Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Repeated retrieval during working memory is sensitive to amnestic mild cognitive impairment

Study of repeated learning mechanisms has been limited in amnestic mild cognitive impairment, a preclinical stage of Alzheimer disease modifiable by cognitive rehabilitation. We assessed repeated contextual working memory decline as an indicator of amnestic mild cognitive impairment in a sample of 45 older adults recruited from the tertiary care setting. Results indicated that contextual working memory impairment distinguished adults with preclinical disease from those without impairment despite similar overall cognitive performance, and comparison of the indicator with standard-of-care neuropsychological measures indicated discriminant validity. Contextual working memory impairment may represent a novel predictor of Alzheimer disease conversion risk.
New Magnetic Resonance Imaging Features Predictive for Post-Treatment Ambulatory Function: Imaging Analysis of Metastatic Spinal Cord Compression

Study Design. This is a retrospective, single-institute, radiographical study. Objective. The study aimed to determine the correlation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings observed in metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) with post-treatment ambulatory status. Summary of Background Data. Previous studies have reported various predictors of ambulatory outcome in patients with MSCC, but the relationship between the MRI features and post-treatment ambulatory function remains to be elucidated. Methods. Fifty-six hospitalized patients with MSCC and risk of MSCC were examined using MRI before therapeutic intervention. Circumferential ratio of cord compression (CRCC), clock position of compression, cross-sectional area (CSA), and change in signal intensity of the spinal cord were recorded. Each imaging feature was analyzed statistically regarding unassisted ambulatory status at the time of hospital discharge as the endpoint. Results. CRCC showed a prognostic value for post-treatment ambulatory function. More than half of CRCC predicted poor functional prognosis with statistical significance. However, the site of cord compression expressed by clock position on axial plane showed no relationship with functional prognosis. CSA of the spinal cord was enlarged in 23% of patients at the level of MSCC, which indicated that cord compression could also be formed by a relative relationship between cord swelling and surrounding mass effect. The said patients showed a better functional outcome. High intensity of the spinal cord on T2-weighted sagittal image was not useful because of lack of inter-rater reliability. Conclusion. CRCC on axial T2 image can guide clinicians to identify cancer patients at risk of paraplegia because of MSCC. More than half of CRCC entails urgent treatment despite preserved ambulatory function. Furthermore, some cases of MSCC accompany increased cord CSA. The measurement is also a useful guide to balance the risk and benefit of systemic steroid therapy. MRI is the key imaging modality in the risk assessment of MSCC. Level of Evidence: 4
The Relationships Between BNP and Neurocardiac Injury Severity, Noninvasive Cardiac Output, and Outcomes After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Introduction: Neurocardiac injury, a type of myocardial dysfunction associated with neurological insult to the brain, occurs in 31–48% of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) patients. Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is commonly used to diagnose neurocardiac injury. Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), another cardiac marker, is more often used to evaluate degree of heart failure. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between BNP and (a) neurocardiac injury severity according to cTnI, (b) noninvasive continuous cardiac output (NCCO), and (c) outcomes in aSAH patients. Method: This descriptive longitudinal study enrolled 30 adult aSAH patients. Data collected included BNP and cTnI levels and NCCO parameters for 14 days and outcomes (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] and mortality) at discharge and 3 months. Generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate associations between BNP and cTnI, NCCO, and outcomes. Results: BNP was significantly associated with cTnI. For every 1 unit increase in log BNP, cTnI increased by 0.05 ng/ml (p = .001). Among NCCO parameters, BNP was significantly associated with thoracic fluid content (p = .0003). On multivariable analyses, significant associations were found between BNP and poor mRS. For every 1 unit increase in log BNP, patients were 3.16 times more likely to have a poor mRS at discharge (p = .021) and 5.40 times more likely at 3 months (p < .0001). Conclusion: There were significant relationships between BNP and cTnI and poor outcomes after aSAH. BNP may have utility as a marker of neurocardiac injury and outcomes after aSAH.
Neurobehavioral changes in mice offspring induced by prenatal exposure to acute toxicity of sodium selenite

Selenium is an essential element with a narrow margin between beneficial and toxic effects. This study was aimed to determine the neurobehavioral changes resulted from the prenatal exposure of mice to high doses of sodium selenite during fetal and early postnatal development. Atomic absorption for monitoring the placental transfer of selenium to offspring was employed. The developmental observations as well as the behavioral tests, such as sensory motor reflexes, and learning and memory test in automatic reflex conditioner (shuttle box) (active avoidance responses) were applied. Adult mice was assigned into three groups: the first group was remained as a control group given phosphate buffered saline; the second and the third groups were orally administrated sodium selenite at doses of 1 mg/kg and 4 mg/kg of the diet, respectively started from the 7th day to the end of the gestation period. Appearance of body hair and opening of eyes of the pups from treated mothers were delayed in a dose-dependent manner. The body weight gain came significantly lower than those of the control especially at the higher dose. Selenite also inhibited the sensory motor reflexes in all elements of acts and postures in a dose dependent manner. The active avoidance training-test indicated that selenite exposure was associated with learning impairment. Acetylcholine recorded a significant decrease in almost all the period of this study. By using atomic absorption, we found a significant high concentration of selenium in the brain, liver and kidney until the 40th postnatal day, indicating active transfer of selenium from mothers to embryos.
Dopamine system, cerebellum, and nucleus ruber in fish and mammals

Small teleost fish including zebrafish and medaka have been used as animal models for research because of their small body size, vast amounts of eggs produced, their rapid development, low husbandry costs, and transparency during embryogenesis. Although the body size and appearance seem different, fish and mammals including human still possess anatomical and functional similarities in their brains. This review summarizes the similarities of brain structures and functions between teleost fish and mammalian brains, focusing on the dopamine system, functional regionalization of the cerebellum, and presence of the nucleus ruber.
Endoplasmic reticulum stress markers are associated with obesity in nondiabetic subjects.

OBJECTIVE Adipocyte and hepatocyte endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response is activated in dietary and genetic models of obesity in mice. We hypothesized that ER stress was also activated and associated with reduced insulin sensitivity (SI) in human obesity. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We recruited 78 healthy, nondiabetic individuals over a spectrum of body mass index (BMI) who underwent oral and iv glucose tolerance tests, and fasting sc adipose and muscle biopsies. We tested expression of 18 genes and levels of total and phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor 2alpha, c-jun, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 in adipose tissue. We compared gene expression in stromal vascular and adipocyte fractions in paired samples from 22 individuals, and tested clustering on gene and protein markers. RESULTS Adipocyte expression of most markers of ER stress, including chaperones downstream of activating transcription factor 6, were significantly correlated with BMI and percent fat (r>0.5; P<0.00001). Phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2alpha but not of c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 or c-jun was increased with obesity. ER stress response (as elsewhere) was also increased with obesity in a second set of 86 individuals, and in the combined sample (n=161). The increase was only partially attributable to the stromal vascular fraction and macrophage infiltration. ER stress markers were only modestly correlated with S(I). Clustering algorithms supported ER stress activation with high BMI but not low SI. CONCLUSIONS Multiple markers of ER stress are activated in human adipose with obesity, particularly for protective chaperones downstream of activating transcription factor 6alpha.
Tuning as Ranking

We offer a simple, effective, and scalable method for statistical machine translation parameter tuning based on the pairwise approach to ranking (Herbrich et al., 1999). Unlike the popular MERT algorithm (Och, 2003), our pairwise ranking optimization (PRO) method is not limited to a handful of parameters and can easily handle systems with thousands of features. Moreover, unlike recent approaches built upon the MIRA algorithm of Crammer and Singer (2003) (Watanabe et al., 2007; Chiang et al., 2008b), PRO is easy to implement. It uses off-the-shelf linear binary classifier software and can be built on top of an existing MERT framework in a matter of hours. We establish PRO's scalability and effectiveness by comparing it to MERT and MIRA and demonstrate parity on both phrase-based and syntax-based systems in a variety of language pairs, using large scale data scenarios.
The Database and Architecture of Virtual and Remote Laboratories - Implementations in the Virtual Electro Lab Project

This paper treats the database structure and the architecture of “Virtual ElectroLab”. The “Virtual ElectroLab” makes use of a relational database (MS SQL). It is also covered the communication procedure between the client and server. The paper describes the database structure exemplified through the database diagram. The web-based experiments are executed in an asynchronous mode.
The Limitations of Quantitative Social Science for Informing Public Policy.

Abstract Quantitative social science (QSS) has the potential to make an important contribution to public policy. However it also has a number of limitations. The aim of this paper is to explain these limitations to a non-specialist audience and to identify a number of ways in which QSS research could be improved to better inform public policy.
Interferon and Aicardi-Goutières syndrome.

There are two types of interferon (IFN), as you know already, and the interferon which we are interested in for this syndrome is type 1 IFN, specifically the alpha type. Interferons are proteins produced by the host in response to viral infection. Interferon alpha and beta(type I) are not normally detected in blood of healthy people, but they are found mostly in different specimens of patients with viral infections, such as blood, cerebrospinal fluid, vesicular fluid etc.
Room-Temperature Plastic Deformation of Strontium Titanate Crystals Grown from Different Chemical Compositions

Oxide materials have the potential to exhibit superior mechanical properties in terms of high yield point, high melting point, and high chemical stability. Despite this, they are not widely used as a structural material due to their brittle nature. However, this study shows enhanced room-temperature plasticity of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) crystals through the control of the chemical composition. It is shown that the deformation behavior of SrTiO3 crystals at room temperature depends on the Sr/Ti ratio. It was found that flow stresses in deforming SrTiO3 crystals grown from a powder with the particular ratio of Sr/Ti = 1.04 are almost independent of the strain rate because of the high mobility of dislocations in such crystals. As a result, the SrTiO3 crystals can deform by dislocation slip up to a strain of more than 10%, even at a very high strain rate of 10% per second. It is thus demonstrated that SrTiO3 crystals can exhibit excellent plasticity when chemical composition in the crystal is properly controlled.
Anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor encephalitis in a patient with a 7-year history of being diagnosed as schizophrenia: complexities in diagnosis and treatment

Anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis is a form of autoimmune encephalitis associated with antibodies against the NR1 subunits of NMDARs. Although new-onset acute prominent psychotic syndromes in patients with NMDAR encephalitis have been well documented, there is a lack of case studies on differential diagnosis and treatment of anti-NMDAR encephalitis after a long-term diagnostic history of functional psychotic disorders. The present study reports an unusual case of anti-NMDAR encephalitis. The patient had been diagnosed with schizophrenia 7 years earlier, and was currently hospitalized for acute-onset psychiatric symptoms. The diagnosis became unclear when the initial psychosis was confounded with considerations of other neurotoxicities (such as neuroleptic malignant syndrome). Finally, identification of specific immunoglobulin G NR1 autoantibodies in the cerebrospinal fluid and greater effectiveness of immunotherapy over antipsychotics alone (which has been well documented in anti-NMDAR encephalitis) indicated the diagnosis of anti-NMDAR encephalitis in this case. Based on the available evidence, however, the relationship between the newly diagnosed anti-NMDAR encephalitis and the seemingly clear, long-term history of schizophrenia in the preceding 7 years is uncertain. This case report illustrates that psychiatrists should consider anti-NMDAR encephalitis and order tests for specific immunoglobulin G NR1 autoantibodies in patients presenting with disorientation, disturbance of consciousness, cognitive deficit, dyskinesia, autonomic disturbance, or rapid deterioration, even with a seemingly clear history of a psychiatric disorder and no specific findings on routine neuroimaging, electroencephalography, or cerebrospinal fluid tests in the early stage of the illness.
Asparagine-Linked Glycans of Cryptosporidium parvum Contain a Single Long Arm, Are Barely Processed in the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) or Golgi, and Show a Strong Bias for Sites with Threonine*

Cryptosporidium parvum causes severe diarrhea in infants in developing countries and in immunosuppressed persons, including those with AIDS. We are interested in the Asn-linked glycans (N-glycans) of C. parvum, because (1) the N-glycan precursor is predicted to contain five mannose and two glucose residues on a single long arm versus nine mannose and three glucose residues on the three-armed structure common in host N-glycans, (2) C. parvum is a rare eukaryote that lacks the machinery for N-glycan-dependent quality control of protein folding in the lumen of the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER), and (3) ER and Golgi mannosidases, as well as glycosyltransferases that build complex N-glycans, are absent from the predicted proteome. The C. parvum N-glycans reported here, which were determined using a combination of collision-induced dissociation and electronic excitation dissociation, contain a single, unprocessed mannose arm ± terminal glucose on the trimannosyl chitobiose core. Upon nanoUPLC-MS/MS separation and analysis of the C. parvum tryptic peptides, the total ion and extracted oxonium ion chromatograms delineated 32 peptides with occupied N-glycan sites; these were derived from 16 glycoproteins. Although the number of potential N-glycan sites with Thr (NxT) is only about twice that with Ser (NxS), almost 90% of the occupied N-glycan sites contain NxT. The two most abundant C. parvum proteins modified with N-glycans were an immunodominant antigen on the surface of sporozoites (gp900) and the possible oocyst wall protein 1 (POWP1). Seven other glycoproteins with N-glycans were unique to C. parvum; five shared common ancestry with other apicomplexans; two glycoproteins shared common ancestry with many organisms. In summary, C. parvum N-glycans are remarkable for the absence of ER and Golgi modification and for the strong bias toward occupancy of N-glycan motifs containing Thr.
Spatial Positioning of All 24 Chromosomes in the Lymphocytes of Six Subjects: Evidence of Reproducible Positioning and Spatial Repositioning following DNA Damage with Hydrogen Peroxide and Ultraviolet B

The higher-order organization of chromatin is well-established, with chromosomes occupying distinct positions within the interphase nucleus. Chromatin is susceptible to, and constantly assaulted by both endogenous and exogenous threats. However, the effects of DNA damage on the spatial topology of chromosomes are hitherto, poorly understood. This study investigates the organization of all 24 human chromosomes in lymphocytes from six individuals prior to- and following in-vitro exposure to genotoxic agents: hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet B. This study is the first to report reproducible distinct hierarchical radial organization of chromosomes with little inter-individual differences between subjects. Perturbed nuclear organization was observed following genotoxic exposure for both agents; however a greater effect was observed for hydrogen peroxide including: 1) More peripheral radial organization; 2) Alterations in the global distribution of chromosomes; and 3) More events of chromosome repositioning (18 events involving 10 chromosomes vs. 11 events involving 9 chromosomes for hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet B respectively). Evidence is provided of chromosome repositioning and altered nuclear organization following in-vitro exposure to genotoxic agents, with notable differences observed between the two investigated agents. Repositioning of chromosomes following genotoxicity involved recurrent chromosomes and is most likely part of the genomes inherent response to DNA damage. The variances in nuclear organization observed between the two agents likely reflects differences in mobility and/or decondensation of chromatin as a result of differences in the type of DNA damage induced, chromatin regions targeted, and DNA repair mechanisms.
Cancer Risk in Women Treated with Fertility Drugs According to Parity Status—A Registry-based Cohort Study

Background: Long-term safety of assisted reproductive techniques (ART) is of interest as their use is increasing. Cancer risk is known to be affected by parity. This study examined the risk of cancer after fertility treatment, stratified by women's parity. Methods: Data were obtained from all women (n = 1,353,724) born in Norway between 1960 and 1996. Drug exposure data (2004–2014) were obtained from the Norwegian Prescription Database (drugs used in ART and clomiphene citrate). The Medical Birth Registry of Norway provided parity status. HRs were calculated for all site cancer, breast, cervical, endometrial, ovarian, colorectal, central nervous system, thyroid cancer, and malignant melanoma. Results: In 12,354,392 person-years of follow-up, 20,128 women were diagnosed with cancer. All-site cancer risk was 1.14 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.03–1.26] and 1.10 (95% CI, 0.98–1.23) after clomiphene citrate and ART exposure, respectively. For ovarian cancer, a stronger association was observed for both exposures in nulliparous (HR, 2.49; 95% CI, 1.30–4.78; and HR, 1.62; 95% CI, 0.78–3.35) versus parous women (HR, 1.37; 95% CI, 0.64–2.96; and HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.33–2.27). Elevated risk of endometrial cancers was observed for clomiphene citrate exposure in nulliparous women (HR, 4.49; 95% CI, 2.66–7.60 vs. HR, 1.52; 95% CI, 0.67–3.42). Risk was elevated for breast cancer in parous women exposed to clomiphene citrate (HR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.03–1.54) for thyroid cancer and among nulliparous women after ART treatment (HR, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.08–4.44). Conclusions: Clomiphene citrate appears associated with increased risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer. Elevations in risks of breast and thyroid cancer were less consistent across type of drug exposure and parity. Impact: Continued monitoring of fertility treatments is warranted. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(6); 953–62. ©2017 AACR.
Aeroelastic Analysis of Engine Nacelle Strake Considering Geometric Nonlinear Behavior

Abstract—The aeroelastic behavior of engine nacelle strake when subjected to unsteady aerodynamic flows is investigated in this paper. Geometric nonlinear characteristics and modal parameters of nacelle strake are studied when it is under dynamic loading condition. Here, an N-S based Finite Volume solver is coupled with Finite Element (FE) based nonlinear structural solver to investigate the nonlinear characteristics of nacelle strake over a range of dynamic pressures at various phases of flight like takeoff, climb, and cruise conditions. The combination of high fidelity models for both aerodynamics and structural dynamics is used to predict the nonlinearities of strake (chine). The methodology adopted for present aeroelastic analysis is partitioned-based time domain coupled CFD and CSD solvers and it is validated by the consideration of experimental and numerical comparison of aeroelastic data for a cropped delta wing model which has a proven record. The present strake geometry is derived from theoretical formulation. The amplitude and frequency obtained from the coupled solver at various dynamic pressures is discussed, which gives a better understanding of its impact on aerodynamic design-sizing of strake.
Risk Factors and Preventive Measures Awareness among Nursing Students Regarding Osteoporosis

Background: Osteoporosis is a disorder characterized by loss of bone tissue caused by decrease of calcium, the bone become weak, brittle and cause pain which lead to increased risk of bone fracture. Aim: To determine risk factors and preventive Measures Awareness regarding osteoporosis among nursing students in King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, KSA. Research Questions: 1. what are risk factors of developing osteoporosis among nursing students in King Abdulaziz University at Jeddah? 2. What are the preventive measures awareness regarding osteoporosis among nursing students in King Abdulaziz University at Jeddah? Setting: King Abdulaziz University, Faculty of Nursing. Design: Descriptive cross-sectional research designs have been utilized. Subjects: Non-probability, purposive sampling was used. The actual sample size consisted of only 225 (64.84%) out of 347 nursing students (76 second year student, 37 third year student, 68 fourth year student, 20 first year bridging student, 24 second year bridging student), Tools for data collection: 1. A self-administered questionnaire has been formulated by the researcher to investigate awareness of osteoporosis risk factors and preventive measures among nursing students in faculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University. 2. An opinionnaire regarding osteoporosis related life style: it has been adapted and modified by the researcher to appraise the nursing student’s opinion regarding life style. Results: The study revealed that the study subject’s age was between; 18-23 with a mean of 1.27 ± 0.58. Although, majority of them were aware of osteoporosis disease process except 56.9% weren’t aware with the pharmacological management of osteoporosis. Eightythree point six percent of the study subjects were not aware with the best time of sun exposure. Conclusion: Majority of them was young adults which reflect the proper timing for intervene primary preventive measures. Recommendation: The nursing college curriculum committee must work on more collaboration with pharmacology department to focus on osteoporosis management in their curricula.