Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Therapeutic effects of quercetin against bisphenol A induced testicular damage in male Sprague Dawley rats

ABSTRACT The present study was designed to investigate protective effects of quercetin against bisphenol A (BPA) induced testicular toxicity in male Sprague Dawley rats. Twenty adult male rats were divided into four groups. The first group served as the control and was provided with normal saline. The second group of rats was treated with 50 mg/kg of BPA dissolved in alcoholic saline. The third group received oral gavage of 50 mg/kg quercetin while the fourth group was treated with quercetin (50 mg/kg) along with BPA (50 mg/kg). All of the treatments were carried out for 52 days. Testicular tissues and epididymis were used for histology while blood plasma was used for hormonal and biochemical analysis. BPA administration resulted in a significant reduction in seminiferous tubule diameter and epithelial height with impaired spermatogenesis. Quercetin treatment resulted in restoration of spermatogenesis and reversal of histological damage. In addition, BPA treatment significantly reduced (p < 0.05) plasma testosterone level (ng/ml) while estrogen was not affected. Similarly, BPA caused a significant alteration in the lipid profile. Interestingly, quercetin treatment led to a marked increase in plasma testosterone, decrease in estrogen concentration, as well as a normalized lipid profile. In conclusion, results indicated that BPA administration induces toxic effects on testis and epididymis, impairs spermatogenesis, with an imbalance in hormonal levels and lipid profile while quercetin amended these toxic effects by restoring normal spermatogenesis, testicular tissue damage, and hormonal levels. This suggests that quercetin may be a potential therapeutic against BPA induced testicular toxicity.
Macrophage Inhibitory Cytokine 1: A New Prognostic Marker in Prostate Cancer

Purpose: High serum levels of macrophage inhibitory cytokine 1 (MIC-1) are strongly associated with metastatic prostate cancer, suggesting MIC-1 is a biomarker for prostate cancer prognosis. Experimental Design: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 1,442 Swedish men with a pathologically verified diagnosis of prostate cancer between 2001 and 2003. Blood was drawn either pretreatment (n = 431) or posttreatment (n = 1,011) and cases were followed for a mean time of 4.9 years (range, 0.1-6.8 years). Results: MIC-1 serum levels independently predicted poor cancer-specific survival with an almost 3-fold higher cancer death rate in patients with serum levels in the highest quartile compared with men with serum levels in the lowest quartile (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.98; 95% confidence interval, 1.82-4.68). Pretreatment MIC-1 levels revealed an even stronger association with disease outcome with an 8-fold higher death rate in the highest compared with the lowest category (adjusted hazard ratio, 7.98; 95% confidence interval, 1.73-36.86). Among patients considered to have localized disease, MIC-1 significantly increased the discriminative capacity between indolent and lethal prostate cancer compared with the established prognostic markers clinical stage, pathologic grade, and prostate-specific antigen level (P = 0.016). A sequence variant in the MIC-1 gene was associated with decreased MIC-1 serum levels (P = 0.002) and decreased prostate cancer mortality (P = 0.003), suggesting a causative role of MIC-1 in prostate cancer prognosis. Conclusions: Serum MIC-1 concentration is a novel biomarker capable of predicting prostate cancer prognosis. (Clin Cancer Res 2009;15(21):6658–64)
Observations of Lower Tropospheric Water Vapor Structures in GOES‐16 ABI Imagery

During the afternoon of 16 April 2017 over Durango, Mexico, Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)‐16 Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) imagery near 1.38 and 7.34 μm exhibited nonstationary banded features. Alternating patterns of bright (dry) and dark (moist) bands were evident in images of 1.38‐μm reflectance, while corresponding warm (dry) and cool (moist) bands were evident in images of 7.34‐μm brightness temperatures. Based on observations, ambient southwesterly flow across the region is hypothesized to have channeled water vapor through major valleys over western Durango, followed by terrain lifting of water vapor over the plateau of central Durango. Due to lifting, moist bands appeared relatively cool in imagery near 7.34 μm. Similar bright and dark banded patterns were also evident in ABI imagery over Chihuahua, Mexico, on 8 May 2017. During the afternoon over Chihuahua, broken linear segments of cumulus formed within moist portions of the bands. Imagery from the 12.3‐ to 10.3‐μm split window difference also supported the presence of moist bands. In the 8 May 2017 case, the banded features are hypothesized to be the result of horizontal convective rolls. Observations suggested that dark (moist) bands in imagery near 1.38 μm corresponded to the rising branch of horizontal rolls. Due to vertical motion, broken linear segments of cloud streets formed within the rolls. One consequence of newly identified features of the clear‐sky water vapor field indicated the importance of new ABI measurements to aid forecasters in their interpretation of complex mesoscale dynamics.
Multi-objective topology and weight evolution of neuro-controllers

Evolutionary multi-objective optimization has been employed in studies concerning evolutionary robotics, and in particular for the evolution of neuro-controllers. To allow the simultaneous multi-objective evolution of topology and weights, tailored search algorithms should be developed. Here, a modification to the well-known NEAT algorithm is suggested. The proposed algorithm, which is termed NEAT-MODS, involves a specialized selection process that aims to ensure both genotypic diversity and elitism in the context of Pareto-optimality. NEAT-MODS constitutes a generic Multi-objective Topology and Weight Evolution of Artificial Neural-Networks (MO-TWEANN) algorithm. The suggested NEAT-MODS is found to be statistically superior to NEAT-PS, when applied to solve complex multi-objective navigation problem.
Influence of Shaking on Antifungal Susceptibility Testing of Cryptococcus neoformans: a Comparison of the NCCLS Standard M27A Medium, Buffered Yeast Nitrogen Base, and RPMI–2% Glucose

ABSTRACT Cryptococcus neoformans is a nonfermentative yeast that requires oxygen for growth. The shaking of culture media achieves good oxygenation, promoting the growth of cryptococci. In this study, three test media (RPMI 1640, RPMI 1640–2% glucose, and buffered yeast nitrogen base [BYNB]) recommended in the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards M27A standard were examined. Growth abilities and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) in microplates incubated at 35°C for 48 h were determined. The results indicated that shaking and an inoculum size of 105 CFU/ml yielded optimal growth of this yeast. Compared to RPMI 1640, supplementation of RPMI 1640 with 2% glucose did not significantly improve growth of C. neoformans and resulted in an 8.7-h delay of exponential growth. Cryptococcal growth in RPMI 1640 at 24 h was notably better than that in RPMI–2% glucose, although by 48 h the growths were comparable. The MIC range of amphotericin B observed for the C. neoformans strains grown in RPMI 1640 with or without glucose was too narrow to allow the separation of susceptible and resistant strains based on clinical outcome. The widest ranges of MICs of flucytosine and fluconazole were obtained with BYNB. This work demonstrates the need for a new antifungal susceptibility test for C. neoformans.
Evidence of Jet‐Scale Overturning Ocean Circulations in Argo Float Trajectories

In a recent study, it was proposed that Reynolds stress by oceanic mesoscale eddies not only drives jets such as Subantarctic Front but also can force overturning circulations that are composed of rising motion on the poleward flank and sinking motion on the equatorward flank of the jets. In that study, the thermally indirect, jet‐scale overturning circulations (JSOCs) were detected in an eddy‐resolving model simulation of the Southern Ocean. Here observational evidence of the existence of JSOCs is demonstrated by showing that the Argo floats tend to drift poleward across the jet with the maximum drift speed coinciding with the corresponding jet maximum. This finding has an implication for the observed deep mixed layer because it was previously shown that in the model the JSOCs play a key role in preconditioning the formation of a deep and narrow mixed layer at just ~1° north of the Subantarctic Front.
A Comparison of Prediction Equations for Estimating Glomerular Filtration Rate in Pregnancy

Objective: To compare existing glomerular filtration rate (GFR) prediction equations with the gold standard, inulin clearance, in pregnancy. Methods: Five equations were assessed for precision, bias, and accuracy in prediction of true GFR, measured by inulin clearance in 12 healthy, pregnant women during the second (T2) and third (T3) trimesters and in postpartum (PP). Results: Precision was greatest with 24-hour creatinine clearance estimation of GFR (R2 = 13% (T2), R2 = 26% (T3)). Other than 100/SCr, all equations underestimated true GFR. 30% accuracy was greatest in 100/SCr (83% (T2), 92% (T3)). Conclusions: Current GFR prediction formulae do not appear to be sufficient for estimating GFR in the gravid state.
Task Lockouts Induce Crowdworkers to Switch to Other Activities

Paid crowdsourcing has established itself as a useful way of getting work done. The availability of large, responsive pools of workers means that low quality work can often be treated as noise and dealt with through standard data processing techniques. This approach is not practical in all scenarios though, so efforts have been made to stop poor performance occurring by preventing satisficing behaviours that can compromise result quality. In this paper we test an intervention -- a task lockout -- designed to prevent satisficing behaviour in a simple data-entry task on Amazon Mechanical Turk. Our results show that workers are highly adaptable: when faced with the intervention they develop workaround strategies, allocating their time elsewhere during lockout periods. This suggests that more subtle techniques may be required to substantially influence worker behaviour.
Infant sleep development : location, feeding and expectations in the postnatal period.

Coping with sleep disruption is a common difficulty faced by new parents. Here we take a critical, contextual and evolutionary perspective on recent evidence surrounding the development of normal infant sleep in the postnatal period, its relationship with feeding method and the relevance of sleep location. Firstly, we explore the question of defining 'normal' infant sleep, considering the timing of sleep consolidation, cross-cultural and historical perspectives, and the impact of feeding method on infant waking and parental tiredness. In the second part of the review we focus on infant sleep location, physiological and behavioural functioning and sleep safety. We summarise recent research exploring the consequences of alternate infant sleep locations, including in-hospital interventions testing the effect of these sleep locations on outcomes associated with mother-infant proximity. Finally we provide an up-to-date review of SIDS research, including case-control and cross-cultural studies that inform policy-creation and authoritative advice to parents. We find that many researchers still neglect crucial variables affecting infant sleep including sleep location and feeding method and conclude that whilst the field of infant sleep research is well-established, future studies would benefit from consideration of infant evolutionary biology and the heterogeneity of infant care practices, which would lead to valuable new research insights in understanding normal infant sleep.
Weight Distributions of a Class of Cyclic Codes with Arbitrary Number of Zeros II

Cyclic codes are an important class of linear codes, whose weight distribution have been extensively studied. So far, most of previous results obtained were for cyclic codes with no more than three zeros. Recently, \cite{Y-X-D12} constructed a class of cyclic codes with arbitrary number of zeros, and computed the weight distributions for several cases. In this paper, we determine the weight distribution for a new family of such codes. This is achieved by certain new methods, such as the theory of Jacobi sums over finite fields and subtle treatment of some complicated combinatorial identities.
Feeding rates, assimilation efficiencies and growth of two amphipod species on biodeposited material from zebra mussels

SUMMARY 1. Accumulation of organic material by the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha is assumed to be the source of a biodeposition-based food web. However, only little is known about the importance of the biodeposited material as a food source and its contribution to increased abundances of macroinvertebrates in the presence of D. polymorpha. 2. Feeding, assimilation and growth of the amphipods Gammarus roeselii and Dikerogammarus villosus on food sources directly and indirectly associated with D. polymorpha (biodeposited material and chironomids) and on conditioned alder leaves were measured. The stoichiometry of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus of the diets was measured as an important determining factor of food quality. 3. Chironomids had the highest nitrogen and phosphorus contents, alder leaves were depleted in nitrogen and phosphorus, and the stoichiometry of biodeposited material was intermediate. 4. Both amphipod species had highest feeding rates and assimilation efficiencies on chironomids. Gammarus roeselii fed more on biodeposited material than on alder leaves, but assimilation efficiencies were similar; D. villosus also had similar feeding rates and assimilation efficiencies on the two diets. 5. Both amphipod species had highest growth rates on chironomids and lowest growth rates on alder leaves. Both grew at intermediate rates on biodeposited material of D. polymorpha. The growth rates of the amphipod species were related to food stoichiometry. Overall, the invasive D. villosus grew faster than the indigenous G. roeselii. 6. Food resources directly and indirectly associated with D. polymorpha are potential diets for amphipods, providing further evidence for a D. polymorpha biodeposition-based food web.
Distributed under Creative Commons Cc-by 4.0 Lung Ultrasound in the Diagnosis of Pneumonia in Children: Proposal for a New Diagnostic Algorithm

Background. Despite guideline recommendations, chest radiography (CR) for the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children is commonly used also in mild and/or uncomplicated cases. The aim of this study is to assess the reliability of lung ultrasonography (LUS) as an alternative test in these cases and suggest a new diagnostic algorithm. Methods. We reviewed the medical records of all patients admitted to the pediatric ward from February 1, 2013 to December 31, 2014 with respiratory signs and symptoms. We selected only cases with mild/uncomplicated clinical course and in which CR and LUS were performed within 24 h of each other. The LUS was not part of the required exams recorded in medical records but performed independently. The discharge diagnosis, made only on the basis of history and physical examination, laboratory and instrumental tests, including CR (without LUS), was used as a reference test to compare CR and LUS findings.
Impact of Various Organic Treatments on Growth, Yield and Quality Parameters of Potato

The experimental findings were revealed that the treatment showed better response to plant growth and its attributes and quality. However, maximum yield (225.26q/ha) were obtained with the application of T7-Absolute control with recommended dose of NPK (150:100:120 kg/ha) package of practices. The maximum specific gravity 1.07) recorded in T6 (FYM on N basis as per the recommended dose of all crops in the rotation. Plant protection measure may be taken through bio pesticide only). The maximum dry matter content of tubers (19.66%) was recorded in treatment T4-Crop residue incorporation + biofertilizers (Azotobacter and Phosphobacteria) + Vermicompost @ 5 t/ha + microbial culture to decomposed residues and minimum dry weight of tubers noted in Treatment T1 (18.46%) with application of crop residues incorporation during winter season. The maximum starch content (17.81%) of tuber was recorded in the T4 (Crop residue incorporation + biofertilizers (Azotobacter and Phosphobacteria) + Vermicompost @ 5 t/ha + microbial culture to decomposed residues). There was found most beneficial and feasible for cultivation of organic potato (Kufri Anand).
Effects of time perspective and self-control on procrastination and Internet addiction

Background and aims College students experiencing stress show tendencies to procrastinate and can develop Internet addiction problems. This study investigated the structural relationship between time perspective and self-control on procrastination and Internet addiction. Methods College students (N = 377) residing in South Korea completed the following questionnaires: the Pathological Internet Use Behavior Symptom Scale for Adults, the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory, the Self-Control Rating Scale, and the Aitken Procrastination Inventory. The sample variance–covariance matrix was analyzed using AMOS 20.0. Results Time perspective had a direct effect on self-control and an indirect effect on Internet use and procrastination. In addition, self-control affected procrastination and Internet use. Conclusions Individuals with a present-oriented time perspective tend to evidence poorer self-control, increasing the likelihood of procrastination and Internet addiction. Individuals with a future-oriented time perspective, on the other hand, tend to have stronger self-control, decreasing their risk of procrastination and Internet addiction.
Reduction in Early Mortality on Antiretroviral Therapy for Adults in Rural South Africa Since Change in CD4+ Cell Count Eligibility Criteria

Objective:To explore the impact of expanded eligibility criteria for antiretroviral therapy (ART) on median CD4+ cell count at ART initiation and early mortality on ART. Methods:Analyses included all adults (≥16 years) initiated on first-line ART between August 2004 and July 2012. CD4+ cell count threshold 350 cells per microliter for all adults was implemented in August 2011. Early mortality was defined as any death within 91 days of ART initiation. Trends in baseline CD4+ cell count and early mortality were examined by year (August to July) of ART initiation. Competing risks analysis was used to examine early mortality. Results:A total of 19,080 adults (67.6% female) initiated ART. Median CD4+ cell count at ART initiation was 110–120 cells per microliter over the first 6 years, increasing marginally to 145 cells per microliter in 2010–2011 and more significantly to 199 cells per microliter in 2011–2012. Overall, there were 875 deaths within 91 days of ART initiation; early mortality rate was 19.4 per 100 person-years [95% confidence interval (CI) 18.2 to 20.7]. After adjustment for sex, age, baseline CD4+ cell count, and concurrent tuberculosis (TB), there was a 46% decrease in early mortality for those who initiated ART in 2011–2012 compared with the reference period 2008–2009 (subhazard ratio, 0.54; 95% CI: 0.41 to 0.71). Conclusions:Since the expansion of eligibility criteria, there is evidence of earlier access to ART and a significant reduction in early mortality rate in this primary health care programme. These findings provide strong support for national ART policies and highlight the importance of earlier ART initiation for achieving reductions in HIV-related mortality.
Analyzing speech rate entrainment and its relation to therapist empathy in drug addiction counseling

A key quality index in drug addiction counseling such as Motivational Interviewing is the degree of therapist’s empathy towards the client. Empathy ratings are meant to evaluate the therapist’s understanding of the patient’s feelings, through their sensitivity and care of response. Empathy is also associated with the manifestation of behavioral entrainment in the interaction. In this paper, we compute a measure of entrainment in speech rate during dyadic interactions, and investigate its relation to perceived empathy. We show that the averaged absolute difference of turn-level speech rates between the therapist and the patient correlates with the ratings of therapist empathy. We also present the correlation of empathy to the statistics of speech and silence durations. Finally we show that in the task of automatically predicting high or low empathy, speech rate cues provide complementary information to previously proposed prosodic cues. These findings suggest speech rate as an important behavioral cue that is modulated by entrainment and contributes to empathy modeling.
Septic arthritis after arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

INTRODUCTION A retrospective review of postoperative infected anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction was done on 472 consecutive cases in one institution. The purpose was to assess the incidence, diagnosis, treatment and outcome factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS Out of 472 arthroscopic-assisted ACL reconstructions performed between 1999 and 2002, 7 (1%) postoperative deep intra-articular infections were detected. Seven males with a mean age of 23 years (range, 19 to 30 years) formed the study group; 3 had undergone prior knee surgery. RESULTS Four patients had acute infection (<2 weeks), 3 had subacute infection (2 weeks to 2 months) and none had late infection (>2 months). All were admitted within 24 hours of onset of symptoms and underwent immediate arthroscopic lavage, incision and drainage of abscess, debridement with graft retention and intravenous (8 to 31 days) followed by oral (4 to 6 weeks) antibiotics. Staphylococcus aureus was present in 4 patients, Peptostreptococcus in 3, Klebsiella in 1, and Enterobacter in 1. The patients underwent an average of 1.4 arthroscopic procedures (range, 1 to 3 procedures), with an average hospital stay of 17.3 days per patient. All were evaluated at an average of 11.7 months (range, 5 to 26 months). In all cases, the infection resolved with stable knees and with all grafts and implants retained. Although rare, early diagnosis and prompt treatment of infection can result in successful eradication without sacrificing the graft.
Molecular Mechanisms of Renal Cellular Nephrotoxicity due to Radiocontrast Media

Modern iodinated radiocontrast media are all based on the triiodinated benzene ring with various chemical modifications having been made over the last few decades in order to reduce their toxicity. However, CIN remains a problem especially in patients with pre-existing renal failure. In vitro studies have demonstrated that all RCM are cytotoxic. RCM administration in vivo may lead to a decrease in renal medullary oxygenation leading to the generation of reactive oxygen species that may cause harmful effects to renal tissue. In addition, endothelin and adenosine release and decreased nitric oxide levels may worsen the hypoxic milieu. In vitro cell culture studies together with sparse in vivo rat model data have shown that important cell signalling pathways are affected by RCM. In particular, the prosurvival and proproliferative kinases Akt and ERK1/2 have been shown to be dephosphorylated (deactivated), whilst proinflammatory/cell death molecules such as the p38 and JNK kinases and the transcription factor NF-κB may be activated by RCM, accompanied by activation of apoptotic mediators such as caspases. Increasing our knowledge of the mechanisms of RCM action may help to develop future therapies for CIN.