Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coil Selection for Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Cervical and Thoracic Spine Using a Vertical Magnetic Field

In order to optimize the coil selection for cervical and thoracic spine imaging the signal characteristics of two different solenoidal surface coils (15 cm and 30 cm diameter, respectively) as well as the head coil and body coil were determined using a 0.3 T MR scanner with a vertical magnetic field. Signal-to-noise ratio curves were obtained for each coil using tube phantoms and a human-like phantom. The findings were compared with images obtained in two healthy volunteers. The head coil was found to be superior for imaging of the cranio-cervical junction while the 15 cm surface coil gave better results in the remaining part of the cervical spine and the upper thoracic spine. The body coil was superior for imaging of the thoracic region at the level of the shoulders (T4-T6) but the 30 cm surface coil was better for the more caudal part of the thoracic spine. Combined phantom and in vivo studies are also recommended for evaluation of future, improved coils.
A comparison study of nonlinear and linear metrics in probing intrinsic brain networks from EEG data

Functional intrinsic brain networks (IBNs) has been widely studied due to its close relationship to different brain functions and diseases. In these studies, linear metrics, e.g., correlation, have been commonly used in identifying brain networks, especially on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. However, nonlinear mechanism is believed to exist in forming brain networks. In the present study, we investigated the performance of a nonlinear metric, i.e., phase coherence, in probing brain networks, as compared with a linear metric, i.e., power correlation. Specifically, individual IBNs were firstly obtained by a time-frequency independent component analysis (tfICA), and then the interaction among them were probed using either phase coherence (inter-component phase coherence, ICPC) or power correlation coefficient (PCC). We examined them using high-density resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) data from a group of patients with a balance disorder who received repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatments. The results indicated that the use of ICPC indicated more detections of significant connectivity crossing multiple brain regions in various frequency bands than PCC. Moreover, consistent treatment-related network changes, as compared with previous neuroimaging findings, in this brain disorder were more successfully detected with ICPC. Therefore, it is important to use nonlinear metric in characterizing interactions between different brain regions and IBNs.
Interleukin-10 gene-carrying bifidobacteria ameliorate murine ulcerative colitis by regulating regulatory T cell/T helper 17 cell pathway

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease suggested to be closely related to the imbalance of regulatory T cell/T helper 17 cell (Treg/Th17) signaling. Previously, we constructed an interleukin-10 (IL-10) expression vector, BL-hIL-10, and proved that it ameliorates dextran sulfate sodium-induced intestinal inflammation in mice. In this study, we further explored the mechanisms underlying BL-hIL-10 treatment from the Treg/Th17 imbalance perspective. Our results showed that the oral administration of BL-hIL-10 reduced the UC inflammation in mice significantly, which was assessed by disease activity index, spleen index, and pathological changes in colon tissue. Moreover, the mice after BL-hIL-10 treatment had increased proportion of Treg cells while Th17 cells decreased greatly, leading to the reconstruction of Treg/Th17 balance. Furthermore, the Th17 cell-secreted factors, such as IL-6, IL-17, and IL-23, were reduced, but the Treg-related factors, IL-10 and Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), were elevated accordingly. Finally, Western blot confirmed the inhibition of nuclear hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and cytoplasmic mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in intestinal tissues. In conclusion, oral administration of BL-hIL-10 can alleviate the inflammation responses of UC in murine model through the restoration of Treg/Th17 imbalance, which might be at least partially due to the inhibition of hypoxia–mTOR–HIF-1α–Th17 axis as well as IL-6–STAT3–HIF-1α–Th17 pathway.
Organizational Culture and Environmental Performance

Because it has become more and more urgent for organizations to implement environmental strategies with the support of organizational culture, this study considers it necessary to conduct an empirical study to examine the impact of organizational culture on environmental performance. Synthesizing the perspectives of organizational culture and environmental performance, we applied a theoretical model in the manufacturing industry of Pakistan linking an organizational culture that supports environmental practices for better environmental performance. Based on a survey of 314 manufacturing firms, using Smart-PLS, the current study found that adaptability, mission and consistency positively affect environmental performance. However, involvement does not have an effect on environmental performance. Additionally, organizational culture as a latent variable has a strong impact on environmental performance. The study is one of the first, to the author’s knowledge that links OC and EP in a developing economy, in this case Pakistan.
[Ocular pulse amplitude, intraocular pressure and beta blocker/carbonic anhydrase inhibition in combined therapy of primary open-angle glaucoma].

BACKGROUND Beyond intraocular pressure (IOP, German abbreviation: IOD) ocular perfusion is increasingly discussed in the pathogenesis of the glaucomas. The present study was designed to investigate for ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) in primary open angle glaucoma patients with elevated intraocular pressure (POAG, German abbreviation: POWG) following application of timolol, a beta-blocker and dorzolamide a topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitor. METHODS OPA (Ocular Blood Flow System, OBF Labs U.K.) IOP, heart rate, systolic and diastolic brachial artery pressures were measured before and 4 weeks following application of timolol and additional 4 weeks following application of a timolol/dorzolamide combination in 14 POAG patients. RESULTS Following administration of timolol, IOP was highly significantly reduced in drug treated POAG eyes; this effect was additively enhanced by dorzolamide. Timolol did not affect OPA, whereas dorzolamide significantly increased OPA in drug treated POAG eyes. Systemic perfusion parameters were unchanged. CONCLUSION Timolol and dorzolamide drastically reduced IOP, in addition dorzolamide increased OPA in POAG, an ocular microcirculatory effect which may further help to improve prognosis of POAG.
Collaborative memory intervention in dementia: Caregiver participation matters

The aim of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a collaborative memory intervention for persons with dementia and their spousal caregivers, where the couple acquired and practised memory supportive strategies (spaced-retrieval and hierarchical cuing) to learn a face–name association and to set a table for coffee/tea. The collaborative intervention was compared to an individual intervention where the person with dementia received the same training but without the participating caregiver and to a control group of couples receiving no training. The results showed that following collaborative intervention recall performance in two collaborative tasks became more equally shared between the spouses, reflected in a decrease in recall for the caregiver and in an increase in recall for the spouse with dementia between pre- and post-test; whereas for the other two groups the caregivers dominated collaborative recall both at pre- and post-test. The results also showed that the persons with dementia in the collaborative group improved their individually assessed episodic memory performance as compared to the persons with dementia in the other two groups. Finally, training had no effects on episodic memory, perceived burden or depressive symptoms for the caregivers. These results suggest that the active participation of the caregiver matters in cognitive dementia rehabilitation.
Desmoplastic and spindle cell melanomas express protein markers of the neural crest but not of later committed stages of Schwann cell differentiation

Background: The rare desmoplastic and spindle cell variants of malignant melanoma exhibit histological and biochemical features suggestive of early Schwann cell differentiation. These features include a spindle‐shaped morphology, neurotropism, and the expression of the low affinity nerve growth factor receptor (p75NGFR).
Down‐Regulation of the Expression of O‐Acetyl‐GD3 by the
O‐Acetylesterase cDNA in Hamster Melanoma Cells

Abstract : The composition of the gangliosides of hamster melanoma cells is closely related to their cellular growth and degree of differentiation, with slow‐growing, highly differentiated melanotic melanoma MI cells expressing GM3 and fast‐growing, undifferentiated amelanotic Ab melanoma cells having a preponderance of GD3 and O‐acetyl‐GD3. To study the putative function of O‐acetyl‐GD3, we established stably transfected AbC‐1 amelanotic hamster melanoma cells with O‐acetylesterase gene from influenza C virus to hydrolyze the O‐acetyl group from O‐acetyl‐GD3. The content of O‐acetyl‐GD3 in the transfected cells expressing O‐acetylesterase gene was reduced by >90%. These O‐acetyl‐GD3‐depleted cells differed from the parental ones in their cellular morphology, growth behavior, and melanogenesis activity. The absence of O‐acetyl‐GD3 in the transfected cells was accompanied by increased thick dendrite formation with an enlarged cell body, which is in striking contrast to the control cells, which were rounded and flattened, with few processes. Their growth was significantly slower than that of the control cells. They also demonstrated significantly lower tyrosinase activity and melanogenic potential. We suggest that the enhanced expression of melanoma‐associated O‐acetyl‐GD3 ganglioside may stimulate cellular growth and suppress certain differentiated phenotypes such as dendrite formation but not melanogenesis.
Macroeconomic Consequences of Bank’s Assets Reallocation After Mortgage Defaults

This paper proposes a DSGE model which uses Bayesian estimations to assess an economy under the strain of borrower’s default on its obligation to intermediary agents, similar to the climate of the Great Recession. The paper finds that the treasury bond market plays an important role in such economy: the default increases the spread between the return of mortgages and deposits, as a result banks prefer to compensate their losses by making profit in the mortgage market and in turn, decreasing their treasury bond holdings. These changes transfer the shock to the real side of the economy through housing, credit, deposit and government loan channels and thereby instigate a business cycle. The model proposed in this paper accurately portrays the behaviour of key economic variables before the Great Recession; in particular housing prices, mortgages, deposits and treasury bond holdings by banks. Significantly, this model illustrates the home price downward spiral which succeeded the recession. The paper demonstrates that the specification of the credit constraint relying on house price expectations as well as frictions in housing and capital investments, which can give rise to the Paradox of Thrift, are the major delay factors in recovery. In addition, the findings argue that macroprudential policies help mitigate financial risks and reduce common exposures across markets. Such policies, however, may be inadequate for the post-crisis restoration of the economy.
Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Eco-Toilet Systems in Rural Areas: A Case Study in the Philippines

Death due to diseases from poor sanitation is a serious global issue and it has become one of the priorities of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (i.e., SDG6). This SDG6 aims to provide adequate improved sanitation facilities to over 2.3 billion people around the world who have no or limited access to sanitation, wherein more than two-thirds of these un-served people live in rural areas. One of the strategies for addressing this global issue is through emerging sustainable sanitation technologies such as the Eco-Toilet System (ETS), which uses small amounts of water or is even waterless and recovers nutrients from human waste thereby promoting water-energy conservation, improved sanitation and supplement nutrients essential to plant growth. Social acceptance, however, remains a key barrier in deploying the ETS. A social perception study on the use of the ETS was conducted in a rural community in Mulanay, Philippines. The researchers analyzed the proposed combined technology acceptance model and theory of planned behavior (C-TAM-TPB) using multiple linear regression and the Mann-Whitney U-test to evaluate the perceptions and attitudes of a rural community towards the use of the ETS. The results showed that more than 50% of the respondents are aware of the nutrient value of human excreta and believe that it is usable as fertilizer; however, less than 25% prefer to utilize it for food production. Results also indicate that the behavior of the users is driven by their attitude (β = 0.420, p-value < 0.010). Moreover, the Mann-Whitney U-test results revealed that people who are knowledgeable of the nutrient value of human excreta and are willing to collect them have more positive attitude towards the ETS.
Rad51 Expression in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Its Association with Tumor Reduction: A Preliminary Study in Indonesia.

BACKGROUND Overexpression of Rad51 protein in many tumor cells has been proven to increase radioresistance and can be related to the resistance of chemosensitivity of tumor cells. This preliminary study was conducted to determine the relationship between the Rad51 expression level in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and the response of the treatment based on the measurement of the tumor reduction. METHODS Thirteen cases of the NPCs were analyzed. The expression levels of the Rad51 were examined from the pretreatment biopsies. Furthermore, tumor reductions were determined based on the change in sum longest diameter of the nasopharyngeal CT-scan before and after therapy. RESULTS The expression level of the Rad51 was associated with the reduction of tumor mass. The P value was 0.049 and the correlation coefficient was 0.479. CONCLUSION The tumor cells Rad51 expression levels may affect the tumor reduction of NPC after the therapy.
The Environmental Strategy of Businesses as an Option under Recession in Greece

In recent years and mostly during the last two decades, the decisive role of the environment in the business administration field and business life in general has emerged. In the modern, fast changing, and highly competitive business environment, and even more so in the context of the recent economic crisis, businesses constantly struggle to survive, trying to resolve problems and improve their performance and competitive advantage. Therefore, they must save and invest substantial sums of money to build strong infrastructure, to change procedures, and to produce environmentally friendly products. In view of the above, the current study attempted to examine the impact of environmental strategy on the growth of medium and large enterprises in all sectors in Greece, in a period of economic crisis. The study, carried out in February and March 2018, confirmed the positive correlation and the critical role of environmental strategy in the financial performance of Greek enterprises during this period of economic recession. Both eco-efficient practices and innovative practices lead to the creation of competitive advantage and, thus, to the improvement of the financial performance of a firm.
Deoxynivalenol and other Fusarium toxins in wheat and rye flours on the Danish market

Information on the contamination of Danish cereals and cereal products with Fusarium toxins is limited and the last survey is from 1984/1985. In the present study, the occurrence of deoxynivalenol (DON), nivalenol (NIV), HT-2 toxin, T-2 toxin and zearalenone (ZON) was investigated in flour of common wheat, durum wheat and rye. The samples were collected from 1998 to 2001 from both mills and the retail market in Denmark. A total of 190 flour samples were analysed for DON and NIV and about 60 samples for HT-2, T-2 toxin and ZON. DON was most frequently detected with an incidence rate of 78% over all samples for all years. The contamination level varied considerably from year to year, and for wheat and rye the highest incidence and DON concentrations were found in samples from the 1998 harvest. There were regular and heavy rainfalls in Denmark during the flowering period of the crops that year, and DON was found in all samples, with mean concentrations in wheat and rye flour of 191 μg kg-1 (n=14) and 99 μg kg-1 (n=16), respectively. Comparison of data from each harvest year showed higher contents of DON in samples of wheat (range 20–527 μg kg-1) than in rye (20–257 μg kg-1). Contents of NIV, HT-2 toxin and ZON in samples of wheat and rye were generally low, and even in positive samples the contents were close to the detection limit of the methods. The T-2 toxin was detected in only a few of the wheat samples and in low amounts. However, the toxin was found in about 50% of the rye samples collected during 1998–2000, with a mean content of 49 μg kg-1 (n=25). Durum wheat flour showed the highest DON contamination level, and all samples (n%33) collected during 2000 and 2001 contained DON with means and medians above 1100 μg kg-1. Over 70% of the samples contained more than 500 μg kg-1 DON, and the highest observed concentration was 2591 μg kg-1. The concentration of T-2 toxin in durum wheat flour was also high with five of the 10 analysed samples containing more than 100 g kg-1.
Class-specific immune response to Yersinia enterocolitica serotype O9 antigens as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using lipopolysaccharide (S-LPS) as the antigen was used to analyze the antibody response in rabbits orogastrically and intravenously infected with virulent (plasmid-bearing) Yersinia enterocolitica O9 strains (pYV+) and with the avirulent (plasmid-cured) derivatives (pYV-). A significative response of immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA, and IgM antibodies against the S-LPS antigen was evident in sera from the rabbits orogastrically infected with pYV+ strains. This immune response was stronger and persisted longer than those obtained with the corresponding pYV- strains. In contrast, few differences were observed in the titers and evolution of IgG, IgA, and IgM antibodies against the S-LPS antigen in rabbits intravenously infected with pYV+ and pYV- strains. These results suggest that the necessity of the virulence plasmid for the establishment of infection by Y. enterocolitica serotype O9 is conditioned by the infection route used. When the S-LPS ELISA was compared with the radial immunodiffusion test using the native hapten as the antigen, the results showed that the ELISA technique was more sensitive. However, only those sera obtained between 2 and 8 weeks postinfection from rabbits intravenously infected with plasmid-bearing strains were positive in the radial immunodiffusion test.
Paediatricians' validation of learning objectives in paediatric cardiology.

BACKGROUND The current objectives for teaching paediatric cardiology to paediatric residents have not been validated and may not be relevant to current paediatric practice. OBJECTIVES To validate the cardiology component of the Royal College of Physician and Surgeons of Canada's objectives for training paediatricians. METHODS A questionnaire was sent to practising paediatricians in Atlantic Canada. The questions were based on the Royal College of Physician and Surgeons of Canada's training objectives. The frequency of problems seen, confidence in assessment and management of problems, and reasons for referral were identified. Clinical vignettes were followed by short questions. The outpatient referrals were reviewed to validate the questionnaire responses. RESULTS One hundred fifty-one questionnaires were mailed and the response rate was 60%. Murmurs were the most common problem encountered (92%). Syncope (9%), Kawasaki disease (8%) and chest pain (6%) were less frequently encountered. Paediatricians were confident in assessing and managing problems despite the low frequency of encounters. Less confidence was expressed regarding physical examination skills and interpretation of electrocardiograms. Uncertainty of the diagnosis was the most common reason for patient referral, with parental anxiety and medicolegal concerns accounting for 24% and 7% of referrals, respectively. Syncope with exercise was relatively poorly recognized as a worrisome symptom. CONCLUSIONS Most cardiology objectives for general paediatric training remain relevant and appropriate to clinical practice. Physical examination skills, electrocardiogram interpretation and the assessment of syncope need to be emphasized.
Lifetime Modeling of ZnO Thin-Film Transistors

A novel method of predicting the lifetime of polycrystalline metal-oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs) is presented. The measured threshold-voltage shift is correlated to the creation of defect (trap) states within the semiconductor grain boundaries. Once this relationship is established, conventional threshold-voltage shift and polycrystalline transport models can be used to predict the TFT current with time. Measured bias-stress data taken from ZnO TFTs fabricated on flexible polyethylene naphthalate substrates are accurately fit using this model.
Ci-VSP Is a Depolarization-activated Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate and Phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate 5′-Phosphatase*

Phosphoinositides are membrane-delimited regulators of protein function and control many different cellular targets. The differentially phosphorylated isoforms have distinct concentrations in various subcellular membranes, which can change dynamically in response to cellular signaling events. Maintenance and dynamics of phosphoinositide levels involve a complex set of enzymes, among them phospholipases and lipid kinases and phosphatases. Recently, a novel type of phosphoinositide-converting protein (termed Ci-VSP) that contains a voltage sensor domain was isolated. It was already shown that Ci-VSP can alter phosphoinositide levels in a voltage-dependent manner. However, the exact enzymatic reaction catalyzed by Ci-VSP is not known. We used fluorescent phosphoinositide-binding probes and total internal reflection microscopy together with patch-clamp measurements from living cells to delineate substrates and products of Ci-VSP. Upon activation of Ci-VSP by membrane depolarization, membrane association of phosphatidylinositol (PI) (4,5)P2- and PI(3,4,5)P3-specific binding domains decreased, revealing consumption of these phosphoinositides by Ci-VSP. Depletion of PI(4,5)P2 was coincident with an increase in membrane PI(4)P. Similarly, PI(3,4)P2 was generated during depletion of PI(3,4,5)P3. These results suggest that Ci-VSP acts as a 5′-phosphatase of PI(4,5)P2 and PI(3,4,5)P3.