Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A 2 Ma record of explosive volcanism in southwestern Luzon: Implications for the timing of subducted slab steepening

New chemical and isotopic analyses of the tephra layers plus deep‐sea tephrostratigraphic record from two cores from either side of Luzon Island (Philippines) have allowed the identification of two periods of explosive volcanic activity originating from the Macolod Corridor in the southwestern part of the Luzon. The first period extended from prior to 1355 ka to 1977 ka, and the second period extended from 478 ka to the present, separated by a period of relative quiescence. The time intervals between large explosive eruption events in each period were 31 ± 15 ka and 156 ± 52 ka, respectively. Combined with published chronological and geochemical data from onshore volcanic deposits, the tephrostratigraphic record shows that the locus of large explosive eruptions has migrated southwestward from the northeastern section to the middle and southwestern sections of the Macolod Corridor. The period of relative quiescence is characterized by monogenetic volcanism in the central section of the corridor. The migration of active volcanism across the southwestern part of Luzon during the Quaternary is used to infer the evolution of the subducting South China Sea crust. The period of relative quiescence represents a period of adjustment of the subducted slab by steepening, which began around 1355 ka or shortly thereafter and finished at around 478 ka.
SOI vs. bulk FinFET: Body doping and corner effects influence on device characteristics

SOI and bulk FinFET were analyzed by a three-dimensional numerical device simulator and their electrical characteristics were compared for different body doping and bias conditions. Subthreshold and on-state performance have been examined and higher drain current in case of SOI FinFET has been explained by investigating enhanced conduction in silicon-oxide interface corners.
Changes in Consciousness, Conceptual Memory, and Quantitative Electroencephalographical Measures During Recovery from Sevoflurane- and Remifentanil-Based Anesthesia

It is unclear whether opioid-induced changes in electroencephalogram (EEG) or auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) reliably correspond with consciousness. We examined the correlation between 1) the clinically assessed state of consciousness, 2) implicit and explicit memory (by use of word pairs), and 3) various measures of EEG and AEP—bispectral index (BIS), A-Line ARX AEP index, spectral entropy, and entropy of the singular value decomposition (SVDEN; a measure of the complexity of the EEG). We studied 21 women during a two-stage awakening (sevoflurane washout followed by remifentanil washout) after anesthesia for gynecological surgery. All were amnesic, and 19 were unresponsive to verbal command with remifentanil alone. In six patients, BIS decreased paradoxically as the remifentanil concentration decreased; this was caused by a low-amplitude EEG, which was misinterpreted by the Aspect algorithm as burst suppression. Most of the EEG/AEP variables were sensitive to the decrease in sevoflurane and the recovery of consciousness, but not to the effects of decreasing remifentanil concentrations. SVDEN was the only variable that demonstrated significant increases for both the sevoflurane and remifentanil washout phases. With the prediction probability statistic during remifentanil washout, SVDEN = 0.79, spectral entropy = 0.81, A-Line ARX AEP index = 0.63, and BIS = 0.58. Entropy measures appear to be worthy of further clinical evaluation in a larger series of patients. SVDEN may be a useful variable for assessing anesthetic and analgesic effects on the central nervous system.
Lateral Inhibition Underlying Suppression of Neuronal Activity and Sparse Coding

The functional importance of lateral inhibition in neural processing has been well documented, but the detailed mechanism is still hotly debated. In previous studies, we showed that lateral inhibition serves to decrease firing rates in neurons to the level corresponding to the best representation of stimuli. To further validate this hypothesis, we examine whether a sparse coding model is compatible with the response properties of cortical neurons, including orientation selectivity, cross orientation suppression and surround suppression. Simulation results demonstrate that the model can explain conflicting conclusions drawn from physiological experiments and give new insight into topological structure and information processing in the visual cortex. 
A Spectrum of Mutations in SH2D1A That Causes X-linked Lymphoproliferative Disease and Other Epstein-Barr Virus-associated Illnesses

X-linked lymphoproliferative disease (Duncan's Disease) was first encountered by David T. Purtilo in 1969. The first communication describing the disease was published in 1975. In 1989 the disease locus was mapped to Xq25. Ten years later the gene (SH2D1A, SAP, DSHP), which is absent or mutated in XLP patients was identified. Since that the protein crystal structure of this small, SH2-domain containing protein has been solved, target molecules of the protein have been identified, physiological and pathological protein/protein interactions have been characterized, and the mouse model of the gene mutation has been developed. That said, a complete understanding of the function of the normal SH2D1A protein in immunoregulation and of the altered immune responses in XLP patients is not yet at hand. Therein lies the legacy of Purtilo's discovery for, as with other primary immunodeficiencies, these "experiments of nature" offer a window or the beauty of the immune system. In due course, the manner by which this gene orchestrates an elegant response (akin to a Mozart divertimento) to EBV infection shall be defined. "When something in the world appears absurd, ridiculous or evil, it can be so because of our imperfect knowledge and our desire to see things arranged to suit our own tastes. But if we regard the world from the standpoint of eternal order, we realize that things seem evil merely because we lack knowledge and wisdom. " "Guide to the preplexed" Moses Maimonides (1135-1204)
Prospective validation of an out-of-hospital decision rule to identify seriously injured children involved in motor vehicle crashes.

OBJECTIVES To prospectively validate a previously published out-of-hospital clinical decision rule to identify seriously injured children involved in motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). METHODS The authors selected 20 Los Angeles County Fire Department fire stations, based on pediatric MVC call volume and geographic diversity, and 21 associated hospitals for participation in the study. Immediately following an MVC call involving a pediatric patient aged 0-14 years, each engine/paramedic squad completed a data form (15 variables, including vital signs, Glasgow Coma Scale score, and vehicular and crash characteristics). This study was conducted over a 24-month period. Outcomes included: 1) "serious injury" as defined by an Injury Severity Score (ISS) > or = 16 (primary outcome), and 2) need for specialized trauma care (emergent intubation, major nonorthopedic operative intervention or death in the first 24 hours, or pediatric intensive care unit stay longer than 48 hours), as assessed by retrospective chart review. Accuracy measures and binominal confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for the decision rule validation. RESULTS One hundred seventy-five children were prospectively enrolled in the study; 36 children were excluded due to lack of hospital participation or missing hospital charts. There were four children with ISS > or = 16 (3%) and six children requiring specialized trauma care (4%). The sensitivities and specificities of the rule were: 100% (95% CI = 40% to 100%) and 73% (95% CI = 65% to 81%) for serious injury, and 83% (95% CI = 36% to 100%) and 74% (95% CI = 65% to 81%) for specialized trauma care, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Although definitive conclusions are limited by the sample size, the decision rule identified all seriously injured children involved in MVCs and had moderate specificity. The decision rule was less sensitive for identifying children requiring specialized trauma care. Larger validation studies are needed to adequately assess the utility of this rule before implementation.
Expression of p53 and C-myc genes and its clinical relevance in the hepatocellular carcinomatous and pericarcinomatous tissues.

AIM To investigate the possible roles of p53 and C-myc genes in the primary hepatocellular carcinogenesis and the relationship between the liver hyperplastic nodule (LHN) and hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). METHODS The expression of p53 and C-myc genes was detected immunohistochemically in 73 and 60 cases of HCC and pericarcinomatous tissues, respectively. RESULTS The positive expression of p53 in HCC was significantly higher than that in pericarcinomatous tissues (P<0.05). In pericarcinomatous tissues, the p53 expression was observed only in LHN, but not in liver cirrhosis (LC) and normal liver tissues. The positive expression rate of C-myc in HCC or LHN was significantly higher than that in LC or normal liver tissues (P<0.05 and P<0.01), however, no significant difference was found between HCC and LHN (P>0.05). The positive expression rate of p53 and C-myc in HCC was correlated with the histological differentiation, that in the poorly differentiated was significantly higher than that in well differentiated samples (P<0.05). CONCLUSION The overexpression of p53 and C-myc genes might play a role in the carcinogenesis of HCC; And LHN seems a preneoplastic lesion related to hepatocarcinogenesis; No evidence supports that LC contribute directly to the hepatocarcinogenesis.
The sigma E subunit of Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase is present in both forespore and mother cell compartments

Bacillus subtilis cells harvested 3.5 h after the onset of sporulation (t3.5) were fractionated into extracts enriched in either mother cell or forespore components and were analyzed immunologically for sigma E and its precursor protein, P31. We determined by Western blot (immunoblot) analysis that equivalent amounts of P31 and sigma E were present in both mother cell and forespore extracts. This result implies that, although sigma E is not synthesized until a stage in development when the cell is partitioned into progenitor forespore and mother cell compartments, it probably directs the transcription of genes that are expressed in both of these structures.
Literature review of the usefulness of nerve conduction studies and electromyography for the evaluation of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome

The sensitivity and specificity of nerve conduction studies (NCS's) and electromyography (EMG) for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome CTS) were evaluated by a critical review of the literature. With a search of the medical literature in English through May 1991, 165 articles were identified and reviewed on the basis of six criteria of scientific methodology. The findings of 11 articles that met all six criteria and the results of 48 additional studies that met four or five criteria are presented. We concluded that median sensory and motor NCS's are valid and reproducible clinical laboratory studies that confirm a clinical diagnosis of CTS with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity. Clinical practice recommendations are made based on a comparison of the sensitivities of the several different median nerve conduction study (NCS) techniques.
Hand‐Grip Dynamometry Predicts Future Outcomes in Aging Adults

Background and Purpose: One use of clinical measures is the prediction of future outcomes. The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize the literature addressing the value of grip strength as a predictor of important outcomes. Methods: Relevant literature was located using 4 bibliographic databases, searching article reference lists, and perusing personal files. Results: Forty‐five relevant research articles were found. The research involved both healthy subjects and patients; it tended to focus on middle‐aged and older adults. The primary outcome addressed was mortality/survival (24 articles), but disability (9 articles), complications and/or increased length of stay (12 articles), and other outcomes were also examined. Low grip strength was shown consistently to be associated with a greater likelihood of premature mortality, the development of disability, and an increased risk of complications or prolonged length of stay after hospitalization or surgery. Conclusions: Given its predictive validity and simplicity, dynamometrically measured grip strength should be considered as a vital sign useful for screening middle‐aged and older adults.
Intrathecal Atipamezole Augments the Antinociceptive Effect of Morphine in Rats

BACKGROUND: Opioid analgesics are effective in the treatment of chronic pain, but they have serious adverse effects such as development of tolerance and dependence. Adrenergic &agr;2 agonists and &mgr;-opioid receptor agonists show synergistic potentiation and cross-tolerance in spinal analgesia, whereas &agr;2-adrenergic antagonists have shown pronociceptive effects. However, at ultralow doses, spinal &agr;2-adrenergic antagonists have been reported to paradoxically enhance opioid antinociception. New data have suggested a functional &mgr;-opioid-&agr;2-adrenoceptor complex, which may help in interpreting the paradoxical effect of the &agr;2-adrenergic antagonists. In the present study we assessed the effects of low doses of atipamezole, a nonselective &agr;2-adrenergic antagonist, on both systemic and spinal morphine antinociception and tolerance. METHODS: Antinociception was assessed in male Sprague-Dawley rats using hotplate, tail-flick, and paw pressure tests. Spinal or systemic opioid tolerance was induced for 4 days. The effects of both intrathecal and subcutaneous atipamezole on acute morphine-induced antinociception and established morphine tolerance were studied. RESULTS: Systemic or spinal atipamezole itself did not produce antinociception at the doses studied (subcutaneous 0.03, 0.3, 3 &mgr;g/kg or intrathecal 0.1, 1, 10 ng). The combined administration of spinal morphine and 1 ng of atipamezole increased the antinociceptive effect of acute spinal morphine 30 minutes after the administration of test drugs in the tail-flick test. Furthermore, 10 ng of intrathecal atipamezole attenuated established morphine tolerance 30 minutes after the administration of test drugs in the tail-flick test. However, subcutaneous atipamezole had no significant effect on systemic morphine antinociception, and it did not attenuate morphine tolerance. CONCLUSIONS: Spinal coadministration of low doses of atipamezole augmented the antinociceptive effect of morphine in naïve and tolerant rats. Heterodimerization of &mgr;-opioid- and &agr;2A-adrenoceptors with consequent changes in function and interaction could explain these results. This also suggests an interesting explanation for the variability in opioid response and tolerance in patients experiencing stress or having an increased noradrenergic tone due to other causes, e.g., drugs.
Prognostic significance of admission levels of cardiac indicators in patients with acute ischaemic stroke: Prospective observational study

Objective The performance of cardiac indicators as determinants of stroke outcomes remains debatable, therefore the present study focused on the short-term prognostic value of cardiac indicators in patients who had experienced acute ischaemic stroke. Methods Consecutive patients with acute ischaemic stroke were enrolled in a prospective stroke registry. Data on demographics, clinical characteristics and cardiac indicator levels (including troponin I, creatine kinase-MB, myoglobin and brain natriuretic peptide) were prospectively collected. Receiver operating characteristic curves and binary logistic regression models were used to examine the performance of variables in predicting poor functional outcomes (modified Rankin Scale score 2–6). Results Out of 337 patients with acute ischaemic stroke, myoglobin had the greatest power for predicting poor outcomes among the cardiac indicators. Forward stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that myoglobin could independently predict short-term outcomes. Spearman’s rank correlation tests indicated a positive correlation between myoglobin levels and stroke severity. Conclusions Among cardiac indicators, myoglobin may be an independent predictor of short-term outcomes in patients with acute ischaemic stroke.
Anxiety in common situations of everyday life and depression in women with mastectomies

Anxiety and depression are common concerns for breast cancer survivors [1,2] and particularly in women who have undergone mastectomies [3]. Previous research has established the relationship between trait anxiety and depression in breast cancer survivors [4], but other authors have tried to identify the systems and specific traits of anxiety in this patient group, observing a higher prevalence of anxiety in common situations in everyday life when compared with a control group [5]. In this line of study, there is no information about the particular anxiety response in women who have had mastectomies; in terms of systems and specific traits, it seems sufficient to evaluate anxiety in this way to gain a better understanding of the anxiety response in these patients. Furthermore, we will try and find relationships between the systems and specific traits of anxiety and depression in this group of patients.
Cardiac AA amyloidosis in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis: the therapeutic potential of biological reagents

1Division of Clinical Nephrology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine II, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 2Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine I, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 3Health Administration Centre of Niigata University, and 4Department of Medical Technology, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
Activation of the Drosophila hsp27 promoter by heat shock and by ecdysone involves independent and remote regulatory sequences

Transcription of the Drosophila hsp27 gene is induced both by heat shock and by the steroid hormone ecdysone. Deletion analysis of the promoter using a transient expression assay in Drosophila tissue culture cells reveals two separate and functionally independent regulatory regions, whose positions coincide with previously reported DNase I‐hypersensitive sites in embryonic chromatin. Ecdysone induction is mediated by multiple elements between −579 and −455. Several matches to the consensus heat shock regulatory element (HSE) lie between −370 and −270, and deletion of these abolishes the response to heat shock. Heat inducibility can be restored by the addition of HSE sequences from the hsp70 promoter, even when these are placed at the 3′ end of the gene. Furthermore, HSEs seperated by >2 kb can interact in a cooperative way to promote transcription. Deletion of sequences adjacent to the TATA box (−40 to −154) has little effect on induction by either heat shock or ecdysone. In this respect, activation of the hsp27 TATA box in Drosophila cells differs from the long‐range activation of promoters by HSEs or viral enhancers in HeLa cells.
Mitigation strategies to ameliorate acute and chronic heat stress utilizing supplemental methionine or embryonic thermal conditioning in chickens

Experiments were conducted exploring potential str tegies to mitigate the negative effects of heat stress in chickens. In the first ex periment, broilers were placed in environments which were heat treated (HT), thermone utral (TN), or thermo-neutral coupled with pair-feeding (TN-PF). Birds were fed d iets containing either DL-methionine (DLM) or 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid (HMTBA ) formulated to adequate or super-adequate levels of digestible sulfur amino ac ids (DSAA). Reduced (GSH), oxidized (GSSG), and total (TGSH) glutathione as well glutat hione peroxidase (GPx) activity were measured to assess antioxidant capacity. Thiobarbit uric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were measured to assess lipid peroxidation. Several blood variables were also measured. Responses were measured at 6 hours (acute) and 6 da ys (chronic). Growth over 6 days was impaired by HT ( P < 0.01). Blood variables were altered during the ac ute phase. Birds fed DLM during the acute phase exhibited lower TBARS co ncentrations than those fed HMTBA (P = 0.02). Concentrations of GSSG were lower ( P < 0.01) in birds receiving super-adequate DSAA than those receiving adequate D SAA in the acute phase. During the chronic phase, GSH and TGSH concentrations were hig her (P = 0.02) in the HT group compared to the TN group. There were no effects on GPx activity. During the second experiment, broiler x Fayoumi crosses were incubate d a normal incubation temperature (NI; 37.8°C) or elevated incubation temperature (EI ; 39.5°C) from embryonic day -12 to 4. Birds were then placed in TN or cyclical HT from 22 to 28 days of age. Growth performance and feed dry matter digestibility were assessed from 21 to 28 days of age. An interaction occurred where birds in the EI group in HT environments had higher
Testing the level of response to alcohol: social information processing model of alcoholism risk--a 20-year prospective study.

BACKGROUND The low level of response (LR) to alcohol is a genetically influenced characteristic associated with an enhanced risk for alcohol use disorders (AUDs). An optimal understanding of how this intermediate phenotype relates to the AUD risk requires evaluation of the milieu in which LR operates, and this study tested an LR/social information processing model in adult men. METHODS Almost 300 Caucasian males (97% of those eligible, to date) from the San Diego Prospective Study participated in an alcohol challenge at approximately age 20 and were evaluated with a structural equation model regarding their expectations of the effects of alcohol, drinking among peers, use of alcohol to cope with stress, and alcohol-related problems during follow-up. RESULTS The direct paths in the structural equation model in these 40-year-old men explained 58% of the variance of the alcoholic outcome at age 40 and 35% at age 35 while demonstrating good fitness characteristics. The LR to alcohol was related to the family history of AUDs and to the alcoholic outcome; the latter primarily operated through the use of alcohol to cope with stress. Although drinking in peers and expectations of the effects of alcohol both contributed to the model in these 40-year-old men, they were not directly related to LR. CONCLUSIONS The results continue to support the importance of the low LR to alcohol as a predictor of AUDs, even when evaluated in the context of additional relevant characteristics. Future evaluations of adolescent and young adult subjects will also explore the potential importance of expectations of the effects of alcohol and drinking among peers as mediators or moderators of alcoholism risk among subjects with a low LR.