Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Age‐Related Changes in Hypothalamic Gonadotropin‐Releasing Hormone and N‐Methyl‐d‐Aspartate Receptor Gene Expression, and their Regulation by Oestrogen, in the Female Rat

During reproductive ageing, the oestrous cycles of female rats become irregular and eventually cease. The mechanisms for reproductive senescence in rodents are believed to involve changes in hypothalamic neurones, including gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) cells and their afferent inputs. In addition, effects of oestrogen on hypothalamic function may vary in animals of different ages. These issues were addressed using young (aged 4–5 months), middle‐aged (12–14 months) and old (24–26 months) female Sprague‐Dawley rats. Animals were ovariectomized and given oestrogen or vehicle replacement. They were killed and the preoptic area‐anterior hypothalamus (POA‐AH) and the medial basal hypothalamus‐median eminence (MBH‐ME) were dissected out, RNA extracted, and RNase protection assay used to quantify gene expression of several hypothalamic molecules. In the first experiment, GnRH RNA levels were measured in the POA‐AH. No effects of ageing or oestrogen were observed on GnRH gene expression. This finding suggests that ageing and oestrogen may affect GnRH release from neuroterminals independently of de novo biosynthesis, and that this may involve other neurones that affect GnRH neurosecretory function. In the second experiment, we investigated changes in N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit mRNA levels. These receptors play an important regulatory role in mediating effects of glutamate on GnRH function, and are themselves regulated by oestrogen and ageing. NMDA receptor subunit (NR) 1, 2a and 2b mRNA levels were quantified in the POA‐AH and MBH‐ME, the sites of GnRH perikarya and neuroterminals, respectively. In general, oestrogen had inhibitory effects on NR1 and NR2a, and differential effects on NR2b subunit mRNA levels. NMDA receptor subunit mRNA levels also changed during ageing: age‐related decreases in NR1 mRNA occurred in the MBH‐ME, and an age‐related increase in NR2b mRNA occurred in the POA‐AH. Taken together, these results demonstrate subunit‐ and region‐specific changes in hypothalamic NMDA receptor subunit gene expression with oestrogen and ageing. These alterations could have implications for the physiological effects of glutamate on its NMDA receptor, and impact the regulation of reproductive and other neuroendocrine and autonomic functions by hypothalamic glutamatergic inputs.
Radio spectral index variations of the SNR HB3

We present images of the SNR HB3 at both 408 MHz and 1420 MHz from the Canadian Galactic Plane Survey mainly based on data from the Synthesis Telescope of the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory. We reproduce the 100 m-Effelsberg HB3 image at 2695 MHz at large scale, and find that there exists a background emission gradient across the HB3 area. Based on our analysis of background emission and the boundary between W3 and HB3, we give HB3's flux density as $68.6\pm11.5$ Jy at 408 MHz and $44.8\pm12.0$ Jy at 1420 MHz, after subtracting flux from compact sources within HB3. The integrated flux-density-based spectral index between 408 MHz and 1420 MHz is $0.34\pm0.15$. The averaged T–T plot spectral index using all subareas is 0.36. Our measurement values are less than a previously published value of 0.6. The 408–1420 MHz spectral index varies spatially in HB3 in the range 0.1 to 0.7. We investigate the data used by previous authors, and consider more data at 232 MHz, 3650 MHz and 3900 MHz which are not included in previous calculations. There is evidence for two spectral indices for HB3 in the radio band, i.e., 0.63 (38–610 MHz) and 0.32 (408–3900 MHz). This is consistent with the spatial variations: the low frequency data mainly reflects the steeper indices and the high frequency data mainly reflects the flatter indices.
Impaired exercise performance in systemic sclerosis and its clinical correlations

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of impaired exercise performance as assessed by a standardized cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and to identify the associated disease features. Methods: Forty-six SSc patients were enrolled and evaluated for clinical and serological SSc subset, extent of skin and internal organ involvement, and disease activity and severity. Exercise performance was subsequently evaluated in these patients and in 23 healthy individuals matched for sex and age, using a standardized CPET. Results: Exercise performance, measured by maximum oxygen uptake ( max < 80% of predicted value), was found to be impaired in 43/46 patients. Stepwise regression analysis showed that max adjusted for body weight ( max/kg) was independently correlated with the severity of heart (p = 0.001) and lung (p = 0.013) involvement, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (p = 0.009), and the Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI) score (p = 0.016). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that physical disability contributes significantly to the development of impaired exercise performance in SSc patients. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing may be included among the battery of tests used to determine the severity of SSc.
The effects of replacement fly ash with diatomite in geopolymer mortar

This article presents the effect of replacement fly ash (FA) with diatomite (DE) on the properties of geopolymer mortars. DE was used to partially replace FA at the levels of 0, 60, 80 and 100% by weight of binder. Sodium silicate () and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions were used as the liquid portion in the mixture in order to activate the geopolymerization. The NaOH concentrations of 15M, /NaOH ratios of 1.5 by weight, and the alkaline liquid/binder (LB) ratios by weight of 0.40, 0.50, 0.60 and 0.70 were used. The curing at temperature of for 24 h was used to accelerate the geopolymerization. The flows of all fresh geopolymer mortars were tested. The compressive strengths and the stress-strain characteristics of the mortar at the age of 7 days, and the unit weights were also tested. The results revealed that the use of DE to replace part of FA as source material in making geopolymer mortars resulted in the increased in the workability, and strain capacity of mortar specimens and in the reductions in the unit weights and compressive strengths. The strain capacity of the mortar increased from 0.0028 to 0.0150 with the increase in the DE replacement levels from 0 to 100%. The mixes with 15M NaOH, /NaOH of 1.5, LB ratio of 0.50, and using curing temperature showed 7 days compressive strengths 22.0-81.0 MPa which are in the range of normal to high strength mortars.
Robust Diffeomorphic Mapping via Geodesically Controlled Active Shapes

This paper presents recent advances in the use of diffeomorphic active shapes which incorporate the conservation laws of large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping. The equations of evolution satisfying the conservation law are geodesics under the diffeomorphism metric and therefore termed geodesically controlled diffeomorphic active shapes (GDAS). Our principal application in this paper is on robust diffeomorphic mapping methods based on parameterized surface representations of subcortical template structures. Our parametrization of the GDAS evolution is via the initial momentum representation in the tangent space of the template surface. The dimension of this representation is constrained using principal component analysis generated from training samples. In this work, we seek to use template surfaces to generate segmentations of the hippocampus with three data attachment terms: surface matching, landmark matching, and inside-outside modeling from grayscale T1 MR imaging data. This is formulated as an energy minimization problem, where energy describes shape variability and data attachment accuracy, and we derive a variational solution. A gradient descent strategy is employed in the numerical optimization. For the landmark matching case, we demonstrate the robustness of this algorithm as applied to the workflow of a large neuroanatomical study by comparing to an existing diffeomorphic landmark matching algorithm.
Calcium‐binding proteins in skeletal muscles of the mdx mice: potential role in the pathogenesis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is one of the most common hereditary diseases. Abnormal ion handling renders dystrophic muscle fibers more susceptible to necrosis and a rise in intracellular calcium is an important initiating event in dystrophic muscle pathogenesis. In the mdx mice, muscles are affected with different intensities and some muscles are spared. We investigated the levels of the calcium‐binding proteins calsequestrin and calmodulin in the non‐spared axial (sternomastoid and diaphragm), limb (tibialis anterior and soleus), cardiac and in the spared extraocular muscles (EOM) of control and mdx mice. Immunoblotting analysis showed a significant increase of the proteins in the spared mdx EOM and a significant decrease in the most affected diaphragm. Both proteins were comparable to the cardiac muscle controls. In limb and sternomastoid muscles, calmodulin and calsequestrin were affected differently. These results suggest that differential levels of the calcium‐handling proteins may be involved in the pathogenesis of myonecrosis in mdx muscles. Understanding the signaling mechanisms involving Ca2+‐calmodulin activation and calsequestrin expression may be a valuable way to develop new therapeutic approaches to the dystrophinopaties.
Combined Pharmacological and Electrophysiological Dissociation of Familiarity and Recollection

Dual-process theories of recognition memory hypothesize separate underlying familiarity and recollection processes, but the necessity of multiple processes is debated. Previous research has suggested that scalp-recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) may index the activity of separate familiarity and recollection processes. Other research indicates that the amnestic drug midazolam impairs recollection more than familiarity. Here, we used a convergent pharmacological and electrophysiological approach to manipulate and monitor human brain activity and provide evidence for separate processes. Midazolam selectively influenced the putative ERP-correlate of recollection but not the putative ERP-correlate of familiarity. Under control conditions (saline), subjects’ accuracy correlated with the recollection-related but not the familiarity-related ERP component, suggesting that recollection was dominant in driving memory. The opposite pattern was observed under midazolam administration, suggesting that when recollection fails, subjects may leverage familiarity to compensate. Thus, in contrast to perspectives holding that familiarity represents the default process, these results suggest that recollection was dominant until its impairment unveiled the influence of familiarity.
Care Groups II: A Summary of the Child Survival Outcomes Achieved Using Volunteer Community Health Workers in Resource-Constrained Settings

Care Group projects resulted in high levels of healthy behavior, including use of oral rehydration therapy, bed nets, and health care services. Accordingly, under-5 mortality in Care Group areas declined by an estimated 32% compared with 11% in areas with child survival projects not using Care Groups. Care Group projects resulted in high levels of healthy behavior, including use of oral rehydration therapy, bed nets, and health care services. Accordingly, under-5 mortality in Care Group areas declined by an estimated 32% compared with 11% in areas with child survival projects not using Care Groups. The Care Group approach, described in detail in a companion paper in this journal, uses volunteers to convey health promotion messages to their neighbors. This article summarizes the available evidence on the effectiveness of the Care Group approach, drawing on articles published in the peer-reviewed literature as well as data from unpublished but publicly available project evaluations and summary analyses of these evaluations. When implemented by strong international NGOs with adequate funding, Care Groups have been remarkably effective in increasing population coverage of key child survival interventions. There is strong evidence that Care Groups can reduce childhood undernutrition and reduce the prevalence of diarrhea. Finally, evidence from multiple sources, comprising independent assessments of mortality impact, vital events collected by Care Group Volunteers themselves, and analyses using the Lives Saved Tool (LiST), that Care Groups are effective in reducing under-5 mortality. For example, the average decline in under-5 mortality, estimated using LiST, among 8 Care Group projects was 32%. In comparison, among 12 non-Care Group child survival projects, the under-5 mortality declined, on average, by an estimated 11%. Care Group projects cost in the range of US$3–$8 per beneficiary per year. The cost per life saved is in the range of $441–$3,773, and the cost per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted is in the range of $15–$126. The Care Group approach, when implemented as described, appears to be highly cost-effective based on internationally accepted criteria. Care Groups represent an important and promising innovative, low-cost approach to increasing the coverage of key child survival interventions in high-mortality, resource-constrained settings. Next steps include further specifying the adjustments needed in government health systems to successfully incorporate the Care Group approach, testing the feasibility of these adjustments and of the effectiveness of Care Groups in pilot programs in government health systems, and finally assessing effectiveness at scale under routine field conditions in government health programs.
Contrast on tensile and flexural properties of glass powder reinforced epoxy composites: Pilot study

Epoxy resin was filled with glass powder to optimize the tensile and flexural strength of the composite for structural applications by a research centre in the University of Southern Queensland (USQ). In order to reduce costs, the centre wishes to fill as much glass microspheres as possible subject to maintaining sufficient strength of the composites in structural applications. This project varies the percentage by weight of the glass powder in the composites. After casting the composites to the moulds, they were cured at ambient conditions for 24 hours. They were then post-cured in a conventional oven and subjected to tensile and flexural tests. The contribution of the study was that if tensile and flexural properties were the most important factors to be considered in the applications of the composites, the maximum amount of glass powder can be added to the resin will be five (5) percent. It was also found that the fractured surfaces examined under scanning electron microscope were correlated with the tensile and flexural strength It is also hoped that the discussion and results in this work would not only contribute towards the development of glass powder reinforced epoxy composites with better material properties, but also useful for the investigations of tensile and flexural properties in other composites.
Neural and computational processes underlying dynamic changes in self-esteem

Self-esteem is shaped by the appraisals we receive from others. Here, we characterize neural and computational mechanisms underlying this form of social influence. We introduce a computational model that captures fluctuations in self-esteem engendered by prediction errors that quantify the difference between expected and received social feedback. Using functional MRI, we show these social prediction errors correlate with activity in ventral striatum/subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, while updates in self-esteem resulting from these errors co-varied with activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). We linked computational parameters to psychiatric symptoms using canonical correlation analysis to identify an ‘interpersonal vulnerability’ dimension. Vulnerability modulated the expression of prediction error responses in anterior insula and insula-vmPFC connectivity during self-esteem updates. Our findings indicate that updating of self-evaluative beliefs relies on learning mechanisms akin to those used in learning about others. Enhanced insula-vmPFC connectivity during updating of those beliefs may represent a marker for psychiatric vulnerability.
Changes in aldehyde dehydrogenase activity during diethylnitrosamine- or 2-acetylaminofluorene-initiated rat hepatocarcinogenesis.

Hepatomas induced in postweanling male Sprague-Dawley rats by sequential dietary 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF):phenobarbital (PB) exposure possess an aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) phenotype qualitatively and quantitatively different from that of normal liver. To assess the generality of this phenotype, we have evaluated the ability of another family of carcinogens and an additional tumor induction protocol to induce this change. One-day-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were given injections i.p. of either diethylnitrosamine (DEN) or AAF (0.15 µmol/g body weight in corn oil). Animals were weaned onto a 30% protein diet containing 0.05% PB. At intervals up to 27 weeks after weaning, animals were sacrificed, and the ALDH phenotype of both normal liver and any lesions was characterized. Elevated NAD(P)-dependent, benzaldehyde-oxidizing activity, the major marker of the tumor-specific ALDH phenotype, was not detected in any normal liver during the experiment. Only DEN:PB-treated animals developed hepatic tumors. Twenty-one tumors were found in 14 animals, the first being observed at 105 days of age. Sixteen of the tumors possessed the tumor-specific ALDH phenotype as determined by changes in total ALDH activity, isozyme patterns, and/or immunochemical methods. Another significant change in hepatic ALDH, characterized by elevated NAD-dependent activity, was observed in normal liver of some animals receiving PB following either DEN (seven of 34) or AAF (11 of 34). Only one animal in each of the control groups (one of 17 PB controls; one of 16 basal-diet controls) had marginally elevated NAD-dependent ALDH activity. This ALDH activity is distinguishable from the normal liver ALDHs and from the tumor-specific phenotype by a number of properties, but it appears identical to a promotion-associated hepatic ALDH observed previously in some animals initiated with dietary AAF followed by dietary PB promotion. These results extend induction of the tumor-specific ALDH phenotype to another family of carcinogens, the nitrosamines, and confirm that the phenotypic change is due to an initiator-induced, stable genetic change that is expressed relatively late in hepatocarcinogenesis. The appearance of an additional, independent change in ALDH activity during the promotion phase of hepatocarcinogenesis suggests that changes in ALDH activity may also be useful in understanding the interactions of initiators and promoters during tumorigenesis.
Usefulness of Single Voxel Proton MR Spectroscopy in the Evaluation of Hippocampal Sclerosis

Objective The purpose of our study was to determine the ability of H-1 MR spectroscopy (MRS) to lateralize the lesion in patients with hippocampal sclerosis. Materials and Methods Twenty healthy volunteers and 25 patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy whose MR imaging diagnosis was unilateral hippocampal sclerosis were included. This diagnosis was based on the presence of unilateral atrophy and/or high T2 signal intensity of the hippocampus. Single-voxel H-1 MRS was carried out on a 1.5-T unit using PRESS sequence (TE, 136 msec). Spectra were obtained from hippocampal areas bilaterally with volumes of interest (VOIs) of 6.0 cm3 and 2.25 cm3 in healthy volunteers, and of either 6.0 cm3 (n = 14) or 2.25 cm3 (n = 11) in patients. Metabolite ratios of NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr were calculated from relative peak height measurements. The capability of MRS to lateralize the lesion and to detect bilateral abnormalities was compared with MR imaging diagnosis as a standard of reference. Results In healthy volunteers, NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr ratios were greater than 0.8 and 1.0, respectively. In patients, the mean values of these ratios were significantly lower on the lesion side than on the contralateral side, and lower than those of healthy volunteers (p < .05). The overall correct lateralization rate of MRS was 72% (18/25); this rate was lower with a VOI of 6.0 cm3 than of 2.25 cm3 (64% versus 82%, p < .05). Bilateral abnormalities on MRS were found in 24% (6/25) of cases. Conclusion Although its rate of correct lateralization is low, single-voxel H-1 MRS is a useful and promising diagnostic tool in the evaluation of hippocampal sclerosis, particularly for the detection of bilateral abnormalities. To improve the diagnostic accuracy of H-1 MRS, further investigation, including the use of a smaller VOI and measurement of the absolute amount of metabolites, are needed.
N‐Glycan‐based ER Molecular Chaperone and Protein Quality Control System: The Calnexin Binding Cycle

Helenius and colleagues proposed over 20‐years ago a paradigm‐shifting model for how chaperone binding in the endoplasmic reticulum was mediated and controlled for a new type of molecular chaperone‐ the carbohydrate‐binding chaperones, calnexin and calreticulin. While the originally established basics for this lectin chaperone binding cycle holds true today, there has been a number of important advances that have expanded our understanding of its mechanisms of action, role in protein homeostasis, and its connection to disease states that are highlighted in this review.
Ariadne: Topology Aware Adaptive Security for Cyber-Physical Systems

This paper presents Ariadne, a tool for engineering topology aware adaptive security for cyber-physical systems. It allows security software engineers to model security requirements together with the topology of the operational environment. This model is then used at runtime to perform speculative threat analysis to reason about the consequences that topological changes arising from the movement of agents and assets can have on the satisfaction of security requirements. Our tool also identifies an adaptation strategy that applies security controls when necessary to prevent potential security requirements violations.
Handling bipolar knowledge with imprecise probabilities

Information is said to be bipolar when it has a positive and a negative part. The problem of representing and processing such bipolar information has recently received a lot of attention in uncertainty theories. In this paper, we are concerned with the representation of asymmetric bipolarity, i.e., with situations where positive and negative information are unrelated and processed in parallel. In this latter case, positive information consists of observations of experiment results, showing what values are possible, whereas negative information consists of constraints (e.g., provided by an expert), restricting the range of possible variable values. Up to now, there are no proposition as to how such bipolar information can be treated in the framework of imprecise probability theory, i.e., when information is represented by convex sets of probabilities. In this paper, we propose the basis of such a framework and provide some illustrative examples. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.