Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Holmes tremor

Objective: To describe the clinical features, etiology, findings from neuroimaging, and treatment results in a series of 29 patients with Holmes tremor (HT). Methods: A retrospective study was performed based on review of medical records and videos of patients with HT diagnosis. Results: A total of 16 women and 13 men were included. The mean age at the moment of CNS insult was 33.9 ± 20.1 years (range 8–76 years). The most common causes were vascular (48.3%), ischemic, or hemorrhagic. Traumatic brain injury only represented 17.24%; other causes represented 34.5%. The median latency from lesion to tremor onset was 2 months (range 7 days–228 months). The most common symptoms/signs associated with HT were hemiparesis (62%), ataxia (51.7%), hypoesthesia (27.58%), dystonia (24.1%), cranial nerve involvement (24.1%), and dysarthria (24.1%). Other symptoms/signs were vertical gaze disorders (6.8%), bradykinesia/rigidity (6.8%), myoclonus (3.4%), and seizures (3.4%). Most of the patients had lesions involving more than one area. MRI showed lesions in thalamus or midbrain or cerebellum in 82.7% of the patients. Levodopa treatment was effective in 13 out of 24 treated patients (54.16%) and in 3 patients unilateral thalamotomy provided excellent results. Conclusions: The most common causes of HT in our series were vascular lesions. The most common lesion topography was mesencephalic, thalamic, or both. Treatment with levodopa and thalamic stereotactic lesional surgery seems to be effective.
Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Intratracheal Recombinant Human Clara Cell Protein in Premature Infants with Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Clara cell 10-kD protein (CC10) is a potent anti-inflammatory protein that is normally abundant in the respiratory tract. CC10 is deficient and oxidized in premature infants with poor clinical outcome (death or the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia). The safety, pharmacokinetics, and anti-inflammatory activity of recombinant human CC10 (rhCC10) were evaluated in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, multicenter trial in premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome. A total of 22 infants (mean birth weight: 932 g; gestational age: 26.9 wk) received one intratracheal dose of placebo (n = 7) or 1.5 mg/kg (n = 8) or 5 mg/kg (n = 7) rhCC10 within 4 h of surfactant treatment. Pharmacokinetic analyses demonstrated that the serum half-life was 11.6 (1.5 mg/kg group) and 9.9 h (5 mg/kg group). Excess circulating CC10 was eliminated via the urine within 48 h. rhCC10-treated infants showed significant reductions in total cell count (p < 0.0002), neutrophil counts (p < 0.001), and total protein concentrations (p < 0.01) and tended to have decreased IL-6 (p < 0.07) in tracheal aspirate fluid collected over the first 3 d of life. Infants in all three groups showed comparable growth. At 36 wk postmenstrual age, five of seven infants were still hospitalized and two of seven infants were receiving oxygen in the placebo group compared with two of seven hospitalized and one of seven receiving oxygen in the 1.5-mg/kg group and four of six hospitalized and three of six receiving oxygen in the 5-mg/kg group. A single intratracheal dose of rhCC10 was well tolerated and had significant anti-inflammatory effects in the lung. Multiple doses of rhCC10 will be investigated for efficacy in reducing pulmonary inflammation and ameliorating bronchopulmonary dysplasia in future studies.
Manual Acupuncture at PC6 Ameliorates Acute Restraint Stress-Induced Anxiety in Rats by Normalizing Amygdaloid Noradrenergic Response

Acupuncture improves ethanol withdrawal-induced anxiety in rats in an acupoint-dependent manner. Thus, the present study investigated the effects of acupuncture on acute restraint stress- (ARS-) induced anxiety. Male rats were exposed to ARS for 3 h followed by acupuncture at either PC6 (Neiguan), HT7 (Shenmen), or a nonacupoint (tail) once a day for three consecutive days. Five minutes after the third acupuncture treatment, anxiety-like behavior was evaluated in an elevated plus maze (EPM). Additionally, plasma corticosterone (CORT) levels were measured by radioimmunoassay and the concentrations of norepinephrine (NE) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenylglycol (MHPG) in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography. Acupuncture at PC6, but not HT7 or a nonacupoint, attenuated anxiety-like behavior, but this attenuation was abolished by a postacupunctural intra-CeA infusion of NE. Acupuncture at PC6 also reduced the oversecretion of plasma CORT and inhibited increases in amygdaloid NE and MHPG induced by ARS. Further, Western blot analyses and real-time polymerase chain reaction assays revealed that acupuncture at PC6 prevented ARS-induced enhancements in the protein and mRNA expressions of tyrosine hydroxylase in the CeA. These results suggest that acupuncture performed specifically at acupoint PC6 reduces ARS-induced anxiety-like behavior by dampening amygdaloid noradrenergic responses.
Highly Ordered Pd Nanowire Array by Template Fabrication for Propanol Electrooxidation

Highly ordered Pd nanowire arrays (NWAs) prepared by electrodeposition method using the fresh prepared anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) as the template have been characterized by X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electrochemical measurements. SEM results revealed that the brush-shaped Pd NWAs are dispersed uniformly. The diameter and length of the obtained Pd NWAs are about 50 nm and 850 nm, respectively. Furthermore, the electrocatalytic activity of Pd NWAs electrode for propanol oxidation in alkaline media has also been studied. It is found that the obtained nanostructurs exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of propanol, demonstrating the potential application in portable direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs).
Transplantation of Bone Marrow–Derived Mononuclear Cells in Ischemic Apolipoprotein E–Knockout Mice Accelerates Atherosclerosis Without Altering Plaque Composition

Background—Bone marrow–derived mononuclear cells (BM-MNCs) enhance postischemic neovascularization, and their therapeutic use is currently under clinical investigation. We evaluated the safety of BM-MNC–based therapy in the setting of atherosclerosis. Methods and Results—Apolipoprotein E (apoE)–knockout (KO) mice were divided into 4 groups: 20 nonischemic mice receiving intravenous injection of either saline (n=10) or 106 BM-MNCs from wild-type animals (n=10) and 20 mice with arterial femoral ligature receiving intravenous injection of either saline (n=10) or 106 BM-MNCs from wild-type animals (n=10) at the time of ischemia induction. Animals were monitored for 4 additional weeks. Atherosclerosis was evaluated in the aortic sinus. BM-MNC transplantation improved tissue neovascularization in ischemic hind limbs, as revealed by the 210% increase in angiography score (P <0.0001), the 33% increase in capillary density (P =0.01), and the 65% increase in tissue Doppler perfusion score (P =0.0002). Hindlimb ischemia without BM-MNC transplantation or BM-MNC transplantation without ischemia did not affect atherosclerotic plaque size. However, transplantation of 106 BM-MNCs into apoE-KO mice with hindlimb ischemia induced a significant 48% to 72% increase in lesion size compared with the other 3 groups (P =0.0025), despite similar total cholesterol levels. Transplantation of 105 BM-MNCs produced similar results, whereas transplantation of 106 apoE-KO–derived BM-MNCs had neither proangiogenic nor proatherogenic effects. There was no difference in plaque composition between groups. Conclusions—BM-MNC therapy is unlikely to affect atherosclerotic plaque stability in the short term. However, it may promote further atherosclerotic plaque progression in an ischemic setting.
Origin of the ultimobranchial body cyst: T/ebp/Nkx2.1 expression is required for development and fusion of the ultimobranchial body to the thyroid

The ultimobranchial body (UBB) is an outpocketing of the fourth pharyngeal pouch that fuses with the thyroid diverticulum, giving rise to calcitonin‐producing C‐cells. In this study, we demonstrate that the UBB is composed of two types of cells: one expressing T/ebp/Nkx2.1 and the other expressing p63. The former cell type, accounting for a majority of the UBB, requires T/ebp/Nkx2.1 for their survival. In contrast, the p63‐positive cells, even in the absence of T/ebp/Nkx2.1 expression, can proliferate and give rise to a vesicular structure that is lined by a monolayer of p63‐negative cells, surrounded by a cluster and/or single layer of p63‐positive cells, displaying the basal/stem cell phenotype. T/ebp/Nkx2.1 haploinsufficiency causes abnormal fusion of the UBB with the thyroid diverticulum, which stays as a cluster of C‐cells around the vesicular structure, similar to the one observed in mice null for T/ebp/Nkx2.1 expression. These results demonstrate that T/ebp/Nkx2.1 plays a role in the survival of UBB cells, their dissemination into the thyroid diverticulum, and the formation of UBB‐derived vesicular structure. Developmental Dynamics 235:1300–1309, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Prediction of Broad Spectrum Resistance of Tumors towards Anticancer Drugs

Purpose: Drug resistance is a major obstacle in cancer chemotherapy. Although the statistical probability of therapeutic success is known for larger patient groups from clinical therapy trials, it is difficult to predict the individual response of tumors. The concept of individualized therapy aims to determine in vitro the drug response of tumors beforehand to choose effective treatment options for each individual patient. Experimental Design: We analyzed the cross-resistance profiles of different tumor types (cancers of lung, breast, and colon, and leukemia) towards drugs from different classes (anthracyclines, antibiotics, Vinca alkaloids, epipodophyllotoxins, antimetabolites, and alkylating agents) by nucleotide incorporation and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays. Hierarchical cluster analysis and COMPARE analyses were applied. Results: Tumors exert broad resistance profiles, e.g., tumors resistant to one drug tend to also be resistant to other drugs, whereas sensitive tumors reveal sensitivity towards many drugs. Interestingly, the broad spectrum resistance phenotype could reliably be predicted by doxorubicin alone. Expression of the ATP-binding cassette transporter P-glycoprotein (ABCB1, MDR1) and the proliferative activity of tumors were identified as underlying mechanisms of broad spectrum resistance. To find novel compounds with activity against drug-resistant tumors, a database with 2,420 natural products was screened for compounds acting independent of P-glycoprotein and the proliferative state of tumor cells. Conclusions: Tumors exert cross-resistance profiles much broader than the classical multidrug resistance phenotype. Broad spectrum resistance can be predicted by doxorubicin due to the multifactorial mode of action of this drug. Novel cytotoxic compounds from natural resources might be valuable tools for strategies to bypass broad spectrum resistance.
Scientists’ Prioritization of Communication Objectives for Public Engagement

Amid calls from scientific leaders for their colleagues to become more effective public communicators, this study examines the objectives that scientists’ report drive their public engagement behaviors. We explore how scientists evaluate five specific communication objectives, which include informing the public about science, exciting the public about science, strengthening the public’s trust in science, tailoring messages about science, and defending science from misinformation. We use insights from extant research, the theory of planned behavior, and procedural justice theory to identify likely predictors of scientists' views about these communication objectives. Results show that scientists most prioritize communication designed to defend science from misinformation and educate the public about science, and least prioritize communication that seeks to build trust and establish resonance with the public. Regression analyses reveal factors associated with scientists who prioritize each of the five specific communication objectives. Our findings highlight the need for communication trainers to help scientists select specific communication objectives for particular contexts and audiences.
Explaining Leisure Interests, Personality, Work Centrality, and Vocational Interests

The current study examined the relations between leisure interests and other vocational constructs among undergraduate university students. Methods included utilizing previously obtained data from a sample of 194 undergraduate students at the University of Minnesota, where study measures were given in 2007. Data collected included the Leisure Interest Questionnaire, used to determine leisure interests and activities outside the workplace; the International Personality Item Pool, a measure of five main personality traits; and the Strong Interest Inventory, a measure of vocational interests. Work centrality, or the importance of the role of work, was also assessed to determine the relations between leisure interests and vocational interests, given the importance of leisure versus work in an individual’s life. As predicted, significant correlations between leisure interests, vocational interests, and personality
Cumulus Convection and larger Scale Circulations I. Broadscale and Mesoscale Considerations

-This paper (part I) is a discussion of the magnitude and implication of the vertical circulation patterns of the summertime tropical atmosphere as derived from synoptic scale considerations. Part I is compared to the vertical circulation patterns derived from cumulus scale considerations as discussed by L6pee in part 11, a companion paper. From the synoptic scale considerations, we show that a very significant subsynoptic or local vertical motion is occurring within the cloud regions of the Tropics. This mass-cancelling local up- and-down circulation is not resolved by the mean or synoptic scale flow patterns. The magnitude of this local or up- and-down vertical circulation can be estimated from cloud-cluster scale (approx. 4") mass, vapor, energy, and rainfall-evaporation budgets. Results are closely comparable to those obtained by L6pee from an independent small-scale approach through modelling of individual cumulus ele-mcnts. This local vertical circulation is shown to be fundamental for the mass, vapor, and energy balances of the tropical atmosphere. Other discussions of the characteristics of the cumulus convective atmosphere are included.
Penambahbaikan antara muka sistem penilaian pengajaran kursus (SPPK) UKM

Sistem Penilaian Pengajaran Kursus (SPPK) ialah sistem yang disediakan untuk menilai kualiti pengajaran kursus di UKM daripada perspektif pelajar. Walau bagaimanapun, sistem telah diubah namanya kepada Sistem Pengajaran dan Penilaian pada tahun 2012 kerana mengambil kira elemen penyeliaan dalam program pengajian, terutamanya program pengajian siswazah. SPPK merupakan salah satu sistem maklum balas pelajar yang memberi input penting untuk penambahbaikan kualiti program pengajian secara berterusan yang dijalankan di semua fakulti. Satu kajian dijalankan terhadap SPPK UKM tersebut. Fokus kajian adalah untuk mengenal pasti masalah kepenggunaan yang terdapat dalam SPPK yang ditambah baik yang mana dalam kajian ini dipanggil SPPKP. Kajian penambahbaikan SPPK dilakukan berasaskan hasil penilaian kepenggunaan yang dijalankan. Kajian untuk mendapatkan maklum balas pelajar terhadap antara muka SPPKP dilakukan. Kajian penilaian kepenggunaan ini dijalankan melalui persampelan rawak berstrata terhadap pelajar UKM. Kaedah kajian ialah pemerhatian melalui penjejakan anak mata, soal selidik dan temu bual. Hasil kajian dapat menyingkap masalah kepenggunaan yang berkemungkinan masih lagi memberi impak kepada keberkesanan antara muka SPPKP yang telah direka bentuk. Cadangan penambahbaikan dicadangkan pada akhir kajian.
Clarifying Functional Analysis Outcomes for Disruptive Behaviors by Controlling Consequence Delivery for Stereotypy

Abstract Although individuals may engage in several topographies of aberrant behavior, each with different functions, it is not uncommon for researchers to conduct one functional analysis. We conducted two functional analyses for a child with autism, one with and one without consequences for stereotypic vocalizations. Only the analysis without consequences for stereotypic vocalizations differentiated the function of the primary target behavior, disruption. The data suggest that in some cases high-rate behaviors may serve as establishing operations that mask the function of lower rate behaviors and warrant separate functional analyses.
Contextual synonym dictionary for visual object retrieval

In this paper, we study the problem of visual object retrieval by introducing a dictionary of contextual synonyms to narrow down the semantic gap in visual word quantization. The basic idea is to expand a visual word in the query image with its synonyms to boost the retrieval recall. Unlike the existing work such as soft-quantization, which only focuses on the Euclidean (l2) distance in descriptor space, we utilize the visual words which are more likely to describe visual objects with the same semantic meaning by identifying the words with similar contextual distributions (i.e. contextual synonyms). We describe the contextual distribution of a visual word using the statistics of both co-occurrence and spatial information averaged over all the image patches having this visual word, and propose an efficient system implementation to construct the contextual synonym dictionary for a large visual vocabulary. The whole construction process is unsupervised and the synonym dictionary can be naturally integrated into a standard bag-of-feature image retrieval system. Experimental results on several benchmark datasets are quite promising. The contextual synonym dictionary-based expansion consistently outperforms the l2 distance-based soft-quantization, and advances the state-of-the-art performance remarkably.
BAY 41-2272, a Direct Activator of Soluble Guanylate Cyclase, Reduces Right Ventricular Hypertrophy and Prevents Pulmonary Vascular Remodeling during Chronic Hypoxia in Neonatal Rats

Exposure to hypoxia during the first weeks of life in newborn rats decreases vascular growth and alveolarization and causes pulmonary hypertension (PH). BAY 41-2272 is a novel direct activator of soluble guanylate cyclase independent of nitric oxide, effective as an acute pulmonary vasodilator in an animal model of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, but whether prolonged BAY 41-2272 therapy is effective in the setting of chronic PH is unknown. We hypothesize that BAY 41-2272 would prevent PH induced by chronic exposure to neonatal hypoxia. At 2 days of age, newborn rats were randomly exposed to hypoxia (FiO2, 0.12) or room air, and received daily intramuscular treatment with BAY 41-2272 (1 mg/kg) or saline. After 2 weeks, rats were killed for assessment of right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH), wall thickness of small pulmonary arteries, vessels density, radial alveolar counts and mean linear intercepts. In comparison with control, hypoxia increased RVH and artery wall thickness, reduced vessels density, decreased radial alveolar counts and increased mean linear intercepts. In comparison with hypoxic controls, prolonged BAY 41-2272 treatment during chronic hypoxia reduced RVH (0.67 ± 0.03 vs. 0.52 ± 0.05; p < 0.05), and attenuated artery wall thickness (48.2 ± 2.8% vs. 35.7 ± 4.1 µm; p < 0.01). However, BAY 41-2272 did not change vessels density, radial alveolar counts or mean linear intercepts. We conclude that BAY 41-2272 prevents the vascular structural effects of PH and reduces RVH but does not protect from hypoxia-induced inhibition of alveolarization and vessel growth. We speculate that BAY 41-2272 may provide a new therapy for chronic PH.
Flavonoids, Phenolics, and Antioxidant Capacity in the Flower of Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.

Flavonoids and phenolics are abundant in loquat flowers. Methanol had the highest extraction efficiency among five solvents, followed by ethanol. Considering the safety and residue, ethanol is better as extraction solvent. The average content of flavonoids and phenolics of loquat flower of five cultivars were 1.59 ± 0.24 and 7.86 ± 0.87 mg/g DW, respectively, when using ethanol as extraction solvent. The contents of both bioactive components in flowers at different developmental stages and in the various flower tissues clearly differed, with the highest flavonoids and phenolics content in flowers of stage 3 (flower fully open) and petal, respectively. The antioxidant capacity was measured using FRAP, DPPH, and ABTS methods. The values of ABTS method was highest, followed by DPPH, the lowest was FRAP, when using vitamin C equivalent antioxidant capacity (VCEAC) as unit. Correlation analysis showed that the ABTS method showed the highest correlation coefficients with flavonoids and phenolics, i.e., 0.886 and 0.973, respectively.
Essential Role for Verotoxin in Sustained Stress-Activated Protein Kinase and Nuclear Factor Kappa B Signaling, Stimulated by Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Vero Cells

ABSTRACT The effects of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (strains E30480 and PM601) and the associated verotoxins (VTs), VT1 and VT2, on stress-activated protein kinase and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling were investigated with Vero cells, which are extremely sensitive to the cytotoxic effects of E. coli O157:H7 in vitro. Cell-free supernatants prepared from E30480 and PM601 cultures and purified VT1 and VT2 stimulated a strong and prolonged (>4-h) activation of both c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. However, JNK activity stimulated in response to E30480 supernatants was substantially reduced following pretreatment with anti-VT1 and anti-VT2 antibodies, while a VT1 and VT2 gene knockout mutant of PM601 was unable to stimulate JNK activity. E30480 supernatants also caused a sustained activation of NF-κB DNA binding, degradation of inhibitory kappa B alpha (IκBα), and an increase in inhibitory kappa B kinase α activity, although PM601 supernatants and VT1 and VT2 had no effect. However, preincubation with VTs prolonged the transient activation of NF-κB and IκBα degradation stimulated by either tumor necrosis factor alpha or interleukin 1β, while preincubation with anti-VT antibodies prevented the prolonged loss of IκBα and partially reduced DNA binding in response to E30480 supernatants. These results strongly suggest that in Vero cells, VT plays an essential role in sustained JNK and NF-κB signaling in response to E. coli O157:H7 and that this action may underpin their cell-selective cytotoxic effects. These studies also suggest that another component released by strain E30480 contributes to the early activation of JNK and NF-κB.