Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Drusen Volume as a Predictor of Disease Progression in Patients With Late Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the Fellow Eye.

PURPOSE Increasing drusen volume was proposed to be a predictor of disease progression in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In patients with late AMD in one eye, the fellow eyes without neovascularization are known to be at higher risk of developing exudative AMD. We evaluated the relationship between drusen volume in these fellow eyes and their progression to late AMD. METHODS A retrospective analysis included fellow eyes with drusen associated with nonexudative AMD. All eyes with neovascular AMD were treated with intravitreal ranibizumab, aflibercept, and/or bevacizumab and followed for 2 years. All eyes were scanned with the Cirrus HD-OCT using a 512 × 128 scan pattern. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) data at baseline, month 12, and month 24 were collected using the advanced RPE analysis tool to quantify drusen volume within 3- and 5-mm-diameter circles centered on the fovea. Optical coherence tomography scans were also evaluated for the development of geographic atrophy (GA) or macular neovascularization (MNV). RESULTS Eighty-nine patients who had neovascular AMD in only one eye were studied. Optical coherence tomography drusen volume in the absence of MNV could be measured in 61 participants (68.5%). After 12 months, 4 eyes (4.5%) developed MNV and 15 eyes (16.9%) developed GA. By 24 months of follow-up, an additional 5 eyes (7.1%) developed MNV and an additional 10 eyes (14.3%) developed GA. At month 24, the eyes that developed GA or MNV had baseline drusen volumes that were significantly larger than in eyes that did not develop late AMD. Patients with a drusen volume over 0.03 mm3 had a greater than 4-fold increased risk for developing late AMD compared with those with lower drusen volumes. CONCLUSIONS Baseline drusen volume appears to be an important predictor for the development of late AMD within 2 years in eyes that have fellow eyes being actively treated for MNV. This suggests that OCT-derived drusen volume measurements may be a useful biomarker to identify eyes at the highest risk for progression to late AMD.
HYBRIDIZATION AND ITS TAXONOMIC IMPLICATIONS IN THE SCAEVOLA GAUDICHAUDIANA COMPLEX OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

The family Goodeniaceae embraces a total of about 14 genera and 320 herbaceous and shrubby species, of which nine genera and about 250 species are restricted to Australia (Krause, 1912; Engler and Melchior, 1964). The genus Scaevola includes perhaps 90 species of which about 65, nearly all herbaceous, are confined to Australia. Of the approximately 25 scaevolas that occur outside of Australia, about 20 comprise the exclusively woody section Sarcocarpaea. This section portrays an evolutionary line that has been highly successful in crossing ocean barriers, for it extends from Australia to the Marquesas, Hawaii, Formosa, Java, and to the shores of the Indian Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea. Dispersal has been accomplished through the evolution either of buoyant fruits conveyed by ocean currents, or of edible, fleshy drupaceous fruits carried by birds (Guppy, 1906; Carlquist, 1965). It is likely that the ingress of representatives of the genus Scaevola, section Sarcocarpea, to the Hawaiian Islands involved at least three dispersal events. Of the seven indigenous Hawaiian species, only the beach species, Scaevola sericea, is ocean dispersed and it very probably arrived through a separate introduction. The six upland species all have conspicuous, nonfloating drupaceous fruits associated with bird dispersal. Of the latter it would seem less speculative to credit the highly distinctive montane S. glabra (Camphusia glabra) to a separate introduction. The remaining five indigenous, bird-dispersed upland species may have evolved from a single introduction. Two of the latter species, S. gaudichaudiana Chamisso and S. mollis Hook. & Arn. , along with numerous related populations, constitute the S. gaudichaudiana complex. This complex occurs on the older, western group of the Hawaiian Islands including Molokai, Lanai, Oahu, and Kauai. The two species are distinguished by five character differences that are presented below:
The role of sarcolemmal Ca2+‐ATPase in the regulation of resting calcium concentration in rat ventricular myocytes

1 The aim of this work was to investigate the role of sarcolemmal Ca2+‐ATPase in rat ventricular myocytes. We have measured intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) using indo‐1. The actions of the ATPase inhibitor carboxyeosin were studied. 2 Carboxyeosin increased resting [Ca2+]i and the magnitude of the systolic Ca2+ transient and slowed the rate of its relaxation by 5%. 3 Carboxyeosin increased the magnitude of the caffeine‐evoked increase in [Ca2+]i and slowed its relaxation by 20%. Removal of extracellular Na+ slowed the rate constant by 80%. When Na+ was removed in a carboxyeosin‐treated cell, the caffeine‐evoked increase in [Ca2+]i did not decay. 4 Carboxyeosin increased the integral of the Na+‐Ca2+ exchange current activated by caffeine. This is, in part, due to an increase in sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ content. 5 When extracellular Na+ was removed, there was a transient increase in [Ca2+]i which then decayed. The rate of this decay was slowed by carboxyeosin by a factor of about four. The residual decay could be abolished with caffeine. 6 In the absence of extracellular Na+, increasing extracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]o) elevated [Ca2+]i. In carboxyeosin‐treated cells, [Ca2+]i was much more sensitive to [Ca2+]o. 7 These results demonstrate the role of a carboxyeosin‐sensitive Ca2+‐ATPase in the control of resting [Ca2+]i and the reduction in [Ca2+]i following an increase in [Ca2+]i.
A GIS based model for the optimisation of municipal solid waste collection: the case study of Nikea, Athens, Greece

Waste collection and transpor t (WC&T) constitutes a large fraction of the total municipal solid waste (MSW) management costs worldwide. In Greece currently this may account for 70-100% of the total MSW costs, most of it being spent on salaries and fuel. It is therefore crucial to improve the WC&T system through routing optimisation. Geographic Information System (GIS) technology provides an advanced modelling framework for decision makers in order to analyse and simulate various spatial waste management problems, including waste collection. In this study a methodology for the optimisation of the waste collection and transport system, based on GIS, was developed. A model in ArcGIS Network Analyst was developed in order to improve the efficiency of WC&T in the Municipality of Nikea (MoN), Athens, Greece via the reallocation of waste collection bins and the optimisation of vehicle routing in terms of distance and time travelled. Two scenarios were compared with the current empirical collection scheme: S1-collection vehicle routing optimisation, and S2-reallocation of bins and routing optimisation. Results demonstrate that both scenarios provided savings compared to the current situation in terms of collection time (3.0% and 17.0% for S1 and S2 respectively) and travel distance (5.5% and 12.5% for S1 and S2 respectively). Time and distance reduction relate to similar CO2 emissions and fuel consumption savings. These figures indicate that GIS based models can offer significant improvements to the WC&T system and, consequently, to its financial and environmental costs.
Visual Working Memory Enhances the Neural Response to Matching Visual Input

Visual working memory (VWM) is used to maintain visual information available for subsequent goal-directed behavior. The content of VWM has been shown to affect the behavioral response to concurrent visual input, suggesting that visual representations originating from VWM and from sensory input draw upon a shared neural substrate (i.e., a sensory recruitment stance on VWM storage). Here, we hypothesized that visual information maintained in VWM would enhance the neural response to concurrent visual input that matches the content of VWM. To test this hypothesis, we measured fMRI BOLD responses to task-irrelevant stimuli acquired from 15 human participants (three males) performing a concurrent delayed match-to-sample task. In this task, observers were sequentially presented with two shape stimuli and a retro-cue indicating which of the two shapes should be memorized for subsequent recognition. During the retention interval, a task-irrelevant shape (the probe) was briefly presented in the peripheral visual field, which could either match or mismatch the shape category of the memorized stimulus. We show that this probe stimulus elicited a stronger BOLD response, and allowed for increased shape-classification performance, when it matched rather than mismatched the concurrently memorized content, despite identical visual stimulation. Our results demonstrate that VWM enhances the neural response to concurrent visual input in a content-specific way. This finding is consistent with the view that neural populations involved in sensory processing are recruited for VWM storage, and it provides a common explanation for a plethora of behavioral studies in which VWM-matching visual input elicits a stronger behavioral and perceptual response. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Humans heavily rely on visual information to interact with their environment and frequently must memorize such information for later use. Visual working memory allows for maintaining such visual information in the mind's eye after termination of its retinal input. It is hypothesized that information maintained in visual working memory relies on the same neural populations that process visual input. Accordingly, the content of visual working memory is known to affect our conscious perception of concurrent visual input. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that visual input elicits an enhanced neural response when it matches the content of visual working memory, both in terms of signal strength and information content.
Early predictors of postconcussive syndrome in a population of trauma patients with mild traumatic brain injury.

PURPOSE The purpose of this analysis was to determine which of the initial symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) can best predict the development of persistent postconcussive syndrome (PCS). METHODS One hundred eighty MTBI patients admitted to a level I trauma center were enrolled in a prospective study and 110 followed for 3 months. MTBI was defined as a Glasgow Coma Score of 13 to 15 with a transient loss of consciousness or report of being dazed or confused. PCS was defined as the persistence of four or more symptoms long term. Patients were screened at admission and at 3 days to 10 days and 3 months. Symptom checklists were administered to ascertain the presence of symptoms (cognitive, emotional, and physical) after concussion. For a subset of patients that were physically able, balance tests were also conducted. Stepwise logistic regression was used to identify which symptoms best predicted PCS. RESULTS The mean age of the subjects was 35 years, and 65% were men. Physical symptoms were the most prevalent in the 3 days to 10 days postinjury with most declining thereafter to baseline levels. Emotional and cognitive symptoms were less prevalent but more likely to remain elevated at 3 months; 41.8% of subjects reported PCS at 3 months. The strongest individual symptoms that predicted long-term PCS included anxiety, noise sensitivity (NS), and trouble thinking; reported by 49%, 27%, and 31% of the subjects at 3 days to 10 days, respectively. In multivariate regressions including age, gender, and early symptoms, only anxiety, NS and gender remained significant in the prediction of PCS. Interactions revealed that the effect of anxiety was seen primarily among women. NS had an odds ratio of 3.1 for PCS at 3 months. CONCLUSIONS After MTBI, anxiety among women and NS are important predictors of PCS. Other physical symptoms, while more prevalent are poor predictors of PCS.
Atypical Wernicke's Encephalopathy Showing Lesions In the Cranial Nerve Nuclei and Cerebellum

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is a severe neurological disorder caused by a dietary deficiency of Vitamin B1 and characterized by consciousness changes, ocular abnormalities, and ataxia. Wernicke's encephalopathy is considered a medical emergency and treatment consists of intravenous thiamine administration. Typically in alcoholic and nonalcoholic patients magnetic resonance shows alterations in the mamillary bodies, medial thalami, tectal plate, and periaqueductal regions. We report here on a nonalcoholic atypical case of WE which presented with reversible symmetrical lesions in the cranial nerves nuclei and in the cerebellum alongside the classic neuroradiological findings.
The Cassiopeia A Supernova Was of Type IIb

Cassiopeia A is the youngest supernova remnant known in the Milky Way and a unique laboratory for supernova physics. We present an optical spectrum of the Cassiopeia A supernova near maximum brightness, obtained from observations of a scattered light echo more than three centuries after the direct light of the explosion swept past Earth. The spectrum shows that Cassiopeia A was a type IIb supernova and originated from the collapse of the helium core of a red supergiant that had lost most of its hydrogen envelope before exploding. Our finding concludes a long-standing debate on the Cassiopeia A progenitor and provides new insight into supernova physics by linking the properties of the explosion to the wealth of knowledge about its remnant.
Compact half-wave balun using microstrip and lumped-element artificial transmission lines

In this paper, a compact two-section half-wave balun using artificial transmission lines is presented. The developed balun comprises four sections of artificial transmission lines, including two sections realized with lumped chip capacitors and via holes. The theoretical performance of the proposed balun is verified through circuit simulations and measurements of a fabricated prototype at 0.9 GHz. The proposed balun exhibits excellent return loss, insertion losses and phase characteristics over the operational frequency band. The measured return loss of input port remain above 11dB over a bandwidth from 0.8 GHz to 1 GHz, while in this frequency range the amplitude imbalance varies from -0.48 dB to 0.37 dB, and the phase difference of 177° to 180°. Measurements show a good agreement with the corresponding simulations.
Potential Antibacterial Activity of Hibiscus rosasinensis Linn Flowers Extracts

ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 4 (2017) pp. 1066-1072 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com Hibiscus rosasinensis is member of the family Malvaceae, grow as green herbaceous plant in tropical regions. It is a tropical shrub, with large, glossy green leaves and spectacular trumpet shaped flowers. Its medicinal values have been mentioned in traditional folk medicines for variety of diseases. The objective of this study is to determine the phytochemical constituent using different solvent and to study the antibacterial effect of methanol extract at different concentration against three bacteria. Phytochemical screening of H. rosasinensis flower by four extraction solvents are carried out and antibacterial activity of three concentration of methanol extracts were screened against some bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Methanol extract of hibiscus exhibits highest extraction yield value, followed by Ethanol, water and Ethyl acetate respectively. The phytochemical screening exhibited the presence of different component like Alkaloids, Glycosides, Carbohydrates, Phytosterols, Phenolic compound, Tannins, Saponins, Flavonoids, Proteins and Aminoacids. Methanol extracts at high concentration were exhibited maximum antibacterial potentiality of H. rosasinensis flower against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus respectively. The phytochemical analysis of Hibiscus rosasinensis flower extracts reported the present of different medicinal valuable constituents includes Alkaloids, Glycosides, Carbohydrates, Phytosterols, Phenolic compound, Tannins, Saponins, Flavonoids, and Proteins and Aminoacids. Our findings prove that, the flower of H. rosa-sinensis plants have medicinal antibacterial activities and can use against bacteria under study. Methanol extract obtained highest yield and antibacterial activity at high concentration, so it could be subjected to isolate different active medicinal valuable compound of H. rosasinensis L. The present findings suggest that methanol is a good solvent for extracting antibacterial agents. Further studies are needed to investigate individual phytochemical compound of the flower of Hibiscus rosasinensis. The flower extract of H. rosasinensis L. can be considered to be as equally potent as the most of effective artificial antibiotics. K e y w o r d s Hibiscus rosasinensis, Pathogenic bacteria extracts, Sensitivity test Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus Escherichia coli, Antibiotics. Accepted: 12 March 2017
Hepatocyte growth factor promotes cell proliferation and inhibits progesterone secretion via PKA and MAPK pathways in a human granulosa cell line

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a mesenchymal‐derived paracrine factor that acts through a c‐met receptor. The activated c‐met receptor recruits various signal proteins. We used a steroidogenic human granulosa‐like tumor cell line (KGN cells) to analyze the biological function of HGF in human ovary cells. First, we designed a method to analyze local production and action of HGF in the human ovary. Although c‐met mRNA is expressed in KGN cells, granulosa lutein, theca, and ovarian stroma cells, we observed HGF mRNA only in theca and stroma cells. Adding HGF to the medium enhanced mitogenic activity in KGN cells. We next examined the activation of intracellular signal transduction molecules induced by HGF in KGN cells. Here, we showed that HGF activated the distinct phosphorylation of Raf‐1, MEK1/2, and ERK1/2, but did not induce phosphorylation of Akt. HGF enhanced the phosphorylation of Elk‐1 and c‐Jun as nuclear transcription factors. U0126, a MEK1/2 inhibitor, completely abrogated the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and the cell proliferation in response to HGF. In contrast, H‐89, a protein kinase A inhibitor, further enhanced the HGF‐induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and cell proliferation. In addition, we revealed that HGF suppressed progesterone synthesis in KGN cells. Adding HGF suppressed the forskolin‐induced steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) expression, which is a key regulator in progesterone synthesis. Crosstalk signals between PKA and the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway were mutually inhibitory. These results demonstrated for the first time that theca cell‐derived HGF may be capable of stimulating the proliferation of granulosa cells and suppressing progesterone synthesis via an activating MAPK pathway. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 68: 335–344, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Point-Counterpoint: What Is the Optimal Approach for Detection of Clostridium difficile Infection?

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION In 2010, we published an initial Point-Counterpoint on the laboratory diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). At that time, nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) were just becoming commercially available, and the idea of algorithmic approaches to CDI was being explored. Now, there are numerous NAATs in the marketplace, and based on recent proficiency test surveys, they have become the predominant method used for CDI diagnosis in the United States. At the same time, there is a body of literature that suggests that NAATs lack clinical specificity and thus inflate CDI rates. Hospital administrators are taking note of institutional CDI rates because they are publicly reported. They have become an important metric impacting hospital safety ratings and value-based purchasing; hospitals may have millions of dollars of reimbursement at risk. In this Point-Counterpoint using a frequently asked question approach, Ferric Fang of the University of Washington, who has been a consistent advocate for a NAAT-only approach for CDI diagnosis, will discuss the value of a NAAT-only approach, while Christopher Polage of the University of California Davis and Mark Wilcox of Leeds University, Leeds, United Kingdom, each of whom has recently written important articles on the value of toxin detection in the diagnosis, will discuss the impact of toxin detection in CDI diagnosis.
Review: Endothelial dysfunction: A potential tool in gender related cardiovascular disease

The overwhelming importance of distinctive cardiovascular disease profile in women has stimulated enormous efforts to disclose its cause. In this review, we discuss vascular endothelium as a potential phenotypic marker for the genetic difference. As it is a potentially modifiable factor for cardiovascular disease, every effort should be made to detect it, either directly or indirectly, at the earliest in females who are at risk, so that the future cardiovascular events might be prevented.
Time-Restricted Feeding Improves Circadian Dysfunction as well as Motor Symptoms in the Q175 Mouse Model of Huntington’s Disease

Visual Abstract Huntington’s disease (HD) patients suffer from a progressive neurodegeneration that results in cognitive, psychiatric, cardiovascular, and motor dysfunction. Disturbances in sleep/wake cycles are common among HD patients with reports of delayed sleep onset, frequent bedtime awakenings, and fatigue during the day. The heterozygous Q175 mouse model of HD has been shown to phenocopy many HD core symptoms including circadian dysfunctions. Because circadian dysfunction manifests early in the disease in both patients and mouse models, we sought to determine if early intervention that improve circadian rhythmicity can benefit HD and delay disease progression. We determined the effects of time-restricted feeding (TRF) on the Q175 mouse model. At six months of age, the animals were divided into two groups: ad libitum (ad lib) and TRF. The TRF-treated Q175 mice were exposed to a 6-h feeding/18-h fasting regimen that was designed to be aligned with the middle of the time when mice are normally active. After three months of treatment (when mice reached the early disease stage), the TRF-treated Q175 mice showed improvements in their locomotor activity rhythm and sleep awakening time. Furthermore, we found improved heart rate variability (HRV), suggesting that their autonomic nervous system dysfunction was improved. Importantly, treated Q175 mice exhibited improved motor performance compared to untreated Q175 controls, and the motor improvements were correlated with improved circadian output. Finally, we found that the expression of several HD-relevant markers was restored to WT levels in the striatum of the treated mice using NanoString gene expression assays.
Effects of Nursing Position on Transformational Leadership Practices

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to identify significant differences in nursing leadership strengths by position title. BACKGROUND: Recent reports show aspects of transformational leadership (TL) related to position, age, and educational level. This study focuses on differentiating the strength of leadership practices across the range of nursing management positions. METHODS: The Leadership Practices Inventory—Self-assessment survey, and a variety of demographic questions, were used to anonymously poll voluntary members of the Association of California Nurse Leaders. RESULTS: Nursing positions of director level and above were strongest in leadership practices. Those at manager and below were identified as needing additional leadership development. LPI-S subscales Enable Others to Act and Model the Way were strongest. CONCLUSION: Those at the manager level and below will benefit most from additional education and training. Even upper levels of management would gain from enhancing the LPI practices of Challenge the Process and Inspire a Shared Vision.