Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CEROID–LIPOFUSCINOSIS (BATTEN'S DISEASE): PATHOGENESIS AND SEQUENTIAL NEUROPATHOLOGICAL CHANGES IN THE OVINE MODEL

A sequential morphological study of ovine ceroid–lipofuscinosis showed that brains of affected lambs were normal at birth, grew until four months of age but then atrophied. Laminar necrosis of cerebral cortex was noted at 10 weeks, occurring first in the parietal area, then spreading to involve frontal and occipital areas while the temporal lobe was least and last affected. With progression of the disease, the laminar pattern was lost. Neuronal necrosis was accompanied by a severe astrocytosis. The granular and multilamellar storage cytosomes increased in size with age. Their structure was interpreted as paracrystalline in which repeating molecules of the dominantly stored lipid binding subunit of mitochondrial ATP synthase interact with neutral lipids and phospholipids. Abnormal cytosomes in neurons of lamb fetuses and a neonate were interpreted as early lesions which contained whorls or stacks of bilayered membrane as well as the more complex multilamellar material. The underlying anomaly leading to the storage of the lipid binding subunit of mitochondrial ATPsynthase remains to be defined. However, it is noted that this disease should be regarded as a lipid binding protein proteinosis or alternatively as a proteolipid proteinosis.
Prepulse inhibition deficits in patients with panic disorder

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is an operational measure of sensorimotor gating that is reduced in several neuropsychiatric disorders that are characterized by deficits in inhibition or gating of intrusive or irrelevant stimuli. Clinically, panic disorder (PD) patients have been described as having difficulties in inhibition of responding to sensory and cognitive events. Because such difficulties may be due to failures in early stages of information processing, we examined PPI in patients with PD. Acoustic startle reactivity, habituation, and PPI (30‐, 60‐, 120‐, 240‐, and 2,000‐ms interstimulus intervals) were assessed in patients with panic disorder (m/f = 10, 10) and age‐ and gender‐matched healthy controls (m/f = 11, 10). PD patients were assessed with structured clinical interview for DSM‐IV criteria with benzodiazepine treatment as an exclusion criterion. Panic disorder patients exhibited normal startle reactivity, reduced habituation, and significantly reduced PPI in the 30‐, 60‐, and 240‐ms prepulse conditions. Within the PD group, the patients with high trait and state anxiety exhibited less PPI than patients with low trait and state anxiety. Furthermore, in PD patients, decreased PPI correlated significantly with high trait but not state anxiety. These data indicate that early stages of sensory information processing are abnormal in patients with PD. These observed deficits in PPI could reflect a more generalized difficulty in suppressing or gating information in panic disorder. The correlation between high trait anxiety and deficient PPI supports the hypothesis that sensorimotor gating abnormalities are an enduring feature of subjects with PD. Depression and Anxiety 15:55–60, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cognitive Findings After Transient Global Amnesia: Role of Prefrontal Cortex

The aim of this study is to verify, after recovery, the presence of specific patterns of cognitive dysfunctions in Transient Global Amnesia (TGA). Fourteen patients with the diagnosis of TGA were submitted to a battery of neuropsychological tests and compared to a matched control group. We found significant qualitative and quantitative differences between TGA patients and controls in the California Verbal Learning Test (CLVT) and Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test. Our data support the presence of selective cognitive dysfunctions after the clinical recovery. Moreover, for Verbal Fluency, Digit Span Backward, and Number of Clusters in the CVLT short-term memory test, the relation resulted as positively related with the temporal interval from the TGA episode. Reduction of categorical learning, attention, and qualitative alterations of spatial strategy seem to postulate a planning defect due to a prefrontal impairment.
Acute Phase Hyperglycemia among Patients Hospitalized with Acute Coronary Syndrome: Prevalence and Prognostic Significance.

OBJECTIVES Regardless of diabetes status, hyperglycemia on arrival for patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome, has been associated with adverse outcomes including death. The aim of this study is to look at the frequency and prognostic significance of acute phase hyperglycemia among patients attending the coronary care unit with acute coronary syndrome over the in-hospital admission days. METHODS The study included 287 consecutive patients in the Al-Faiha Hospital in Basrah (Southern Iraq) during a one year period from December 2007 to November 2008. Patients were divided into two groups with respect to admission plasma glucose level regardless of their diabetes status (those with admission plasma glucose of <140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L) and those equal to or more than that). Acute phase hyperglycemia was defined as a non-fasting glucose level equal to or above 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L) regardless of past history of diabetes. RESULTS Sixty one point seven percent (177) of patients were admitted with plasma glucose of ³140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L). There were no differences were found between both groups regarding the mean age, qualification, and smoking status, but males were predominant in both groups. A family history of diabetes, and hypertension, were more frequent in patients with plasma glucose of ³140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L). There were no differences between the two groups regarding past history of ischemic heart disease, stroke, lipid profile, troponin-I levels or type of acute coronary syndrome. Again heart failure was more common in the admission acute phase hyperglycemia group, but there was no difference regarding arrhythmia, stroke, or death. Using logistic regression with heart failure as the dependent variable we found that only the admission acute phase hyperglycemia (OR=2.1344, 95% CI=1.0282-4.4307; p=0.0419) was independently associated with heart failure. While male gender, family history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension and diabetes were not independently associated with heart failure. CONCLUSION Admission acute phase hyperglycemia of ³140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L) was associated with heart failure in this study.
Feasibility of endoscopic papillectomy in early stage ampulla of Vater cancer

Background and Aim: Although endoscopic papillectomy has been attempted in early stage ampullary cancer (pTis, T1), its curative role and indications remain uncertain. The present study was designed to assess the factors that predict malignancy and lymph node metastasis and to suggest potential indications for endoscopic papillectomy by analyzing clinicopathological data.
How does preservice teachers' learning about learning theories influence their beliefs about learning?

To date, there has not been much research that examines the relationship between a learning theory course and preservice teachers’ beliefs about learning. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine how preservice teachers’ learning about learning theories influences their beliefs about learning within the context of a learning theory course. This study identified the beliefs and knowledge preservice teachers have constructed about how people learn, and how these teachers make sense of multiple learning theories in relation to their beliefs about learning. This study used both quantitative and qualitative research methods to investigate preservice teachers’ learning experiences and beliefs about learning. In this study, data collection was conducted using preand postsurveys, interviews, participants’ work (case study analyses), classroom observations, and researcher reflection journals. In this study, the survey data were collected from two classes, Class A and Class B. Forty-seven preservice teachers from Class A and Class B participated in the pretest survey while 38 preservice teachers participated in the posttest survey. Qualitative data and results were collected and analyzed for 18 Class A preservice teachers only. This study used elements of grounded theory to analyze the data. The research results show that preservice teachers’ entering beliefs about learning were consistent, being more inclined toward constructivism and cognitive theory than behaviorism. Even though preservice teachers did not change their beliefs about learning, there was a change in complexity of thinking about learning in the end.
Phosphoribulokinase activity and regulation of CO2 fixation critical for photosynthetic growth of Rhodobacter sphaeroides

The Rhodobacter sphaeroides genome contains two unlinked genetic regions each encoding numerous proteins involved in CO2 fixation which include phosphoribulokinases (prkA and prkB), ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rbcLS and rbcR) (P. L. Hallenbeck and S. Kaplan, Photosynth. Res. 19:63-71, 1988; F. R. Tabita, Microbiol. Rev. 52:155-189, 1988), and two open reading frames linked to rbcLS and rbcR, namely, cfxA and cfxB, respectively (P. L. Hallenbeck, R. Lerchen, P. Hessler, and S. Kaplan, J. Bacteriol. 172:1736-1748). In this study, we examined the unique role(s) of each phosphoribulokinase activity in the regulation of CO2 fixation. Strains were constructed which contain null mutations in prkA and/or prkB. Studies utilizing these strains suggested that CO2 fixation plays an essential role in attaining the cellular redox balance necessary for photoheterotrophic growth. The presence of an external electron acceptor can negate the requirement for CO2 for photoheterotrophic growth. Each form of phosphoribulokinase and ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase was shown to have distinct roles in CO2 metabolism when cells were exposed to extremes in CO2 levels. Evidence is also presented which unequivocally demonstrated that regulation of the expression of the enzymes involved in CO2 metabolism is effective at the transcriptional level. Although the two regions of the DNA involved in CO2 fixation are physically unlinked, each region of the DNA can have a profound effect on the expression of the other region of the DNA.
High-altitude pulmonary hypertension

High-altitude pulmonary hypertension (HAPH) is a specific disease affecting populations that live at high elevations. The prevalence of HAPH among those residing at high altitudes needs to be further defined. Whereas reduction in nitric oxide production may be one mechanism for the development of HAPH, the roles of endothelin-1 and prostaglandin I2 pathways in the pathogenesis of HAPH deserve further study. Although some studies have suggested that genetic factors contribute to the pathogenesis of HAPH, data published to date are insufficient for the identification of a significant number of gene polymorphims in HAPH. The clinical presentation of HAPH is nonspecific. Exertional dyspnoea is the most common symptom and signs related to right heart failure are common in late stages of HAPH. Echocardiography is the most useful screening tool and right heart catheterisation is the gold standard for the diagnosis of HAPH. The ideal management for HAPH is migration to lower altitudes. Phosphodiesterase 5 is an attractive drug target for the treatment of HAPH. In addition, acetazolamide is a promising therapeutic agent for high-altitude pulmonary hypertension. To date, no evidence has confirmed whether endothelin-receptor antagonists have efficacy in the treatment of high-altitude pulmonary hypertension.
Isolation, proliferation, cytogenetic, and molecular characterization and in vitro differentiation potency of canine stem cells from foetal adnexa: A comparative study of amniotic fluid, amnion, and umbilical cord matrix

The possibility to isolate canine mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from foetal adnexa is interesting since several canine genetic disorders are reported to resemble similar dysfunctions in humans. In this study, we successfully isolated, cytogenetically and molecularly characterized, and followed the differentiation potency of canine MSCs from foetal adnexa, such as amniotic fluid (AF), amniotic membrane (AM), and umbilical cord matrix (UCM). In the three types of cell lines, the morphology of proliferating cells typically appeared fibroblast‐like, and the population doubling time (DT) significantly increased with passage number. For AF‐ and AM‐MSCs, cell viability did not change with passages. In UCM‐MSCs, cell viability remained at approximately constant levels up to P6 and significantly decreased from P7 (P < 0.05). Amnion and UCM‐MSCs expressed embryonic and MSC markers, such as Oct‐4 CD44, CD184, and CD29, whereas AF‐MSCs expressed Oct‐4, CD44. Expression of the hematopoietic markers CD34 and CD45 was not found. Dog leucocyte antigens (DLA‐DRA1 and DLA‐79) were expressed only in AF‐MSCs at P1. Isolated cells of the three cell lines at P3 showed multipotent capacity, and differentiated in vitro into neurocyte, adipocyte, osteocyte, and chondrocyte, as demonstrated by specific stains and expression of molecular markers. Cells at P4 showed normal chromosomal number, structure, and telomerase activity. These results demonstrate that, in dog, MSCs can be successfully isolated from foetal adnexa and grown in vitro. Their proven stemness and chromosomal stability indicated that MSCs could be used as a model to study stem cell biology and have an application in therapeutic programs. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 78:361–373, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Phase II Study of Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin and Carboplatin in Patients With Platinum-Sensitive and Partially Platinum-Sensitive Metastatic Ovarian Cancer

Objective: This phase II study assessed the activity and safety of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) plus carboplatin in relapsed ovarian cancer (ROC). Method: Forty women with platinum-sensitive and partially platinum-sensitive ROC were treated with PLD 50 mg/m2 plus carboplatin area under the curve 5 every 28 days in this South African multicenter study. All patients who completed 3 cycles of chemotherapy were evaluated for response. Primary outcome was response in the intent-to-treat population. Results: Complete response was 35%, and partial response was 32.5% (overall response, 67.5%). Median time-to-progression was 11.9 months, and median survival was 30.0 months. Overall response was higher in platinum-sensitive (81%) versus partially platinum-sensitive patients (53%), as were median duration of response, median time-to-progression, and median survival. Treatment was well tolerated, with no grade 4 nonhematologic toxicities. Grade 3/4 hematologic toxicities included leukopenia (58%), neutropenia (55%), and thrombocytopenia (43%). Conclusion: Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin plus carboplatin is well tolerated and active in the treatment of platinum-sensitive and partially platinum-sensitive ROC.
The In Vitro Production of Thromboxane B2 by Platelets of Diabetic Patients Is Normal at Physiological Concentrations of lonized Calcium

Summary Platelets of patients with diabetes and no evidence of macroangiopathy produce normal amounts of thromboxane (Tx) B2 in vivo, whereas they usually show increased production in vitro. Since in vitro studies have been usually performed in citrated PRP, we tested the hypothesis that the discrepancy between in vivo and in vitro studies is due to the low concentration of plasma ionized calcium ([Ca 2+ ]o) that is present in citrated PRP. In fact, low [Ca 2+ ]o artifactually potentiates the platelet TxB2 production in vitro. Forty patients with diabetes mellitus and 37 matched Controls were studied. Blood was anticoagulated with citrate, the thrombin inhibitor D-phenylalanyl-l-prolyl-l-chloromethylketone (PPACK) or both anticoagulants. Platelet aggregation, release of 14C-serotonin and TxB2 production were induced in platelet rieh plasma (PRP) by several agonists. The following results were obtained: i) Citrated PRP: Arachidonic acid induced aggregation (p <0.01) and TxB2 production (p <0.02) were significantly greater in patients than in Controls. No statistically significant differences were found with other agonists. ii) PPACK PRP: No statistically significant difference was found between diabetic platelets and Controls, iii) PPACK plus citrate PRP: The results were not different from those obtained with citrate alone. Therefore, our results show that diabetic platelets produce normal amounts of TxB2 in vitro when the [Ca2+]o is physiological.
Cryptanalysis of RAKAPOSHI Stream Cipher

RAKAPOSHI is a hardware oriented stream cipher designed by Carlos Cid et al. in 2009. The stream cipher is based on Dynamic Linear Feedback Shift Registers, with a simple and potentially scalable design, and is particularly suitable for hardware applications with restricted resources. The RAKAPOSHI stream cipher offers 128-bit security. In this paper, we point out some weaknesses in the cipher. Firstly, it shows that there are weak (key, IV) pairs in RAKAPOSHI stream cipher. Secondly, for weak (key, IV) pairs of RAKAPOSHI, they are vulnerable to linear distinguishing attack and algebraic attack. Finally, we propose a real time related key chosen IV attack on RAKAPOSHI. The attack on RAKAPOSHI recovers the 128-bit secret key of with a computational complexity of , requiring 47 related keys, chosen IVs and keystream bits. The success probability of this attack is 0.999, which is quite close to 1. The experimental results corroborate our assertion. 192 2
Microgeographic population structuring of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

Aedes aegypti is one of the species most favored by changes in the environment caused by urbanization. Its abundance increases rapidly in the face of such changes, increasing the risk of disease transmission. Previous studies have shown that mosquito species that have adapted to anthropogenic environmental changes benefit from urbanization and undergo population expansion. In light of this, we used microsatellite markers to explore how urbanization processes may be modulating Ae. aegypti populations collected from three areas with different levels of urbanization in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Specimens were collected at eleven sites in three areas with different degrees of urbanization in the city of São Paulo: conserved, intermediate and urbanized. Ten microsatellite loci were used to characterize the populations from these areas genetically. Our findings suggest that as urbanized areas grow and the human population density in these areas increases, Ae. aegypti populations undergo a major population expansion, which can probably be attributed to the species’ adaptability to anthropogenic environmental changes. Our findings reveal a robust association between, on the one hand, urbanization processes and densification of the human population and, on the other, Ae. aegypti population structure patterns and population expansion. This indicates that this species benefits from anthropogenic effects, which are intensified by migration of the human population from rural to urban areas, increasing the risk of epidemics and disease transmission to an ever-increasing number of people.
Synthesizing Behavioral Model of Event-Based Requirements

Problem Statement: in the software engineering field, satisfaction of user's requirements by software has been a matter of concern. Therefore, monitoring software behavior against user's high-level requirements has already received a considerable and significant attention. However, the gap between low-level software behavior and high-level requirements has put an obstacle in the way of monitoring. Approach: to overcome the obstacle, we presented a method to synthesize a behavioral model of the event-based requirements in three steps: (1) eliciting event-based requirements; (2) specifying the requirements in event-based formulae and (3) mapping the formulae into a behavioral model. Results: to show effectiveness of the method, it was applied to requirements of a safety critical system, called Railroad Crossing Control (RCC) one and a behavioral model was synthesized. The model was used to synthesize monitor of the RCC system. The monitor is responsible for surveillance of software behavior for preventing the collision between the train and some car at the junction of rail and road.Conclusions: we proposed a systematic method started from users' requirements elicitation and concluded with its behavioral specification. Focus of the method was on event-based real-time requirements which were stated by scenarios in a sequence of real-time interactions.
A design perspective on aligning process-centric and technology-centric approaches

Enterprise systems management (ESM) and business process management (BPM), although highly correlated, have evolved as alternative approaches to operational transformation. As a result, companies struggle to find the right balance when prioritising technology and processes as change drivers. The purpose of this paper is to propose a direction towards aligning the process-centric and technology-centric approaches. Using the case study method, we gain insight into two implementation projects: one of an information technology (IT) system and one of a process. We compare them using design thinking and strategic alignment theories. Based on the discussion, we assess the shortcomings of the process-centric and technology-centric approaches and argue that a conjoint design approach is required to achieve alignment between processes and technology. From a theoretical stance, this paper offers design-informed insights into the process/technology alignment discussion and points towards a closer integration of process and technology research agendas. The implications for practice include a direction towards design-time coordination of processes and IT systems.
Exploring prison drug use in the context of prison-based drug rehabilitation

Abstract Aims: The research on motivations and meanings associated with drug use in prisons has received little scholarly attention. Particularly, there are few studies analysing drug use in prisons from the perspective of both prisoners and prison officers, and in the context of prison-based drug rehabilitation. This article explores prisoners and prison staffs perceptions on why drug use occurs in prison. Methods: The data is derived from participant observation and qualitative interviews (N = 35) conducted during eight months of ethnographic fieldwork in two drug rehabilitation programmes in a closed Norwegian prison. Findings: Prison staff emphasises drug addiction and prisoners troubled life trajectories when explaining in-prison drug use. Prisoners, on the other hand, explain that drug use can be (a) a way to alleviate some of the pains of imprisonment; (b) an integral part of social life in prison; (c) a route to status in the prisoner community and (d) a defiant way to subvert institutional rules and expectations. Conclusions: Prison staff tends to privilege pre-prison characteristics when explaining prisoners’ drug use, whereas prisoners tend to privilege how the prison context motivates and give meaning to their drug use. Implications for penal policy and practice are discussed.