Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intrafamilial phenotypic variability in Engelmann disease (ED): are ED and Ribbing disease the same entity?

We report on clinical and radiologic manifestations in a 3-generation Japanese family with Engelmann disease (ED) or progressive diaphyseal dysplasia. A large variation of phenotype was remarkable among 12 affected family members. Of the 12 patients, 7 had full manifestations of ED, such as bilateral, symmetrical diaphyseal sclerosis of long bones with myopathy and limb pain, whereas the other 5 exhibited only segmental (rhizomelic and/or mesomelic) involvement and asymmetric diaphyseal sclerosis without any clinical symptoms. The phenotype of the latter group of patients resembled Ribbing disease (RD). We propose that ED and RD represent phenotypic variation of the same disorder.
Examination of the Transitions of Households into and out of Poverty in Turkey

Using a balanced panel drawn from Turkstat’s Survey of Income and Living Conditions (SILC), we aim to identify the main determinants of Turkish households’ entry into and exit from poverty. During the 4 year period (2007-2010) examined, the relative income poverty rate declined moderately, implying that households were more likely to exit than enter poverty. In addition to a descriptive analysis where poor, non-poor, entrant, and exitor households are compared in terms of basic household and household head characteristics, the empirical work involves the estimation of binary choice models that analyze the relative importance of these factors. Our models reveal that the employment status and schooling of the household head and household size are closely associated with poverty status changes. The probability of entry into poverty, for instance, is higher for larger households with many inactive/dependent members. However, model specifications that produce the best fit are the ones that take into account the changes in household composition and the amounts of income types received.
Watching moving images specifically promotes development of medial area of secondary visual cortex in rat

It is generally accepted that the cortex can be divided into numerous regions depending on the type of information each processes, and that specific input is effective in improving the development of related regions. In visual cortex, many subareas are distinguished on the basis of their adequate information. However, whether the development of a subarea can be specifically improved by its particular input is still largely unknown. Here, we show the specific effects of motion information on the development of the medial area of secondary visual cortex (V2M), a subarea associated with processing the movement component of visual information. Although watching a moving or a still image had similar effects in primary visual cortex, the moving image induced multistage development of V2M in dark‐reared rats: both mRNA and protein levels of GluR2 were upregulated, the density and protein content of GluR2‐positive synapses increased, and the spine density and the frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) of pyramidal neurons in Layer 5 were elevated. Our results suggest that rats are able to identify motion information, distribute it to V2M, and then use this input to specifically improve the development of V2M. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 2009
On Tyranny

The book On Tyranny by Professor Strauss has for its nucleus an analysis of the Xenophontic dialogue Hiero; here it is a contribution to the history of political thought. In addition, especially in the introductory chapter, it contains a number of reflections on the problem of tyranny in ancient and modern times, on differences between ancient and modern political science, and on the relation between Hiero and Machiavelli's Prince as points of closest contact between the ancient and modem approaches to the problem of tyranny—thus justifying the more general title which the author has chosen for his book. An interpretation of the Hiero is a very valuable undertaking. The dialogue, though the only work of antiquity dealing specifically with the subject of tyranny, is much neglected, sharing this neglect with the other works of Xenophon in the shadow of the greater Plato. While Professor Strauss' analysis will hardly affect the judgment that Xenophon was not a profound thinker, it certainly will compel a revision of judgment with regard to his psychological subtlety and his skill of composition as an artist. The Hiero is a conversation between the tyrant Hiero and die poet Simonides on the relative merits of the tyrannical and private life. As distinguished from the distribution of roles in the Platonic dialogues, the tyrant is charged with the indictment of tyranny, while the sage comforts the unhappy tyrant and suggests means for making his tyranny a beneficent rule and his person beloved by die subjects. Professor Strauss excels in his exposition of the dramatic qualities of the conversation. The interpretation as such, resting on the solid basis of impeccable erudition, is a model of careful analysis.
N-Dimensional Canonical Chua's Circuit

In this paper we present an n-dimensional canonical piecewise-linear electrical circuit. It contains 2n two-terminal elements: n linear dynamic elements (capacitors and inductors), n - 1 linear resistors and one nonlinear (piecewise-linear) resistor. This circuit can realize any prescribed eigenvalue pattern, except for a set of measure zero, associated with (i) any n-dimensional two-region continuous piecewise-linear vector fields and (ii) any n-dimensional three-region symmetric (with respect to the origin) piecewise-linear continuous vector fields. We also proved a theorem that specifies the conditions for a vector field, realized with our canonical circuit, to have two or three equilibrium points.
Oxidative metabolism of skeletal muscle in steroid atrophy.

Corticosteroids cause severe atrophy of skeletal muscle. We have assessed the oxidative capacity of rat skeletal muscles following prolonged steroid administration. Dexamethasone caused severe atrophy and loss of oxidative capacity. Hydrocortisone also caused severe atrophy and loss of oxidative capacity, but to a lesser extent. These effects were reversible. White muscles were more severely affected than red. Palmitate oxidation was less severely affected than that of other substrates. Diphenylhydantoin failed to reverse the effects of steroid treatment on muscle. Administration of dexamethasone to hypophysectomized rats caused them to lose weight and undergo muscular wasting, but did not result in oxidative deficits. Thus, mitochondrial defects do not represent the primary lesion in steroid atrophy. Additional hormonal actions are probably involved in the pathogenesis of steroid atrophy.
Improved estimation of the ricean K-factor from I/Q fading channel samples

The Ricean K-factor is a practical channel quality measure in many wireless communication applications as it exhibits a fast estimation convergence compared with the explicit estimation of performance metrics such as error rates. Recently, it has been shown that estimation of the K-factor can be improved relative to envelope-based detectors through the use of complex (I/Q) channel observations. In this paper, an analysis of the maximum likelihood estimator of the K-factor from I/Q samples is presented, which illustrates the bias of previous estimators. An improved estimator is then proposed, which has superior bias and efficiency for short data records. For mobile applications, a reliable estimator of the Doppler shift of the specular component is incorporated. Simulation results for a range of channel conditions illustrate that the proposed estimator outperforms prior techniques, and provide insight into the record lengths required to achieve a desired estimation accuracy.
Familial acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: immunogenetic link with HLA‐DRB1*11 and DQB1*03 antigens

A.T. , Huhn, M. , Fischer, R. , Thepen, T. & Barth, S. (2013) Microtubule-associated protein tau facilitates the targeted killing of proliferating cancer cells in vitro and in a xenograft mouse tumour model in vivo. British Journal of Cancer, 109, 1570–1578. Hu, X. , Wei, H. , Xiang, L. , Chertov, O. , Wayne, A.S. , Bera, T.K. & Pastan, I. (2013) Methylation of the DPH1 promoter causes immunotoxin resistance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line KOPN-8. Leukemia Research, 37, 1551–1556. Mathew, M. & Verma, R.S. (2009) Humanized immunotoxins: a new generation of immunotoxins for targeted cancer therapy. Cancer Science, 100, 1359–1365. Mladenov, R. , Hristodorov, D. , Cremer, C. , Hein, L. , Kreutzer, F. , Stroisch, T. , Niesen, J., Brehm, H. , Blume, T. , Brummendorf, T.H. , Jost, E. , Thepen, T. , Fischer, R. , Stockmeyer, B. , Barth, S. & Stein, C. (2015) The Fc-alpha receptor is a new target antigen for immunotherapy of myeloid leukemia. International Journal of Cancer, 137, 2729– 2738. Saxena, S.K. , Rybak, S.M. , Davey, R.T. Jr, Youle, R.J. & Ackerman, E.J. (1992) Angiogenin is a cytotoxic, tRNA-specific ribonuclease in the RNase A superfamily. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 267, 21982–21986. Valerius, T. , Stockmeyer, B. , van Spriel, A.B. , Graziano, R.F. , van den Herik-Oudijk, I.E., Repp, R. , Deo, Y.M. , Lund, J., Kalden, J.R. , Gramatzki, M. & van de Winkel, J.G. (1997) FcalphaRI (CD89) as a novel trigger molecule for bispecific antibody therapy. Blood, 90, 4485–4492. Wei, H. , Xiang, L. , Wayne, A.S. , Chertov, O. , FitzGerald, D.J., Bera, T.K. & Pastan, I. (2012) Immunotoxin resistance via reversible methylation of the DPH4 promoter is a unique survival strategy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109, 6898–6903. Weidle, U.H. , Tiefenthaler, G. , Schiller, C. , Weiss, E.H. , Georges, G. & Brinkmann, U. (2014) Prospects of bacterial and plant protein-based immunotoxins for treatment of cancer. Cancer Genomics & Proteomics, 11, 25–38.
An avirulence gene, AvrLmJ1, from the blackleg fungus, Leptosphaeria maculans, confers avirulence to Brassica juncea cultivars.

The fungus Leptosphaeria maculans causes blackleg of Brassica species. Here, we report the mapping and subsequent cloning of an avirulence gene from L. maculans. This gene, termed AvrLmJ1, confers avirulence towards all three Brassica juncea cultivars tested. Analysis of RNA-seq data showed that AvrLmJ1 is housed in a region of the L. maculans genome which contains only one gene that is highly expressed in planta. The closest genes are 57 and 33 kb away and, like other avirulence genes of L. maculans, AvrLmJ1 is located within an AT-rich, gene-poor region of the genome. The encoded protein is 141 amino acids, has a predicted signal peptide and is cysteine rich. Two virulent isolates contain a premature stop codon in AvrLmJ1. Complementation of an isolate that forms cotyledonary lesions on B. juncea with the wild-type allele of AvrLmJ1 confers avirulence towards all three B. juncea cultivars tested, suggesting that the gene may confer species-specific avirulence activity.
Clustering of Syringe Sharing and Unprotected Sex Risk Behaviors in Male Injecting Drug Users in China

Objectives: To investigate, among male injecting drug users (IDU), the relationships between higher risk IDU-related and sex-related behaviors. Goal: To highlight the clustering effects of the 2 forms of risk behaviors. Study Design: Behavioral surveillance surveys conducted in Sichuan were analyzed (n = 3105). Results: Of all respondents, 35.7% had injected with others' used syringes in the last 6 months, which was associated with female sex workers (FSW) and nonregular sex partners (NRP) partnership (OR = 1.81 and 1.59 respectively), and having had unprotected sex with FSW, NRP, and regular sex partners (OR = 1.96, 1.57, and 1.38 respectively). Higher drug use frequency was associated with having unprotected sex with FSW (among client of FSW, OR = 1.7) and with NRP (among those with NRP, OR = 1.61). Giving used syringes to others for injection was also associated with unprotected sex with NRP (OR = 1.97). Conclusions: Interventions are urgently required to reduce both IDU-related and sex-related risk behaviors among male IDU.
Comparison of Diagnostic Ability between a Fast Strategy, Tendency-Oriented Perimetry, and the Standard Bracketing Strategy

Purpose: To compare the diagnostic abilities of the standard bracketing strategy (BR) and a fast strategy, the tendency-oriented perimetry (TOP). Methods: Seventy-seven controls and 91 eyes from patients with glaucoma were analyzed with the strategies TOP and BR. Sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AC) and the optimum cutoff value (CO) were calculated for the visual field indices mean defect (MD), the square root of the loss variance (sLV) and the number of pathological points (NPP). Results: In the glaucoma group, the mean MD value using TOP and BR was 7.5 and 8.3 dB, respectively. The mean sLV value using TOP and BR was 5.0 and 5.3 dB, respectively. Indices provided by TOP had higher ROC values than the ones provided by BR. Using TOP, the index with the best diagnostic ability was sLV (Sp = 94.8, Se = 90.1, AC = 0.966, CO = 2.5 dB), followed by NPP and MD. Using BR, the best results were obtained for MD (Sp = 92.2, Se = 81.3, AC = 0.900, CO = 2.5 dB) followed by sLV and NPP. Conclusions: A fast strategy, TOP, had superior diagnostic ability than the standard BR. Although TOP provided lower LV values than BR, the diagnostic ability of this index was higher than that of the conventional strategy.
Tissue-Specific Progenitor and Stem Cells Exosomes Derived From Akt-Modified Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells Improve Cardiac Regeneration and Promote Angiogenesis via Activating Platelet-Derived Growth Factor

We have previously demonstrated the cardioprotective effects of exosomes derived frommesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). It is well-known that the activation of Akt is involved in stem cell-induced cardioprotection. In the present study, we investigated whether exosomes released from Akt-overexpressing MSCs showed a beneficial effect on cardioprotection and angiogenesis. MSCs were collected from human umbilical cord (hucMSCs), and Akt was transfected into hucMSCs (AkthucMSCs) by using an adenovirus transfection system. Exosomeswere isolated fromcontrol hucMSCs (Exo) andAkt-hucMSCs (Akt-Exo). An acutemyocardial infarctionmodelwas created by ligation of the left anteriordecedent coronaryartery (LAD) in rats.Various sourceexosomes (400mgofprotein)were infused via the tail vein immediately after LAD ligation. The cardiac function was evaluated by using echocardiography after different treatments for 1 and 5 weeks, respectively. Endothelial cell proliferation,migration, and tube-like structure formation, aswell as chick allantoicmembraneassay,were used to evaluate the angiogenetic effects of Akt-Exo. The results indicated that cardiac function was significantly improved in the animals treatedwith Akt-Exo. In addition, Akt-Exo significantly accelerated endothelial cell proliferation andmigration, tube-like structure formation in vitro, and blood vessel formation in vivo. The expression of platelet-derived growth factor D (PDGF-D) was significantly upregulated in Akt-Exo. However, the angiogenesis was abrogated in endothelial cells treated with the exosomes obtained from MSCs transfected with PDGF-D-siRNA. Our studies suggest that exosomes obtained from Akt-modified hucMSCs are more effective in myocardial infarction therapy through promoting angiogenesis. PDGF-D plays an important role in Akt-Exo-mediated angiogenesis. STEM CELLS TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2016;5:1–9
StarCraft : Strategy Selection in Real-Time Strategy Games

The correct choice of strategy is crucial for a successful realtime strategy (RTS) game player. Generally speaking, a strategy determines the sequence of actions the player will take in order to defeat his/her opponents. In this paper we present a systematic study of strategy selection in the popular RTS game StarCraft. We treat the choice of strategy as a game itself and test several strategy selection techniques, including Nash Equilibrium and safe opponent exploitation. We adopt a subset of AIIDE 2015 StarCraft AI tournament bots as the available strategies and our results suggest that it is useful to deviate from Nash Equilibrium to exploit sub-optimal opponents on strategy selection, confirming insights from computer rock-paper-scissors tournaments.
Effect of home-bleaching gels modified by calcium and/or fluoride and the application of nano-hydroxyapatite paste on in vitro enamel erosion susceptibility

Abstract Objective. This in vitro study compared the effect of bleaching agents modified by the addition of calcium and/or fluoride and the application of a nano-hydroxyapatite paste after bleaching, on the susceptibility of enamel to erosion. Materials and methods. Bovine enamel cylindrical samples (3 mm diameter) were assigned to six groups (n = 20 specimens/group) according to the bleaching agent: no bleaching (C-control), 7.5% hydrogen peroxide gel (HP), HP with 0.5% calcium gluconate (HP+Ca), HP with 0.2% sodium fluoride (HP+F), HP with calcium and fluoride (HP+Ca+F) and HP followed by the application of a nano-hydroxyapatite agent (HP+NanoP). The gels were applied on the enamel surface (1 h) followed by cyclic erosive challenges (Sprite Zero®-2 min), for 14 days. The paste was applied after bleaching for 5 min (HP+NanoP). The enamel surface alteration was measured by contact profilometry (µm) (after 7 and 14 days). Results. C-control (mean ± SD: 2.29 ± 0.37 at 7 days/4.86 ± 0.72 at 14 days) showed significantly lower loss compared to the experimental groups. HP+Ca (3.34 ± 0.37/6.75 ± 1.09) and HP+F (4.49 ± 0.92/7.61 ± 0.90) presented significantly lower enamel loss than HP (4.18 ± 0.50/10.30 ± 1.58) only for 14 days and HP+Ca+F (4.92 ± 1.03/8.12 ± 1.52) showed values similar to the HP+F group. The HP+NanoP (5.51 ± 1.04/9.61 ± 1.21) resulted in enamel loss similar to the HP after 14 days. Conclusions. It was found that 7.5% hydrogen peroxide increased the susceptibility of enamel to erosion. The addition of calcium or fluoride to the bleaching gel reduced the erosion effect, while the nano-hydroxyapatite agent did not provide any protective effect.
The Frictional Coefficient Comparison Between Stainless Steel And Beta– Titanium Arch wires Ligatured to the Stainless Steel Bracket Via Different Ligatures

Aims: To compare the frictional coefficients between the stainless steel and B–titanium arch wire ligatured to the stainless steel bracket via different ligatures. Materials and Methods: The sample of the study included the stainless steel and β–Titanium arch wire groups, the wire group comprised of three subgroups, each wire subgroup ligatured to stainless steel brackets via different ligatures. The measurement of the frictional coefficient was performed using the simulated side arch fixed appliance attached to the tensile machine. The data were analyzed by using the descriptive and variance statistical tests at p≤ 0.05 significance level. Results: The results demonstrated that the stainless steel arch wire tied to the bracket via stainless steel ligature achieved significant lower frictional coefficient value when compared with other wire subgroups. Conclusions: The combination of the stainless steel; arch wire, bracket and ligature is more practical choice in sliding orthodontic treatments.
Suspended animation: the molecular basis of metabolic depression

An impressive array of organisms is capable of radically depressing basal metabolic rate and entering a hypometabolic state characterized by a marked reduction of many normal physiological functions. Environmental cues are often the trigger: low oxygen, low temperature, or lack of water, for example. Entry into a hypometabolic state does not, apparently, involve major biochemical reorganization but appears, instead, to result from molecular controls operating at a level "above" that of allosteric regulation of enzymes and "below" that of gene expression. The mechanisms involved are widely applicable to the coordinated inactivation of many cellular processes. Studies of anaerobiosis in marine molluscs provide the most complete information on the molecular mechanisms involved in metabolic rate depression. Glycolytic rate depression in the marine whelk involves (i) covalent modification of key regulatory enzymes (e.g., phosphofructokinase, pyruvate kinase) via enzyme phosphorylation to produce less active en.
Comprehension of Japanese oral care‐related terms among caregivers and nurses, as assessed using a newly developed instrument

OBJECTIVES (i) To assess comprehension of oral care-related terms among caregivers and nurses working at long-term care facilities, using a newly developed test; (ii) to analyse the effect of participant characteristics on their comprehension. BACKGROUND Effective mutual communication between dental professionals and caregivers/nurses is essential for providing information on daily oral care for institutionalised elders. METHODS A 36-item word-knowledge test in Japanese was developed to assess comprehension of oral care-related terms. The test was administered to a convenience sample of 236 nursing staff (198 caregivers and 38 nurses) at six long-term care facilities in Niigata City, Japan, and its reliability and validity were verified. Associations of participant characteristics with their responses were investigated by multiple regression analysis. RESULTS Mean percentage of correct responses (accuracy rate) for nursing staff was approximately 62% (highest for oral care products and lowest for prosthodontic terms). Test internal reliability was high (Cronbach's alpha >0.8). Concurrent validity (test ability to distinguish between characteristically different groups) was confirmed. Mean accuracy rate was significantly higher among nurses (78.5 ± 19.3%) than among caregivers (58.7 ± 22.8%), and among respondents with interest in oral care (64.2 ± 21.1%) than among those with no such interest (51.5 ± 28.9%). CONCLUSION The word-knowledge test was valid and reliable for nursing staff of six long-term care facilities in Niigata City. Their comprehension was low for perioral and intraoral structures, related symptom and disease names, and prosthodontics terms related to oral care. Understanding of oral care-related terms among the nursing staff was related to their occupation and interest in oral care.
The Geometry Of Preposition Meanings

This article presents a unified approach to the semantics of prepositions based on the theory of conceptual spaces. Following the themes of my recent book The Geometry of Meaning, I focus on the convexity of their meanings and on which semantic domains are expressed by prepositions. As regards convexity, using polar coordinates turns out to provide the most natural representation. In addition to the spatial domain, I argue that for many prepositions, the force domain is central. In contrast to many other analyses, I also defend the position that prepositions have a central meaning and that other meanings can be derived via a limited class of semantic transformations.
Long‐term survival and neurologic status after resuscitation from out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest

Thirty-eight survivors from among 117 patients hospitalized after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were evaluated approximately 31/2 years later. Twenty patients were living; 18 had died. Fifty-three percent had resumed independent social activities, but only 32% had returned to work. Eight of 14 patients tested were normal on limited neuropsychologic tests. Satisfactory long-term outcome was associated statistically with the patient's being awake on admission or awakening to follow simple commands within 2 days, and with good neurologic status at the time of discharge from the hospital. None of nine patients with poor neurologic function at discharge subsequently resumed working or independent living.