased the risk of esophageal cancer in the dominant model (adjusted OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.51-0.96, P = 0.026). These results provide the first evidence that the rs2320615 in NAF1 was associated with reduced risk of esophageal cancer. Further studies with larger samples are warranted to confirm our findings.
Studies on the Physicomechanical Properties of Sodium Periodate Oxidized Jute Reinforced Polypropylene (PP) Composites

In the present work, effects of oxidation and fiber content (from 20 to 35 wt. %) on the physicomechanical properties of jute-polypropylene (PP) composites were studied. Mechanical properties (tensile strength, tensile modulus, elongation at break, flexural strength, flexural modulus, and charpy impact strength) were measured for all raw and oxidized jute-PP composites. Improved mechanical properties were obtained for oxidized jute-PP composites. Interfacial adhesion and bonding between the fiber and PP matrix were investigated by scanning electron micrograph analysis. Improved interfacial interactions and reduced water absorption were found for oxidized jute-PP composites. Water absorption tests of all composites were also performed.
Influence of Cold Rolling on Microstructural Evolution in 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel

The influence of cold rolling on the microstructural changes of 2205 duplex stainless steel was investigated. The steel samples revealed the presence of almost equal volume fraction of δ‐ferrite and austenite phase after hot rolling. During cold rolling, the above phase constituents became flattened, fragmented as well as transformed into acicular microstructural constituents with increasing amount of cold deformation. The transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of strain‐induced α′ martensite, Moiré fringes, elongated worm‐like closed slip band channels and poorly developed dislocation cell structures. The volume percent of the constituent phases has been quantified by X‐ray diffraction analysis, which has also been substantiated by the image analysis result. The micro‐hardness measurement establishes that the work hardening capacity of austenite is more compared to ferrite.
Quantitative Neuroimaging Software for Clinical Assessment of Hippocampal Volumes on MR Imaging

Background: Multiple neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), mesial temporal sclerosis, and mild traumatic brain injury manifest with volume loss on brain MRI. Subtle volume loss is particularly seen early in AD. While prior research has demonstrated the value of this additional information from quantitative neuroimaging, very few applications have been approved for clinical use. Here we describe a US FDA cleared software program, NeuroreaderTM, for assessment of clinical hippocampal volume on brain MRI. Objective: To present the validation of hippocampal volumetrics on a clinical software program. Method: Subjects were drawn (n = 99) from the Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Initiative study. Volumetric brain MR imaging was acquired in both 1.5 T (n = 59) and 3.0 T (n = 40) scanners in participants with manual hippocampal segmentation. Fully automated hippocampal segmentation and measurement was done using a multiple atlas approach. The Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) measured the level of spatial overlap between NeuroreaderTM and gold standard manual segmentation from 0 to 1 with 0 denoting no overlap and 1 representing complete agreement. DSC comparisons between 1.5 T and 3.0 T scanners were done using standard independent samples T-tests. Results: In the bilateral hippocampus, mean DSC was 0.87 with a range of 0.78–0.91 (right hippocampus) and 0.76–0.91 (left hippocampus). Automated segmentation agreement with manual segmentation was essentially equivalent at 1.5 T (DSC = 0.879) versus 3.0 T (DSC = 0.872). Conclusion: This work provides a description and validation of a software program that can be applied in measuring hippocampal volume, a biomarker that is frequently abnormal in AD and other neurological disorders.
New test system for identification of Aerococcus, Enterococcus, and Streptococcus species

A total of 244 strains of Aerococcus, Enterococcus, and Streptococcus species were tested by the RapID STR system (Innovative Diagnostic Systems Inc., Atlanta, Ga.) for identification. Strains were identified without additional tests or with additional conventional tests suggested by the IDS compendium manual. Our data indicate that the RapID STR system identifies 89% of the beta-hemolytic Streptococcus species if serological procedures are used in conjunction with the rapid physiological procedures. Of the group D streptococci, 98% of the Enterococcus species and 100% of the group D non-Enterococcus species were correctly identified. Of the commonly occurring viridans group Streptococcus species, 93% were correctly identified, and 79% of the less frequently occurring viridans group Streptococcus species were correctly identified. All of the Streptococcus pneumoniae and Aerococcus strains tested were correctly identified.
Millimeter Wave Beamforming for Wireless Backhaul and Access in Small Cell Networks

Recently, there has been considerable interest in new tiered network cellular architectures, which would likely use many more cell sites than found today. Two major challenges will be i) providing backhaul to all of these cells and ii) finding efficient techniques to leverage higher frequency bands for mobile access and backhaul. This paper proposes the use of outdoor millimeter wave communications for backhaul networking between cells and mobile access within a cell. To overcome the outdoor impairments found in millimeter wave propagation, this paper studies beamforming using large arrays. However, such systems will require narrow beams, increasing sensitivity to movement caused by pole sway and other environmental concerns. To overcome this, we propose an efficient beam alignment technique using adaptive subspace sampling and hierarchical beam codebooks. A wind sway analysis is presented to establish a notion of beam coherence time. This highlights a previously unexplored tradeoff between array size and wind-induced movement. Generally, it is not possible to use larger arrays without risking a corresponding performance loss from wind-induced beam misalignment. The performance of the proposed alignment technique is analyzed and compared with other search and alignment methods. The results show significant performance improvement with reduced search time.
Density modification-based reliability sensitivity analysis

Sensitivity analysis (SA) of a numerical model, for instance simulating physical phenomena, is useful to quantify the influence of the inputs on the model responses. This paper proposes a new sensitivity index, based upon the modification of the probability density function (pdf) of the random inputs, when the quantity of interest is a failure probability (probability that a model output exceeds a given threshold). An input is considered influential if the input pdf modification leads to a broad change in the failure probability. These sensitivity indices can be computed using the sole set of simulations that has already been used to estimate the failure probability, thus limiting the number of calls to the numerical model. In the case of a Monte Carlo sample, asymptotical properties of the indices are derived. Based on Kullback–Leibler divergence, several types of input perturbations are introduced. The relevance of this new SA method is analysed through three case studies.
Multi-path Region-Based Convolutional Neural Network for Accurate Detection of Unconstrained "Hard Faces"

Large-scale variations still pose a challenge in unconstrained face detection. To the best of our knowledge, no current face detection algorithm can detect a face as large as 800 x 800 pixels while simultaneously detecting another one as small as 8 x 8 pixels within a single image with equally high accuracy. We propose a two-stage cascaded face detection framework, Multi-Path Region-based Convolutional Neural Network (MP-RCNN), that seamlessly combines a deep neural network with a classic learning strategy, to tackle this challenge. The first stage is a Multi-Path Region Proposal Network (MP-RPN) that proposes faces at three different scales. It simultaneously utilizes three parallel outputs of the convolutional feature maps to predict multi-scale candidate face regions. The "atrous" convolution trick (convolution with up-sampled filters) and a newly proposed sampling layer for "hard" examples are embedded in MP-RPN to further boost its performance. The second stage is a Boosted Forests classifier, which utilizes deep facial features pooled from inside the candidate face regions as well as deep contextual features pooled from a larger region surrounding the candidate face regions. This step is included to further remove hard negative samples. Experiments show that this approach achieves state-of-the-art face detection performance on the WIDER FACE dataset "hard" partition, outperforming the former best result by 9.6% for the Average Precision.
The Relationship between Duration of Initial Alcohol Exposure and Persistence of Molecular Tolerance Is Markedly Nonlinear

The neuronal calcium- and voltage-activated BK potassium channel is modulated by ethanol, and plays a role in behavioral tolerance in vertebrates and invertebrates. We examine the influence of temporal parameters of alcohol exposure on the characteristics of BK molecular tolerance in the ventral striatum, an important component of brain reward circuitry. BK channels in striatal neurons of C57BL/6J mice exhibited molecular tolerance whose duration was a function of exposure time. After 6 h exposure to 20 mm (0.09 mg%) ethanol, alcohol sensitivity was suppressed beyond 24 h after withdrawal, while after a 1 or 3 h exposure, sensitivity had significantly recovered after 4 h. This temporally controlled transition to persistent molecular tolerance parallels changes in BK channel isoform profile. After withdrawal from 6 h, but not 3 h alcohol exposure, mRNA levels of the alcohol-insensitive STREX (stress axis-regulated exon) splice variant were increased. Moreover, the biophysical properties of BK channels during withdrawal from 6 h exposure were altered, and match the properties of STREX channels exogenously expressed in HEK 293 cells. Our results suggest a temporally triggered shift in BK isoform identity. Once activated, the transition does not require the continued presence of alcohol. We next determined whether the results obtained using cultured striatal neurons could be observed in acutely dissociated striatal neurons, after alcohol administration in the living mouse. The results were in remarkable agreement with the striatal culture data, showing persistent molecular tolerance after injections producing 6 h of intoxication, but not after injections producing only 3 h of intoxication.
Vertices of closed curves in Riemannian surfaces

We uncover some connections between the topology of a complete Riemannian surface M and the minimum number of vertices, i.e., critical points of geodesic curvature, of closed curves in M . In particular we show that the space forms with finite fundamental group are the only surfaces in which every simple closed curve has more than two vertices. Further we characterize the simply connected space forms as the only surfaces in which every closed curve bounding a compact immersed surface has more than two vertices.
Use of neuromuscular blockers and neostigmine for general anesthesia and its association with neuraxial blockade

Abstract This research aimed to assess the use of neuromuscular blockers (NMB) and its reversal, associated or not with neuraxial blockade, after general anesthesia. This retrospective study analyzed 1295 patients that underwent surgery with general anesthesia at Prof. Dr. José Aristodemo Pinotti Hospital in 2013. The study included patients aged >1 year, with complete, readable medical charts and anesthetic records. Rocuronium (ROC) was the most used NMB (96.7%), with an initial dose of 0.60 (0.52–0.74) mg/kg and total dose of 0.38 (0.27–0.53) mg/kg/h. In 24.3% of the cases, neuraxial blockade was associated with a significantly longer anesthesia (P < .001) than in cases without neuraxial block, regardless of technique (total intravenous (TIV) vs intravenous and inhalational (IV+IN)). In 71.9% of the cases, a single dose of NMB was used. Patients under TIV general anesthesia associated with neuraxial blockade had a lower total dose of ROC (mg/kg/h) in comparison with TIV GA alone (0.30 (0.23–0.39) and 0.42 (0.30–0.56) mg/kg/h, respectively, P < . 001). The same was observed for patients under IV+IN GA (0.32 (0.23–0.41) and 0.43 (0.31–0.56) mg/kg/h, respectively, P < . 001). The duration of anesthesia was longer according to increasing number of additional NMB doses (P < .001). Dose of neostigmine was 2.00 (2.00–2.00) mg or 29.41 (25.31–33.89) &mgr;g/kg. The interval between neostigmine and extubation was >30 minutes in 10.9% of cases. The most widely used NMB was ROC. Neuroaxial blockade (spinal or epidural) was significantly associated with reduced total dose of ROC (mg/kg/h) during general anesthesia, even in the absence of neuromuscular monitoring and regardless of general anesthetic technique chosen. In most cases, neostigmine was used to reverse neuromuscular block. The prolonged interval between neostigmine and extubation (>30 minutes) was neither associated with total doses of ROC or neostigmine, nor with the time of NMB administration. This study corroborates the important role of quantitative neuromuscular monitors and demonstrates that neuraxial blockade is associated with reduced total ROC dose. Further studies are needed to evaluate the possible role of neuraxial blockade in reducing the incidence of postoperative residual curarization.
The APPEESFRS Peptide, Restricted by the HLA-B*35:01 Molecule, and the APPEESFRF Variant Derived from an Autologous HIV-1 Strain Induces Polyfunctional Responses in CD8+ T Cells

Abstract Numerous reports have focused on consensus peptides to determine CD8+ T-cell responses; however, few studies evaluated the functional profile using peptides derived from circulating strains of a specific region. We determined the effector profile and maturation phenotype of CD8+ T-cells targeting the consensus APPEESFRS (AS9) epitope and its variant APPEESFRF (AF9), previously identified. The free energy of binding, maturation phenotype, and polyfunctional profile of both peptides were similar. The magnitude of CD8+ T-cell responses to AF9 was greater than the one elicited by AS9, although the difference was not significant. The polyfunctional profile of AF9 was characterized by CD107a/interleukin-2 (IL-2)/macrophage inflammatory protein beta (MIP1β) and by interferon gamma (IFNγ)/MIP1β/tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) in response to AS9. TNFα production was significantly higher in response to AF9 than to AS9, and there was a negative correlation between the absolute number of CD8+ T-cell-producing TNFα and the plasma human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) load, suggesting a role of this cytokine in the control of HIV replication.
Understanding the role of designers' personal experiences in interaction design practice

Using designers' personal experiences in interaction design practice is often questioned in a predominantly rationalist practice like HCI and professional interaction design. Perhaps for this reason, little work has been conducted to investigate how designers' personal experiences can contribute to technology design. Yet it's undeniable designers have applied their personal experiences to their design practice and also benefited from such experiences. This paper reports on a multiple case study that looks at how interaction designers worked with their personal experiences in three industrial interaction design projects, thus calling for the need to explicitly recognize the legitimacy of using and better support of the use of designers' personal experiences in interaction design practice. In this study, a designer's personal experiences refer to the collections of his/her individual experiences derived from his/her direct observation or past real-life events and activities, as well as his/her interaction with design artifacts and systems whether digital or not.
Digital PCR: a powerful new tool for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis?

Recent reports have indicated that digital PCR may be useful for the noninvasive detection of fetal aneuploidies by the analysis of cell‐free DNA and RNA in maternal plasma or serum. In this review we provide an insight into the underlying technology and its previous application in the determination of the allelic frequencies of oncogenic alterations in cancer specimens. We also provide an indication of how this new technology may prove useful for the detection of fetal aneuploidies and single gene Mendelian disorders. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.