Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of storage duration and temperature of Moringa oleifera stock solution on its performance in coagulation

This study presents the effects of storage duration and temperature of Moringa oleifera stock solution on its coagulation efficiency. Moringa oleifera stock solutions, which were kept at room temperature (28°C), were able to remove turbidity from medium, high and very high turbidity water samples and no coagulation activity was observed for low turbidity water and surface water tested. The highest turbidity removals were observed for stock solutions, which were kept for one day. For Moringa oleifera stock solutions, which were stored longer up to 3 days, the turbidity removal efficiencies decreased to 73.6%, 86.8% and 92.3 % for medium, high and very high turbidity water samples respectively. In the case of medium and high turbidity water samples, Moringa oleifera stock solutions, which were kept for more than 3 days did not perform any coagulation process, while for very high turbidity water sample, it was found to coagulate slightly about 14.9 % and 3.9 % for those which were stored for 5 and 7 days, respectively. For those Moringa oleifera stock solutions, which were stored at 3°C up to 5 days, no significant differences were found between their turbidity removal efficiency on medium, high and very high turbidity, while those that were stored for more than 5 day did not perform coagulation. For surface water and low turbidity water samples significant differences were observed between turbidity removal efficiency of Moringa oleifera stored for different durations. Highest turbidity removal for surface water and low turbidity water were obtained using Moringa oleifera which were kept for 3 days or less and it decreased when using Moringa oleifera stock solution, which were stored longer.
Is self-guided internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) harmful? An individual participant data meta-analysis

Abstract Background Little is known about potential harmful effects as a consequence of self-guided internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy (iCBT), such as symptom deterioration rates. Thus, safety concerns remain and hamper the implementation of self-guided iCBT into clinical practice. We aimed to conduct an individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of clinically significant deterioration (symptom worsening) in adults with depressive symptoms who received self-guided iCBT compared with control conditions. Several socio-demographic, clinical and study-level variables were tested as potential moderators of deterioration. Methods Randomised controlled trials that reported results of self-guided iCBT compared with control conditions in adults with symptoms of depression were selected. Mixed effects models with participants nested within studies were used to examine possible clinically significant deterioration rates. Results Thirteen out of 16 eligible trials were included in the present IPD meta-analysis. Of the 3805 participants analysed, 7.2% showed clinically significant deterioration (5.8% and 9.1% of participants in the intervention and control groups, respectively). Participants in self-guided iCBT were less likely to deteriorate (OR 0.62, p < 0.001) compared with control conditions. None of the examined participant- and study-level moderators were significantly associated with deterioration rates. Conclusions Self-guided iCBT has a lower rate of negative outcomes on symptoms than control conditions and could be a first step treatment approach for adult depression as well as an alternative to watchful waiting in general practice.
Natalizumab and impedance of the homing of CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors.

BACKGROUND Treatment with natalizumab, an antibody blocking the α4-integrin, is associated with increased numbers of circulating CD34+ cells in the peripheral blood of patients with multiple sclerosis. OBJECTIVE To determine whether natalizumab mobilizes CD34+ cells from or inhibits homing to the bone marrow (BM). DESIGN Fifty-two patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis treated with natalizumab were included. Flow cytometric analyses; polymerase chain reaction assays for JC (John Cunningham) virus DNA detection; and adhesion, migration, and apoptosis assays of immunomagnetically enriched peripheral blood and BM CD34+ cells were conducted. A comparison was made with CD34+ cells from granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-mobilized peripheral blood or steady-state BM of age- and sex-matched healthy donors. RESULTS We found adhesion and migration of peripheral blood-derived CD34+ cells to be reduced. In BM aspirates from natalizumab-treated patients, the cellularity, the proportion, and the adhesive capacity of CD34+ cells were normal. The JC virus was undetectable. CONCLUSIONS Natalizumab mediates an increase in circulating CD34+ cells by interfering with homing to the BM. Thus, CD34+ cells appear unlikely to represent a source mobilizing JC virus out of the BM in patients treated with natalizumab.
Time-response shaping using output to input saturation transformation

ABSTRACT For linear systems, the control law design is often performed so that the resulting closed loop meets specific frequency-domain requirements. However, in many cases, it may be observed that the obtained controller does not enforce time-domain requirements amongst which the objective of keeping a scalar output variable in a given interval. In this article, a transformation is proposed to convert prescribed bounds on an output variable into time-varying saturations on the synthesised linear scalar control law. This transformation uses some well-chosen time-varying coefficients so that the resulting time-varying saturation bounds do not overlap in the presence of disturbances. Using an anti-windup approach, it is obtained that the origin of the resulting closed loop is globally asymptotically stable and that the constrained output variable satisfies the time-domain constraints in the presence of an unknown finite-energy-bounded disturbance. An application to a linear ball and beam model is presented.
The dynamics of motivated perception: Effects of control and status on the perception of ambivalent stimuli

Previous studies on attentional biases often show contradictory results. This suggests that important moderating variables have been neglected so far. We suggest that (1) control over potential consequences and (2) satisfaction with the current status are important factors that need to be considered. We explored the influence of these variables using a colour classification task, where colours are associated with financial gains and losses. Data were analysed with hierarchical logistic regression models and with stochastic diffusion models. The latter approach has the special advantage that it allows separating perceptual and judgemental biases. Results show an overall positive judgemental bias. In the absence of control, this positivity bias increases with the amount of money that has been gained, whereas the opposite pattern is present when dangers can be controlled. In the second experiment, no general feedback was given, which led to an increasing negativity bias. Results are discussed within an action theoretic framework.
Resist Globally, Infect Locally: A Transcontinental Test of Adaptation by Stickleback and Their Tapeworm Parasite

Parasite infections are a product of both ecological processes affecting host-parasite encounter rates and evolutionary dynamics affecting host susceptibility. However, few studies examine natural infection variation from both ecological and evolutionary perspectives. Here, we describe the ecological and evolutionary factors generating variation in infection rates by a tapeworm (Schistocephalus solidus) in a vertebrate host, the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). To explore ecological aspects of infection, we measured tapeworm prevalence in Canadian stickleback inhabiting two distinct environments: marine and freshwater. Consistent with ecological control of infection, the tapeworm is very rare in marine environments, even though marine fish are highly susceptible. Conversely, commonly infected freshwater stickleback exhibit substantial resistance in controlled laboratory trials, suggesting that high exposure risk overwhelms their recently evolved resistance. We also tested for parasite adaptation to its host by performing transcontinental reciprocal infections, using stickleback and tapeworm populations from Europe and western Canada. More infections occurred in same-continent host-parasite combinations, indicating parasite “local” adaptation, at least on the scale of continents. However, the recently evolved immunity of freshwater hosts applies to both local and foreign parasites. The pattern of adaptation described here is not wholly compatible with either of the common models of host-parasite coevolution (i.e., matching infection or targeted recognition). Instead, we propose a hybrid, eco-evolutionary model to explain the remarkable pattern of global host resistance and local parasite infectivity.
Cortical Circuits of Callosal GABAergic Neurons

Anatomical studies have shown that the majority of callosal axons are glutamatergic. However, a small proportion of callosal axons are also immunoreactive for glutamic acid decarboxylase, an enzyme required for gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) synthesis and a specific marker for GABAergic neurons. Here, we test the hypothesis that corticocortical parvalbumin-expressing (CC-Parv) neurons connect the two hemispheres of multiple cortical areas, project through the corpus callosum, and are a functional part of the local cortical circuit. Our investigation of this hypothesis takes advantage of viral tracing and optogenetics to determine the anatomical and electrophysiological properties of CC-Parv neurons of the mouse auditory, visual, and motor cortices. We found a direct inhibitory pathway made up of parvalbumin-expressing (Parv) neurons which connects corresponding cortical areas (CC-Parv neurons → contralateral cortex). Like other Parv cortical neurons, these neurons provide local inhibition onto nearby pyramidal neurons and receive thalamocortical input. These results demonstrate a previously unknown long-range inhibitory circuit arising from a genetically defined type of GABAergic neuron that is engaged in interhemispheric communication.
Talin Contains A C-Terminal Calpain2 Cleavage Site Important In Focal Adhesion Dynamics

Talin is a large (∼2540 residues) dimeric adaptor protein that associates with the integrin family of cell adhesion molecules in cell-extracellular matrix junctions (focal adhesions; FAs), where it both activates integrins and couples them to the actin cytoskeleton. Calpain2-mediated cleavage of talin between the head and rod domains has previously been shown to be important in FA turnover. Here we identify an additional calpain2-cleavage site that removes the dimerisation domain from the C-terminus of the talin rod, and show that an E2492G mutation inhibits calpain cleavage at this site in vitro, and increases the steady state levels of talin1 in vivo. Expression of a GFP-tagged talin1 E2492G mutant in CHO.K1 cells inhibited FA turnover and the persistence of cell protrusion just as effectively as a L432G mutation that inhibits calpain cleavage between the talin head and rod domains. Moreover, incorporation of both mutations into a single talin molecule had an additive effect clearly demonstrating that calpain cleavage at both the N- and C-terminal regions of talin contribute to the regulation of FA dynamics. However, the N-terminal site was more sensitive to calpain cleavage suggesting that lower levels of calpain are required to liberate the talin head and rod fragments than are needed to clip off the C-terminal dimerisation domain. The talin head and rod liberated by calpain2 cleavage have recently been shown to play roles in an integrin activation cycle important in FA turnover and in FAK-dependent cell cycle progression respectively. The half-life of the talin head is tightly regulated by ubiquitination and we suggest that removal of the C-terminal dimerisation domain from the talin rod may provide a mechanism both for terminating the signalling function of the talin rod and indeed for inactivating full-length talin thereby promoting FA turnover at the rear of the cell.
The EasyTube during general anesthesia for minor surgery

Background: The EasyTube (EzT) is a supraglottic airway device that is used for emergency airway situations. Ventilation during general anesthesia should also be feasible, but literature on the EzT is scarce. We evaluated the EzT in comparison with the endotracheal tube (ETT) in its use during general anesthesia in a comparative study. Methods: A total of 400 patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I to II scheduled for minor surgery in 4 centers were randomized for ventilation via the ETT or EzT. Results: In all patients, the EzT and the ETT could be inserted within 3 attempts. In all EzT patients, the inspiratory and expiratory minute volumes (6.64 ± 0.71 and 6.34 ± 0.69 L/min) were sufficient to reach target oxygenation values, similar to ETT patients (P = .59). Mean peak pressure, mean plateau pressure, and mean dynamic compliance did not differ between the groups. Sore throat and blood on the cuff after removal were the most frequent complications in both groups. Conclusion: Ventilation for up to 1 hour during general anesthesia in patients with ASA physical status I to II with the EzT is feasible and safe.
Speech Perception in Complex Acoustic Environments: Developmental Effects.

Purpose The ability to hear and understand speech in complex acoustic environments follows a prolonged time course of development. The purpose of this article is to provide a general overview of the literature describing age effects in susceptibility to auditory masking in the context of speech recognition, including a summary of findings related to the maturation of processes thought to facilitate segregation of target from competing speech. Method Data from published and ongoing studies are discussed, with a focus on synthesizing results from studies that address age-related changes in the ability to perceive speech in the presence of a small number of competing talkers. Conclusions This review provides a summary of the current state of knowledge that is valuable for researchers and clinicians. It highlights the importance of considering listener factors, such as age and hearing status, as well as stimulus factors, such as masker type, when interpreting masked speech recognition data. Presentation Video http://cred.pubs. asha.org/article.aspx? articleid=2601620.
Current Concepts Iliotibial Band Syndrome : Soft Tissue and Biomechanical Factors in Evaluation and Treatment

Muscle performance factors and altered loading mechanics have been linked to a variety of lower extremity musculoskeletal disorders. In this article, biomechanical risk factors associated with iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) are described, and a strategy for incorporating these factors into the clinical evaluation of and treatment for that disorder is presented. Abnormal movement patterns in runners and cyclists with ITBS are discussed, and the pathophysiological characteristics of this syndrome are considered in light of prior and current studies in anatomy. Differential diagnoses and the use of imaging, medications, and injections in the treatment of ITBS are reviewed. The roles of hip muscle strength, kinematics, and kinetics are detailed, and the assessment and treatment of muscle performance factors are discussed, with emphasis on identifying and treating movement dysfunction. Various stages of rehabilitation, including strengthening progressions to reduce soft-tissue injury, are described in detail. ITBS is an extremely common orthopedic condition that presents with consistent dysfunctional patterns in muscle performance and movement deviation. Through careful assessment of lower quarter function, the clinician can properly identify individuals and initiate treatment. PM R 2011;3:550-561
Cereblon loss and up-regulation of c-Myc are associated with lenalidomide resistance in multiple myeloma patients

Multiple myeloma (MM) patients who become refractory to anti-MM drugs have a very poor prognosis. Therefore, it is important to gain insight into the mechanisms of resistance to these drugs. Immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) have immune-stimulatory and anti-angiogenic properties as well as direct anti-
Flow Cytometric Characterization and Clinical Outcome of CD4+ T‐Cell Lymphoma in Dogs: 67 Cases

Background Canine T‐cell lymphoma (TCL) is conventionally considered an aggressive disease, but some forms are histologically and clinically indolent. CD4 TCL is reported to be the most common subtype of TCL. We assessed flow cytometric characteristics, histologic features when available, and clinical outcomes of CD4+ TCL to determine if flow cytometry can be used to subclassify this group of lymphomas. Objective To test the hypothesis that canine CD4+ T‐cell lymphoma (TCL) is a homogeneous group of lymphomas with an aggressive clinical course. Animals Sixty‐seven dogs diagnosed with CD4+ TCL by flow cytometry and treated at 1 of 3 oncology referral clinics. Methods Retrospective multivariable analysis of outcome in canine CD4+ TCL including patient characteristics, treatment, and flow cytometric features. Results The majority of CD4+ TCL were CD45+, expressed low class II MHC, and exhibited an aggressive clinical course independent of treatment regimen (median survival, 159 days). Histologically, CD4+ TCL were classified as lymphoblastic or peripheral T cell. Size of the neoplastic lymphocytes had a modest effect on both PFI and survival in this group. A small number of CD4+ TCL were CD45− and class II MHC high, and exhibited an apparently more indolent clinical course (median survival not yet reached). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Although the majority of CD4+ TCL in dogs had uniform clinical and flow cytometric features and an aggressive clinical course, a subset had a unique immunophenotype that predicts significantly longer survival. This finding strengthens the utility of flow cytometry to aid in the stratification of canine lymphoma.
How the Magnitude of Prey Genetic Variation Alters Predator-Prey Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics

Evolution can alter the stability and dynamics of ecological communities; for example, prey evolution can drive cyclic dynamics in predator-prey systems that are not possible in the absence of evolution. However, it is unclear how the magnitude of additive genetic variation in the evolving species mediates those effects. In this study, I explore how the magnitude of prey additive genetic variation determines what effects prey evolution has on the dynamics and stability of predator-prey systems. I use linear stability analysis to decompose the stability of a general eco-evolutionary predator-prey model into components representing the stabilities of the ecological and evolutionary subsystems as well as the interactions between those subsystems. My results show that with low genetic variation, the cyclic dynamics and stability of the system are determined by the ecological subsystem. With increased genetic variation, disruptive selection always destabilizes stable communities, stabilizing selection can stabilize or destabilize communities, and prey evolution can alter predator-prey phase lags. Stability changes occur approximately when the magnitude of genetic variation balances the (in)stabilities of the ecological and evolutionary subsystems. I discuss the connections between my stability results and prior results from the theory of adaptive dynamics.
The use of whole exome sequencing for the diagnosis of autosomal recessive malignant infantile osteopetrosis

Autosomal recessive malignant infantile osteopetrosis is a congenital disease characterized by pathologically increased bone density. Recently, the use of whole exome sequencing has been utilized as a clinical diagnostic tool in a number of Mendelian disorders. In this study, whole exome sequencing (WES) was successfully used in six patients with malignant infantile osteopetrosis (MIOP) and identified mutations in four MIOP‐related genes (CLCN7, TCIRG1, SNX10, and TNFRSF11A). We report these patients, describe the mutations and review the current literature.
Fourteen-month-olds know what others experience only in joint engagement.

We investigated how 14-month-old infants know what others know. In two studies, an infant played with each of two objects in turn while an experimenter was present. Then the experimenter left the room, and the infant played with a third object with an assistant. The experimenter returned, faced all three objects, and said excitedly 'Look! Can you give it to me? ' In Study 1, the experimenter experienced each of the first two toys in episodes of joint visual engagement (without manipulation) with the infant. In response to her excited request infants gave the experimenter the object she did not know, thus demonstrating that they knew which ones she knew. In Study 2, infants witnessed the experimenter jointly engage around each of the experienced toys with the assistant, from a third-person perspective. In response to her request, infants did not give the experimenter the object she had not experienced. In combination with other studies, these results suggest that to know what others have experienced 14-month-old infants must do more than just perceive others perceiving something; they must engage with them actively in joint engagement.
Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals with High Spontaneous Polarization

The influence of chemical structure on spontaneous polarization, Ps, of a ferroelectric chiral smectic C meso¬phase is discussed. It is shown that the asymmetry, the presence of polar groups in the chiral centre, substitution, the presence of heterocycles in the central skeleton of the molecule and the hindrance of intramolecular rotations are the most important factors for the magnitude of the Ps. A survey of more than 60 compounds is presented including those with spontaneous polarization above 400 nC cm−2.
Is TWEAK a valid screening questionnaire to identify alcohol risk drinkers among pregnant women in Denmark?

Identification of pregnant alcohol risk drinkers is crucial to prevent adverse birth outcomes. The TWEAK screening instrument has shown promising results for identifying risk drinkers. However, as the effectiveness of the screening questionnaire has only been investigated among American women with mainly low socioeconomic status, we aimed to investigate the ability of TWEAK to identify alcohol risk drinkers among pregnant Danish women.
Glucose Promotes a Pro‐Oxidant and Pro‐Inflammatory Stromal Microenvironment Which Favors Motile Properties in Breast Tumor Cells

Chronic inflammation and metabolic reprogramming have been proposed as hallmarks of cancer development. Currently, many of the functional clues between these two phenomena are studied under the integrative view of functional stroma–epithelia interaction. It has been proposed that stromal cells, due to their abundance and avidity for glucose, are able to modify the metabolic behavior of an entire solid tumor. In the present study, using a mammary stromal cell line derived from healthy tissue subjected to long‐term culture in low (5 mM) or high (25 mM) glucose, we found that the hyperglycemic condition favors the establishment of a pro‐inflammatory and pro‐oxidant environment characterized by the induction of the COX‐2/PGE2 axis. In this condition, epithelial migration was stimulated. Moreover, we also found that stromal‐derived PGE2, acting as a stimulator of IL‐1 epithelial expression was one of the factors that promote the acquisition of motile properties by epithelial cells and the maintenance of a COX‐2/PGE2‐dependent inflammatory condition. Overall, our work provides experimental evidence that glucose stimulates a tumor inflammatory environment that, as a result of a functional cross‐talk between stroma and epithelia, may be responsible for tumor progression. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 994–1002, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.