Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Association between Auditory–Visual Synchrony Processing and Reading Comprehension: Behavioral and Electrophysiological Evidence

The perceptual system integrates synchronized auditory–visual signals in part to promote individuation of objects in cluttered environments. The processing of auditory–visual synchrony may more generally contribute to cognition by synchronizing internally generated multimodal signals. Reading is a prime example because the ability to synchronize internal phonological and/or lexical processing with visual orthographic processing may facilitate encoding of words and meanings. Consistent with this possibility, developmental and clinical research has suggested a link between reading performance and the ability to compare visual spatial/temporal patterns with auditory temporal patterns. Here, we provide converging behavioral and electrophysiological evidence suggesting that greater behavioral ability to judge auditory–visual synchrony (Experiment 1) and greater sensitivity of an electrophysiological marker of auditory–visual synchrony processing (Experiment 2) both predict superior reading comprehension performance, accounting for 16% and 25% of the variance, respectively. These results support the idea that the mechanisms that detect auditory–visual synchrony contribute to reading comprehension.
Human Vascular Wall Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Contribute to Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Pathogenesis Through an Impaired Immunomodulatory Activity and Increased Levels of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9.

BACKGROUND The main histopathological features of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) are tissue proteolysis mediated by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and inflammation. This study aimed at verifying the presence and contribution of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) to aneurysmal tissue remodeling. METHODS AND RESULTS MSCs were successfully isolated from the AAA wall of 12 male patients and were found to express mesenchymal and stemness markers. MMP-2/-9 are involved in AAA progression and their mRNA levels in AAA-MSCs resulted higher than healthy MSCs (cMSCs), especially MMP-9 (400-fold increased). Moreover, MMP-9 protein and activity were pronounced in AAA-MSCs. Immunomodulation was tested in AAA-MSCs after co-culture with activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and revealed a weak immunosuppressive action on PBMC proliferation (bromodeoxyuridine incorporation, flow cytometry assay), together with a reduced expression of anti-inflammatory molecules (HLA-G, IL-10) by AAA-MSCs compared to cMSCs. MMP-9 expression in AAA-MSCs was shown to be negatively modulated under the influence of cMSCs and exogenous IL-10. CONCLUSIONS MSCs with stemness properties are niched in human AAA tissues and display a dysregulation of functional activities; that is, upregulation of MMP-9 and ineffective immunomodulatory capacity, which are crucial in the AAA progression; the possibility to modulate the increased MMP-9 expression by healthy MSCs and IL-10 suggests that novel therapeutic strategies are possible for slowing down AAA progression.
Understanding Music Sharing in Russia

This paper reviews attitudes toward acceptance and usability of file sharing for music downloading in Russia. There is a significant issue with respect to the copyright law legislation and enforcement. Since infrastructure, market conditions, social and economical situations in developing countries are different from those of developed countries, we decided to apply a well establish theory to a new population. We surveyed 67 young Russian people in terms of their attitudes, perceptions, and technology use for music downloading. As a general model, over 52% amount of variance was explained for in behavioral intention. However, perceived ease of use was not found to be significant or have any predictive power for behavioral intention. More importantly, external variables related to age, gender, Internet connection, and education were not found to have influence on any of the hypothesized variables. This study makes a first step at examining the way music downloading technologies are used in Russia.
Prognostic Factors for Local, Loco-regional and Systemic Recurrence in Early-stage Breast Cancer

Abstract Aim: The risk of recurrence in breast cancer depends on factors such as treatment but also on the intrinsic subtype. We analyzed the risk factors for local, loco-regional and systemic recurrence, evaluated the differences and analyzed the risk of recurrence for different molecular subtypes. Material and Methods: A total of 3054 breast cancer patients who underwent surgery followed by adjuvant treatment at HSK hospital or Essen Mitte Hospital between 1998 and 2011 were analyzed. Based on immunohistochemical parameters, cancers were divided into the following subgroups: luminal A, luminal B (HER2-), luminal B (HER2+), HER2+ and TNBC (triple negative breast cancer). Results: 67 % of tumors were classified as luminal A, 13 % as luminal B (HER2-), 6 % as luminal B (HER2+), 3 % as HER2+ and 11 % as TNBC. After a median follow-up time of 6.6 years there were 100 local (3.3 %), 32 loco-regional (1 %) and 248 distant recurrences (8 %). Five-year recurrence-free survival for the overall patient collective was 92 %. On multivariate analysis, positive nodal status, TNBC subtype and absence of radiation therapy were found to be independent risk factors for all forms of recurrence. Age < 50 years, tumor size, luminal B (HER2-) subtype and breast-conserving therapy were additional risk factors for local recurrence. Compared to the luminal A subtype, the risk of systemic recurrence was higher for all other subtypes; additional risk factors for systemic recurrence were lymphatic invasion, absence of systemic therapy and mastectomy. Conclusion: Overall, the risk of local and loco-regional recurrence was low. In addition to nodal status, subgroup classification was found to be an important factor affecting the risk of recurrence.
Effects of 837 and 1950 MHz radiofrequency radiation exposure alone or combined on oxidative stress in MCF10A cells

The aim of this study was to determine whether the exposure to either single or multiple radio‐frequency (RF) radiation frequencies could induce oxidative stress in cell cultures. Exposures of human MCF10A mammary epithelial cells to either a single frequency (837 MHz alone or 1950 MHz alone) or multiple frequencies (837 and 1950 MHz) were conducted at specific absorption rate (SAR) values of 4 W/kg for 2 h. During the exposure period, the temperature in the exposure chamber was maintained isothermally. Intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the antioxidant enzyme activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the ratio of reduced/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) showed no statistically significant alterations as the result of either single or multiple RF radiation exposures. In contrast, ionizing radiation‐exposed cells, used as a positive control, showed evident changes in all measured biological endpoints. These results indicate that single or multiple RF radiation exposure did not elicit oxidative stress in MCF10A cells under our exposure conditions. Bioelectromagnetics 33:604–611, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A new enhanced RPL based routing for Internet of Things

The IPv6 Routing Protocol for Low-power and Lossy Networks (RPL) has been recently standardized for routing in the constrained Internet of Things networks. Unfortunately, the RPL storing mode has been found restricted by storage limitations in the routers along the downward path. In fact, unreachable destinations problem may be easily encountered when a router fails, due to lack of memory, to store a routing entry for a target in its associated sub-network. In addition, the under-specification of Downward Advertisement Objects (DAOs) represents another serious issue in RPL. The timing of when and how often DAOs should be emitted is not fully addressed which may lead to inefficient implementations. Motivated by these observations, this paper presents an enhanced version of RPL called Enhanced-RPL. In the proposed enhancement, to mitigate the problem of storage limitation of the node's preferred parent, a node is allowed to distribute prefixes belonging to its sub-network among multiple parents. In addition, a more cautious approach for emitting DAOs is proposed to mitigate the issue of DAOs under-specification mechanisms. Our simulation experiments demonstrate that the proposed Enhanced-RPL outperforms the RPL standard by an average of up to 64% in terms of control-plane overhead and 30% regarding the packet delivery ratio.
Comparison of Bacillary Index on Slit Skin Smear with Bacillary Index of Granuloma in Leprosy and its Relevance to Present Therapeutic Regimens

Background: As the world moves toward elimination of leprosy, persistence of infective cases in endemic pockets remains a significant problem. The use of clinical criteria to decide the paucibacillary (PB) versus multibacillary (MB) regimens has greatly simplified therapy at the field setting. However, a small but significant risk of under-treatment of so-called “PB” cases which actually have significant bacillary load exists. This study was undertaken to assess this risk and compare two methods of assessment of bacillary load, namely bacillary index on slit skin smear (BIS) versus bacillary index of granuloma (BIG). Aims: To compare BIS with BIG on skin biopsy in consecutive untreated cases of leprosy. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was conducted over a period of 12 months, wherein new untreated patients with leprosy were consecutively recruited. After a thorough clinical examination, each patient underwent slit skin smear (SSS) where the BIS was calculated. The same patient also underwent a skin biopsy from a clinical lesion where, the BIG was calculated. SSS and skin biopsy for BIS and BIG respectively were repeated for all patients at the end of therapy for comparison. All patients received therapy according to World Health Organization-Multidrug Therapy Guidelines. Results: The BIG was positive in all cases where the BIS was positive. Significantly, BIG was positive in three cases of borderline tuberculoid leprosy with <5 lesions who received PB regimen, whereas the BIS was negative in all three cases. Conclusion: This study suggests that BIG may be a better indicator of the true bacillary load in leprosy as compared to BIS. Its role in management is significant, at least in tertiary care centers to prevent “under-treatment” of so called PB cases, which may actually warrant MB regimens.
Poverty, sexual behaviour, gender and HIV infection among young black men and women in Cape Town, South Africa

This article contributes methodologically and substantively to the debate over the importance of poverty, sexual behaviour and circumcision in relation to HIV infection, using panel data on young black men and women in Cape Town, South Africa. Methodological challenges included problems of endogeneity and blunt indicator variables, especially for the measurement of sexual behaviour. Noting these difficulties, we found that the importance of socioeconomic and sexual-behavioural factors differed between men and women. While we found a clear association between the number of years of sexual activity and HIV status among both men and women, we found that past participation in a concurrent sexual partnership increased the odds of HIV infection for men but not women. Women, but not men, who made the transition from school to tertiary education (our key indicator of socioeconomic status) were less likely to be HIV-positive than those who made the transition from school to unemployment. Both poverty and sexual behaviour matter to individuals’ HIV risk, but in gendered ways.
Assessing integrated water management options for urban developments – Canberra case study

Urban water services in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) are currently provided through conventional centralised systems, involving large-scale water distribution, wastewater collection, water and wastewater treatment. A study was conducted to assist Environment ACT in setting broad policies for future water services in Canberra. The current paper presents the outcomes of a study examining the effects of various water servicing options on water resources and the environment, for two townships in Canberra, one existing and one greenfield site. Three modelling tools were used to predict the effects of various alternative water servicing scenarios, including demand management options, rainwater tanks, greywater use, on-site detention tanks, gross pollutant traps, swales and ponds. The results show that potable water reductions are best achieved by demand management tools or a combination of greywater and rainwater use for existing suburbs, while third pipe systems are preferred for greenfield sites. For this specific climatic region and end use demands, modelling predicted increased water savings from raintanks compared to greywater systems alone, with raintanks providing the additional benefit of reduced peak stormwater flows at the allotment scale. Rainwater and stormwater reuse from stormwater ponds within the catchments was found to provide the highest reduction in nutrient discharge from the case study areas. Environment ACT amended planning controls to facilitate installation of raintanks and greywater systems, and commenced a Government funded rebate scheme for raintanks as a result of this study.
Proposed mechanism of therapeutic selectivity for 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl-2-fluoroadenine against murine leukemia based upon lower capacities for transport and phosphorylation in proliferative intestinal epithelium compared to tumor cells.

Studies have examined transport and phosphorylation of 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl-2-fluoroadenine (F-Ara-A), a deaminase resistant adenosine analogue, as mechanisms that could mediate the observed therapeutic efficacy of this agent against murine tumor models. Earlier finds by Avramis and Plunkett (Cancer Res., 42: 2587-2591, 1982) showed markedly less accumulation in vivo of administered F-Ara-A as cytotoxic triphosphate in gastrointestinal mucosa and bone marrow compared to P388 cells. We have pursued the basis for this difference in vitro using L1210 ascites and proliferative epithelial cells (85-95% crypt cells) isolated from mouse small intestine as representative sample populations of drug-sensitive tumor and drug-limiting normal regenerative host tissue. Using a rapid sampling technique, linear initial rates of substrate uptake were established at 25 degrees C for radiolabeled F-Ara-A and adenosine at a concentration range of 1-1000 microM. The relationship between velocity of initial transport and substrate concentration is indicative of Michaelis-Menten saturation kinetics for both substrates. Competition studies between F-Ara-A and adenosine suggest a common route of entry for both substrates in crypt epithelial cells. Results from double-reciprocal analysis of the velocity versus concentration data are consistent with a simple carrier-mediated facilitated diffusion process with Km, V25max, and Ki values of 317 +/- 44 (SE) microM, 49 +/- 7 nmol/s/g dry weight, and 301 +/- 34 microM for F-Ara-A, and 264 +/- 14 microM, 44 +/- 5 nmol/s/g dry weight, and 225 +/- 44 microM for adenosine, respectively. The presence of a single low-affinity carrier in the proliferative epithelial cells contrasts sharply with the high affinity (Km, 68 +/- 14 microM; V25max, 48 +/- 4 nmol/s/g dry weight) and low-affinity (Km, 326 +/- 48 microM; V25max, 124 +/- 44 nmol/s/g dry weight) routes of entry documented for L1210 cells. This differential in transport kinetics conveys a 7- to 8-fold greater capacity to L1210 ascites compared with crypt epithelial cells for uptake of the antitumor agent F-Ara-A. At pharmacologically achievable concentrations of F-Ara-A and in view of this differential, influx of F-Ara-A would be more rate limiting to phosphorylation of F-Ara-A in epithelial cells than in L1210 cells. Metabolism studies with L1210 ascites and proliferative intestinal epithelial cells show that intracellular phosphorylation of F-Ara-A is also elevated in L1210 cells. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
On the stimulation of the rate of hydroxylation of tryptophan in the brain of hamsters during hibernation

NOVOTNA er a/. (1975) have reported a 24-fold increase in the rate of turnover of 5-hydroxytryptamine in the brain-stem of hibernating hamsters when compared with active animals during the summer, and a 4-fold increase when compared with controls kept at 30°C. This increase was accompanied by a 5-fold increase in the concentration of 5-hydroxyindoleacetate and a small increase in the concentration of 5-hydroxytryptamine. Such an increase in the rate of turnover of 5-hydroxytryptamine during hibernation is consistent with the earlier report by BARRY (1971) who found by a qualitative histofluorescence method that the content of 5-hydroxytryptamine increased after monoamine oxidase inhibition. much more in hibernating dormouse brain-stem than in controls. The concentration of tryptophan in brain is rather less than the K , value of tryptophan hydroxylase (FRIEDMAN er a/ . , 1972) and the activity of thc enzyme may be increased by about 3-fold by increases in the concentration of its substrate. The 24-fold increase in flux described by NOVOTNA rt a/. (1975) implies that tryptophan hydroxylase has a far higher catalytic activity even at 3-4°C. the temperature of the brain of hibernating hamsters (LYMAN & CHATFIELD. 1955), than would be expected on the grounds of incrcased availability of tryptophan and so a major change in the amount or kinetics of the enzyme are in turn implied.
Emergence and Dissemination of a Community-Associated Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus clone-Panton-Valentin Leucocidin positive sharing the ST 5 lineage with the most prevalent nosocomial clone in the same region of Argentina

2 Members of the Cordoba MRSA Collaborative Study Group. Monterisi, Aida and Rocchi, Marta (Hospital Nacional de Clínicas); Perlo-Morales, Olga and Aiassa, María S, (Hospital Córdoba); Vilaro, Mario and Bongiovanni, María E. (Hospital Privado de Córdoba); Mangiaterra, Sandra (Hospital Italiano de Córdoba); Diaz, Elda and Lamberghini Ricardo (Hospital Militar de Córdoba); Littvik Ana, Lopez Teresa (Hospital Rawson); Yudowsky 15
Animal cells connected by nanotubes can be electrically coupled through interposed gap-junction channels

Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are recently discovered conduits for a previously unrecognized form of cell-to-cell communication. These nanoscale, F-actin–containing membrane tubes connect cells over long distances and facilitate the intercellular exchange of small molecules and organelles. Using optical membrane-potential measurements combined with mechanical stimulation and whole-cell patch-clamp recording, we demonstrate that TNTs mediate the bidirectional spread of electrical signals between TNT-connected normal rat kidney cells over distances of 10 to 70 μm. Similar results were obtained for other cell types, suggesting that electrical coupling via TNTs may be a widespread characteristic of animal cells. Strength of electrical coupling depended on the length and number of TNT connections. Several lines of evidence implicate a role for gap junctions in this long-distance electrical coupling: punctate connexin 43 immunoreactivity was frequently detected at one end of TNTs, and electrical coupling was voltage-sensitive and inhibited by meclofenamic acid, a gap-junction blocker. Cell types lacking gap junctions did not show TNT-dependent electrical coupling, which suggests that TNT-mediated electrical signals are transmitted through gap junctions at a membrane interface between the TNT and one cell of the connected pair. Measurements of the fluorescent calcium indicator X-rhod-1 revealed that TNT-mediated depolarization elicited threshold-dependent, transient calcium signals in HEK293 cells. These signals were inhibited by the voltage-gated Ca2+ channel blocker mibefradil, suggesting they were generated via influx of calcium through low voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. Taken together, our data suggest a unique role for TNTs, whereby electrical synchronization between distant cells leads to activation of downstream target signaling.
M ay 2 01 9 The propagator of the finite XXZ spin-1 2 chain

We derive contour integral formulas for the real space propagator of the spin12 XXZ chain. The exact results are valid in any finite volume with periodic boundary conditions, and for any value of the anisotropy parameter. The integrals are on fixed contours, that are independent of the Bethe Ansatz solution of the model and the string hypothesis. The propagator is obtained by two different methods. First we compute it through the spectral sum of a deformed model, and as a by-product we also compute the propagator of the XXZ chain perturbed by a Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction term. As a second way we also compute the propagator through a lattice path integral, which is evaluated exactly utilizing the so-called F -basis in the mirror (or quantum) channel. The final expressions are similar to the Yudson representation of the infinite volume propagator, with the volume entering as a parameter. As an application of the propagator we compute the Loschmidt amplitude for the quantum quench from a domain wall state.
Significant Reduction in the Incidence of Phlebitis with Buffered Versus Unbuffered Cephalothin

Cephalothin (1 g every 2 h), buffered cephalothin, and diluent alone (5% dextrose in water) were each administered for 4 days intravenously to 12 volunteers in a double-blind crossover study. The incidence of phlebitis with buffered cephalothin was significantly lower than that with unbuffered drug (P < 0.01) and almost identical to the incidence with diluent alone.