Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Longitudinal Evaluation of Salivary Cortisol Levels in Full-Term and Preterm Neonates

The aim of the present study was to test the practicability of sequential cortisol determinations in saliva of low birth weight neonates and to evaluate the impact of systemic and inhaled glucocorticoid therapy on saliva concentrations of cortisol in preterm neonates with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Salivary cortisol levels were measured by RIA in saliva samples from 10 full-term and 10 preterm healthy neonates and from 20 preterm neonates with BPD during systemic [dexamethasone (DEX); n = 10] or topical steroid therapy [budesonide (BUD); n = 10]. Saliva samples of each individual were collected on 3 consecutive days at 06.00, 12.00, 18.00 and 24.00 h. Cortisol levels in saliva ranged from 0.8 to 60.6 nmol/l (median 6.5 nmol/l) in full-term neonates, from 0.6 to 52.1 nmol/l (median 5.5 nmol/l) in preterm neonates, from 0.4 to 14.0 nmol/l (median 1.0 nmol/l) in preterm neonates treated with DEX and from 0.4 to 15.2 nmol/l (median 2.5 nmol/l) in preterm neonates treated with BUD. Autocorrelation analysis revealed a distinct endogenous cortisol rhythm in 2 of the 10 healthy full-term neonates and in 3 of the 10 healthy preterm neonates with a wavelength of 12–30 h. Salivary cortisol levels in preterm neonates treated with DEX or BUD were significantly lower than those measured in healthy preterm neonates. These results demonstrate that the measurement of salivary cortisol levels is a reliable and practicable way of assessing adrenal function in full-term and preterm neonates. This study also shows for the first time that some neonates display an endogenous cortisol rhythm which is not coupled to the exogenous day/night cycle. Furthermore, systemic and nebulized glucocorticoids suppress adrenal function in low-birth-weight neonates. After treatment these children should be closely monitored for potential adrenal insufficiency.
Effects of Graphene Nanoplatelets and Reduced Graphene Oxide on Poly(lactic acid) and Plasticized Poly(lactic acid): A Comparative Study

The superlative mechanical properties of graphene-based materials make them the ideal filler materials for polymer composites reinforcement. Two types of graphene-based materials, graphene nanoplatelets (xGnP) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO), were used as nanofiller in poly(lactic acid) (PLA) polymer matrix, as well as plasticized PLA. The addition of rGO into PLA or plasticized PLA substantially enhanced the tensile strength without deteriorating elasticity, compared to xGnP nanocomposites. In addition, the investigation of the thermal properties has found that the presence of rGO in the system is very beneficial for improving thermal stability of the PLA or plasticized PLA. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of the rGO nanocomposites display homogenous and good uniformity morphology. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images revealed that the rGO remained intact as graphene sheet layers and were dispersed well into the polymer matrix, and it was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) results, which shows no graphitic peak in the XRD pattern.
The Experimental Model of the Autoimmune Glomerulonephritis Induced by the Chronic Graft versus Host Reaction

Graft-versus-host reaction (GVHR) is a cellular immune reaction developed by transplanting mature T-lymphocytes to tissue incompatible recipients. As it has been stated by R.E. Billingham in a Harvey Lecture, there are three requirements for the development of GVHR: the graft must contain immunologically competent cells; the recipient must be incapable of rejecting the transplanted cells; the recipient must express tissue antigens that are not present in the donor (Billingham, 1966, as cited in Sun et al., 2007). There are several situations in which it’s possible: the introduction of incompatible lymphocytes to newborn or adult immunocompromised recipients or the transfer parental lymphocytes to F1 hybrids. A recipient with a normal immune system will usually reject cells from a foreign donor. At the present time there are described and characterized two forms of graft-versus-host reaction: acute and chronic. The mechanisms of acute and chronic GVHR are distinguished by participating of CD8+T-cells. If the CD8+T-cells are involved in the development of immune processes, a primary stimulating phase of reaction (activation of the donor cell by recipient alloantigens) is followed by a cytotoxic phase including a generation of effector cells – cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), directed against recipient alloantigens, and the reaction ends with destruction of host tissues. In general, it can be called a normal physiological immune reaction "graft versus host" – accomplished immune response of mature donor cells against allogeneic recipient. From this viewpoint chronic GVHR is an incomplete ("defective") GVHR: the reaction does not lead to formation of CD8+T-effector cells and to a development of a cytotoxic phase, as it should be, but «freezes» at a primary stimulating stage and ends with lymphoproliferation. Such type of the reaction may be caused by different situations: removal or inactivation of some inoculum T cells subpopulations, the suppression of the reaction by pharmacological agents at early stages, or the lack of donor T cells stimulation through the absence of MHC class I incompatibility.
The elusive biomarker for personalized medicine in multiple sclerosis

There are no objective methods or tests to predict the effectiveness of specific disease-modifying drugs (DMDs) for individual patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). There are 4 interferon-β (IFNβ) products and 4 non-IFNβ DMDs available for relapsing forms of MS, with others on the way. Randomized, placebo-controlled pivotal clinical trials showed that IFNβ drugs were only partially effective, reducing relapse rate by about 33%. 1 While relapses or new MRI lesions are commonly observed in patients with MS on …
Fitting Finite Mixtures of Linear Regression Models with Varying & Fixed Eects in R

A general model class of finite mixtures of linear regression models is presented. It allows (nested) varying and fixed effects for the regression coefficients and the variance. A combination of varying and fixed effects is useful in applications because it can be used to account for overdispersion as a nuisance parameter or to reduce the number of estimated parameters. In addition concomitant variable models for the component weights provide the possibility to partition the data into the mixture components through other variables. Maximum likelihood parameter estimation using the EM algorithm is outlined and the implementation in R by extending package flexmix is described. In this paper multinomial logit concomitant variable models are considered, but the provided infrastructure allows to easily define new concomitant models and rapid prototyping is possible if functionality already available in R can be used.
Efficient Finite Element Geometric Multigrid Solvers for Unstructured Grids on GPUs

Fast, robust and efficient multigrid solvers are a key numerical tool in the solution of partial differential equations discretised with finite elements. The vast majority of practical simulation scenarios requires that the underlying grid is unstructured, and that high-order discretisations are used. On the other hand, hardware is quickly evolving towards parallelism and heterogeneity, even within a single workstation. Commodity CPUs have multiple cores, and GPUs are the most prominent example of current fine-grained parallel architectures. We are convinced that geometric multigrid methods are superior to algebraic multigrid methods, if their components are designed with respect to the underlying finite element discretisation. Such an approach, which we call finite element geometric multigrid (FE-GMG), allows the design and development of numerically optimal solvers. While many multigrid components can be parallelised in a straight forward manner, two components pose severe challenges: Robust and strong smoothers are inherently recursive and sequential, and grid transfer operations (prolongation and restriction) have to be re-formulated for the chosen finite element space and mesh hierarchy. Our approach follows the hardware-oriented numerics paradigm and we aim at simultaneously maximising numerical and computational efficiency. In this paper, we tackle the second problem and evaluate an implementation technique for geometric multigrid solvers that is based completely on sequences of sparse matrix-vector multiplications. With no loss in performance and only moderately increased memory requirements, this approach allows us to design a multigrid solver that is oblivious of the spatial dimension of the computational domain, the underlying unstructured discretisation grid, and the chosen finite element space. We are thus the first to assemble competitive geometric multigrid solvers for finite element discretisations on unstructured grids that execute very efficiently on both CPUs and GPUs. Our numerical evaluation yields that the FE-GMG completely assembled by sequences of sparse matrix-vector kernels is able to exploit the parallelism provided by multicore CPUs and GPUs: We gain a speedup of two to three when doubling the amount of memory controllers of the CPU and yet another factor of four to 14 (eight in average) when switching from a multi-core CPU to the GPU. Additionally we show that the numbering of the degrees of freedom can have a huge impact on the performance, up to a factor of 25 on both architectures.
Folates Induce Colorectal Carcinoma HT29 Cell Line Proliferation Through Notch1 Signaling

Folic acid (FA) consumption at high levels has been associated with colon cancer risk. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain this association. The Notch signal pathway has been implicated in the regulation of cellular proliferation. Our aim was to demonstrate that high concentrations of FA or its reduced form, 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid (5-MTHF), increase colorectal carcinoma HT29 cell proliferation through an increase of Notch1 activation and to prove if the inhibition of Notch1 activation by gamma secretase inhibitor, reduce the effect of folic acid. HT29 cells were cultured in high (400 nM), low (20 nM), or 0 nM FA or 5-MTHF concentrations during 96 h with or without DAPT (gamma secretase inhibitor). Cell proliferation was determined by the methylthiazole tetrazolium method, and Notch1-intracellular domain (NICD) was analyzed by flow cytometry. HT29 cells exposed to 400 nM FA or 5-MTHF showed higher proliferation rate than those exposed to 20 nM of FA or 5-MTHF (P < 0.01) during 96 h. NICD expression increased at higher FA or 5-MTHF concentrations compared with lower concentrations (P < 0.01). This effect on proliferation was partially reversible when we blocked Notch1 activation with the inhibitor of γ-secretase (P < 0.05). These data suggest that high concentration of FA and 5-MTHF induce HT29 cell proliferation activating Notch1 pathway.
Looking in the Same Manner but Seeing it Differently: Bottom‐up and Expertise Effects in Radiology

Summary Models of expertise differences in radiology often do not take into account visual differences between diseases. This study investigates the bottom-up effects of three types of images on viewing patterns of students, residents and radiologists: focal diseases (localized abnormality), diffuse diseases (distributed abnormality) and images showing no abnormalities (normal). Participants inspected conventional chest radiographs while their eye movements were recorded. Regardless of expertise, in focal diseases, participants fixated relatively long at specific locations, whereas in diffuse diseases, fixations were more dispersed and shorter. Moreover, for students, dispersion of fixations was higher on diffuse compared with normal images, whereas for residents and radiologists, dispersion was highest on normal images. Despite this difference, students showed relatively high performance on normal images but low performance on focal and diffuse images. Viewing patterns were strongly influenced by bottom-up stimulus effects. Although viewing behavior of students was similar to that of radiologists, they lack knowledge that helps them diagnose the disease correctly. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluation of strain, dietary energy level and stocking density on broiler feathering

This study evaluated the effects of strain, stocking density and dietary energy level on the feathering of broiler chickens. Four trials were carried out between September 2000 and April 2002. There were 10,685 broiler chicks from the strains Ross 308, Cobb 500, Hybro PG, Hubbard, MPK, and Isa Vedette. The bids were reared at stocking densities varying between 10 and 16 birds/m 2 and were given diets containing different metabolizable energy levels. Broiler feathering was evaluated either by atrributing scores from 1 to 10 to feather covering along the thigh and back (visual inspection), or by determining the percentage weight of the feathers at 28 and 42 days of age. Increasing rearing densities resulted in poorer feathering, mainly if 12 or 13 birds/m 2 were compared with 16 birds/m 2 . The strains showed different feathering; it was better in Cobb 500 and MPK birds, whereas Hubbard birds showed poorer feathering, mostly along the back. The energy level in the diet has also affected feathering scores. Medium energy level resulted in better feathering along the back at 28 days, and the low level, in better feathering along the thigh at 35 days of age. Finally, feather scores were better in females than in males.
Left and Right Hand Tactile Naming Ability of Everyday Articles by a Young Adult Sample

Some previous studies have shown that healthy adults can rapidly and accurately identify everyday articles using only tactile information. This study assessed whether laterality effects could potentially influence the tactile object recognition ability for everyday articles. We tested 34 right-handed Japanese young adults who used either their left or right hand. The participants recognized 100 everyday articles without difficulty, regardless of the hand they used. These results might be useful for reference data in assessing patients suspected to have tactile agnosia.
Effects of FK506 on Hippocampal CA1 Cells Following Transient Global Ischemia/Reperfusion in Wistar Rat

Transient global cerebral ischemia causes loss of pyramidal cells in CA1 region of hippocampus. In this study, we investigated the neurotrophic effect of the immunosuppressant agent FK506 in rat after global cerebral ischemia. Both common carotid arteries were occluded for 20 minutes followed by reperfusion. In experimental group 1, FK506 (6 mg/kg) was given as a single dose exactly at the time of reperfusion. In the second group, FK506 was administered at the beginning of reperfusion, followed by its administration intraperitoneally (IP) 6, 24, 48, and 72 hours after reperfusion. FK506 failed to show neurotrophic effects on CA1 region when applied as a single dose of 6 mg/kg. The cell number and size of the CA1 pyramidal cells were increased, also the number of cell death decreased in this region when FK506 was administrated 48 h after reperfusion. This work supports the possible use of FK506 in treatment of ischemic brain damage.
Commentary on Nelson et al. (2010)

In a wide variety of animal species, individuals or strains that are particularly stress reactive may be more likely to survive and reproduce successfully in highly variable or stressful environments. Over the course of human evolution, however, selective pressures have shifted, as have the nature and chronicity of stress exposures. In fact, in modern society, highly stress-reactive individuals, who are no less likely to be eaten by a predator (predation not being a major cause of mortality in modern humans), may instead be more likely to fall susceptible to various stress-related disorders, including chronic infections, diabetes, heart disease, accelerated brain aging, stressrelated psychiatric disorders, and even drug and alcohol problems. adb_182 12.14
The Neural Basis of Predicting the Outcomes of Imagined Actions

A key feature of human intelligence is the ability to predict the outcomes of one’s own actions prior to executing them. Action values are thought to be represented in part in the dorsal and ventral medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), yet current studies have focused on the value of executed actions rather than the anticipated value of a planned action. Thus, little is known about the neural basis of how individuals think (or fail to think) about their actions and the potential consequences before they act. We scanned individuals with fMRI while they thought about performing actions that they knew would likely be rewarded or unrewarded. Here we show that merely imagining an unrewarded action, as opposed to imagining a rewarded action, increases activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, independently of subsequent actions. This activity overlaps with regions that respond to actual unrewarded actions. The findings show a distinct network that signals the prospective outcomes of one’s possible actions. A number of clinical disorders such as schizophrenia and drug abuse involve a failure to take the potential consequences of an action into account prior to acting. Our results thus suggest how dysfunctions of the mPFC may contribute to such failures.
Successful aging: Subject index

Foreword Preface 1. Psychological perspectives on successful aging: the model of selective optimization with compensation 2. Medical perspectives upon successful aging 3. Successful aging in a post-retired society 4. The optimization of cognitive functioning in old age: predictions based on cohort-sequential and longitudinal data 5. The optimization of episodic remembering in old age 6. Peak performance and age: an examination of peak performance in sports 7. Personal control over development and quality of life perspectives in adulthood 8. Successful mastery of bereavement and widowhood: a life-course perspective 9. The Bonn longitudinal study of aging: coping, life adjustment, and life satisfaction 10. Risk and protective factors in the transition to young adulthood 11. Avoiding negative life outcomes: evidence from a forty-five year study 12. Developing behavioural genetics and successful aging Name index Subject index.
To What Extent Have the Rights of Transgender People Been Underrealized in Comparison to the Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer/Questioning People in the United Kingdom?

ABSTRACT This article aims to consider how LGBT+ people have been excluded from human rights practice in the United Kingdom using data from a survey based on the Yogyakarta Principles (YPs). This article proceeds according to the following hypotheses: that LGBT+ rights in the UK have been underrealised, that transgender people have been particularly at risk of human rights abuses in the UK in comparison to other people included under the LGBT+ banner, and that transgender people will therefore have experienced a wider array of rights abuses more consistently. This article also hypothesizes that transgender people that inhabit multiple spaces of citizenship outside of heteronormativity will be at a further increased risk of human rights abuses. These hypotheses are based on a literature review that demonstrates the imbalanced and slow progression of LGBT+ rights that has, particularly in the UK, favored the progression of sexual rights over transgender rights and the maintenance of heteronormativity which allows for greater chances of abuses of the rights of LGBT+ people in the private and public arenas. These hypotheses will be considered through an analysis of the frequency of positive responses to survey questions that indicate a form of human rights abuse according to the YPs.
EFFECTS OF A DRINK CONTAINING CREATINE,AMINO ACIDS, AND PROTEIN COMBINED WITH TEN WEEKS OF RESISTANCE TRAINING ON BODY COMPOSITION, STRENGTH, AND ANAEROBIC PERFORMANCE

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a drink containing creatine, amino acids, and protein vs. a carbohydrate placebo on body composition, strength, muscular endurance, and anaerobic performance before and after 10 weeks of resistance training. Fifty-one men (mean ± SD; age: 21.8 ± 2.9 years) were randomly assigned to either the test drink (TEST; n = 23) or the placebo (PLAC; n = 28) and performed two 30-second Win-gate Anaerobic Tests for determination of peak power (PP) and mean power (MP), were weighed underwater for percent body fat (%fat) and fat-free mass (FFM), and were tested for 1 repetition maximum (1RM) dynamic constant external resistance strength and muscular endurance (END; number of repetitions performed with 80% of 1RM) on the bilateral leg extension (LE) and free-weight bench press (BP) exercises. The testing was conducted before (PRE) and after (POST) 10 weeks of resistance training (3 sets of 10 repetitions with 80% of the subject's 1RM performed 3 times per week) on the LE and BP exercises. Body weight, FFM, LE 1RM, LE END, BP 1RM, and BP END increased (p < 0.05), whereas %fat decreased (p < 0.05) from PRE to POST for both the TEST and PLAC groups. Peak power and MP, however, increased for the TEST group, but not for the PLAC group. These results suggested that the creatine-, amino acid–, and protein-containing drink provided no additional benefits when compared with carbohydrates alone for eliciting changes in body composition, strength, and muscular endurance after a 10-week resistance training period. The TEST drink was, however, more effective than carbohydrates alone for improving anaerobic power production.
Storytelling for Social Justice: Connecting Narrative and the Arts in Antiracist Teaching

Introduction 1. Critical Teaching about Racism Through Story and the Arts: Introducing The Storytelling Project Model 2. Stock Stories: Reproducing Racism and White Advantage 3. Concealed Stories: Reclaiming Subjugated Memory and Knowledge 4. Resistance Stories: Drawing on Anti-Racism Legacies and Contemporary Examples to Map the Future 5. Emerging/Transforming Stories: Challenging Racism in Everyday Life 6. Cultivating Counter-Storytelling Community: The Storytelling Model in Action
On the Suitability of Load Balancing Principles in Heterogeneous Wireless Access Networks

Initial RAT selection is a key Common RRM strategy, where users requiring service are to be efficiently allocated in the existing and available RATs. Although load balancing is a possible guiding allocation principle, sometimes it may not be convenient. This paper evaluates and compares a load balancing and a service-class RAT selection policy in order to discuss the suitability of the former in situations where different service-class mixings are present. Results indicate a tight dependency between this appropriateness and the mixing of demanding services.