Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hypoxia activates the human placental vascular endothelial growth factor system in vitro and in vivo: up-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor in clinically relevant hypoxic ischemia in birth asphyxia.

OBJECTIVE We investigated the influence of acute hypoxia on the placental vascular endothelial growth factor system in vitro and in vivo in acute birth asphyxia compared with pregnancies that were complicated by preeclampsia and with healthy control subjects. STUDY DESIGN Messenger RNA levels for vascular endothelial growth factor, flt-1, and KDR were measured by TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction in human placental choriocarcinoma cells (BeWo) that were exposed to hypoxia (1% oxygen, 5% carbon dioxide, 94% nitrogen) and in placental tissue of neonates with birth asphyxia (n = 20), newborn infants of mothers with preeclampsia (n = 20), and gestational age-matched control subjects. Immunhistologically, placental vascular endothelial growth factor protein expression was compared among the groups. RESULTS In BeWo cells, vascular endothelial growth factor, flt-1 and KDR messenger RNA increased in a time-dependent manner in response to hypoxia. In vivo, vascular endothelial growth factor/beta-actin and KDR/beta-actin messenger RNA were significantly higher in placental tissue of newborn infants with severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy than with newborn infants with mild or no hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and control subjects. In chronic placental hypoxia (preeclampsia), vascular endothelial growth factor and both receptors were found to be up-regulated. Increased placental vascular endothelial growth factor expression was confirmed by immunohistologic examination. CONCLUSION The vascular endothelial growth factor system is up-regulated in response to placental hypoxia and is assumed to be a potential early indicator of severe birth asphyxia.
Measurement of platinum in biomedical silicones by ICP-MS

A method is described for processing organosilicone oils and gels for introduction by nebulization into an ICP-MS. A silicone oil sample was free of detectable contaimination with trace elements. Platinum, added as a catalyst during manufacture, was found to be present at aproximately 4.5 µg g–1 in a silicone breast implant. No other trace elements were present in significant quantities in the implant. Quantitative recovery of Pt from silicone gel was achieved by dispersion in aqua regia, extraction of the organosilicone with diethyl ether, and back-extraction with acid.
Anisotropy of the Kondo insulator CeRu4Sn6

The intermetallic compound CeRu4Sn6 has tentatively been classified as Kondo insulator. Its tetragonal crystal structure places it inbetween the archetypal Kondo insulators like YbB12 or Ce3Bi4Pt3, which are cubic, and the orthorhombic "Kondo semimetals" CeNiSn and CeRhSb. It is of great interest to investigate possible anisotropies – or even nodes – of the Kondo insulating gap in CeRu4Sn6. We have succeeded, for the first time, to grow single crystals of this compound. Interestingly, we could not only reveal anisotropy between the tetragonal c direction and the tetragonal a-a plane but even within a quasi-cubic cell which happens to be formed in CeRu4Sn6 because the length of the diagonal of the tetragonal plane differs from c by only 0.2%.
Neural Network Model of the Cerebellum: Temporal Discrimination and the Timing of Motor Responses

Substantial evidence has established that the cerebellum plays an important role in the generation of movements. An important aspect of motor output is its timing in relation to external stimuli or to other components of a movement. Previous studies suggest that the cerebellum plays a role in the timing of movements. Here we describe a neural network model based on the synaptic organization of the cerebellum that can generate timed responses in the range of tens of milliseconds to seconds. In contrast to previous models, temporal coding emerges from the dynamics of the cerebellar circuitry and depends neither on conduction delays, arrays of elements with different time constants, nor populations of elements oscillating at different frequencies. Instead, time is extracted from the instantaneous granule cell population vector. The subset of active granule cells is time-varying due to the granuleGolgigranule cell negative feedback. We demonstrate that the population vector of simulated granule cell activity exhibits dynamic, nonperiodic trajectories in response to a periodic input. With time encoded in this manner, the output of the network at a particular interval following the onset of a stimulus can be altered selectively by changing the strength of granule Purkinje cell connections for those granule cells that are active during the target time window. The memory of the reinforcement at that interval is subsequently expressed as a change in Purkinje cell activity that is appropriately timed with respect to stimulus onset. Thus, the present model demonstrates that a network based on cerebellar circuitry can learn appropriately timed responses by encoding time as the population vector of granule cell activity.
Tumour-suppressor microRNAs regulate ovarian cancer cell physical properties and invasive behaviour

The activities of pathways that regulate malignant transformation can be influenced by microRNAs (miRs). Recently, we showed that increased expression of five tumour-suppressor miRs, miR-508-3p, miR-508-5p, miR-509-3p, miR-509-5p and miR-130b-3p, correlate with improved clinical outcomes in human ovarian cancer patients, and that miR-509-3p attenuates invasion of ovarian cancer cell lines. Here, we investigate the mechanism underlying this reduced invasive potential by assessing the impact of these five miRs on the physical properties of cells. Human ovarian cancer cells (HEYA8, OVCAR8) that are transfected with miR mimics representing these five miRs exhibit decreased invasion through collagen matrices, increased cell size and reduced deformability as measured by microfiltration and microfluidic assays. To understand the molecular basis of altered invasion and deformability induced by these miRs, we use predicted and validated mRNA targets that encode structural and signalling proteins that regulate cell mechanical properties. Combined with analysis of gene transcripts by real-time PCR and image analysis of F-actin in single cells, our results suggest that these tumour-suppressor miRs may alter cell physical properties by regulating the actin cytoskeleton. Our findings provide biophysical insights into how tumour-suppressor miRs can regulate the invasive behaviour of ovarian cancer cells, and identify potential therapeutic targets that may be implicated in ovarian cancer progression.
Otoacoustic emissions in normal-hearing workers exposed to different noise doses.

INTRODUCTION The otoacoustic emission test is useful in monitoring hearing changes not yet detectable in pure-tone audiometry, as well as in monitoring cochlear damage caused by exposure to noise. OBJECTIVE To evaluate distortion product otoacoustic emissions in normal-hearing workers exposed to different occupational noise doses. MATERIALS AND METHOD This is a cohort prospective study performed in metalworking industries, in which normal-hearing workers were assessed by being divided into three different groups: GI not exposed, GII sporadically exposed and GIII often exposed to occupational noise. RESULTS Otoacoustic emission alterations were found in groups II and III bilaterally. Both in the amplitude and in the signal/noise ratio it was observed that as higher was the frequency, worse were the results of GII and GIII (p > 0.001), and the greater the exposure dose is, the lower the averages found in otoacoustic emission. CONCLUSION The otoacoustic emissions are worse in the exposed groups compared to the unexposed group and the greater are the noise dose, worse are the results.
Study of intermixing in InGaAs/(Al)GaAs quantum well and quantum dot structures for optoelectronic/photonic integration

Two of the most important intermixing techniques, ion implantation and impurity free vacancy disordering, are investigated and compared in InGaAs/(Al)GaAs quantum well (QW) and quantum dot (QD) structures. For ion implantation induced intermixing, arsenic implantation was performed and the amount of interdiffusion created was found to vary as a function of implantation dose and temperature. Impurity free vacancy disordering was also enhanced by deposition of SiO 2 in both QW and QD structures and annealing at different temperatures. In order to obtain large differential energy shifts for device integration using both methods, the essential issue of suppression of thermal interdiffusion using a TiO 2 capping layer was also addressed.
Fast and Efficient Restricted Delaunay Triangulation in Random Geometric Graphs

Let G = 𝓖(n, r) be a random geometric graph resulting from placing n nodes uniformly at random in the unit square (or the unit disk) and connecting every two nodes if and only if their Euclidean distance is at most r. Let be the known critical radius for connectivity when n → ∞. The restricted Delaunay graph RDG(G) is a subgraph of G with the following properties: it is a planar graph and a spanner of G, and in particular it contains all the short edges of the Delaunay triangulation of G. While in general graphs, the construction of RDG(G) requires Θ(n) messages, we show that when r = O(r con) and G = 𝓖(n, r), then with high probability, RDG(G) can be constructed locally in one round of communication with messages, and with only one-hop neighborhood information. This size of r proves that the existence of long Delaunay edges (an order larger than r con) in the unit square (disk) does not significantly affect the efficiency with which good routing graphs can be maintained.
Permeability and consolidation behavior of fly ashes

A knowledge of permeability and consolidation is essential in a number of engineering problems such as settlement, seepage, and stability of the structures. Since fly ash is used very widely for several geotechnical applications, there is a need to understand its permeability and consolidation behavior. This paper presents a detailed study conducted on two Indian fly ashes. It brings out the role of chemical composition (free lime) on the permeability and consolidation behavior of fly ashes. It is found that the permeability values computed based on grain-size distribution agree well with those obtained based on test data.
Protein expression of STAT3, pSTAT3, MMP-7 and VEGF in colorectal adenocarcinoma: an immunohistochemical study

Background: The purpose of the present study is to investigate the expression levels of STAT3, pSTAT3, MMP-7 and VEGF in colorectal adenocarcinoma, and also to determine association with the clinico-pathological parameters and co-expression of these genes. Methods: An immunohistochemical method was used to evaluate the expression of MMP-7 and VEGF genes in 93 archival tissues whereas STAT3 and pSTAT3 expression was determined in 75 cases. Results: Overexpression of STAT3 was detected in 26.7% (20/75), pSTAT3 in 13.4% (10/75), MMP-7 in 38.8% (36/93) and VEGF in 59.2% (55/93) of the colorectal carcinomas. STAT3, MMP-7 and VEGF immunopositivity were significantly correlated with poorly-differentiated tumors (P = 0.004; P = 0.03; P = 0.002, respectively) but not with other parameters. However, pSTAT3 immunostaining was not significantly associated with the clinico-pathological characteristics. Significant relationship was noted between overexpression of pSTAT3 and STAT3 (P Our data suggest that expression of these genes may have an important role in tumor dedifferentiation and may be useful as indicators of biologic aggressiveness. Co-expression of the biomarkers by cancer cells may have important implications in colorectal cancer biology and could be useful biological markers of the malignant phenotype.
DynMo: Dynamic Simulation Model for Space Reactor Power Systems

A Dynamic simulation Model (DynMo) for space reactor power systems is developed using the SIMULINK® platform. DynMo is modular and could be applied to power systems with different types of reactors, energy conversion, and heat pipe radiators. This paper presents a general description of DynMo‐TE for a space power system powered by a Sectored Compact Reactor (SCoRe) and that employs off‐the‐shelf SiGe thermoelectric converters. SCoRe is liquid metal cooled and designed for avoidance of a single point failure. The reactor core is divided into six equal sectors that are neutronically, but not thermal‐hydraulically, coupled. To avoid a single point failure in the power system, each reactor sector has its own primary and secondary loops, and each loop is equipped with an electromagnetic (EM) pump. A Power Conversion assembly (PCA) and a Thermoelectric Conversion Assembly (TCA) of the primary and secondary EM pumps thermally couple each pair of a primary and a secondary loop. The secondary loop transports the h.
Effects of heterologous platelet-rich plasma gel on standardized dermal wound healing in rabbits.

PURPOSE To evaluate the potential of heterologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) gel for surgical skin wound healing in rabbits. METHODS Blood from a single healthy dog was used for PRP production, with calcium gluconate added to the PRP to form the gel. Two surgical excisions, one to the right and the other to the left of the dorsal midline, were made in six rabbits. One side was randomly allocated to topical application of a physiological solution, and the other was allocated to treatment with heterologous PRP gel. Clinical assessments (weight, pain sensitivity, coloring, edema, hyperemia, exudation, crust, and granulation) and morphometric evaluations were performed 0, 3, 7, 10, 14, and 17 days postoperatively. Histological analysis was performed on the 17th day. RESULTS With the exception of the presence of a crust at day 10, clinical variables did not differ significantly between the experimental groups. In both the control and PRP-treated groups, differences were identified when comparing time-points in terms of wound area reduction. Histological results indicated no significant differences between the control group and the PRP-treated group. CONCLUSION Heterologous platelet-rich plasma gel promoted dermal wound healing in rabbits with no adverse effects.
Molecular insights into prolyl and lysyl hydroxylation of fibrillar collagens in health and disease

Abstract Collagen is a macromolecule that has versatile roles in physiology, ranging from structural support to mediating cell signaling. Formation of mature collagen fibrils out of procollagen α-chains requires a variety of enzymes and chaperones in a complex process spanning both intracellular and extracellular post-translational modifications. These processes include modifications of amino acids, folding of procollagen α-chains into a triple-helical configuration and subsequent stabilization, facilitation of transportation out of the cell, cleavage of propeptides, aggregation, cross-link formation, and finally the formation of mature fibrils. Disruption of any of the proteins involved in these biosynthesis steps potentially result in a variety of connective tissue diseases because of a destabilized extracellular matrix. In this review, we give a revised overview of the enzymes and chaperones currently known to be relevant to the conversion of lysine and proline into hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine, respectively, and the O-glycosylation of hydroxylysine and give insights into the consequences when these steps are disrupted.
Towards a Unified Approach for the Analysis of Failure Modes in FRP-Retrofitted Concrete Beams

The application of the external reinforcement makes rather complex the scenario of the possible failure modes in reinforced concrete beams retrofitted with FRP. The far more commonly observed failure modes are: (i) edge debonding of the FRP sheet, (ii) intermediate crack induced debonding and (iii) beam failure due to diagonal (shear) crack propagation. In the present study we revisited the competition between all the possible failure modes that can occur in this structural element. To this aim, different analytical models based on linear and non-linear fracture mechanics are developed and harmonized. As a result, useful failure maps are analytically determined, giving, for each failure mode, the critical load of activation as a function of the main parameters governing the problem, i.e. the mechanical properties of the constituent materials, the amount of reinforcement and its bonding length, as well as the size and slenderness of the structural element. The studies presented in this paper are mainly intended to establish guidelines for the future development of these concepts towards a unified mathematical approach. Indeed, once the validity of this unified approach is confirmed, also by comparison with further experimental data, it will be possible to remove some of the simplifying assumptions we used in this analysis to reach a more comprehensive analytical formulation.
Stereoselective disposition and pharmacologic activity of propafenone enantiomers.

Propafenone is an antiarrhythmic drug that produces a variable degree of beta-blockade in humans and is administered as a racemate. To examine the relative contribution of the individual enantiomers to pharmacologic effects seen during treatment with propafenone, we assessed the steady-state plasma concentrations of (+)-S-propafenone and (-)-R-propafenone in seven patients who were on long-term oral therapy, and we evaluated the electrophysiologic and beta-blocking properties of both enantiomers in vitro. The metabolism of propafenone is known to be polymorphic and to cosegregate with that of debrisoquine-4-hydroxylation. Among five patients with the extensive metabolizer phenotype (EM), the ratio of the area under the plasma concentration-time curve of (+)-S-propafenone to (-)-R-propafenone was 1.73 +/- 0.15 (mean +/- SD). In the other two patients, who had the poor metabolizer phenotype (PM), the concentrations of both enantiomers were elevated but the S/R ratios were similar to those seen in patients with EM. In canine cardiac Purkinje fibers, both enantiomers produced similar frequency-dependent depression of maximum upstroke of phase 0. In contrast, the affinity of the human lymphocyte beta 2-adrenoceptor was approximately 100-fold greater for (+)-S-propafenone (Ki, 7.2 +/- 2.9 nM) than for the (-)-R-enantiomer (Ki, 571 +/- 141 nM). We conclude that during long-term oral therapy, propafenone undergoes stereoselective disposition in patients with either EM or PM. beta-Blockade during propafenone therapy is likely related to accumulation of (+)-S-propafenone. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Tribological properties of micro‐ and nanoparticles‐filled poly(etherimide) composites

It has been found that nano- or microsized inorganic particles in general enhance the tribological properties of polymer materials. In the present study, 5 vol % nano-TiO2 or micro-CaSiO3 was introduced into a polyetherimide (PEI) matrix composite, which was filled additionally with short carbon fibers (SCF) and graphite flakes. The influence of these inorganic particles on the sliding behavior was investigated with a pin-on-disc testing rig at room temperature and 150°C. Experimental results showed that both particles could reduce the wear rate and the frictional coefficient (μ) of the PEI composites under the applied testing conditions. At room temperature, the microparticles-filled composites exhibited a lower wear rate and μ, while the nano-TiO2-filled composites possessed the lowest wear rate and μ at elevated temperature. Enhancement in tribological properties with the addition of the nano-particles was attributed to the formation of transfer layers on both sliding surfaces together with the reinforcing effect. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1678–1686, 2006
Disintegration of Sensorimotor Brain Networks in Schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder associated with derogated function across various domains, including perception, language, motor, emotional, and social behavior. Due to its complex symptomatology, schizophrenia is often regarded a disorder of cognitive processes. Yet due to the frequent involvement of sensory and perceptual symptoms, it has been hypothesized that functional disintegration between sensory and cognitive processes mediates the heterogeneous and comprehensive schizophrenia symptomatology. METHODS Here, using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in 71 patients and 196 healthy controls, we characterized the standard deviation in BOLD (blood-oxygen-level-dependent) signal amplitude and the functional connectivity across a range of functional brain networks. We investigated connectivity on the edge and node level using network modeling based on independent component analysis and utilized the brain network features in cross-validated classification procedures. RESULTS Both amplitude and connectivity were significantly altered in patients, largely involving sensory networks. Reduced standard deviation in amplitude was observed in a range of visual, sensorimotor, and auditory nodes in patients. The strongest differences in connectivity implicated within-sensorimotor and sensorimotor-thalamic connections. Furthermore, sensory nodes displayed widespread alterations in the connectivity with higher-order nodes. We demonstrated robustness of effects across subjects by significantly classifying diagnostic group on the individual level based on cross-validated multivariate connectivity features. CONCLUSION Taken together, the findings support the hypothesis of disintegrated sensory and cognitive processes in schizophrenia, and the foci of effects emphasize that targeting the sensory and perceptual domains may be key to enhance our understanding of schizophrenia pathophysiology.
Effect of rinsing with an essential oil-containing mouthrinse on subgingival periodontopathogens.

BACKGROUND Studies have shown that the nature and amount of supragingival plaque can influence the composition of the contiguous subgingival flora. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of rinsing with an essential oil antimicrobial mouthrinse on levels of representative subgingival bacteria in subjects with mild to moderate periodontitis. METHODS This controlled study used a randomized, double-masked, 2 x 2 crossover design. After baseline subgingival sampling, 37 qualifying subjects rinsed with the essential oil mouthrinse or a negative control twice daily for 14 days, with a post-treatment sample obtained on day 15. Following a washout period, the procedure was repeated with the alternative rinse. Target organisms enumerated were Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Veillonella sp. , and total anaerobes. Intergroup comparisons of post-treatment log-transformed colony forming unit counts were made using analysis of covariance. RESULTS After 14 days of twice-daily rinsing, the level of each of the target subgingival organisms was significantly lower in the essential oil group than in the control group (P < 0.001), with percent reductions ranging from 66.3% to 79.2%. CONCLUSIONS Rinsing with the essential oil antiplaque/antigingivitis mouthrinse can have significant antimicrobial activity against subgingival periodontopathogens. Most likely, the antimicrobial effect was mediated primarily by disruption of the contiguous supragingival plaque by the mouthrinse. Because studies have shown that control of supragingival plaque can influence the onset and/or progression of periodontitis, additional studies on non-prescription antimicrobial oral care products may lead to new regimens for decreasing the burden of periodontal diseases in the population.