Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the Canalicular Entrance Into the Lacrimal Sac: An Anatomical Study

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of a common canalicular entrance in the lacrimal sac and to investigate the anatomy of the canalicular/lacrimal sac junction with direct visualization using a novel cadaveric dissection technique. Methods: Preserved cadavers were dissected to allow direct visualization of the canalicular entrance(s) to the lumen of the lacrimal sac. The prevalence of a common canaliculus and the anatomical variations of the canalicular/lacrimal sac mucosal fold of tissue were recorded. Results: One hundred twenty-four lacrimal systems (95 cadavers; 43 female, 52 male) were included in the study analysis. Overall, 123 lacrimal systems demonstrated a common canaliculus entering the lacrimal sac. Only one demonstrated 2 separate orifices (right orbit; male) in the sac (0.08%; 95% confidence interval, 0.1%–4.4%). Seventy-four lacrimal systems had some variation of a canalicular/lacrimal sac mucosal fold (59.7%). The remaining 50 (40.3%) had no visible canalicular/lacrimal sac mucosal fold. Conclusions: This study provides direct anatomical evidence that the prevalence of separate canalicular orifices in the lacrimal sac is lower than previously reported (<1%). Additionally, the presence of a valve-like structure at the canalicular/lacrimal sac junction is common. These observations can potentially play a role in evaluating and treating lacrimal system pathology.
No Evidence for an Association between Persistent Measles Virus Infection and Otosclerosis among Patients with Otosclerosis in Japan

ABSTRACT Otosclerosis, which is characterized by disordered bone remodeling, occurs exclusively in the human temporal bone. The etiology of the disease is unknown, but a popular hypothesis is that it is caused by persistent measles virus (MV) infection. Paramyxovirus-like filamentous structures were found in otosclerotic lesions of stapes footplates from patients with otosclerosis. Although MV RNAs have been detected in otosclerotic samples by using reverse transcription-PCR, no complete MV mRNA sequence has been reported, nor has infectious virus been isolated from clinical samples. Furthermore, one study failed to obtain evidence of MV infection in otosclerotic bone samples. In this study, we tested, by three different protocols, for the presence of MV in clinical samples from patients with otosclerosis in Japan. We used a highly sensitive reverse transcription-quantitative PCR method which is able to detect viral mRNA in cells infected with MV at around one infectious unit per well. We obtained no evidence of MV infection in bone samples, primary cell cultures derived from stapes bones, or MV-susceptible cell lines (Vero/hSLAM and II-18 cells) cocultured with bone samples or primary cell cultures derived from them. Thus, our results do not support the hypothesis that persistent MV infection is involved in the pathoetiology of otosclerosis.
Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and plasma concentrations of lipid peroxidation in premenopausal women.

BACKGROUND A Mediterranean diet has been associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. A possible mechanism is through a decrease in lipid peroxidation (LPO); however, evidence linking the Mediterranean diet with lower LPO in premenopausal women is sparse. OBJECTIVE We investigated whether adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with lower LPO concentrations in premenopausal women. DESIGN Two hundred fifty-nine healthy women aged 18-44 y were followed for ≤ 2 menstrual cycles. Plasma concentrations of F(2)-isoprostane (8-iso-PGF2α), 9-hydroxyoctadecadieneoic acid (9-HODE), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were measured ≤ 8 times per cycle at visits scheduled by using fertility monitors. Diet was assessed ≤ 4 times per cycle by using 24-h dietary recalls. The alternate Mediterranean Diet Score (aMED) (range: 0-9) was calculated on the basis of intake of vegetables, legumes, fruit, nuts, whole grains, red and processed meat, fish, and alcohol and the ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fat. RESULTS A 1-unit increase in aMED was associated with a 4.50% decrease in 8-iso-PGF2α concentrations (95% CI: -6.32%, -2.65%) and a 14.01% decrease in 9-HODE concentrations (95% CI: -17.88%, -9.96%) after adjustment for energy intake, age, race, body mass index, plasma ascorbic acid, and serum cholesterol. No significant association was observed between aMED and TBARS. A 1-unit increase in aMED was associated with a 1.39% increase (95% CI: 0.07%, 2.72%) in plasma ascorbic acid concentrations. CONCLUSIONS Adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with lower LPO and higher ascorbic acid concentrations. These results confirm that decreased LPO is a plausible mechanism linking a Mediterranean diet to reduced cardiovascular disease risk.
Region-Line Association Constraints for High-Resolution Image Segmentation

Man-made objects, including buildings and roads, often feature straight boundaries. Specific shape features, including parallel boundaries (e.g., roads and buildings) and perpendicular corners (e.g., buildings), are strong structural clues for distinguishing man-made objects from natural objects. In this study, such observations are implemented in remote-sensing image segmentation. Several region-line association constraints are proposed, including the parallel straight line (PLSL) neighborhood, the perpendicular straight line (PPSL) neighborhood, and the PLSL zone. A region-merging process with these structural constraints is appended to the hard-boundary-constrained segmentation method (HBC-SEG), which is a multiscale image segmentation method. Results show that, compared with HBC-SEG, the proposed method presents a significant decrease in oversegmentation errors (measured by recall ratio r) and an insignificant increase in undersegmentation errors (measured by precision p). As a result, measure $m_{2}$, which synthetically evaluates undersegmentation and oversegmentation errors, increases significantly. The improved method helps obtain complete objects, thus facilitating feature extraction and image classification for object-based image analysis.
Microstructural Study of a Bond Coat Type Al-Rich Intermetallic Alloy for Nb-Silicide Based Alloys for High Temperature Structural Applications

Bond coat (BC) alloys are used in coating systems for turbine aerofoils to increase oxidation resistance at high temperatures and improve the adherence between the substrate alloy and top coat [1]. BC alloys allow structural materials to withstand aggressive environments. Their thermally grown oxide acts as barrier to oxygen and other contaminants. To fulfil this function, BC alloys contain elements that form protective oxide scales under oxidation conditions at medium and high temperatures. The most protective oxide scales are those of Al2O3, SiO2 and Cr2O3. Nb-silicide based alloys do not form protective oxide scales thus for their use, suitable coating systems are required [2].
Genetic studies of human apolipoproteins. VI. Common polymorphism of apolipoprotein E in blacks.

Human apolipoprotein E exhibits genetically determined polymorphism with three common alleles, and plays a pivotal role in lipoprotein metabolism. Except in Caucasians, variation at the apolipoprotein E locus has been studied poorly in world populations. Using isoelectric focusing and immunoblotting, we have determined apolipoprotein E phenotypes and gene frequencies in a large number of individuals of black ancestry from the U.S. and Nigeria. The common three allele polymorphism was observed in both populations, with a striking high frequency of the APO E*4 allele as compared to the reported values in other population groups. The frequencies of the three alleles, APO E*2, APO E*3, and APO E*4, respectively, are: 0.034, 0.706, 0.260 in U.S. Blacks and 0.028, 0.662, 0.310 in Nigerian Blacks.
Role of chromium in human metabolism, with special reference to type 2 diabetes.

when severe diabetic symptoms of a female patient on prolonged total parenteral nutrition (deficient in chromium) were alleviated by supplemental chromium. Two other similar studies on chromium supplementation in malnourished children and elderly people established the role of chromium in carbohydrate metabolism. 9-12 It is recognised as a nutritionally essential element with daily adequate intake (AI) of 25 µg for women and 35 µg for men 13 and with serum levels in healthy humans from developed countries of 2.3 - 40.3 nmol/l. 14 The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has replaced acceptable daily intake with calculated reference dose (RfD). The RfD is calculated from the ‘no observed adverse effect level’ from animal or human experiments and applying a “uncertainty and modifying factor” to it. 15 The reflects a staggering 350 times the ‘estimated safe and adequate dietary intake’ of 50-200 µg. The ratio of RfD to estimated safe intake is less than two for zinc, about two for manganese and about six for selenium. The ‘estimated safe and adequate dietary intake’ being 350 times less than the RfD reflects the lack of toxicity or adverse effects of chromium III, and probably dietary supplementation is greatly underdosed. 16
ptical Properties And Applications Of Germanium In Photonics

Two windows of atmospheric transparency in the infrared (IR) region of 3–5 μm and 8–14 μm almost overlap with the region of maximum transmission of germanium (Ge). Ge is transparent in the 1.8–23 μm range (although a number of phonon absorption bands are present in the 11–23 μm region), there is also a transparency window in the terahertz (THz) spectral range (~ 100–300 μm). Due to its physicochemical properties, crystalline germanium is one of the backbone materials of IR photonics and its use amounts to 25–30% of the total consumption pattern of this material.
Antifaces: A Novel, Fast Method for Image Detection

This paper offers a novel detection method, which works well even in the case of a complicated image collection. It can also be applied to detect 3D objects under different views. The detection problem is solved by sequentially applying very simple filters (or detectors), which are designed to yield small results on the multitemplate (hence antifaces), and large results on "random" natural images. This is achieved by making use of a simple probabilistic assumption on the distribution of natural images, which is borne out well in practice. Only images which passed the threshold test imposed by the first detector are examined by the second detector, etc. The detectors are designed to act independently so that their false alarms are uncorrelated; this results in a false alarm rate which decreases exponentially in the number of detectors. The algorithm's performance compares favorably to the well-known eigenface and support vector machine based algorithms, but is substantially faster.
Effect of Dietary Ribonucleotides on Infant Immune Status. Part 2: Immune Cell Development

The objective of this study was to determine whether dietary ribonucleotides alter immune cell phenotypes or function in the first year of life. Newborn term infants in a double-blind, 12-mo, multicenter trial were randomized to cow milk formula groups with (FN, n = 138) or without (F, n = 147) 72 mg/L supplemental ribonucleotides. A nonrandomized HMF cohort (n = 192) was concurrently enrolled. Eighty-eight immune blood cell types were characterized by flow cytometry. Data were analyzed by multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA), ANOVA, and repeated measures analysis (RMA), with adjustments made for multiple comparisons. Ribonucleotide feeding changed subpopulations of T and natural killer (NK) cells. FN had higher numbers and percentages of memory/effector (M/E) cytotoxic/suppressor (CD45R0+CD8+, RMA) T, Fas+ M/E (CD45R0+CD95+CD3+, 6 mo) T, and CD56+CD16− NK cells (CD56+CD16−CD3−CD8−, 12 mo), and higher percentages of M/E helper (CD45R0+CD4+, RMA) T, Tc1 (IFNγ+CD4−CD3+, RMA), total interferon (IFN)γT (IFNγ+CD4+/−CD3+, RMA), Th2 (IL-4+CD4+CD3+, 7 mo), and CD57+ NK-T cells (CD57+CD56−CD3+, 6 mo, 7 mo) compared with F. Percentages of naive helper T (CD45RA+CD4+, 12 mo) and numbers and percentages of CD56+ NK-T cells (CD56+CD16−CD3+CD8−, 2 mo, 6 mo) were lower in FN than F. Percentages of M/E cytotoxic/suppressor, Th2, and CD56+CD16− NK cells in FN were significantly higher than F but were not different from HMF, whereas F was significantly lower than HMF. Ribonucleotide supplementation of infant formula supported increased T-cell maturation and affected immunoregulatory NK cell subsets. These FN-associated immune cell profiles either did not differ from those infants fed HMF or tended to be more like those fed HMF than those fed F.
Plasticity of genetic interactions in metabolic networks of yeast

Why are most genes dispensable? The impact of gene deletions may depend on the environment (plasticity), the presence of compensatory mechanisms (mutational robustness), or both. Here, we analyze the interaction between these two forces by exploring the condition-dependence of synthetic genetic interactions that define redundant functions and alternative pathways. We performed systems-level flux balance analysis of the yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) metabolic network to identify genetic interactions and then tested the model's predictions with in vivo gene-deletion studies. We found that the majority of synthetic genetic interactions are restricted to certain environmental conditions, partly because of the lack of compensation under some (but not all) nutrient conditions. Moreover, the phylogenetic cooccurrence of synthetically interacting pairs is not significantly different from random expectation. These findings suggest that these gene pairs have at least partially independent functions, and, hence, compensation is only a byproduct of their evolutionary history. Experimental analyses that used multiple gene deletion strains not only confirmed predictions of the model but also showed that investigation of false predictions may both improve functional annotation within the model and also lead to the discovery of higher-order genetic interactions. Our work supports the view that functional redundancy may be more apparent than real, and it offers a unified framework for the evolution of environmental adaptation and mutational robustness.
Robust automatic speech recognition using acoustic model adaptation prior to missing feature reconstruction

When speech recognition is used in real-world environments, simultaneous speaker and environmental adaptation and compensation for time-varying noise effects is needed. Noise compensation methods like missing feature reconstruction should be combined with adaptation methods like constrained maximum likelihood linear regression (CMLLR). This is only straightforward if reconstruction is used prior to CMLLR. In this work, reconstruction is modified so that we can estimate CMLLR transformations prior to reconstruction. The new approach is evaluated on large vocabulary speech data recorded in noisy public and car environments and compared to using reconstruction prior to CMLLR estimation. The results suggest the noise environment determines which approach is better. Using adaptation prior to reconstruction has the better performance when evaluated on data from public environments. The relative reductions in letter error rate were 47-50 % compared to the baseline and 13-19 % compared to using either adaptation or reconstruction alone.
Tight bounds on The Fourier Spectrum of AC0

We show that AC0 circuits on n variables with depth d and size m have at most 2−Ω(k/logd−1m) of their Fourier mass at level k or above. Our proof builds on a previous result by Hastad (SICOMP, 2014) who proved this bound for the special case k = n. Our result improves the seminal result of Linial, Mansour and Nisan (JACM, 1993) and is tight up to the constants hidden in the Ω notation.As an application, we improve Braverman's celebrated result (JACM, 2010). Braverman showed that any r(m, d, e)-wise independent distribution e-fools AC0 circuits of size m and depth d, forr(m, d,e) = O(log(m/e))2d2+7d+3.Our improved bounds on the Fourier tails of AC0 circuits allows us to improve this estimate to r(m, d,e) = O(log(m/e))3d+3.In contrast, an example by Mansour (appearing in Luby and Velickovic's paper - Algorithmica, 1996) shows that there is a logd−1(m)·log(1/e)-wise independent distribution that does not e-fool AC0 circuits of size m and depth d. Hence, our result is tight up to the factor 3 in the exponent.
Tissue Resident Cells Play a Dominant Role in Arteriogenesis and Concomitant Macrophage Accumulation

Collateral growth is characterized by macrophage accumulation, suggesting an important role of circulating cells. To study origin and function of macrophages during arteriogenesis, we related the extent of macrophage accumulation to vascular proliferation and investigated the fate of fluorescently (CMFDA) labeled blood cells that were injected at the time of femoral artery occlusion. The effect of bone marrow depletion via cyclophosphamide before femoral artery occlusion on collateral proliferation and macrophage accumulation was studied, and we looked for the presence of bone marrow—derived stem cells in the vicinity of growing collateral vessels. Finally, we investigated the arteriogenic effect of macrophage activation via MCP-1 in bone marrow—depleted animals. Maximal macrophage accumulation occurred during the first 3 days after femoral artery occlusion and paralleled the extent of vascular proliferation. Fluorescently labeled leukocytes homed to spleen and wound but they were absent in proliferating collateral arteries during maximal macrophage accumulation. Depletion of circulating cells did neither affect macrophage accumulation nor collateral growth. Staining of monocyte-depleted animals for BrdUrd and ED2, &agr;SMA, or VE-Cadherin demonstrated local proliferation of macrophages and vascular cells, whereas C-Kit, SSEA1, or Thy1-positive bone marrow–derived stem cells were not detectable. Enhancement of macrophage accumulation via MCP-1 was independent of circulating monocytes and promoted arteriogenesis in the absence of direct effects on vascular cells. We propose that the initial phase of vascular growth is characterized by local proliferation of tissue resident precursors rather than by migration of blood born cells. The full text of this article is available online at http://circres.ahajournals. org.
Rrn3 Phosphorylation Is a Regulatory Checkpoint for Ribosome Biogenesis*

Cycloheximide inhibits ribosomal DNA (rDNA) transcription in vivo. The mouse homologue of yeast Rrn3, a polymerase-associated transcription initiation factor, can complement extracts from cycloheximide-treated mammalian cells. Cycloheximide inhibits the phosphorylation of Rrn3 and causes its dissociation from RNA polymerase I. Rrn3 interacts with the rpa43 subunit of RNA polymerase I, and treatment with cycloheximide inhibits the formation of a Rrn3·rpa43 complex in vivo. Rrn3 produced in Sf9 cells but not in bacteria interacts with rpa43 in vitro, and such interaction is dependent upon the phosphorylation state of Rrn3. Significantly, neither dephosphorylated Rrn3 nor Rrn3 produced in Escherichia coli can restore transcription by extracts from cycloheximide-treated cells. These results suggest that the phosphorylation state of Rrn3 regulates rDNA transcription by determining the steady-state concentration of the Rrn3·RNA polymerase I complex within the nucleolus.
On the evolution of the radio pulsar PSR J1734−3333

Recent measurements showed that the period derivative of the ‘hig h-B’ radio pulsar PSR J1734−3333 is increasing with time. For neutron stars evolving with fallback disks, this rotational behavior is expected in certain phases of the long-term evolution. Using the same model as employed earlier to explain the evolution of anomalous X-ray pulsars and soft gamma-ray repeaters, we show that the period,the first and second period derivatives and the X-ray luminosity of this source can simultaneously acquire the observed values for a neutron star evolving with a fallback disk. We find that the required strength of the dipole field that can produce the source properties is in the range of 10^12 − 10^13 G on the pole of the neutron star. When the model source reaches the current state properties of PSR J1734−3333, accretion onto the star has not started yet, allowing the source to operate as a regular radio pulsar. Our results imply that PSR J1734−3333 is at an age of ∼3×10^4 −2×10^5years. Such sources will have properties like the X-ray dim isolated neutron stars or transient AXPs at a later epoch of weak accretion from the diminished fallback disk.
How good are fuzzy If-Then classifiers?

This paper gives some known theoretical results about fuzzy rule-based classifiers and offers a few new ones. The ability of Takagi-Sugeno-Kang (TSK) fuzzy classifiers to match exactly and to approximate classification boundaries is discussed. The lemma by Klawonn and Klement about the exact match of a classification boundary in R (2) is extended from monotonous to arbitrary functions. Equivalence between fuzzy rule-based and nonfuzzy classifiers (1-nn and Parzen) is outlined. We specify the conditions under which a class of fuzzy TSK classifiers turn into lookup tables. It is shown that if the rule base consists of all possible rules (all combinations of linguistic labels on the input features), the fuzzy TSK model is a lookup classifier with hyperbox cells, regardless of the type (shape) of the membership functions used. The question "why fuzzy? " is addressed in the light of these results.
Does the Finnish intervention prevent obstetric anal sphincter injuries? A systematic review of the literature

Objectives A rise in obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS) has been observed and a preventive approach, originating in Finland, has been introduced in several European hospitals. The aim of this paper was to systematically evaluate the evidence behind the ‘Finnish intervention’. Design A systematic review of the literature conducted according to the Preferred Reporting for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Outcome measures The primary outcome was OASIS. Secondary outcomes were (perinatal): Apgar scores, pH and standard base excess in the umbilical cord, and (maternal): episiotomy, intact perineum, first and second-degree perineal lacerations, duration of second stage, birth position and women's perceptions/birth experiences. Methods Multiple databases (Cochrane, Embase, Pubmed and SveMed) were systematically searched for studies published up to December 2014. Both randomised controlled trials and observational studies were eligible for inclusion. Studies were excluded if a full-text article was not available. Studies were evaluated by use of international reporting guidelines (eg, STROBE). Results Overall, 1042 articles were screened and 65 retrieved for full-text evaluation. Seven studies, all observational and with a level of evidence at 2c or lower, were included and consistently reported a significant reduction in OASIS. All evaluated episiotomy and found a significant increase. Three studies evaluated perinatal outcomes and reported conflicting results. No study reported on other perineal outcomes, duration of the second stage, birth positions or women's perceptions. Conclusions A reduction in OASIS has been contributed to the Finnish intervention in seven observational studies, all with a low level of evidence. Knowledge about the potential perinatal and maternal side effects and women's perceptions of the intervention is extremely limited and the biological mechanisms underlying the Finnish intervention are not well documented. Studies with a high level of evidence are needed to assess the effects of the intervention before implementation in clinical settings can be recommended.