Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative observations on corneas, with special reference to bowman's layer and descemet's membrane in mammals and amphibians

Corneas of tadpole, mouse, rat, guinea pig, rabbit, cat, cattle, and human were examined by TEM and SEM in a comparative study. The differences between species were noted mainly by using TEM. Bowman's layer showed a tendency to be well developed in higher mammals. Tadpoles lack a Bowman's layer, lower mammals have a thin Bowman's layer, and higher mammals have a thick Bowman's layer. The boundary between the substantia propria and Descemet's membrane was distinct in higher mammals. On the other hand, there are no differences in thickness of the collagen fibrils that constitute Bowman's layer and those of the substantia propria. NaOH digestion was utilized for SEM preparation. SEM imaging revealed a textured appearance of the epithelial side of Bowman's layer. In Descemet's membrane, fibrous long spacing (FLS) fiber‐like structures, which are arranged in parallel to the endothelium, were observed by both TEM and SEM. To our knowledge, this is the first report of SEM observations of FLS fiber‐like structures on the endothelial surface of Descemet's membrane. SEM at a plane normal to the plane of the cornea showed that Descemet's membrane has a piled laminar structure. Descemet's membrane is closely associated with the collagen layer of the substantia propria. Collagen fibrils invading from the substantia propria into Descemet's membrane were observed with both TEM and SEM. J. Morphol. 254:247–258, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Molecular and functional effects of organismal ageing on smooth muscle cells derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.

AIMS Bone marrow-derived smooth muscle cells (BM-SMCs) have high potential as an autologous cell source of vascular progenitors but normal cell function and turnover frequency may decline with age. In this study we set out to study the effects of organismal ageing on the molecular and functional properties of BM-SMCs. METHODS AND RESULTS To address this issue, we employed a smooth muscle alpha-actin promoter (alphaSMA) driving expression of enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) to isolate SMCs from bone marrow of neonatal (nBM-SMCs) or adult (aBM-SMCs) sheep and examined their proliferation potential and contractility. Compared with nBM-SMCs, aBM-SMCs exhibited lower clonogenicity and proliferation potential that could be improved significantly by addition of basic fibroblast growth factor. Vascular constructs from aBM-SMCs showed reduced ability to generate force and contract fibrin hydrogels and this function could be partially restored by addition of transforming growth factor-beta1. They also exhibited lower receptor- and non-receptor-mediated vascular contractility and mechanical strength, which was comparable to that of tissue constructs prepared with vascular SMCs from neonatal umbilical veins. In agreement with the contractile properties and mechanical strength of vascular constructs, aBM-SMCs displayed significantly lower expression of alphaSMA, smoothelin, desmin, type I collagen, and tropoelastin transcripts compared with nBM-SMCs. CONCLUSION Understanding the effects of organismal ageing on BM-SMCs and the properties of the resulting vascular constructs may lead to innovative ways to facilitate application of these cells in the treatment of cardiovascular disease which is especially prevalent in the elderly.
AFFINITY OF LIQUORICE DERIVATIVES FOR MINERALOCORTICOID AND GLUCOCORTICOID RECEPTORS

Liquorice abuse causes a syndrome of pseudohyperaldosteronism. Much less commonly, glucocorticoid‐like effects have been reported. The electrolyte‐active principle of liquorice is glycyrrhizic acid (GI), which can be hydrolyzed to glycyrrhetinic acid (GE). Previous studies have reported that GE, but not GI, may occupy mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors. We here report that both GE and GI can bind to both mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors. The affinity of GI for mineralocorticoid receptors is four orders of magnitude lower than aldosterone and for glucocorticoid receptors five orders of magnitude lower than dexamethasone. The affinity, though low, is sufficient to explain the mineralocorticoid‐like side effects, given the large amount of liquorice required to produce such a syndrome.
Software aging

Programs, like people, get old. We can't prevent aging, but we can understand its causes, take steps to limits its effects, temporarily reverse some of the damage it has caused, and prepare for the day when the software is no longer viable. A sign that the software engineering profession has matured will be that we lose our preoccupation with the first release and focus on the long-term health of our products. Researchers and practitioners must change their perception of the problems of software development. Only then will software engineering deserve to be called "engineering". <<ETX>>
Mechanisms for low-frequency variability of summer Arctic sea ice extent

Significance The observed decline in summer Arctic sea ice has often been attributed, in large part, to the increase in greenhouse gases. However, the contributions from internal low-frequency variability in the climate system are not well understood. Here a multiple regression model is developed for the first time, to the author’s knowledge, to quantify the contributions of three key predictors on the internal low-frequency variability of summer Arctic sea ice extent. If the ocean heat transport into the Arctic were to weaken in the near future due to internal variability, there might be a hiatus in the decline of September Arctic sea ice, and a delay in attaining a summer ice-free Arctic. This plausible scenario with broad ecological and economic impacts should not be ignored. Satellite observations reveal a substantial decline in September Arctic sea ice extent since 1979, which has played a leading role in the observed recent Arctic surface warming and has often been attributed, in large part, to the increase in greenhouse gases. However, the most rapid decline occurred during the recent global warming hiatus period. Previous studies are often focused on a single mechanism for changes and variations of summer Arctic sea ice extent, and many are based on short observational records. The key players for summer Arctic sea ice extent variability at multidecadal/centennial time scales and their contributions to the observed summer Arctic sea ice decline are not well understood. Here a multiple regression model is developed for the first time, to the author’s knowledge, to provide a framework to quantify the contributions of three key predictors (Atlantic/Pacific heat transport into the Arctic, and Arctic Dipole) to the internal low-frequency variability of Summer Arctic sea ice extent, using a 3,600-y-long control climate model simulation. The results suggest that changes in these key predictors could have contributed substantially to the observed summer Arctic sea ice decline. If the ocean heat transport into the Arctic were to weaken in the near future due to internal variability, there might be a hiatus in the decline of September Arctic sea ice. The modeling results also suggest that at multidecadal/centennial time scales, variations in the atmosphere heat transport across the Arctic Circle are forced by anticorrelated variations in the Atlantic heat transport into the Arctic.
Neurological injury after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use to aid pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Objectives: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to aid failed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in children is associated with a high incidence of neurologic injury. We sought to identify risk factors for acute neurologic injury in children undergoing ECMO to aid CPR (E-CPR). Design: Retrospective cohort study using data reported to the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization registry. Setting: Multi-institutional data. Patients: Patients <18 years of age undergoing E-CPR during 1992–2005. Interventions: None. Measurements and Results: We defined acute neurologic injury as the occurrence of brain death, brain infarction, or intracranial hemorrhage identified by ultrasound or computerized tomography imaging. Of 682 E-CPR patients, 147 (22%) patients had acute neurologic injury. Brain death occurred in 74 (11%), cerebral infarction in 45 (7%), and intracranial hemorrhage in 45 (7%). The in-hospital mortality rate in patients with acute neurologic injury was 89%. In a multivariable logistic regression model, pre-ECMO factors including cardiac disease (odds ratio [OR] 0.46 [95% confidence interval {CI} 0.28–0.76]) and pre-ECMO blood pH ≥6.865 (≥6.865–7.120; OR 0.49 [95% CI 0.25–0.94]; pH >7.120; OR 0.47 [95% CI 0.26–0.85]) compared with pH <6.865 were associated with decreased odds of neurologic injury. During ECMO, neurologic injury was associated with ECMO complications including pulmonary hemorrhage (OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.1–3.4), dialysis use (OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.4–4.0), and CPR during ECMO support (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.6–3.8). Conclusions: Neurologic injury is a frequent complication in children undergoing E-CPR. Children with cardiac disease, less severe metabolic acidosis before ECMO, and an uncomplicated ECMO course have decreased odds of sustaining neurologic injury. Providing effective CPR and inclusion of brain protective therapies on ECMO should be considered in the future to improve neurologic outcomes for patients undergoing E-CPR.
Routes to Diagnosis for Suspected Sarcoma: The Impact of Symptoms and Clinical Findings on the Diagnostic Process

Background and Objectives. Sarcoma patients often experience delay before diagnosis. We examined the association between presenting symptoms/signs and time intervals for suspected sarcoma patients. Methods. 545 consecutive patients suspected for sarcoma referred over a one-year period were included. Median time intervals in routes to diagnosis were collected from medical records and questionnaires. Results. 102 patients (18.7%) had a sarcoma; 68 (12.5%) had other malignancies. Median interval for the patient (time from first symptom to first doctor visit), primary care, local hospital, sarcoma center, diagnostic, and total interval for sarcoma patients were 77, 17, 29, 17, 65, and 176 days, respectively. Sarcoma patients visited more hospital departments and had longer median primary care (+10 days) and diagnostic intervals (+19 days) than patients with benign conditions. Median primary care (−19 days) and sarcoma center (−4 days) intervals were shorter for patients with a lump versus no lump. Median patient (+40 days), primary care (+12 days), diagnostic (+17 days), and total intervals (+78 days) were longer for patients presenting with pain versus no pain. GP suspicion of malignancy shortened local hospital (−20 days) and total intervals (−104 days). Conclusions. The main part of delay could be attributed to the patient and local hospitals. Length of time intervals was associated with presenting symptoms/signs and GP suspicion.
Muscle synergies for reliable NAO arm motion control: An online simulation with real-time constraints

The design and implementation of a complete virtual model of a robotic system, by simulating components and control programs, can significantly impact the general efficiency of a project. Depending on the level of detail and accuracy of the simulation, there are various areas which can be investigated, all of which affect the development life cycle to a certain extent. This study describes a neuro-driven Human-Machine Interface based on the use of muscle synergies. The proposed strategy was evaluated on a NAO robot arm, by performing an online simulation with real-time constraints, within the Gazebo simulation environment. The obtained results show that it is possible to actively control an external device at all times, by using muscle synergies, without any subject-specific musculoskeletal model. Such a tecnology aims to effectively contribute on designing and developing new generation human-robot interfaces, and motion control algorithms for intelligent robotic devices.
Prenatal and Perinatal Factors Associated with Isolated Oral Clefting

Objective: To describe medical service utilization and maternal morbid conditions of women who carry offspring with oral clefts (OCs), to describe maternal and offspring complications during birth, and to evaluate postnatal characteristics of their newborns with isolated OCs. Methods: Two thousand four hundred thirty-seven patients with isolated OCs and 4871 unaffected matched controls meeting inclusion criteria were selected from the U.S. Natality database for 1997. Matching variables were mother's and father's race and child's race, sex, county of birth, and month of birth. Patients and controls were compared in terms of maternal demographic characteristics, gestational complications, physical characteristics of the newborns, maternal exposure to potential risk factors, and adequacy of prenatal care. Results: Although the quality of care was very good in both groups, low gestational age, low birth weight, and low 5-minute Apgar score are more frequent among newborns with OCs than in unaffected controls. Mothers of offspring with OCs are at increased risk, compared with mothers of controls, of having hydramnios or oligohydramnios, eclampsia, and abruptio placenta. Obstetric procedures, such as amniocentesis, electronic fetal monitoring, induction of labor, tocolysis, and ultrasound, and repeat cesarean deliveries are more frequent among mothers of patients than those of controls. At birth, new-borns with isolated OCs are at risk of having hyaline membrane disease and of requiring assisted ventilation, independently of gestational age. Conclusion: The results of this large population-based, case-control study suggest that the presence of an OC in the offspring is associated with increased risk for prenatal and perinatal complications in the mother.
Serrated pathway colorectal cancer in the population: genetic consideration

A significant proportion of colorectal cancer (CRC) develops through the serrated neoplasia pathway. Such tumours show a distinctive molecular phenotype of somatic BRAF mutations and widespread concordant methylation events in CpG islands (CIMP). These features are also observed in the polyps developing in individuals with hyperplastic polyposis syndrome (HPS). In HPS, multiple serrated polyps develop in the colorectum, and approximately 50% of cases present with at least one CRC. Observations of rare affected sibships including identical twins, suggest a recessive or co-dominant mode of inheritance. In addition, up to 50% of individuals with HPS report a family history of CRC. At a population level, recent work has demonstrated that patients with serrated pathway cancers characterised by BRAF mutation are four times more likely to have a family history of CRC than patients with common CRC. These findings suggest an increased genetic predisposition for serrated pathway CRC in the wider population. We propose that HPS results from the inheritance of two putative co-dominant alleles in approximately 1 in 2000 individuals. Therefore carriers of one co-dominant allele may number up to 1 in 25, and it is likely that these carriers are at increased risk of CRC, accounting for, at least in part, the burden of serrated pathway CRC in the population. This proposition may have important implications for screening and prevention of CRC in individuals who have an increased risk for development of serrated pathway cancers, namely those with multiple, proximal, large or advanced serrated polyps, and their relatives.
Relative entropy functions for factor maps between subshifts

Let (X,S) and (Y,T) be topological dynamical systems and π: X → Y a factor map. A function F ∈ C(X) is a compensation function for π if P(F + Φ o π) = P(Φ) for all Φ ∈ C(V). For a factor code between subshifts of finite type, we analyze the associated relative entropy function and give a necessary condition for the existence of saturated compensation functions. Necessary and sufficient conditions for a map to be a saturated compensation function will be provided.
The Use of Mobile Phone and Medical Apps among General Practitioners in Hangzhou City, Eastern China

Background Mobile phones and mobile phone apps have expanded new forms of health professionals’ work. There are many studies on the use of mobile phone apps for different specialists. However, there are no studies on the current use of mobile phone apps among general practitioners (GPs). Objective The objective of the study was to investigate the extent to which GPs own smartphones with apps and use them to aid their clinical activities. Methods A questionnaire survey of GPs was undertaken in Hangzhou, Eastern China. Data probing GPs’ current use of medical apps in their clinical activities and factors influencing app use were collected and analyzed Results 125 GPs participated in the survey. 90.4% of GPs owned a mobile phone, with 48.7% owning an iPhone and 47.8% owning an Android phone. Most mobile phone owners had 1-3 medical-related apps, with very few owning more than 4. There was no difference in number of apps between iPhone and Android owners (χ2=1.388, P=0.846). 36% of GPs reported using medical-related apps on a daily basis. The majority of doctors reported using apps to aid clinical activities less than 30 minutes per day. Conclusions A high level of mobile phone ownership and usage among GPs was found in this study, but few people chose medical-related apps to support their clinical practice.
Predator phylogenetic diversity decreases predation rate via antagonistic interactions

Background: Predator assemblages can differ substantially in their top-down effects on community composition and ecosystem function, but few studies have sought to explain this variation in terms of the phylogenetic distance between predators. The effect of a local predator assemblage will depend on three things – which predators tend to co-occur, how similar their prey preferences are, and how they interact with each other and the whole community. Phylogenetic distance between predators may correlate with each of these processes, either because related predators are more likely to share the same traits, and therefore have similar habitat and prey preferences, or because predators are more likely to compete, and therefore diverge in habitat and prey preferences. Therefore, the phylogenetic structure of predator assemblages could provide a unifying framework for predicting how predators will impact their prey - and therefore any ecosystem functions mediated by their prey. Methods: We examined the effects of predators on macroinvertebrate food webs found in bromeliads, combining field observations, laboratory feeding trials and a manipulative experiment. We determined whether the phylogenetic distance between predators could explain: the co-observed occurrence of predator species among bromeliads, overlap in prey preferences under no-choice conditions, and effects of predator composition on prey survival, prey composition and ecosystem processes. Results: We found that phylogenetic distance does not predict either the co-occurrence of predator species nor the overlap in their prey preferences. However, our manipulative experiment showed that prey mortality decreased as the phylogenetic distance between predator species increased, reflecting antagonistic interactions among more distant predators. These effects of phylogenetic distance on prey mortality did not translate into effects on ecosystem function, as measured by rates of detrital decomposition and nitrogen cycling. Discussion: We conclude that the effects of predator phylogenetic diversity on the bromeliad food web are primarily determined by antagonistic predator-predator interac-tions, rather than habitat distribution or diet overlap. This study illustrates the potential of a phylogenetic community approach to understanding food webs dynamics.
Four Measures of Antiretroviral Medication Adherence and Virologic Response in AIDS Clinical Trials Group Study 359

AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) 359 was a randomized, partially double-blinded factorial study of 6 antiretroviral regimens, all including saquinavir, among HIV-infected persons in whom prior therapy had failed (n = 258). Counts of remaining saquinavir capsules were determined between weeks 0 and 4; at weeks 4, 8, and 16, self-reported adherence was estimated from 2-day report of doses skipped, therapeutic coverage, and percent of doses taken were determined by electronic monitoring devices applied to saquinavir bottles, and the saquinavir 24-hour area under the curve (AUC) was estimated. Relationships were evaluated among these 4 adherence measures and the primary endpoint of week 16 HIV RNA change. Thirty percent of 254 subjects had HIV RNA ≤500 copies/mL at week 16. Only self-reported adherence and saquinavir AUC were significantly associated with week 16 HIV RNA change (P = 0.019 and 0.023, respectively), and these measures were higher in subjects with week 16 HIV RNA ≤500 copies/mL (P = 0.03 and 0.008, respectively). The ability to detect a correlation between electronically monitored adherence and virologic response was limited by the small sample size. Self-reported adherence and saquinavir AUC were significant predictors of virologic response, in this evaluation. These findings provide insight into methods of assessing and improving adherence to antiretroviral regimens.
On the optical and X-ray afterglows of gamma ray bursts

We severely criticize the consuetudinary analysis of the afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in the conical-ejection fireball scenarios. We argue that, instead, recent observations imply that the long-duration GRBs and their afterglows are produced by highly relativistic jets of cannonballs (CBs) emitted in supernova explosions. The CBs are heated by their collision with the supernova shell. The GRB is the boosted surface radiation the CBs emit as they reach the transparent outskirts of the shell. The exiting CBs further decelerate by sweeping up interstellar matter (ISM). The early X-ray afterglow is dominated by thermal bremsstrahlung from the cooling CBs, the optical afterglow by synchrotron radiation from the ISM electrons swept up by the CBs. We show that this model fits simply and remarkably well all the measured optical afterglows of the 15 GRBs with known redshift, including that of GRB 990123, for which unusually prompt data are available. We demonstrate that GRB 980425 was a normal GRB produced by SN1998bw, with standard X-ray and optical afterglows. We find that the very peculiar afterglow of GRB 970508 can be explained if its CBs encountered a significant jump in density as they moved through the ISM. The afterglows of the nearest 8 of the known-redshift GRBs show various degrees of evidence for an association with a supernova akin to SN1998bw. In all other cases such an association, even if present, would have been undetectable with the best current photometric sensitivities. This gives strong support to the proposition that most, maybe all, of the long-duration GRBs are associated with supernovae. Although our emphasis is on optical afterglows, we also provide an excellent description of X-ray afterglows.