Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sox 3 Is Required for Gonadal Function , but Not Sex Determination , in Males and Females

Sox3 is expressed in developing gonads and in the brain. Evolutionary evidence suggests that the X-chromosomal Sox3 gene may be the ancestral precursor of Sry, a sex-determining gene, and Sox3 has been proposed to play a role in sex determination. However, patients with mutations in SOX3 exhibit normal gonadal determination but are mentally retarded and have short stature secondary to growth hormone (GH) deficiency. We used Cre-LoxP targeted mutagenesis to delete Sox3 from mice. Null mice of both sexes had no overt behavioral deficits and exhibited normal GH gene expression. Low body weight was observed for some mice; overgrowth and misalignment of the front teeth was observed consistently. Female Sox3 null mice ( / ) developed ovaries but had excess follicular atresia, ovulation of defective oocytes, and severely reduced fertility. Pituitary (luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone) and uterine functions were normal in females. Hemizygous male null mice ( /Y) developed testes but were hypogonadal. Testis weight was reduced by 42%, and there was extensive Sertoli cell vacuolization, loss of germ cells, reduced sperm counts, and disruption of the seminiferous tubules. We conclude that Sox3 is not required for gonadal determination but is important for normal oocyte development and male testis differentiation and gametogenesis.
Situs Inversus Totalis with Tetralogy of Fallot Complicated with Right Cerebral Abscess

Situs inversus totalis (SIT) is a rare anomaly in which there is a reversal of abdominal and thoracic organs. The condition may come to light when affected patients who uncommonly have congenital heart disease (CHD), manifest with one. A case of a 10 year old boy with SIT and tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) that was complicated with cerebral abscess is presented. The successful management of the cerebral abscess and the presentation of the anomaly are highlighted.
Superficial Cervical Plexus Neuropathy After Single-Injection Interscalene Brachial Plexus Block

BACKGROUND: Interscalene brachial plexus block (ISB) using the modified lateral approach provides a well-established method of anesthesia and analgesia for patients undergoing shoulder surgery. Considering the neural anatomy at the site of injection, the superficial cervical plexus may be at risk of injury. We evaluated the incidence and characteristics of superficial cervical plexus neuropathy. METHODS: During a 1-yr period, 273 consecutive patients requiring single-injection ISB for shoulder or proximal arm surgery were studied. Patients were examined for symptoms compatible with superficial cervical plexus injury before surgery, 24 h postoperatively, and contacted by telephone 31 days after surgery. Symptomatic patients received an additional phone call 6 mo after surgery. RESULTS: Twenty-four hours after shoulder surgery, 21 patients (7.7%) showed symptoms consistent with superficial cervical plexus neuropathy. Symptoms consisted of hypesthesia in 1–4 cutaneous branches of the cervical plexus. Five patients (1.8%) reported symptoms that lasted for >31 days. All symptoms had entirely resolved after 6 mo. CONCLUSIONS: Superficial cervical plexus neuropathy is not uncommon after ISB using the modified lateral approach and the possibility should be discussed with patients preprocedurally.
Linear accelerator-based stereotaxic radiosurgery for brain metastases:the influence of number of lesions on survival.

PURPOSE To evaluate the influence of the number of brain metastases on survival after stereotaxic radiosurgery and factors that affect the risk of delayed radiation necrosis after treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS Between March 1989 and December 1993, 120 consecutive patients underwent linear accelerator-based stereotaxic radiosurgery for brain metastases identified by computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. The influence of various clinical factors on outcome was assessed using Kaplan-Meier plots of survival from the date of radiosurgery, and univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS The median survival time was 32 weeks. Progressive brain metastases, both local and regional, caused 25 of 104 deaths. Patients with two metastases (n = 30) or a solitary metastasis (n = 70) had equivalent actuarial survival times (P = .07; median, 37 weeks; maximum, 211+ weeks). Patients treated to three or more metastases (n = 20) had significantly shorter survival times (P < .002; median, 14 weeks; maximum, 63 weeks). Prognostic factors associated with prolonged survival included a pretreatment Karnofsky performance status > or = 70% and fewer than three metastases. Delayed radiation necrosis at the treated site developed in 20 patients and correlated with prior or concurrent delivery of whole-brain irradiation and the logarithm of the tumor volume. CONCLUSION Survival duration is equivalent for patients with one or two brain metastases and is similar to that reported for patients with a solitary metastasis managed by surgical resection and whole-brain irradiation. Survival after radiosurgery for three or more metastases was similar to that reported for whole-brain irradiation.
Mobile phones, mobile phone base stations and cancer: a review

There have been reports in the media and claims in the courts that radiofrequency (RF) emissions from mobile phones are a cause of cancer, and there have been numerous public objections to the siting of mobile phone base antennas because of a fear of cancer. This review summarizes the current state of evidence concerning whether the RF energy used for wireless communication might be carcinogenic. Relevant studies were identified by searching MedLine with a combination of exposure and endpoint terms. This was supplemented by a review of the over 1700 citations assembled by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Committee on Electromagnetic Safety as part of their updating of the IEEE C95.1 RF energy safety guidelines. Where there were multiple studies, preference was given to recent reports, to positive reports of effects and to attempts to confirm such positive reports. Biophysical considerations indicate that there is little theoretical basis for anticipating that RF energy would have significant biological effects at the power levels used by modern mobile phones and their base station antennas. The epidemiological evidence for a causal association between cancer and RF energy is weak and limited. Animal studies have provided no consistent evidence that exposure to RF energy at non-thermal intensities causes or promotes cancer. Extensive in vitro studies have found no consistent evidence of genotoxic potential, but in vitro studies assessing the epigenetic potential of RF energy are limited. Overall, a weight-of-evidence evaluation shows that the current evidence for a causal association between cancer and exposure to RF energy is weak and unconvincing. However, the existing epidemiology is limited and the possibility of epigenetic effects has not been thoroughly evaluated, so that additional research in those areas will be required for a more thorough assessment of the possibility of a causal connection between cancer and the RF energy from mobile telecommunications.
Eddy current power losses in a toroidal laminated core with rectangular cross section

The paper presents a completely analytical solution for the magnetic field, the induced eddy currents and corresponding losses in a toroidal laminated core with a rectangular cross section. The diffusion equation is analytically solved using a separation of variables in a cylindrical coordinate system, and accurate conditions for the weak and strong diffusion effect are determined. An equivalent resistance corresponding to the eddy current losses is defined and determined. The results are experimentally verified.
Facial video age progression considering expression change

This paper proposes an age progression method for facial videos. Age is one of the main factors that changes the appearance of the face, due to the associated sagging, spots, and wrinkles. These aging features change in appearance depending on facial expressions. As an example, we see wrinkles appear in the face of the young when smiling, but the shape of wrinkles changes in older faces. Previous work has not considered the temporal changes of the face, using only static images as databases. To solve this problem, we extend the texture synthesis approach to use facial videos as source videos. First, we spatio-temporally align the videos of database to match the sequence of a target video. Then, we synthesize an aging face and apply the temporal changes of the target age to the wrinkles appearing in the facial expression image in the target video. As a result, our method successfully generates expression changes specific to the target age.
ASSESSMENT OF INSULIN RESISTANCE IN OBESE CATS by JULIANO BRANDAO ( Under the direction of Margarethe Hoenig )

Obesity and insulin resistance is a growing problem in people and in cats. Insulin resistance is defined as a condition in which the magnitude of the biological response to insulin is decreased. The major hallmarks of insulin resistance are alterations in glucose and lipid metabolism. Together, they lead to an impairment of insulin secretion and action, and may cause type 2 diabetes. Several methods have been developed in people in order to evaluate early changes in insulin secretion, glucose and lipid metabolism. The goal of this research was to examine the efficacy and sensitivity of different methods, such as the Euglycemic Hyperinsulinemic glucose Clamp (EHC), and the Frequently Sampled Intravenous Glucose Tolerance Test (FSIVGTT) to detect changes in insulin sensitivity, and to examine glucose and lipid metabolism by using labeled (H)-glucose and deuterated glycerol and indirect calorimetry. Twenty two cats, 10 lean and 12 obese cats were used in this study. The EHC results of this study indicate that glucose sensitivity in obese cats is approximately 50% of that of lean cats and is negatively correlated with body weight, and that the insulin sensitivity for non-radioactive glucose was double that of radioactive glucose indicating that tracer estimates of insulin sensitivity may reflect only glucose disappearance while the estimate of insulin sensitivity based on total glucose also includes the suppression of hepatic glucose output Obese cats had higher baseline non esterified fatty acids (NEFA) concentrations than lean cats. Obese males had significantly higher baseline NEFA concentrations than obese females. Obese females had lower RER values than obese males cats during insulin infusion suggesting a higher capacity to oxidize fat than obese males. It is conclude that obesity in cats is characterized by increased lipid oxidation which is maintained in females during insulin infusion but not males. The lower heat production in lean males combined with a decreased ability to oxidize fatty acids in response to insulin may predispose them to obesity. The lower metabolic rate of obese cats of either gender favors an increase in body weight in the face of unaltered food intake INDEX WORDS: Obesity, insulin resistance, Euglycemic Hyperinsulinemic Clamp, Frequently Sampled Intravenous Glucose Tolerance Test, Indirect Calorimetry, Respiratory Exchange Ratio, H5-glycerol, H-glucose ASSESSMENT OF INSULIN RESISTANCE IN OBESE CATS
IMPROVED ADVANCED MOTION VECTOR PREDICTION SCHEME FOR SURVEILLANCE VIDEO CODING

Background frame based video coding achieves a remarkable compress performance for surveillance video coding. In this paper, an improved Advanced Motion Vector Prediction (AMVP) scheme for surveillance video coding is proposed to make Motion Vector Prediction (MVP) more accurate when prediction unit (PU) references background (BG)-frame. Considering the correlations among the spatial PUs, the proposed method utilizes the Motion Vectors (MV) of spatial PUs which reference BG-frame to recalculate MVP, and reconstruct the MVP candidate list when current PU references BG-frame. Results show that our scheme averagely achieves 0.17% bit-rate saved compared to HM12.0-S.
Human papillomavirus vaccination and social inequality: results from a prospective cohort study

SUMMARY We investigated the effect of social inequalities on the uptake of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, combining data from a feasibility study conducted in 2007–2008 in 2817 secondary schoolgirls in two UK primary-care trusts, with census and child health records. Uptake was significantly lower in more deprived areas (P<0·001) and in ethnic minority girls (P=0·013). The relatively small proportion of parents who actively refused vaccination by returning a negative consent form were more likely to come from more advantaged areas (P<0·001). Non-responding parents were from more deprived (P<0·001) and ethnic minority (P=0·001) backgrounds. Girls who did not receive HPV vaccination were less likely to have received all their childhood immunizations particularly measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). Different approaches may be needed to maximize HPV vaccine uptake in engaged and non-responding parents, including ethnic-specific approaches for non-responders.
VANET Simulation Environment with Feedback Loop and its Application to Traffic Light Assistance

Traffic applications, in which vehicles are equipped with a radio interface and communicate directly with each other and the road traffic infrastructure are a promising field for ad-hoc network technology. Vehicular applications reach from entertainment to traffic information systems, including safety aspects where warning messages can inform drivers about dangerous situations in advance. As performance tests of the real system are very expensive and not comprehensive, today's evaluations are based on analysis and simulation via traffic simulators. In order to investigate the impact of traffic information systems there are two options: First, traffic simulators can be extended by application code and a simplified model for wireless communication. Second, existing network simulators can be coupled with existing traffic simulators. We favor the coupling of existing and well known simulators as we believe that the wireless communication characteristics influence the data transfer significantly and an oversimplified transmission model can lead to flawed results. In this paper we describe the feedback loop between traffic and network simulators named traffic control interface (TraCI) and outline its versatility. We explain its use to determine possible energy consumption reduction when traffic lights send their phase schedules to vehicles.
The chromosomal integration site determines the tissue‐specific methylation of mouse mammary tumour virus proviral genes.

Multiple endogenous mouse mammary tumour virus (MMTV) proviral genes are present at different chromosomal locations in inbred mouse strains. Proviral DNA methylation is location and tissue specific. The methylation patterns are stably inherited and appear to be conferred upon the viral DNA by the flanking mouse genomic DNA. In transformed cells, either mammary carcinoma cells, or cells immortalized by SV40 in vitro, the stable pattern of methylation is lost. Although hypomethylation of proviral genes, both in normal and in transformed tissue, accompanies MMTV‐specific RNA expression, it is also observed in non‐expressing tissues.
Sea ice area detection in the sea of Okhotsk using PALSAR polarimetric data

The objective of this research is into detecting sea ice from PALSAR (Phased-Array type L-band SAR) polarimetric data. A new method utilizing scattering entropy for detecting sea ice area was proposed. This paper shows the results of estimating sea ice area from PALSAR polarimetric data acquired from 2008 to 2010. The AMSR-E (Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS) sea ice concentration and the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data are used to verify the result of sea ice area derived from PALSAR data. The difference in the detected sea ice areas was found especially in AMSR-E lower concentration area. The high resolution backscattering and scattering entropy images give us an idea that there is some difficulty in AMSR-E to detect thin sea ice in the Sea of Okhotsk. Since most of PALSAR detected sea ice area was also detected by MODIS data, we can conclude that our proposed method is reliable to detect thin sea ice area in the Sea of Okhotsk.
Coping with abstraction in object orientation with a special focus on interface classes

One of the subjects that undergraduate students learning Object Oriented (OO) design find hard to apply is the construction of class hierarchies in general, and the use of interface classes in particular. The design process requires decomposition and reconstruction of problems in order to model software classes. The common attributes and behaviors are usually modeled using class inheritance except when the common behaviors do not belong to the same class hierarchy; in such case, an interface class is preferred. In order to be able to properly design, the designer has to demonstrate the abstraction abilities on various levels. In this study, we aimed at examining the students' demonstration of abstraction levels during design of class hierarchy in general, and whether or not they use interface classes in particular. The results of the study reveal that a majority of students were able to build a reasonable class hierarchy; however, many of them did not use interface classes as a tool for expressing common behaviors. Nevertheless, all of them could identify and choose the best solution for a particular problem among four different solutions, which included the use of interface class.
Using the SF-36 for characterizing outcome after multiple trauma involving head injury.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) for examining outcomes after multiple trauma and to investigate whether the addition of items selected to measure cognitive function could improve the sensitivity of the SF-36 for identifying differences in outcomes for patients with and without head injury. METHODS One thousand two hundred thirty patients discharged from 12 trauma centers were interviewed 1 year after injury. The interview included the SF-36 supplemented with four items chosen to assess cognitive function. RESULTS The resulting cognitive function scale is internally consistent and measures a component of health that is independent of the dimensions incorporated in the SF-36. It correlates well with established measures of brain injury severity and discriminates among patients with and without brain injury. CONCLUSION This study underscores the need to supplement the SF-36 with a measure of cognitive function when evaluating outcome from multiple trauma involving head injury. Further studies are needed to validate the specific items chosen for measuring cognitive function.
Diet and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Case-Control Study

We conducted a population-based case-control study of inflammatory bowel disease and dietary habits in Stockholm during 1984–1987. We obtained retrospective information about food intake 5 years previously by a postal questionnaire for 152 cases with Crohn's disease, 145 cases with ulcerative colitis, and 305 controls. The relative risk of Crohn's disease was increased for subjects who had a high (55 gm or more per day) intake of sucrose (relative risk = 2.6, 95% confidence interval = 1.4–5.0) and was decreased for subjects who had a high (15 gm or more per day) intake of fiber (relative risk = 0.5, 95% confidence interval=0.3–0.9). The most striking finding was an increased relative risk of both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis associated with consumption of fast foods: the relative risk associated with consumption of fast foods at least two times a week was estimated at 3.4 (95% confidence interval = 1.3–9.3) for Crohn's disease and 3.9 (95% confidence interval=1.4–10.6) for ulcerative colitis. Although coffee seemed to provide a protective effect for both diseases, there are reasons to consider this finding an artifact. (Epidemiology 1992;3:47–52)
Prevalence and types of sleep disturbances acutely after traumatic brain injury

Primary objective: To assess the prevalence of and risk factors for sleep disturbances in the acute post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) period. Research design: Longitudinal, observational study. Methods and procedures: Fifty-four first time closed-head injury patients were recruited and evaluated within 3 months after injury. Pre-injury and post-injury sleep disturbances were compared on the Medical Outcome Scale for Sleep. The subjects were also assessed on anxiety, depression, medical comorbidity and severity of TBI. Main outcomes and results: Subjects were worse on most sleep measures after TBI compared to before TBI. Anxiety disorder secondary to TBI was the most consistent significant risk factor to be associated with worsening sleep status. Conclusions: Anxiety is associated with sleep disturbances after TBI. Further studies need to be done to evaluate if this is a causal relationship.
A Cytoplasmic Factor Required for Contraction of the Cleavage Furrow in af Mutant Eggs of Xenopus laevis

Abstract The abnormal furrow (af) gene was identified through a maternal effect mutation that causes a defect in cell division in Xenopus embryos. In eggs obtained from mutant females (af eggs), polar body formation and cytokinesis are completely inhibited while nuclear division continues uninterrupted. Cleavage furrows are recognized as unpigmented narrow bands on the egg surface but they do not contract. Transfer of cytoplasm from wild-type eggs into af eggs partially rescues contraction of the cleavage furrow. The factor responsible for contraction promoting activity was present in wild-type eggs throughout the first cell division cycle and induced contraction in a dose dependent manner. The factor was characterized as a high molecular weight protein complex that was associated with particulate fraction in the extract. The recovery of contraction was associated with accumulation of filamentous actin and WGA-binding sites within the cleavage furrow of the af eggs which were normally not enriched for these components. Formation and contraction of a filamentous actin ring during cortical wound healing in af eggs was indistinguishable from that of wild-type eggs. From these results, the af gene product may be specifically required for reorganization of the actin filaments and WGA-binding sites in the cleavage furrow and contraction through these structures during cytokinesis.
Nipped-A, the Tra1/TRRAP Subunit of the Drosophila SAGA and Tip60 Complexes, Has Multiple Roles in Notch Signaling during Wing Development

ABSTRACT The Notch receptor controls development by activating transcription of specific target genes in response to extracellular signals. The factors that control assembly of the Notch activator complex on target genes and its ability to activate transcription are not fully known. Here we show, through genetic and molecular analysis, that the Drosophila Nipped-A protein is required for activity of Notch and its coactivator protein, mastermind, during wing development. Nipped-A and mastermind also colocalize extensively on salivary gland polytene chromosomes, and reducing Nipped-A activity decreases mastermind binding. Nipped-A is the fly homologue of the yeast Tra1 and human TRRAP proteins and is a key component of both the SAGA and Tip60 (NuA4) chromatin-modifying complexes. We find that, like Nipped-A, the Ada2b component of SAGA and the domino subunit of Tip60 are also required for mastermind function during wing development. Based on these results, we propose that Nipped-A, through the action of the SAGA and Tip60 complexes, facilitates assembly of the Notch activator complex and target gene transcription.