Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Secular trends in cardiovascular risk factors with a 36-year perspective: Observations from 38- and 50-year-olds in the Population Study of Women in Gothenburg

Objectives. To study secular trends in cardiovascular risk factors in four different cohorts of women examined in 1968–1969, 1980–1981, 1992–1993 and 2004–2005. Design. Comparison of four representative cohorts of 38- and 50-year-old women over a period of 36 years. Setting. Gothenburg, Sweden with ∼450 000 inhabitants. Subjects. Four representative samples of 38- and 50-year-old women were invited to free health examinations (participation rate 59–90%, n =1901). Main outcome measures. Body mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), leisure time exercise, use of antihypertensive medication, smoking, levels of haemoglobin, b-glucose, s-cholesterol, s-triglycerides and HDL-cholesterol. Results. There was no significant difference in mean BMI from 1968–1969 versus 2004–2005. Mean leisure time exercise was significantly higher in later born cohorts; in 1968, around 15% were physically active compared with 40% in 2004. SBP and DBP, mean s-cholesterol and s-triglyceride levels were significantly lower in both 38- and 50-year-old cohorts in 2004–2005 versus 1968–1969. HDL-cholesterol (not measured until 1992–1993), showed a significantly higher mean level in 2004–2005. Reduction of risk factors was apparent in women with a high as well as low level of physical activity. Smoking declined most in women with high levels of physical activity. Conclusions. Several cardiovascular risk factors related to lifestyle have improved in middle-aged women from the 1960s until today. Most of the positive trends are observed in women with both low and high physical activity.
Size, anisotropy and doping effects on the coercive field of ferromagnetic nanoparticles

The influence of size, anisotropy and doping effects on the hysteresis loop of ferromagnetic nanoparticles is studied, based on the modified Heisenberg model. A Green’s function technique in real space allows the calculation of the dependence of the magnetization on the temperature, magnetic field, anisotropy, defects and particle size. It is demonstrated that the coercive field Hc is very sensitive to the surface single-ion anisotropy, and to the exchange interaction constant on the surface Js and in the defect shells Jd. With respect to the strong surface single-site anisotropy Ds, we observe at small particle size, N = 4 shells, a maximum in the size dependence of the coercive field, whereas for the small surface anisotropy there is no maximum. Taking into account that J can be different in the defect shells compared to the case without defects, we have obtained for the first time that the coercive field Hc, the permanent magnetization Mr and the Curie temperature TC can increase or decrease for different kinds of doping ions. The dependence on the particle size is discussed, too. The results are in accordance with the experimental data.
Naturally Occurring Dicistronic Cricket Paralysis Virus RNA Is Regulated by Two Internal Ribosome Entry Sites

ABSTRACT Cricket paralysis virus is a member of a group of insect picorna-like viruses. Cloning and sequencing of the single plus-strand RNA genome revealed the presence of two nonoverlapping open reading frames, ORF1 and ORF2, that encode the nonstructural and structural proteins, respectively. We show that each ORF is preceded by one internal ribosome entry site (IRES). The intergenic IRES is located 6,024 nucleotides from the 5′ end of the viral RNA and is more active than the IRES located at the 5′ end of the RNA, providing a mechanistic explanation for the increased abundance of structural proteins relative to nonstructural proteins in infected cells. Mutational analysis of this intergenic-region IRES revealed that ORF2 begins with a noncognate CCU triplet. Complementarity of this CCU triplet with sequences in the IRES is important for IRES function, pointing to an involvement of RNA-RNA interactions in translation initiation. Thus, the cricket paralysis virus genome is an example of a naturally occurring, functionally dicistronic eukaryotic mRNA whose translation is controlled by two IRES elements located at the 5′ end and in the middle of the mRNA. This finding argues that eukaryotic mRNAs can express multiple proteins not only by polyprotein processing, reinitiation and frameshifting but also by using multiple IRES elements.
Molecular Profile of Tumor-Specific CD8+ T Cell Hypofunction in a Transplantable Murine Cancer Model

Mechanisms of self-tolerance often result in CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) with a hypofunctional phenotype incapable of tumor clearance. Using a transplantable colon carcinoma model, we found that CD8+ T cells became tolerized in <24 h in an established tumor environment. To define the collective impact of pathways suppressing TIL function, we compared genome-wide mRNA expression of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells from the tumor and periphery. Notably, gene expression induced during TIL hypofunction more closely resembled self-tolerance than viral exhaustion. Differential gene expression was refined to identify a core set of genes that defined hypofunctional TIL; these data comprise the first molecular profile of tumor-specific TIL that are naturally responding and represent a polyclonal repertoire. The molecular profile of TIL was further dissected to determine the extent of overlap and distinction between pathways that collectively restrict T cell functions. As suggested by the molecular profile of TIL, protein expression of inhibitory receptor LAG-3 was differentially regulated throughout prolonged late-G1/early-S phase of the cell cycle. Our data may accelerate efficient identification of combination therapies to boost anti-tumor function of TIL specifically against tumor cells.
Real-Time Wavelet Analysis of a Vibration Signal Based on Arduino-UNO and LabVIEW

This paper deals with on-line (Real-time) multi- resolution signal analysis using wavelet transform by means of graphical programming using LabVIEW. A system for wavelet analysis has been designed based on Arduino-Uno board interfaced to LabVIEW. To achieve the interfacing LIFA has been used. Firstly, the noise from the signal was remove using wavelet transform, and then the de-noised signal analyzed to multi-level frequency bands. A Matlab code to do wavelet analysis was written in a Matlab script node in LabVIEW. To test this system, a vibration signal form robotic arm was captured and analyzed using this system, and the result utilized to establish if there is fault in the robot. The result showed that multi-resolution analysis can be achieved efficiently using this system and can be applied in many applications. 
Further Morphological and Biochemical Observations on Early Low Dose Streptozocin Diabetes in Mice

Conflicting published data regarding the role of macrophages and other cell types during the early stages of diabetes mellitus led us to further study this problem. To this end we diabetized mice, using low doses of streptozocin (STZ), 40 mg/kg body wt/day/5 days, and processed their pancreatic tissue for immunocytochemistry and ultrastructural observations; immunohistochemistry was performed on days 5 and 18 after the first STZ injection, and islets were observed ultrastructurally on days 5, 9, 10, and 18. Animals were tested for fasting serum glucose, and isolated islets were assayed for insulin secretion capacity. Immunohistology demonstrated that expression of major histocompatability complex class 2 antigens is strongly induced by multiple, low dose STZ treatments prior to impaired insulin release, and that different types of cells within the islet are capable of expressing la molecules. Ultrastructurally we found (a) a small number of macrophages (most probably resident monocytes/macrophages) containing B-cell debris, that were located close to either damaged or intact B cells; (b) a large number of recruited macrophages in a vascular or perivascular position; and (c) macrophages recognizable in the exocrine portion, close to the islets, occasionally containing exocrine cell debris. This led us to believe that recruited macrophages play an important role in the early islet-infiltrating stage.
The Effects of Halothane, Isoflurane, and Sevoflurane on Ca2+ Current and Transient Outward K+ Current in Subendocardial and Subepicardial Myocytes from the Rat Left Ventricle

Halothane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane abbreviate ventricular action potential duration (APD), and for halothane this effect is greater in the subendocardium than in the subepicardium. In this study we investigated mechanisms underlying the regional effects of these anesthetics on APD. The effect of 0.6 mM halothane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane on the action potential, L-type Ca2+ current, transient outward K+ current (Ito), and steady-state current was recorded in rat left ventricular subendocardial and subepicardial myocytes. Halothane and isoflurane (but not sevoflurane) reduced APD significantly (P < 0.05), more in subendocardial than subepicardial myocytes. Peak L-type Ca2+ current did not differ between regions and, compared with control, was reduced significantly in both regions by 40% (P < 0.001), 20% (P < 0.001), and 12% (P < 0.01) by halothane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane, respectively. Ito was greater in subepicardial (3.95 ± 0.29 nA) than subendocardial (1.12 ± 0.05 nA) myocytes. In subepicardial myocytes, peak Ito was reduced significantly by halothane (P < 0.01) and isoflurane (P < 0.05) (by 8% and 7%, respectively) but was unaffected by sevoflurane. No significant reduction of Ito was observed in subendocardial myocytes with the three anesthetics. The steady-state current was increased significantly (P < 0.05), but the extent of this increase did not differ between the two regions or among the three anesthetics. Therefore, greater inhibition of Ito in subepicardial than subendocardial myocytes by halothane and isoflurane could underlie their transmural effects on APD.
Noise and sleep: a literature review and a proposed criterion for assessing effect.

A brief discussion of human sleep is followed by presentation of data describing the variables that appear to affect human responsiveness to noise during sleep. Results from several studies that were conducted in different laboratories and that used several types of noises, age groups, and sexes are then combined to show that when EPNdB units are used as the measure of noise intensity, the correlation coefficient between intensity and the probability of no disturbance of sleep is −0.86. It is suggested also that a coefficient of similar magnitude would be obtained if units of EdBA were used. Some implications of these data are then exemplified.Subject Classification: 50.70, 50.75.
Neurog1 and Neurog2 Control Two Waves of Neuronal Differentiation in the Piriform Cortex

The three-layered piriform cortex, an integral part of the olfactory system, processes odor information relayed by olfactory bulb mitral cells. Specifically, mitral cell axons form the lateral olfactory tract (LOT) by targeting lateral olfactory tract (lot) guidepost cells in the piriform cortex. While lot cells and other piriform cortical neurons share a pallial origin, the factors that specify their precise phenotypes are poorly understood. Here we show that in mouse, the proneural genes Neurog1 and Neurog2 are coexpressed in the ventral pallium, a progenitor pool that first gives rise to Cajal-Retzius (CR) cells, which populate layer I of all cortical domains, and later to layer II/III neurons of the piriform cortex. Using loss-of-function and gain-of-function approaches, we find that Neurog1 has a unique early role in reducing CR cell neurogenesis by tempering Neurog2's proneural activity. In addition, Neurog1 and Neurog2 have redundant functions in the ventral pallium, acting in two phases to first specify a CR cell fate and later to specify layer II/III piriform cortex neuronal identities. In the early phase, Neurog1 and Neurog2 are also required for lot cell differentiation, which we reveal are a subset of CR neurons, the loss of which prevents mitral cell axon innervation and LOT formation. Consequently, mutation of Trp73, a CR-specific cortical gene, results in lot cell and LOT axon displacement. Neurog1 and Neurog2 thus have unique and redundant functions in the piriform cortex, controlling the timing of differentiation of early-born CR/lot cells and specifying the identities of later-born layer II/III neurons.
Factors Affecting the Outcome of MMPI and Neuropsychological Assessments of Psychogenic and Epileptic Seizure Patients

Summary: The literature reveals conflicting information regarding the extent to which psychogenic seizure patients have emotional disorders and neuropsychological deficits as compared with patients with epileptic seizures. Among groups matched for numbers of subjects, age, sex, and years of education, we observed that patients who had solely psychogenic seizures with either a major component of affectual expression or relatively minor motor activity were more disturbed emotionally than epileptic patients with partial seizures. In contrast, the personality characteristics of psychogenic seizure patients whose attacks had either little affectual display or prominent motor expression could not be distinguished from those of epileptic patients with convulsive generalized seizures. Closely matched groups of patients with solely psychogenic seizures, partial seizures, or generalized seizures did not differ in neuropsychological performance. However, psychogenic seizure patients performed much better on neuropsychological measures than a less‐well‐educated, but otherwise matched group of patients with generalized epileptic seizures.
Anti-IgM-mediated Regulation of c-myc and Its Possible Relationship to Apoptosis*

Anti-IgM treatment of Burkitt's lymphoma cells is followed by either growth arrest or induction of apoptosis. In this study we have explored the role of c-myc in these events. Our results in Ramos cells indicate the following. (a) The decline in c-myc mRNA occurs at about 4 h; inhibition of about 80% being observed. (b) The stability of c-myc message is involved since the half-life of c-myc mRNA is decreased from about 30 min in untreated cells to about 15 min following treatment with anti-IgM. In the presence of cycloheximide, a protein synthesis inhibitor, the half-life is increased to about 50 min and was unaltered by treatment with anti-IgM. (c) By contrast, nuclear run-on experiments indicated no change in transcription rates for c-myc message due to treatment with anti-IgM. (d) A decrease in c-myc causes apoptosis since specific repression of c-myc with antisense oligonucleotides decreases the levels of c-Myc, inhibits growth rate, decreases viability, and induces apoptosis. (e) Anti-CD40 inhibition of apoptosis occurs without alteration in anti-IgM-induced down-regulation of c-myc mRNA, suggesting that it acts distally to c-myc down-regulation. Other cell lines were also investigated. In Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive cell lines (Daudi, Raji, and Namalwa), anti-IgM treatment for 24 h results in growth inhibition without induction of apoptosis. In EBV-negative cell lines (ST486 and CA46, as well as Ramos), a more heterogeneous pattern of responses to anti-IgM are observed. Ramos and ST486 cells both show growth inhibition and apoptosis upon anti-IgM treatment; CA46 cells shown only growth inhibition but not apoptosis. Anti-IgM causes a decline in c-myc mRNA levels in all of these lines, as well as in c-Myc protein level in the two lines investigated, Daudi and Ramos, regardless of apoptosis. Addition of antisense c-myc oligonucleotides to the cells reduced growth in both Daudi and Ramos cells lines, however it resulted in substantial apoptosis only in Ramos cells. These results suggest that anti-IgM destabilizes c-myc mRNA by a process that involves mRNA turnover, rather than transcription rates. However anti-IgM exerts differential effects in EBV-positive and EBV-negative cell lines. EBV-positive cells are uniformly resistant to apoptosis, while EBV-negative cell lines show a tendency to apoptosis but with exceptions. Growth inhibition can be uncoupled from apoptosis in EBV-positive cell lines, but not in those EBV-negative cell lines prone to apoptosis. Furthermore, down-regulation of c-myc message correlates with growth inhibition in these cells, but is an insufficient link to apoptosis. By contrast inhibition of apoptosis by anti-CD40 occurs even though c-myc mRNA is decreased.
Design and characterization of multifaceted lyophilized liposomal wafers with promising wound healing potential

Abstract Various dressings are available to heal chronic wounds which many times fail to achieve the expected results. To overcome some of their drawbacks, formulation of a novel dressing; lyophilized liposomal wafers having better wound healing potential has been proposed in the present study. The drug incorporated in the formulation is gatifloxacin (GTX) which is a fourth-generation fluoroquinolone antibiotic having in vitro activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The formulation was designed in three stages where at first liposomes were prepared, the liposomes were converted to gel using chitosan and lastly this gel was lyophilized to form liposomal wafers. Liposomes were prepared by varying the concentration of lipid and cholesterol and evaluated for particle size, entrapment efficiency, in vitro cumulative release, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Liposomes were converted to liposomal gel using chitosan and evaluated for texture, clarity, viscosity, spreadibility and in vitro drug release. Finally, this liposomal batch was subjected to lyophilization to convert it to liposomal wafers and subjected to SEM, differential scanning calorimetric, X-ray diffraction and drug release studies. The in vivo studies were carried out on Wistar rats where wound healing potential of the wafers was confirmed by histopathological evaluation.
Inferior Oblique Muscle Origin: Horizontal Location in Relation to Ala Nasi and Its Gender Difference

AbstractWe studied the horizontal location of the inferior oblique muscle (IOM) origin in relation to the ipsilateral ala nasi and compared the results between genders in 76 orbits of 38 Japanese cadavers. Consequently, the IOM origin was located 1.2 mm laterally to the vertical line through the lateral margin of the ipsilateral ala nasi. No significant difference was noted between genders (males, 1.3 mm; females, 0.9 mm; P = 0.257, Student t test) or between sides (right, 1.1 mm; left, 1.3 mm; P = 0.570, Student t test). In contrast, the mean interalae-nasi distance was 39.8 mm and was significantly greater in males than that in females (males, 40.8 mm; females, 38.6 mm; P = 0.049, Student t test). The ala nasi can be used as a reference point irrespective of gender or side for identifying the IOM origin during oculoplastic surgery.
Review of therapeutic agents employed by an Australian aeromedical prehospital and retrieval service

There is little current evidence regarding which therapeutic agents are actually used within existing aeromedical services. The Greater Sydney Area Helicopter Emergency Medical Service operates a large, physician‐staffed, multimodal, prehospital and interhospital retrieval service. The aim of the present study was to identify the range and frequency of drug, fluid and blood product use within our service.
Multiscale Hybrid-Mixed Method

This work presents a priori and a posteriori error analyses of a new multiscale hybrid-mixed method (MHM) for an elliptic model. Specially designed to incorporate multiple scales into the construction of basis functions, this finite element method relaxes the continuity of the primal variable through the action of Lagrange multipliers, while assuring the strong continuity of the normal component of the flux (dual variable). As a result, the dual variable, which stems from a simple postprocessing of the primal variable, preserves local conservation. We prove existence and uniqueness of a solution for the MHM method as well as optimal convergence estimates of any order in the natural norms. Also, we propose a face-residual a posteriori error estimator, and prove that it controls the error of both variables in the natural norms. Several numerical tests assess the theoretical results.
Impact of Zinc on Biological Fe(III) and Nitrate Reduction by Shewanella putrefaciens CN32

The impact of zinc on the reductive dissolution of hematite by the dissimilatory metal-reducing bacterium Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 was studied in batch culture mode. Experiments were conducted with hematite (2.0 g L−1) in 10 mM PIPES (pH 6.8) and H2 as the electron donor under nongrowth conditions (108 cell mL−1), spiked with zinc (0 to 0.23 mM), and incubated for 5 days. Experiments were also conducted with ferric citrate (2.0 mM) and nitrate (1.43 mM NO3-N L−1) to evaluate the effect of zinc with soluble electron acceptors. A 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) was defined as the zinc concentration that decreased the extent of electron acceptor consumption by 50% compared to a no-zinc biotic control. The total zinc IC50 values for hematite, ferric citrate, and nitrate reduction were 0.21, 0.28, and 0.049 mM, respectively. The free zinc (Zn2+) IC50 values for hematite, ferric citrate, and nitrate reduction were 0.13, 0.00016, and 0.049 mM, respectively. The low Zn2+ IC50 for ferric citrate was attrib.
Changes in students' perceptions of the professional role.

The purposes of this study were to determine whether students' perceptions of the role of the physical therapist and of themselves in that role change during a two-year entry-level postbaccalaureate degree program in physical therapy, when these changes occur, and the differences between students' perceptions and those of their faculty members. A semantic differential test was completed by 14 entry-level postbaccalaureate degree students five times during the two-year program. Sixteen faculty members completed the same test twice. Perceptions relating to five concepts of the professional role of the physical therapist and to five concepts relating to self in that role were assessed. Kendall's coefficient of concordance revealed no significant change in the students' perceptions of the role of the physical therapist, but it did reveal a significant change in one of the five concepts relating to their perceptions of themselves in that role (p less than .05). A Mann-Whitney U test revealed significant differences between the students' and faculty members' perceptions for 5 of the 10 concepts. Results of the study provide information about the professional socialization of physical therapy students.