Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of brain tissue under high rate shear loading: a novel test method with low noise

Recent studies suggest that the pressure changes occur at the rates of 0.5 to 1.5 kHz. Therefore, studying brain tissue at blast-rate deformations requires a test method with loading duration of about 1 ms. Although the material properties of brain tissue have been studied since 1960’s, a limitation of the previous studies is that in most of them the strain rates were below 100 s; making the results unsuitable for Blast-Induced Neurotrauma (BINT) modeling purposes. This study aimed at characterizing the material behavior of brain tissue in large deformation shear with strain rates ranging from 300 to 1000 s. A major challenge in such test setup, due to vibration of the system, is to increase the signal to noise ratio. For this purpose, a novel test method was developed using a shock tube to drive a linear actuator with velocity of 3 to 14 m/s to deform the samples in a parallel plate shear configuration. The sample deformation was determined via high-speed imaging at the rate of 10k fps. The sample shear modulus was determined from the velocity of propagation of shear wave along the sample. The results of tests on cylindrical samples (10 mm diameter, 10 mm height) of bovine brain showed that the instantaneous shear modulus (about 6 kPa) increased about 3 times compared to the values reported in the literature. The results of this study can enhance the prediction of brain injury in finite element models of TBI in general and models of BINT in particular.
A combined CaO/electrochemical treatment of the landfill leachate from different sanitary landfills in Croatia

The aim of this research was development of appropriate procedure for the treatment of landfill leachate taken from the Visevac, Mraclinska Dubrava and Piskornica sanitary landfills. Due to the complex nature of the effluents a combined treatment approach was applied. The pretreatment step included simultaneous treatment with calcium oxide and electrocoagulation/electrooxidation by stainless steel electrode set. The main treatment included electrocoagulation/electrooxidation using the set of stainless steel, iron and aluminum electrodes. The pretreatment allowed the destruction and/or coagulation of the high molecular weight organic substances as well as optimization of pH values for the formation of reactive oxidative species, and the transformation of NH4-N into volatile NH3-N. In the presence of added calcium oxide and electrochemically generated coagulant the removal of the fluorides, phosphates and heavy metals occur through the formation of poorly soluble fluorapatite, hydroxyl apatite, and various hydroxides. During the main treatment electrochemically generated reactive oxidative species carried out rapid decomposition of the organic matter and ammonia, resulting in the removal of COD from 74.9% to 94.2%, color from 98.8% to 99.7%, turbidity from 98.4% to 99.3%, suspended solids from 97.1% to 99.3%, and ammonia from 99.6% to 99.7%. Slightly better results for the removal efficiency of color, turbidity and suspended solids were obtained in the case of Piskornica landfill compared with the other two landfills, while the COD removal efficiency decreases in the following order: Piskornica >Mraclinska Dubrava >Visevac. This could be related to the age of the landfill, which increases in the same order. Consequently, with the increasing age of the landfill the degree of degradability of the organic matter reduces significantly. Applied treatment approach resulted in clear, colorless and odorless effluent with the values of all measured parameters significantly lower compared to the upper permissible limit for discharge into the environment.
Public Debt Overhang and Economic Growth

Reinhart, Reinhart and Rogoff (2012) call the deterioration of the economy due to an increase in public debts a public debt overhang. This paper provides an overview of empirical studies on public debt overhang using data concerning economic crises that have recently been accumulated. Moreover, it takes a look at related theoretical models and shows that it is difficult to explain public debt overhang based on existing theories. Under existing models, which assume that fiscal deterioration brings low growth, an interest rate rise arising from fiscal deterioration causes economic deterioration. Essentially, this phenomenon is similar to crowding-out. However, in many cases of public debt overhang, including the situation of Japan, low growth and low interest rates coexist, a phenomenon which cannot be explained by the crowding-out effect. The latter half of this paper examines a new theoretical model and provides a theoretical basis for a possible formation of public debt overhang that simultaneously brings low growth and low interest rates. Under this theoretical model, as public debts (government bonds) function as liquid assets, their increase itself has the effect of promoting economic growth (liquidity supply effect). Meanwhile, if productive economic entities are taxed and subsidies are paid to the labor sector as a result of fiscal policy, workers whose income has increased reduce the supply of labor (income effect). As a result, the wage rate rises, prompting highly productive companies to reduce production. When the income effect prevails over the liquidity supply effect, fiscal deterioration reduces production. In addition, market interest rates fall because highly productive companies f demand for borrowings declines. In this way, fiscal deterioration (increases in public debts and subsidies) leads to decreases in both productivity and interest rates. This theoretical model brings results consistent with the public debt overhang hypothesis. If there is a cause-and-effect relationship between fiscal deterioration and the deterioration of real economic conditions as indicated by Reinhart et al. and this paper, it will render useless the strategy that Japan has pursued for many years - stimulating the economy by continuing expansionary fiscal policy. That is because such fiscal policy works to restrain economic growth by aggravating the fiscal position. According to the theoretical model, in order to increase overall production, it will be necessary to reduce the fiscal burden on productive companies while increasing the fiscal burden on the labor sector. The labor sector in the model corresponds to the household sector in the real world. Therefore, the policy implication for the real world is that it will be desirable to increase the ratio of the fiscal burden on the household sector by further raising the consumption tax rate and reducing social security benefits.
Extracting variant and invariant information from faces: The neural substrates of gaze detection and sex categorization

Abstract Guided by influential models of face processing, efforts have been expended to uncover the neural substrates subserving the many facets of face perception. Extending this work, the present study used functional brain imaging (fMRI) to explore the relationship between the operations supporting the explicit extraction of sex and gaze-related information from faces. The brain imaging data showed the right superior temporal sulcus to be preferentially involved during assessments of gaze direction and a region of the left fusiform gyrus to be involved during sex categorization. These results provide support for the distributed face-processing model advanced by Haxby and colleagues (2000).
Reduction of acrylamide in whole-wheat bread by combining lactobacilli and yeast fermentation

ABSTRACT This study mainly focuses on a strategy for reducing acrylamide content in whole-wheat bread by combining lactobacilli and yeast in sourdough breadmaking. Combinations of sourdough (fermented dough using different Lactobacillus strains including Lactobacillus plantarum PTCC 1896 [probiotic], L. sakei DSM 20,017, L. rhamnosus DSM 20,021, and L. delbrueckii DSM 20,081) and yeast, in comparison with yeast alone, were used for breadmaking. The results showed that acrylamide levels in breads fermented using sourdough+yeast were in all cases much lower (6.9–20 μg/kg on a dry weight basis [d.b.]) than those in the yeast-only fermented bread (47.6 μg/kg d.b.). Significant (p < 0.05) correlations were also found between pH, total titratable acids (TTA) and lactic acid, and acrylamide content. Furthermore, the obtained results showed that the moisture content of dough directly influenced the formation of acrylamide in bread (r = 0.925, p < 0.0001). In addition, no significant correlations were observed between acrylamide content in breads and either the reducing sugar or free amino acid contents in dough samples. According to the different effects of Lactobacillus strains, it could be concluded that the acrylamide reducing potential of lactobacilli was strain-specific, with L. rhamnosus being the most effective. This suggests that sourdough fermentation with appropriate Lactobacillus strains can be used as an advantageous technology to reduce the acrylamide content of whole-wheat breads. Graphical Abstract
Multiple Mutations Lead to MexXY-OprM-Dependent Aminoglycoside Resistance in Clinical Strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

ABSTRACT Constitutive overproduction of the pump MexXY-OprM is recognized as a major cause of resistance to aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, and zwitterionic cephalosporins in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In this study, 57 clonally unrelated strains recovered from non-cystic fibrosis patients were analyzed to characterize the mutations resulting in upregulation of the mexXY operon. Forty-four (77.2%) of the strains, classified as agrZ mutants were found to harbor mutations inactivating the local repressor gene (mexZ) of the mexXY operon (n = 33; 57.9%) or introducing amino acid substitutions in its product, MexZ (n = 11; 19.3%). These sequence variations, which mapped in the dimerization domain, the DNA binding domain, or the rest of the MexZ structure, mostly affected amino acid positions conserved in TetR-like regulators. The 13 remaining MexXY-OprM strains (22.8%) contained intact mexZ genes encoding wild-type MexZ proteins. Eight (14.0%) of these isolates, classified as agrW1 mutants, overexpressed the gene PA5471, which codes for the MexZ antirepressor AmrZ, with 5 strains exhibiting growth defects at 37°C and 44°C, consistent with mutations impairing ribosome activity. Interestingly, one agrW1 mutant appeared to harbor a 7-bp deletion in the coding sequence of the leader peptide, PA5471.1, involved in ribosome-dependent, translational attenuation of PA5471 expression. Finally, DNA sequencing and complementation experiments revealed that 5 (8.8%) strains, classified as agrW2 mutants, harbored single amino acid variations in the sensor histidine kinase of ParRS, a two-component system known to positively control mexXY expression. Collectively, these results demonstrate that clinical strains of P. aeruginosa exploit different regulatory circuitries to mutationally overproduce the MexXY-OprM pump and become multidrug resistant, which accounts for the high prevalence of MexXY-OprM mutants in the clinical setting.
Role of the Apt1 Protein in Polysaccharide Secretion by Cryptococcus neoformans

ABSTRACT Flippases are key regulators of membrane asymmetry and secretory mechanisms. Vesicular polysaccharide secretion is essential for the pathogenic mechanisms of Cryptococcus neoformans. On the basis of the observations that flippases are required for polysaccharide secretion in plants and the putative Apt1 flippase is required for cryptococcal virulence, we analyzed the role of this enzyme in polysaccharide release by C. neoformans, using a previously characterized apt1Δ mutant. Mutant and wild-type (WT) cells shared important phenotypic characteristics, including capsule morphology and dimensions, glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) composition, molecular size, and serological properties. The apt1Δ mutant, however, produced extracellular vesicles (EVs) with a lower GXM content and different size distribution in comparison with those of WT cells. Our data also suggested a defective intracellular GXM synthesis in mutant cells, in addition to changes in the architecture of the Golgi apparatus. These findings were correlated with diminished GXM production during in vitro growth, macrophage infection, and lung colonization. This phenotype was associated with decreased survival of the mutant in the lungs of infected mice, reduced induction of interleukin-6 (IL-6) cytokine levels, and inefficacy in colonization of the brain. Taken together, our results indicate that the lack of APT1 caused defects in both GXM synthesis and vesicular export to the extracellular milieu by C. neoformans via processes that are apparently related to the pathogenic mechanisms used by this fungus during animal infection.
L‐tryptophan‐carbidopa trial in patients with long‐standing progressive myoclonus epilepsy

Eleven patients with long‐standing progressive myoclonus epilepsy, PME, and age‐ and sex‐matched epileptic controls received L‐tryptophan (L‐Trp) 100 mg/kg body weight combined with carbidopa in addition to their usual anticonvulsant regimen. During six weeks of the trial an improvement in activities of daily living and a decrease of action myoclonus was noted in the PME patients. The frequency of seizures compared with the past year decreased significantly in the PME patients, but not in the epileptic controls. Changes in the EEGs of the PME patients were scant, but a slight decrease was noted in myoclonic spikes. Both plasma Trp and platelet 5‐HT increased significantly and at least as much as in epileptic controls. 5‐HIAA and HVA concentrations in the CSF of the PME patients increased significantly during the trial. The results support previous findings concerning Trp treatment in PME, and longer trials with Trp + carbidopa could be of value in this disease.
Short heparin thrombin clotting time, increased fibrinogen and platelet aggregates count in coronary disease: a probable hypercoagulable state.

Several indices of plasmatic and platelet coagulability (H.T.C.T., AT III, fibrinogen and Wu-Hoak test) were studied in 82 patients with acute and chronic coronary artery disease. The results were compared with those obtained in a control group. The most interesting result is the consistent shortening of H.T. C.T. as compared to the control group, particularly in patients with acute myocardial infarction. H.T. C.T. was always inversely correlated with the fibrinogen level. Those data suggest an important influence of fibrinogen levels on H.T. C.T. , but this observation does not rule out the possibility that the heparin neutralizing activity (PF 4) will also influence the test. No positive correlation between H.T. C.T. and AT III could be observed. The elevated levels of AT III in acute myocardial infarction did not confirm the existence of a consumption of AT III due to chronic intravascular coagulation in these patients. The Wu-Hoak test increased only in patients with acute coronary disease, never in the other groups. In conclusion, H.T. C.T. may be assumed to be a valid test for indicating the existence of a possible hypercoagulability state.
Progressive Proliferative and Dysplastic Typhlocolitis in Aging Syrian Hamsters Naturally Infected with Helicobacter spp.: A Spontaneous Model of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Helicobacter spp. have been implicated in a variety of gastrointestinal tract diseases, including peptic ulcer disease, gastric cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), in humans and animals. Although most models of IBD are experimentally induced, spontaneous or natural models of IBD are rare. Herein, we describe a long-term study of chronic, progressive lesions that develop in the distal portion of the large bowel of unmanipulated Syrian hamsters naturally infected with Helicobacter spp. Twenty-four Syrian hamsters of three age groups (group A, 1 month [n = 4], group B, 7–12 months [n = 12], group C, 18–24 months [n = 12]), underwent complete postmortem examination. Results of microbial isolation and polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses confirmed the presence of Helicobacter spp. infection in the distal portion of the large bowel of all animals. Additionally, confounding pathogens, such as Clostridium difficile, Lawsonia intracellularis, and Giardia spp. that can cause proliferative enteritis, were absent in the hamsters of this study. Histopathologic scores for inflammation (P < 0.01), hyperplasia (P < 0.01), and dysplasia (P < 0.05) were significantly higher in the ileocecocolic (ICC) junction of animals in group C, relative to group A. Dysplastic lesions of various grades were detected in 5 of 11 hamsters in group C. Interestingly, the segment of the bowel that is usually colonized by Helicobacter spp. in hamsters had the most severe lesions. One hamster of group C developed a malignant fibrous histiocytoma, whereas another hamster developed a round cell sarcoma originating from the ICC junction. Thus, lesions in the distal portion of the large bowel of aging hamsters naturally colonized with Helicobacter spp. warrants developing the hamster as an animal model of IBD and potentially IBD-related cancer.
Relationship between cingulo-insular functional connectivity and autistic traits in neurotypical adults.

OBJECTIVE The Social Responsiveness Scale-Adult Version (SRS-A) measures autistic traits that are continuously distributed in the general population. Based on increased recognition of the dimensional nature of autistic traits, the authors examined the neural correlates of these traits in neurotypical individuals using the SRS-A and established a novel approach to assessing the neural basis of autistic characteristics, attempting to directly relate SRS-A scores to patterns of functional connectivity observed in the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex, a region commonly implicated in social cognition. METHOD Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were collected for 25 neurotypical adults. All participants provided SRS-A ratings completed by an informant who had observed them in natural social settings. Whole brain-corrected connectivity analyses were then conducted using SRS-A scores as a covariate of interest. RESULTS Across participants, a significant negative relationship between SRS-A scores and the functional connectivity of the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex with the anterior portion of the mid-insula was found. Specifically, low levels of autistic traits were observed when a substantial portion of the anterior mid-insula showed positive connectivity with the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex. In contrast, elevated levels of autistic traits were associated with negative connectivity between these two regions. CONCLUSIONS Resting state functional connectivity of the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex-insula social network was related to autistic traits in neurotypical adults. Application of this approach in samples with autism spectrum disorders is needed to confirm whether this circuit is dimensionally related to the severity of autistic traits in clinical populations.
Syzygium cumini Extract Decrease Adenosine Deaminase, 5′Nucleotidase Activities and Oxidative Damage in Platelets of Diabetic Patients

Diabetes mellitus, a chronic metabolic disorder, has assumed epidemic proportions and its long-term complications can have devastating consequences. The oxidative stress in diabetes was greatly increased due to prolonged exposure to hyperglycemia and impairment of oxidant/antioxidant equilibrium. Syzygium cumini is being widely used to treat diabetes by the traditional practitioners over many centuries. Adenosine deaminase (ADA) and 5′-Nucleotidase (5′NT) are enzymes of purine nucleoside metabolism that play an important role in the regulation of adenosine (Ado) levels. In this study, we investigated the effect of Syzygium cumini aqueous leaves extract (ASc) on ADA and 5′NT activities and on parameters of oxidative stress under in vitro conditions, using platelets of patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) was assayed by ADA, 5′NT, Catalase (CAT), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) activities and Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels. We observed that ADA, 5′NT activities and TBARS levels were significantly higher when compared to the control group, and ASc (100 and 200 µg/mL) prevented these effects. Our study demonstrates that ASc was able to remove oxidant species generated in diabetic conditions and modulates in the Ado levels. Then, ASc may promote a compensatory response in platelet function, improving the susceptibility-induced by the diabetes mellitus.
Detection of the Tuned Point of a Fixed-Frequency LCL Resonant Power Supply

Inductor-capacitor-inductor (LCL ) series-parallel resonant networks are commonly employed in inductive power transfer systems as they allow a voltage source inverter to generate a constant AC track current independent of the loading, while also allowing operation at unity power factor. To function correctly, the LCL network must be tuned properly, since any deviation in the track inductor will cause an unwanted reactive load to be placed on the inverter. This letter demonstrates how a simple frequency sweep at power-on (at reduced output voltage) can be employed to identify and protect the power supply from track tuning errors that can easily arise at installation.
Pineal Tumors

Pineal tumors are a rare and heterogeneous group of primary central nervous system neoplasms, including pineal parenchymal tumors (pineocytomas, pineal parenchymal tumors of intermediate differentiation, and pineoblastomas), germ cell tumors, and neuroepithelial tumors, such as astrocytomas, ependymomas, and papillary tumor of the pineal region. Their classification has evolved over time, with several updates incorporated into the most recent World Health Organization classification, published in 2007. This review highlights the most recent classification and grading scheme for pineal parenchymal tumors and discusses the newly recognized papillary tumor of the pineal region, including clinicopathologic features, differential diagnosis, and management options.
EXPLORATORY PLASMA BIOCHEMISTRY REFERENCE INTERVALS FOR URAL OWLS (STRIX URALENSIS, PALLAS 1771) FROM THE AUSTRIAN REINTRODUCTION PROJECT

Abstract The Ural owl (Strix uralensis) is the biggest forest-living owl in Austria; however, it became extinct in Austria through poaching and habitat loss more than half a century ago. The birds examined in the present study were breeding pairs from the reintroduction project with the aim of determining exploratory plasma biochemistry reference intervals in Ural owls and evaluating the amount of biological variation between seasons, sexes, and ages. A total of 45 birds were sampled, including 13 adult males, 14 adult females, and 18 juvenile birds. Remarkably, almost all of the analytes showed significant differences between the subgroups, primarily between seasons, followed by age and sex. Only creatinkinase, glucose, lactatdehydrogenase, and triglycerides did not show any significant variations. Despite partitioning of reference values into subgroups according to biological variation diminishing the number of reference individuals in the respective groups, the resulting smaller reference intervals will improve medical assessment. The results of the present study once again demonstrate that significant seasonal fluctuations must be expected and considered in the interpretation. It can be assumed that these differences are probably even greater in free-range birds with considerable changes in food quantity and quality during and between years.