Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tumor Necrosis Factor- (cid:1) Mediates Photoreceptor Death in a Rodent Model of Retinal Detachment

P URPOSE . Photoreceptor degeneration is a major cause of visual loss in various retinal diseases, including retinal detachment (RD) and neovascular AMD, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, the role of TNF (cid:1) in RD-induced photoreceptor degeneration was investigated. M ETHODS . RD was induced by subretinal injection of hyaluronic acid. Photoreceptor degeneration was assessed by counting the number of apoptotic cells with TdT-dUTP terminal nick-end labeling (TUNEL) 3 days after RD and measurement of the outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness 7 days after RD. As the target of anti-inﬂammatory treatment, the expression of TNF (cid:1) , with or without dexamethasone (DEX) was examined in rats by real-time PCR. To understand the role of TNF (cid:1) in photoreceptor degeneration, RD was induced in mice deﬁcient in TNF (cid:1) or its receptors (TNFR1, TNFR2, and TNFR1 and -2), or in wild-type (WT) mice by using a functionally blocking antibody to TNF (cid:1) . CD11b (cid:1) cells in the outer plexiform layer (OPL) and subretinal space were counted by immunohistochemistry (IHC). R ESULTS . Treatment with DEX ( P (cid:2) 0.001) signiﬁcantly suppressed RD-induced photoreceptor degeneration and the expression of TNF (cid:1) . RD-induced photoreceptor degeneration the role of the TNF (cid:1) pathway on RD-induced photoreceptor apoptosis.
Serum Trace Metal Levels in Alzheimer’s Disease and Normal Control Groups

Objective: To determine whether serum trace metals are related to abnormal cognition in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: We studied serum lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and arsenic(As) in 89 patients with AD and in 118 cognitively normal individuals. We analyzed the results of the blood tests and the food intake. Results: Serum Pb levels correlated with word list recall (P = .039) and word list recognition (P = .037). Without age adjustment, serum Cd levels (P = .044) were significantly higher in the AD group. After stratified age adjustment, the levels of selected trace metals did not differ significantly between AD and normal individuals. Food intakes regarding selected trace metals were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Conclusions: In this study, serum Pb, Cd, Hg, and As levels were not directly related to abnormal cognition in AD. Serum Pb levels were significantly negatively correlated with verbal memory scores.
Isolation of a gene encoding a G protein α subunit involved in the regulation of cAMP levels in the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis

Using chromosomal DNA from Kluyveromyces lactis as template and oligodeoxynucleotides designed from conserved regions of various G protein alpha subunits we were able to amplify by the polymerase chain reaction two products of approximately 0·5 kb (P‐1) and 0·8 kb (P‐2). Sequencing showed that these two fragments share high homology with genes coding for the Gα subunits from different sources. Using the P‐1 fragment as a probe we screened a genomic library from K. lactis and we cloned a gene (KlGPA2) whose deduced amino acid sequence showed, depending on the exact alignment, 62% similarity and 38% identity with Gpa1p and 76% similarity and 63% identity with Gpa2p, the G protein α subunits from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. KlGPA2 is a single‐copy gene and its disruption rendered viable cells with significantly reduced cAMP level, indicating that this Gα subunit may be involved in regulating the adenylyl cyclase activity, rather than participating in the mating pheromone response pathway. KlGpa2p shares some structural similarities with members of the mammalian Gαs family (stimulatory of adenylyl cyclase) including the absence in its N‐terminus of a myristoyl‐modification sequence. The sequence reported in this paper has been deposited in the GenBank data base (Accession No. L45105).
The Ideology, Policy and Practice of Adult Probation Service in Israel

Summary This paper presents the findings of a study that sought to identify the dominant charac teristics of the Adult probation service in Israel. An examination of the professional ideology of probation officers, the policy and the practice of the service indicated that the probation service in Israel tends to emphasize the intra-psychic treatment model. According to this model, crime is rooted in psychological causes and thus the goal of probation is to generate intra-psychic change in the offender. As such, probation officers are primarily engaged in therapy aimed at identifying the individual pathology of the probationeer and at treating it. This model of probation differs significantly from that which characterizes probation services in the UK and the USA. Various explanations are offered for this.
Default, Electoral Uncertainty and the Choice of Exchange Regime

The paper explores the interaction between debt crises and devaluation. Since the optimal level of devaluation in a crisis depends on the level of debt that has to be serviced, a default makes a devaluation less likely. Expected devaluation depends thus on expectations about default which is also a function of the type of policymaker. Therefore, the decision to devalue can be forced upon the government by adverse expectations about default and the type of policymaker in office. I also explore how these uncertainties affect the policymaker's choice of exchange rate regime.
Curing childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML) at the half‐way point: Promises to keep and miles to go before we sleep

Childhood and adolescent acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is traditionally one of the hardest childhood cancers to successfully treat and had an overall survival well under 10% in the 1960s. Initial progress was made by three major events: (1) active chemotherapeutic agents were identified which led to remissions for the first time in this disease; (2) cooperative groups were instituted leading to important clinical trials; and (3) several single institutions began experimenting with the role of allogeneic matched sibling donor (MSD) BMT as effective intensification. Over the last 25 years, the cure rate has improved from <20% to 50% or higher. Most of the clinical research during this time of great advancement focused on two major themes: (1) the role of aggressive induction therapy in not only improving CR rates but in post‐remission outcomes; and (2) the role of aggressive post‐remission therapy in further improving survival, with an emphasis on high‐dose Ara C‐based chemotherapy, BMT, and supportive care. But we have “miles to go before we sleep. ” Some of the challenges that will lead to ongoing reduction of population‐based mortality for AML through young adulthood include: (1) improving access of adolescents to pediatric AML therapy; (2) stratification by prognostic factors; (3) individualized therapy based on individual genetics and leukemia cell biology; (4) and the use of novel therapies including targeted immuno‐conjugates and “small molecules” which disrupt abnormal signal transduction pathways. This brief review looks at both the advances over the last three decades as well as discusses the challenges moving forward for ultimately curing all children with this disease. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Tight bounds on quantum searching

We provide a tight analysis of Grover''s recent algorithm for quantum database searching. We give a simple closed-form formula for the probability of success after any given number of iterations of the algorithm. This allows us to determine the number of iterations necessary to achieve almost certainty of finding the answer. Furthermore, we analyse the behaviour of the algorithm when the element to be found appears more than once in the table and we provide a new algorithm to find such an element even when the number of solutions is not known ahead of time. Using techniques from Shor''s quantum factoring algorithm in addition to Grover''s approach, we introduce a new technique for approximate quantum counting, which allows to estimate the number of solutions. Finally we provide a lower bound on the efficiency of any possible quantum database searching algorithm and we show that Grover''s algorithm nearly comes within a factor 2 of being optimal in terms of the number of probes required in the table.
Promoting critical conversations: the distinctive contribution of higher education as a partner in the professional preparation of new teachers

Higher education institutions have long argued that they have a distinctive and critical role to play as partners in initial teacher education. This research offers an evaluation of this claim by exploring the contribution of higher education alongside the school‐based input it is intended to complement. Using a case study approach within a well‐established ‘collaborative’ partnership, focused on advice about choosing appropriate lesson activities, data were collected from 18 university‐based sessions, and from the weekly mentor meetings of four experienced mentors. Despite important differences between individual schools, a high level of consistency was found between the partners in terms of their substantive recommendations. Where the university tutors' input was clearly distinctive from that of school‐based mentors was in the explicit nature of the procedural advice given to trainees, the sources on which each drew in making their recommendations, and in the extent to which ideas were subjected to critical scrutiny.
Cancer of the oesophagus: Further evidence of the relation to drinking habits in France

Previous studies have shown a correlation between mortality from cancer of the oesophagus and that from “alcoholism” and cirrhosis. It is now shown that the correlation is greater with the former than with the latter; as “alcoholism” deaths occur rather in spirit drinkers, this correlation may indicate that it is for this category of drinkers that the risk of oesophageal cancer is greatest. The pattern of the geographic relation between “alcoholism” and oesophageal cancer is consistent with the hypothesis that spirit drinking is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the development of oesophageal cancer.
Post-Hatching Development of the Brain in Octopus ocellatus

Abstract To investigate the post-hatching development of the brain in a benthic octopod, Octopus ocellatus, we performed volumetric analyses of the brain. The brain consisting of the supra- and subesophageal masses was divided into 5 regions according to the functions suggested for the brain of another benthic octopod Octopus vulgaris, and the volume of each region was estimated at three post-hatching ages. We found that the inferior frontal lobe system and the brachial lobe increased in relative volume as the animals grew, while the basal lobe system decreased in relative volume. This result suggests that increasing demand for processing tactile information after hatching is reflected in the higher developmental rate in the centers devoted for tactile sense and related learning. We also found that the inner neuropile layer mainly consisting of dendrites, synapses and axons showed great increases in volume compared with the outer neural-cell-body layer. Although the increase in volume of the inner layer was marked during 1 month after hatching in all brain regions examined, the extent of the increase varied among brain regions. Developmental changes in cell densities in the outer layer also varied among the regions. The present results suggest that the post-hatching development of the brain in O. ocellatus is not homogeneous but varies among brain regions depending on different roles in controlling the behavior.
The Case for Sustainable Laboratories: First Steps at Harvard University.

Purpose – Laboratories typically consume 4‐5 times more energy than similarly‐sized commercial space. This paper adds to a growing dialogue about how to “green” a laboratory's design and operations.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is divided into three sections. The first section reviews the background and theoretical issues. A case is made for sustainable laboratories, introduce the Harvard Green Campus Initiative's (HGCIs) study of potential energy reduction in Harvard's research laboratories and examine other issues including: behavioral change, technical change, and the required codes and suggested standards that influence laboratory design and operations. Next, a survey conducted through a partnership between HGCI, Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), and Laboratories for the twenty‐first century (Labs21) to clarify issues surrounding use of codes and standards in high‐performance laboratory design and maintenance is introduced.Findings – Survey findings highlight the confusion among survey.
Antimutagenicity of Methanolic Extracts from Anemopsis californica in Relation to Their Antioxidant Activity

Anemopsis californica has been used empirically to treat infectious diseases. However, there are no antimutagenic evaluation reports on this plant. The present study evaluated the antioxidant activity in relation to the mutagenic and antimutagenic activity properties of leaf (LME) and stem (SME) methanolic extracts of A. californica collected in the central Mexican state of Querétaro. Antioxidant properties and total phenols of extracts were evaluated using DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and Folin-Ciocalteu methods, respectively. Mutagenicity was evaluated using the Ames test employing Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strains (TA98, TA100, and TA102), with and without an aroclor 1254 (S9 mixture). Antimutagenesis was performed against mutations induced on the Ames test with MNNG, 2AA, or 4NQO. SME presented the highest antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content. None of the extracts exhibited mutagenicity in the Ames test. The extracts produced a significant reduction in 2AA-induced mutations in S. typhimurium TA98. In both extracts, mutagenesis induced by 4NQO or methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) was reduced only if the exposure of strains was <10 μg/Petri dish. A. californca antioxidant properties and its capacity to reduce point mutations render it suitable to enhance medical cancer treatments. The significant effect against antimutagenic 2AA suggests that their consumption would provide protection against carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic compounds.
A suspended act: increased reflectivity and gender-dependent electrophysiological change following Quadrato Motor Training

Quadrato Motor Training (QMT) is a specifically-structured walking meditation, aimed at improving reflectivity and lowering habitual thought and movement. Here we set out to examine the possible effect of QMT on reflectivity, employing the Hidden Figures Test (HFT), which assesses both spatial performance (measured by correct answers) as well as reflectivity (interpolated from correct answers and reaction time). In the first study (n = 24, only females), we showed that QMT significantly improves HFT performance, compared to two groups, controlling for cognitive or motor aspects of the QMT: Verbal Training (identical cognitive training with verbal response) and Simple Motor Training (similar motor training with reduced choice requirements). These results show that QMT improves HFT performance above the pre-post expected learning. In the second study, building on previous literature showing gender-dependent effects on cognitive performance, we conducted a preliminary pilot examining gender-dependent effect of training on reflectivity and its electrophysiological counterparts. EEG analyses focused on theta, alpha and gamma coherence. HFT performance and resting-state EEG were measured in 37 participants (20 males), using a within-subject pre-post design. Following training, HFT performance improved in both genders. However, we found a gender-dependent difference in functional connectivity: while theta and alpha intra-hemispheric coherence was enhanced in females, the opposite pattern was found in males. These results are discussed in relation to neuronal efficiency theory. Together, the results demonstrate that QMT improves spatial performance, and may involve a gender-dependent electrophysiological effect. This study emphasizes both the importance of studying gender-related training effects within the contemplative neuroscience endeavor, as well as the need to widen its scope toward including “contemplation in action. ”
Reinforcement Learning with External Knowledge and Two-Stage Q-functions for Predicting Popular Reddit Threads

This paper addresses the problem of predicting popularity of comments in an online discussion forum using reinforcement learning, particularly addressing two challenges that arise from having natural language state and action spaces. First, the state representation, which characterizes the history of comments tracked in a discussion at a particular point, is augmented to incorporate the global context represented by discussions on world events available in an external knowledge source. Second, a two-stage Q-learning framework is introduced, making it feasible to search the combinatorial action space while also accounting for redundancy among sub-actions. We experiment with five Reddit communities, showing that the two methods improve over previous reported results on this task.
How Do Annuloplasty Rings Affect Mitral Annular Strains in the Normal Beating Ovine Heart?

Background— We hypothesized that annuloplasty ring implantation alters mitral annular strains in a normal beating ovine heart preparation. Methods and Results— Sheep had 16 radiopaque markers sewn equally spaced around the mitral annulus. Edwards Cosgrove partial flexible band (COS; n=12), St Jude complete rigid saddle-shaped annuloplasty ring (RSA; n=10), Carpentier-Edwards Physio (PHY; n=11), Edwards IMR ETlogix (ETL; n=11), and GeoForm (GEO; n=12) annuloplasty rings were implanted in a releasable fashion. Four-dimensional marker coordinates were obtained using biplane videofluoroscopy with the ring inserted (ring) and after ring release (control). From marker coordinates, a functional spatio-temporal representation of each annulus was generated through a best fit using 16 piecewise cubic Hermitian splines. Absolute total mitral annular ring strains were calculated from the relative change in length of the tangent vector to the annular curve as strains occurring from control to ring state at end-systole. In addition, average Green-Lagrange strains occurring from control to ring state at end-systole along the annulus were calculated. Absolute total mitral annular ring strains were smallest for COS and greatest for ETL. Strains for RSA, PHY, and GEO were similar. Except for COS in the septal mitral annular segment, all rings induced compressive strains along the entire annulus, with greatest values occurring at the lateral mitral annular segment. Conclusions— In healthy, beating ovine hearts, annuloplasty rings (COS, RSA, PHY, ETL, and GEO) induce compressive strains that are predominate in the lateral annular region, smallest for flexible partial bands (COS) and greatest for an asymmetrical rigid ring type with intrinsic septal-lateral downsizing (ETL). However, the ring type with the most drastic intrinsic septal-lateral downsizing (GEO) introduced strains similar to physiologically shaped rings (RSA and PHY), indicating that ring effects on annular strain profiles cannot be estimated from the degree of septal-lateral downsizing.
Nanoindentation: Toward the sensing of atomic interactions

The mechanical properties of surfaces of layered materials (highly oriented pyrolytic graphite, InSe, and GaSe) and single-crystal ionic materials (NaCl, KBr, and KCl) have been investigated at the nanometer scale by using nanoindentations produced with an atomic force microscope with ultrasharp tips. Special attention has been devoted to the elastic response of the materials before the onset of plastic yield. A new model based on an equivalent spring constant that takes into account the changes in in-plane interactions on nanoindentation is proposed. The results of this model are well correlated with those obtained by using the Debye model of solid vibrations.
Medical aid as protest: acts of citizenship for unauthorized im/migrants and refugees

This article examines organized efforts by citizens to provide medical aid to unauthorized migrants in Germany. A case study of an activist organization in Berlin highlights how prevailing forms of governance through citizenship are disrupted. Three major themes are explored. First, historical contingencies and policy realities explain why, given examples of grassroots protest by migrants in other settings, efforts in Germany have been driven primarily by citizens. Second, migrants' biolegitimacy shapes specific ideas of relative deservingness. As a result, advocacy for some groups, such as survivors of torture or refugees from specific geopolitical settings, is more highly valued than that which addresses needs of unauthorized labor migrants. Finally, although their sustained efforts have resulted in challenges to policy and called into question prevailing notions of citizenship, medical activist organizations have become increasingly institutionalized, which may jeopardize their goals. As this case illustrates, the distinctive ethics associated with providing medical care has the ability to disrupt the scaling of citizenship by the state by treating noncitizens – especially ‘illegal’ noncitizens – ostensibly as citizens, thus protesting citizenship as the exclusive organizing principle of German society.
Management of bladder neck stenosis and urethral stricture and stenosis following treatment for prostate cancer

The aim of this review is to examine all urethral strictures and stenoses subsequent to treatment for prostate cancer, including radical prostatectomy (RP), radiotherapy, high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and cryotherapy. The overall majority respond to endoscopic treatment, including dilatation, direct visual internal urethrotomy (DVIU) or bladder neck incision (BNI). There are adjunct treatments to endoscopic management, including injections of corticosteroids and mitomycin C (MMC) and urethral stents, which remain controversial and are not currently mainstay of treatment. Recalcitrant strictures are most commonly managed with urethroplasty, while recalcitrant stenosis is relatively rare yet almost always associated with bothersome urinary incontinence, requiring bladder neck reconstruction and subsequent artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) implantation, or urinary diversion for the devastated outlet.
Financial Attitudes and Family Communication About Students' Finances: The Role of Sex Differences

Past research has shown that men value money more than do women and men are less dependent on their parents in financial matters. Men and women also display different patterns of communication, with women engaging in higher levels of self-disclosure. We examined these issues in the context of young college students communicating with parents about their financial situation by conducting a multistate survey (N = 1317). Results revealed women to be more open with their parents about financial matters even after controlling for financial dependence, which also was related to openness. Financial attitudes were related to family openness.