Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Grading portal gastropathy: validation of a gastropathy scoring system

OBJECTIVE:The specific aim of this study was to independently evaluate the reproducibility and validity of the Baveno portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) grading system.METHODS:This is a prospective study of 100 consecutive patients with cirrhosis and portal gastropathy. An endoscopy was performed at entry on all subjects and on 70 patients during follow-up (median 15 months). Interobserver reproducibility was assessed by the κ statistic. Patients with PHG-related bleeding were compared with those without bleeding. The relationship of PHG-related bleeding to the PHG score was assessed by a receiver operating characteristic curve and by multiple logistic regression analysis.RESULTS:Interobserver agreement about the presence of the mosaic pattern and red marks was high (κ >0.75). However, the agreement about the extent of the lesion was poorer (κ = 0.4–0.45). There was a stepwise increase in PHG-related bleeding risk with increasing PHG scores. Multiple logistic regression confirmed that the PHG score independently correlated with PHG-associated bleeding (OR = 2.5, 90% CI = 1.4–4.6, p < 0.009). During follow-up, red marks developed de novo in one of 70 patients. The severity of red marks worsened in five of 25 patients, whereas they disappeared in eight of 62 individuals. Nodular lesions in the antrum were found in five subjects. The risks of recurrent bleeding during follow-up were related to severe PHG scores (>4), presence of gastric antral vascular ectasia, and nodular lesions in the antrum.CONCLUSIONS:The PHG scoring system is reproducible and accurately reflects the risks of PHG-related bleeding in patients with cirrhosis.
Amygdaloid D1 receptors are not linked to stimulation of adenylate cyclase

In contrast to the classic signal transduction of D1 dopamine receptors in striatum or molecular expression systems, it has been reported that D1 receptor agonists do not stimulate adenylate cyclase in homogenates of microdissected nuclei of the amygdaloid complex. This article examines this phenomenon in detail to determine if lack of cAMP signaling in the amygdaloid complex is an experimental artifact, or an indication of a marked difference from the well‐studied basal ganglia terminal fields. Thus, whereas dopamine agonists failed to increase cAMP synthesis in the amygdala, forskolin, guanine nucleotides, or Mg2+ were able to stimulate adenylate cyclase activity in the same preparations. Under several different conditions, caudate preparations responded more robustly than amygdaloid preparations, while amygdala homogenates exhibited higher basal production of cAMP. Whereas the β‐adrenergic agonist isoproterenol was able to stimulate cAMP efflux in membranes from both the caudate and amygdala under a variety of tested conditions, neither dopamine nor fenoldopam (D1 agonist) could stimulate adenylate cyclase in the amygdala. Additionally, while manipulation of Ca2+ and calmodulin affected the differential actions of dopamine in the caudate, no change in these parameters restored sensitivity to dopamine in the amygdala. Together, these data challenge the commonly accepted notion that cAMP is a mandatory signaling pathway for D1 receptors. Because it is now proven that G protein‐coupled receptors can signal promiscuously, elucidation of the non‐cAMP‐dependent signaling mechanisms resulting from D1 activation is clearly critical in understanding how this important receptor functions in situ. Synapse 50:320–333, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Synthesis and Stability of Lanthanum Superhydrides.

Recent theoretical calculations predict that megabar pressure stabilizes very hydrogen-rich simple compounds having new clathrate-like structures and remarkable electronic properties including room-temperature superconductivity. X-ray diffraction and optical studies demonstrate that superhydrides of lanthanum can be synthesized with La atoms in an fcc lattice at 170 GPa upon heating to about 1000 K. The results match the predicted cubic metallic phase of LaH10 having cages of thirty-two hydrogen atoms surrounding each La atom. Upon decompression, the fcc-based structure undergoes a rhombohedral distortion of the La sublattice. The superhydride phases consist of an atomic hydrogen sublattice with H-H distances of about 1.1 Å, which are close to predictions for solid atomic metallic hydrogen at these pressures. With stability below 200 GPa, the superhydride is thus the closest analogue to solid atomic metallic hydrogen yet to be synthesized and characterized.
Assessing Dietary Intake Patterns Through Cluster Analysis Among Adolescents in Selected Districts of Bihar and Assam From India: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Background: In the recent decade, dietary pattern assessment has evolved as a promising tool to describe the whole diet and represent inter-correlations between different dietary components. We aimed to derive the dietary patterns of adolescents (10–19 years) using cluster analysis on food groups and evaluate these patterns according to their socio-demographic profile. Methods: This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in two districts, each from Bihar and Assam in India. Adolescents (10–19 years) were enrolled from both rural and urban areas. The dietary intake was assessed through a pre-validated single food frequency questionnaire. Cluster analysis was performed by a 2-step procedure to explore dietary patterns, pre-fixed at 2 clusters. Clusters were analyzed with respect to socio-demographic characteristics using binomial logistic regression. Results: A total of 826 girls and 811 boys were enrolled in the study. We found two major dietary patterns, namely a low- and high-mixed diet. The low-mixed diet (76.5% prevalence) had daily consumption of green vegetables, including leafy vegetables, with less frequent consumption of other foods. The high-mixed diet (23.5% prevalence) had more frequent consumption of chicken, meat, egg, and milk/curd apart from green vegetables. Adolescent boys had 3.6 times higher odds of consuming a low-mixed diet compared to girls. Similarly, adolescents with lower education grades and from marginalized social classes had two times higher odds of taking a low-mixed diet than their respective counterparts. Conclusions: The high consumption of a low-mixed diet and relatively less milk consumption limit the comprehensive growth of adolescents. Improvement in dietary intake of adolescents from marginalized sections of society can prove to be an important deterrent in mitigating India's nutritional challenges.
Analysis of 17β-estradiol, estriol and estrone in American eel (Anguilla rostrata) tissue samples using liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray differential ion mobility tandem mass spectrometry.

RATIONALE 17β-Estradiol (E2), estrone (E1) and estriol (E3) are steroid hormones responsible for the regulation of the female reproductive system. Estradiol is planned to be used to feminize eels in aquaculture in order to improve their size and marketability. The residual levels of these hormones in fish tissue must be monitored to meet the requirements of food regulatory agencies. Few studies have studied these hormones in complex biological matrices such as fish tissue. METHODS We developed a method to analyze E1, E2 and E3 in fish tissue using liquid chromatography in combination with differential ion mobility spectrometry (DMS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The mass spectrometer was operated in negative polarity selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. To test the performance of this method, residual levels of E1, E2 and E3 were measured in the muscle tissue of juvenile eels subjected to feminization treatment with E2. RESULTS We report that following 17β-estradiol treatment, E2 is rapidly metabolized from the eel tissue, with a 50% depletion rate per day. Five days post-treatment, E2 returned to the level found in non-treated controls, similar to levels found in wild mature female eels. CONCLUSIONS The method presented herein allows the quantitative analysis of E1, E2 and E3 in fish tissue samples. Under the experimental conditions, E2 in fish tissue samples returned to physiological levels post hormonal treatment. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of Inhalational Anesthetics on Verapamil Pharmacokinetics in Dogs

&NA; Six dogs were chronically instrumented in order to collect aortic blood samples and record mean arterial pressure, cardiac output and heart rate. Each animal received verapamil 200 &mgr;g·kg−1 by 10‐min intravenous infusions on four occasions in random sequence: awake, and during halothane 1.2%, enflurane 2.5%, and isoflurane 1.6% anesthesia. Rate of initial distribution of verapamil was reduced during anesthetic exposure. Verapamil intercompartmental clearance from the central compartment to the peripheral compartment was decreased during exposure to halothane and isoflurane, and tended to decrease during enflurane exposure as well. Verapamil terminal volume of distribution at steady‐state was reduced by halothane, enflurane, and isoflurane exposure as compared with awake: 65 ± 10, 80 ± 9, and 93 ± 19 l, respectively, versus 132 ± 12 l (mean ± SEM; P < 0.05). Verapamil total clearance was also reduced by halothane, enflurane, and isoflurane as compared with awake: 37 ± 4, 39 ± 2 and 41 ± 3 l· h−1, respectively, versus 64 ± 7 l · h−1 (P < 0.05). Verapamil administered to awake animals resulted in a decrease from baseline in mean arterial pressure; 95 ± 8 mmHg versus 108 ± 4 mmHg (P < 0.05); and an increase in cardiac output; 2.60 ± 0.33 l · min−1 versus 1.93 ± 0.22 l · min−1 (P < 0.05). During halothane, enflurane, and isoflurane anesthesia, verapamil administration resulted in a similar decrease in mean arterial pressure; however cardiac output decreased, in contrast to the increase noted in awake animals. This study suggests that the pharmacokinetic drug‐drug interactions may contribute to pharmacodynamic interactions between verapamil and inhalational anesthetics. Our data also indicate that increased plasma concentrations after a single verapamil dose may occur due to decreased intercompartmental clearance, and to a lesser extent increased initial volume of distribution and decreased apparent volume of distribution.
No decrease of 1,25(OH)2D3 receptors and duodenal calbindin‐D9k in uraemic rats

Abstract. In parathyroids of uraemic patients or animals, decreased specific binding of 1,25(OH)2D3 has been observed and implicated in the genesis of secondary hyperparathyroidism of renal failure. We re‐examined binding of 1,25(OH)2D3 using chromatin preparations for receptor characterization which differed from previous studies (a) by inclusion of protease inhibitors (PMSF, aprotinin) and molybdate in the extraction buffer and (b) by omitting the K‐extraction step. With this method, the Nmax in the intestinal mucosa and parathyroids of uraemic animals was significantly higher, while the receptor sedimentation constant (S), DNA affinity and KD were all unchanged. The ratio of occupied to total receptors was not significantly altered. The regulation of 1,25(OH)2D3 receptors in response to acute injection of 1,25(OH)2D3 was abnormal. Calbindin‐D9k concentration in the intestines of uraemic and control rats was comparable both before and after administration of 1,25(OH)2D3.
Les Activités Expérimentales Dans L’enseignement Des Sciences Physiques: Cas Des Collèges Marocains

We focused in this article on two essential points: infrastructure dedicated to experimental activities in physics education in Moroccan colleges and experimental practice of teachers and the opinion of students on these activities. The results showed that school laboratories do not facilitate the learning and development of knowledge and know-how of the learners. The experiences of the course, according to teachers and students, are made as of experiences integrated into the course (performed by the teacher himself), the teachers refer to the lack of material, dangerous nature of certain experiences, inadequate premises suitable for practical work, poor management of laboratories that influence the rate of planned experiments and the experimental practices of teachers. The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) would be a good way to supplement the experiences and not replace them. Teachers argue that the constraints and difficulties related to the integration of ICT are mainly due to an infrastructure deficit and support (training).
A utilitarian perspective of volunteer tourism in Africa

This paper seeks to align ‘volunteer tourism’ within the philosophical framework of utilitarianism, with an emphasis on Africa. John Stuart Mill, author of the defining book, entitled ‘Utilitarianism’ asserts that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote human happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness (Mill, 1863). The key commonality between utilitarian theory and volunteer tourism is the premise that both are doctrines that emphasise social reform, and that good or happy consequences matter. Volunteer tourism can be an experience, which “might involve aiding or alleviating the material poverty of some groups in society, the restoration of certain environments or research into aspects of society or environment” (Wearing, 2011). In other words, it is a voluntary activity, which seeks to achieve good consequences, and furthermore that volunteer tourists have become a critical human resource for achieving ‘good’ for many organisations in Africa as well as globally. The issue here is to understand volunteer tourism within utilitarian theory. It is contended that an improved theoretical understanding of this niche area in the tourism industry, will be associated with beneficial economic and social consequences. The significance of tourism, including volunteer tourism both economically and socially can be seen by the number of international tourist arrivals in Africa, which has increased to a new record of 56 million, making Africa one of the fastest growing tourism regions in the world (Zuma, 2014).
Teacher Matters: Re-examining the Effects of Grade-3 Test-based Retention Policy

This study is aimed to unpack the ‘black box’ that connects the grade-3 test-based retention policy with students’ academic outcomes. I theorized that the policy effects on teaching and learning may be modified by instructional capacity, but are unlikely to occur through enhancing teachers’ capability to teach. Analyzing the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten cohort (ECLS-K) dataset, I first explored the relationship between the test-based retention policy and instructional capacity as indicated by teacher expectations of students’ learning capability and then investigated whether and how the expectations moderated the policy effects on instructional time reallocation, student academic performance, and student self-perceived academic competence and interests. To remove the selection bias associated with the nonexperimental data, I applied a novel propensity score-based causal inference method, the marginal mean weighting through stratification (MMW-S) method and extended it to a causal analysis that approximates a randomization of schools to the test-based retention policy followed by a randomization of classes to teachers with different levels of expectations. Consistent with my theory, I found that the test-based retention policy had no effects on teacher expectations. Although the policy uniformly increased the time allocated to math instruction, it produced no significant changes in students’ overall performance and overall self-perception in math. In addition, I found that students responded differently to the test-based retention policy depending on the expectations they received from the grade-3 teachers. The results suggested some benefits iii of positive expectations over negative and indifferent expectations in moderating the policy effects, including more access to advanced content, higher learning gains of average-ability students, and more resilient student learning over a long term. However, the results also showed that having positive expectations alone is not sufficient for academic improvement under the high-stakes policy. If implemented by a positive-expectation teacher, the policy could be detrimental to students’ learning in the nontested subject or to their learning of basic reading/math skills. It would as well place the bottom-ability students at a disadvantage. The findings have significant implications for the ongoing high-stakes testing debate, for school improvement under the current accountability reform, and for research of teacher effectiveness.
Apparent motion photometry: evaluation and reliability of a novel method for the measurement of macular pigment

Background/aims Macular pigment is thought to protect the macula against exposure to light and oxidative stress, both of which may play a role in the development of age-related macular degeneration. The aim was to clinically evaluate a novel cathode-ray-tube-based method for measurement of macular pigment optical density (MPOD) known as apparent motion photometry (AMP). Methods The authors took repeat readings of MPOD centrally (0°) and at 3° eccentricity for 76 healthy subjects (mean (±SD) 26.5±13.2 years, range 18–74 years). Results The overall mean MPOD for the cohort was 0.50±0.24 at 0°, and 0.28±0.20 at 3° eccentricity; these values were significantly different (t=−8.905, p<0.001). The coefficients of repeatability were 0.60 and 0.48 for the 0 and 3° measurements respectively. Conclusions The data suggest that when the same operator is taking repeated 0° AMP MPOD readings over time, only changes of more than 0.60 units can be classed as clinically significant. In other words, AMP is not suitable for monitoring changes in MPOD over time, as increases of this magnitude would not be expected, even in response to dietary modification or nutritional supplementation.
Importance of Architecture Knowledge and Algorithm Redesign for Efficient DSP Programming

In the recent past, there has been an increase in the demand for vision-based embedded systems. These applications have high computational requirements and therefore severely strain the limited resources available in most embedded systems. With today's high-performance digital signal processors (DSPs) offering additional features to address multi-media needs, it is necessary to understand and exploit these features to realize a real-time vision-based application. Algorithm level optimizations also contribute to reduction in processing power and memory requirements. Hence, software redesign is an important process for optimizing the software. In this paper, we emphasize the need for an in-depth knowledge of the architecture for optimal, cost-effective real-time performance. We also explain the impact of various optimization techniques on the execution time and memory consumption of a simple block-based algorithm and a complex real-world stationary vehicle detection algorithm
Characterization of Pathogenesis and Inflammatory Responses to Experimental Parechovirus Encephalitis

Human parechovirus type 3 (PeV-A3) infection has been recognized as an emerging etiologic factor causing severe nerve disease or sepsis in infants and young children. But the neuropathogenic mechanisms of PeV-A3 remain unknown. To understand the pathogenesis of PeV-A3 infection in the neuronal system, PeV-A3-mediated cytopathic effects were analyzed in human glioblastoma cells and neuroblastoma cells. PeV-A3 induced interferons and inflammatory cytokine expression in these neuronal cells. The pronounced cytopathic effects accompanied with activation of death signaling pathways of apoptosis, autophagy, and pyroptosis were detected. A new experimental disease model of parechovirus encephalitis was established. In the disease model, intracranial inoculation with PeV-A3 in C57BL/6 neonatal mice showed body weight loss, hindlimb paralysis, and approximately 20% mortality. PeV-A3 infection in the hippocampus and cortex regions of the neonatal mouse brain was revealed. Mechanistic assay supported the in vitro results, indicating detection of PeV-A3 replication, inflammatory cytokine expression, and death signaling transduction in mouse brain tissues. These in vitro and in vivo studies revealed that the activation of death signaling and inflammation responses is involved in PeV-A3-mediated neurological disorders. The present results might account for some of the PeV-A3-associated clinical manifestations.
Analysis Z-score to Predict Bankruptcy in Banks Listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange

This study aimed to test the predictions of bankruptcy in the banking companies listed in the Indonesia Stock Exchange using the Altman Z-score to see how big the bankruptcy prediction during period of 2011-2013 in the banking Industry. Calculating each bank’s bankruptcy prediction on each 29 banks institution. The data used in this study is the annual financial statements that are Exchange Indonesia. The analysis technique used is a bankruptcy prediction model Altman Z-score. By using the formula Z-score = 1.2X1 + 1.4 X2 + 3.3X3 + 0.6 + 1.0 X4 X5. The criteria for assessing a Z-score > 2.99 categorized as a very healthy company. 1.81
A Putative Mechanism for Bog Patterning

The surface of bogs commonly shows various spatial vegetation patterning. Typical are “string patterns” consisting of regular densely vegetated bands oriented perpendicular to the slope. Here, we report on regular “maze patterns” on flat ground, consisting of bands densely vegetated by vascular plants in a more sparsely vegetated matrix of nonvascular plant communities. We present a model reproducing these maze and string patterns, describing how nutrient‐limited vascular plants are controlled by, and in turn control, both hydrology and solute transport. We propose that the patterns are self‐organized and originate from a nutrient accumulation mechanism. In the model, this is caused by the convective transport of nutrients in the groundwater toward areas with higher vascular plant biomass, driven by differences in transpiration rate. In a numerical bifurcation analysis we show how the maze patterns originate from the spatially homogeneous equilibrium and how this is affected by changes in rainfall, nutrient input, and plant properties. Our results confirm earlier model results, showing that redistribution of a limiting resource may lead to fine‐scale facilitative and coarse‐scale competitive plant interactions in different ecosystems. Self‐organization in ecosystems may be a more general phenomenon than previously thought, which can be mechanistically linked to scale‐dependent facilitation and competition.