Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Variability in osteon size in recent human populations.

The possibility of smaller osteons in the cortical bone of Late Pleistocene human populations begs the question of how these histological features vary within individual skeletons among and between populations. The distributional characteristics of total osteon area (On.Ar) and Haversian canal area (H.Ar) are explored using data from three samples of historically known individuals: ribs and femora from eighteenth-century Huguenots in England (Spitalfields, n = 20), ribs and femora from nineteenth-century British settlers in Canada (St. Thomas, n = 21), and ribs from twentieth-century South African cadavers (University of Cape Town; following curatorial classifications, n = 10 white, 10 black, 10 colored). Neither histological variable is normally distributed. About 96% of the random variation is within the individual bone sample. There are no significant differences between sexes for either variable in any sample, and age has no effect in most instances. Femoral osteons are significantly larger than rib osteons within individuals and across samples. Haversian canal area is more variable than On.Ar, especially in the twentieth-century sample, where within-sample coefficients of variation are frequently >100%. Using modern centiles developed here, some Late Pleistocene long bone samples have On.Ar values below the range of modern variation. Because of ribs' smaller cross-sectional areas and less broadly ranging values for On.Ar, ribs would provide a preferable site for future comparative studies.
Low protein diet causes a decrease in serum concentrations of leptin and tumour necrosis factor‐alpha in patients with conservatively treated chronic renal failure

Background: Chronic renal failure (CRF) provokes derangement in various hormonal regulations of food intake and energy expenditure. In the present study, we have examined the effect of a low protein, low phosphorus diet on circulating levels of leptin, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐alpha, and insulin in patients with CRF.
The kinetic origins of the restriction point in the mammalian cell cycle

Abstract. A detailed model mechanism for the G1/S transition in the mammalian cell cycle is presented and analysed by computer simulation to investigate whether the kinetic origins of the restriction point (R‐point) can be identified. The R‐point occurs in mid‐to‐late G1 phase and marks the transition between mitogendependent to mitogen‐independent progression of the cell cycle. For purposes of computer simulations, the R‐point is defined as the first point in time after mitosis where cutting off mitogen stimulation does not prevent the cell reaching the threshold activity of cyclin‐E/cdk2 required for entry into S phase. The key components of the network that generate a dynamic switching behaviour associated with the R‐point include a positive feedback loop between cyclin‐E/cdk2 and Cdc25A, along with the mutually negative interaction between the cdk inhibitor p27Kip1 and cyclin‐E/cdk2. Simulations of the passage through the R‐point were carried out and the factors affecting the position of the R‐point in G1 are determined. The detailed model also shows various points in the network where the activation of cyclin‐E/cdk2 can be initiated with or without the involvement of the retinoblastoma protein.
Metabolic reprogramming and metabolic dependency in T cells

Upon activation, quiescent naive T cells undergo a growth phase followed by massive clonal expansion and differentiation that are essential for appropriate immune defense and regulation. Accumulation of cell biomass during the initial growth and rapid proliferation during the expansion phase is associated with dramatically increased bioenergetic and biosynthetic demands. This not only requires a metabolic rewiring during the transition between resting and activation but also ‘addicts’ active T cells to certain metabolic pathways in ways that naive and memory T cells are not. We consider such addiction in terms of the biological effects of deprivation of metabolic substrates or inhibition of specific pathways in T cells. In this review, we illustrate the relevant metabolic pathways revealed by recent metabolic flux analysis and discuss the consequences of metabolic intervention on specific metabolic pathways in T lymphocytes.
Geochemistry, metamorphic evolution and tectonic significance of metabasites from Caçapava do Sul, southern Brazil

This paper proposes the generation and closure of a proto-ocean and formation of an island arc in the Neoproterozoic Passo Feio Metamorphic Complex (PFMC), Cacapava do Sul region, southern Brazil. The PFMC, Sao Gabriel Terrane, consists of a Neoproterozoic supracrustal metavolcano- sedimentary sequence intruded by the Cacapava Granite. The study uses petrography, whole-rock geochemistry and mineral chemistry to identify the geochemical affinity and tectonic environment of the amphibolites contained in PFMC, the basalts and pillow lavas of Arroio Mudador Formation and dikes intruded in nearby volcanogenic rocks of Hilario Formation. The applied methods allow the metamorphic facies classification of prehnite- pumpellyite for the basalts and pillow lavas, greenschist for the dikes and lower amphibolite for the amphibolites. The discriminant diagrams indicate from tholeiitic to alkaline affinities for the Hilario Formation dikes. The basalts, pillow lavas and amphibolites have basaltic to basaltic-andesite composition and predominant tholeiitic affinity, interpreted as derived of the same protolith. The geotectonic diagrams mostly indicate volcanic arc basalts. The proposed evolution model starts with a proto-ocean opening through the Bossoroca Arc rifting around 760Ma, where an island arc is formed (PFMC rocks), precipitation of carbonates and marls, subsequent closure, two metamorphism events and the Cacapava Granite intrusion around 562 Ma.
Square loop antenna miniaturization using fractal geometry

Antenna design is a very tricky problem. Common designs are sensitive to only a narrow range of frequencies, and are not efficient if they are smaller than a quarter of the wavelength. This is a problem for small, portable antennas, such as those on cellular phones. Fractal antenna designs can overcome some of these problems. Experiments have shown that antennas built with only a small number of iterations of a fractal process can exhibit sensitivity at several frequencies. As the number of iterations increases, the lowest frequency of the antenna gets lower, and additional higher frequencies are added. Also, fractal antennas can operate efficiently at one-quarter the size of more traditional designs. Properly harnessed, these features represent real advantages. Fractals already are being used for compact, multifrequency antennas in cellular phones and military communications hardware. Fractal Antennas are now used in cellular phone antenna fitting inside the body of the phone, and, the multifrequency aspect of the antenna will allow GPS to be incorporated in the phone. Other applications include compact, multifrequency wireless LAN and maritime antennas. In this paper we present a miniaturization model of a square loop antenna using a non-return to zero pulse as a generator instead of the square pulse in Minkowski fractal model that allows an increase in the total electric length without occupying more space. This led to an easily matched compact loop antenna, but with a small sacrifice of the gain.
Benign Solitary Lung Lesions in Patients with Cancer

The appearance of a lung opacity on a chest film of a patient with known cancer may present a diagnostic dilemma. From 1940 through 1975, over 800 patients with this problem underwent thoracotomy for confirmation of diagnosis. In some 500 of these patients, the lesion proved to be primary cancer of the lung; in 196 they were solitary metastases and in 11 patients the lesions were benign. There were six additional patients in whom multiple opacities were found which proved to be benign conditions. An approach to the investigation, diagnosis, and surgical management of such solitary pulmonary lesions is presented. It is emphasized that the appearance of a solitary pulmonary shadow in a patient with a history of cancer should not be assumed to be a metastasis. Appropriate investigations should be performed without delay in an effort to define the nature of the lesion by microscopic analysis permitting definitive therapy to be administered and a more accurate prognosis provided.
Sleep-Wake State Tradeoffs, Impulsivity and Life History Theory

Evolutionary ecological theory predicts that sleep-wake state tradeoffs may be related to local environmental conditions and should therefore correlate to alterations in behavioral life history strategies. It was predicted that firefighters who slept more and reported better quality sleep on average would exhibit lower impulsivity inclinations related to slower life history trajectories. UPPS impulsivity scores and self-reported sleep averages were analyzed and indicated a negative association between sleep variables and urgency and a positive association with premeditation. Perseverance, and in some cases premeditation, however, disclosed an unpredicted marginally significant positive association between increased and emergency nighttime waking-related sleep deprivation. Sensation seeking was not associated with sleep variables, but was strongly associated with number of biological children. This research contributes to understanding the implications of human sleep across ecological and behavioral contexts and implies further research is necessary for constructing evolutionarily oriented measures of impulsivity inclination and its meaning in the context of life history strategies.
Histopathological effects of sub-chronic lamivudine-artesunate co-administration on the liver of diseased adult Wistar rats

Background: Lamivudine and artesunate are sometimes co administered in HIV-malaria co morbidity. Both drugs are used concurrently in presumptive malaria treatment and simultaneous HIV post exposure prophylaxis. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of lamivudine-artesunate co administration on the histology of the liver of diseased adult Wistar rats. Materials and Methods: Five groups of rats of both sexes were used for the study and placed on feed and water ad libitum. Disease state consisted of immunosuppression with cyclophosphamide, and infection with Plasmodium berghei. Group 1 animals served as vehicle control, while group 2 were the diseased controls. Group 3 animals received 20 mg/kg lamivudine for three weeks, while group 4 similarly received 20 mg/kg Lamivudine but also received 10 mg/kg artesunate from day 12. Animals in group 5 received 10 mg/kg artesunate from day 12. All drugs were administered intraperitoneally. The animals were treated for twenty-one days, at the end of which they were sacrificed and their livers fixed in 10% formalin for histological studies. Result: Results from the study show the presence of regions of focal necrosis and perivascular cuffing with animals that received artesunate. Hemosiderosis was a common feature in all the parasitized groups, while fatty degeneration was observed in the group that received artesunate alone. Conclusion: Concurrent lamivudine-artesunate administration resulted in some histopathological changes in the liver. This study suggests there may be considerable histological changes with repeated occurrence of malaria and immunosuppression that may warrant intermittent lamivudine-artesunate administration, and may require evaluation as well as monitoring of liver function during such therapeutic interventions.
HIV Prevalence Among Persons Suspected of Tuberculosis: Policy Implications for India

Background:HIV testing of persons referred for tuberculosis diagnosis (TB suspects) is recommended by World Health Organization but is not a policy in India, where HIV prevalence among TB suspects has never been reported. The current Indian policy of offering HIV testing only to TB cases may limit opportunities for early HIV diagnosis and treatment. Methods:All adult TB suspects examined for diagnostic sputum microscopy in Mandya district (2 million population), in December 2010, were offered voluntary HIV counseling and testing. Participants were assessed for subsequent TB diagnosis. Results:Of 1668 eligible TB suspects, HIV status was ascertained for 1539 (92%). Among these, 108 (7%) were HIV positive. Of the 108, 43 (40%) were newly diagnosed as HIV (ie, not previously known to have HIV infection). To detect a new case of HIV infection, the number needed to screen among TB patients was 13, as compared to an number needed to screen of 37 among “TB suspects not diagnosed as TB”. Applied annually in 2010, HIV testing of TB suspects in 2010 could have identified approximately 534 newly diagnosed HIV cases, a 51% increase in district HIV case finding. Conclusions:Routine HIV testing of TB suspects was feasible and yielded a large number of HIV cases in absolute terms and would increase district HIV case finding by 51%. The number of patients needed to be HIV tested to find a previously undetected HIV case among TB suspects was greater than for TB cases but was potentially acceptable. Given heterogeneity of HIV epidemic in India, broader surveillance is required before national policy decision.
Gene conversion in higher organisms: half-tetrad analysis of recombination within the rosy cistron of Drosophila melanogaster.

TUDIES of recombination in Drosophila involving closely linked markers (i.e., separable sites within a complex locus) have yielded results which may be grouped into at least two classes. Thus, if one considers investigations of random products of meiosis, one class of observations is characterized by: (1 ) unidirectional regular exchange for the closely linked flanking markers which permits the construction of a unique, and internally consistent, linear map of sites within the complex. (2) Positive interference is seen in that all products of exchange between the marker sites within the complex are classifiable as products of single-exchange tetrads. An example of such data are those seen in the study of the lozenge complex (GREEN and GREEN 1949,1956). In contrast, the garnet mutants (CHOVNICK 1958, 1961), maroon-like mutants (FINNERTY, DUCK and CHOVNICK 1970) and Notch mutants (WELSHONS and VON HALLE 1962; BAILLIE, ASTELL and SCHOLEFIELD 1966) yield meiotic products which appear to reflect negative interference in conjunction with exchange between the mutants within the complex. Nevertheless, if one restricts attention to the apparent singleexchange products in these systems, unambiguous linear mapping of sites within the complex obtains. Although full tetrad analysis is not possible in Drosophila, investigation of the reciprocity of recombination events at complex loci is afforded by use of compound chromosomes such as the attached-X chromosome and compound autosomes, which permit recovery of half-tetrad products of meiosis. Recombination studies with such chromosomes in Drosophila provide complete confirmation of the classical principles of exchange for relatively distant chromosome markers (WELSHONS 1955; BALDWIN and CHOVNICK 1967). However, studies of the halftetrad products of exchange involving very closely linked markers, like the random strand analyses, may be divided into two categories of results. One class of observations on exchange events between mutant members of a gene complex is best exemplified by the bithorax system of mutants (LEWIS 1967). In this system, exchanges are reciprocal, and positive interference appears to be the rule. On
Leaky Cauldron on the Dark Land: Understanding Memory Side-Channel Hazards in SGX

Side-channel risks of Intel SGX have recently attracted great attention. Under the spotlight is the newly discovered page-fault attack, in which an OS-level adversary induces page faults to observe the page-level access patterns of a protected process running in an SGX enclave. With almost all proposed defense focusing on this attack, little is known about whether such efforts indeed raise the bar for the adversary, whether a simple variation of the attack renders all protection ineffective, not to mention an in-depth understanding of other attack surfaces in the SGX system. In the paper, we report the first step toward systematic analyses of side-channel threats that SGX faces, focusing on the risks associated with its memory management. Our research identifies 8 potential attack vectors, ranging from TLB to DRAM modules. More importantly, we highlight the common misunderstandings about SGX memory side channels, demonstrating that high frequent AEXs can be avoided when recovering EdDSA secret key through a new page channel and fine-grained monitoring of enclave programs (at the level of 64B) can be done through combining both cache and cross-enclave DRAM channels. Our findings reveal the gap between the ongoing security research on SGX and its side-channel weaknesses, redefine the side-channel threat model for secure enclaves, and can provoke a discussion on when to use such a system and how to use it securely.
Sensorless Direct Torque and Flux-Controlled IPM Synchronous Motor Drive at Very Low Speed Without Signal Injection

This paper proposes a novel speed-sensorless direct torque and flux control scheme for an interior permanent-magnet synchronous motor drive. The drive uses a new stator flux observer based on the extended rotor flux concept. Due to the simultaneous implementation of stationary and rotating reference frames, the proposed observer does not require any speed adaptation and is inherently sensorless. Unlike speed adaptive observers, the proposed observer is immune to speed estimation errors; thus, its performance at very low speed is improved significantly. A novel stator resistance estimator is incorporated into the sensorless drive to compensate the effects of stator resistance variation. The global asymptotic stabilities of both the flux observer and stator resistance estimator are guaranteed by the Lyapunov stability analysis. Simulation and experimental results at very low speeds, including 0 and 5 r/min, confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Responses of midbrain dopamine neurons to behavioral trigger stimuli in the monkey.

Destruction of the midbrain dopamine (DA) system in Parkinsonian man and experimental animals leads to deficits in initiation of behavior, motor performance, and cognitive mechanisms. We have investigated the extracellular impulse activity of single midbrain DA neurons in unlesioned monkeys performing in a controlled behavioral task that was designed to paradigmatically test behavioral reactivity. Animals were trained to execute natural forelimb reaching movements for food reward in response to a trigger stimulus. Presumptive DA neurons were histologically located in the pars compacta of substantia nigra and in neighboring areas A8 and A10. They spontaneously discharged polyphasic impulses of relatively long duration (1.4-3.6 ms) and at low frequencies (0.5-8.5/s). Systemic injections of low doses of the DA autoreceptor agonist apomorphine (0.05-0.2 mg/kg) depressed the activity of virtually all thus tested DA neurons. In following established criteria, these characteristics strongly suggest the DAergic nature of the recorded neurons. The majority of midbrain DA neurons (70 of 128) responded to the behavioral trigger stimulus of the task with a short burst of impulses. Latencies ranged from 39 to 105 ms (median 65 ms) for onset and from 65 to 165 ms (median 95 ms) for peak of responses. Responses occurred before arm movement and at the time of or before onset of electromyographic (EMG) activity in prime mover muscles. Responses were time-locked to the stimulus and not to the onset of movement or EMG. Responses remained present in most neurons but were reduced when vision of the behavioral trigger stimulus was prevented while maintaining the associated acoustic signals. In another variation of the task, most neurons also responded to a stimulus that was physically identical to the behavioral trigger but to which the animal made no movement. The activity of a few DA neurons (11 of 128) was reduced following presentation of the behavioral trigger stimulus, with latencies comparable to those of activations. The activity of many DA neurons was increased (40 of 128) or reduced (22 of 128) during execution of the forelimb reaching movement. These changes were of a slow and moderate nature, and were minor compared with responses to the behavioral trigger stimulus. About half of movement-related neurons also responded to the behavioral trigger. The activity of a few DA neurons was increased (11 to 128) or reduced (1 to 128) when the food reward reached the mouth. These changes did not occur with spontaneous mouth movements. About half of these neurons also responded to the behavioral trigger. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
To What Extent Can Czech Exporters Cushion Exchange Rate Shocks through Imported Inputs

This paper examines the role of imported inputs in cushioning exchange rate shocks by using a partial equilibrium model of heterogeneous firms. Producers in the model can serve the domestic market, export final goods, import inputs or engage in both exporting and importing. In the model, an exogenous exchange rate shock simultaneously affects the variable costs and revenues associated with exports and imports. The impact of a hypothetical 1% appreciation of the domestic currency on sales is estimated using a panel of 7,356 Czech manufacturing firms observed from 2003 to 2006. We focus on the above period to exploit the rich within-firm variation in trade strategies. This variation is likely to be associated with the lifting of trade barriers following the Czech Republic’s EU accession in 2004. For firms that both export and import, the model predicts a drop in export sales of 0.8% as opposed to a 1% drop for price-taker exporters who do not use imported inputs.
Tracking of secretory vesicles of PC12 cells by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy

Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy is used to detect cellular events near the plasma membrane. Behaviours of secretory vesicles near the cell surface of living PC12 cells, a neuroendocrine cell line, are studied. The secretory vesicles are labelled by over‐expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein‐tagged Rab3A, one of the small G proteins involved in the fusion of secretory vesicles to plasma membrane in PC12 cells. Images acquired by a fast cooled charge‐coupled device camera using conventional fluorescence microscopy and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy are compared and analysed. Within the small evanescent range (< 200 nm), the movements of the secretory vesicles of PC12 cells before and after stimulation by high K+ are examined. The movements of one vesicle relative to another already docked on the membrane are detected. Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy provides a novel optical method to trace and analyse the exocytotic events and vesicle specifically near a cell membrane without interference of signals from other parts of the cell.