Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determination and Analysis of Actinomyces israelii Serotypes by Fluorescent-Antibody Procedures

This study was undertaken to determine the antigenic relationships between serotypes of Actinomyces israelii with fluorescent-antibody (FA) procedures. In addition, the antigenic relationships between A. israelii and other members of the genus Actinomyces were studied by the same methods. Seven FA conjugates were used to determine the serological characteristics of 28 isolates believed to represent A. israelii, serotypes 1 and 2. The results showed that the lower dilutions of serotype 1 conjugates stained serotype 2 antigens; however, serotype 2 conjugates did not stain serotype 1 antigens. Serotype 1 conjugate could be made specific by adsorption. A. israelii serotype 1 conjugate cross-reacted also with A. naeslundii, but this cross-reaction could be eliminated by adsorption or dilution. Serotype 2 conjugate appeared to be specific for A. israelii serotype 2. Adsorption studies revealed antigenic variants among the various A. israelii serotype 1 and 2 isolates. However, all isolates could be identified by direct FA staining with appropriate conjugates. One isolate previously identified as A. israelii was shown, on the basis of FA studies, to be an A. naeslundii. A polyvalent diagnostic reagent was prepared which was specific for A. israelii serotypes 1 and 2. This reagent should find application in diagnostic and reference laboratories.
High-Intensity Exercise Reduces Cardiac Fibrosis and Hypertrophy but Does Not Restore the Nitroso-Redox Imbalance in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy

Diabetic cardiomyopathy refers to the manifestations in the heart as a result of altered glucose homeostasis, reflected as fibrosis, cellular hypertrophy, increased oxidative stress, and apoptosis, leading to ventricular dysfunction. Since physical exercise has been indicated as cardioprotective, we tested the hypothesis that high-intensity exercise training could reverse the cardiac maladaptations produced by diabetes. For this, diabetes was induced in rats by a single dose of alloxan. Diabetic rats were randomly assigned to a sedentary group or submitted to a program of exercise on a treadmill for 4 weeks at 80% of maximal performance. Another group of normoglycemic rats was used as control. Diabetic rat hearts presented cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and interstitial fibrosis. Chronic exercise reduced both parameters but increased apoptosis. Diabetes increased the myocardial levels of the mRNA and proteins of NADPH oxidases NOX2 and NOX4. These altered levels were not reduced by exercise. Diabetes also increased the level of uncoupled endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) that was not reversed by exercise. Finally, diabetic rats showed a lower degree of phosphorylated phospholamban and reduced levels of SERCA2 that were not restored by high-intensity exercise. These results suggest that high-intensity chronic exercise was able to reverse remodeling in the diabetic heart but was unable to restore the nitroso-redox imbalance imposed by diabetes.
System-on-Chip architecture for high-speed data acquisition in visible light communication system

On this paper, we present results of our research in system-on-chip architecture for digital data acquisition in visible light communication. The objective of this research is to design data acquisition architecture for signal with high speed frequency using system-on-chip based design. The designed system is divided into two subsystems, hardware layer and software layer. All of the hardware resources are implemented on ZYNQ-7000 System-on-Chip, whereas the software is implemented using Xilinx API to establish connection to PC through UDP-based Ethernet connection. The implemented design has been proven to be able to perform high speed data acquisition for certain frequency sampling and able to transmit data to PC for data processing and displaying.
Noggin resistance contributes to the potent osteogenic capability of BMP9 in mesenchymal stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent progenitors and can differentiate into osteogenic, chondrogenic, and adipogenic lineages. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) play important roles in stem cell proliferation and differentiation. We recently demonstrated that BMP9 is a potent but less understood osteogenic factor. We previously found that BMP9‐induced ectopic bone formation is not inhibited by BMP3. Here, we investigate the effect of BMP antagonist noggin on BMP9‐induced osteogenic differentiation. BMP antagonists noggin, chording, gremlin, follistatin, and BMP3 are highly expressed in MSCs, while noggin and follistatin are lowly expressed in more differentiated pre‐osteoblast C2C12 cells. BMP9‐induced osteogenic markers and matrix mineralization are not inhibited by noggin, while noggin blunts BMP2, BMP4, BMP6, and BMP7‐induced osteogenic markers and mineralization. Likewise, ectopic bone formation by MSCs transduced with BMP9, but not the other four BMPs, is resistant to noggin inhibition. BMP9‐induced nuclear translocation of Smad1/5/8 is not affected by noggin, while noggin blocks BMP2‐induced activation of Smad1/5/8 in MSCs. Noggin fails to inhibit BMP9‐induced expression of downstream targets in MSCs. Thus, our results strongly suggest that BMP9 may effectively overcome noggin inhibition, which should at least in part contribute to BMP9's potent osteogenic capability in MSCs. © 2013 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 31:1796–1803, 2013
30W, 1178nm Yb-doped photonic bandgap fiber amplifier

High-power, high-efficiency ytterbium-doped solid-core photonic-bandgap fiber amplification at the long-wavelength edge of the Yb gain band is reported. Amplified-spontaneous-emission-free, 30 W non-polarized and 25 W linearly-polarized 1178 nm outputs have been achieved with <58% slope efficiencies.
MCA1 and MCA2 That Mediate Ca2+ Uptake Have Distinct and Overlapping Roles in Arabidopsis1[W][OA]

Ca2+ is important for plant growth and development as a nutrient and a second messenger. However, the molecular nature and roles of Ca2+-permeable channels or transporters involved in Ca2+ uptake in roots are largely unknown. We recently identified a candidate for the Ca2+-permeable mechanosensitive channel in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), named MCA1. Here, we investigated the only paralog of MCA1 in Arabidopsis, MCA2. cDNA of MCA2 complemented a Ca2+ uptake deficiency in yeast cells lacking a Ca2+ channel composed of Mid1 and Cch1. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis indicated that MCA2 was expressed in leaves, flowers, roots, siliques, and stems, and histochemical observation showed that an MCA2 promoter::GUS fusion reporter gene was universally expressed in 10-d-old seedlings with some exceptions: it was relatively highly expressed in vascular tissues and undetectable in the cap and the elongation zone of the primary root. mca2-null plants were normal in growth and morphology. In addition, the primary root of mca2-null seedlings was able to normally sense the hardness of agar medium, unlike that of mca1-null or mca1-null mca2-null seedlings, as revealed by the two-phase agar method. Ca2+ uptake activity was lower in the roots of mca2-null plants than those of wild-type plants. Finally, growth of mca1-null mca2-null plants was more retarded at a high concentration of Mg2+ added to medium compared with that of mca1-null and mca2-null single mutants and wild-type plants. These results suggest that the MCA2 protein has a distinct role in Ca2+ uptake in roots and an overlapping role with MCA1 in plant growth.
Rhyme Priming in Aphasia: The Role of Phonology in Lexical Access

The present experiment was conducted to explore the facilitory effects of rhyme in lexical processing in brain-damaged individuals. Normal subjects and non-fluent and fluent aphasic subjects performed auditory lexical decision and rhyme judgement tasks, in which prime-target pairs were phonologically related (either identical or rhyming) or unrelated. Results revealed rhyme facilitation of lexical decisions to real-word targets for normal and non-fluent aphasic subjects; for fluent aphasic subjects, results were equivocal. In the rhyme judgement task, facilitory effects of rhyme were found for all three groups with real-word targets. None of the groups showed clear rhyme facilitation effects with non-word targets in either task. Findings are discussed with reference to the role of phonology in lexical processing in normal and aphasic populations.
Timing in the surgical evacuation of spinal epidural abscesses.

OBJECT One often overlooked aspect of spinal epidural abscesses (SEAs) is the timing of surgical management. Limited evidence is available correlating earlier intervention with outcomes. Spinal epidural abscesses, once a rare diagnosis carrying a poor prognosis, are steadily becoming more common, with one recent inpatient meta-analysis citing an approximate incidence of 1 in 10,000 admissions with a mortality approaching 16%. One key issue of contention is the benefit of rapid surgical management of SEA to maximize outcomes. Timing of surgical management is definitely one overlooked aspect of care in spinal infections. Therefore, the authors performed a retrospective analysis in which they evaluated patients who underwent early (evacuation within 24 hours) versus delayed surgical intervention (> 24 hours) from the point of diagnosis, in an attempt to test the hypothesis that earlier surgery results in improved outcomes. METHODS A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained adult neurosurgical database from 2009 to 2011 was conducted for patients with the diagnostic heading: epidural abscess, infection, osteomyelitis, osteodiscitis, spondylodiscitis, and abscess. The primary end point for each patient was neurological grade, measured as an American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale grade using hospital inpatient records on admission and discharge. Patients were divided into early surgical (< 24 hours) and delayed surgical cohorts. RESULTS Eighty-seven consecutive patients were identified (25 females; mean age 55.5 years, age range 18-87 years). Fifty-four patients received surgery within 24 hours of admission (mean time from admission to incision, 11.2 hours), and 33 underwent surgery longer than 24 hours (mean 59 hours) after admission. Of the 54 patients undergoing early surgery 45 (85%) had a neurological deficit, whereas in the delayed surgical group 21 (64%) of 33 patients presented with a neurological deficit (p = 0.09). Patients in the delayed surgery cohort were significantly older by 10 years (59.6 vs 51.8 years, p = 0.01). With regard to history of prior revision, body mass index, intravenous drug abuse, tobacco use, prior radiation therapy, diabetes, chronic systemic infection, and prior osteomyelitis, there were no significant differences. There was no significant difference between early and delayed surgery groups in neurological grade on presentation, discharge, or location of epidural abscess. The most common organism isolated was Staphylococcus aureus (n = 51, 59.3%). The incidence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus was 21% (18 of 87). CONCLUSIONS Evacuation within 24 hours appeared to have a relative advantage over delayed surgery with regard to discharge neurological grade. However, due to a limited, variable sample size, a significant benefit could not be shown. Further subgroup analyses with larger populations are required.
Sequential predictors under time-varying delays: Effects of delayed state observations in dynamic controller

In a 2016 IEEE Conference on Decision and Control paper, our team designed sequential predictors for time-varying linear systems with time-varying delays, to prove global exponential stabilization properties using a feedback control that is computed in terms of the state of the last sequential predictor. This allowed feedback delays of arbitrarily large sup norm in the original system. Here we provide a significant generalization to more challenging cases with arbitrarily large feedback delay bounds, and where, in addition, current values of the plant state are not available to use in the sequential predictors. We illustrate our work in a pendulum example.
Rapid transitions in the epidemiology of stroke and its risk factors in China from 2002 to 2013

Objective: To estimate the current prevalence, temporal incidence trends, and contribution of risk factors for stroke in China. Methods: The China National Stroke Screening Survey (CNSSS) is an ongoing nationwide population-based program. A representative sample of 1,292,010 adults over 40 years old with 31,188 identified stroke cases from the 2013 and 2014 CNSSS database was analyzed to provide descriptive statistics of the prevalence and risk factors for stroke in 2014. In addition, a retrospective evaluation of 12,526 first-ever stroke cases in 2002–2013 and stroke mortality data from the 2002–2013 China Public Health Statistical Yearbook was conducted to estimate the incidence rates. Results: In 2014, the adjusted stroke prevalence was 2.06% in adults aged 40 years and older. After full adjustments, all risk factors assessed showed significant associations with stroke (p < 0.01); the largest contributor was hypertension (population-attributable risk 53.2%), followed by family history, dyslipidemia, atrial fibrillation, diabetes, physical inactivity, smoking, and overweight/obesity. The incidence of first-ever stroke in adults aged 40–74 years increased from 189/100,000 individuals in 2002 to 379/100,000 in 2013—an overall annual increase of 8.3%. Stroke-specific mortality in adults aged 40–74 years has remained stable, at approximately 124 deaths/100,000 individuals in both 2002 and 2013. Conclusions: In 2002–2013, the incidence of stroke in China increased rapidly. Combined with a high prevalence, a trend toward a younger age, and stable mortality, this finding suggests that additional clinical and behavioral interventions for metabolic and lifestyle risk factors are necessary to prevent stroke, particularly in certain populations.
Tibial Plateau Fracture Characteristics: Computed Tomography Mapping of Lateral, Medial, and Bicondylar Fractures.

BACKGROUND Computed tomography (CT) is seen as a useful diagnostic modality in preoperative planning for tibial plateau fractures. The purpose of this study was to characterize patterns of tibial plateau fractures with use of CT mapping. We hypothesized that CT mapping of fractures of the tibial plateau would reveal recurrent patterns of fragments and fracture lines, including patterns that do not fit into Schatzker's original classification. METHODS One hundred and twenty-seven tibial plateau fractures were retrospectively included in this study. Fracture lines and zones of comminution were graphically superimposed onto an axial template of an intact subarticular tibial plateau to identify major patterns of fracture and comminution. This fracture map of the tibial plateau was subsequently divided into lateral (Schatzker types I, II, and III), medial (Schatzker type IV), and bicondylar (Schatzker types V and VI) fracture maps. RESULTS This study included seventy-three female and fifty-four male patients (average age, forty-seven years [range, seventeen to ninety-one years]) with a tibial plateau fracture. Sixty-four of the fractures were Schatzker type I, II, or III; fifteen were Schatzker type IV; and forty-eight were Schatzker type V or VI. Analysis of the fracture maps suggested patterns in the Schatzker type-IV, V, and VI fractures beyond those described in Schatzker's original classification. The maps of the 127 fractures revealed four recurrent major fracture features: the lateral split fragment (A), found in 75%; the posteromedial fragment (B), seen in 43%; the tibial tubercle fragment (C), seen in 16%; and a zone of comminution that included the tibial spine and frequently extended to the lateral condyle (D), seen in 28%. CONCLUSIONS Tibial plateau fracture maps show recurrent patterns of fracture lines, revealing four major fracture characteristics. An understanding of these recurrent features of tibial plateau fractures can aid surgeons during diagnosis, preoperative planning, and execution of surgical strategies.
Distraction effect of cold water on performance of higher-order tasks.

Eight U.S. Navy-qualified scuba divers performed peripheral target detection and navigation problem-solving tasks continuously during 3-h exposures to moderate (15.5 degrees C) and cold (4.5 degrees C) water. Upon exiting the water, the divers did a series of arithmetic computations. Measures of physiological cold stress were periodically recorded, and estimates of changes in body heat content were calculated. Results suggest a significant distraction effect of cold water exposure on performance of high-order tasks. Hour-to-hour comparisons of task performance between the two exposures showed no significant differences except for the in-water tasks during the first hour of exposure. Furthermore, individual performance levels achieved during second and third hours of cold water exposure were significantly correlated with levels achieved in moderate water and not with individual differences in body cooling. It is recommended that the psychologically mediated effects of cold exposure be given greater attention in both research and operations.
The Cost of Security: Performance of ZigBee Key Exchange Mechanism in an 802.15.4 Beacon Enabled Cluster

The IEEE 802.15. 4 specification is a recent low data rate wireless personal area network standard. While basic security services are provided for, there is a lack of more advanced techniques which are indispensable in modern personal area network applications. In addition, performance implications of those services are not known. In this paper, we describe a secure data exchange protocol based on the ZigBee specification and built on top of 802.15. 4 link layer. This protocol includes a key exchange mechanism. Then, we evaluate the overhead of this scheme under different application scenarios. Initial results show the range of network and traffic parameters wherein the proposed scheme is feasible to use
Comorbidity of chronic pain and mental health disorders: the biopsychosocial perspective.

An exciting period in mental and physical health research is beginning, resulting from a paradigm shift from an outdated biomedical reductionism approach to a more comprehensive biopsychosocial model, which emphasizes the unique interactions among biological, psychological, and social factors required to better understand health and illness. This biopsychosocial perspective is important in evaluating the comorbidity of mental and physical health problems. Psychiatric and medical pathologies interface prominently in pain disorders. Important topics in the biopsychosocial approach to comorbid chronic mental and physical health disorders, focusing primarily on pain, are presented. Though this biopsychosocial model has produced dramatic advances in health psychology over the past 2 decades, important challenges to moving the field forward still remain.
Increased Leaf Angle1, a Raf-Like MAPKKK That Interacts with a Nuclear Protein Family, Regulates Mechanical Tissue Formation in the Lamina Joint of Rice[C][W]

This work characterizes ILA1, a kinase protein that regulates leaf angle through affecting mechanical properties at the leaf collar. It finds that ILA1 interacts with a previously undiscovered family of proteins whose function is unknown and mediates a different pathway than other reported kinases. Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinases (MAPKKKs), which function at the top level of mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades, are clustered into three groups. However, no Group C Raf-like MAPKKKs have yet been functionally identified. We report here the characterization of a rice (Oryza sativa) mutant, increased leaf angle1 (ila1), resulting from a T-DNA insertion in a Group C MAPKKK gene. The increased leaf angle in ila1 is caused by abnormal vascular bundle formation and cell wall composition in the leaf lamina joint, as distinct from the mechanism observed in brassinosteroid-related mutants. Phosphorylation assays revealed that ILA1 is a functional kinase with Ser/Thr kinase activity. ILA1 is predominantly resident in the nucleus and expressed in the vascular bundles of leaf lamina joints. Yeast two-hybrid screening identified six closely related ILA1 interacting proteins (IIPs) of unknown function. Using representative IIPs, the interaction of ILA1 and IIPs was confirmed in vivo. IIPs were localized in the nucleus and showed transactivation activity. Furthermore, ILA1 could phosphorylate IIP4, indicating that IIPs may be the downstream substrates of ILA1. Microarray analyses of leaf lamina joints provided additional evidence for alterations in mechanical strength in ila1. ILA1 is thus a key factor regulating mechanical tissue formation at the leaf lamina joint.
Quantitative MRI of articular cartilage and its clinical applications

Cartilage is one of the most essential tissues for healthy joint function and is compromised in degenerative and traumatic joint diseases. There have been tremendous advances during the past decade using quantitative MRI techniques as a noninvasive tool for evaluating cartilage, with a focus on assessing cartilage degeneration during osteoarthritis (OA). In this review, after a brief overview of cartilage composition and degeneration, we discuss techniques that grade and quantify morphologic changes as well as the techniques that quantify changes in the extracellular matrix. The basic principles, in vivo applications, advantages, and challenges for each technique are discussed. Recent studies using the OA Initiative (OAI) data are also summarized. Quantitative MRI provides noninvasive measures of cartilage degeneration at the earliest stages of joint degeneration, which is essential for efforts toward prevention and early intervention in OA. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;38:991–1008. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Reliability and validity of borderline personality disorder in hospitalized adolescents.

OBJECTIVE Although the DSM-IV suggests that dysfunctional personality patterns can be traced back to adolescence, there is continued debate about whether borderline personality disorder (BPD) can be reliably and validly diagnosed before age 18. The current study examined the reliability and validity of BPD in a large sample of adolescent psychiatric patients. METHOD BPD and Axis I disorders were assessed with validated structured interviews and a series of clinical, emotion, and personality correlates were assessed with validated self-report questionnaires. RESULTS Consistent with previous studies in adolescent clinical samples, approximately 30% of patients in the current sample met criteria for BPD. The nine BPD criteria demonstrated good internal consistency, equivalent to rates reported in adult samples. In addition, BPD was related to greater clinical severity and impairment as indexed by strong associations with all major Axis I disorders, as well as with dimensional measures of depression, anxiety, difficulties with emotion regulation, and impulsiveness. Notably, reliability and validity remained satisfactory even when analyses were limited to younger adolescents between the ages of 12 and 14. CONCLUSIONS Overall, findings suggest that BPD can be reliably and validly diagnosed in adolescents as young as 12-14 years old.