Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thyroid Hormone Receptor (α) Distribution in Hamster and Sheep Brain: Colocalization in Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone and Other Identified Neurons.

Thyroid hormones appear to play an important role in the seasonal reproductive transitions of a number of mammalian and avian species. These seasonal transitions as well as the effects of thyroid hormones on the reproductive neuroendocrine axis are mediated by the GnRH system. How thyroid hormones affect the GnRH system is unclear. Double label immunocytochemistry was used to examine GnRH- and other neurotransmitter/neuropeptide-containing neurons for thyroid hormone receptor (alphaTHR) colocalization in two seasonal breeders, the golden hamster and the sheep. AlphaTHR was identified in hamster and sheep brain by Western blot analysis. Furthermore, alphaTHR immunoreactivity was widely distributed in brain and was colocalized in identified populations: GnRH neurons (hamster, 28%; sheep, 46%); dopaminergic neurons of the A14 (hypothalamic) and A16 (olfactory bulb) cell groups, but not in the hypothalamic A13 cell group; and neurophysin-immunoreactive neurons of the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei. The finding of alphaTHR in GnRH and A14 dopamine neurons provides an anatomical substrate for direct thyroid hormone action on the reproductive neuroendocrine system of these two seasonally breeding species. It remains to be determined whether the GnRH gene itself or the gene of another constituent within the same GnRH neuron is responsive to thyroid hormones.
issociable correlates of response conflict and error awareness in error-related rain activity

Errors in speeded decision tasks are associated with characteristic patterns of brain activity. In the scalprecorded EEG, error processing is reflected in two components, the error-related negativity (ERN) and the error positivity (Pe). These components have been widely studied, but debate remains regarding the precise aspects of error processing they reflect. The present study investigated the relation between the ERN and the Pe using a novel version of the flanker task to allow a comparison between errors reflecting different causes—response conflict versus stimulus masking. The conflict and mask conditions were matched for overall behavioural performance but differed in underlying response dynamics, as indexed nterior cingulate cortex (ACC)
Heritability of Hearing Loss

Background: Hearing impairment is one of the most common permanent disabilities in the western world. Although hearing ability normally declines with age, there is great individual variation in age of onset, progression, and severity, indicating that individual susceptibility plays a role. The aim of the present study was to explore the relative importance of genetic and environmental effects in the etiology of impaired hearing. Methods: From August 1995 to June 1997, the total adult population of Nord-Trøndelag County, Norway, was invited to take part in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study. The survey included as an integrated project the Nord-Trøndelag Hearing Loss Study with pure-tone audiometry assessment of the standard frequencies 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 kHz on 51,574 participants aged 20 to 101 years. We obtained information from Statistics Norway identifying 11,263 sibling pairs. After age stratification, we assessed similarity in hearing thresholds between siblings using polychoric correlations. The contribution of genetic effects in hearing ability was calculated. Results: The upper limit of the heritability of hearing loss was 0.36. We found little evidence for sex differences in the relative importance of genetic effects. Conclusions: There is a substantial genetic contribution to individual variation in hearing thresholds.
The competition between thermal contraction and differentiation in the stress history of the Moon

The scarcity of both extension and compression features on the Moon strongly constrains the history of the lunar radius—to variations of less than ±1 km over the past 3.8 Gyr. This limit has traditionally been interpreted as requiring a delicate balance between thermal contraction of the near-surface and expansion of a substantial cold interior region. Recent theories of lunar origin (e.g., giant impact), in contrast, favor a “hot” initial state. We propose that a reconciliation may be possible by taking account of the volume change ΔV/V|_d due to differentiation. We calculate STP densities based on simplified normative mineralogies for a suite of estimates of the bulk lunar composition, of primary lunar basalt, and of the residuum left when the maximum amount of the latter is extracted from the former. Typically ΔV/V|_d ≃ 2 to 5%—an expansion equivalent to heating by ∼10^(3)K. Provided the timing of differentiation is correct, one might offset the cooling of a magma ocean as much as 630 km deep by differentiation of the remainder of the Moon (which need not start much below the solidus temperature). A large but not impossible amount of gabbroic melt production is implied: ∼100 times the volume of mare basalts known to have been extruded. We do not address the detailed genetic relationship of this melt to the basalts observed on the lunar surface but point out that it need not have reached the surface directly or even have entered the crust in order for the expansion to have occurred. To assess the timing of melt formation, we investigate a simple conductive lunar thermal model which takes account of both ΔV/V|_d and thermal contraction. Our initial state is characterized by a central temperature T_c and a depth Z_0 above which the material (derived from the magma ocean) is already at the solidus and is not suceptible to volume changes upon further differentiation. We find a range of models satisfying the limits on radius increase and decrease. The hottest has T_c = 1210 K, Z_0 = 400 km; without ΔV/V|d, we would need a larger or colder (or both) core, e.g., T_c ≲ 700 K for Z0 = 200–400 km, in agreement with previous investigators. Our modeling thus lends credence to the idea that the Moon could have been initially ≳50% molten (with the remainder relatively close to the solidus) and yet experienced little volume change over the last 3.8 Gyr.
Nationwide Prediction of Drought Conditions in Iran Based on Remote Sensing Data

Iran is a country in a dry part of the world and extensively suffers from drought. Drought is a natural, temporary, and iterative phenomenon that is caused by shortage in rainfall, which affects people's health and well-being adversely as well as impacting the society's economy and politics with far-reaching consequences. Information on intensity, duration, and spatial coverage of drought can help decision makers to reduce the vulnerability of the drought-affected areas, and therefore, lessen the risks associated with drought episodes. One of the major challenges of modeling drought (and short-term forecasting) in Iran is unavailability of long-term meteorological data for many parts of the country. Satellite-based remote sensing dataâthat are freely availableâgive information on vegetation conditions and land cover. In this paper, we constructed artificial neural network to model (and forecast) drought conditions based on satellite imagery. To this end, standardized precipitation index (SPI) was used as a measure of drought severity. A number of features including normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), vegetation condition index (VCI), and temperature condition index (TCI) were extracted from NOAA-AVHRR images. The model received these features as input and outputted the SPI value (or drought condition). Applying the model to the data of stations for which the precipitation data were available, we showed that it could forecast the drought condition with an accuracy of up to 90 percent. Furthermore, TCI was found to be the best marker of drought conditions among satellite-based features. We also found multilayer perceptron better than radial basis function networks and support vector machines forecasting drought conditions.
Civic engagement and giving behaviors: The role of empathy and beliefs about poverty

ABSTRACT The current study explores different routes to civic involvement by identifying how a context-specific dimension of empathy and beliefs of autonomy and dependency might jointly predict different types of giving behaviors (i.e., monetary donations), which in turn should predict civic engagement. The sample consisted of 1,294 participants (656 females) between the ages of 18 to 64 (Mage = 38.44, SD = 14.71), randomly selected from seven different cities in Chile. Even after controlling for gender, age, and the socioeconomic status of participants, results mainly support the role of giving behaviors as drivers of actual engagement in civic life. Monetary donations, in turn, are predicted by higher levels of empathy toward poverty and autonomy-oriented beliefs. Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of agentic perspectives on civic participation.
Periodic Arm Movements in Patients with the Restless Legs Syndrome

A high proportion of patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) also complain of arm paresthesia but the presence of periodic arm movements (PAM) has never been documented in a sleep laboratory in these patients. We investigated the prevalence of PAM during nocturnal sleep and awakenings in 22 RLS patients. Fifteen patients had a PAM index >5 movements per hour during wakefulness and among them only 3 had a PAM index >5 during sleep. Twenty patients had a periodic leg movement (PLM) index >5 during wakefulness and 17 had a PLM index >5 during sleep. In 42.8% of cases, PAM showed temporal relationship with PLM during wakefulness. These results show that PAM is frequent in RLS and suggest that the basic neurological dysfunction responsible for RLS is probably not located exclusively at the level of the lumbar spinal cord but involves neuronal systems located at upper levels.
Increasing clinical pregnancy rates after IVF/ET. Can immunosuppression help?

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the safety and efficacy of immunosuppression as an adjunct to improving the success of in vitro fertilization/embryo transfer (IVF-ET). STUDY DESIGN A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. RESULTS Seventy-five patients were randomized to receive either prednisone (39 patients, 51%) or placebo (36 patients, 49%). Patients in both groups had similar ages and numbers of preembryos transferred. CONCLUSION Both the implantation and clinical pregnancy rates were higher in the prednisone group (16% vs. 11% and 43.5% vs. 32.3%, respectively). However, these differences did not achieve statistical significance. Evaluation of the ongoing pregnancy rate revealed little difference between the prednisone-treated patients (30.7%) and those receiving placebo (28.0%). There were no side effects reported by patients in either group.
Quasi-Y-source inverter

This paper introduces a new inverter topology called a “quasi-Y-source inverter”. The proposed inverter inherits all the advantages of the original Y-source inverter. In addition, the new topology draws continuous current from the source which is required for many renewable sources. It also has dc-current-blocking capacitors, which avoids saturation in the transformer core. Simulations and experimental results have proved the validity of the proposed inverter.
Gene expression rule discovery and multi-objective ROC analysis using a neural-genetic hybrid

Microarray data allows an unprecedented view of the biochemical mechanisms contained within a cell although deriving useful information from the data is still proving to be a difficult task. In this paper, a novel method based on a multi-objective genetic algorithm is investigated that evolves a near-optimal trade-off between Artificial Neural Network (ANN) classifier accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) and size (number of genes). This hybrid method is shown to work on four well-established gene expression data sets taken from the literature. The results provide evidence for the rule discovery ability of the hybrid method and indicate that the approach can return biologically intelligible as well as plausible results and requires no pre-filtering or pre-selection of genes.
Kinetic studies of enzymatic hydrolysis of insoluble cellulose: Derivation of a mechanistic kinetic model

A comprehensive mechanistic kinetic model for enzymatic hydrolysis of insoluble cellulose has been synthesized by combining models for several key aspects which have been derived independent of each other. The model takes into account the major contributing factors: the nature of the enzyme system, the structure of cellulose, and the mode of interaction between the enzyme and cellulose molecules. It consists of a set of simultaneously occurring ordinary differential equations with ten kinetic constants. All of the kinetic constants have been determined independently by carrying out critically designed experiments, and they appear in the comprehensive model without any arbitrary manipulations. The governing equations of the model have been numerically simulated by means of the computer subroutine CSMP III. The model predicts the progress of hydrolysis of cellulose over a wide range of experimental conditions and hydrolysis times reasonably well. The model can even be applied to predict the progress of hydrolysis for intensively pretreated cellulose with a minor adjustment. The applicability of the model for the actual process development is also discussed.
Limited stage I disease is not necessarily indicative of an excellent prognosis in childhood anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

Data on incidence, characteristics, and prognosis in stage I childhood anaplastic large cell lymphoma are scarce. Of 463 patients enrolled in the international ALCL99 trial, 36 (8%) had stage I disease and were treated with a prephase chemotherapy, followed by either 3 chemotherapy courses in case of initial complete resection (6 patients) or otherwise by 6 courses of chemotherapy (30 patients). Disease localization was to the peripheral lymph nodes in 26, soft tissue mass in 8, and solitary bone and bronchial disease in 1 patient each. Of the 6 patients with complete resection, none experienced relapse, whereas of the 30 remaining stage I patients, 9 (30%) relapsed, including in all cases a new site of disease involvement and including 3 of 5 anaplastic lymphoma kinase-negative patients. In summary, the failure rate for incompletely resected stage I disease was similar to that for patients with stage II and stage III/IV disease. Whether anaplastic lymphoma kinase negativity contributed to this moderate outcome has to be proven prospectively. This study was registered at www.clinicaltrials. gov as NCT00006455.
Why men should be included in research on binge eating: results from a comparison of psychosocial impairment in men and women.

OBJECTIVE Prevalence of binge eating has been shown to be as common in men as in women, yet few studies have included men. Men are especially underrepresented in treatment studies, raising the question of whether men who binge eat experience less distress or impairment than women. This study compared demographic and clinical correlates of binge eating in a large employee sample of men and women. METHOD Cross-sectional data from 21,743 men and 24,608 women who participated in a health risk self assessment screening were used. Group differences in obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, Type 2 diabetes, depression, stress, sleep, sick days, work impairment, and nonwork activity impairment were tested using chi-square tests (categorical variables) and independent sample t-tests (continuous variables). RESULTS Effect size estimates indicate that men (n = 1,630) and women (n = 2,754) who binge eat experience comparable levels of clinical impairment. They also report substantially greater impairment when compared with men and women who do not binge eat. DISCUSSION The underrepresentation of men in treatment-seeking samples does not appear to reflect lower levels of impairment in men versus women. Efforts are needed to raise awareness of the clinical significance of binge eating in men so that this group can receive appropriate screening and treatment services.
Protective effects of vitamin e and probucol against gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats.

Gentamicin (GM) is widely used as a bactericidal agent for the treatment of severe gram negative infections, however, its clinical use is partially limited due to its nephrotoxicity. Recent evidence suggests a role of reactive oxygen metabolites in GM nephrotoxicity. The present study was designed to investigate a possible potential protective role of vitamin E and/or probucol against GM nephrotoxicity. GM was administered to rats in a single dose of (150 mg kg(-1)i.p.), while vitamin E (250 mg kg(-1)i.m. ) and/or probucol (60 mg kg(-1)i.m. ) were given once daily for 3 consecutive days prior to GM administration. GM-induced nephrotoxicity was evidenced by marked elevations in serum urea and creatinine levels, urinary activity of N-acetyl-beta- d -glucosaminidase (NAG) and gamma-glutamyl-transferase (gamma-GT). Also, GM caused significant increases in kidney content of malondialdehyde (MDA), and significant decreases in kidney content of reduced non-protein sulphydryls (NPSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Vitamin E pretreatment significantly lowered the elevated serum urea and creatinine levels, and urinary activity of NAG and gamma-GT. In addition, vitamin E ameliorated the rise in renal content of MDA and enhanced the renal NPSH content as well as SOD activity. Similarly, probucol significantly inhibited the elevations in urea and creatinine levels and enhanced renal NPSH content and SOD activity. Simultaneous use of vitamin E and probucol was more effective in mitigating disturbances in the assessed parameters. The present work indicates that, due to their antioxidant activity, vitamin E and probucol have potential protective effects against GM nephrotoxicity.
Heritability of metoprolol and torsemide pharmacokinetics

Genetic variation in the pharmacokinetics of metoprolol and torsemide due to polymorphisms in CYP2D6, CYP2C9, and OATP1B1 has been extensively studied. However, it is still unknown how much of the variation in pharmacokinetics of these two clinically important drugs in total is due to genetic factors. Metoprolol and torsemide were intravenously administered to 44 monozygotic and 14 dizygotic twin pairs. Metoprolol area under the curve (AUC) varied 4.7‐fold and torsemide AUC 3.5‐fold. A very high fraction of AUC variations, 91% of metoprolol and 86% of torsemide, were found to be due to additive genetic effects. However, known genetic variants of CYP2D6, ‐2C9, and OATP1B1 explained only 39%, 2%, and 39% of that variation, respectively. Comparable results for genetically explained variation in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics have been found for other substrates of these enzymes earlier. These findings indicate that a substantial fraction of the heritable variability in the pharmacokinetics of metoprolol and torsemide remains to be elucidated.
Inhibition of hepatitis C virus replication through adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase‐dependent and ‐independent pathways

Persistent infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is closely correlated with type 2 diabetes. In this study, replication of HCV at different glucose concentrations was investigated by using J6/JFH1‐derived cell‐adapted HCV in Huh‐7.5 cells and the mechanism of regulation of HCV replication by AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) as an energy sensor of the cell analyzed. Reducing the glucose concentration in the cell culture medium from 4.5 to 1.0 g/L resulted in suppression of HCV replication, along with activation of AMPK. Whereas treatment of cells with AMPK activator 5‐aminoimidazole‐4‐carboxamide 1‐β‐D‐ribofuranoside (AICAR) suppressed HCV replication, compound C, a specific AMPK inhibitor, prevented AICAR's effect, suggesting that AICAR suppresses the replication of HCV by activating AMPK in Huh‐7.5 cells. In contrast, compound C induced further suppression of HCV replication when the cells were cultured in low glucose concentrations or with metformin. These results suggest that low glucose concentrations and metformin have anti‐HCV effects independently of AMPK activation.
Prediction of Arrhythmic Events in Ischemic and Dilated Cardiomyopathy Patients Referred for Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator: Evaluation of Multiple Scar Quantification Measures for Late Gadolinium Enhancement Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Background— Scar signal quantification using late gadolinium enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR) identifies patients at higher risk of future events, both in ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) and nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). However, the ability of scar signal burden to predict events in such patient groups at the time of referral for implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) has not been well explored. This study evaluates the predictive use of multiple scar quantification measures in ICM and DCM patients being referred for ICD. Methods and Results— One hundred twenty-four consecutive patients referred for ICD therapy (59 with ICM and 65 with DCM) underwent a standardized LGE-CMR protocol with blinded, multithreshold scar signal quantification and, for those with ICM, peri-infarct signal quantification. Patients were followed prospectively for the primary combined outcome of appropriate ICD therapy, survived cardiac arrest, or sudden cardiac death. At a mean follow-up of 632 ± 262 days, 18 patients (15%) had suffered the primary outcome. Total scar was significantly higher among those suffering a primary outcome, a relationship maintained within each cardiomyopathy cohort (P<0.01 for all comparisons). Total scar was the strongest independent predictor of the primary outcome and demonstrated a negative predictive value of 86%. In the ICM subcohort, peri-infarct signal showed only a nonsignificant trend toward elevation among those having a primary end point. Conclusions— Myocardial scar quantification by LGE-CMR predicts arrhythmic events in patients being evaluated for ICD eligibility irrespective of cardiomyopathy etiology.
Comparison of Effectiveness of Pain Management during Manual Vacuum Aspiration Using Single-Agent Analgesic and Combination: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial

Of all the methods available for the management of first trimester miscarriages, manual vacuum aspiration is the safest, cheapest and fastest. However, pain caused by manipulation of cervix and uterine suction makes it uncomfortable. We compared the clinical effectiveness and adverse effects of combination of non-selective COX inhibitor (Diclofenac Sodium 50 mg) and opioid (Pentazocine 60 mg) to commonly used opiod only (Pentazocine 60 mg) in daily practice of pain management for the treatment of incomplete abortion with manual vacuum aspiration. This was a randomized double-blind controlled trial conducted in Gynaecological Emergency clinic of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital Kano, Nigeria. Comparison of the level of pain experienced during the procedure revealed statistically significant difference in the level of pain reported among the groups (P-value 0.03). Comparison of severity of pain perception and patients’ satisfaction was found to be negatively related (P