Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stem cell markers in the human posterior limbus and corneal endothelium of unwounded and wounded corneas.

PURPOSE The corneal endothelium is a monolayer of cells in the posterior cornea that is responsible for maintaining a clear cornea. Corneal endothelial cells may be induced to divide, but it has been held that they do not divide in the normal cornea of an adult human. Some studies have suggested that a stem cell population for the corneal endothelium exists. This population could give rise to mature corneal endothelial cells and may reside either in the peripheral corneal endothelium or in the adjacent posterior limbus. This study was initiated to demonstrate the presence of such stem cells in the region of the posterior limbus and to show the response of these cells to corneal wounding. METHODS Unwounded and wounded corneas with their attached limbal sections were analyzed by immunofluorescence for the presence of nestin, telomerase, Oct-3/4, Pax-6, Wnt-1, and Sox-2. Alkaline phosphatase activity was observed with an enzyme-based reaction that produced a fluorescent product. RESULTS In the unwounded cornea, stem cell markers nestin, alkaline phosphatase, and telomerase were found in the trabecular meshwork (TM) and in the transition zone between the TM and the corneal endothelial periphery (including Schwalbe's line). Telomerase was also present in the peripheral corneal endothelium. When wounded corneas and their attached limbii were tested, the same markers were found. However, after wounding, additional stem cell markers, Oct-3/4 (in the TM) and Wnt-1 (in both the TM and the transition zone), appeared. Moreover, the differentiation markers Pax-6 and Sox-2 were seen. Pax-6 and Sox-2 were also manifest in the peripheral endothelium post-wounding. CONCLUSIONS Well documented specific stem cell markers were found in the TM and the transition zone of the human posterior limbus. Wounding of the corneas activated the production of two additional stem cell markers (Oct-3/4, Wnt-1) as well as two differentiation markers (Pax-6, Sox-2), the latter of which also appeared in the corneal endothelial periphery. It is suggested that stem cells reside in the posterior limbus and respond to corneal wounding to initiate an endothelial repair process. The stem cells may also contribute to a normal, slow replacement of corneal endothelial cells.
Study on effect of chemical impregnation on the surface and porous characteristics of activated carbon fabric prepared from viscose rayon

In this study, synthetic viscose rayon fabric has been used for preparing activated carbon fabric (ACF), impregnated with different concentrations of H3PO4. The effect of H3PO4 impregnation on the weight yield, surface area, pore volume, chemical composition and morphology of ACF were studied. Experimental results revealed that both Brunauer-Emmett- Teller surface area and micropore volume increased with increasing H3PO4 concentration; however, the weight yield and microporosity (%) decreased. It was observed that samples impregnated at 70°C (AC-70) give higher yield and higher microporosity as compared to 30°C (AC-30). The average pore size of the ACF also gradually increases from 18.2 to 19 and 16.7 to 20.4 ? for 30°C and 70°C, respectively. The pore size distribution of ACF was also studied. It is also concluded that the final ACF strength is dependent on the concentration of impregnant.
Superoxide Anion Scavenging Property of Dipyridamole

Tremoli and Colli (1) have reported that dipyridamole reduces the superoxide anion (Oi) production by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), suggesting that this effect could be mediated either by its influence on the adenosine uptake and metabolism by cells or by its antioxidant activity. This latter hypothesis needs some comments. Morisaki et al. demonstrated dipyridamole’s antioxidant property by showing that dipyridamole inhibits in vitro the lipid peroxidation (2). This activity was confirmed in a further research showing that the in vitro oxidation of arachidonic acid methyl-ester was significantly prevented by 5 pM dipy­ ridamole (3). Since the lipid peroxidation depends on fatty acids interaction with free oxygen radicals (e.g. O2 and OH°) (4), we investigated wether dipyridamole scavenges O2 in a system where
Numerical simulations of SAR microwave imaging of the Brazil current surface front

Esse artigo analisa os mecanismos, modulacao hidrodinâmica e instabilidade atmosferica que permitem a visualizacao da frente termica da Corrente do Brasil (CB) em imagens Radar de Abertura Sintetica (SAR). Simulacoes numericas realizadas com o modelo M4S basearam-se em duas imagens SAR da costa sudeste brasileira, nas polarizacoes VV (ASAR/Envisat) e HH (RADARSAT-1), mostrando a regiao frontal da CB. A simulacao das condicoes medias de cisalhamento e divergencia da regiao frontal se baseou em dados in situ (Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers) de correntes superficiais. Os campos de ventos foram simulados a partir de dados do escaterometro QuikScat. Os resultados mostram que ambas as modulacoes por instabilidade atmosferica e hidrodinâmica influenciaram a visualizacao da frente da CB. O primeiro mecanismo foi dominante na reproducao da modulacao da imagem RADARSAT, enquanto o segundo gerou padrao proximo a imagem ASAR/Envisat. No caso de dominância da instabilidade atmosferica, a influencia da modulacao hidrodinâmica foi pequena. Na prevalencia de modulacao hidrodinâmica, observou-se boa concordância entre os resultados simulados e reais, porem utilizando valores de divergencia da ordem de 10-4 s-1 e impondo uma diminuicao de 88% na taxa de relaxacao. Os resultados indicam que, em casos especificos, o aumento da divergencia/cisalhamento na regiao frontal poderia possibilitar a visualizacao da frente termica da CB.
Relation of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio with the presence and complexity of coronary artery disease: an observational study.

OBJECTIVE The neutrophil -to- lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a new predictor for cardiovascular risk and mortality. The SYNTAX score is an angiographic tool used in grading the complexity of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, its relation with CAD severity and complexity is not yet known. We hypothesized that NLR would be associated with a greater complexity of CAD as assessed using the SYNTAX score. METHODS This cross-sectional observational study included 106 patients who had undergone coronary angiography for stable angina pectoris and 69 patients who had normal coronary angiogram. Baseline NLR was measured by dividing neutrophil count to lymphocyte count. The patients were classified two groups as CAD (-) (n=69) and CAD (+) (n=106), then patients in CAD (+) group were divided into 3 groups according to SYNTAX scores (SYNTAX score 1-22, 23-32, >32) as pointed in European Society of Cardiology (ESC) revascularization guideline. Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests, and multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent predictors of complexity of CAD-SYNTAX score. RESULTS Patients with CAD had a significantly higher value of NLR [1.6 median (1.2-3.3 IQR) vs. 2.3 median (1.8-3.0 IQR) p<0.001]. The group with high SYNTAX scores (>32) more frequently had diabetes mellitus (DM), hypercholesterolemia (HL), were of older age, and also had significantly elevated NLR values [2.4 (1.3-2.6), 2.6 (2.3-3.9), 2.0 (1.5-2.6) p=0.006]. In univariate analysis, age, DM, HL, creatinine, neutrophil count and NLR were predictors of high SYNTAX score. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, only NLR [odds ratio (OR)=2.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-3.8, p=0.09], was identified as independent predictor of a high SYNTAX score. CONCLUSION NLR is a strong clinical laboratory value that is associated with presence and complexity of CAD.
[Overexpression of the Cdc42 in the brain tissue of human with intractable temporal epilepsy].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the expression of cell division cycle 42 GTP-binding protein (Cdc42) in the brain tissue of patients with intractable temporal epilepsy and discuss its effect on epileptogenesis. METHODS Twenty samples brain tissues were collected from the brain tissue bank of intractable temporal epilepsy established by Epilepsy Preventive and Therapeutic Center of Chongqing. The expression of Cdc42 was determined by immunohistochemistry and fluoroimmunoassay. Twenty brain tissue samples were collected from autopsy on 20 sex and age-matched persons who died from accident were used as controls. RESULTS The absorption values of Cdc42 in the temporal lobe of the patients was 0.038 +/- 0.016, significantly higher than that of the controls (0.020 +/- 0.005, t = 14.59, P < 0.01). The absorption values of Cdc42 in the hippocampus of the patients was 0.049 +/- 0.009, t = 12.01, P < 0.01). Fluoroimmunoassay showed that the fluorescence intensity of Cdc42 in the temporal lobe of the patients was 18.3 +/- 2.5, significantly higher than that of the controls (11.8 +/- 2.9, t = 33.77, P < 0.01), and the Fluorescence intensity of Cdc42 in the hippocampus of the patients was and control hippocampus were 23.8 +/- 3.3, significantly higher than that of the controls (10.1 +/- 2.6, t = 12.01, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION The overexpression of Cdc42 in the cortex of temporal lobe and hippocampus may play an important role in the epileptogenic mechanisms of intractable epilepsy.
A chemiluminescense-based assay for S-nitrosoalbumin and other plasma S-nitrosothiols

The lack of a simple assay for the quantification of S-nitrosothiols in complex biological matrices has hampered our understanding of their contribution to normal physiology and pathophysiological states. In this paper we describe an assay based upon the release of nitric oxide by reaction with a mixture consisting of Cu(I), iodine and iodide with subsequent quantification by chemiluminescense. With this method we can detect levels of S-nitrosothiols down to 5 nM in plasma. Following alkylation of free thiols with N-ethylmaleimide, and removal of nitrite with acidified sulfanilamide, we were able to measure known amounts of S-nitrosoalbumin added to plasma or whole blood, with an inter-assay variation for plasma S-nitrosothiols of ∼4%. Further studies showed that the mean concentration of circulating S-nitrosothiols in venous plasma of healthy human volunteers was 28 ± 7 nM.
Suppression of Na+/K+-ATPase activity during estivation in the land snail Otala lactea

SUMMARY Entry into the hypometabolic state of estivation requires a coordinated suppression of the rate of cellular ATP turnover, including both ATP-generating and ATP-consuming reactions. As one of the largest consumers of cellular ATP, the plasma membrane Na+/K+-ATPase is a potentially key target for regulation during estivation. Na+/K+-ATPase was investigated in foot muscle and hepatopancreas of the land snail Otala lactea, comparing active and estivating states. In both tissues enzyme properties changed significantly during estivation: maximal activity was reduced by about one-third, affinity for Mg.ATP was reduced (Km was 40% higher), and activation energy (derived from Arrhenius plots) was increased by ∼45%. Foot muscle Na+/K+-ATPase from estivated snails also showed an 80% increase in Km Na+ and a 60% increase in Ka Mg2+ as compared with active snails, whereas hepatopancreas Na+/K+-ATPase showed a 70% increase in I50 K+ during estivation. Western blotting with antibodies recognizing the alpha subunit of Na+/K+-ATPase showed no change in the amount of enzyme protein during estivation. Instead, the estivation-responsive change in Na+/K+-ATPase activity was linked to posttranslational modification. In vitro incubations manipulating endogenous kinase and phosphatase activities indicated that Na+/K+-ATPase from estivating snails was a high phosphate, low activity form, whereas dephosphorylation returned the enzyme to a high activity state characteristic of active snails. Treatment with protein kinases A, C or G could all mediate changes in enzyme properties in vitro that mimicked the effect of estivation, whereas treatments with protein phosphatase 1 or 2A had the opposite effect. Reversible phosphorylation control of Na+/K+-ATPase can provide the means of coordinating ATP use by this ion pump with the rates of ATP generation by catabolic pathways in estivating snails.
Events based Multimedia Indexing and Retrieval

Event recognition is one of multimedia applications that has been gaining ground recently. However, it has received scarce attention relatively to other applications. The methodologies presented hereby are aimed at event-based analysis of multimedia content, which is achieved from three perspectives, namely (i) event recognition in single images, (ii) event recognition in personal photo collections and (iii) fusion of social media information and satellite imagery for natural disaster detection. A close look at the relevant literature suggests that more attention has been paid to event recognition in single images. Event recognition in personal photo collection has also received a number of interesting solutions. Natural disaster detection in images from social media and satellite imagery, however, is relatively new. As a matter of fact, many issues remain unsolved mostly due to the heterogeneity, multi-modality and the unstructured nature of the data. In this dissertation, such open problems are presented and analyzed. New perspectives and approaches are suggested, alongside a detailed experimental validation and analysis. In details, our contribution is multi-fold. On the one hand, we aim at demonstrating that the fusion of different feature extraction and classification strategies can outperform the single methods by jointly exploiting the learning capabilities of individual deep models. On the other side, we analyze the importance of event-salient objects and local image regions in event recognition. We also present a novel framework for event recognition in personal photo collections. Moreover, we also present our system JORD, and our Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) based fusion of social media and satellite images for natural disaster detection. A thorough experimental analysis of each proposed solution is provided on benchmark datasets along with the potential direction of future work.
Rheumatology, Rehabilitation Medicine and Sports and Exercise Medicine

There have been many advances in Rheumatology, Rehabilitation Medicine and Sport and Exercise Medicine in both the clinical and administrative arenas. This article focuses on recent developments that show particular promise for treatment of military patients including Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) blockers in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis within rheumatology and the reorganisation of rehabilitation medicine services to allow a quick and more efficient return of personnel with multiple serious injuries, including amputees, to service.
Formulation and Evaluation of Oro Dispersible Tablets of Ondansetron Hydrochloride by Direct Compression using Superdisintegrants

ABSTRACT: The objective of the present investigation was to prepare oro dispersible tablets of ondansetron hydrochloride, because of its application in emesis condition, fast onset of action and avoidance of water is highly desirable. Tablets were prepared by direct compression using sodium starch glycolate and croscarmellose as superdisintegrants, as the combination of these two agents gives better disintegration of the tablet. Microcrystalline cellulose was used as diluent and mannitol, mint flavor, sodium saccharine to enhance the organoleptic properties of tablets. The tablets were evaluated for weight variation, mechanical strength, in vitro disintegration time, in vivo disintegration time, wetting time, and drug release characteristics. Hardness and friability data indicated good mechanical strength of tablets. The results of in vitro disintegration time and in vivo disintegration time indicated that the tablets dispersed rapidly in mouth within 3 to 5 seconds. Dissolution study revealed faster release rate of ondansetron hydrochloride from the tablets as compared to pure drug and marketed conventional tablet formulation of ondansetron hydrochloride. It was concluded that superdisintegrants addition technique is a useful method for preparing oro dispersible tablets by direct compression method.
Investigating the Effects of Sociotechnical Changes

Cognizant of the fact that enterprise systems involve organizational change and their implementation is over shadowed by a high failure rate, it is argued that there is the need to focus attention on employees’ perceptions of such organizational change when explaining adoption behavior of enterprise systems. For this purpose, the research incorporates a conceptual constructo fattitude toward change that captures views about the need for organizational change. Centered on this conceptual construct, the research model includes beliefs regarding the system and behavioral intention as its consequences, and the personal characteristics of organizational commitment and perceived personal competence as its antecedents. Structural equation analysis using LISREL provides significant support for the proposed relationships. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed along with limitations. Keywords—Sociotechnical changes, organizational change, attitude toward change, enterprise information systems.
Coxiella burnetii serology assays in goat abortion storm

Many commercial antibody detection enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits for Q fever utilize the Nine Mile (Montana tick) strain of Coxiella burnetii as antigen. An ELISA kit manufactured in France employs ovine placenta-sourced antigen and has been used in Europe. Sera from goats experiencing a Q fever abortion storm in the United States were used to compare the sensitivity and specificity of these 2 ELISA formats and the Q fever complement fixation test (CFT). Latent class estimates of sensitivity ranged from 97% to 100% with a specificity of 95–100% for the 2 ELISA kits. Estimates for sensitivity and specificity of the CFT were 89% and 82%, respectively. There was not a significant increase in ELISA sensitivity observed with the ovine-sourced antigen kit in this study. Real-time polymerase chain reactions performed on a portion of the sera found that 15 out of 20 sera were congruent across 4 tests for positive and negative sera.
Association GSTT1, GSTM1 and GSTP1 (Ile105Val) genetic polymorphisms in mothers with risk of congenital malformations in their children in Western Siberia: a case‐control study

Polymorphisms of glutathione S‐transferase (GST) genes in mothers may be involved in teratogenesis in their offspring. This study aims to investigate the association of GST genes (T1, M1 and P1) with the risk of having children with congenital malformations (CMs) in residents of the West Siberian region of Russia.
Parent discipline and the child's consideration for others.

Most research on the parental antecedents of moral development has been inspired by psychoanalytic theory, which stresses the importance of repression in the internalization of moral standards. It is perhaps for this reason that the research has focused mainly on prohibitions (e.g., cheating, aggression, disobedience, lying), and the aspects of prohibitions studied have usually been resistance to temptation (I, 4, 5, 13, I6) and guilt reactions following transgression (1, 3, 6, 15). The findings in these studies have been reviewed in detail elsewhere (io). The present paper takes a different point of departure and deals with the antecedents of a positive norm: consideration for others.
Introduction to propensity scores: A case study on the comparative effectiveness of laparoscopic vs open appendectomy.

OBJECTIVE To demonstrate the use of propensity scores to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of laparoscopic and open appendectomy. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING Academic and private hospitals. PATIENTS All patients undergoing open or laparoscopic appendectomy (n = 21 475) in the Public Use File of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program were included in the study. We first evaluated the surgical approach (laparoscopic vs open) using multivariate logistic regression. We next generated propensity scores and compared outcomes for open and laparoscopic appendectomy in a 1:1 matched cohort. Covariates in the model for propensity scores included comorbidities, age, sex, race, and evidence of perforation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Patient morbidity and mortality, rate of return to operating room, and hospital length of stay. RESULTS Twenty-eight percent of patients underwent open appendectomy, and 72% had a laparoscopic approach; 33% (open) vs 14% (laparoscopic) had evidence of a ruptured appendix. In the propensity-matched cohort, there was no difference in mortality (0.3% vs 0.2%), reoperation (1.8% vs 1.5%), or incidence of major complications (5.9% vs 5.4%) between groups. Patients undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy experienced fewer wound infections (odds ratio [OR], 0.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.3-0.5) and fewer episodes of sepsis (0.8; 0.6-1.0) but had a greater risk of intra-abdominal abscess (1.7; 1.3-2.2). An analysis using multivariate adjustment resulted in similar findings. CONCLUSIONS After accounting for patient severity, open and laparoscopic appendectomy had similar clinical outcomes. In this case study, propensity score methods and multivariate adjustment yielded nearly identical results.
The comparability of oxalate excretion and oxalate:creatinine ratio in the investigation of primary hyperoxaluria: review of data from a referral centre

Background Urine oxalate measurement is an important investigation in the evaluation of renal stone disease. Primary hyperoxaluria (PH) is a rare inherited metabolic disease characterised by persistently elevated urine oxalate, but the diagnosis may be missed in adults until renal failure has developed. Urine oxalate results were reviewed to compare oxalate:creatinine ratio and oxalate excretion, and to estimate the potential numbers of undiagnosed PH. Methods Urine oxalate results from August 2011 to April 2013 were reviewed. Oxalate excretion and oxalate:creatinine ratio were evaluated for 24 h collections and ratio alone for spot urine samples. Results Oxalate:creatinine ratio and oxalate excretion were moderately correlated (R = 0.63) in 24-h urine collections from patients aged 18 years and above. Sex-related differences were found requiring implementation of male and female reference ranges for oxalate:creatinine ratio. Of samples with both ratio and excretion above the reference range, 7% came from patients with confirmed PH. There were 24 patients with grossly elevated urine oxalate who had not been evaluated for PH. Conclusions Oxalate:creatinine ratio and oxalate excretion were discordant in many patients, which is likely to be a result of intra-individual variation in creatinine output and imprecision in the collection itself. Some PH patients had urine oxalate within the reference range on occasion, and therefore it is not possible to exclude PH on the finding of a single normal result. A significant number of individuals had urine oxalate results well above the reference range who potentially have undiagnosed PH and are consequently at risk of renal failure.