Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cellular Origin of Ischemia‐Induced Glutamate Release from Brain Tissue In Vivo and In Vitro

Abstract: The uptake and release of d‐[3H]aspartate (used as a tracer for endogenous glutamate and aspartate) were studied in cultured glutamatergic neurons (cere‐bellar granule cells) and astrocytes at normal (5 mM) or high (55 mM) potassium and under conditions of hypo‐glycemia, anoxia or “ischemia” (combined hypoglycemia and anoxia). In glutamatergic neurons it was found that “ischemic” conditions led to a 2.4‐fold increase in the potassium‐induced release of d‐[3H]aspartate as compared to normal conditions. Hypoglycemia or anoxia alone affected the release only marginally. The ischemia‐induced increase in the evoked d‐[3H]aspartate release was shown to be calcium‐dependent. In astrocytes no difference was found in the potassium‐induced release between the four conditions and the K+‐induced release was not calcium‐dependent. The uptake of d‐[3H]‐aspartate was found to be stimulated at high potassium in both glutamatergic neurons (98%) and in astrocytes (70%). This stimulation of d‐aspartate uptake, however, was significantly reduced under conditions of anoxia or “ischemia” in both cell types. In glutamatergic neurons (but not in astrocytes) hypoglycemia also decreased the potassium stimulation of d‐aspartate uptake. In a previous report it was shown, using the microdialysis technique, that during transient cerebral ischemia in vivo the extracellular glutamate content in hippocampus was increased eightfold. In the present paper it is shown that essentially no increase in extracellular glutamate is seen under ischemia when the perfusion is performed using calcium‐free, cobalt‐containing perfusion media. The results from the in vitro and in vivo experiments indicate that the glutamate accumulated extracellularly under ischemia in vivo originates from transmitter pools in glutamatergic neurons. Moreover, the released glutamate cannot be efficiently disposed of due to a lack of activation by potassium of the high‐affinity glutamate uptake system in neurons and astrocytes under ischemic conditions.
Psoriatic arthritis clinical registries and genomics

To understand better a complex disease such as psoriatic arthritis (PsA), collection of a large amount of information on clinical, laboratory, and radiological features is required over an extended period of time. Longitudinal data can be effectively collected and stored in clinical registries and databases. This article reviews current databases in PsA and proposes a structure for an international PsA registry. Careful collection and analysis of patient data through collaborative efforts will likely advance our knowledge of pathogenesis and provide new and much needed insights about the course and prognosis of the disease.
Mindfulness Meditation: A Preliminary Study on Meditation Practice During Everyday Life Activities and its Association with Well-Being

Past research has shown that mindfulness meditation is useful for the attenuation of psychological and physical suffering in clinical populations. In structured mindfulness-based interventions, patients engage in meditation exercises to refine their attentional skills and to learn to purposefully relate to the present moment experience in a non-judgemental manner. Following the development of such interventions, mindfulness has also received considerable attention in academic psychology, where it has been incorporated in the self-determination theory (SDT). According to SDT, the cultivation of mindfulness may warrant effective need gratification and consequently yield enhanced well-being in healthy individuals. In this context, in the current study, we examined the association between mindfulness meditation, self-reported trait mindfulness and their predictive value for psychological well-being in a non-clinical sample. Individuals who engaged in mindfulness meditation regularly (N = 30) were compared to individuals without meditation experience (N = 30) on various scales which assessed trait mindfulness and psychological well-being. Meditators reported higher emotional well-being, which was predicted by frequency and duration of practice. Especially those practitioners, who made efforts to implement mindfulness practice in activities of everyday life showed enhanced emotional adjustment. In an explorative analysis, mindfulness was identified as a putative partial mediator of the relationship between meditation practice and well-being. Despite methodological constraints, results of the current study suggest that mindfulness meditation, in a non-clinical context, is associated with increased psychological well-being, and as such worth to be explored in more detail by future research. The study and its results might be relevant for the clinical sector as well, since they provide some information on how individuals with e.g., subclinical residual symptoms can protect themselves complementarily to CBT, but without participating in a completely structured mindfulness-based intervention.
Neuropsychological deficits in monozygotic twins with childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms

We report a unique pair of monozygotic twins with childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms who showed subtle cognitive deficits. The twin with a more severe epileptic disorder showed a more severe impairment of cognitive functioning. We suggest that epileptic focus may act as an element of disturbance in the development of primary functions and may give rise to a neuropsychological impairment proportionate to the severity of the epileptic activity.
Decentralized DOTS shortens delay to TB treatment significantly in Cambodia.

SETTING Rural districts in Cambodia with and without decentralized health center based DOTS program. OBJECTIVE To compare delays to treatment and behavior of patients up to diagnosis, between the pilot districts where DOTS is decentralized through the health centers, and the control districts where DOTS is provided through hospitals. DESIGN A cross sectional study with structured questionnaire interviews to all new smear-positive TB patients aged 15 years or older who were registered in the study sites from May 1st to July 31st in 2002. RESULTS The total delay in the pilot districts was significantly shorter than that in the control districts (median 58 days vs. 232 days, p < 0.01). The median doctors' delay within TB service in the pilot districts was 10 days and that in the control was 6 days. The period between first consultation to any health care provider and first visit to a TB service center, subsequent contact delay, was longer than any other type of delay and significantly different (24 days in pilot vs. 185 days in control, p < 0.01). The distance and travel costs to a TB service center were the factors associated with delay in seeking diagnosis of tuberculosis. No other variables had any significant association with the delay. CONCLUSION Decentralizing DOTS to primary care health centers is highly effective in reducing the delay to TB treatment in Cambodia.
Enzymatic deamidation of methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins in Escherichia coli catalyzed by the cheB gene product.

The methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins (MCPs) of Escherichia coli undergo reversible methylation that has been correlated with adaptation of cells to environmental stimuli. MCPI, the product of the tsr gene, accepts methyl groups at multiple sites that are located on two tryptic peptides, denoted K1 and R1. A second modification of the MCPs, which is not methylation, has been designated the CheB-dependent modification. A CheB-dependent modification occurs on methyl-accepting peptide K1 and allows additional methyl groups to be incorporated into this peptide. We have performed partial amino acid sequence analyses on radiolabeled peptides K1 and R1 derived from MCPI and have identified several methyl-accepting sites. We found that, in the absence of CheB-dependent modification, a site in peptide K1 is unable to accept methyl groups. Correlation of this protein sequence data with the nucleotide sequence of the tsr gene [Boyd, A. , Kendall, K. & Simon, M.I. (1983) Nature (London) 301, 623-626] suggests that CheB-dependent modification of MCPI is the enzymatic deamidation of glutamine to methyl-accepting glutamic acid. Possible roles for this deamidation in bacterial chemotaxis are discussed.
Stress‐Induced Premature Senescence: Essence of Life, Evolution, Stress, and Aging

The stress syndrome was discovered accidentally by Hans Selye while searching for new hormones in the placenta.1 After injecting rats with crude preparations, Selye found adrenal enlargements and involution of thymus and lymph nodes, which he thought were specific for a particular hormone. It occurred to Selye that these symptoms might represent a nonspecific response to noxious agents. Indeed, this was found to be the case when he injected rats with diverse agents. Selye defined the stress response as the “general adaptation syndrome. ”2,3 According to this theory, the initial reaction to stress is shock, it is followed by a countershock phase, and gradually resistance develops to the stressor. This resistance may turn into exhaustion, however, if the stressor persists, and death may ensue. Both specific and nonspecific resistance develops during stress.4 In his last scientific book, Selye defined biologic stress as “the non-specific response of the body to any demand made upon it. ”5 Beside the transfer of the word “stress” from physics to biology, Selye also coined the words corticosteroids, glucocorticoids, and mineralocorticoids.6 Nowadays, the concept of stress has invaded most fields of the biologic, medical, and social sciences. Cellular and molecular biology has become interested in the study of the stress response of human, animal, and plant cells, the consensus being that “any environmental factor potentially unfavourable to living organism” is stress.7 It is also generally agreed that “if the limits of tolerance are exceeded and the adaptive capacity is over-worked, the result may be permanent damage or even death. ”8 Three phases of the stress response have been defined based on experimental observations: (1) the response phase of alarm reaction with deviation of functional norm, decline of vitality, and excess of catabolic processes over anabolism, (2) the restitution phase or stage of resistance with adaptation processes and repair processes, and (3) either the end phase, that stage of exhaustion or long-term response when stress intensity is too high, leading to overcharge of the adaptation capacity, damage, chronic dis-
Low Rossby limiting dynamics for stably stratified flow with finite Froude number

In this paper, we explore the strong rotation limit of the rotating and stratified Boussinesq equations with periodic boundary conditions when the stratification is order 1 ([Rossby number] Ro = ε, [Froude number] Fr = O(1), as ε → 0). Using the same framework of Embid & Majda (Geophys. Astrophys. Fluid Dyn., vol. 87, 1998, p. 1), we show that the slow dynamics decouples from the fast. Furthermore, we derive equations for the slow dynamics and their conservation laws. The horizontal momentum equations reduce to the two-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations. The equation for the vertically averaged vertical velocity includes a term due to the vertical average of the buoyancy. The buoyancy equation, the only variable to retain its three-dimensionality, is advected by all three two-dimensional slow velocity components. The conservation laws for the slow dynamics include those for the two-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations and a new conserved quantity that describes dynamics between the vertical kinetic energy and the buoyancy. The leading order potential enstrophy is slow while the leading order total energy retains both fast and slow dynamics. We also perform forced numerical simulations of the rotating Boussinesq equations to demonstrate support for three aspects of the theory in the limit Ro → 0: (i) we find the formation and persistence of large-scale columnar Taylor–Proudman flows in the presence of O(1) Froude number; after a spin-up time, (ii) the ratio of the slow total energy to the total energy approaches a constant and that at the smallest Rossby numbers that constant approaches 1 and (iii) the ratio of the slow potential enstrophy to the total potential enstrophy also approaches a constant and that at the lowest Rossby numbers that constant is 1. The results of the numerical simulations indicate that even in the presence of the low wavenumber white noise forcing the dynamics exhibit characteristics of the theory.
PTEN Blocks Tumor Necrosis Factor-induced NF-κB-dependent Transcription by Inhibiting the Transactivation Potential of the p65 Subunit*

PTEN is a lipid phosphatase responsible for down-regulating the phosphoinositide 3-kinase product phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-triphosphate. Phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-triphosphate is involved in the activation of the anti-apoptotic effector target, Akt. Although the Akt pathway has been implicated in regulating NF-κB activity, it is controversial as to whether Akt activates NF-κB predominantly through mechanisms that regulate nuclear translocation or transactivation potential. In this report, we utilized PTEN as a natural biological inhibitor of Akt activity to study the effects on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced activation of NF-κB. We found that the reintroduction of PTEN into prostate cells inhibited TNF-stimulated NF-κB transcriptional activity. PTEN failed to block TNF-induced IKK activation, IκBα degradation, p105 processing, p65 (RelA) nuclear translocation, and DNA binding of NF-κB. However, PTEN inhibited NF-κB-dependent transcription by blocking the ability of TNF to stimulate the transactivation domain of the p65 subunit. PTEN also inhibited the transactivation potential of the cyclic AMP-response element-binding protein, but this was not observed for c-Jun. The transactivation potential of p65 following TNF stimulation could be rescued from PTEN-dependent repression by re-introducing expression constructs encoding activated forms of phosphoinositide 3-kinase, Akt, or Akt and IKK. The ability of PTEN to inhibit the TNF-induced transactivation function of p65 is important, because expression of PTEN blocked TNF-stimulated NF-κB-dependent gene expression, thus sensitizing cells to TNF-induced apoptosis. Maintenance of the PTEN tumor suppressor protein is therefore required to modulate Akt activity and to concomitantly control the transcriptional activity of the anti-apoptotic transcription factor NF-κB.
Preoperative and postoperative 1H-MR spectroscopy changes in frontal deep white matter and the thalamus in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus

Background In a previous study we found significantly decreased N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) and total N-acetyl (tNA) groups in the thalamus of patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) compared with healthy individuals (HI). No significant difference between the groups could be found in the frontal deep white matter (FDWM). Objective The primary aim of this study was to investigate if these metabolites in the thalamus were normalised after shunt surgery. The secondary aim was to investigate postoperative metabolic changes in FDWM. Subjects and methods Fourteen patients with iNPH, mean age 74 years, and 15 HI, also mean age 74 years, were examined. Assessment of a motor score (MOSs) was performed before and after shunt surgery. Absolute quantitative 1H-MR spectroscopy (1.5 T, volumes of interest 2.5–3 ml) was performed on the patients in the FDWM and in the thalamus, before and 3 months after shunt surgery, and also once on the HI. The following metabolites were analysed: tNA, NAA, total creatine, total choline (tCho), myo-inositol (mIns), glutamate and lactate concentrations. MRI volumetric calculations of the lateral ventricles were also performed. Results At 3 months postoperatively, we found no significant changes of tNA or NAA in the thalamus. In contrast, in the FDWM, there was a significant increase of tCho (p=0.01) and a borderline significant decrease of mIns (p=0.06). 12/14 patients were shunt responders (motor function). Median reduction of the lateral ventricle was 16%. A weak correlation between MOS and ventricular reduction was seen. Conclusions Normalisation of thalamic tNA and NAA could not be detected postoperatively. The increased tCho and decreased mIns in the FDWM postoperatively might relate to clinical improvement.
Vocal tract length normalisation approaches to DNN-based children's and adults' speech recognition

This paper introduces approaches based on vocal tract length normalisation (VTLN) techniques for hybrid deep neural network (DNN) - hidden Markov model (HMM) automatic speech recognition when targeting children's and adults' speech. VTLN is investigated by training a DNN-HMM system by using first mel frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs) normalised with standard VTLN. Then, MFCCs derived acoustic features are combined with the VTLN warping factors to obtain an augmented set of features as input to a DNN. In this later, novel, approach the warping factors are obtained with a separate DNN and the decoding can be operated in a single pass when standard VTLN approach requires two decoding passes. Both VTLN-based approaches are shown to improve phone error rate performance, up to 20% relative improvement, compared to a baseline trained on a mixture of children's and adults' speech.
Effect of Various Thawing Times and Temperatures on Frozen Semen Quality of Friesian Bulls in Iraq

This experiment was designed to determine the best practical method of semen thawing which could be applied to frozen semen in straw obtained from Holstein-Friesian produced by Artificial Insemination Center-Iraq. frozen Semen was thawed in the following procedures: 5°C for 30 min, 37°C for 20 sec, 37°C for 30 sec and 60°C for 8 sec and motility, live, morphology and Post-thaw livability of sperm cells was assessed by determining the percentage of progressively motile sperm at 0, 2 and 4 h of incubation at 37°C. Results revealed that motility, live, abnormality, intact acrosoma and Post-thaw livability of sperm cells, were significantly (p<0.05) higher for the 37°C for 30 sec and 60°C for 8 sec than the other thawing methods and post-thaw semen can maintained at water bath 37°C until 3 h. Also thawing procedures at 37°C for 30 sec it is recommended to use in Iraq because it was showing good quality of post thawing semen and easy to used in field. In addition to result indicated that thawing at 60°C for 8 sec lead to best results but difficult practically used in field.
Frequency support characteristics of grid-interactive power converters based on the synchronous power controller

Grid-interactive converters with primary frequency control and inertia emulation have emerged and are promising for future renewable generation plants because of the contribution in power system stabilisation. This study gives a synchronous active power control solution for grid-interactive converters, as a way to emulate synchronous generators for inerita characteristics and load sharing. As design considerations, the virtual angle stability and transient response are both analysed, and the detailed implementation structure is also given without entailing any difficulty in practice. The analytical and experimental validation of frequency support characteristics differentiates the work from other publications on generator emulation control. The 10 kW simulation and experimental frequency sweep tests on a regenerative source test bed present good performance of the proposed control in showing inertia and droop characteristics, as well as the controllable transient response.
Classification of Salmonella enterica serotypes with selective bands using visible/NIR hyperspectral microscope images

Optical detection of foodborne bacteria such as Salmonella classifies bacteria by analysing spectral data, and has potential for rapid detection. In this experiment hyperspectral microscopy is explored as a means for classifying five Salmonella serotypes. Initially, the microscope collects 89 spectral measurements between 450 and 800 nm. Here, the objective was to develop correct classification of five serotypes with optimal spectral bands selected through multivariate data analysis (MVDA), thus reducing the data processing and storage requirement necessary for practical application in the food industry. An upright digital microscope is equipped with an acousto‐optical tuneable filter, electron multiplying charge‐coupled device, and metal halide lighting source. Images for each of the five serotypes were collected, and informative bands were identified through a principal component analysis, for four abbreviated spectral ranges containing 3, 7, 12 and 20 spectral bands. The experiment was repeated with an independent repetition and images were collected at each of the reduced band sets, identified by the first repetition. A support vector machine (SVM) was used to classify serotypes. Results showed that with the first repetition, classification accuracy decreased from 99.5% (89 bands) to 84.5% (3 bands), whereas the second repetition showed classification accuracies of 100%, possibly due to a reduction in spectral noise. The support vector machine regression (SVMR) was applied with cross‐validation, and had R2 calibration and validation values >0.922. Although classification accuracies through SVM classification showed that as little as 3 bands were able to classify 100% of the samples, the SVMR shows that the smallest root‐mean squared‐error values were 0.001 and 0.002 for 20 and 12 bands, respectively, suggesting that the 12 band range collected between 586 and 630 nm is optimal for classifying bacterial serotypes, with only the informative HMI bands selected.
Clinical trials of meditation practices in health care: characteristics and quality.

OBJECTIVE To provide a descriptive overview of the clinical trials assessing meditation practices for health care. DESIGN Systematic review of the literature. Comprehensive searches were conducted in 17 electronic bibliographic databases through September 2005. Other sources of potentially relevant studies included hand searches, reference tracking, contacting experts, and gray literature searches. Included studies were clinical trials with 10 or more adult participants using any meditation practice, providing quantitative data on health-related outcomes, and published in English. Two independent reviewers assessed study relevance, extracted the data, and assessed the methodological quality of the studies. RESULTS Four hundred clinical trials on meditation (72% described as randomized) were included in the review (publication years 1956-2005). Five broad categories of meditation practices were identified: mantra meditation, mindfulness meditation, yoga, t'ai chi, and qigong. The three most studied clinical conditions were hypertension, miscellaneous cardiovascular diseases, and substance abuse. Psychosocial measures were the most frequently reported outcomes. Outcome measures of psychiatric and psychological symptoms dominate the outcomes of interest. Overall, the methodological quality of clinical trials is poor, but has significantly improved over time by 0.014 points every year (95% CI, 0.005, 0.023). CONCLUSIONS Most clinical trials on meditation practices are generally characterized by poor methodological quality with significant threats to validity in every major quality domain assessed. Despite a statistically significant improvement in the methodological quality over time, it is imperative that future trials on meditation be rigorous in design, execution, analysis, and the reporting of results.