Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preservation of Temporal Skills in Alzheimer's Disease

Previous researchers have assumed that temporal skills are lost early in Alzheimer's disease. This belief may originate from examining only one type of temporal skill—logical time. In this study three categories of time, that draw on different types of processes, were selected. It was hypothesized that, although those with Possible Alzheimer's disease would have difficulty with the logical time items, they would show relatively preserved performance on the two other types of time skills that rely on the automatic processes of socialized and intuitive time. Participants included 11 individuals who met the criteria for Possible Alzheimer's disease and a comparison group of 19 psychiatric patients who had Mini Mental State Examination scores in a normal range. As expected, those with Possible Alzheimer's disease performed as well as the comparison group on the intuitive and socialized time skills. Unexpectedly, it was found that one type of logical time skill was also preserved in the Possible Alzheimer's disease group.
Evaluation of Different Staining Techniques in the Diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis Infection in Females of Reproductive Age Group.

BACKGROUND Trichomonas vaginalis is a parasitic protozoan which causes most common non viral sexually transmitted disease trichomoniasis. Direct microscopic examination of vaginal fluid remains the most widely used diagnostic test. Although, wet mount examination is the most cost-effective diagnostic test, but it has low sensitivity resulting in under diagnosis of the disease. Therefore, to overcome this problem, various staining techniques like giemsa and acridine orange can be used along with wet mount examination for diagnosis of T. vaginalis infection. OBJECTIVE The present study was done to evaluate the efficacy of Giemsa and Acridine Orange staining in comparison with wet mount examination for the diagnosis of vaginal trichomoniasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 615 female patients of reproductive age group having vaginal discharge were included in the study and swabs containing vaginal fluids were taken to perform wet mount examination, giemsa staining and acridine orange staining. RESULT Trichomonas vaginalis infection was detected in 37 patients with maximum cases (6.0%) detected by acridine orange staining, followed by giemsa staining (4.9%), whereas, wet mount examination was able to detect only 4.1% cases. Wet mount examination gave a sensitivity of 67.6%, whereas, the sensitivity of giemsa staining and acridine orange staining was found to be 80% and 100% respectively. CONCLUSION Since the performance of both the staining techniques was found to be much better in comparison to wet mount examination, and they also detected several wet mount negative cases, they should be used as an adjunct to wet mount examination. This will also be beneficial to the overall health of the patient by early diagnosis and treatment of cases, thereby, reducing the development of associated morbidity.
The relationship between Q gamma and Ca release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum in skeletal muscle

Asymmetric membrane currents and fluxes of Ca2+ release were determined in skeletal muscle fibers voltage clamped in a Vaseline-gap chamber. The conditioning pulse protocol 1 for suppressing Ca2+ release and the "hump" component of charge movement current (I gamma), described in the first paper of this series, was applied at different test pulse voltages. The amplitude of the current suppressed during the ON transient reached a maximum at slightly suprathreshold test voltages (- 50 to -40 mV) and decayed at higher voltages. The component of charge movement current suppressed by 20 microM tetracaine also went through a maximum at low pulse voltages. This anomalous voltage dependence is thus a property of I gamma, defined by either the conditioning protocol or the tetracaine effect. A negative (inward-going) phase was often observed in the asymmetric current during the ON of depolarizing pulses. This inward phase was shown to be an intramembranous charge movement based on (a) its presence in the records of total membrane current, (b) its voltage dependence, with a maximum at slightly suprathreshold voltages, (c) its association with a "hump" in the asymmetric current, (d) its inhibition by interventions that reduce the "hump", (e) equality of ON and OFF areas in the records of asymmetric current presenting this inward phase, and (f) its kinetic relationship with the time derivative of Ca release flux. The nonmonotonic voltage dependence of the amplitude of the hump and the possibility of an inward phase of intramembranous charge movement are used as the main criteria in the quantitative testing of a specific model. According to this model, released Ca2+ binds to negatively charged sites on the myoplasmic face of the voltage sensor and increases the local transmembrane potential, thus driving additional charge movement (the hump). This model successfully predicts the anomalous voltage dependence and all the kinetic properties of I gamma described in the previous papers. It also accounts for the inward phase in total asymmetric current and in the current suppressed by protocol 1. According to this model, I gamma accompanies activating transitions at the same set of voltage sensors as I beta. Therefore it should open additional release channels, which in turn should cause more I gamma, providing a positive feedback mechanism in the regulation of calcium release.
Uptake of Mercury and Mercury-Amino Acid Complexes by Rat Renal Cortex Slices 1

Summary This study was undertaken in order to assess the effects of metabolism and complexations with amino acids on the renal uptake of mercury using rat renal cortex slices as the experimental system. Mercury levels attained in the slices after 60 min of incubation were 50% higher with mercuric cysteine than with mercuric chloride. This enhancement of uptake with mercuric cysteine was reduced in the presence of a tenfold molar excess of histidine or lysine, but not by serine. Excess cysteine markedly increased mercury uptake. Incubation at 25° significantly reduced uptake of mercuric cysteine, but not mercuric chloride. Anaerobic conditions and incubation in the presence of DNP each reduced mercuric cysteine uptake to the control level of mercuric chloride without affecting uptake of mercuric chloride. The differential aspects of metabolism on the uptake of mercuric cysteine and mercuric chloride and the competitive effects obtained with amino acids known to compete with cysteine in renal reabsorption support the hypothesis that a portion of the renal uptake of mercury operates through amino acid transport mechanisms acting on mercury-amino acid complexes.
Fraser Syndrome: Affected Siblings Born to Nonconsanguineous Parents and Diagnosed at Autopsy

Fraser syndrome (MIM #219000) is a rare genetic disorder with major features including cryptophthalmos, syndactyly, and genital anomalies. We report 2 independently autopsied children of the same nonconsanguineous parents. The siblings exhibit similar clinical features, all of which are consistent with a diagnosis of Fraser syndrome. The gross and microscopic findings provide insight into the highly variable clinical presentation of Fraser syndrome. Molecular diagnostic studies of the index case failed to identify one of the known gene mutations in the FRAS1 and FREM2 genes associated with Fraser syndrome. This raises the possibility that other genes or undetected mutations in the FRAS1/FREM2 genes may cause Fraser syndrome.
On the long-run behavior of equation-based rate control

We consider unicast equation-based rate control, where, at some points in time, a source adjusts its rate to f(p,r). Here p is an on-line estimate of the loss-event rate, r, of the mean round-trip time, both as observed by this source, and f is a TCP throughput formula. It was generally believed that such a source would be TCP-friendly, that is, under the same operating conditions, its long-run time-average send rate (throughput) would not be larger than that of a TCP source. Our goal is to identify whether, and how far, this is true. First, we identify factors that play a role in TCP friendliness and find that it is important to study them separately. Then we analyze the importance of individual factors. A first factor is conservativeness (= throughput not larger than f(p,r)). We show that conservativeness is influenced by some convexity properties of f(p,r) with respect to p, and the covariance of the loss process. We show that in many real life cases these conditions result in conservativeness and, sometimes, excessive conservativeness. This explains the previously observed phenomena of throughput-drop when losses are high and f is the so-called PFTK formula. The second factor is that the source may experience considerably different loss-event rate than a TCP source. We identify and analyze two limit cases where this may lead to either TCP-friendliness or, in contrast, non-TCP-friendliness. Other factors such as round trip time and obedience of TCP to its own formula are found to be less significant. Our claims are obtained by analysis, and verified by numerical examples, simulations, laboratory and Internet experiments. Our results suggest that TCP-friendliness is difficult to verify in practice, whereas conservativeness is easier.
INCIDENCE, RISK FACTORS, AND CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF UNEXPLAINED VISUAL LOSS AFTER INTRAOCULAR SILICONE OIL FOR MACULA-ON RETINAL DETACHMENT

Purpose: To investigate the incidence, risk factors, and clinical characteristics of unexplained visual loss after macula-on rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). Methods: Retrospective cohort of patients with primary macula-on rhegmatogenous retinal detachment treated by vitrectomy with gas or silicone oil (SO) tamponade in 2011 and 2012. Outcome was unexplained visual loss (>2 Snellen lines) 2 months after the last vitrectomy. Results: Incidence of unexplained visual loss was 0.7% (1/151) in patients treated by gas and 29.7% (11/37) in patients treated by SO (P = 0.001). Visual loss occurred both during SO tamponade and after removal. Cases underwent optical coherence tomography, perimetry, microperimetry, fluorescein angiography, and visual evoked potentials. Patients with unexplained visual loss after SO tamponade showed a small scotoma within the central 2° on microperimetry. Duration of SO tamponade was the only statistically significant factor related to the incidence of unexplained visual loss (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Incidence of SO-related visual loss was 30% with duration of tamponade as the only risk factor. This study is the first to apply microperimetry in these patients, which showed a distinct pattern of a small central scotoma. Therefore, microperimetry can be of great value in the diagnostic workup of patients with unexplained visual loss after vitrectomy.
Conflict Processing in the Rat Brain: Behavioral Analysis and Functional μPET Imaging Using [18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose

Conflicts in spatial stimulus–response tasks occur when the task-relevant feature of a stimulus implies a response toward a certain location which does not match the location of stimulus presentation. This conflict leads to increased error rates and longer reaction times, which has been termed Simon effect. A model of dual route processing (automatic and intentional) of stimulus features has been proposed, predicting response conflicts if the two routes are incongruent. Although there is evidence that the prefrontal cortex, notably the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), plays a crucial role in conflict processing, the neuronal basis of dual route architecture is still unknown. In this study, we pursue a novel approach using positron emission tomography (PET) to identify relevant brain areas in a rat model of an auditory Simon task, a neuropsychological interference task, which is commonly used to study conflict processing in humans. For combination with PET we used the metabolic tracer [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose, which accumulates in metabolically active brain cells during the behavioral task. Brain areas involved in conflict processing are supposed to be activated when automatic and intentional route processing lead to different responses (dual route model). Analysis of PET data revealed specific activation patterns for different task settings applicable to the dual route model as established for response conflict processing. The rat motor cortex (M1) may be part of the automatic route or involved in its facilitation, while premotor (M2), prelimbic, and ACC seemed to be essential for inhibiting the incorrect, automatic response, indicating conflict monitoring functions. Our findings and the remarkable similarities to the pattern of activated regions reported during conflict processing in humans demonstrate that our rodent model opens novel opportunities to investigate the anatomical basis of conflict processing and dual route architecture.
Bcl‐2 expression in pancreas development and pancreatic cancer progression

Apoptosis is important for both tissue development and differentiation; its deregulation may contribute to tumourigenesis. In order to clarify the role of Bcl‐2, an apoptosis‐inhibiting protein, in pancreatic morphogenesis and tumour progression, its immunohistochemical expression was evaluated in 12 samples of fetal pancreas, in 10 samples of adult pancreas with ductal hyperplastic lesions, in 120 cases of primary pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, and in 43 synchronous metastatic lymph nodes. To evaluate the role of apoptosis in pancreatic cancer, p53 expression was also studied in tumour samples. Bcl‐2 cytoplasmic acinar and ductal immunostaining was found in all fetal and adult tissue samples; ductal hyperplastic lesions were constantly negative. Thirty out of 120 (25%) tumours and 3 out of 43 (7%) lymph nodes expressed Bcl‐2, whereas 67 out of 120 (56%) expressed nuclear p53. Well‐differentiated tumours (G1) were more frequently Bcl‐2‐positive (p=0.002); furthermore, there was an inverse correlation between Bcl‐2 and p53 expression in primary tumours (p=0.02). Neither Bcl‐2 nor p53 influenced patients' prognosis, which was instead affected by N (p=0.02) and M (p<0.0001) status and stage of the disease (p=0.002). It is concluded that Bcl‐2 regulates pancreatic morphogenesis and tissue homeostasis from early fetal to adult life and can be considered a phenotypic marker of normal exocrine pancreas. On the other hand, the lack of expression in preneoplastic lesions and the low positivity found in primary tumours and lymph node metastases suggest that Bcl‐2 does not play a centralrole in pancreatic tumourigenesis and cancer progression. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Identification of the Culprit Artery Involved in Inferior Wall Acute Myocardial Infarction Using Electrocardiographic Criteria

We tested whether particular electrocardiogram (ECG) changes can identify the right coronary (RCA) or left circumflex (LCX) artery as the responsible vessel in inferior wall acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in 73 patients. A standard 12-lead ECG was performed within 6 h of onset of chest pain. Coronary angiography was performed between 1 week and 6 weeks after the infarction. RCA and LCX lesions were detected in 53 and 20 patients, respectively. The most useful ECG parameters for implicating the RCA were a higher ST elevation in lead III than lead II (specificity 94%, sensitivity 86%) and an S/R wave ratio > 0.33 plus ST segment depression > 1 mm in lead aVL (specificity 94%, sensitivity 92%). Absence of these criteria was associated with LCX occlusion (specificity 100%, sensitivity 87%). These results indicate that composite ECG criteria are useful in predicting the artery involved in inferior wall AMI.
Behavioral plasticity and G × E of reproductive tactics in Nicrophorus vespilloides burying beetles

Phenotypic plasticity is important in the evolution of traits and facilitates adaptation to rapid environmental changes. However, variation in plasticity at the individual level, and the heritable basis underlying this plasticity is rarely quantified for behavioral traits. Alternative behavioral reproductive tactics are key components of mating systems but are not often considered within a phenotypic plasticity framework (i.e., as reaction norms). Here, using lines artificially selected for repeated mating rate, we test for genetic (G × E) sources of variation in reproductive behavior of male Nicrophorus vespilloides burying beetles (including signaling behavior), as well as the role of individual body size, in responsiveness to changes in social environment. The results show that body size influences the response of individuals’ signaling behavior to changes in the social environment. Moreover, there was G × E underlying the responses of males to variation in the quality of social environment experienced (relative size of focal male compared to his rival). This shows that individual variation in plasticity and social sensitivity of signaling behavior can evolve in response to selection on investment in mating behavior, with males selected for high mating investment having greater social sensitivity.
[Data quality of dengue epidemiological surveillance in Belo Horizonte, Southeastern Brazil].

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the quality of data from the Brazilian information system for mandatory reporting diseases, for the detection of cases notified as suspected dengue fever and hospitalized in the public and private hospitals associated to the Public Health System. METHODS The study was carried out in Belo Horizonte, Southeastern Brazil, during the years of 1996 to June 2002. The criterion of evaluation used were those recommended by the Guidelines for Evaluating Public Health Surveillance Systems. As a reference standard, medical charts recorded in the Unified System hospitalized discharge database system were revised and validated. A total of 266 (90%) of 294 medical charts were selected; 230 (86.5%) filled the suspect dengue fever criterion. To verify possible association between underreporting and selected variables, was used the odds ratio, with 95% of confidence interval in a logistic regression model. The sensitivity was defined as the proportion of hospitalized dengue cases registered in both systems. Predictive value positive was calculated as the proportion of confirmed cases and those recorded in the reporting system. RESULTS Underreporting of suspected dengue fever was of 37% cases during 1997 to 2002, it was five times higher during the first three years (OR=5.93; 95% CI: 2.50-14.04) and eight times higher for patients hospitalized in private hospitals than in the public ones (OR=8.42; 95% CI: 2.26-31.27). Underreport was also associated to cases with no haemorrhagic episodes (OR=2.81; 95% CI: 1.28-6.15) and without dengue-specific laboratory exams in medical charts (OR=4.07; 95% CI:1.00-16.52). Sensitivity was 63% and predictive value positive was 43%. CONCLUSIONS Cases recorded in the reporting system were those more severe and did not represent the total of cases hospitalized in Unified Health System, thus the case fatality rate may be overestimated. The results indicate the necessity of changes in the evaluated surveillance model and in the implementation of the qualification of the health professionals, mainly those working in the private hospitals associated to Unified Health System.
Incorporating Diversity in Active Learning with Support Vector Machines

In many real world applications, active selection of training examples can significantly reduce the number of labelled training examples to learn a classification function. Different strategies in the field of support vector machines have been proposed that iteratively select a single new example from a set of unlabelled examples, query the corresponding class label and then perform retraining of the current classifier. However, to reduce computational time for training, it might be necessary to select batches of new training examples instead of single examples. Strategies for single examples can be extended straightforwardly to select batches by choosing the h > 1 examples that get the highest values for the individual selection criterion. We present a new approach that is especially designed to construct batches and incorporates a diversity measure. It has low computational requirements making it feasible for large scale problems with several thousands of examples. Experimental results indicate that this approach provides a faster method to attain a level of generalization accuracy in terms of the number of labelled examples.
Preliminary Evidence of Apathetic-Like Behavior in Aged Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 2 Deficient Mice

Apathy is considered to be a core feature of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and has been associated with a variety of states and symptoms of the disease, such as increased severity of motor symptoms, impaired cognition, executive dysfunction and dementia. Apart from the high prevalence of apathy in PD, which is estimated to be about 40%, the underlying pathophysiology remains poorly understood and current treatment approaches are unspecific and proved to be only partially effective. In animal models, apathy has been sub-optimally modeled, mostly by means of pharmacological and stress-induced methods, whereby concomitant depressive-like symptoms could not be ruled out. In the context of PD only a few studies on toxin-based models (i.e., 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) or 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)) claimed to have determined apathetic symptoms in animals. The assessment of apathetic symptoms in more elaborated and multifaceted genetic animal models of PD could help to understand the pathophysiological development of apathy in PD and eventually advance specific treatments for afflicted patients. Here we report the presence of behavioral signs of apathy in 12 months old mice that express only ~5% of the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2). Apathetic-like behavior in VMAT2 deficient (LO) mice was evidenced by impaired burrowing and nest building skills, and a reduced preference for sweet solution in the saccharin preference test, while the performance in the forced swimming test was normal. Our preliminary results suggest that VMAT2 deficient mice show an apathetic-like phenotype that might be independent of depressive-like symptoms. Therefore VMAT2 LO mice could be a useful tool to study the pathophysiological substrates of apathy and to test novel treatment strategies for apathy in the context of PD.
Environmental Effects on Fatigue Crack Initiation.

Abstract : Models of microscopic failure mechanisms important to the crack initiation stage of the fatigue failure of aluminum alloys have been proposed and verified. Included are: (1) a model relating rate of nucleation of surface microcracks at intermetallic particles to particle and grain size and ambient humidity; (2) and models which relate rate of growth of surface microcracks, with lengths of approximately the grain size, to the alloy microstructure in the region of a nucleation site and to ambient humidity. The models have been used to develop a Monte Carlo simulation of the fatigue failure of aluminum alloys which can be used to predict the effect of alloy microstructure and environmental humidity on: (1) mean and scatter in fatigue lifetime; (2) microscopic parameters such as numbers and lengths of microcracks, and microcrack closure stresses. Simulated and measured fatigue behavior are compared for several aluminum alloys. (Author)