Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of proteoglycans in endochondral ossification: immunofluorescent localization of link protein and proteoglycan monomer in bovine fetal epiphyseal growth plate

The hypothesis is widely held that, in growth plate during endochondral ossification, proteoglycans in the extracellular matrix of the lower hypertrophic zone are degraded by proteases and removed before mineralization, and that this is the mechanism by which a noncalcifiable matrix is transformed into a calcifiable matrix. We have evaluated this hypothesis by examining the immunofluorescent localization and concentrations of proteoglycan monomer core protein and link protein, and the concentrations of glycosaminoglycans demonstrated by safranin 0 staining, in the different zones of the bovine fetal cartilage growth plate. Monospecific antibodies were prepared to proteoglycan monomer core protein and to link protein. The immunofluorescent localization of these species was examined in decalcified and undecalcified sections containing the zones of proliferating and hypertrophic chondrocytes and in sections containing the zones of proliferating and hypertrophic chondrocytes and the metaphysis, decalcified in 0.5 M EDTA, pH 7.5, in the presence of protease inhibitors. Proteoglycan monomer core protein and link protein are demonstrable without detectable loss throughout the extracellular matrix of the longitudinal septa of the hypertrophic zone and in the calcified cartilage of the metaphysis. In fact, increased staining is observed in the calcifying cartilage. Contrary to the prevailing hypothesis, our results indicate that there is no net loss of proteoglycans during mineralization and that the proteoglycans become entombed in the calcified cartilage which provides a scaffolding on which osteoid and bone are formed. Proteoglycans appear to persist unaltered in the calcified cartilage core of the trabeculae, until at last the entire trabeculae are eroded from their surfaces and removed by osteoclasts, when the primary spongiosa is replaced by the secondary spongiosa.
PD-1 and PD-L1 Expression in NSCLC Indicate a Favorable Prognosis in Defined Subgroups

Background Immunotherapy can become a crucial therapeutic option to improve prognosis for lung cancer patients. First clinical trials with therapies targeting the programmed cell death receptor PD-1 and its ligand PD-L1 have shown promising results in several solid tumors. However, in lung cancer the diagnostic, prognostic and predictive value of these immunologic factors remains unclear. Method The impact of both factors was evaluated in a study collective of 321 clinically well-annotated patients with non-small lung cancer (NSCLC) using immunohistochemistry. Results PD-1 expression by tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) was found in 22%, whereas tumor cell associated PD-L1 expression was observed in 24% of the NSCLC tumors. In Fisher’s exact test a positive correlation was found for PD-L1 and Bcl-xl protein expression (p = 0.013). Interestingly, PD-L1 expression on tumor cells was associated with improved overall survival in pulmonary squamous cell carcinomas (SCC, p = 0.042, log rank test), with adjuvant therapy (p = 0.017), with increased tumor size (pT2-4, p = 0.039) and with positive lymph node status (pN1-3, p = 0.010). These observations were confirmed by multivariate cox regression models. Conclusion One major finding of our study is the identification of a prognostic implication of PD-L1 in subsets of NSCLC patients with pulmonary SCC, with increased tumor size, with a positive lymph node status and NSCLC patients who received adjuvant therapies. This study provides first data for immune-context related risk stratification of NSCLC patients. Further studies are necessary both to confirm this observation and to evaluate the predictive value of PD-1 and PD-L1 in NSCLC in the context of PD-1 inhibition.
Clinical evaluation, biochemistry and genetic polymorphism analysis for the diagnosis of lactose intolerance in a population from northeastern Brazil

OBJECTIVE: This work aimed to evaluate and correlate symptoms, biochemical blood test results and single nucleotide polymorphisms for lactose intolerance diagnosis. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, with a total of 119 patients, 54 of whom were lactose intolerant. Clinical evaluation and biochemical blood tests were conducted after lactose ingestion and blood samples were collected for genotyping evaluation. In particular, the single nucleotide polymorphisms C>T-13910 and G>A-22018 were analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphism/polymerase chain reaction and validated by DNA sequencing. RESULTS: Lactose-intolerant patients presented with more symptoms of flatulence (81.4%), bloating (68.5%), borborygmus (59.3%) and diarrhea (46.3%) compared with non-lactose-intolerant patients (p<0.05). We observed a significant association between the presence of the alleles T-13910 and A-22018 and the lactose-tolerant phenotype (p<0.05). After evaluation of the biochemical blood test results for lactose, we found that the most effective cutoff for glucose levels obtained for lactose malabsorbers was <15 mg/dL, presenting an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve greater than 80.3%, with satisfactory values for sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSIONS: These data corroborate the association of these single nucleotide polymorphisms (C>T-13910 and G>A-22018) with lactose tolerance in this population and suggest clinical management for patients with lactose intolerance that considers single nucleotide polymorphism detection and a change in the biochemical blood test cutoff from <25 mg/dL to <15 mg/dL.
ANN FOR CLASSIFICATION OF CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIAS

Electrocardiography deals with the electrical activity of the heart. The condition of cardiac health is given by ECG and heart rate. A study of the nonlinear dynamics of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals for arrhythmia characterization was considered. The statistical analysis of the calculated features indicate that they differ significantly between normal heart rhythm and the different arrhythmia types and hence, can be rather useful in ECG arrhythmia detection. The discrimination of ECG signals using non-linear dynamic parameters is of crucial importance in the cardiac disease therapy and chaos control for arrhythmia defibrillation in the cardiac system. The four non-linear parameters considered for cardiac arrhythmia classification of the ECG signals are Spectral entropy, Poincare plot geometry, Largest Lyapunov exponent and Detrended fluctuation analysis which are extracted from heart rate signals. The inclusion of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) in the complex investigating algorithms yield very interesting recognition and classification capabilities across a broad spectrum of biomedical problem domains. ANN classifier was used for the classification and an accuracy of 90.56% was achieved.
The cardiac arrhythmia suppression trial. Casting suppression in a different light.

The Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST) was instituted in 1986 by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) after the completion of a 502-patient pilot study (CAPS). 1 2 3 The initial results of CAST I was published in 1989 and the CAST II results published in 1992.2 3 In both trials, antiarrhythmic drugs effectively suppressed asymptomatic ventricular arrhythmias but increased arrhythmic death. Because the suppression hypothesis was refuted, the common practice of using antiarrhythmic drugs to suppress asymptomatic arrhythmias in patients after acute myocardial infarction has been curtailed. In CAST I, encainide and flecainide-treated patients had a 3.6-fold excessive risk of arrhythmic death compared with placebo-treated patients. The CAST results have been extrapolated to include other antiarrhythmic drugs, resulting in a concern of lethal proarrhythmia when using all antiarrhythmic drugs. Consequently, there have been substantial changes in the labeling of antiarrhythmic drugs and significant changes in the regulatory guidelines from the Food and Drug Administration.4 There has also been a dramatic restructuring of antiarrhythmic drug development by the pharmaceutical industry. At least a decade before the initiation of CAST, it was recognized that myocardial infarction patients with frequent and complex ventricular premature depolarizations (VPDs) detected on ambulatory ECG monitoring had an increased risk of subsequent arrhythmic death as compared with patients without these arrhythmias.5 6 7 8 Like most noninvasive markers of increased risk, VPDs lack specificity (3% to 6% arrhythmic death rate in 1 year), meaning that most post–myocardial infarction patients with asymptomatic VPDs survive.9 Thus, for each 100 patients exposed to empiric antiarrhythmic therapy, only a few (3 to 6 in 100) can benefit (that is, prevention of arrhythmic death), while, unfortunately, all are at risk for potential lethal proarrhythmia from the antiarrhythmic drug. In the design of CAST, only patients whose …
Organizational Tenure Diversity as Predictors of Combat Performance in ROK Army

Drawing on the upper-echelons theory and diversity issues, this study examines the relationships between top management team (TMT) organizational tenure, tenure diversity, and combat performance. The study is based on of Korea Combat Training Center (KCTC) that is designed for training and evaluation of the battalion combat power. Findings indicate that battalions with higher levels of TMT tenure have a positive effect on combat performance. Tenure diversity of TMT has a negative effect on combat performance. In addition, results showed that the negative relationships between tenure diversity of TMT and combat performance are attenuated by commander’s shared experience with other TMT members.
Investigating the relationship between urban first and second grade classroom teachers' sense of efficacy for literacy instruction and the reading achievement of their highly mobile students

Investigating the Relationship Between Urban First and Second Grade Classroom Teachers’ Sense of Eficacy for Literacy Instruction and the Reading Achievement of Their Highly Mobile Students. (August 2006) Corinne Montalvo Valadez, B.S., Texas A&M University Corpus Christi; M.S., Texas A&M University Corpus Christi Co-Chairs of Advisory Committee: Dr. Norvella P. Carter Dr. Patricia J. Larke This correlation design study investigated the relationship between urban first and second grade classroom teachers’ sense of eficacy for literacy instruction and the reading achievement of their highly mobile students. Teachers’ sense of eficacy for literacy instruction was shown in previous studies to be correlated to student achievement. To obtain data for this study, a modified version of the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy for Literacy Instruction Scale (TSELS) questionnaire was administered to 48 urban first and second grade classroom teachers within a single school district located in the southwestern region of the United States. Students’ pre and postest scores in fluency and comprehension obtained from beginningand end-of-the-year Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI) provided additional data on student achievement. Analyses using a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) determined that there was not a statistically significant difference between urban first grade classroom
Master Resilience Training in the U.s. Army Background of the Penn Resilience Program (prp)

The U.S. Army Master Resilience Trainer (MRT) course, which provides face-to-face resilience training, is one of the foundational pillars of the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program. The 10-day MRT course is the foundation for training resilience skills to sergeants and for teaching sergeants how to teach these skills to their soldiers. The curriculum is based on materials developed by the University of Pennsylvania, the Penn Resilience Program (PRP), and other empirically validated work in the field of positive psychology. This " train the trainer model " is the main vehicle for the dissemination of MRT concepts to the entire force. T he U.S. Army Master Resilience Trainer (MRT) course is a 10-day program of study that teaches resilience skills to noncommissioned officers (NCOs). Since the NCOs will teach their soldiers these skills, this course also teaches the fundamentals of how to teach these skills to others. The course serves as one of the foundational pillars of the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program. The course includes three components: preparation , sustainment, and enhancement. The preparation component was developed at the University of Pennsylvania's Positive Psychology Center and is presented in the first eight days of the course. This component teaches resilience fundamentals and is based on the Penn Resilience Program (PRP) curriculum as well as on other empirically validated interventions from positive psychology Military Academy at West Point and teaches personal and professional skills that maximize individual performance. The MRT course is intended to serve primarily as a foundation for training resilience skills (preparation) but also to introduce other resilience concepts that soldiers will encounter at other points in their deployment and life cycles throughout their careers (sustainment and enhancement). Therefore, this article focuses on concepts included in the preparation portion of the MRT course, as this information represents the majority of the material covered in the course.
High‐rate volatile fatty acid (VFA) production by a granular sludge process at low pH

Volatile fatty acids (VFA) are proposed platform molecules for the production of basic chemicals and polymers from organic waste streams. In this study we developed a granular sludge process to produce VFA at high rate, yield and purity while minimizing potential operational costs. A lab‐scale anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR) was fed with 10 g l−1 glucose as model substrate. Inclusion of a short (2 min) settling phase before effluent discharge enabled effective granulation and very high volumetric conversion rates of 150–300 gCOD l−1 d−1 were observed during glucose conversion. The product spectrum remained similar at the tested pH range with acetate and butyrate as the main products, and a total VFA yield of 60–70% on chemical oxygen demand (COD) basis. The requirement for base addition for pH regulation could be reduced from 1.1 to 0.6 mol OH− (mol glucose)−1 by lowering the pH from 5.5 to 4.5. Solids concentrations in the effluent were 0.6 ± 0.3 g l−1 but could be reduced to 0.02 ± 0.01 g l−1 by introduction of an additional settling period of 5 min. The efficient production of VFA at low pH with a virtually solid‐free effluent increases the economic feasibility of waste‐based chemicals and polymer production. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2015;112: 2248–2255. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 3 Signaling Regulates the Onset of Oligodendrocyte Terminal Differentiation

Fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) signaling is essential for nervous system development. We have shown that, in the normal postnatal brain, the spatial and temporal expression pattern of FGFR3 parallels the appearance of differentiated oligodendrocytes and that in culture FGFR3 is expressed maximally at the critical stage in the lineage at which oligodendrocyte late progenitors (Pro-OLs) enter terminal differentiation. Therefore, FGFR3 expression is positioned ideally to have an impact on oligodendrocyte differentiation. In support of this we show that, during the onset and active phase of myelination in FGFR3-deficient mice, there are reduced numbers of differentiated oligodendrocytes in the forebrain, cerebellum, hindbrain, and spinal cord. Furthermore, myelination is delayed in parallel. Delay of oligodendrocyte differentiation also is observed in primary cell culture from this mutant. On the other hand, no differences are observed in the survival or proliferation of oligodendrocyte progenitors. This suggests that the decrease in the number of differentiated oligodendrocytes is attributable to a delay in the timing of their differentiation process. Astrocytes also express FGFR3, and in mice lacking FGFR3 there is an enhancement of the astrocytic marker glial fibrillary acidic protein expression in a region-specific manner. Thus our findings suggest that there are cell type- and region-specific functions for FGFR3 signaling and in particular emphasize a prominent role for FGFR3 as part of a system regulating the onset of oligodendrocyte terminal differentiation.
Update on the treatment of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is a chronic and often disabling neuropathy, which often responds to immune therapies including corticosteroids, plasma exchange, and high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). The reasons for choosing one of these therapies and the factors that may predict response to these therapies remain, however, unclear. It is also unclear whether other immune therapies may be useful in CIDP. We will here review the studies addressing these points in CIDP. RECENT FINDINGS Recent studies have shown that IVIg are initially more frequently effective than steroids in CIDP even if steroids, when effective, have a more prolonged efficacy. Some clinical and immunological features including the presence of antibodies against proteins at the nodes of Ranvier were associated with specific response to therapy even if the data need to be confirmed in large series of patients. A few anecdotal studies also reported the efficacy in some patients of new immune therapies whose efficacy needs to be confirmed in controlled trials. SUMMARY IVIg are initially more frequently effective than steroids in CIDP, but the latter have a more prolonged efficacy. Some clinical presentations and their association with specific antibodies reactions may help in predicting the response to specific treatment. The possible benefit of new immune therapies await confirmation from randomized studies.
The role of dielectric constant in sodium chloride solution chemistry: Magnitude of super saturation

The effect of ethanol addition to aqueous semi saturated NaCl solutions on the super saturation was studied. The amount of precipitated salt was found to increase as the percent of added ethanol increased. The rates of formation of precipitate were calculated and found to increase with decrease of the weighted average of the solvents mixture dielectric constant, , but levels out at  ≈ 50. The solubility of salt was then connected with the dielectric constant and a zero solubility was observed at  = 35. A magnitude of super saturation was defined for the measurement of solubility.
Macrostructure components in narrations of Turkish–German bilingual children

ABSTRACT Two studies examined the effects of age, gender, and task on Turkish narrative skills of Turkish–German bilingual children. In Study 1, 36 children (2 years, 11 months [2;11]–7;11) told stories in two conditions (“tell-after model” and “tell-no model”) and answered comprehension questions. In Study 2, 13 children (5;5–7;11) participated in two conditions (“tell-no model” and “retell”) and were compared to Study 1 participants’ on tell tasks. The studies showed significant age effects on story complexity and comprehension, but not story structure and internal state terms. There were no significant effects for gender. Comprehension was significantly better in the “tell-after model” than in the “tell-no model” condition (Study 1). For production (storytelling), a trend favoring retell over tell was found (Study 2).
Glaucomatous Optic Neuropathy Management: the Role of Neuroprotective Agents

Glaucoma is a major cause of worldwide irreversible blindness. The central role of raised intraocular pressure (IOP) is being questioned as many patients continue to demonstrate a clinically downhill course despite initial control of IOP. The latest concept of recognizing glaucoma as a multifactorial, progressive, neurodegenerative disease of retinal ganglion cells (RGCSs) associated with characteristic axon degeneration in the optic nerve emphasizes that several pressure-independent mechanisms are responsible for the development and progression of glaucomatous optic neuropathy. Neuroprotection as a pharmacological strategy to mitigate retinal ganglion cell death has been a popular current approach. The aim of this review is to evaluate the neuroprotective potential of calcium channel blockers in glaucomatous optic neuropathy.
Locally cooperative traffic-offloading in multi-mode small cell networks: Potential games

The next generation of small cell base stations (SCBSs), with multi-mode specialty, can offload part of traffic load to unlicensed spectrum to alleviate burden in licensed band. In this paper, we propose an interference graph to capture the coupling interference relationship in unlicensed band between small cell. Based on the interference graph, we formulated the traffic-offloading issue as the local cooperation game. In addition, we prove that the proposed game is an exact potential game which has at least one pure strategy Nash equilibrium (NE), which maximize the total network sum-rate. Furthermore, we design a distributed iterative learning algorithm to explore the optimal pure strategy NE point of the game.
Enhancement of Acetic Acid Tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by Overexpression of the HAA1 Gene, Encoding a Transcriptional Activator

ABSTRACT Haa1 is a transcriptional activator required for Saccharomyces cerevisiae adaptation to weak acids. Here we show that the constitutive HAA1-overexpressing strain acquired a higher level of acetic acid tolerance. Under conditions of acetic acid stress, the intracellular level of acetic acid was significantly lower in HAA1-overexpressing cells than in the wild-type cells.
Evaluation of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/carbon nanotube neural electrode coatings for stimulation in the dorsal root ganglion

Objective. The dorsal root ganglion is an attractive target for implanting neural electrode arrays that restore sensory function or provide therapy via stimulation. However, penetrating microelectrodes designed for these applications are small and deliver low currents. For long-term performance of microstimulation devices, novel coating materials are needed in part to decrease impedance values at the electrode-tissue interface and to increase charge storage capacity. Approach. Conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were coated on the electrode surface and doped with the anti-inflammatory drug, dexamethasone. Electrode characteristics and the tissue reaction around neural electrodes as a result of stimulation, coating and drug release were characterized. Hematoxylin and eosin staining along with antibodies recognizing Iba1 (microglia/macrophages), NF200 (neuronal axons), NeuN (neurons), vimentin (fibroblasts), caspase-3 (cell death) and L1 (neural cell adhesion molecule) were used. Quantitative image analyses were performed using MATLAB. Main results. Our results indicate that coated microelectrodes have lower in vitro and in vivo impedance values. Significantly less neuronal death/damage was observed with coated electrodes as compared to non-coated controls. The inflammatory response with the PEDOT/CNT-coated electrodes was also reduced. Significance. This study is the first to report on the utility of these coatings in stimulation applications. Our results indicate PEDOT/CNT coatings may be valuable additions to implantable electrodes used as therapeutic modalities.