Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Production and degradation of calcitriol in renal failure rats.

We studied the metabolism of calcitriol in renal failure achieved by nephrectomy in three groups of rats. Group 1 (n = 7) had sham operation of nephrectomy. Group 2 (n = 8) had unilateral nephrectomy. Group 3 (n = 7) had 5/6 nephrectomy. Metabolic clearance rate (MCR) and production rate (PR) of calcitriol were studied 3 wk after the surgery. Serum creatinine concentrations were increased after nephrectomy for groups 2 and 3. Endogenous plasma levels of calcitriol were not different between the rats with renal failure and the controls. MCR of calcitriol were decreased in renal failure rats compared with controls (group 1, 0.24 +/- 0.01; group 2, 0.20 +/- 0.01, P less than 0.01; group 3, 0.16 +/- 0.01 ml.min-1.kg-1, P less than 0.001). The MCR of calcitriol was correlated with the endogenous creatinine clearance by linear regression analysis (r = 0.72, P less than 0.001). The PR of calcitriol were also decreased in renal failure; however, the decreases were much less than the amount of renal tissue removed. We concluded that production of calcitriol is decreased in the remnant kidney. The decreased synthesis is associated with decreased degradation of calcitriol resulting in normal concentrations of calcitriol in mild to moderately severe renal failure.
Monetary Policy When Households Have Debt: New Evidence on the Transmission Mechanism

Using household survey data for the U.S. and the U.K., we show that the aggregate response of consumption to interest rate changes is driven by households with a mortgage. Outright home-owners do not adjust expenditure at all while renters change their spending but by less than mortgagors. Income rises for all households as interest rate cuts directly affect firm investment and household consumption, boosting aggregate demand. A crucial difference between the housing tenure groups is the composition of their balance sheets: mortgagors hold sizable illiquid assets but little liquid wealth. Our results reveal that general equilibrium effects on household income coupled with balance-sheet-driven heterogeneity in the marginal propensity to consume play a key role in the transmission of monetary policy.
Finite time simultaneous stabilization of two single input nonlinear port-controlled hamiltonian disturbed systems

This paper presents a novel approach for designing a composite controller that finite time simultaneously stabilizes two single input nonlinear Port-Controlled Hamiltonian (PCH) systems under disturbances. Firstly, using a single output feedback, two PCH systems are combined to generate an augmented PCH system based on the Hamiltonian structure properties. Then, a finite time disturbance observer (FTDO) is introduced to estimate disturbances and the estimation of disturbances is employed to feedforward compensate the disturbances. Next, a composite simultaneous stabilization controller is developed by combining the single output feedback, the FTDO and the finite time control techniques together. Finally, finite time stability analysis for the augmented PCH system is given. An example with simulations illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Chloroprocaine 40 mg produces shorter spinal block than articaine 40 mg in day‐case knee arthroscopy patients

Articaine and chloroprocaine have recently gained interest as short‐acting spinal anaesthetics. Based on previous work comparing articaine 60 mg with chloroprocaine 40 mg, we hypothesised that articaine 40 mg and chloroprocaine 40 mg would produce similar spinal anaesthesa regarding block onset, maximal spread, and recovery.
A review on the effect of proton exchange membranes in microbial fuel cells

Microorganisms in microbial fuel cells (MFC) liberate electrons while the electron donors are consumed. In the anaerobic anode compartment, substrates such as carbohydrates are utilized and as a result bioelectricity is produced in the MFC. MFCs may be utilized as electricity generators in small devices such as biosensors. MFCs still face practical barriers such as low generated power and current density. Recently, a great deal of attention has been given to MFCs due to their ability to operate at mild conditions and using different biodegradable substrates as fuel. The MFC consists of anode and cathode compartments. Active microorganisms are actively catabolized to carbon sources, therefore generating bioelectricity. The produced electron is transmitted to the anode surface but the generated protons must pass through the proton exchange membrane (PEM) in order to reach the cathode compartment. PEM as a key factor affecting electricity generation in MFCs has been investigated here and its importance fully discussed.
Non-Fermi-liquid specific heat of normal degenerate quark matter

We compute the low-temperature behavior of the specific heat of normal (non-color-superconducting) degenerate quark matter as well as that of an ultradegenerate electron gas. Long-range magnetic interactions lead to non-Fermi-liquid behavior with an anomalous leading TlnT{sup -1} term. Depending on the thermodynamic potential used as a starting point, this effect appears as a consequence of the logarithmic singularity in the fermion self-energy at the Fermi surface or directly as a contribution from the only weakly screened quasistatic magnetic gauge bosons. We show that a calculation of Boyanovsky and de Vega claiming the absence of a leading TlnT{sup -1} term missed it by omitting vector boson contributions to the internal energy. Using a formulation which collects all nonanalytic contributions in bosonic ring diagrams, we systematically calculate corrections beyond the well-known leading-log approximation. The higher-order terms of the low-temperature expansion turn out to also involve fractional powers T{sup (3+2n)/3} and we explicitly determine their coefficients up to and including order T{sup 7/3} as well as the subsequent logarithmically enhanced term T{sup 3}ln(c/T). We derive also a hard-dense-loop resummed expression which contains the infinite series of anomalous terms to leading order in the coupling and which we evaluate numerically. At low temperatures, themore » resulting deviation of the specific heat from its value in naive perturbation theory is significant in the case of strongly coupled normal quark matter and thus of potential relevance for the cooling rates of (proto)neutron stars with a quark matter component. « less
Mildly exponential reduction from gap 3SAT to polynomial-gap label-cover

We show that if gap-3SAT has no sub-exponential time algorithms then a weak form of the sliding scale conjecture holds. Namely, for every α > 0 any algorithm for nα-approximating the value of label cover must run in time at least nΩ(exp(1/α)), where n is the size of the instance. Put differently, if there is a polynomial time algorithm for approximating the value of label cover to within a factor of approximation of no(1) then gap-3SAT (and thus, random-3SAT) must have faster-than-exponential-time algorithms. Our proof is a twist on the well-studied parallel repetition reduction from 3SAT to label cover. Our key observation is that if we take unordered repetition, replacing tuples by sets, then we can afford to take the number of repetitions to be linear in n, and generate an instance of size exp(n) which results in the claimed parameters.
Correlation between oxidative stress and antioxidant defence in South Indian urban vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The diet is a key environmental factor implicated in health and disease. Oxidative stress, antioxidant status and their relation to diet is a subject of interest in recent years. The objective of the study was to compare lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status in healthy vegetarians and non-vegetarians. METHODS The present study comprises 100 healthy individuals (50 vegetarians and 50 non-vegetarians) residing in Belgaum urban area. All the participants were in the age group of 40-60 years of both sexes. This cross-sectional study was done in one year period from April 2007 to March 2008. Malondialdehyde (MDA) (lipid peroxidation product) was estimated by thiobarbituric acid method, glutathione peroxidase by Beutler's method, Vitamin A and Vitamin E by Bessay et al and Quife et al methods respectively. RESULTS Our study revealed that the blood MDA level was significantly increased (p value < 0.001) in non-vegetarians compared to lactovegetarians and lacto-ovo-vegetarians. There was significant decrease in the level of enzymatic antioxidant glutathione peroxidase and non-enzymatic antioxidants Vitamin A and Vitamin E in non-vegetarians compared to lactovegetarians and lacto-ovo-vegetarians (p value < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Results of this investigation present study indicate that there was an increased lipid peroxidation and a low antioxidant status in non-vegetarians compared to vegetarians. Vegetarian nutrition provides adequate antioxidants which effectively prevent free radicals generation.
Advanced human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 carriers and early-stage indolent adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma are indistinguishable based on CADM1 positivity in flow cytometry

We previously reported that the cell adhesion molecule 1 (CADM1) versus CD7 plot in flow cytometry reflects disease progression in human T‐cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV‐1) infection. In CD4+ cells from peripheral blood, CADM1−CD7+ (P), CADM1+CD7dim (D) and CADM1+CD7− (N) subpopulations are observed. The D and N subpopulations increase as asymptomatic HTLV‐1 carriers (AC) progress to indolent adult T‐cell leukemia‐lymphoma (ATL) and the N subpopulation then expands in aggressive ATL. In the present study we examined whether the analysis can estimate the risk of developing ATL in advanced AC. Peripheral blood samples from AC (N = 41) and indolent ATL patients (N = 19) were analyzed by flow cytometry using the CADM1 versus CD7 plot for CD4+ cells and inverse long PCR (clonality analysis) of FACS‐sorted subpopulations. Almost all AC with a high HTLV‐1 proviral load (>4 copies/100 cells) had a CADM1+ (D + N) frequency of >10%. AC with 25% < CADM1+ ≤ 50% contained expanded clones similar to smoldering‐type ATL. In many patients in the 25% < CADM1+ ≤ 50% group, the proportion of abnormal lymphocytes was distributed around the 5% line, which divides AC and smoldering‐type ATL in Shimoyama's classification. In conclusion, the CADM1 versus CD7 plot is useful for selection of putative high‐risk AC. The characteristics of some AC and smoldering ATL are said to be similar; however, long‐term follow up is required and the clinical outcome (e.g. rate of transformation) of these cases should be used to determine whether to include them in the same clinical category.
Do alpha deletions influence hydroxyurea response in thalassemia intermedia?

Abstract Thalassemia intermedia patients show variable phenotypes. Hydroxyurea (HU) may benefit some of the thalassemia intermedia cases (1), however, the parameters influencing the response to HU have not been reported. In this study, the molecular parameters, a-globin and ß-globin genotype and the Xmn I polymorphism, were correlated with the HU response. Twenty patients with thalassemia intermedia were given HU (10–20? mg/kg) and responses were evaluated over a one year period. Twelve patients (60%) showed a good response to therapy with a significant increase in Hb and HbF levels and with elimination of the transfusion requirement in four patients. Four out of the twelve (33%) patients were positive for -a 3.7 deletions whereas none of the 8 non-responders were positive for alpha deletions. One each of the responders and non-responders were positive for aaa anti-3.7 triplication. Three (25%) responsive and one non-responsive patients were homozygous for the IVS1-1 (G? T) mutation. Three of the responsive patients with alpha deletions were also homozygous positive for Xmn I polymorphism. Thus, in addition to acting in synergy with the XmnI polymorphism, alpha deletions may be an independent factor predicting good response to HU in thalassemia intermedia, although this needs to be confirmation in larger studies.
The Plasma Homocysteine Concentrations and Relationship with Insulin Resistance in Young Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have several cardiovascular disease risk factors including hyperinsulinemia. Hyperhomocysteinemia is a recognized risk factor for atherosclerosis and has recently to be correlated positively with the hyperinsulinemia. We examined the relationship between plasma homocysteine levels and insulin resistance in patients with PCOS. Forty women with PCOS and 35 healthy subjects were studied. Hormonal assays, lipid pofile, homocysteine and fasting insulin levels, insulin resistance indices like HOMA and QUICKI determinations and ultrasound evaluation were performed in all subjects. The mean fasting insulin levels were significantly higher in women with PCOS than control women ( 12.02 ± 7.6 vs 6.08 ± 2.09 μU/ml) where as no difference in fasting glucose concentrations was observed between groups. Insulin resistance indices (HOMA and QUICKI) were significantly different between PCOS and control group (p<0.001). We found significantly higher mean plasma homocysteine concentrations in patients with PCOS as compared with controls ( 11.5 ± 2.71 vs 9.4 ± 1.8 μmol/L, p=0.002). When patients were stratified by body mass index (BMI), the homocysteine concentration were significantly higher in both obese and normal-weight women with PCOS than control women (11.65 ± 2.3, 11.15 ± 1.9, 9.4 ± 1.8 μmol/L, respectively). Fasting insulin concentrations and and insulin resistance indices were significantly different in obese PCOS patients as opposed to normal-weight women with PCOS although both obese and normal-weight PCOS patients were more insulin resistant than normal healthy volunteers. As a result, insulin resistance in women with PCOS is associated with elevated plasma homocysteine, regardless of body weight and together with other risk factors like dyslipidemia or hyperinsulinemia, elevated homocysteine levels may contribute to the risk of cardiovascular disease in women with PCOS.
Transcriptional and post‐transcriptional regulation of a brain growth protein: regional differentiation and regeneration induction of GAP‐43

During axonal regeneration synthesis of different growth‐associated proteins is increased. As yet there is no clear picture of the specific contribution made by the transcriptional and post‐transcriptional machinery that provides the gene products necessary for process outgrowth. Here we focus our study on the transcriptional processes in neurons by using intron‐directed in situ hybridization to the primary transcript of a brain growth protein GAP‐43. In most brain regions, levels of primary transcript expression of GAP‐43 were highly correlated with levels of its mRNA. However, there were notable dissociations: in hippocampal granule cells, high levels of primary transcript were evident yet no GAP‐43 mRNA was detected. In locus coeruleus the reverse was true; there were high levels of GAP‐43 mRNA but no detectable primary transcript. A primary transcript antitermination mechanism is proposed to explain the first dissociation, and a post‐transcriptional mRNA stabilization mechanism to explain the second. Transcriptional activation during nerve regeneration was monitored by assessing primary transcript induction of GAP‐43 in mouse facial motor neurons. This induction, as well as its mRNA, was restricted to the side of the facial nerve crush. Increases were first observed at 24 h with a rapid increase in both measures up to 3 days. To our knowledge, this is the first in vivo evidence demonstrating transcriptional activation of a brain growth protein in regenerating neurons. The present study points to the GAP‐43 transcriptional mechanism as a key determinant of GAP‐43 synthesis. Along with the recruitment of post‐transcriptional mechanisms, such synthesis occurs in response to both intrinsic developmental programs and extrinsic environmental signals.
Judgement of emotion: attention versus accuracy.

An attempt was made to account for reported failures to find sex and related personality correlates of ability to judge emotions accurately, in terms of attention to emotional cues. It was hypothesized that attention to emotional cues is (a) independent of accuracy, (b) consistent across different types of cues, and also (c) characterizes women, and people who are (d) socially orientated, and (e) field dependent. It was predicted that accuracy is related to (f) field independence and (g) intelligence. One hundred subjects were tested and support found for hypotheses a, b, c, f and g. A canonical analysis revealed a cognitive style-intellectual factor relating accuracy to field independence and intelligence.
Time Reversal Imaging Based on Synchronism

A new time-reversal (TR) imaging procedure is proposed in this letter. The traditional TR imaging method shows a snapshot of the amplitude values of the time-reversed retransmitted signals from the TR mirror (TRM) at a specified instant. The present approach gives the image based on the fact that the retransmitted signals from individual elements of the TRM achieve their maximum values synchronously at target positions but nonsynchronously at nontarget positions. That is, a target is located based on whether the retransmitted signals achieve their maximum values at the same instant at the point. A grouping technique that divides the TRM into many sub-TRMs is devised to discriminate multitargets by further enhancing the synchronism at target positions. A normalization scheme is introduced to permit all targets to be displayed at the same visibility to avoid swamping of farther or weaker targets by nearer or stronger ones. Several examples are provided to validate the proposed method and its merits.
Tissue Doppler Echocardiography and Myocardial Performance Index in Patients with Scleroderma

In this study, left and right ventricular functions were examined echocardiographically in 22 patients with scleroderma and 22 healthy volunteers. Conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography and myocardial performance indexes were used as measures of right and left ventricular global functions. Mitral early diastolic E wave deceleration time, isovolumetric contraction time and left ventricular myocardial performance index and peak tricuspid A wave velocity were significantly higher in the scleroderma group compared with the control group. Mitral and tricuspid E/A ratios were significantly lower in patients with scleroderma. In addition, mitral annular and tricuspid annular isovolumetric relaxation times and the tricuspid E/E' ratio were significantly increased in scleroderma patients compared with the control group. In conclusion, in scleroderma patients the global left ventricular functions were depressed and diastolic function abnormalities were seen in both right and left ventricles. In addition, longitudinal muscle functions of the ventricles were depressed in scleroderma patients, as shown by tissue Doppler imaging parameters.
Association of Physical and Behavioral Characteristics with Menstrual Cycle Patterns in Women Age 29‐31 Years

&NA; We examined the association between menstrual cycle characteristics (cycle length, variability, and bleeding length) and physical and behavioral attributes in 766 women age 29‐31 years. Menstrual cycle data were prospectively recorded as part of the Menstruation and Reproductive History Study of college women in Minnesota, begun by Alan Treloar in 1934. Data on lifetime height, weight, physical activity, alcohol and caffeine consumption, and smoking history were collected in 1990 using a self‐administered questionnaire. Cycle variability, as measured by the standard deviation of the cycle length, was increased, and menstrual cycles ≥42 days in length were more common among women in the lowest quartile of Quetelet index [odds ratio (OR) for long cycle = 1.6; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.82‐3.0] and among the most physically active (OR = 1.7; 95% CI = 0.93‐3.1). Long menstrual cycles were less common (OR = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.22‐0.73) among women who drank alcohol than among nondrinkers. Variable or long menstrual cycles may reflect anovulation and relatively low levels of estrogen exposure. We would expect, based on our data, reduced estrogen exposure among lean women, physically active women, and those who do not consume alcohol. These findings suggest an explanation for the reported associations between these factors and breast cancer risk.
Persistence of Colonization of Intestinal Mucosa by a Probiotic Strain, Lactobacillus casei subsp. rhamnosus Lcr35, after Oral Consumption

ABSTRACT The colonization by the probiotic Lactobacillus casei subsp. rhamnosus Lcr35 of the gastrointestinal tracts of mice and humans was studied. The mice were orally given 109 CFU of Lcr35 either once or three times at 24-h intervals. A 16S ribosomal nucleic probe used in hybridization assays detected Lcr35 in the feces of mice for up to 3 days after the feeding, at a level of 108 to 109 CFU/g of feces. In the human assay, 12 healthy volunteers were enrolled in a randomized trial and ingested Lcr35 at a dosage of 108 or 1010 or 1012 CFU every day for 7 days. Then, after a 3-week posttreatment period, there was a second intake period similar to the first one. Analysis of fecal samples showed significant increases in the number of lactobacilli during the first intake period, whatever the dose given. The greatest increases were observed in subjects harboring the lowest indigenous population of Lcr35-like bacteria. During the 3-week posttreatment period, the number of CFU slightly decreased over time, and an increase, although not a statistically significant one, was observed during the second test period. These findings suggest that Lcr35 is able to survive within the gastrointestinal tract.
Topology optimization using non‐conforming finite elements: three‐dimensional case

As in the case of two‐dimensional topology design optimization, numerical instability problems similar to the formation of two‐dimensional checkerboard patterns occur if the standard eight‐node conforming brick element is used. Motivated by the recent success of the two‐dimensional non‐conforming elements in completely eliminating checkerboard patterns, we aim at investigating the performance of three‐dimensional non‐conforming elements in controlling the patterns that are estimated overly stiff by the brick elements. To this end, we will investigate how accurately the non‐conforming elements estimate the stiffness of the patterns. The stiffness estimation is based on the homogenization method by assuming the periodicity of the patterns. To verify the superior performance of the elements, we consider three‐dimensional compliance minimization and compliant mechanism design problems and compare the results by the non‐conforming element and the standard 8‐node conforming brick element. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In vitro inactivation of aminoglycosides by apalcillin

Apalcillin, at concentrations of 75, 150, 300, and 600 micrograms/ml, was combined in vitro with amikacin, gentamicin, netilmicin, or tobramycin. Incubation at 37 degrees C resulted in an apalcillin concentration-dependent and time-dependent decrease of aminoglycoside activity of up to 60%. Amikacin was the most stable and tobramycin was the least stable aminoglycoside under the conditions tested.