Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improvement of the in vivo cellular repopulation of decellularized cardiovascular tissues by a detergent‐free, non‐proteolytic, actin‐disassembling regimen

Low immunogenicity and high repopulation capacity are crucial determinants for the functional and structural performance of acellular cardiovascular implants. The present study evaluates a detergent‐free, non‐proteolytic, actin‐disassembling regimen (BIO) for decellularization of heart valve and vessel grafts, particularly focusing on their bio‐functionality. Rat aortic conduits (rAoC; n = 89) and porcine aortic valve samples (n = 106) are decellularized using detergents (group DET) or the BIO regimen. BIO decellularization results in effective elimination of cellular proteins and significantly improves removal of DNA as compared with group DET, while the extracellular matrix (ECM) structure as well as mechanical properties are preserved. The architecture of rAoC in group BIO allows for improved bio‐functionalization with fibronectin (FN) in a standardized rat implantation model: BIO treatment significantly increases speed and amount of autologous medial cellular repopulation in vivo (p < 0.001) and decreases the formation of hyperplastic intima (p < 0.001) as compared with FN‐coated DET‐decellularized grafts. Moreover, there are no signs of infiltration with inflammatory cells. The present biological, detergent‐free, non‐proteolytic regimen balances effective decellularization and ECM preservation in cardiovascular grafts, and provides optimized bio‐functionality. Additionally, this study implies that the actin‐disassembling regimen may be a promising approach for bioengineering of acellular scaffolds from other muscular tissues, as for example myocardium or intestine. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Towards Learning from Implicit Human Reward: (Extended Abstract)

The TAMER framework provides a way for agents to learn to solve tasks using human-generated rewards. Previous research showed that humans give copious feedback early in training but very sparsely thereafter and that an agent's competitive feedback --- informing the trainer about its performance relative to other trainers --- can greatly affect the trainer's engagement and the agent's learning. In this paper, we present the first large-scale study of TAMER, involving 561 subjects, which investigates the effect of the agent's competitive feedback in a new setting as well as the potential for learning from trainers' facial expressions. Our results show for the first time that a TAMER agent can successfully learn to play Infinite Mario, a challenging reinforcement-learning benchmark problem. In addition, our study supports prior results demonstrating the importance of bi-directional feedback and competitive elements in the training interface. Finally, our results shed light on the potential for using trainers' facial expressions as reward signals, as well as the role of age and gender in trainer behavior and agent performance.
Toxicity of Aerosols

Jx recent years there has been a growing concern about the toxicity of aerosol products that are sold for medicinal, personal, or household use. The most serious incidents have been death from the inhalation of aerosol for household use that is collected in a plastic bag, a dangerous practice which clearly constitutes a misuse of the product. There is no question that the fatal outcome of this habit is related to the inhalation of aerosol propellants that are known to be toxic to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. The potential hazards of aerosols containing bronchodilator drugs are difficult to assess. The therapeutic value of the drug can readily be measured, but the toxicity of the propellants is uncertain. The available information indicates that in animals the inhalation of high concentrations of propellants may cause fatal cardiac arrhvthmias. The animals used in these studies do not suffer from bronchospasm, so that there is a possibility that the presence of bronchopulmonary disease might increase the sensitivity of the heart to lower concentrations of the propellants. Deaths have been reported in eases of asthma associated with the use of aerosol bronchodil ators. Unfortunately, a retrospective examination has failed
Tail-dependence in stock-return pairs

The empirical joint distribution of return-pairs on stock indices displays high tail-dependence in the lower tail and low tail-dependence in the upper tail. The presence of tail-dependence is not compatible with the assumption of (conditional) joint normality. The presence of asymmetric-tail dependence is not compatible with the assumption of a joint student-t distribution. A general test for one dependence structure versus another via the profile-likelihood is described and employed in a bivariate GARCH model, where the joint distribution of the disturbances is split into its marginals and its copula. The copula used is such that it allows for the presence of lower tail-dependence and for asymmetric tail-dependence, and that it encompasses the normal or t-copula. The model is estimated using bivariate data on a set of European stock indices. We find that the assumption of normal or student-t dependence is easily rejected in favour of an asymmetrically tail-dependent distribution.
Position-only synthesis of antenna arrays using effectively informed gaussian particle swarm algorithm

A new PSO algorithm, namely, effectively informed Gaussian particle swarm (EIGPS), has been presented in this paper. The particle in EIGPS effectively shares the information of its neighbors better than itself and is updated using Gaussian random number generator. Crossover and greedy selection are also employed. EIGPS is then applied to the position-only synthesis of two symmetric antenna arrays. The simulation results show that EIGPS performs well in the position-only synthesis of antenna arrays.
Effects of Etch-and-Rinse and Self-etch Adhesives on Dentin MMP-2 and MMP-9

Auto-degradation of collagen matrices occurs within hybrid layers created by contemporary dentin bonding systems, by the slow action of host-derived matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). This study tested the null hypothesis that there are no differences in the activities of MMP-2 and -9 after treatment with different etch-and-rinse or self-etch adhesives. Tested adhesives were: Adper Scotchbond 1XT (3M ESPE), PQ1 (Ultradent), Peak LC (Ultradent), Optibond Solo Plus (Kerr), Prime&Bond NT (Dentsply) (all 2-step etch-and-rinse adhesives), and Adper Easy Bond (3M ESPE), Tri-S (Kuraray), and Xeno-V (Dentsply) (1-step self-etch adhesives). MMP-2 and -9 activities were quantified in adhesive-treated dentin powder by means of an activity assay and gelatin zymography. MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities were found after treatment with all of the simplified etch-and-rinse and self-etch adhesives; however, the activation was adhesive-dependent. It is concluded that all two-step etch-and-rinse and the one-step self-etch adhesives tested can activate endogenous MMP-2 and MMP-9 in human dentin. These results support the role of endogenous MMPs in the degradation of hybrid layers created by these adhesives.
Autoimmune Intervention by CD154 Blockade Prevents T Cell Retention and Effector Function in the Target Organ1

The CD40-CD154 interaction is an attractive target for therapeutic intervention in many autoimmune disorders, including multiple sclerosis. Previously, we showed that CD154 blockade both inhibited the onset of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and blocked clinical disease progression (relapses) in mice with established disease. The mechanism of this protection is poorly understood. Because CD154 plays a role in Th1 development, its blockade has been thought to promote anti-inflammatory Th2 responses. However, these conclusions have primarily been based on extrapolated data from in vitro experiments, which may not accurately reflect the more complex events occurring in vivo. In this paper we determine how the immune response develops under the influence of therapeutic CD154 blockade in vivo. We demonstrate that anti-CD154 treatment does not alter the early expansion of Ag-specific T cells in secondary lymphoid organs or result in deviation to a Th2-dominant response. Interestingly, the late expansion and retention of Th1 cells in the lymph nodes were markedly reduced following immunization of Ab-treated mice, and this coincided with a recompartmentalization of these cells to the spleen. Most importantly, anti-CD154 treatment eliminated the retention/expansion of encephalitogenic Th1 cells, but not their entry into the CNS. These data indicate that a major mechanism by which CD154 blockade protects against autoimmune disease is by controlling the amplitude of acute phase Th1 responses in the draining lymph nodes and by preventing the sustained expansion of effector cells within the target organ.
Efferent projections of the dorsal ventricular ridge and the striatum in the Tegu lizard, Tupinambis nigropunctatus

A H3 proline‐leucine mixture was injected into the dorsal ventricular ridge (DVR) and striatum of the Tegu lizard in order to determine their efferent projections. The brains were processed according to standard radioautographic technique, and counterstained with cresyl violet. DVR projections were generally restricted to the telencephalon, while striatal projections were limited to diencephalic and mesencephalic structures. Thus the anterior DVR projects ipsilaterally to nuclei sphericus and lateralis amygdalae, striatum (ipsilateral and contralateral) ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, nucleus accumbens, anterior olfactory nucleus, nucleus of the lateral olfactory tract and lateral pallium. Posterior DVR projections enter ipsilateral anterior olfactory nucleus, lateral and interstitial amygdalar nuclei, olfactory tubercle and bulb, nucleus of the lateral olfactory tract and a zone surrounding the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus. Labeled axons from striatal injections pass caudally in the lateral forebrain bundle to enter (via dorsal peduncle) nuclei dorsomedialis, medialis posterior, entopeduncularis anterior, and a zone surrounding nucleus rotundus. Others join the ventral peduncle of LFB and enter ventromedial nucleus (thalami), while the remaining fibers continue caudally in the ventral peduncle to the mesencephalic prerubral field, central gray, substantia nigra, nucleus intercollicularis, reticular formation and pretectal nucleus posterodorsalis. These results are discussed in relation to the changing notions regarding terminology, classification and functions of dorsal ventricular ridge and striatum.
Nonverbal Cognitive Abilities and Auditory Performance in Children Fitted With Auditory Brainstem Implants: Preliminary Report

Objectives/Hypothesis: Auditory brainstem implants (ABIs) can provide excellent open set speech recognition in adults without auditory tumors. These favorable results prompted us to extend ABI indications to children with profound hearing loss (HL) who are not candidates for a cochlear implant (CI). This article reports on the auditory performance and cognitive development measured in children with ABIs.
Fetal growth delay in threatened abortion: an ultrasound study

Summary. Out of 255 patients with threatened abortion 67 gave a regular menstrual history and at ultrasound examination had a live fetus with a crown‐rump length (CRL) of 10‐65 mm, equivalent to a gestational age of 7‐13 weeks. The CRL of these fetuses was smaller than expected from their menstrual age (P < 0.01). For this phenomenon we suggest the term early fetal growth delay. Seven patients aborted and one experienced intra‐uterine fetal death. These eight fetuses had on average smaller CRL than the remainder 59 fetuses (P < 0.05). Fetal growth delay may therefore be considered a risk factor in threatened abortion.
A randomized clinical trial to evaluate and compare implants placed in augmented versus non-augmented extraction sockets: 3-year results.

BACKGROUND The alveolar ridge undergoes reabsorption and atrophy subsequent to tooth removal and thus exhibits a wide range of dimensional changes. Preservation of the alveolar crest after tooth extraction is essential to enhance the surgical site before implant fixture placement. The aim of this randomized clinical study is to investigate and compare the need for additional augmentation procedures at implant insertion, as well as the success rate and marginal bone loss for implants placed in the grafted sites versus those placed in naturally healed sites. METHODS Forty patients with ≥1 hopeless tooth were randomly allocated to: 1) a test group, receiving extraction and grafting corticocancellous porcine bone; and 2) a control group, receiving extraction without any graft. After 7 months of healing, implants were inserted in each of the sites. The implants were submerged and loaded after 4 months with metal-ceramic rehabilitation. The follow-up included evaluation of implant diameter and length, the need for additional augmentation procedures at implant placement, implant failure, and marginal bone level changes. All patients were followed over a 3-year period. RESULTS One implant failed in the control group at the second stage of surgery (6 months after placement); one implant failed in the test group after 2 years of loading. The cumulative implant success rate at the 3-year follow-up visit reached 95% for both groups. No statistically significant differences were detected for marginal bone changes between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS It was concluded that implants placed into grafted extraction sockets exhibited a clinical performance similar to implants placed into non-grafted sites in terms of implant survival and marginal bone loss. However, grafted sites allowed placement of larger implants and required less augmentation procedures at implant placement when compared to naturally healed sites.
The impact of unemployment on marriage and divorce.

"The present study was designed to explore whether unemployment has a deleterious impact on family life, resulting in lower rates of marriage and births and higher rates of divorce. Time series data were available for twelve nations for the 35 year period of 1950 to 1985, and the present paper reports analyses of these data sets. " The results indicate that unemployment is associated with lower marriage and birth rates and higher divorce rates.
Sensitivity of radiative transfer to small-angle scattering in the ocean: Quantitative assessment.

It is shown that measurements of the absorption coefficient and the volume-scattering function for scattering angles ? 15° of ocean water are sufficient for predicting the transport of irradiance in the ocean. Thus, difficult-to-measure small-angle scattering is not necessary in many applications. Furthermore, the irrelevance of small-angle scattering suggests the irrelevance of the scattering coefficient and of the routinely measured beam-attenuation coefficient in many radiative-transfer problems. Finally, these observations provide a method for determining the adequacy of instruments in which small sampling volumes (~ few cm(3)) are analyzed when predicting irradiance attenuation and diffuse reflection for large volumes (~ 10-10(4) M(3)).
Olanzapine and JL13 induce cross-tolerance to the clozapine discriminative stimulus in rats

We have previously shown that chronic treatment with clozapine induces tolerance to the clozapine discriminative stimulus in rats. The studies reported here extended this work to assess whether chronic treatment with the clozapine-like antipsychotics olanzapine and 5-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)-8-chloro-pyrido[2,3-b][1,5] benzoxazepine fumarate (JL13) induced cross-tolerance to clozapine. Two groups of rats were trained to discriminate clozapine (5 mg/kg, intraperitoneal). Training was suspended and the rats were treated with either olanzapine or JL13 at high doses (5 and 20 mg/kg, respectively). These doses were administered twice daily. The clozapine generalization curve was computed three times – before chronic drug treatment, after 10 days of chronic treatment, and after 16 drug-free days. Both olanzapine and JL13 induced cross-tolerance to the clozapine stimulus, shown by significant 3.4 and 3.9 fold parallel shifts to the right in the clozapine generalization curves. Cross-tolerance was lost spontaneously during the drug-free days after treatment as clozapine sensitivity returned to baseline. We interpret these findings as indicative of the development of pharmacodynamic cross-tolerance to clozapine. Possible neuroadaptive mechanisms involved in such cross-tolerance are discussed. The paradigm outlined here allows refinement of antipsychotic drug discrimination assays to identify common chronic effects of such drugs.
USING SCIENCE AS A TOOL FOR INFUSING ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM – A BARRIER TO EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Nearly at the end of the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), there has been considerable discussion regarding the role of environmental education inESD at a policy level, yet in Botswana Environmental Education which was introduced by the 1994 Revised National Policy on Education is still taught in carrier subjects namely Science and Environmental science. In this article, drawing on interviews and focus group discussions with teachers and learners respectively,I argue that limiting the implementation of Environmental Education through Science with the exclusion of other subjects, contradicts the ESD initiative of educational practice that should result in the enhancement of human well-being, conceived in terms of the expansion of teachers’ and learners’ agency,capacities and participation in resolving the contextual social and ecological challenges that they daily face. I conclude that incorporating all subjects as the basis for teaching Environmental Education,the ESD agenda, for transforming the social ecological challenges that Botswana faces through a broad based curriculum and pedagogy that is holistic will be realised
The Clostridium Sporulation Programs: Diversity and Preservation of Endospore Differentiation

SUMMARY Bacillus and Clostridium organisms initiate the sporulation process when unfavorable conditions are detected. The sporulation process is a carefully orchestrated cascade of events at both the transcriptional and posttranslational levels involving a multitude of sigma factors, transcription factors, proteases, and phosphatases. Like Bacillus genomes, sequenced Clostridium genomes contain genes for all major sporulation-specific transcription and sigma factors (spo0A, sigH, sigF, sigE, sigG, and sigK) that orchestrate the sporulation program. However, recent studies have shown that there are substantial differences in the sporulation programs between the two genera as well as among different Clostridium species. First, in the absence of a Bacillus-like phosphorelay system, activation of Spo0A in Clostridium organisms is carried out by a number of orphan histidine kinases. Second, downstream of Spo0A, the transcriptional and posttranslational regulation of the canonical set of four sporulation-specific sigma factors (σF, σE, σG, and σK) display different patterns, not only compared to Bacillus but also among Clostridium organisms. Finally, recent studies demonstrated that σK, the last sigma factor to be activated according to the Bacillus subtilis model, is involved in the very early stages of sporulation in Clostridium acetobutylicum, C. perfringens, and C. botulinum as well as in the very late stages of spore maturation in C. acetobutylicum. Despite profound differences in initiation, propagation, and orchestration of expression of spore morphogenetic components, these findings demonstrate not only the robustness of the endospore sporulation program but also the plasticity of the program to generate different complex phenotypes, some apparently regulated at the epigenetic level.
A new single crystal diamond dosimeter for small beam: comparison with different commercial active detectors

Recent developments of new therapy techniques using small photon beams, such as stereotactic radiotherapy, require suitable detectors to determine the delivered dose with a high accuracy. The dosimeter has to be as close as possible to tissue equivalence and to exhibit a small detection volume compared to the size of the irradiation field, because of the lack of lateral electronic equilibrium in small beam. Characteristics of single crystal diamond (tissue equivalent material Z = 6, high density) make it an ideal candidate to fulfil most of small beam dosimetry requirements. A commercially available Element Six electronic grade synthetic diamond was used to develop a single crystal diamond dosimeter (SCDDo) with a small detection volume (0.165 mm3). Long term stability was studied by irradiating the SCDDo in a 60Co beam over 14 h. A good stability (deviation less than ± 0.1%) was observed. Repeatability, dose linearity, dose rate dependence and energy dependence were studied in a 10 × 10 cm2 beam produced by a Varian Clinac 2100 C linear accelerator. SCDDo lateral dose profile, depth dose curve and output factor (OF) measurements were performed for small photon beams with a micro multileaf collimator m3 (BrainLab) attached to the linac. This study is focused on the comparison of SCDDo measurements to those obtained with different commercially available active detectors: an unshielded silicon diode (PTW 60017), a shielded silicon diode (Sun Nuclear EDGE), a PinPoint ionization chamber (PTW 31014) and two natural diamond detectors (PTW 60003). SCDDo presents an excellent spatial resolution for dose profile measurements, due to its small detection volume. Low energy dependence (variation of 1.2% between 6 and 18 MV photon beam) and low dose rate dependence of the SCDDo (variation of 1% between 0.53 and 2.64 Gy min−1) are obtained, explaining the good agreement between the SCDDo and the efficient unshielded diode (PTW 60017) in depth dose curve measurements. For field sizes ranging from 0.6 × 0.6 to 10 × 10 cm2, OFs obtained with the SCDDo are between the OFs measured with the PinPoint ionization chamber and the Sun Nuclear EDGE diode that are known to respectively underestimate and overestimate OF values in small beam, due to the large detection volume of the chamber and the non-water equivalence of both detectors.
Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM) Elemental Mapping by Electron Energy‐Loss Spectroscopy

Electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in the analytical electron microscope provides a unique method for determining the concentration of the low atomic number elements, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, that contribute most to the total mass of biological molecules inside cells. In addition, EELS is competitive with energy dispersive X ray spectroscopy (EDXS) for determining phosphorus, sulfur, and calcium concentrations in thin dried cryosections of biological tissue. Recently, it has become possible not only to obtain information from a point in the sample but also to obtain elemental distributions. This is achieved by digitally scanning the electron beam over the sample and acquiring EELS data a t a number of pixels so that a chemical image is built up. The elemental map provides an important correlation between morphology and chemical composition. Furthermore, it allows an unbiased sampling of an entire area of the specimen. It is worthwhile a t the outset to compare the different techniques of EELS mapping as performed in the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) and in the energy filtering transmission electron microscope (EFTEM). We shall then present some examples of EELS mapping applied to thin sections in the STEM mode of the analytical electron microscope. Low atomic number mapping may be useful for determining relative concentrations of different biological molecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids. However, it is important to consider here the question of preferential mass loss due to radiation damage.