Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ULTRASTRUCTURE OF THE RESTING AND CONTRACTED STRIATED MUSCLE FIBER AT DIFFERENT DEGREES OF STRETCH

Passive stretch, isometric contraction, and shortening were studied in electron micrographs of striated, non-glycerinated frog muscle fibers. The artifacts due to the different steps of preparation were evaluated by comparing sarcomere length and fiber diameter before, during, and after fixation and after sectioning. Tension and length were recorded in the resting and contracted fiber before and during fixation. The I filaments could be traced to enter the A band between the A filaments on both sides of the I band, creating a zone of overlap which decreased linearly with stretch and increased with shortening. This is consistent with a sliding filament model. The decrease in the length of the A and I filaments during isometric contraction and the finding that fibers stretched to a sarcomere length of 3.7 µ still developed 30 per cent of the maximum tetanic tension could not be explained in terms of the sliding filament model. Shortening of the sarcomeres near the myotendinous junctions which still have overlap could account for only one-sixth of this tension, indicating that even those sarcomeres stretched to such a degree that there is a gap between A and I filaments are activated during isometric contraction (increase in stiffness). Shortening, too, was associated with changes in filament length. The diameter of A filaments remained unaltered with stretch and with isometric contraction. Shortening of 50 per cent was associated with a 13 per cent increase in A filament diameter. The area occupied by the fibrils and by the interfibrillar space increased with shortening, indicating a 20 per cent reduction in the volume of the fibrils when shortening amounted to 40 per cent.
A Study on Spatial Information Encoding Scheme for Scene Classification with Local Feature

Recently, spatial pyramid matching (SPM) has achieved leading performance in scene classification. In SPM, spatial information of local features is integrated into representation by computing histograms of local features over increasingly fine regular grids on an image. But this spatial information encoding scheme is very restrictive, because it assumes that images from same scene category have similar layouts, which is always not true. This paper presents a new spatial information encoding scheme for scene classification. Histograms of local features are computed in each bar of horizontal and vertical subdivisions of an image respectively, and the two groups of histograms are concatenated to one overall histogram. This simple spatial information encoding scheme can handle much larger variance in spatial layouts of images than the traditional grid scheme, and also results in a representation with lower dimension. Our approach is compared with SPM on a large dataset of fifteen scene categories. And the experimental results show that our approach can achieve comparable or even higher performance than SPM without combining different fineness of subdivisions. Keywords-scene classification; spatial information encoding; local features; bag of visual words
Safe and prolonged survival with long-term exposure to pomalidomide in relapsed/refractory myeloma.

BACKGROUND The IFM2009-02 trial studied pomalidomide (4 mg daily, 21/28 versus 28/28) and dexamethasone in very advanced relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). We observed that 40% of patients had a prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) and subsequently overall survival (OS). We sought to analyze the characteristics of these patients and study the effect of long exposure to pomalidomide. DESIGN We separated the studied population into two groups: 3 months to 1 year (<1 year) and more than 1 year (≥1 year) of treatment with pomalidomide and dexamethasone based on clinical judgment and historical control studies. We then analyzed the characteristics of patients according to duration of treatment. RESULTS The overall response rate (ORR) for the <1-year group was 43%, the median PFS 4.6 months [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 3.8-6.4] with only 6% at 12 months, and the median OS was 15 months (11.7-20.3) and 40% at 18 months. For the ≥1-year group, the response rate and survival were strikingly different, ORR at 83%, median PFS 20.7 months (14.7-35.4), median OS not reached, and 91% at 18 months. CONCLUSION Pomalidomide and dexamethasone favored prolonged and safe exposure to treatment in 40% of heavily treated and end-stage RRMM, a paradigm shift in the natural history of RRMM characterized with a succession of shorter disease-free intervals and ultimately shorter survival. Although an optimization of pomalidomide-dexamethasone regimen is warranted in advanced RRMM, we claim that pomalidomide has proven once more to change the natural history of myeloma in this series, which should be confirmed in a larger study.
Comparison of nerve transfers and nerve grafting for traumatic upper plexus palsy: a systematic review and analysis.

BACKGROUND In treating patients with brachial plexus injury, there are no comparative data on the outcomes of nerve grafts or nerve transfers for isolated upper trunk or C5-C6-C7 root injuries. The purpose of our study was to compare, with systematic review, the outcomes for modern intraplexal nerve transfers for shoulder and elbow function with autogenous nerve grafting for upper brachial plexus traumatic injuries. METHODS PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for studies in which patients had surgery for traumatic upper brachial plexus palsy within one year of injury and with a minimum follow-up of twelve months. Strength and shoulder and elbow motion were assessed as outcome measures. The Fisher exact test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare outcomes, with an alpha level of 0.05. RESULTS Thirty-one studies met the inclusion criteria. Two hundred and forty-seven (83%) and 286 (96%) of 299 patients with nerve transfers achieved elbow flexion strength of grade M4 or greater and M3 or greater, respectively, compared with thirty-two (56%) and forty-seven (82%) of fifty-seven patients with nerve grafts (p < 0.05). Forty (74%) of fifty-four patients with dual nerve transfers for shoulder function had shoulder abduction strength of grade M4 or greater compared with twenty (35%) of fifty-seven patients with nerve transfer to a single nerve and thirteen (46%) of twenty-eight patients with nerve grafts (p < 0.05). The average shoulder abduction and external rotation was 122° (range, 45° to 170°) and 108° (range, 60° to 140°) after dual nerve transfers and 50° (range, 0° to 100°) and 45° (range, 0° to 140°) in patients with nerve transfers to a single nerve. CONCLUSIONS In patients with demonstrated complete traumatic upper brachial plexus injuries of C5-C6, the pooled international data strongly favors dual nerve transfer over traditional nerve grafting for restoration of improved shoulder and elbow function. These data may be helpful to surgeons considering intraoperative options, particularly in cases in which the native nerve root or trunk may appear less than optimal, or when long nerve grafts are contemplated.
Behavioural heterogeneity of Anopheles species in ecologically different localities in Southeast Asia: a challenge for vector control

In Southeast Asia the biodiversity of Anopheles species in the domestic environment is very high. Only few species are considered major vectors throughout the region, whereas the vector status of other species varies from area to area. Often it is difficult to identify an Anopheles species as a malaria vector in areas with low malaria incidence. The behaviour of Anopheles species largely determines their vector status, and insights into their behaviour are essential to evaluate the appropriateness of vector control measures. This study was conducted in six ecologically different localities in Southeast Asia to rank the different Anopheles species in terms of anthropophily and endophagy in order to estimate their current epidemiological importance. Concurrently, the biting and resting behaviour of the vectors was analysed to evaluate the appropriateness of insecticide‐impregnated bed nets and residual house spraying in vector control. Anopheles dirus A was highly anthropophilic at all sites where it occurred. By contrast, the degree of anthropophily exhibited by An. minimus A depended on availability of cattle. Anopheles campestris, An. nimpe, An. sinensis, An. maculatus, An. aconitus showed a high degree of anthropophily in certain villages, indicating their potential of participating in malaria transmission, although the actual incidence of malaria in the study villages can be fully explained by transmission of the major vectors (An. dirus A, An. minimus A and An. sundaicus). Late biting of An. minimus A and biting activity throughout the night of An. sundaicus favour bed nets as a control method for these species, whilst exophilic and outdoor biting in combination with early feeding behaviour of An. dirus A will make both insecticide‐impregnated bed nets and indoor residual spraying less suitable for controlling this species. Spatial variation in biting and resting behaviour was observed within almost all Anopheles species. These heterogeneities may result in the differences in epidemiological importance and in response to vector control of Anopheles species in different areas. Moreover, environmental changes and changes in human practice are expected to influence the behaviour, hence the role of the different species in malaria transmission. The effect of environmental changes on vector behaviour should be followed up carefully.
Regional differences in left ventricular wall motion in the anesthetized dog.

Data regarding left ventricular function suggest that the extent of shortening may differ between regions. This study was undertaken to determine the effects of negative inotropic drugs used during anesthesia on different areas of the left ventricle. Forty mongrel dogs were anesthetized and instrumented for measurement of global and regional function. Regional function in the short axis of the basal and apical territories of the left ventricle was assessed by subendocardial sonomicrometry. Three different interventions were performed: In the first group 67% N2O, replacing 67% N2, was added to opiate anesthesia; in the second group halothane was given by stepwise increases in inspired concentration to 2%; in the third group verapamil (60 micrograms.kg-1.h-1) was infused during isoflurane anesthesia. Apical and basal segmental shortening were compared. During baseline conditions and with agents in concentrations that caused minimal myocardial depression (67% N2O or 1.0% as opposed to 0.5% halothane) differences in systolic shortening between regions were statistically significant. Further myocardial depression affected the apex significantly more than the base: when substantial myocardial depression was induced by halothane (1.5 or 2%) or verapamil, differences in regional function were abolished. Thus, the apical region of the left ventricle is more dynamic and more sensitive to negative inotropic interventions than the basal region. This should be borne in mind when segmental myocardial function is evaluated.
ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC DEMONSTRATION OF ZINC IN THE HIPPOCAMPAL FORMATION USING TIMM'S SULFIDE-SILVER TECHNIQUE

Ultrastructural localization of zinc in the hippocampus of rabbits and rats was investigated by the application of Timm's sulfide-silver and zinc-dithizonate methods. Best results were obtained by fixation of tissue in 3% glutaraldehyde saturated with H2S, followed by treatment of small blocks of tissue with Timm's solution for 1 hr. In sections cut from these blocks, silver particles were found on the synaptic vesicles in the terminal boutons of the mossy fibers. The nervous tissue of the hippocampal formation was devoid of silver particles, as were the perikarya of the granular cells of the fascia dentata and the pyramidal cells of the hippocampus. The cytochemical significance of zinc in nerve endings of the granular cells is discussed.
How Do Firms Form Their Expectations? New Survey Evidence

We survey New Zealand firms and document novel facts about their macroeconomic beliefs. There is widespread dispersion in beliefs about past and future macroeconomic conditions, especially inflation. This dispersion in beliefs is consistent with firms’ incentives to collect and process information. Using experimental methods, we find that firms update their beliefs in a Bayesian manner when presented with new information about the economy and that changes in their beliefs affect their decisions. Inflation is not generally perceived as being important to business decisions so firms devote few resources to collecting and processing information about inflation. (JEL D22, D83, D84, E31, E52)
Organizing lesbian/queer bathhouse events: Emerging forms of sexual experience

ABSTRACT Discussions of public sexual spaces in the social science literature have, until recently, been dominated by analyses of men's use of these spaces for erotic expression. In the late 1990s, feminist collectives began to explore the emancipatory potentials these spaces can have for lesbian sexualities. After a police raid on one such event called the “Pussy Palace,” scholars in diverse disciplines began to explore how these events have both opened up and restricted erotic possibilities for lesbians, queer women, and trans* attendees. This article reviews the existing social science literature on lesbian and queer bathhouse events and highlights several key themes and subthemes that have dominated the discourse, including the importance that these spaces be recognized for their ability to both shape and be shaped by principles of community, safety, and sexual health/wellness.
Die-off of Fecal Indicator Organisms Following Land Application of Poultry Manure1

Land-applied animal manure can be a major contributor of agricultural nonpoint source pollution. For surface-applied manures the time period prior to the first runoff is of greatest concern, because most enteric species initially exhibit rapid die-off rates. The objectives of this investigation were to follow the die-off of indicator organisms after manure application to a bar? soil surface and to ascertain if dieoff could be accurately modeled by first-order-k inetics. Poultry manure was surface-applied at approximately 36.5 and 164 metric tons/ha on Davidson clay loam and Norfolk sandy loam plots in a controlled environment chamber at a constant temperature (24.5°C). Soil samples were analyzed at intervals during a 30-day period for fecal coliforms and fecal streptococci. Modeling die-off of fecal coliform during the first 7 days gave good agreement with experimental data showing an average die-off rate constant of 0.29/day. After 7 days, regrowth of fecal coliform populations was seen on all plots. Fecal streptococcal numbers declined steadily after the first 3 days of the 30-day study and exhibited an average first-order rate constant of 0.093/day. Neither soil type nor manure application rate seemed to influence the decline in organism populations. First-order kinetics did not explain all aspects of die-off, but it appears this model could be successfully employed as a first approximation for estimating bacterial kinetics in a larger nonpoint source pollution model for agricultural lands.
Surgical interruption of pelvic nerve pathways in dysmenorrhea: a systematic review of effectiveness

Objectives. To assess the effectiveness of surgical interruption of pelvic nerve pathways in primary and secondary dysmenorrhea. Data sources. The Cochrane Menstrual Disorders and Subfertility Group Trials Register (9 June 2004), CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library, Issue 2, 2004), MEDLINE (1966 to Nov. 2003), EMBASE (1980 to Nov. 2003), CINAHL (1982 to Oct. 2003), MetaRegister of Controlled Trials, the citation lists of review articles and included trials, and contact with the corresponding author of each included trial. Review methods. The inclusion criteria were randomized controlled trials of uterosacral nerve ablation or presacral neurectomy (both open and laparoscopic procedures) for the treatment of dysmenorrhea. The main outcome measures were pain relief and adverse effects. Two reviewers extracted data on characteristics of the study quality and the population, intervention, and outcome independently. Results. Nine randomized controlled trials were included in the systematic review. There were two trials with open presacral neurectomy; all other trials used laparoscopic techniques. For the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea, laparoscopic uterosacral nerve ablation at 12 months was better when compared to a control or no treatment (OR 6.12; 95% CI 1.78–21.03). The comparison of laparoscopic uterosacral nerve ablation with presacral neurectomy for primary dysmenorrhea showed that at 12 months follow‐up, presacral neurectomy was more effective (OR 0.10; 95% CI 0.03–0.32). In secondary dysmenorrhea, along with laparoscopic surgical treatment of endometriosis, the addition of laparoscopic uterosacral nerve ablation did not improve the pain relief (OR 0.77; 95% CI 0.43–1.39), while presacral neurectomy did (OR 3.14; 95% CI 1.59–6.21). Adverse events were more common for presacral neurectomy than procedures without presacral neurectomy (OR 14.6; 95% CI 5–42.5). Conclusion. The evidence for nerve interruption in the management of dysmenorrhea is limited. Methodologically sound and sufficiently powered randomized controlled trials are needed.
Whom to Ask? Jury Selection for Decision Making Tasks on Micro-blog Services

It is universal to see people obtain knowledge on micro-blog services by asking others decision making questions. In this paper, we study the Jury Selection Problem(JSP) by utilizing crowdsourcing for decision making tasks on micro-blog services. Specifically, the problem is to enroll a subset of crowd under a limited budget, whose aggregated wisdom via Majority Voting scheme has the lowest probability of drawing a wrong answer(Jury Error Rate-JER). Due to various individual error-rates of the crowd, the calculation of JER is non-trivial. Firstly, we explicitly state that JER is the probability when the number of wrong jurors is larger than half of the size of a jury. To avoid the exponentially increasing calculation of JER, we propose two efficient algorithms and an effective bounding technique. Furthermore, we study the Jury Selection Problem on two crowdsourcing models, one is for altruistic users(AltrM) and the other is for incentive-requiring users(PayM) who require extra payment when enrolled into a task. For the AltrM model, we prove the monotonicity of JER on individual error rate and propose an efficient exact algorithm for JSP. For the PayM model, we prove the NP-hardness of JSP on PayM and propose an efficient greedy-based heuristic algorithm. Finally, we conduct a series of experiments to investigate the traits of JSP, and validate the efficiency and effectiveness of our proposed algorithms on both synthetic and real micro-blog data.
Performance of plasma calprotectin as a biomarker of early sepsis: a pilot study.

AIM To determine the performance of plasma calprotectin as a marker of sepsis on intensive care unit (ICU) admission and as a marker of mortality day 30 post-ICU admission. MATERIALS & METHODS Consecutive ICU patients were allocated to: sepsis (n = 15), postoperative inflammation (n = 23) and intoxication without inflammation (n = 7) groups. RESULTS Calprotectin was 4.3 (2.6-8.2; mg/l; median [interquartile range]) in the sepsis, 2.8 (1.6-4.4) in the postoperative and 0.7 (0.4-1.6) in the intoxication groups. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for sepsis versus intoxication group was: 0.95, for sepsis versus postoperative groups: 0.65 and for survivors versus nonsurvivors: 0.70. CONCLUSION Calprotectin was a sensitive marker of systemic inflammation, is a potential sepsis marker and performed well as mortality predictor in this pilot study.
Muscle Contraction Induces Acute Hydroxymethylation of the Exercise-Responsive Gene Nr4a3

Exercise training triggers numerous positive adaptations through the regulation of genes controlling muscle structure and function. Epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation, participate in transcriptional activation by allowing the recruitment of the transcription machinery to gene promoters. Exercise induces dynamic DNA demethylation at gene promoters; however, the contribution of the demethylation precursor hydroxymethylcytosine is unknown. Given the evanescent nature of hydroxymethylcytosine, a muscle contraction model that allows for the collection of samples that are repeatedly stimulated over time is required to determine whether contraction-induced demethylation is preceded by changes in the hydroxymethylcytosine level. Here, we established an acute skeletal muscle contraction model to mimic the effects of acute exercise on gene expression. We used this model to investigate the effect of muscle contraction on DNA demethylation and hydroxymethylation. First, we performed an acute exercise study in healthy humans to identify an exercise-responsive gene that we could study in culture. We identified the nuclear receptor subfamily 4 group A member 3 (Nr4a3) gene with the highest fold-expression increase after acute exercise. We then refined an electrical pulse stimulation (EPS) protocol that could induce expression of the Nr4a3 gene in C2C12 myotubes. Using targeted bisulfite sequencing, we found that in response to EPS, a region of the Nr4a3 promoter is rapidly demethylated at 60 min and re-methylated at 120 min. Of interest, hydroxymethylation of the differentially methylated region of Nr4a3 promoter after EPS was elevated immediately after EPS, with lowest levels reached at 60 min after EPS. In conclusion, we have established a cell culture-based protocol to mimic the acute transcriptional responses to exercise. Furthermore, we provide insight into the mechanism by which the exercise-responsive gene Nr4a3 is demethylated after muscle contraction.
Abstract 184: Deterioration of Kidney Function by the (Pro)renin Receptor Blocker Handle Region Peptide in Aliskiren-treated Diabetic Transgenic (mRen2)27 Rats

Objective Renal function in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) might be influenced by the level of prorenin due to its binding to the (pro)renin receptor ((P)RR) and the subsequently occurring angiotensin production and/or the direct agonistic effects of prorenin mediated via this receptor. Indeed, in DM elevated prorenin levels are correlated with the development of microvascular complications such as nephropathy. Design and Methods In this study we evaluated renal function in diabetic TGR(mREN2)27 rats (a high prorenin hypertensive model), treated with vehicle, the renin inhibitor aliskiren, or aliskiren plus the putative (P)RR antagonist HRP for 3 weeks. 24-hour urine was collected, and blood and kidney were evaluated for renin-angiotensin system components and pathology. Results Increased diuresis and proteinuria due to DM were prevented by aliskiren, but not aliskiren+HRP. Aliskiren+HRP additionally decreased creatinine clearance, and increased the plasma levels of the profibrotic marker plasminogen-activator inhibitor-1. The increased natriuresis and renal collagen-1 expression in this model were unaffected by aliskiren±HRP. Aliskiren increased rat renin expression in the renal cortex. This was associated with a decline in (P)RR and AT 1 receptor mRNA expression, and these changes were unaffected by HRP. Glomerular volume and interlobar arterial lumen diameter modestly increased in the aliskiren+HRP group, and were unaffected by aliskiren alone. Conclusions HRP, when given on top of aliskiren in DM TGR(mREN2)27 rats worsens kidney damage and counteracts the beneficial effects of aliskiren. (P)RR blockade is therefore contraindicated in DM.