Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vilcacora [ Uncaria tomentosa ( Willd . ) DC . and Uncaria guianensis ( Aublet ) Gmell . ] – a review of published scientific literature

Uncaria tomentosa (Willdenow ex Roemer and Schultes) DC. and its relative Uncaria guianensis (Aublet) Gmell, both from the Rubiaceae family, are vines growing in jungles of South and Central America. They are widely used in folk and complementary medicine under traditional names: ‘Vilcacora’, ‘una de gato’, ‘cat’s claw“, „cat’s crew’, ‘saventaro’, ‘hawk’s claw’, ‘samento’, ‘garabato amarillo’ and ‘Katzenkralle’. In the genus Uncaria there are also other plants with well-known healing properties, e.g. Uncaria rhynchophylla and Uncaria sinensis, one of the most interesting medicinal plants of Asia, similar to Uncaria macrophylla and Uncaria formosana. Vilcacora and its components are of interest to various scientists (physicians, pharmacologists, botanists, and economists) due to their pharmacological properties, as well as ecologic and economic significance. In the reviewed scientific literature more than 45 papers on Vilcacora (chemical constitution, extracts’ standardization and quality control, toxicology and pharmacology of crude extracts – experiments in vitro or animal or human experiments in vivo) were published. Scientific literature on active substances present in Vilcacora includes more than a few thousand papers. In this paper, the most significant data on Vilcacora are reviewed, excluding case-reports and other data not confirmed in scientific literature (e.g. single paCase Rep Clin Pract Rev, 2001; 2(4): 305-316
Peptide nucleic acids targeted to the neurotensin receptor and administered i.p. cross the blood-brain barrier and specifically reduce gene expression.

Intraperitoneal injection of an unmodified antisense peptide nucleic acid (PNA) complementary to mRNA of the rat neurotensin (NT) receptor (NTR1) was demonstrated by a gel shift assay to be present in brain, thus indicating that the PNA had in fact crossed the blood-brain barrier. An i.p. injection of this antisense PNA specifically inhibited the hypothermic and antinociceptive activities of NT microinjected into brain. These results were associated with a reduction in binding sites for NT both in brain and the small intestine. Additionally, the sense-NTR1 PNA, targeted to DNA, microinjected directly into the brain specifically reduced mRNA levels by 50% and caused a loss of response to NT. To demonstrate the specificity of changes in behavioral, binding, and mRNA studies, animals treated with NTR1 PNA were tested for behavioral responses to morphine and their mu receptor levels were determined. Both were found to be unaffected in these NTR1 PNA-treated animals. The effects of both the antisense and sense PNAs were completely reversible. This work provides evidence that any antisense strategy targeted to brain proteins can work through i. p. delivery by crossing the normal blood-brain barrier. Equally important was that an antigene strategy, the sense PNA, was shown in vivo to be a potentially effective therapeutic treatment.
Production of Low Fat Milk by Diet Induced Milk Fat Depression 1

In many Western societies, consumption of milk fat in the form of fluid milk products and butter has decreased during the past 20 years resulting in surpluses of milk fat and consequently in low world market prices of butter. In some countries, component-pricing systems that favor production of milk protein have been established with limited success in reducing milk fat surpluses. It may not be easy to balance consumer demand and production of milk components,
Collective coin flipping, robust voting schemes and minima of Banzhaf values

The power of players in a collective decision process is a central issue in Mathematical Economics and Game Theory. Similar issues arise in Computer Science in the study of distributed, fault tolerant computations when several processes, some perhaps faulty, have to reach agreement. In the present article we study voting schemes which are relatively immune to the presence of unfair players. In particular, we discuss how to perform collective coin flipping which is only slightly biased despite the presence of unfair players. Mathematically this corresponds to problems concerning the minima of Banzhaf values in certain n -person games. These are measures of power studied in Game Theory. It is quite remarkable that while dictatorial voting games are, of course, the most sensitive to the presence of unfair players, some voting schemes that we propose here are significantly more robust than majority voting. Coin flipping was selected as a study case because of its simplicity and because collective coin flipping is widely used in randomized algorithms for distributed computations. It is our feeling that Game Theory has much to contribute to Computer Science and we are sure that further applications will be found.
Discrepancies between Antimullerian Hormone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone in Assisted Reproduction

Data from 107 women undergoing their first IVF/ICSI were analyzed. Relationships between antimullerian hormone (AMH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) were analyzed after dividing patients into four groups according to AMH/FSH levels. Concordance was noted in 57% of women (both AMH/FSH either normal or abnormal) while 43%of women had discordant values (AMH/FSH one hormone normal and the other abnormal). Group 1 (AMH and FSH in normal range) and group 2 (normal AMH and high FSH) were younger compared to group 3 (low AMH and normal FSH) and group 4 (both AMH/FSH abnormal). Group 1 showing the best oocyte yield was compared to the remaining three groups. Groups 3 and 4 required higher dose of gonadotrophins for controlled ovarian hyperstimulation showing their low ovarian reserve. There was no difference in cycle cancellation, clinical pregnancy, and live birth/ongoing pregnancy rate in all groups. These tests are useful to predict ovarian response but whether AMH is a substantially better predictor is not yet established.
Evaluation of Early Cholecystectomy versus Delayed Cholecystectomy in the Treatment of Acute Cholecystitis

Objective. To evaluate if early cholecystectomy (EC) is the most appropriate treatment for acute cholecystitis compared to delayed cholecystectomy (DC). Patients and Methods. A retrospective cohort study of 1043 patients was carried out, with a group of 531 EC cases and a group of 512 DC patients. The following parameters were recorded: (1) postoperative hospital morbidity, (2) hospital mortality, (3) days of hospital stay, (4) readmissions, (5) admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), (6) type of surgery, (7) operating time, and (8) reoperations. In addition, we estimated the direct cost savings of implementing an EC program. Results. The overall morbidity of the EC group (29.9%) was significantly lower than the DC group (38.7%). EC demonstrated significantly better results than DC in days of hospital stay (8.9 versus 15.8 days), readmission percentage (6.8% versus 21.9%), and percentage of ICU admission (2.3% versus 7.8%), which can result in reducing the direct costs. The patients who benefited most from an EC were those with a Charlson index > 3. Conclusions. EC is safe in patients with acute cholecystitis and could lead to a reduction in the direct costs of treatment.
Segregation of Ferritin in Glomerular Protein Absorption Droplets

Ferritin was used as a tracer to study the mechanism by which proteins are segregated into droplets by the visceral epithelium of glomerular capillaries. In glomeruli from both normal and aminonucleoside-nephrotic rats ferritin molecules introduced into the general circulation penetrated the endothelial openings and were seen at various levels in the basement membrane. Striking differences between nephrotic and controls were seen only in the amount of ferritin incorporated into the epithelium. In normal animals, a few ferritin molecules were seen in small invaginations of the cell membrane limiting the foot processes, within minute vesicles in the epithelium, or within occasional large vacuoles and dense bodies. In nephrotics, epithelial pinocytosis was marked, and numerous ferritin molecules were seen within membrane invaginations and in small cytoplasmic vesicles at all time points. After longer intervals, the concentration of ferritin increased in vacuoles and particularly within the dense bodies or within structures with a morphology intermediate between that of vacuoles and dense bodies. In nephrotic animals cleft-like cavities or sinuses were frequently encountered along the epithelial cell surface facing the urinary spaces. Some of these sinuses contained material resembling that filling the dense bodies except that it appeared less compact. The findings suggest that ferritin molecules—and presumably other proteins which penetrate the basement membrane—are picked up by the epithelium in pinocytotic vesicles and transported via the small vesicles to larger vacuoles which are subsequently transformed into dense bodies by progressive condensation. The content of the dense bodies may then undergo partial digestion and be extruded into the urinary spaces where it disperses. The activity of the glomerular epithelium in the incorporation and segregation of protein is similar in normal and nephrotic animals, except that the rate is considerably higher in nephrosis where the permeability of the glomerular basement membrane is greatly increased.
Unilateral renal agenesis: a systematic review on associated anomalies and renal injury.

BACKGROUND Unilateral renal agenesis (URA) is associated with other congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) and extra-renal anomalies. However, the reported prevalences of these anomalies are highly variable. We estimated the prevalence of associated CAKUT and extra-renal anomalies in patients with URA. Furthermore, we determined the prevalence of renal injury in URA patients. METHODS We conducted a systematic review of English and non-English articles using PubMed and Embase.com. Included studies reported at least one of the following items: incidence of URA, gender, side of URA, prenatal diagnosis, performance of micturating cystourethrogram, associated CAKUT, urinary tract infection or extra-renal anomalies. Studies that described a mean/median glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and proportions of patients with hypertension, micro-albuminuria or a decreased GFR were also included. RESULTS Analyses were based on 43 included studies (total number of patients: 2684, 63% male). The general incidence of URA was 1 in ∼2000. Associated CAKUT were identified in 32% of patients, of which vesicoureteral reflux was most frequently identified (24% of patients). Extra-renal anomalies were found in 31% of patients. Hypertension could be identified in 16% of patients, whereas 21% of patients had micro-albuminuria. Ten per cent of patients had a GFR<60 mL/min/1.73 m2;. CONCLUSIONS These aggregate results provide insight in the prevalence of associated anomalies and renal injury in patients with URA. Our systematic review implicates that URA is not a harmless malformation by definition. Therefore, we emphasize the need for clinical follow-up in URA patients starting at birth.
A Low-Power CMOS Crystal Oscillator Using a Stacked-Amplifier Architecture

This paper presents a low-power 39.25-MHz crystal oscillator with a new stacked-amplifier architecture achieving the smallest figure of merit (FoM) ever reported for a crystal oscillator for wireless communications. Theoretical analyses of the power consumption and the phase noise (PN) in the proposed stacked-amplifier architecture are newly provided to clarify the reason why the proposed stacked-amplifier architecture achieves the smallest FoM. Additionally, a new self-forward-body-biasing technique and flicker noise suppression technique are shown to reduce the minimum operational supply voltage (V<sub>DD(MIN)</sub>) and the PN, respectively. The proposed 3.3-V, 39.25-MHz stacked-amplifier crystal oscillator fabricated in a 65-nm CMOS process exhibits the smallest FoM for a crystal oscillator of −248 dBc/Hz with a power consumption of 19 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{W}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and PN of −139 dBc/Hz at 1-kHz offset frequency. The relative frequency errors among 11 samples at temperatures of −30 °C to 80 °C and for ±10% supply voltage variation are ±10.5 ppm and ±0.12 ppm, respectively. The long-term frequency error is −0.98 ppm in the first year (=365 days).
Novel Molecular and Computational Methods Improve the Accuracy of Insertion Site Analysis in Sleeping Beauty-Induced Tumors

The recent development of the Sleeping Beauty (SB) system has led to the development of novel mouse models of cancer. Unlike spontaneous models, SB causes cancer through the action of mutagenic transposons that are mobilized in the genomes of somatic cells to induce mutations in cancer genes. While previous methods have successfully identified many transposon-tagged mutations in SB-induced tumors, limitations in DNA sequencing technology have prevented a comprehensive analysis of large tumor cohorts. Here we describe a novel method for producing genetic profiles of SB-induced tumors using Illumina sequencing. This method has dramatically increased the number of transposon-induced mutations identified in each tumor sample to reveal a level of genetic complexity much greater than previously appreciated. In addition, Illumina sequencing has allowed us to more precisely determine the depth of sequencing required to obtain a reproducible signature of transposon-induced mutations within tumor samples. The use of Illumina sequencing to characterize SB-induced tumors should significantly reduce sampling error that undoubtedly occurs using previous sequencing methods. As a consequence, the improved accuracy and precision provided by this method will allow candidate cancer genes to be identified with greater confidence. Overall, this method will facilitate ongoing efforts to decipher the genetic complexity of the human cancer genome by providing more accurate comparative information from Sleeping Beauty models of cancer.
Does It Pay for US-based NGOs to Go to War? Empirical Evidence for Afghanistan and Iraq

Apart from altruistic reasons, NGOs may engage in developing countries under conditions of conflict and war in order to secure funding and survive in the 'market' of humanitarian relief and development assistance. Applying a difference-in-difference-in-differences approach, we analyze empirically whether the presence of US-based NGOs in Afghanistan and Iraq improved their chances of external funding. We find that NGOs being active in Afghanistan tended to benefit from easier access to official sources of funding after the US intervention, compared to NGOs staying away. Nevertheless, there is no compelling evidence that it pays for NGOs to engage where the United States intervenes militarily.
Simultaneous Real-Time Detection of Motor Imagery and Error-Related Potentials for Improved BCI Accuracy

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), as any other interaction modality based on physiological signals and body channels (e.g., muscular activity, speech and gestures), are prone to errors in the recognition of subject's intent. An elegant approach to improve the accuracy of BCIs consists of a verification procedure directly based on the presence of error-related potentials (ErrP) in the EEG recorded right after the occurrence of an error. Two healthy volunteer subjects with little prior BCI experience participated in a real-time human-robot interaction experiment where they were asked to mentally move a cursor towards a target that can be reached within a few steps using motor imagery. These experiments confirm the previously reported presence of a new kind of ErrP. These Interaction ErrP exhibit a first sharp negative peak followed by a positive peak and a second broader negative peak ( 270, 330 and 430 ms after the feedback, respectively). The objective of the present study was to simultaneously detect erroneous responses of the interface and classifying motor imagery at the level of single trials in a real-time system. We have achieved online an average recognition rate of correct and erroneous single trials of 84.7% and 78.8%, respectively. The off-line post-analysis showed that the BCI error rate without the integration of ErrP detection is around 30% for both subjects. However, when integrating ErrP detection, the average online error rate drops to 7%, multiplying the bit rate by more than 3. These results show that it's possible to simultaneously extract in real-time useful information for mental control to operate a brain-actuated device as well as correlates of cognitive states such as error-related potentials to improve the quality of the brain-computer interaction.
N-cadherin as a key regulator of collective cell migration in a 3D environment

Cell migration is a critical step of normal developmental processes and disease progression. Often, migrating cells interact and maintain contact with neighboring cells. However, the precise roles of cell-cell adhesion in cell migration have thus far been poorly defined. Often in aggressive cancers, N-cadherin is prominently upregulated, yet, these highly motile cells have limited cell-cell adhesion when plated on a stiff 2D substrate. But, the same cells in a 3D matrix migrate as a multicellular cluster. This new observation suggests that N-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion supports cell interactions between migrating cells in a more physiologically relevant 3D matrix, but not on a 2D substrate. While N-cadherin is an integral part of neural synapses, the ectopic expression of N-cadherin in transformed epithelial cells plays an equally important part in initiating pro-migratory signaling, and providing strong yet flexible cell cohesion essential for persistent cell migration in a 3D matrix. The 3D cell migration analysis for studying cell-to-cell interactions exposes the roles of N-cadherin in multicellular migration, and reveals novel insights into cell migration-dependent normal and pathological processes.
Multi-cue Zero-Shot Learning with Strong Supervision

Scaling up visual category recognition to large numbers of classes remains challenging. A promising research direction is zero-shot learning, which does not require any training data to recognize new classes, but rather relies on some form of auxiliary information describing the new classes. Ultimately, this may allow to use textbook knowledge that humans employ to learn about new classes by transferring knowledge from classes they know well. The most successful zero-shot learning approaches currently require a particular type of auxiliary information - namely attribute annotations performed by humans - that is not readily available for most classes. Our goal is to circumvent this bottleneck by substituting such annotations by extracting multiple pieces of information from multiple unstructured text sources readily available on the web. To compensate for the weaker form of auxiliary information, we incorporate stronger supervision in the form of semantic part annotations on the classes from which we transfer knowledge. We achieve our goal by a joint embedding framework that maps multiple text parts as well as multiple semantic parts into a common space. Our results consistently and significantly improve on the state-of-the-art in zero-short recognition and retrieval.
Quantitative on‐line monitoring of hippocampus glucose and lactate metabolism in organotypic cultures using biosensor technology

Quantitative glucose and lactate metabolism was assessed in continuously perfused organotypic hippocampal slices under control conditions and during exposure to glutamate and drugs that interfere with aerobic and anaerobic metabolism. On‐line detection was possible with a system based on slow perfusion rates, a half‐open (medium/air interface) tissue chamber and a flow injection analytic system equipped with biosensors for glucose and lactate. Under basal conditions about 50% of consumed glucose was converted to lactate in hippocampal slice cultures. Using medium containing lactate (5 mm) instead of glucose (5 mm) significant lactate uptake was observed, but this uptake was less than the net uptake of lactate equivalents in glucose‐containing medium. Glucose deprivation experiments suggested lactate efflux from glycogen stores. The effects of drugs compromising or stimulating energy metabolism, i.e. 2‐deoxyglucose, 3‐nitropropionic acid, α‐cyano‐4‐hydroxycinnamate, l‐glutamate, d‐asparate, ouabain and monensin, were tested in this flow system. The data show that maintaining Na+ and K+ gradients consumed much of the energy but do not support the hypothesis that l‐glutamate stimulates glycolysis in hippocampal slice cultures.
Software engineering education: a survey

Introductio n During the years since the ter m "software engineering" was firs t introduced by a 1968 NATO Scienc e Committee study group [1], much work ha s gone into defining the structure an d content of educational programs i n software engineering. As a result, ther e are now at least two schools in the U . S. that offer degree programs in softwar e engineering. In order to assess th e impact of software engineering educatio n on a local level, in late 1982 a surve y was made of the California colleges in Lo s Angeles and Orange Counties [2] , Information concerning course work relate d to software engineering was obtained fro m college catalogs and interviews wit h faculty members. Although none of the schools surveye d offered a complete program in softwar e engineering, it was found that the large r schools were able to provide a goo d introduction to the field by offering tw o or three courses in software engineering , some of them involving softwar e development projects. The other schools , however, had little or no offerings i n this area. Among the factors that hav e inhibited the growth of educationa l programs in software engineering, two i n particular were noted. One is th e difficulty of obtaining full—tim e instructors knowledgeable in softwar e engineering, and the other is th e inability of software engineering to gai n recognition among the general academi c community as an important field in its ow n right. In this paper we will report th e primary findings of the survey .