Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlation between human clusterin in seminal plasma with sperm protamine deficiency and DNA fragmentation

Seminal proteins can be considered as factors that control fertilization. Clusterin is one such protein that has been implicated in many activities, including apoptosis inhibition, cell cycle control, DNA repair, and sperm maturation. In this study, the relationship between human secretory clusterin (sCLU) in seminal plasma with sperm parameters, protamine deficiency, and DNA fragmentation was investigated. Semen samples were collected from 63 Iranian men, and semen analysis was performed according to World Health Organization criteria and computer aided semen analysis (CASA). The concentration of sCLU in seminal plasma was measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA), protamine deficiency was determined by chromomycin A3 staining (CMA3), and sperm DNA fragmentation was checked by sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) assay. The level of sCLU in seminal fluid of fertile patients was 48.3 ± 38.6 ng/ml and in infertile patients was 15.5 ± 9.7 ng/ml; this difference was significant (P < 0.001). sCLU correlated negatively with protamine deficiency, sperm DNA fragmentation, and abnormal morphology. In conclusion, seminal clusterin can be considered as a marker for the quick assessment of semen quality in male infertility studies. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 80: 718–724, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Application of a flexible membrane to DEM modelling of axisymmetric triaxial compression tests on sands

Abstract An innovative flexible membrane algorithm was developed and applied to the 3-D DEM modelling of axisymmetric triaxial compression tests on sands. This proposed flexible membrane was made of simply packed single spheres. The vertical and side extensions of the membrane were bounded by a series of boundary walls. These measures equipped the membrane with enough flexibility to contain local deformations of the cylindrical specimen which was comprised of un-bonded particles. With the application of the flexible membrane, the specimens failed with bulging shapes which were typical of axisymmetric triaxial tests. A comprehensive parametric sensitivity study indicated that the normal stiffness and particle size of the membrane spheres had limited influence on the test results, while the shear stiffness of the membrane spheres substantially enhanced the residual strength of the specimen. To examine the effectiveness of the flexible membrane algorithm, the numerical specimen was characterised on the macroscopic, mesoscopic and microscopic scales. The stress and strain response of the specimen well matched the laboratory test, and the volumetric strain presented apparent contraction and expansion stage. More importantly, the characterisation on the local void ratio clearly indicated the flexible membrane enabled full development of strain localisation inside the specimen.
The development of immune responses in Balb/c mice following inoculation with attenuated or virulent Neospora caninum tachyzoites

Balb/c mice were inoculated intraperitoneally (i.p.) with either 5 × 106 live virulent (group 1) or 5 × 106 live attenuated (group 2) tachyzoites, or Vero cells (group 3). Animals were killed at 0, 14, 28 and 42 days post‐inoculation (p.i.), with the remaining mice receiving a lethal challenge on day 48 p.i. Serum, spleen and brain samples were collected post‐mortem to examine humoral and cell‐mediated immune responses as well as pathological lesions and to quantify parasite loads. On day 14 p.i. group 2 (attenuated) demonstrated statistically significant (P < 0·001) lower levels of mean morbidity and weight loss, while also showing significantly (P = 0·01) higher levels of splenocyte proliferation and IFN‐γ production (P = 0·003), compared to group 1 (virulent). Histology of brain samples showed milder lesions and a lower incidence of positive immunohistochemistry, demonstrating tachyzoites and tissue cysts, and statistically significant (P = 0·03) lower mean burdens of parasite DNA in group 2 (attenuated) compared to group 1 (virulent). All mice in group 2 were protected following challenge on day 48 p.i. whereas naïve control mice succumbed to the challenge. No mice from group 1 (virulent) survived beyond day 24 p.i. so they were not included in the challenge.
Perceived discrimination, group identification, and life satisfaction among multiracial people: a test of the rejection-identification model.

Like other racial minority groups, multiracial people face discrimination as a function of their racial identity, and this discrimination represents a threat to psychological well-being. Following the Rejection-Identification Model (RIM; Branscombe, Schmitt, & Harvey, 1999), we argue that perceived discrimination will encourage multiracial people to identify more strongly with other multiracials, and that multiracial identification, in turn, fosters psychological well-being. Thus, multiracial identification is conceptualized as a coping response that reduces the overall costs of discrimination on well-being. This study is the first to test the RIM in a sample of multiracial people. Multiracial participants' perceptions of discrimination were negatively related to life satisfaction. Consistent with the RIM, perceived discrimination was positively related to three aspects of multiracial group identification: stereotyping the self as similar to other multiracial people, perceiving people within the multiracial category as more homogenous, and expressing solidarity with the multiracial category. Self-stereotyping was the only aspect of group identification that mediated a positive relationship between perceived discrimination and life satisfaction, suggesting that multiracial identification's protective properties rest in the fact that it provides an collective identity where one "fits. "
Effect of integrated yogic practices on positive and negative emotions in healthy adults

Background: Studies on affective wellbeing have shown the beneficial role of positive emotions on cognitive processing and the harmful role of negative emotions on coping, stress and health status. Studies have shown that yoga practices reduce anxiety and depression and improve wellbeing. Objective: The aims of the study were to, (i) examine the safety and feasibility of conducting a weeklong free yoga camp, and (ii) assess its impact on the negative and positive affect in normal healthy volunteers. Materials and Methods: In this open-arm study450 participants were taught integrated yoga module. It included asanas, pranayama, relaxation, notional correction and devotional sessions. Assessment was carried out on the first and last day of the camp, using a modified version of Positive Affect Negative Affect Scale (PANAS). It has ten questions each to measure positive (PA) and negative affect (NA). Nine questions have been added which are referred as other positive affect (OPA) and other negative affect (ONA) domains. Results: Three hundred and twelve sets of pre–post data were analyzed. There was an increase in PA of PANAS by 13% (P<0.001, Wilcoxon’s signed rank test) and OPA by 17% (P<0.001). The NA reduced by 47% (P<0.001) and ONA by 48% (P<0.001). Conclusion: It is feasible and safe to conduct a weeklong yoga camp in an urban setting, and integrated yoga practices can reduce the negative affect and increase the positive affect within one week.
Local Search Heuristics for k-Median and Facility Location Problems

We analyze local search heuristics for the metric k-median and facility location problems. We define the locality gap of a local search procedure for a minimization problem as the maximum ratio of a locally optimum solution (obtained using this procedure) to the global optimum. For k-median, we show that local search with swaps has a locality gap of 5. Furthermore, if we permit up to p facilities to be swapped simultaneously, then the locality gap is 3+2/p. This is the first analysis of a local search for k-median that provides a bounded performance guarantee with only k medians. This also improves the previous known 4 approximation for this problem. For uncapacitated facility location, we show that local search, which permits adding, dropping, and swapping a facility, has a locality gap of 3. This improves the bound of 5 given by M. Korupolu, C. Plaxton, and R. Rajaraman [Analysis of a Local Search Heuristic for Facility Location Problems, Technical Report 98-30, DIMACS, 1998]. We also consider a capacitated facility location problem where each facility has a capacity and we are allowed to open multiple copies of a facility. For this problem we introduce a new local search operation which opens one or more copies of a facility and drops zero or more facilities. We prove that this local search has a locality gap between 3 and 4.
Mechanics and Activation of Unconventional Myosins

Many types of cellular motility are based on the myosin family of motor proteins ranging from muscle contraction to exo‐ and endocytosis, cytokinesis, cell locomotion or signal transduction in hearing. At the center of this wide range of motile processes lies the adaptation of the myosins for each specific mechanical task and the ability to coordinate the timing of motor protein mobilization and targeting. In recent years, great progress has been made in developing single molecule technology to characterize the diverse mechanical properties of the unconventional myosins. Here, we discuss the basic mechanisms and mechanical adaptations of unconventional myosins, and emerging principles regulating motor mobilization and targeting.
Dissociating activity in the lateral intraparietal area from value using a visual foraging task

We make decisions about where to look approximately three times per second in normal viewing. It has been suggested that eye movements may be guided by activity in the lateral intraparietal area (LIP), which is thought to represent the relative value of objects in space. However, it is not clear how values for saccade goal selection are prioritized while free-viewing in a cluttered visual environment. To address this question, we compared the neural responses of LIP neurons in two subjects with their saccadic behavior and three estimates of stimulus value. These measures were extracted from the subjects’ performance in a visual foraging task, in which we parametrically controlled the number of objects on the screen. We found that the firing rates of LIP neurons did not correlate well with the animals’ behavior or any of our estimated measures of value. However, if the LIP activity was further normalized, it became highly correlated with the animals’ decisions. These data suggest that LIP activity does not represent value in complex environments, but that the value can easily be extracted with one further step of processing. We propose that activity in LIP represents attentional priority and that the downstream normalization of this activity is an essential process in guiding action.
Risk factors for the development of delirium in alcohol dependence syndrome: Clinical and neurobiological implications

Introduction: Alcohol withdrawal delirium (AWD) or delirium tremens (DT) is associated with severe complications and high mortality. Prospectively identifying patients with increased risk of developing DT would have important preventive and therapeutic implications. Thus, the present study aimed to identify clinical risk factors predicting the development of DT. Materials and Methods: The study was a cross-sectional quasi-experimental one with equivalent control group, conducted at a tertiary hospital from August 2014 to May 2015. Forty adult male inpatients, diagnosed with DT, were compared with forty age- and sex-matched inpatients in alcohol withdrawal state without delirium. Assessments were done using confusion assessment method, Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment of Alcohol Scale, and Mini–Mental Status Examination. For group comparisons, Pearson's Chi-square test and independent sample t-test were used; logistic regression was applied to identify predictors followed by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results: Heavy drinking (P = 0.005; odds ratio [OR]: 1.17, confidence interval [CI]: 1.05–1.31), continuous pattern of drinking (P = 0.027; OR: 4.67, CI: 1.19–18.33), past history of delirium (P = 0.009; OR: 552.8, CI: 4.88–625.7), alcohol-induced psychosis (P = 0.002; OR: 74.6, CI: 4.68–1190), and presence of cognitive deficits (P = 0.044; OR: 12.5, CI: 1.07–147.3) emerged as strong predictors of AWD. Conclusion: The risk factors found can be easily evaluated in a clinical setting for physicians to readily identify patients at risk for developing DT and plan intensive therapies for them. At a neurobiological level, patients with preexisting brain neurotransmitter disturbances are at greater risk for developing DT.
Toward Super-Resolution Imaging at Green Wavelengths Employing Stratified Metal-Insulator Metamaterials

Metamaterials (MMs) are subwavelength-structured materials that have been rapidly developed in this century and have various potentials to realize novel phenomena, such as negative refraction, cloaking and super-resolution. Theoretical proposals for super-resolution image transfer using metallic thin films were experimentally demonstrated at ultraviolet and violet wavelengths from 365 to 405 nm. However, the most preferred wavelengths of optical imaging are green wavelengths around 500 nm, because optical microscopy is most extensively exploited in the area of biotechnology. In order to make the super-resolution techniques using MMs more practical, we propose the design of a stratified metal-insulator MM that has super-resolution image transfer modes at green wavelengths, which we here call hyper modes. The design assumed only Ag and SiO2 as constituent materials and was found employing Bloch-state analysis, which is based on a rigorous transfer-matrix method for the metal-insulator MMs. It is numerically substantiated that the designed stratified metal-insulator metamaterial (SMIM) is capable of forming super-resolution images at the green wavelengths, and optical loss reduction is also studied. We discuss the results derived by the Bloch-state analysis and by effective medium models usually used for the metal-insulator MMs and show that the Bloch-state analysis is more suitable to reproduce the experimental data.
Neuroanatomy of Halobiotus crispae (Eutardigrada: Hypsibiidae): Tardigrade brain structure supports the clade panarthropoda

The position of Tardigrada in the animal tree of life is a subject that has received much attention, but still remains controversial. Whereas some think tardigrades should be categorized as cycloneuralians, most authors argue in favor of a phylogenetic position within Panarthropoda as a sister group to Arthropoda or Arthropoda + Onychophora. Thus far, neither molecular nor morphological investigations have provided conclusive results as to the tardigrade sister group relationships. In this article, we present a detailed description of the nervous system of the eutardigrade Halobiotus crispae, using immunostainings, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and computer‐aided three‐dimensional reconstructions supported by transmission electron microscopy. We report details regarding the structure of the brain as well as the ganglia of the ventral nerve cord. In contrast to the newest investigation, we find transverse commissures in the ventral ganglia, and our data suggest that the brain is partitioned into at least three lobes. Additionally, we can confirm the existence of a subpharyngeal ganglion previously called subesophagal ganglion. According to our results, the original suggestion of a brain comprised of at least three parts cannot be rejected, and the data presented supports a sister group relationship of Tardigrada to 1) Arthropoda or 2) Onychophora or 3) Arthropoda + Onychophora. J. Morphol. 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Processing Ceramic Proton Conductor Membranes for Use in Steam Electrolysis

Steam electrolysis constitutes a prospective technology for industrial-scale hydrogen production. The use of ceramic proton-conducting electrolytes is a beneficial option for lowering the operating temperature. However, a significant challenge with this type of electrolyte has been upscaling robust planar type devices. The fabrication of such multi-layered devices, usually via a tape casting process, requires careful control of individual layers’ shrinkages to prevent warping and cracks during sintering. The present work highlights the successful processing of 50 × 50 mm2 planar electrode-supported barium cerium yttrium zirconate BaZr0.44Ce0. 36Y0.2O2. 9 (BZCY(54)8/92) half cells via a sequential tape casting approach. The sintering parameters of the half-cells were analyzed and adjusted to obtain defect-free half-cells with diminished warping. Suitably dense and gas-tight electrolyte layers are obtained after co-sintering at 1350 °C for 5 h. We then assembled an electrolysis cell using Ba0.5La0. 5CoO3−δ as the steam electrode, screen printed on the electrolyte layer, and fired at 800 °C. A typical Ba0.5La0. 5CoO3−δ|BaZr0.44Ce0. 36Y0.2O3−δ(15 μm)|NiO-SrZr0.5Ce0. 4Y0.1O3−δ cell at 600 °C with 80% steam in the anode compartment reached reproducible terminal voltages of 1.4 V @ 500 mA·cm−2, achieving ~84% Faradaic efficiency. Besides electrochemical characterization, the morphology and microstructure of the layered half-cells were analyzed by a combination of high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Our results also provide a feasible approach for realizing the low-cost fabrication of large-sized protonic ceramic conducting electrolysis cells (PCECs).
Lack of Association Between Prehospital Response Times and Patient Outcomes

Background. Limited data exist that examine the relationship between prehospital response times (RTs) and improved patient outcomes. Objective. We tested the hypothesis that patient outcomes do not differ substantially based on an explicitly chosen advanced life support (ALS) RT upper limit of 10 minutes 59 seconds (10:59 minutes). Methods. This case–control retrospective study was conducted in a metropolitan county with a population of 750,000 for the calendar year 2004. The emergency medical services (EMS) system is a single-tiered, ALS paramedic service that includes basic life support (BLS) first responders. The 90% fractile RT specification required by contractual agreement is 10:59 minutes or less for emergency, life-threatening (Priority 1) calls. Cases (study patients), defined as Priority 1 transports with RTs exceeding 10:59 minutes, were compared with controls, which comprised a random sample of Priority 1 calls with RTs of 10:59 minutes or less. Prehospital run reports and hospital outcomes were evaluated using explicit criteria by one observer for the primary outcome of in-hospital death and secondary outcomes of critical interventions performed in the field. We tested the hypothesis of equivalence using the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for difference in proportions with α = 0.05 and β = 0.2 to show Δ = ± 5%. Results. Of the 3,270 emergency transports in 2004, we identified 373 study patients (RT > 10:59 min) and a random sample of 373 controls (RT ≤ 10:59 min). Survival to hospital discharge was 80% (76% to 84%) for study patients vs. 82% (77% to 85%) for controls, yielding a 95% CI for the difference of –6 to +4%. ALS procedures were performed in 47.7% (95% CI: 43% to 53%) of study patients vs. 45.4% (40% to 51%) of controls (95% difference in proportions –10 to +5%). The most frequently performed procedures were administration of nitroglycerine and endotracheal intubation. Conclusions. Compared with patients who wait 10:59 minutes or less for ALS response, Priority 1 patients who wait longer than 10:59 minutes could experience between a 6% increase and a 4% decrease in mortality, and do not have an increase in critical procedures performed in the field. Our data are most consistent with the inference that neither the mortality nor the frequency of critical procedural interventions varies substantially based on this prespecified ALS RT.
Kaempferol induces apoptosis in two different cell lines via Akt inactivation, Bax and SIRT3 activation, and mitochondrial dysfunction

Kaempferol (3,4′,5,7‐tetrahydroxyflavone) is a flavonoid with anti‐ and pro‐oxidant activity present in various natural sources. Kaempferol has been shown to posses anticancer properties through the induction of the apoptotic program. Here we report that treatment of the chronic myelogenous leukemia cell line K562 and promyelocitic human leukemia U937 with 50 µM kaempferol resulted in an increase of the antioxidant enzymes Mn and Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD). Kaempferol treatment induced apoptosis by decreasing the expression of Bcl‐2 and increasing the expressions of Bax. There were also induction of mitochondrial release of cytochrome c into cytosol and significant activation of caspase‐3, and ‐9 with PARP cleavage. Kaempferol treatment increased the expression and the mitochondria localization of the NAD‐dependent deacetylase SIRT3. K562 cells stably overexpressing SIRT3 were more sensitive to kaempferol, whereas SIRT3 silencing did not increase the resistance of K562 cells to kaempferol. Inhibition of PI3K and de‐phosphorylation of Akt at Ser473 and Thr308 was also observed after treating both K562 and U937 cells with kaempferol. In conclusion our study shows that the oxidative stress induced by kaempferol in K562 and U937 cell lines causes the inactivation of Akt and the activation of the mitochondrial phase of the apoptotic program with an increase of Bax and SIRT3, decrease of Bcl‐2, release of cytochrome c, caspase‐3 activation, and cell death. J. Cell. Biochem. 106: 643–650, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The temporal stability and predictive validity of affect-based and cognition-based intentions.

Recent research has revealed individual differences in the extent to which people base their intentions on affect and cognition. Two studies are presented that assess whether such differences predict the strength of individuals' intention-behaviour relationships. Participants completed measures of affect, cognition, intention, and behaviour regarding a range of health behaviours. Study 1 (N = 300) found that the strength of the intention-behaviour relationship was significantly related to the extent to which individuals based their intentions on affect, but not to the extent they based them on cognition. Study 2 (N = 387) replicated the findings of the first study. In addition, Study 2 revealed that intention stability mediated the relationship between the degree people based their intentions on affect and the strength of the intention-behaviour relationship. Thus, individuals who base their intentions strongly on affect have more stable intentions, and are therefore more likely to enact them.
Stochastic Proximal Gradient Descent for Nuclear Norm Regularization

In this paper, we utilize stochastic optimization to reduce the space complexity of convex composite optimization with a nuclear norm regularizer, where the variable is a matrix of size $m \times n$. By constructing a low-rank estimate of the gradient, we propose an iterative algorithm based on stochastic proximal gradient descent (SPGD), and take the last iterate of SPGD as the final solution. The main advantage of the proposed algorithm is that its space complexity is $O(m+n)$, in contrast, most of previous algorithms have a $O(mn)$ space complexity. Theoretical analysis shows that it achieves $O(\log T/\sqrt{T})$ and $O(\log T/T)$ convergence rates for general convex functions and strongly convex functions, respectively.