Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
RENEB intercomparisons applying the conventional Dicentric Chromosome Assay (DCA)

Abstract Purpose: Two quality controlled inter-laboratory exercises were organized within the EU project ‘Realizing the European Network of Biodosimetry (RENEB)’ to further optimize the dicentric chromosome assay (DCA) and to identify needs for training and harmonization activities within the RENEB network. Materials and methods: The general study design included blood shipment, sample processing, analysis of chromosome aberrations and radiation dose assessment. After manual scoring of dicentric chromosomes in different cell numbers dose estimations and corresponding 95% confidence intervals were submitted by the participants. Results: The shipment of blood samples to the partners in the European Community (EU) were performed successfully. Outside the EU unacceptable delays occurred. The results of the dose estimation demonstrate a very successful classification of the blood samples in medically relevant groups. In comparison to the 1st exercise the 2nd intercomparison showed an improvement in the accuracy of dose estimations especially for the high dose point. Conclusions: In case of a large-scale radiological incident, the pooling of ressources by networks can enhance the rapid classification of individuals in medically relevant treatment groups based on the DCA. The performance of the RENEB network as a whole has clearly benefited from harmonization processes and specific training activities for the network partners.
Global Transcriptome Analysis of Borrelia burgdorferi during Association with Human Neuroglial Cells

ABSTRACT As adherence and entry of a pathogen into a host cell are key components to an infection, identifying the molecular mechanisms responsible for cellular association will provide a better understanding of a microbe's pathogenesis. We previously established an in vitro model for Borrelia burgdorferi infection of human neuroglial cells. To expand on our earlier study, we performed B. burgdorferi whole-genome expression analysis following a 20-hour infection of human neuroglial cells to identify borrelial genes that were differentially regulated during host-cell association compared with cultured Borrelia in cell-free medium. This study identifies several regulated genes, the products of which may be important mediators of cellular pathogenesis.
Positive correlation between serum omentin and thrombospondin-1 in gestational diabetes despite lack of correlation with insulin resistance indices.

UNLABELLED Gestational Diabetes (GDM) is characterized by insulin resistance and a pro-inflammatory state, both factors possible related to adipokine expression. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The study included 20 women with GDM, diagnosed according to the WHO criteria, and 23 matched for age and BMI women with normal glucose tolerance. Omentin and TSP-1 were measured by ELISA assays. Insulin resistance was assessed by HOMA and Insulin Resistance Index (IRI). RESULTS There were no significant differences in omentin and TSP-1 levels between subjects with GDM and controls (48.0 +/- 12.0 ng/ml versus 50.2 +/- 7.9 ng/ml and 2150 +/- 1661 ng/ml versus 1569 +/- 1160 ng/ml, p = 0.64 and p = 0.29, for omentin and TSP-1 in GDM and control subjects, respectively). There was no significant correlation between either omentin or TSP-1 with HOMA or IRI, however there was a significant positive correlation between thrombospondin-1 and omentin (r = 0.49, p = 0.010). There was also a positive correlation between serum omentin and glucose levels at 60 and 90 minutes of OGTT, however, in the control group only (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Concentrations of omentin and thrombospondin-1 seem to be inter-related in pregnancy however there are no differences in serum levels between women with normal glucose tolerance and those with glucose intolerance. These observations suggest that regulation of concentrations of these adipokines in pregnancy might be mediated though different mechanisms than in non-pregnant subjects.
Removing and restoring control flow with the Value State Dependence Graph

This thesis studies the practicality of compiling with only data flow information. Specifically, we focus on the challenges that arise when using the Value State Dependence Graph (VSDG) as an intermediate representation (IR). We perform a detailed survey of IRs in the literature in order to discover trends over time, and we classify them by their features in a taxonomy. We see how the VSDG fits into the IR landscape, and look at the divide between academia and the 'real world' in terms of compiler technology. Since most data flow IRs cannot be constructed for irreducible programs, we perform an empirical study of irreducibility in current versions of open source software, and then compare them with older versions of the same software. We also study machine-generated C code from a variety of different software tools. We show that irreducibility is no longer a problem, and is becoming less so with time. We then address the problem of constructing the VSDG. Since previous approaches in the literature have been poorly documented or ignored altogether, we give our approach to constructing the VSDG from a common IR: the Control Flow Graph. We show how our approach is independent of the source and target language, how it is able to handle unstructured control flow, and how it is able to transform irreducible programs on the fly. Once the VSDG is constructed, we implement Lawrence's proceduralisation algorithm in order to encode an evaluation strategy whilst translating the program into a parallel representation: the Program Dependence Graph. From here, we implement scheduling and then code generation using the LLVM compiler. We compare our compiler framework against several existing compilers, and show how removing control flow with the VSDG and then restoring it later can produce high quality code. We also examine specific situations where the VSDG can put pressure on existing code generators. Our results show that the VSDG represents a radically different, yet practical, approach to compilation.
Nail-Biting and Manifest Anxiety of Adults

Nail-biting has been assumed to arise from a variety of causes including suppressed masturbatory urges, hostility, and anxiety. Little objective research has been undertaken to assess these assumptions. No significant differences in scores on the Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale for nail-biting and non-nail-biting children suggested these results may be associated with lower socioeconomic status of the sample ( 4 ) . Other work on self-evaluations yielded conflicting results (1, 3 ) . The present study determined whether adults who bite their nails are mote anxious than those who do not by administering the Taylor Manifest Anxiecy Scale ( 8 ) to 10 adult nail-biters and 10 adult non-nailbiters who ranged in age from 20 to 40 yr. , with a mean of 27 yr. ( 9 men, 1 woman per group). The subjects were drawn from a population of nuto-workers whose average yearly income was $11,500 to $13,000. Persons reporting they had at one time binen their nails but had stopped were not included. The test was presented as s survey; subjects were not told it was a measure of anxiety, although later they were debriefed. Mean Taylor scores were 20.0 ( S D = 6.7) for nail-biters and 12.7 ( S D = 6.8) for non-nail-biters, the difference being significant ( t ~ s = 2.41, fi < .05) and suggesting that the nail-biters were the more anxious. As this contradicted our earlier study ( 4 ) , the two tests do not tap the same components of anxiety, although factor analyses have yielded several overlapping and non-overlapping factors (5, 6 ) . The present results suggest that age may play a significant role in nail-biting. The incidence of nail-biting in the population appears co be about 40% during childhood ( 7 ) but around the age of I 7 the incidence begins to decline to about 21% by adulthood ( 2 ) . Nail-biting may be common during childhood and is more likely to appear with lower levels of anxiety. As the group approaches adulthood, those persons who are of average or lower anxiety may discontinue the habit which would leave those who have higher anxiety continuing the habit.
Electrical tree inhibition by voltage stabilizers

Electrical treeing is one of the main degradation mechanisms in polymer dielectrics at highly divergent electric fields and can, if initiated, cause dielectric breakdown as soon as an electrical tree channel has bridged the insulation. One way of increasing resistance to electrical treeing is the addition of certain organic additives such as polycyclic aromatic compounds or benzophenone-like structures. These additives act as voltage stabilizers that are believed to capture high energy electrons and dissipate their energy, preventing degradation of the polymer matrix by the impact of “hot electrons”. In this study, a benzil type compound is evaluated as voltage stabilizer in a superclean cross-linked polyethylene compound used for high voltage cable applications. The stabilizing effect of the additives is measured using test objects of wire-plane electrode geometry in ramped AC voltage experiments. For determining tree initiation conditions, optical detection is used and correlated to voltage measurements. In this way, the initiation voltage of each single tree is determined. Results show that the investigated voltage stabilizer raises the electrical tree inception level significantly. The stabilizing effect is dependent on voltage ramp rate and using a lower ramp rate results in a more pronounced effect of the stabilizer.
Emerging targeted therapies for melanoma

ABSTRACT Introduction: Melanoma is an aggressive cutaneous malignancy associated with poor response to traditional therapies. Recent regulatory approval for immune checkpoint inhibitors and agents targeting mutated BRAF has led to a tremendous expansion of effective treatment options for patients with advanced melanoma. Unfortunately, primary or acquired resistance develops in most patients, highlighting the need for additional therapies. Numerous genetic and other molecular features of this disease may provide effective targets for therapy development. Areas covered: This article reviews available melanoma treatments, including immune and molecularly-targeted therapies. We then discuss agents in development, with a focus on targeted (rather than immune) therapies. In particular, we discuss agents that block mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, as well as other emerging approaches such as antibody-drug conjugates, cell-cycle targeting, and novel genetically-informed clinical trials. Expert opinion: Despite the incredible advances in melanoma therapeutics over the last several years, a clear need to develop more effective therapies remains. Molecularly-targeted therapy approaches will likely remain a cornerstone of melanoma treatment in parallel to immune therapy strategies.
Ab initio molecular dynamics simulation of hydrogen fluoride at several thermodynamic states

Liquid hydrogen fluoride is a simple but interesting system for studies of the influence of hydrogen bonds on physical properties. We have performed ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of HF at several thermodynamic states, where we examine the microscopic structure of the liquid as well as its static and dynamic properties. The results obtained show good agreement with well established data, and, moreover, we were able to show significant changes within the structure depending on the system’s temperature and density.
Point Mutation of neu Oncogene in Animal Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors

Thirty-four peripheral nerve sheath tumors of four domesticated animal species were characterized and assayed for point mutation of the neu oncogene. Based on their morphoimmunophenotype, 32 tumors were classified as schwannomas. Schwannoma morphology was characterized by the presence of Antoni type A and B pattern and immunoreactivity for S-100 protein and vimentin. Two anaplastic and metastatic tumors originating from spinal cord root, immunonegative for S-100 protein and positive for vimentin, were classified as malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs). Four malignant schwannomas and two MPNSTs expressed a point mutation of the neu oncogene by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. The finding of neu oncogene mutation could be a useful diagnostic genetic marker in the malignant form of peripheral nerve sheath tumors in animals.
The epidemiology of the common cold II. Cross-infection and immunity

Analysis by epidemiological methods of the spread of the common cold among office workers and their families has failed to account for more than a fraction of the infections as a consequence of known exposure to infected individuals. Infections too mild to be recorded as colds, survival of the virus in the environment and its subsequent dispersal are considered as possible explanations of this. The distribution of serial intervals between colds suffered by members of the same family indicates that the median interval between the onset of an infection and the first symptom in infection apparently arising from it as cross-infections was between 21½ and 31½ days. This is only slightly longer than the median interval, 2·4 days, observed between nasal installation and the onset of symptoms in experimental infections. There is some epidemiological evidence that susceptibility to the common cold is reduced during the weeks following a cold. We should like to repeat, in this the second paper in this series, our thanks to the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance and to the Shell Petroleum Company, to those members of their staffs and to the nurses and others who helped us in this investigation.
Analytical simulation of edge waves observed around the Balearic Islands

We present sea level spectra computed from bottom pressure records at two locations around the Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean. In these spectra, several sea level oscillation peaks are observed at both sides of Mallorca Island. Moreover, the relative magnitudes of the first two peaks switch during the “rissaga” events. To understand the appearance of these modes and their changes during ‘rissaga’, a simple analytical model is presented for atmospheric pressure induced edge waves on a circular shelf with a circular island in the middle. The analytical solutions indicate that indeed the peaks in the observed spectra can be identified as the fundamental modes of the edge waves. The analytical solutions also confirm that the magnitude of the second peak becomes higher than the first peak only when the phase speed of the atmospheric pressure waves become almost the same as that of the long ocean wave on the Mallorca shelf.
Effect of Polyglycolic Acid Mesh for Prevention of Pancreatic Fistula Following Distal Pancreatectomy: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance The rate of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) after distal pancreatectomy ranges from 13% to 64%. To prevent POPF, polyglycolic acid (PGA) mesh was introduced, but its effect has been evaluated only in small numbers of patients and retrospective studies. Objective To evaluate the efficacy of PGA mesh in preventing POPF after distal pancreatectomy. Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective randomized clinical, single-blind (participant), parallel-group trial at 5 centers between November 2011 and April 2014. The pancreatic parenchyma was divided using a stapling device; no patient was given prophylactic octreotide. Perioperative and clinical outcomes were compared including POPF, which was graded according to the criteria of the International Study Group For Pancreatic Fistulas. A total of 97 patients aged 20 to 85 years with curable benign, premalignant, or malignant disease of the pancreatic body or tail were enrolled (44 in the PGA group and 53 in the control group). Interventions Patients in the PGA group underwent transection of the pancreas and application of fibrin glue followed by wrapping the PGA mesh around the remnant pancreatic stump. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary end point of this study was the development of a clinically relevant POPF (grade B or C by the International Study Group grading system). The secondary end point was the evaluation of risk factors for POPF. Results The study therefore evaluated a total of 97 patients, 44 in the PGA group and 53 in the control group. Thirty-nine patients were women and 58 patients were men. There were no differences in mean (SD) age (59.9 [12.0] years vs 54.5 [14.1] years, P = .05), male to female ratio (1.0:1.3 vs 1.0:1.7, P = .59), malignancy (40.9% vs 32.1%, P = .37), mean (SD) pancreatic duct diameter (1.92 [0.75] mm vs 1.94 [0.95] mm, P = .47), soft pancreatic texture (90.9% vs 83.0%, P = .17), and mean (SD) thickness of the transection margin (16.9 [5.4] mm vs 16.4 [4.9] mm, P = .63) between the PGA and control groups. The rate of clinically relevant POPF (grade B or C) was significantly lower in the PGA group than in the control group (11.4% vs 28.3%, P = .04). Conclusions and Relevance Wrapping of the cut surface of the pancreas with PGA mesh is associated with a significantly reduced rate of clinically relevant POPF. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01550406.
Exaggerated Response of a Vasopressin–Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein Transgene to Nociceptive Stimulation in the Rat

Nociceptive stimulation elicits neuroendocrine responses such as arginine vasopressin (AVP) release as well as activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis. We have generated novel transgenic rats expressing an AVP–enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) fusion gene, and we examined the effects of nociceptive stimulation on transgene expression in the hypothalamus after subcutaneous injection of saline or formalin into the bilateral hindpaws in these rats. We have assessed (1) AVP levels in plasma and the changes of eGFP mRNA and AVP heteronuclear RNA (hnRNA) in the supraoptic nucleus (SON) and the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) using in situ hybridization histochemistry, (2) gene expression changes in distinct magnocellular and parvocellular divisions of the PVN, (3) eGFP fluorescence in the SON, the PVN, the median eminence (ME), and the posterior pituitary gland (PP). Plasma AVP levels were significantly increased 15 min after formalin injection. In the same time period, the AVP hnRNA levels in the PVN were increased, especially in the parvocellular division of the PVN in formalin-injected rats. In the same region, eGFP mRNA levels after formalin injection were also significantly increased to a much greater extent than those of AVP hnRNA. The eGFP fluorescence in the SON, the PVN, the ME, and the PP was markedly increased in formalin-injected rats and especially increased in the parvocellular divisions of the PVN. Together, our results demonstrate robust and rapid changes in the expression of the AVP-eGFP transgene in the rat hypothalamus after acute nociceptive stimulation.
Refractive errors in children with autism in a developing country.

BACKGROUND In a resource-limited country visual problems of mentally challenged individuals are often neglected. AIM The present study aims to study refractive errors in children diagnosed with autism in a developing country. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ophthalmic examination was carried out on children diagnosed with autism attending a school for the mentally challenged in Enugu, Nigeria between December 2009 and May 2010. Visual acuity was assessed using Lea symbols. Anterior and posterior segments were examined. Cycloplegic refraction was performed. Data was entered on the protocol prepared for the study and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 17 (Chicago IL, USA). RESULTS A total of 21 children with autism were enrolled in the school; 18 of whom were examined giving coverage of 85.7%. The age range was 5-15 years, with a mean of 10.28 years (standard deviation ± 3.20). There were 13 boys and 5 girls. One child had bilateral temporal pallor of the disc and one had bilateral maculopathy with diffuse chorioretinal atrophy. Refraction revealed 4 children (22.2%) had astigmatism and 2 children (11.1%) had hypermetropia. CONCLUSION Significant refractive error mainly astigmatism was noted in the children with autism. Identifying refractive errors in these children early and providing appropriate corrective lenses may help optimize their visual functioning and impact their activities of daily life in a positive way.
Cloning, Overexpression, Purification, and Immunobiology of an 85-Kilodalton Outer Membrane Protein fromHaemophilus ducreyi

ABSTRACT We have identified an 85-kDa outer membrane protein that is expressed by all tested strains of Haemophilus ducreyi. Studies of related proteins from other pathogenic bacteria, includingHaemophilus influenzae, Pasteurella multocida, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Shigella dysenteriae, suggested a role for these proteins in pathogenesis and immunity. In keeping with the first such described protein fromHaemophilus influenzae type B, we termed the H. ducreyi protein D15. The gene encoding the H. ducreyiD15 protein was cloned and sequenced, and the deduced amino acid sequence was found to be most similar to sequences of the D15-related proteins from other Pasteurella spp. The arrangement of the flanking genes was similar to that of H. influenzae Rd and suggested that D15 was part of a multigene operon. Attempts to make a null mutation of the D15 gene were unsuccessful, paralleling results in other D15 gene studies. Overexpression of H. ducreyi D15 inEscherichia coli resulted in a source of recombinant D15 (rD15) from which it was readily purified. rD15 was immunogenic, and it was found that immunization of rabbits with an rD15 vaccine preparation conferred partial protection against a virulent challenge infection. Antisera to an N-terminal peptide recognized all tested strains ofH. ducreyi.
Social isolation perturbs experience‐driven synaptic glutamate receptor subunit 4 delivery in the developing rat barrel cortex

In neonates, the stress of social isolation can alter developing neural circuits and cause mental illness. However, the molecular and cellular bases for these effects are poorly understood. Experience‐driven synaptic AMPA receptor delivery is crucial for circuit organisation during development. In the rat, whisker experience drives the delivery of glutamate receptor subunit 4 (GluA4) but not glutamate receptor subunit 1 (GluA1) to layer 4–2/3 pyramidal synapses in the barrel cortex during postnatal day (P)8–10, whereas GluA1 but not GluA4 is delivered to these synapses during P12–14. We recently reported that early social isolation disrupts experience‐driven GluA1 delivery to layer 4–2/3 pyramidal synapses during P12–14. Here, we report that neonatal isolation affects even earlier stages of development by preventing experience‐dependent synaptic GluA4 delivery. Thus, social isolation severely affects synaptic maturation throughout early postnatal development.