Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protective roles of thioredoxin, a redox-regulating protein, in renal ischemia/reperfusion injury.

BACKGROUND Thioredoxin (TRX) is a small protein with redox-regulating functions. Although TRX is known to be induced in response to various forms of oxidative stress, including ischemia/reperfusion injury, the induction and the specific role of this protein in the kidney have not been fully investigated. METHODS Renal ischemia/reperfusion was induced by the clipping and release of renal arteries in C57BL/6 and human thioredoxin-overexpressing transgenic (hTRX-Tg) mice. TRX protein was detected by immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). TRX mRNA was detected by in situ hybridization and Northern blotting. Renal functions were evaluated by measuring the levels of blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine in these mice. RESULTS With ischemia/reperfusion, endogenous murine TRX was rapidly depleted from the cytosol in the cortical proximal tubuli and detected in the urinary lumen, whereas it was spread diffusely in all segments of the tubular epithelial cells in sham-operated mice. The urinary excretion of TRX increased transiently after ischemia/reperfusion and recovered to the control level in 72 hours. In the medullary thick ascending limb (mTAL), however, TRX was specifically retained in the cytosol. A similar distribution change of transgenic hTRX was observed in the kidney of hTRX-Tg. These hTRX-Tg mice were more resistant to the injury to the mTAL and functional deterioration caused by ischemia/reperfusion, compared with wild-type mice. CONCLUSION The present findings suggest that TRX is retained in mTAL and secreted from proximal tubuli into urine during renal ischemia/reperfusion. The mTAL-specific retention of TRX may have a protective effect against renal ischemia/reperfusion injury.
HEIGHT, PARTNERS AND OFFSPRING: EVIDENCE FROM TAIWAN

Summary Using Taiwanese data, this study finds that tall males are more successful in mate selection and reproduction, but the results are weakly significant. Height is not helpful for females’ reproductive success. Specifically, tall males are more likely to have a partner at present or in the past, have at least one child, have more children, have a shorter period of celibacy and have a longer time duration of living with a partner in their lifetime. Using mediation analysis, the study shows that tall males’ reproductive success is not due to their achievements in the labour market (earnings), but is simply due to their height per se. Finally, a college student data set is used to explore the relation between height and dating hours. Tall male students have more dating hours, but no relation is found between females’ height and dating hours.
Hyperplasia and apoptosis. Opposing cellular processes that regulate the response of the rabbit bladder to transient outlet obstruction.

BACKGROUND Partial obstruction of the rabbit urethra induces rapid bladder growth. This growth is characterized by hypertrophy of smooth muscle cells in addition to hyperplasia of cells in the urothelium and serosa. The local synthesis of growth factors has been proposed to be influential in this growth since partial outlet obstruction rapidly increases the bladder's expression of basic fibroblast growth factor, while suppressing the expression of transforming growth factor-beta. Upon release of the outlet obstruction, the hypertrophied bladder regresses to its normal weight. Here, we examined whether regression of the hypertrophied rabbit bladder involves apoptosis (programmed cell death) of specific cellular elements and whether the expression of growth factors is altered concomitant with apoptotic cell deletion. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Regressing rabbit bladders were analyzed for markers of apoptosis, including DNA fragmentation and histology. An in situ enzymatic immuno-histochemical procedure was utilized to localize apoptotic cells in these tissues. Finally, Northern blot analysis was used to identify changes in the expression of basic fibroblast growth factor and transforming growth factor-beta during bladder regression. RESULTS Regressing rabbit bladders demonstrated the characteristic electrophoretic "ladder" pattern of DNA fragmentation associated with apoptosis. An in situ technique to distinguish cells with degraded nuclear DNA identified apoptosis only within the urothelium and serosal lamina of the regressing bladders. RNAs extracted from regressing bladders exhibited decreased expression of basic fibroblast growth factor mRNA as well as increased expression of transforming growth factor-beta 1 mRNA when compared with RNAs from hypertrophied bladders. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that hyperplasia and apoptosis are opposing cellular processes that mediate the bladder's response to short-term obstructive stimuli and that local synthesis of growth-promoting and growth-inhibitory factors may be responsible for initiating both of these responses.
Cardiac markers (BNP, NT-pro-BNP, Troponin I, Troponin T, in female amateur runners before and up until three days after a marathon.

PURPOSE Transient cardiac ventricular dysfunction or sudden cardiac deaths have been reported for male athletes participating in marathon racing. Less is known about the myocardial response in females. We examined natriuretic peptides and cardiac troponins in female athletes after a marathon. METHODS At the 31st real,- Berlin Marathon plasma levels of NT-pro-BNP, BNP, cTnI and cTnT were measured in 15 women (age 35+/-6 years; finishing times between 3:22 h and 5:21 h) at four different time points (before, immediately after, day one and day three). RESULTS An increase in [NT-pro-BNP] was observed immediately after the marathon (median [NT-pro-BNP] before: 39.6 pg ml(-1), after: 138.6 pg ml(-1), p=0.003) with a further increase on day one. [BNP] did not increase immediately after the marathon but increased on day one (median [BNP] before: 15 pg ml(-1), day one: 27.35 pg ml(-1), p=0.006). On day three, [NT-pro-BNP] and [BNP] returned to initial values. [cTnI] was under the detection limit prior to the marathon in all runners. [cTnT] was under the detection limit before the marathon except in one runner who presented a concentration of 0.03 ng ml(-1). Cardiac troponins (median [cTnl] after: 0.098 ng ml(-1), p=0.028; median [cTnT] after: 0.032 ng ml(-1), p=0.012) increased immediately after the marathon and returned to initial values on day one [cTnT] and three [cTnI]. DISCUSSION Parameters representing cardiac stress increased in females after a marathon. Different kinetics of natriuretic peptides BNP and NT-pro-BNP post-marathon could be due to their different half-lives and dependence on renal function. The increase of cTnI and cTnT may result from minor myocardial lesions.
Does EEG-neurofeedback improve neurocognitive functioning in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder? A systematic review and a double-blind placebo-controlled study.

BACKGROUND The number of placebo-controlled randomized studies relating to EEG-neurofeedback and its effect on neurocognition in attention-deficient/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is limited. For this reason, a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was designed to assess the effects of EEG-neurofeedback on neurocognitive functioning in children with ADHD, and a systematic review on this topic was performed. METHODS Forty-one children (8-15 years) with a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of ADHD were randomly allocated to EEG-neurofeedback or placebo-neurofeedback treatment for 30 sessions, twice a week. Children were stratified by age, electrophysiological state of arousal, and medication use. Neurocognitive tests of attention, executive functioning, working memory, and time processing were administered before and after treatment. Researchers, teachers, children and their parents, with the exception of the neurofeedback-therapist, were all blind to treatment assignment. Outcome measures were the changes in neurocognitive performance before and after treatment. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION www.clinicaltrials. gov: NCT00723684. RESULTS No significant treatment effect on any of the neurocognitive variables was found. A systematic review of the current literature also did not find any systematic beneficial effect of EEG-neurofeedback on neurocognitive functioning. CONCLUSION Overall, the existing literature and this study fail to support any benefit of neurofeedback on neurocognitive functioning in ADHD, possibly due to small sample sizes and other study limitations.
Early Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in a 100‐Year‐Old Woman

1. Oyelese Y, Kueck AS, Barter JF, et al. Asymptomatic postmenopausal simple ovarian cyst. Obstet Gynecol Surv 2002;57:803–809. 2. Stany MP, Hamilton CA. Benign disorders of the ovary. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am 2008;35:271–284. 3. Hartge P, Hayes R, Reding D, et al. Complex ovarian cysts in postmenopausal women are not associated with ovarian cancer risk factors: Preliminary data from the prostate, lung, colon, and ovarian cancer screening trial. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000;183:1232–1237. 4. Reimer T, Gerber B, Muller H, et al. Differential diagnosis of periand postmenopausal ovarian cysts. Maturitas 1999;31:123–132. 5. Dikensoy E, Balat O, Ugur MG, et al. Serum CA-125 is a good predictor of benign disease in patients with postmenopausal ovarian cysts. Eur J Gynaecol Oncol 2007;28:45–47.
Generalized nil-Coxeter algebras over discrete complex reflection groups

We define and study generalized nil-Coxeter algebras associated to Coxeter groups. Motivated by a question of Coxeter (1957), we construct the first examples of such finite-dimensional algebras that are not the 'usual' nil-Coxeter algebras: a novel 2-parameter type $A$ family that we call $NC_A(n,d)$. We explore several combinatorial properties of $NC_A(n,d)$, including its Coxeter word basis, length function, and Hilbert-Poincare series, and show that the corresponding generalized Coxeter group is not a flat deformation of $NC_A(n,d)$. These algebras yield symmetric semigroup module categories that are necessarily not monoidal; we write down their Tannaka-Krein duality. Further motivated by the Broue-Malle-Rouquier (BMR) freeness conjecture [J. reine angew. math. 1998], we define generalized nil-Coxeter algebras over all discrete real or complex reflection groups $W$, finite or infinite. We provide a complete classification of all such algebras that are finite-dimensional. Remarkably, these turn out to be either the usual nil-Coxeter algebras, or the algebras $NC_A(n,d)$. This proves as a special case - and strengthens - the lack of equidimensional nil-Coxeter analogues for finite complex reflection groups. In particular, generic Hecke algebras are not flat deformations of $NC_W$ for $W$ complex.
Mortality prediction in status epilepticus with the APACHE II score

A retrospective study was performed of adults admitted to the intensive care unit in order to determine the utility of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score in predicting in-hospital mortality in intensive care unit patients with non-cardiac status epilepticus. The cohort consisted of 104 subjects, 50 (48.1%) male, 39 (37.5%) aged ≥65 years, with a mean APACHE II score of 17.88. Four models of the APACHE II system were assessed: numerical score, adjusted score mortality, category, and category mortality. All models demonstrated poor calibration and discrimination, even after adjustment for significantly different covariates. There were independent associations between mortality and acute or toxic-metabolic seizure etiologies, myoclonic seizures, and postoperative status. After multivariate adjustment, only the association with toxic-metabolic seizure etiologies remained. The APACHE II score is a poor predictor of mortality in intensive care unit patients with status epilepticus. Further investigation is warranted to develop better measures of acute physiological disease severity in status epilepticus and its impact on mortality.
Solving the K-shortest paths problem in timetable-based public transportation systems

Abstract Finding the K-shortest paths in timetable-based public transportation systems is an important problem in practice. It has three typical variants: the K-earliest arrival problem (K-EAP), the K-shortest travel time problem (K-STTP), and the K-minimum number of transfers problem (K-MNTP). In this article we show that these problems can be solved efficiently by first modeling the timetable information with the time-expanded approach, then applying the Martins and Santos (MS) algorithm. Then we model the timetable information with the time-dependent approach and propose a modified version of the MS algorithm for solving the K-EAP. Experimental results on real-world data show that for K smaller than 100, which is enough for most applications, the execution times of the MS algorithm for the problems in the time-expanded model are less than 100 ms on a server with a 1.86-GHz central processing unit (CPU) and 4 GB of memory. For solving the K-EAP the modified MS algorithm in the time-dependent model is even more efficient (about three times faster for K ≤ 100) than the original algorithm in the time-expanded model. Our results imply the great potential of the MS algorithms in practical transportation service systems.
Identification of finite dimensional linear stochastic systems driven by Lévy processes

We study the problem of identifying a finite dimensional linear stochastic SISO system driven by a Lévy process. The latter are widely used in modelling financial time series. In a number of important examples the density function of the innovation term is unknown, but its characteristic function is explicitly known, possibly up to a few unknown parameters. In this paper we present and analyze a novel identification method that exploits the information on the characteristic function of the noise. It is obtained by adapting the empirical characteristic function method (ECF for short) developed for i.i. d. samples. We will show that the new method may be more efficient in estimating the system parameters than a plain prediction error method.
Recent Developments on Human Cell Lines for the Bioartificial Liver

Most bioartificial liver (BAL) devices contain porcine primary hepatocytes as their biological component. However, alternatives are needed due to xenotransplantation associated risks. Human liver cell lines have excellent growth characteristics and are therefore candidates for application in BAL devices. Tumour-derived cell lines HepG2 and C3A express a variety of liver functions, but some specific liver functions, like ammonia detoxification and ureagenesis are insufficient. Immortalised human hepatocytes might offer better prospects. The balance between immortalisation and transformation with dedifferentiation of cells seems controllable by conditional immortalisation and/or the use of telomerase as immortalising agent. Another promising approach will be the use of embryonic or adult human stem cells. Rodent stem cells have been directed to hepatic differentiation in vitro, which might be applicable to human stem cells. However, both functionality and safety of immortalised human liver cell lines and differentiated stem cells should be improved before successful use in BAL devices becomes reality.
Connected teaching and learning: The uses and implications of connectivism in an online class

An instructor tried using connectivism to teach an online graduate Education course called Teaching in a Virtual World. As a way to embody the many connections inherent in the group, all members of the class created and taught modules of their own choosing to each other. The instructor and two former students reflected together online in depth about their experience and coded their joint understandings. Schwab's commonplaces of curriculum emerged in the data, demonstrating that it is still current. They found that the course, however, was not completely connectivist due to limitations emanating from its operation within a traditional university setting.
Quality control of gene expression: a stepwise assembly pathway for the surveillance complex that triggers nonsense-mediated mRNA decay.

Eukaryotic cells have evolved elaborate mRNA quality control (surveillance) mechanisms to ensure that only fully processed and error-free mRNAs are translated. These quality control mechanisms operate in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. For instance, in the nucleus, improperly processed mRNAs are degraded before they are transported to the cytoplasm (for review, see Fasken and Corbett 2005). In the cytoplasm, surveillance pathways assess the translatability of the mRNA and degrade any that have no translation termination codons (nonstop-mediated mRNA decay, NSD) or nonsense codons (nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, NMD), thereby preventing the accumulation of potentially toxic aberrant proteins (for review, see Conti and Izaurralde 2005; Fasken and Corbett 2005; Lejeune and Maquat 2005). NMD is one of the best characterized mRNA surveillance pathways. Its importance as a protective surveillance mechanism is underscored by the fact that ∼30% of inherited genetic disorders are caused by nonsense mutations or frameshifts, which generate nonsense codons (for review, see Frischmeyer and Dietz 1999; Holbrook et al. 2004). Transcripts derived from the mutant alleles are degraded by NMD, leading in general to a recessive mode of inheritance. NMD not only rids the cell of mRNAs containing premature translation termination codons (PTCs or nonsense codons) as a result of mutations or errors in transcription or mRNA processing, but also regulates the expression of naturally occurring transcripts that represent ∼10% of the transcriptome in yeast, Drosophila, and human cells (Lelivelt and Culbertson 1999; He et al. 2003; Mendell et al. 2004; Rehwinkel et al. 2005). In this way, NMD plays a role in biological processes as diverse as telomere maintenance, transcription, cell proliferation, cell cycle, cellular transport and organization, and metabolism. A deeper understanding of the mechanism underlying this pathway is therefore of critical importance.
A Dynamic Simulator for the Management of Disorders of the Body Water Homeostasis

A dynamic model is built to study the water regulation of human body and related disorders, focusing on the fundamental feedback mechanisms involved in their normal and abnormal physiology. The simulation model is extended to include therapeutic interventions related to the most common body fluid disorder, namely, water intoxication/hyponatremia. The modeling approach is based on system dynamics methodology. Comparisons with experimental and field data show that the model adequately reproduces typical dynamics of the body fluid variables in their normal and diseased states. Finally, an interactive game version is developed to test the possible effects of alternative treatment options on a simulated patient. Simulation and game results reveal the subtleties involved during and after administration of various pharmacological interventions. For example, hypertonic saline should be administered concurrently and in delicate balance with drugs that increase urine flow. The simulator offers a virtual laboratory for experimental research and education on diagnosis and alternative therapies of body water disorders in general and hyponatremia in particular.
Murine thymic selection quantified using a unique method to capture deleted T cells

Thymic positive and negative selection events generate a T-cell repertoire that is MHC restricted and self-tolerant. The number of T cells undergoing positive and negative selection in normal mice has never been firmly established. We generated mice that lack the proapoptotic molecule Bim (bcl2l11) together with a Nur77GFP transgene, which allowed the identification and enumeration of T cells that would normally undergo clonal deletion. Using this method, we report the striking observation that six times more cells undergo negative selection than complete positive selection. Seventy-five percent of the negatively selected cells are deleted at the double positive stage in the thymic cortex, compared with 25% at the single positive stage in the medulla. The fact that more thymocytes are highly reactive to MHC than are weakly reactive is inconsistent with a random model of recognition and suggests that T-cell recognition is MHC biased. Furthermore, Bim−/− mice had an increased number of GFPhi cells in the peripheral lymphoid tissue and a corresponding increase in antigen experienced or anergic cell phenotype. Our data also show that the CD4+ T cells that are clonally deleted experienced only slightly stronger T-cell receptor signaling than those that developed into regulatory T cells.
Effect of Probiotic Supplementation on Broiler Performance

A total of 250 day old broiler chicks were used to investigate the effect of probiotics on broiler performance. They were equally but randomly divided into five groups. One group served as a control while the other four were given probiotics at different schedule. The results indicated that the weight gain, feed conversion ratio, dressing percentage and weight of giblets did not change by the treatment of probiotics. More research is needed to further verify our results.
Isolation of Multipotent Cells from Human Term Placenta

Current sources of stem cells include embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and adult stem cells (ASCs). However, concerns exist with either source: ESCs, with their significant ethical considerations, tumorigenicity, and paucity of cell lines; and ASCs, which are possibly more limited in potential. Thus, the search continues for an ethically conducive, easily accessible, and high‐yielding source of stem cells. We have isolated a population of multipotent cells from the human term placenta, a temporary organ with fetal contributions that is discarded postpartum. These placenta‐derived multipotent cells (PDMCs) exhibit many markers common to mesenchymal stem cells—including CD105/endoglin/SH‐2, SH‐3, and SH‐4—and they lack hematopoietic‐, endothelial‐, and trophoblastic‐specific cell markers. In addition, PDMCs exhibit ESC surface markers of SSEA‐4, TRA‐1‐61, and TRA‐1‐80. Adipogenic, osteogenic, and neurogenic differentiation were achieved after culturing under the appropriate conditions. PDMCs could provide an ethically uncontroversial and easily accessible source of multipotent cells for future experimental and clinical applications.
High-Power Operation of Terahertz Oscillators With Resonant Tunneling Diodes Using Impedance-Matched Antennas and Array Configuration

We report the theoretical and experimental results of an examination of the structure needed to achieve high output power in resonant tunneling diode (RTD) oscillators in the terahertz range. An offset-fed slot antenna and antenna width adjustments were employed in a single oscillator to increase the output power by increasing the radiation conductance and impedance matching. A high output power oscillation (~400 μW) at 530-590 GHz was obtained by RTDs with a large negative deferential conductance (NDC) region and offset-fed slot antennas. The maximization of the output power that was obtained by adjusting the antenna width was attributed to the impedance matching between the RTD and antenna. An output power of >;1 mW is theoretically expected in an oscillator that combines an RTD with a large NDC region, offset-fed slot antenna, and antenna width adjustment. In an array configuration, oscillators with an offset structure were employed for array elements and connected together with the metal-insulator-metal stub structure. A single peak was observed in the oscillation spectrum, and combined output powers of 610, 270, and 180 μW at 620, 770, and 810 GHz were obtained in a two-element array.