Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Degenerative Spondylolisthesis: Review of Current Trends and Controversies

Study Design. A literature-based review. Objectives. To review management and controversies and to present authors recommendations. Summary of Background Data. There is considerable controversy regarding indication for surgery, role for decompression alone, and decompression with fusion with or without instrumentation. Methods. Review of English language medical literature. Results. The condition may stabilize itself with the collapse of the disc spaces and osteophytes but may continue to progress in nearly a third of the cases. It may cause predominantly back pain due to segmental instability, or radicular pain/neurogenic claudication secondary to root entrapment or spinal stenosis. When conservative treatment fails, the mainstay of surgical treatment is decompressive laminectomy and fusion, with or without instrumentation. Conclusions. Decompression primarily relieves radicular symptoms and neurogenic claudication whereas fusion primarily relieves back pain by elimination of instability. The goals for instrumentation are to promote fusion and to correct deformity. Fusion has a better long-term outcome than decompression alone. There is evidence that instrumentation improves fusion rate but does not improve clinical outcome in a relatively short-term follow-up. However, outcome of pseudarthrosis cases deteriorates over time and solid fusion produces better long-term outcome. The benefit of instrumentation comes with a price of higher postoperative morbidity and complication rate. Bone morphogenetic proteins are being tried to increase the rate of fusion, without increasing the complication rate, but the cost is prohibitive. More recently, dynamic stabilization with instrumentation but without fusion has been introduced as an alternative treatment. The current trends of surgical treatment and controversies are discussed.
Characteristics of response of renal vascular bed to contrast media. Evidence for vasoconstriction induced by renin-angiotensin system.

Three contrast media (mcglumine diatrizoate, meglumine iothalamate and sodium diatrizoate) produced a characteristic biphasic renal hemodynamic response in dogs. An initial transient vasodilatation, which is the common response to contrast media of all vascular beds, was followed by a more prolonged period of vasoconstriction, which is unique to the kidney. Phenoxybenzamine blocked the renal vasoconstriction produced by norepinephrine and 5–hydroxytryptamine but did not influence the biphasic response to the contrast media. The vasoconstriction caused by a bolus of angiotensin or by the contrast media was completely abolished during angiotensin tachyphylaxis, however. Thus, neither norepinephrine nor 5–hydroxytryptamine was involved in mediating the vasoconstriction, whereas angiotensin was implicated. The vasoconstrictor response to contrast media apparently is related to the hyper tonicity of these agents, activation of the renin-angiotensin system and the local conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II within the kidney.
Differences in early maladaptive schemas in a sample of alcohol- and opioid-dependent women: Do schemas vary across disorders?

Research suggests that there may be differences between individuals diagnosed with alcohol dependence and individuals diagnosed with opioid dependence on co-morbid mental health problems (e.g., personality disorders, and mood disorders). This study examined whether there were differences in early maladaptive schemas, which are theorized to underlie mental health problems, among women diagnosed with alcohol or opioid dependence who were seeking treatment for their substance use (n = 420). Results showed that opioid-dependent women scored higher on two of the 18 early maladaptive schemas, particularly the schemas of dependence and punitiveness. Overall, these findings suggest that early maladaptive schemas may be largely consistent across women diagnosed with alcohol or opioid dependence. Implications of these findings for future research and treatment are discussed.
Reproductive alliances and posthumous fitness enhancement in male ants

Ants provide excellent opportunities for studying the evolutionary aspects of reproductive conflict. Relatedness asymmetries owing to the haplodiploid sex determination of Hymenoptera create substantial fitness incentives for gaining control over sex allocation, often at the expense of the fitness interests of nest–mates. Under worker–controlled split sex ratios either the reproductive interests of the mother queen (when workers male bias the sex ratio) or the father (when workers female bias the sex ratio), but never that of both parents simultaneously, are fulfilled. When workers bias sex ratios according to the frequency of queen mating, males which co–sire a colony have a joint interest in manipulating their daughter workers into rearing a more female–biased sex ratio. Here we show that males of the ant Formica truncorum achieve such manipulation by partial sperm clumping, so that the cohort–specific relatedness asymmetry of the workers in colonies with multiple fathers is higher than the cumulative relatedness asymmetry across worker cohorts. This occurs because a single male fathers the majority of the offspring within a cohort. Colonies with higher average cohort–specific relatedness asymmetry produce more female–biased sex ratios. Posthumously expressed male genes are thus able to oppose the reproductive interests of the genes expressed in queens and the latter apparently lack mechanisms for enforcing full control over sperm mixing and sperm allocation.
Tropoelastin and Elastin Degradation Products Promote Proliferation of Human Astrocytoma Cell Lines

Expression of tropoelastin, the precursor of insoluble elastin and a major component of elastic fibers, has not yet been demonstrated in astrocytomas nor has it been linked to their proliferation. Here we report that human astrocytoma cell lines (U87 MO, U251 MG, U343 MG-A, U373 MG, SF 126, SF188, SF 539), as well as surgical specimens of malignant human astrocytomas, express intracellular tropoelastin. The tropoelastin produced by astrocytoma cells is, however, susceptible to proteolytic trimming to the extent that it cannot be assembled into extracellular elastic fibers. Astrocytoma cells also express the cell surface 67-kDa elastin binding protein (EBP), which binds elastin degradation products, leading to the upregulation of cyclin A and cdk2 and increased incorporation of [3H]-thymidine. The elastin-dependent mitogenic response of astrocytoma cells is abolished by lactose and chondroitin sulfate, factors which cause shedding of this 67-kDa elastin receptor from the cell surface and by blocking anti-EBP antibody. We therefore suggest that, in astrocytomas, endogenous tropoelastin degradation products bind to EBP and generate signals leading to cell cycle progression in an autocrine or paracrine manner. This is the first report implicating elastin-derived peptides as possible mitogens in malignant astrocytomas.
PolyADP‐ribosylation and cancer

The polyADP‐ribosylation reaction results in a unique post‐translational modification involved in various cellular processes and conditions, including DNA repair, transcriptional control, genomic stability, cell death and transformation. The existence of 17 members of the poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP) family has so far been documented, with overlapping functional consequences. PARP‐1 is known to be involved in DNA base excision repair and this explains the susceptibility spectrum of PARP‐1 knockout animals to genotoxic carcinogens. The fact that centrosome amplification is induced by a non‐genotoxic inhibitor of PARP and in PARP‐1 knockout mouse cells, is in line with aneuploidy, which is frequent in cancers. Genetically engineered animal models have revealed that PARP‐1 and VPARP impact carcinogenesis. Furthermore, accumulating experimental evidence supports the utility of PARP and PARG inhibitors in cancer therapy and several clinical trials are now ongoing. Increasing NAD+ levels by pharmacological supplementation with niacin has also been found to exert preventive effects against cancer. In the present review, recent research progress on polyADP‐ribosylation related to neoplasia is summarized and discussed. (Cancer Sci 2007; 98: 1528–1535)
Tau-directed approaches for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease: focus on leuco-methylthioninium

ABSTRACT Small molecular weight compounds able to inhibit formation of tau oligomers and fibrils have already been tested for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) treatment. The most advanced tau aggregation inhibitor (TAI) is methylthioninium (MT), a drug existing in equilibrium between a reduced (leuco-methylthioninium) and oxidized form (MT+). MT chloride (also known as methylene blue) was investigated in a 24-week Phase II study in 321 mild-to-moderate AD patients at the doses of 69, 138, and 228 mg/day. This trial failed to show significant positive effects of MT in the overall patient population. The dose of 138 mg/day showed potential benefits on cognitive performance of moderately affected patients and cerebral blood flow in mildly affected patients. A follow-up compound (TRx0237) claimed to be more bioavailable and less toxic than MT, is now being developed. Phase III clinical trials on this novel TAI in AD and in the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia are underway.
Counting small cliques in MapReduce

We present exact and approximate MapReduce estimators for the number of cliques of size k in an undirected graph, for any small constant k >= 3. Besides theoretically analyzing our algorithms in the computational model for MapReduce introduced by Karloff, Suri, and Vassilvitskii, we present the results of extensive computational experiments on the Amazon EC2 platform. Our experiments show the practical effectiveness of our algorithms even on clusters of small/medium size, and suggest their scalability to larger clusters.
Prediction of Logic Product Failure Due To Thin-Gate Oxide Breakdown

Gate oxide breakdown is a key mechanism limiting IC lifetime. Breakdown is typically characterized on test capacitors, but estimating product reliability from such results requires making a number of often-untested assumptions. This work compares the predictions of capacitor-based models to results from accelerated lifetest of logic CPU products. For the technology studied, lifetest failure rate was somewhat lower than model prediction, and failure analysis indicated that an important factor was the different sensitivities of logic circuits vs. cache cells and of n and p transistors in the cache. Analysis of the factors involved in determining oxide-breakdown reliability and of the statistical uncertainties in capacitor-based models indicates that it is important to calibrate models to product data including these effects. Once a model is validated, the paper discusses how it can be used to assess the reliability impact of changes in processing, use conditions, and circuit design
Unexpectedly high rates of obesity and dysglycemia among villagers in Cameroon

Our survey in Cameroon recorded obesity and dysglycemia in inhabitants, which are similar to those reported elsewhere in the region. Typically these metabolic disturbances are attributed to the adoption of a new urban lifestyle including diminished physical activity and an altered (‘Western’) diet. Unexpectedly we found that, like urban populations, our rural population had high rates of metabolic disturbances, despite living in villages and being physically active and consuming traditional diet that is high in plant sources of food and low in meat. From our preliminary study, we raise the possibility that the environmental elements that are driving the pandemic of obesity and diabetes in sub‐Saharan Africa are far more complex than heretofore appreciated. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Complexity of Pure Nash Equilibria in Player-Specific Network Congestion Games

Network congestion games with player-specific delay functions do not possess pure Nash equilibria in general. We therefore address the computational complexity of the corresponding decision problem and prove that it is NP-complete to decide whether a pure Nash equilibrium exists. This result is true for games with directed edges as well as for networks with undirected edges, and still holds for games with two players only. In contrast to games with networks of arbitrary size, we present a polynomial-time algorithm deciding whether there exists a Nash equilibrium in games with networks of constant size. Additionally, we introduce a family of player-specific network congestion games that are guaranteed to possess equilibria. In these games players have identical delay functions. However, each player may use only a certain subset of the edges. For this class of games we prove that finding a pure Nash equilibrium is PLS-complete. Again, this result is true for networks with directed edges as well as for networks with undirected edges, and still holds for games with three players only. In games with networks of constant size, however, we prove that pure Nash equilibria can be computed in polynomial time.
Highly derived eutherian mammals from the earliest Cretaceous of southern Britain

Eutherian mammals (Placentalia and all mammals phylogenetically closer to placentals than to marsupials) comprise the vast majority of extant Mammalia. Among these there is a phenomenal range of forms and sizes, but the origins of crown group placentals are obscure. They lie within the generally tiny mammals of the Mesozoic, represented for the most part by isolated teeth and jaws, and there is strongly conflicting evidence from phenomic and molecular data as to the date of origin of both Eutheria and Placentalia. The oldest purported eutherians are Juramaia from the Upper Jurassic of China, and Eomaia and Acristatherium from the Lower Cretaceous, also of China. Based on dental characters and analyses of other morphological and molecular data, doubt has recently been cast on the eutherian affinities of the Chinese taxa and consequently on the date of emergence of Eutheria. Until now, the only tribosphenic mammal recorded from the earliest Cretaceous (Berriasian) Purbeck Group of Britain was the stem tribosphenidan Tribactonodon. Here we document two new tribosphenic mammals from the Purbeck Group, Durlstotherium gen. nov. and Durlstodon gen. nov., showing highly derived eutherian molar characters that support the early emergence of this clade, prior to the Cretaceous.
Variable Annuity with GMWB: Surrender Or Not, That Is the Question

Under the optimal withdrawal strategy of a policyholder, the pricing of variable annuities with Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit (GMWB) is an optimal stochastic control problem. The surrender feature available in marketed products allows termination of the contract before maturity, making it also an optimal stopping problem. Although the surrender feature is quite common in variable annuity contracts, there appears to be no published analysis and results for this feature in GMWB under optimal policyholder behaviour - results found in the literature so far are consistent with the absence of such a feature. Also, it is of practical interest to see how the much simpler bang-bang strategy, although not optimal for GMWB, compares with optimal GMWB strategy with surrender option. In this paper we extend our recently developed algorithm (Luo and Shevchenko 2015a) to include surrender option in GMWB and compare prices under different policyholder strategies: optimal, static and bang-bang. Results indicate that following a simple but sub-optimal bang-bang strategy does not lead to significant reduction in the price or equivalently in the fee, in comparison with the optimal strategy. We observed that the extra value added by the surrender option could add very significant value to the GMWB contract. We also performed calculations for static withdrawal with surrender option, which is the same as bang-bang minus the "no-withdrawal" choice. We find that the fee for such contract is only less than 1% smaller when compared to the case of bang-bang strategy, meaning that th "no-withdrawal" option adds little value to the contract.
Tensile-strained growth on low-index GaAs

We present a comparative study of the growth of tensile-strained GaP on the four low-index surfaces of GaAs: (001), (110), (111)A, and (111)B. For each surface orientation we outline the growth conditions required for smooth GaAs homoepitaxy. We are able to predict the resulting surface morphology when GaP is deposited onto these four GaAs surfaces by considering the influence of surface orientation on tensile strain relief. GaP deposited on GaAs(001) forms extremely smooth, planar layers. In contrast, the elastic relief of tensile strain on both GaAs(110) and GaAs(111)A leads to the three-dimensional self-assembly of GaP into dislocation-free nanostructures. Similarities between tensile and compressive self-assembly suggest that the kinetics governing many aspects of self-assembled growth is independent of the sign of strain. We show that differences in self-assembly on GaAs(110) and (111)A are the result of unequal adatom diffusion lengths. Tensile-strained self-assembly also occurs on GaAs(111)B, altho.
Analysis of quasi-static assumption in nonlinear FinFET model

The construction and validation of a quasi-static nonlinear microwave model for FinFETs are investigated. A very good agreement between model simulations and measurements is obtained under different DC bias points, input power levels, fundamental frequencies up to 5 GHz, and device geometries. Since the intrinsic part of the FET model is based on the quasi-static approximation, the goal of this work is to analyze in detail the limitations of this assumption by examining the intrinsic admittance parameters versus the frequency.
Three‐dimensional fibrous PLGA/HAp composite scaffold for BMP‐2 delivery

A protein loaded three‐dimensional scaffold can be used for protein delivery and bone tissue regeneration. The main objective of this project was to develop recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (rhBMP‐2) loaded poly(D,L‐lactide‐co‐glycolide)/hydroxylapatite (PLGA/HAp) composite fibrous scaffolds through a promising fabrication technique, electrospinning. In vitro release of BMP‐2 from these scaffolds, and the attachment ability and viability of marrow derived messenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the presence of the scaffolds were investigated. The PLGA/HAp composite scaffolds developed in this study exhibit good morphology and it was observed that HAp nanoparticles were homogeneously dispersed inside PLGA matrix within the scaffold. The composite scaffolds allowed sustained (2–8 weeks) release of BMP‐2 whose release rate was accelerated with increasing HAp content. It was also shown that BMP‐2 protein successfully maintained its integrity and natural conformations after undergoing the process of electrospinning. Cell culture experiments showed that the encapsulation of HAp could enhance cell attachment to scaffolds and lower cytotoxicity. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2008;99: 223–234. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Binding among select episodic elements is altered via active short-term retrieval

Of the many elements that comprise an episode, are any disproportionately bound to the others? We tested whether active short-term retrieval selectively increases binding. Individual objects from multiobject displays were retrieved after brief delays. Memory was later tested for the other objects. Cueing with actively retrieved objects facilitated memory of associated objects, which was associated with unique patterns of viewing behavior during study and enhanced ERP correlates of retrieval during test, relative to other reminder cues that were not actively retrieved. Active short-term retrieval therefore enhanced binding of retrieved elements with others, thus creating powerful memory cues for entire episodes.
New aspects to knowledge-aided clutter analysis

Digital signal processing allows improvements in site-specific clutter prediction. With digital terrain maps and a flight obstacle register, land clutter origin can be solved. An efficient, knowledge-aided approach to extracting homogeneous clutter from radar signal is presented. Once homogeneous clutter's statistic has been recognized, also mixture models can be constructed. The suggested aspects are illustrated through an air surveillance radar simulation. The enhancement attained in clutter analysis and thus in clutter models is the novelty of the presented aspects.
The role of corticotropin-releasing factor and interleukin-1 in the regulation of neurons controlling reproductive functions.

I. Introduction DISRUPTION of reproductive functions in mammals is a well known consequence of stress. The changes undergone by the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG)1 axis are influenced by the type of stimulus, its duration, the gender of the experimental animals used, and the species studied. To understand how stress inhibits fertility, we must first define “stress. ” Although this concept has been widely and eloquently discussed (1), we have found it useful to define stress as any threat, real or perceived, that compromises homeostasis. All noxious signals, however, are not equal. When considering the potential effect exerted by a noxious stimulus on the pituitary function, one realizes that, although many so-called stressors can alter the release of ACTH and PRL, usually only intense and/or prolonged signals will interfere with gonadotropin secretion. This suggests first that the responses of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and HPG axes can be dissociated during exposure to a stress (discus.
Survival time of bacteria Listeria monocytogenes in water environment and sewage

In recent years there has been a growing interest in hazards having a microbiological source, resulting from the direct transmission of microorganisms from the natural environment, which may result in inducing diseases in people and animals. This study aimed at determining the survival of pathogenic bacteria Listeria monocytogenes in water and sewage from the meat industry plant, depending on diversified temperature conditions, as well as the assessment of sanitary and epidemiological risks resulting from the ability of determined microorganisms to live in a water environment. On the basis of our research, it was found that Listeria monocytogenes showed the longest survival time both in water and sewage at 4oC, where the maximal survival time of those microorganisms determined on the basis of the regression analysis amounted to 120 and 141 days, respectively. The results obtained in the experiment present important data concerning the survival of the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes in sewage and the water environment, and at the same time they draw attention to the need for a constant monitoring of effluents from the meat industry plant, as well as the surface waters within the range of influence of those facilities on pathogenic and potentially pathogenic microorganisms.
Anti-human immunodeficiency virus synergism by zidovudine (3'-azidothymidine) and didanosine (dideoxyinosine) contrasts with their additive inhibition of normal human marrow progenitor cells

The anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) activity and hemopoietic toxicity of zidovudine (AZT) and didanosine (dideoxyinosine;ddI), alone and in combination, were assessed in a variety of cell types. AZT was more potent than ddI as an inhibitor of HIV in vitro. Synergistic inhibition of HIV by the combination of these agents was observed in MT4 cells, peripheral blood lymphocytes, and macrophages. Toxicity assessment in vitro by using progenitor (erythroid and granulocyte-macrophage) colony-forming assays with normal human bone marrow showed ddI to be less toxic than AZT. Addition of inhibitory concentrations of ddI to AZT resulted in additive inhibition of progenitor CFUs. These in vitro findings suggest that combinations of ddI and AZT at appropriately modified doses may provide an enhanced degree of selectivity in anti-HIV chemotherapy.