Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fenamates: a novel class of reversible gap junction blockers.

The effect of fenamates on gap junctional intercellular communication was investigated in monolayers of normal rat kidney (NRK) fibroblasts and of SKHep1 cells overexpressing the gap junction protein connexin43 (Cx43). Using two different methods to study gap junctional intercellular communication, single electrode voltage-clamp step response measurements and dye microinjection, we show that fenamates are reversible blockers of Cx43-mediated intercellular communication. After adding fenamates to a confluent monolayer of electrically coupled NRK fibroblasts, the voltage step-induced capacitive current transient changed from a transient characteristic for charging multiple coupled cell capacitances to one characteristic for a single cell in isolation. The capacitance of completely uncoupled cells was 19.7 +/- 1.0 pF (mean +/- S.E.M.; n = 11). Junctional conductance between the patched cell and the surrounding cells in the monolayer changed from >140.7 +/- 9.6 nS (mean +/- S.E.M.; n = 14) to <1.4 +/- 0.4 nS (mean +/- S.E.M.; n = 11) after uncoupling. Electrical coupling could be restored to >51.8 +/- 4.2 nS (mean +/- S.E.M.; n = 11) by washout of the fenamates. Voltage-clamp step response measurements showed that the potency of fenamates in inhibiting electrical coupling decreases in the order meclofenamic acid > niflumic acid > flufenamic acid. The half-maximal concentration determined by dye-coupling experiments was 25 and 40 microM for meclofenamic acid and flufenamic acid, respectively. Inhibition of gap junctional communication by fenamates did not involve changes in intracellular calcium or pH, and was unrelated to protein kinase C activity or an inhibition of cyclooxygenase activity. Voltage-clamp step response measurements in confluent monolayers of SKHep1 cells that had been stably transfected with Cx43 revealed that fenamates are potent blockers of Cx43-mediated intercellular communication. In conclusion, fenamates represent a novel class of reversible gap junction blockers that can be used to study the role of Cx43-mediated gap junctional intercellular communication in biological processes.
Supersizing the penis following penile prosthesis implantation.

INTRODUCTION Following implantation of a penile prosthesis, some couples are dissatisfied with penile length, girth, shaft, or glans engorgement. This may be delusional because of the procedure per se or preexisting risk factors such as neglected priapism, Peyronie's disease, radical prostatectomy, or overhanging suprapubic fat. AIM In this work, we try to enhance penile size in patients dissatisfied with its dimensions following implantation of a penile prosthesis, using various augmentation techniques. METHODS Eighteen patients who have had penile prostheses implanted were enrolled in this study based on dissatisfaction with penile size. The complaint was relieved by counseling and administration of PDE5 inhibitors in seven patients. Two patients had elongation, girth augmentation, and glans injection; six had elongation and girth augmentation; and two had elongation and glans injection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Penile size, satisfaction, and sexual function. RESULTS Average preoperative length and girth were 7.87 cm and 11.62 cm, respectively. Mean postoperative length and girth were 11.62 cm and 14.07 cm. The gain in length (47.6%) and girth (21%) were statistically significant (P < 0.005). All patients and partners were satisfied with the results following surgery except one who suffered graft loss. CONCLUSION Implantation of a penile prosthesis may improve penile rigidity, yet may confound couple's satisfaction with penile size to variable degrees. Sex education may alleviate those concerns. In refractory cases, penile augmentation may enhance phallic size and increase patient/partner satisfaction.
Soft tissue expansion with self-filling osmotic tissue expanders before vertical ridge augmentation: a proof of principle study.

INTRODUCTION Post-surgical graft exposition and loss of grafted bone are a common complication of vertical bone augmentation. Soft tissue expansion (STE) by implantation of osmotic self-filling tissue expanders before reconstructive surgery is an effective method for generation of soft tissue. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of STE before bone augmentation with regard to clinical and histological outcomes and complications. METHODS Tissue expanders were implanted in patients requiring vertical bone augmentation. Onlay grafting was carried out after 2 months of STE. Implants were placed 4-6 months after augmentation. Vertical bone gain was analysed with cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Bone biopsies were investigated with micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). RESULTS Twenty-four sites in 12 patients were treated with STE. Complications of STE were perforation (two sites) and infection (two sites). At augmentation after STE, primary wound closure was easily achieved and the incidence of graft expositions was low (4%). At implant placement, high vertical bone gain of 7.5 ± 2.4 mm was found. Micro-CTs of bone revealed a good ratio of bone volume/tissue volume (mean BV/TV=0.1614 ± 0.0582). All implants were osseointegrated. CONCLUSIONS The combination of STE and subsequent vertical augmentation provided high gain of well-structured bone for further successful implant therapy and was accompanied by minimal complications.
Interference Minimization in D2D Communication Underlaying Cellular Networks

Interference minimization while maintaining a target system sum rate by sharing radio resources among cellular user equipments (UEs) and device-to-device (D2D) pairs is an important research question in long term evolution (LTE) and beyond (4G and 5G). Total system sum rate of a cellular network can be improved if cellular UEs and D2D pairs share resource blocks. However, some sharing can also decrease the sum rate and increase the system interference. Considering this observation, we address two types of assignments (fair and restricted) in resource allocation for the interference minimization resource allocation problem. We propose a two-phase resource allocation algorithm for both fair and restricted assignments, where our objective is to minimize the system interference and at the same time, maintaining a target system sum rate. In the phase-I of our proposed algorithm, a weighted bipartite matching algorithm is used to minimize the interference and get a feasible initial solution. In some cases, we can decrease the interference introduced in phase-I of our algorithm. Therefore, in the phase-II, local search techniques are used to improve the solution. We compare the fair assignment of our proposed algorithms with a two-phase auction-based fair and interference aware resource allocation algorithm (TAFIRA), which addresses the same research problem. As well as, we compare the restricted assignment of our proposed algorithm with a minimum knapsack-based interference resource allocation algorithm (MIKIRA). We prove that the MIKIRA fails to provide feasible solutions in most of the cases. We also show that the performance ratio of the TAFIRA can be unbounded in the worst case. Moreover, in some cases, TAFIRA cannot provide any solution to the problem though the solutions exist, whereas our proposed algorithms always provide a solution whenever the solution exists. We perform extensive simulations of the algorithms and find that in all the cases, our proposed algorithm outperforms a number of state-of-the-art algorithms.
The emerging role of bexarotene in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease: current evidence

In 2012, a novel approach to the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease was introduced, heralding a wave of excitement in the field of dementia. Bexarotene, a retinoid X receptor agonist, was shown to reverse neurodegeneration, improve cognition, and decrease levels of amyloid-β in transgenic mice expressing familial Alzheimer disease mutations. Since then, there has been widespread discussion about bexarotene, as well as a number of follow-up studies. Bexarotene is a unique compound, as it is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for other purposes and there are reasonable data to justify its mechanism of action in dementia. This review discusses these studies and the emerging role of bexarotene in the clinical field of Alzheimer’s dementia.
Silencing of Soybean Raffinose Synthase Gene Reduced Raffinose Family Oligosaccharides and Increased True Metabolizable Energy of Poultry Feed

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ] is the number one oil and protein crop in the United States, but the seed contains several anti-nutritional factors that are toxic to both humans and livestock. RNA interference technology has become an increasingly popular technique in gene silencing because it allows for both temporal and spatial targeting of specific genes. The objective of this research is to use RNA-mediated gene silencing to down-regulate the soybean gene raffinose synthase 2 (RS2), to reduce total raffinose content in mature seed. Raffinose is a trisaccharide that is indigestible to humans and monogastric animals, and as monogastric animals are the largest consumers of soy products, reducing raffinose would improve the nutritional quality of soybean. An RNAi construct targeting RS2 was designed, cloned, and transformed to the soybean genome via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Resulting plants were analyzed for the presence and number of copies of the transgene by PCR and Southern blot. The efficiency of mRNA silencing was confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR. Total raffinose content was determined by HPLC analysis. Transgenic plant lines were recovered that exhibited dramatically reduced levels of raffinose in mature seed, and these lines were further analyzed for other phenotypes such as development and yield. Additionally, a precision-fed rooster assay was conducted to measure the true metabolizable energy (TME) in full-fat soybean meal made from the wild-type or transgenic low-raffinose soybean lines. Transgenic low-raffinose soy had a measured TME of 2,703 kcal/kg, an increase as compared with 2,411 kcal/kg for wild-type. As low digestible energy is a major limiting factor in the percent of soybean meal that can be used in poultry diets, these results may substantiate the use of higher concentrations of low-raffinose, full-fat soy in formulated livestock diets.
An extended split-radix FFT algorithm

An extended split-radix fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm is proposed. The extended split-radix FFT algorithm has the same asymptotic arithmetic complexity as the conventional split-radix FFT algorithm. Moreover, this algorithm has the advantage of fewer loads and stores than either the conventional split-radix FFT algorithm or the radix-4 FFT algorithm.
Far-from-equilibrium field theory of many-body quantum spin systems: Prethermalization and relaxation of spin spiral states in three dimensions

We study theoretically the far-from-equilibrium relaxation dynamics of spin spiral states in the three dimensional isotropic Heisenberg model. The investigated problem serves as an archetype for understanding quantum dynamics of isolated many-body systems in the vicinity of a spontaneously broken continuous symmetry. We present a field-theoretical formalism that systematically improves on mean-field for describing the real-time quantum dynamics of generic spin-1/2 systems. This is achieved by mapping spins to Majorana fermions followed by a 1/N expansion of the resulting two-particle irreducible (2PI) effective action. Our analysis reveals rich fluctuation-induced relaxation dynamics in the unitary evolution of spin spiral states. In particular, we find the sudden appearance of long-lived prethermalized plateaus with diverging lifetimes as the spiral winding is tuned toward the thermodynamically stable ferro- or antiferromagnetic phases. The emerging prethermalized states are characterized by different bosonic modes being thermally populated at different effective temperatures, and by a hierarchical relaxation process reminiscent of glassy systems. Spin-spin correlators found by solving the non-equilibrium Bethe-Salpeter equation provide further insight into the dynamic formation of correlations, the fate of unstable collective modes, and the emergence of fluctuation-dissipation relations. Our predictions can be verified experimentally using recent realizations of spin spiral states with ultracold atoms in a quantum gas microscope [S. Hild, et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 147205 (2014)].
Oleanane Triterpenoids from Cedrela montana (Meliaceae)

Two new oleanane-type triterpenes, characterized as 3-oxo-11α,12α-epoxy-oleanan-28,13β- olide and 3-oxo-olean-11-en-28,13β-olide , were isolated from the fruits and seeds of Cedrela montana (Meliaceae). In addition, the known compounds oleanonic acid , a mixture of β-sitosterol and stigmasterol, and the limonoid photogedunin were also isolated. The structures of the new compounds were established by spectroscopic methods, including 2D NMR.
A "medical mission" at home: the needs of rural America in terms of otolaryngology care.

OBJECTIVES Describe the population, Medicaid, uninsured, and otolaryngology practice demographics for 7 representative rural Southeastern states, and propose academic-affiliated outreach clinics as a service to help meet the specialty care needs of an underserved rural population, based on the "medical mission" model employed in international outreach clinics. METHODS A needs assessment was conducted via review of medical licensing and practice location data from state medical licensing authorities, together with population, Medicaid, and uninsured data from state health/human services departments and the US Census Bureau. RESULTS In all states examined, there are significantly more practicing otolaryngologists per capita in urban areas compared to rural areas (P < .05), with the exception of West Virginia, where the difference was not statistically significant (P= .33). In the majority of the states examined, there were higher rates (expressed as a percentage of total county population) of both Medicaid recipients and uninsured patients in rural counties compared to urban counties. Notable exceptions include Louisiana and West Virginia, where there are higher percentages of Medicaid patients in urban areas, and Kentucky and Tennessee, where there are higher percentages of uninsured patients in the urban areas (P < .05 for each comparison). CONCLUSIONS Borrowing design elements from the international outreach clinics, which involve many US otolaryngologists, a similar medical mission model could be of benefit domestically. There are rural areas of the Southeast where visiting outreach clinics could improve access to otolaryngology care and facilitate effective use of existing "safety net" health care resources.
Structural integrity of sandwich structures in fire: an intermediate-scale approach

A test set-up in intermediate scale was conceived to investigate the structural integrity of materials under fire. The task was to develop a realistic test scenario targeting component-like behaviour. Carbon-fibre-reinforced sandwich specimens (500 × 500 × 20 mm) were used to examine failure mechanisms, times to failure and critical failure loads under compression. Fire tests were performed with fully developed fire applied to one side of the specimen by an oil burner. In a first test series, the applied load was varied, but the fully developed fire remained unchanged. In general, times to failure were short. Decreased load levels resulted in prolonged times to failure and led to a different failure mechanism. Results obtained in the test series were compared with a bench-scale study (150 × 150 × 20 mm) investigating identical material. The comparison clearly revealed the influence of size on the time to failure and the load-bearing capacity.
Cost-Effectiveness of Total Hip and Knee Replacements for the Australian Population with Osteoarthritis: Discrete-Event Simulation Model

Background Osteoarthritis constitutes a major musculoskeletal burden for the aged Australians. Hip and knee replacement surgeries are effective interventions once all conservative therapies to manage the symptoms have been exhausted. This study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of hip and knee replacements in Australia. To our best knowledge, the study is the first attempt to account for the dual nature of hip and knee osteoarthritis in modelling the severities of right and left joints separately. Methodology/Principal Findings We developed a discrete-event simulation model that follows up the individuals with osteoarthritis over their lifetimes. The model defines separate attributes for right and left joints and accounts for several repeat replacements. The Australian population with osteoarthritis who were 40 years of age or older in 2003 were followed up until extinct. Intervention effects were modelled by means of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) averted. Both hip and knee replacements are highly cost effective (AUD 5,000 per DALY and AUD 12,000 per DALY respectively) under an AUD 50,000/DALY threshold level. The exclusion of cost offsets, and inclusion of future unrelated health care costs in extended years of life, did not change the findings that the interventions are cost-effective (AUD 17,000 per DALY and AUD 26,000 per DALY respectively). However, there was a substantial difference between hip and knee replacements where surgeries administered for hips were more cost-effective than for knees. Conclusions/Significance Both hip and knee replacements are cost-effective interventions to improve the quality of life of people with osteoarthritis. It was also shown that the dual nature of hip and knee OA should be taken into account to provide more accurate estimation on the cost-effectiveness of hip and knee replacements.
Cyclic movement stimulates hyaluronan secretion into the synovial cavity of rabbit joints

The novel hypothesis that the secretion of the joint lubricant hyaluronan (HA) is coupled to movement has implications for normal function and osteoarthritis, and was tested in the knee joints of anaesthetized rabbits. After washing out the endogenous synovial fluid HA (miscibility coefficient 0.4), secretion into the joint cavity was measured over 5 h in static joints and in passively cycled joints. The net static secretion rate (11.2 ± 0.7 μg h−1, mean ±s.e.m., n= 90) correlated with the variable endogenous HA mass (mean 367 ± 8 μg), with a normalized value of 3.4 ± 0.2 μg h−1 (100 μg)−1. Cyclic joint movement approximately doubled the net HA secretion rate to 22.6 ± 1.2 μg h−1 (n= 77) and raised the normalized percentage to 5.9 ± 0.3 μg h−1 (100 μg)−1. Secretion was inhibited by 2‐deoxyglucose and iodoacetate, confirming active secretion. The net accumulation rate underestimated true secretion rate due to some trans‐synovial loss. HA turnover time (endogenous mass/secretion rate) was 17–30 h (static) to 8–15 h (moved) The results demonstrate for the first time that the active secretion of HA is coupled to joint usage. Movement–secretion coupling may protect joints against the damaging effects of repetitive joint use, replace HA lost during periods of immobility (overnight), and contribute to the clinical benefit of exercise therapy in moderate osteoarthritis.
Schedulability analysis of non-preemptive recurring real-time tasks

The recurring real-time task model was recently proposed as a model for real-time processes that contain code with conditional branches. In this paper, we present a necessary and sufficient condition for uniprocessor non-preemptive schedulability analysis for this task model. We also derive a polynomial-time approximation algorithm for testing this condition. Preemptive schedulers usually have a larger schedulability region compared to their non-preemptive counterparts. Further, for most realistic task models, schedulability analysis for the non-preemptive version is computationally more complex compared to the corresponding preemptive version. Our results in this paper show that (surprisingly) the recurring real-time task model does not fall in line with these intuitive expectations, i.e. there exists polynomial-time approximation algorithms for both preemptive and non-preemptive versions of schedulability analysis. This has important implications on the applicability of this model, since fully preemptive scheduling algorithms often have significantly larger runtime overheads
Observers for differential-difference representations of discrete-time systems

In this paper an observer design procedure is proposed for nonlinear discrete-time systems. The approach relies on the equivalence to a canonical observer form through coordinates change. The study is based on the description of discrete-time dynamics as coupled differential/difference equations. The equivalence to the canonical observer form is performed through a stepwise procedure worked out on successive polynomial approximations of increasing degree around the linear part. This formulation results in a possibly approximate observer design procedure.
Midlatitude ClO during the maximum atmospheric chlorine burden: in situ balloon measurements and model simulations

Abstract. Chlorine monoxide (ClO) plays a key role in stratospheric ozone loss processes at midlatitudes. We present two balloon-borne in situ measurements of ClO conducted in northern hemisphere midlatitudes during the period of the maximum of total inorganic chlorine loading in the atmosphere. Both ClO measurements were conducted on board the TRIPLE balloon payload, launched in November 1996 in Leon, Spain, and in May 1999 in Aire sur l'Adour, France. For both flights a ClO daylight and night-time vertical profile was derived over an altitude range of approximately 15-35 km. ClO mixing ratios are compared to model simulations performed with the photochemical box model version of the Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere (CLaMS). Simulations along 24-hour backward trajectories were performed to study the diurnal variation of ClO in the midlatitude lower stratosphere. Model simulations for the flight launched in Aire sur l'Adour 1999 show an excellent agreement with the ClO measurements. For the flight launched in Leon 1996, an overall good agreement is found, whereas the flight is characterized by a more complex dynamical situation due to a possible mixture of vortex and non-vortex air. We note that for both flights at solar zenith angles greater than 86°-87° simulated ClO mixing ratios are higher than observed ClO mixing ratios. However, the present findings indicate that no substantial uncertainties exist in midlatitude chlorine chemistry of the stratosphere.
Targeted Next‐Generation Sequencing Analysis of 1,000 Individuals with Intellectual Disability

To identify genetic causes of intellectual disability (ID), we screened a cohort of 986 individuals with moderate to severe ID for variants in 565 known or candidate ID‐associated genes using targeted next‐generation sequencing. Likely pathogenic rare variants were found in ∼11% of the cases (113 variants in 107/986 individuals: ∼8% of the individuals had a likely pathogenic loss‐of‐function [LoF] variant, whereas ∼3% had a known pathogenic missense variant). Variants in SETD5, ATRX, CUL4B, MECP2, and ARID1B were the most common causes of ID. This study assessed the value of sequencing a cohort of probands to provide a molecular diagnosis of ID, without the availability of DNA from both parents for de novo sequence analysis. This modeling is clinically relevant as 28% of all UK families with dependent children are single parent households. In conclusion, to diagnose patients with ID in the absence of parental DNA, we recommend investigation of all LoF variants in known genes that cause ID and assessment of a limited list of proven pathogenic missense variants in these genes. This will provide 11% additional diagnostic yield beyond the 10%–15% yield from array CGH alone.