Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Painful Nerve Injury Decreases Resting Cytosolic Calcium Concentrations in Sensory Neurons of Rats

Background:Neuropathic pain is difficult to treat and poorly understood at the cellular level. Although cytoplasmic calcium ([Ca2+]c) critically regulates neuronal function, the effects of peripheral nerve injury on resting sensory neuronal [Ca2+]c are unknown. Methods:Resting [Ca2+]c was determined by microfluorometry in Fura-2 AM-loaded neurons dissociated from dorsal root ganglia of animals with hyperalgesia to mechanical stimulation after spinal nerve ligation and section (SNL) at the fifth and sixth lumbar (L5 and L6) levels and from animals after skin incision alone (control group). Axotomized neurons from the L5 dorsal root ganglia were examined separately from adjacent L4 neurons that share the sciatic nerve with degenerating L5 fibers. Results:After SNL, large (34 &mgr;m or larger) neurons from the L4 ganglion showed a 29% decrease in resting [Ca2+]c, whereas those from the L5 ganglion showed a 54% decrease. Small neurons only showed an effect of injury in the axotomized L5 neurons, in which resting [Ca2+]c decreased by 30%. A decrease in resting [Ca2+]c was not seen in neurons isolated from rats in which hyperalgesia did not develop after SNL. In separate experiments, SNL reduced resting [Ca2+]c in capsaicin-insensitive neurons of the L5 ganglion by 60%, but there was no change in neurons from L4. Resting [Ca2+]c of capsaicin-sensitive neurons was not affected by injury in either ganglion. SNL injury decreased the proportion of neurons sensitive to capsaicin in the L5 group but increased the proportion in the L4 group. Conclusions:Painful SNL nerve injury depresses resting [Ca2+]c in sensory neurons. This is most marked in axotomized neurons, especially the large and capsaicin-insensitive neurons presumed to transmit nonnociceptive sensory information.
Self-stabilizing mutual exclusion using unfair distributed scheduler

A self-stabilizing algorithm, regardless of the initial system state, converges infinite time to a set of states that satisfy a legitimacy predicate without the need for explicit exception handler of backward recovery. Mutual exclusion is fundamental in the area of distributed computing, by serializing the accesses to a common shared resource. All existing probabilistic self-stabilizing mutual exclusion algorithms designed to work under an unfair distributed scheduler suffer from the following common drawback: Once stabilized, there exists no upper bound of time between two executions of the critical section at a given node. We present the first probabilistic self-stabilizing algorithm that guarantees such a bound (O(n/sup 3/), where n is the network size) while working using an unfair distributed scheduler. As the scheduling adversary gets weaker the bound gets better. Our algorithm works in an anonymous unidirectional ring of any size and has a O(n/sup 3/) expected stabilization time.
Family factors, emotional functioning, and functional impairment in juvenile fibromyalgia syndrome.

OBJECTIVE Family factors and emotional functioning can play an important role in the ability of adolescents with juvenile primary fibromyalgia syndrome (JPFS) to cope with their condition and function in their everyday lives. The primary objectives of this study were to determine 1) whether adolescents with JPFS and their caregivers differed from healthy age-matched comparison peers and their caregivers in terms of emotional distress and functional impairment; 2) whether there were any differences in the family environment of adolescents with JPFS compared with healthy comparison peers; and 3) which individual-, caregiver-, and family-level variables were associated with functional impairment in adolescents with JPFS. METHODS Participants were 47 adolescents with JPFS recruited from a pediatric rheumatology clinic and 46 comparison peers without chronic illness matched for age, sex, and race. Participants and their caregivers (all mothers) completed a battery of standardized measures administered in their homes. RESULTS Adolescents with JPFS had greater internalizing and externalizing symptoms than healthy comparison peers. Mothers of adolescents with JPFS reported twice as many pain conditions and significantly greater depressive symptoms than mothers of comparison peers. The JPFS group also had poorer overall family functioning and more conflicted family relationships. In adolescents with JPFS, maternal pain history was associated with significantly higher functional impairment. CONCLUSION Increased distress and chronic pain are evident in families of adolescents with JPFS, and family relationships are also impacted. Implications for child functional impairment and the need for inclusion of caregivers in treatment are discussed.
Anosmia and olfactory outcomes following paediatric traumatic brain injury

Abstract Objective: Research into olfactory dysfunction (OD) following paediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) is limited. The current study investigated the frequency of OD following paediatric TBI and the relationship between OD and injury characteristics including severity, site of impact and cause of injury. It was hypothesized that children with moderate/severe TBI would demonstrate greater OD than those with mild TBI. Design/method: Thirty-seven children aged 8–16 with TBI were recruited to a prospective longitudinal study at a metropolitan children’s hospital. Olfactory assessment, using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test, was completed at 0–3 months post-injury. Results: Nineteen per cent of participants demonstrated impaired olfaction, while a small number (5%) were anosmic. A significant relationship between OD and severity of injury was found. No other injury variables demonstrated a significant relationship with olfactory outcomes. Conclusions: OD was relatively common in this paediatric TBI cohort and the hypothesized relationship with severity of injury was supported. It is recommended that information about OD after TBI be routinely provided to children and families. Further research is needed in larger cohorts to support the implementation of routine clinical assessment, understand the relationship between OD and other injury characteristics, determine the functional implications of OD and document recovery trajectories.
Hepatitis B Seroprotection and the Response to a Challenging Dose among Vaccinated Children in Red Sea Governorate

AIM: To assess the long-term effectiveness of hepatitis B virus vaccine and the need for a booster dose among children who received three doses of vaccine during infancy in Red Sea Governorate. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed. Interviews with children (9 months to 16 years) and parents were done. Blood samples to assess Hepatitis B markers were tested. Children showing no seroprotection received a booster dose to assess their anamnestic response after four weeks and one year later. RESULTS: None of the participants had evidence of chronic Hepatitis B. The seroprotection rate was 23.3% and it significantly decreased with age. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that older age was the significant predicting variable for having no seroprotective level, while baseline anti-HBs level < 3.3 IU/L was the predicting variable for not developing early anamnestic response or loss of late anamnestic response. CONCLUSION: Long-term immunity persists among children who received complete series of hepatitis B vaccination during infancy even in absence or reduction of anti-HBs over time. Therefore, a booster dose is not necessary to maintain immunity till the age of sixteen.
CB 2 Receptor Activation Inhibits Melanoma Cell Transmigration through the Blood-Brain Barrier

During parenchymal brain metastasis formation tumor cells need to migrate through cerebral endothelial cells, which form the morphological basis of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The mechanisms of extravasation of tumor cells are highly uncharacterized, but in some aspects recapitulate the diapedesis of leukocytes. Extravasation of leukocytes through the BBB is decreased by the activation of type 2 cannabinoid receptors (CB2); therefore, in the present study we sought to investigate the role of CB2 receptors in the interaction of melanoma cells with the brain endothelium. First, we identified the presence of CB1, CB2(A), GPR18 (transcriptional variant 1) and GPR55 receptors in brain endothelial cells, while melanoma cells expressed CB1, CB2(A), GPR18 (transcriptional variants 1 and 2), GPR55 and GPR119. We observed that activation of CB2 receptors with JWH-133 reduced the adhesion of melanoma cells to the layer of brain endothelial cells. JWH-133 decreased the transendothelial migration rate of melanoma cells as well. Our results suggest that changes induced in endothelial cells are critical in the mediation of the effect of CB2 agonists. Our data identify CB2 as a potential target in reducing the number of brain metastastes originating from melanoma. OPEN ACCESS Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2014, 15 8064
Highly Efficient High Step-Up Converter for Fuel-Cell Power Processing Based on Three-State Commutation Cell

The interest toward the application of fuel cells is increasing in the last years mainly due to the possibility of highly efficient decentralized clean energy generation. The output voltage of fuel-cell stacks is generally below 50 V. Consequently, low-power applications with high output voltage require a high gain for proper operation. Several solutions were so far proposed in the literature, ranging from the use of high-frequency transformers to capacitive multipliers. This paper proposes the modification of a boost converter operating with a three-state commutation cell that is already well suited for high current stress in the input due to the current sharing between the active switches. Here, an additional winding is added to the autotransformer to provide not only the required high gain but also to significantly reduce the voltage stress across the active switches. Moreover, by employing the three-state switching cell, the size of the inductor is reduced because the operating frequency is double of the switching frequency. A prototype for the verification of the circuit was built for a 30-45-V input-voltage range, 400-V output voltage, and 250-W output power. The operation is evaluated, and the experimental waveforms and efficiency curves are presented.
Effects of a new nutraceutical substance on clinical and molecular parameters in patients with chronic venous ulceration

Pathophysiological events involved in the onset of chronic venous ulceration (CVU) are inflammation, activation of polymorphonucleates (PMNs) and secretion of proteases such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) that is a support for vascular and tissutal wall. MMPs, neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (NGAL) and inflammatory cytokines are overexpressed in CVUs and they could play a central role in pathophysiological mechanisms of skin lesion and delayed wound healing. Bioflavonoids, such as diosmin and other compounds, appear to have several provessel function activities including anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant and phlebotonic effects and are widely used in the treatment of chronic venous disease (CVD)‐related problems.
Robotic Transabdominal Kidney Transplantation in a Morbidly Obese Patient

Kidney transplantation in morbidly obese patients can be technically demanding. Furthermore, morbidly obese patients experience a high rate of wound infections and related complications, which mostly result from the longer length and extent of the incision. These complications can be avoided through minimally invasive surgery; however, conventional laparoscopic instruments are unsuitable for the safe performance of a kidney transplant in morbidly obese patients. Herein, we report the first minimally invasive, total robotic kidney transplant in a morbidly obese patient. A left, deceased donor kidney was transplanted into a 29‐year‐old woman with a body mass index (BMI) of 41 kg/m2 who had been on hemodialysis for 5 years. The operation was performed intraabdominally using the DaVinci Robotic Surgical System with 4 trocars and a 7 cm midline incision. The operative time was 223 min, and the blood loss was less than 50 cc. The kidney had immediate graft function. No perioperative complications were observed, and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 5 with normal kidney function. Minimally invasive access and robotic technology facilitated the safe performance of a successful kidney transplant in a morbidly obese patient.
Social interdependence: interrelationships among theory, research, and practice.

Social interdependence theory is a classic example of the interaction among theory, research, and practice. The premise of the theory is that the way in which goals are structured determines how individuals interact, which in turn creates outcomes. Over 750 research studies have been conducted in the past 11 decades on the relative merits of cooperative, competitive, and individualistic efforts and the conditions under which each is appropriate. These studies have validated, modified, refined, and extended the theory. Social interdependence theory has been widely applied, especially in education. The applications have resulted in revisions of the theory and the generation of considerable new research.
Hardness and Young’s modulus of amorphous a-SiC thin films determined by nanoindentation and bulge tests

Due to its interesting mechanical properties, silicon carbide is an excellent material for many applications. In this paper, we report on the mechanical properties of amorphous hydrogenated or hydrogen-free silicon carbide thin films deposited by using different deposition techniques, namely plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), laser ablation deposition (LAD), and triode sputtering deposition (TSD). a -Si_ x C_1− x : H PECVD, a -SiC LAD, and a -SiC TSD thin films and corresponding free-standing membranes were mechanically investigated by using nanoindentation and bulge techniques, respectively. Hardness ( H ), Young’s modulus ( E ), and Poisson’s ratio ( v ) of the studied silicon carbide thin films were determined. It is shown that for hydrogenated a -Si_ x C_1− x : H PECVD films, both hardness and Young’s modulus are dependent on the film composition. The nearly stoichiometric a -SiC: H films present higher H and E values than the Si-rich a -Si_ x C_ 1−x : H films. For hydrogen-free a -SiC films, the hardness and Young’s modulus were as high as about 30 GPa and 240 GPa, respectively. Hydrogen-free a -SiC films present both hardness and Young’s modulus values higher by about 50% than those of hydrogenated a -SiC: H PECVD films. By using the FTIR absorption spectroscopy, we estimated the Si-C bond densities ( N _SiC) from the Si-C stretching absorption band (centered around 780 cm^−1), and were thus able to correlate the observed mechanical behavior of a -SiC films to their microstructure. We indeed point out a constant-plus-linear variation of the hardness and Young’s modulus upon the Si-C bond density, over the N _SiC investigated range [(4–18) × 10^22 bond · cm^−3], regardless of the film composition or the deposition technique.
Calculations of the relativistic effects in many-electron atoms and space-time variation of fundamental constants

Theories unifying gravity and other interactions suggest the possibility of spa- tial and temporal variation of physical "constants" in the Universe. Detection of high-redshift absorption systems intersecting the sight lines towards distant quasars provide a powerful tool for measuring these variations. We have previ- ously demonstrated that high sensitivity to the variation of the fine structure constantcan be obtained by comparing spectra of heavy and light atoms (or molecules). Here we describe new calculations for a range of atoms and ions, most of which are commonly detected in quasar spectra: Fe II, Mg II, Mg I, C II, C IV, N V, O I, Al III, Si II, Si IV, Ca I, Ca II, Cr II, Mn II, Zn II, Ge II (see the results in Table 3). The combination of Fe II and Mg II, for which accurate laboratory frequencies exist, have already been used to constrain � variations. To use other atoms and ions, accurate laboratory values of frequen- cies of the strong E1-transitions from the ground states are required. We wish to draw the attention of atomic experimentalists to this important problem. We also discuss a mechanism which can lead to a greatly enhanced sensitiv- ity for placing constraints on variation on fundamental constants. Calculations have been performed for Hg II, Yb II, Ca I and Sr II where there are optical transitions with the very small natural widths, and for hyperfine transition in Cs I and Hg II.
Early Repolarization: Electrocardiographic Phenotypes Associated With Favorable Long-Term Outcome

Background— Early repolarization (ER) in inferior/lateral leads of standard ECGs increases the risk of arrhythmic death. We tested the hypothesis that variations in the ST-segment characteristics after the ER waveforms may have prognostic importance. Methods and Results— ST segments after ER were classified as horizontal/descending or rapidly ascending/upsloping on the basis of observations from 2 independent samples of young healthy athletes from Finland (n=62) and the United States (n=503), where ascending type was the dominant and common form of ER. Early repolarization was present in 27/62 (44%) of the Finnish athletes and 151/503 (30%) of the US athletes, and all but 1 of the Finnish (96%) and 91/107 (85%) of US athletes had an ascending/upsloping ST variant after ER. Subsequently, ECGs from a general population of 10 864 middle-aged subjects were analyzed to assess the prognostic modulation of ER-associated risk by ST-segment variations. Subjects with ER ≥0.1 mV and horizontal/descending ST variant (n=412) had an increased hazard ratio of arrhythmic death (relative risk 1.43; 95% confidence interval 1.05 to 1.94). When modeled for higher amplitude ER (>0.2 mV) in inferior leads and horizontal/descending ST-segment variant, the hazard ratio of arrhythmic death increased to 3.14 (95% confidence interval 1.56 to 6.30). However, in subjects with ascending ST variant, the relative risk for arrhythmic death was not increased (0.89; 95% confidence interval 0.52 to 1.55). Conclusions— ST-segment morphology variants associated with ER separates subjects with and without an increased risk of arrhythmic death in middle-aged subjects. Rapidly ascending ST segments after the J-point, the dominant ST pattern in healthy athletes, seems to be a benign variant of ER.
In Situ Evaluation of Oxidative Stress in Rat Fatty Liver Induced by a Methionine- and Choline-Deficient Diet

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a serious health problem in developed countries. We documented the effects of feeding with a NAFLD-inducing, methionine- and choline-deficient (MCD) diet, for 1–4 weeks on rat liver oxidative stress, with respect to a control diet. Glycogen, neutral lipids, ROS, peroxidated proteins, and SOD2 were investigated using histochemical procedures; ATP, GSH, and TBARS concentrations were investigated by biochemical dosages, and SOD2 expression was investigated by Western Blotting. In the 4-week-diet period, glycogen stores decreased whereas lipid droplets, ROS, and peroxidated proteins expression (especially around lipid droplets of hepatocytes) increased. SOD2 immunostaining decreased in poorly steatotic hepatocytes but increased in the thin cytoplasm of macrosteatotic cells; a trend towards a quantitative decrease of SOD expression in homogenates occurred after 3 weeks. ATP and GSH values were significantly lower for rats fed with the MCD diet with respect to the controls. An increase of TBARS in the last period of the diet is in keeping with the high ROS production and low antioxidant defense; these TBARS may promote protein peroxidation around lipid droplets. Since these proteins play key roles in lipid mobilization, storage, and metabolism, this last information appears significant, as it points towards a previously misconsidered target of NAFLD-associated oxidative stress that might be responsible for lipid dysfunction.
Shifting fundamental frequency in simulated electric-acoustic listening.

Previous experiments have shown significant improvement in speech intelligibility under both simulated [Brown, C. A. , and Bacon, S. P. (2009a). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125, 1658-1665; Brown, C. A. , and Bacon, S. P. (2010). Hear. Res. 266, 52-59] and real [Brown, C. A. , and Bacon, S. P. (2009b). Ear Hear. 30, 489-493] electric-acoustic stimulation when the target speech in the low-frequency region was replaced with a tone modulated in frequency to track the changes in the target talker's fundamental frequency (F0), and in amplitude with the amplitude envelope of the target speech. The present study examined the effects in simulation of applying these cues to a tone lower in frequency than the mean F0 of the target talker. Results showed that shifting the frequency of the tonal carrier downward by as much as 75 Hz had no negative impact on the benefit to intelligibility due to the tone, and that even a shift of 100 Hz resulted in a significant benefit over simulated electric-only stimulation when the sensation level of the tone was comparable to that of the tones shifted by lesser amounts.
Analysis and improvement of electromagnetic susceptibility on high speed LVDS I/O system

In this paper, the effects of high power and frequency radiated RF interference on a high speed low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) system are investigated for electromagnetic susceptibility (EMS) of LVDS. The improvement method of EMS on LVDS is proposed by using common mode self-rejection (CMSR) flexible printed cable (FPC). External electromagnetic noise source such as an antenna in mobile device is constituted based on IEC 62132-3 bulk current injection (BCI) injection method. Bit error rate (BER) and eye opening results of LVDS system are used to judge the susceptibility of the system against to external radiated RF interference. The proposed method can improve BER and signal integrity (SI) of the high speed LVDS system.
Animal and cellular models of Friedreich ataxia

The development and use of animal and cellular models of Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) are essential requirements for the understanding of FRDA disease mechanisms and the investigation of potential FRDA therapeutic strategies. Although animal and cellular models of lower organisms have provided valuable information on certain aspects of FRDA disease and therapy, it is intuitive that the most useful models are those of mammals and mammalian cells, which are the closest in physiological terms to FRDA patients. To date, there have been considerable efforts put into the development of several different FRDA mouse models and relevant FRDA mouse and human cell line systems. We summarize the principal mammalian FRDA models, discuss the pros and cons of each system, and describe the ways in which such models have been used to address two of the fundamental, as yet unanswered, questions regarding FRDA. Namely, what is the exact pathophysiology of FRDA and what is the detailed genetic and epigenetic basis of FRDA?