Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vitamin D3 as a novel regulator of basic fibroblast growth factor in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis

The immunopathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is largely unknown, but it is thought that different inflammatory profiles are responsible for the different CRS subtypes. 25‐Hydroxyvitamin‐D (25‐VD3) has been shown to alter inflammatory mediators in other disease processes and 25‐VD3 deficiency is associated with CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), but it is unknown if 25‐VD3 levels impact local inflammation in CRS. This study investigated the correlation between plasma 25‐VD3 and sinonasal mucus monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1), regulated upon activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) levels in patients with CRS.
Effects of stimulus duration and vowel quality in cross-linguistic categorical perception of pitch directions

We investigated categorical perception of rising and falling pitch contours by tonal and non-tonal listeners. Specifically, we determined minimum durations needed to perceive both contours and compared to those of production, how stimuli duration affects their perception, whether there is an intrinsic F0 effect, and how first language background, duration, directions of pitch and vowel quality interact with each other. Continua of fundamental frequency on different vowels with 9 duration values were created for identification and discrimination tasks. Less time is generally needed to effectively perceive a pitch direction than to produce it. Overall, tonal listeners’ perception is more categorical than non-tonal listeners. Stimuli duration plays a critical role for both groups, but tonal listeners showed a stronger duration effect, and may benefit more from the extra time in longer stimuli for context-coding, consistent with the multistore model of categorical perception. Within a certain range of semitones, tonal listeners also required shorter stimulus duration to perceive pitch direction changes than non-tonal listeners. Finally, vowel quality plays a limited role and only interacts with duration in perceiving falling pitch directions. These findings further our understanding on models of categorical perception, the relationship between speech perception and production, and the interaction between the perception of tones and vowel quality.
Robust Fuzzy Neural Network Sliding-Mode Control for Two-Axis Motion Control System

A robust fuzzy neural network (RFNN) sliding-mode control based on computed torque control design for a two-axis motion control system is proposed in this paper. The two-axis motion control system is an x-y table composed of two permanent-magnet linear synchronous motors. First, a single-axis motion dynamics with the introduction of a lumped uncertainty including cross-coupled interference between the two-axis mechanism is derived. Then, to improve the control performance in reference contours tracking, the RFNN sliding-mode control system is proposed to effectively approximate the equivalent control of the sliding-mode control method. Moreover, the motions at x-axis and y-axis are controlled separately. Using the proposed control, the motion tracking performance is significantly improved, and robustness to parameter variations, external disturbances, cross-coupled interference, and friction force can be obtained as well. Furthermore, the proposed control algorithms are implemented in a TMS320C32 DSP-based control computer. From the simulated and experimental results due to circle and four leaves reference contours, the dynamic behaviors of the proposed control systems are robust with regard to uncertainties
Rho Kinase and Dopaminergic Degeneration

The small GTP-binding protein Rho plays an important role in several cellular functions. RhoA, which is a member of the Rho family, initiates cellular processes that act on its direct downstream effector Rho-associated kinase (ROCK). ROCK inhibition protects against dopaminergic cell death induced by dopaminergic neurotoxins. It has been suggested that ROCK inhibition activates neuroprotective survival cascades in dopaminergic neurons. Axon-stabilizing effects in damaged neurons may represent another mechanism of neuroprotection of dopaminergic neurons by ROCK inhibition. However, it has been shown that microglial cells play a crucial role in neuroprotection by ROCK inhibition and that activation of microglial ROCK mediates major components of the microglial inflammatory response. Additional mechanisms such as interaction with autophagy may also contribute to the neuroprotective effects of ROCK inhibition. Interestingly, ROCK interacts with several brain factors that play a major role in dopaminergic neuron vulnerability such as NADPH-oxidase, angiotensin, and estrogen. ROCK inhibition may provide a new neuroprotective strategy for Parkinson’s disease. This is of particular interest because ROCK inhibitors are currently used against vascular diseases in clinical practice. However, it is necessary to develop more potent and selective ROCK inhibitors to reduce side effects and enhance the efficacy.
Time-lapse recordings of human corneal epithelial healing.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to design an experimental set-up for the study of human corneal epithelial wound healing in a controlled in vitro situation. METHODS A time-lapse set-up was used. This allowed for pictures to be captured with a magnification ranging from x 80 to x 1800. Pictures were captured at 1-min intervals during the observation period, which lasted up to 4 days. Human corneal tissue was obtained from the Eye Bank or from surgery. A small, rounded lesion was produced in the corneal epithelium with a miniature drill. The specimens were placed in a mini-incubator; the camera focused on the epithelial lesion and continuously observed using the time-lapse set-up. RESULTS The healing process of human corneal epithelium could be followed for several days. The initial healing response could be divided into a slow, a rapid and a consolidating phase. The first two phases lasted about 12 hours, and by then, epithelial cells covered the lesion. Depending on the origin of the tissue and the placement of the lesion, variations in the healing response could be seen. CONCLUSION The time-lapse technique makes it possible to study epithelial wound healing over time at the cellular level. Data collected in this way can fill the gap between in vivo studies, where, by nature, human wound healing studies are restricted, and cell culture techniques, where cellular responses in many cases differ from the in vivo situation.
Stimulation of Methanogenesis by Aldicarb and Several Other N-Methyl Carbamate Pesticides

Aldicarb and several other N-methyl carbamate pesticides stimulated methane production in anaerobic salt marsh soils and organic-rich aquifer soils. Stimulation was biological and linearly related to the amount of carbamate added. Of the four carbamates studied, methomyl gave the greatest stimulation followed by carbaryl, aldicarb, and baygon. The percent conversions [(moles of CH4 in excess of control/mole of carbamate added) × 100] for methomyl, carbaryl, aldicarb, and baygon were 88, 57, 40, and 11, respectively. Using aldicarb as a model carbamate, we found that monomethylamine (MA) accumulated in sediments as a result of aldicarb addition. MA arises from the N-methyl carbamoyl portion of the carbamates as a result of presumptive biological hydrolysis. MA levels decreased as CH4 production was stimulated, and 2-bromoethane sulfonic acid (a specific inhibitor of mathanogenesis) partially inhibited the loss of MA. These findings suggest that N-methyl carbamates are readily hydrolyzed to MA in the presence of an active microbial population under anaerobic conditions and that methanogenesis is stimulated as a result of the consumption of MA by methanogenic bacteria.
Obesity enhances eosinophilic inflammation in a murine model of allergic asthma

Background and purpose: Obesity is associated with deterioration in asthma outcomes. Although airways eosinophil accumulation is characteristic of lung allergic diseases, little is known about the influence of obesity on the allergic eosinophil trafficking from bone marrow to lung tissues, and recruitment to airways lumen. Here, we have assessed the effects of diet‐induced obesity on allergic eosinophilic inflammation in mice, examining eosinophil trafficking from bone marrow to airways, and production of TH1/TH2 cytokines.
Voting Rules in Bankruptcy Law

Abstract We empirically evaluate creditors’ voting conditions and the bankruptcy voting rules of 90 countries. The severity of a voting rule is determined by the threshold values of the majority-voting rules by which creditors impose their interests. The higher the threshold values, the higher is the severity degree of the rule. We find that the bankruptcy laws of countries with German and French legal origin tend to have the least severe voting rules. The Nordic countries have moderate rules. The laws of the common law countries have the most severe rules. These results hold for secured and unsecured claimants. The court’s legal right of overcoming the voting result is granted more often by bankruptcy laws of French and German legal origin. The severity of the voting rules can influence the recovery of creditors’ debt. We show that a coalition of creditors that has a common interest can use the severity of the voting rule to influence the approval of a reorganization plan that provides a higher recovery rate of the creditors’ debt.
Does Intra-Abdominal Adipose Tissue in Black Men Determine Whether NIDDM Is Insulin-Resistant or Insulin-Sensitive?

Insulin resistance in black Americans with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is found in only 60% of those with a body mass index (BMI) of <30 kg/m2, suggesting that NIDDM can occur independent of peripheral insulin resistance. When insulin resistance is present, it is not necessarily correlated with obesity. Numerous studies have shown that increased amounts of intra-abdominal adipose tissue are associated with various metabolic abnormalities. We therefore investigated whether the occurrence of insulin resistance in black NIDDM men could be explained by the pattern of body adipose tissue distribution rather than total adiposity. Twenty-two near-normoglycemic black men (fasting plasma glucose [mean ± SD] = 104 ± 10 mg/dl, HbA1c = 4.6 ± 0.78%, age 48.9 ± 9.2 years, and BMI 26.5 ± 2.4 kg/m2) were studied. The euglycemic insulin clamp with 1 mU · kg−1 · min−1 insulin infusion and D-[3-3H]glucose was used to measure insulin action. Whole-body computed tomography with 22 scans was used to determine body composition. Total body adipose tissue was 19.6 ± 7.5 1, and the percentage of body fat was 27 ± 7. Glucose disposal ranged from 2.5 to 8.1 mg · kg−1 · min−1 (10 men were insulin-sensitive and 12 were insulin-resistant). There was a strong inverse correlation between glucose disposal and the proportion of total adipose tissue in the intra-abdominal region (r = −0.78, P < 0.001), while there was no correlation between glucose disposal and total muscle volume, BMI, total adipose tissue volume, or total subcutaneous adipose tissue volume. When insulin resistance is present, it is highly correlated with an increase in the proportion of intra-abdominal adipose tissue. The data raise the possibility that insulin resistance in black NIDDM men may be a consequence of increased intra-abdominal adipose tissue mass.
Antidepressants in Type II Versus Type I Bipolar Depression: A Randomized Discontinuation Trial

Background We sought to test the hypothesis that antidepressants (ADs) may show preferential efficacy and safety among patients with type II bipolar disorder (BD, BD-II) more than patients with type I BD (BD-I). Methods Patients with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, BD-I (n = 21) and BD-II (n = 49) in acute major depressive episodes were treated with ADs plus mood stabilizers to euthymia sustained for 2 months and then randomized openly to continue or discontinue ADs for up to 3 years. Outcomes were episode recurrences and changes in standardized symptom ratings. Results In follow-up averaging 1.64 years, both subgroups showed improvement in depressive episode frequency with AD continuation, but contrary to the hypothesis, more improvement was seen in BD-I than in BD-II (for type II, mean [standard deviation] decrease in depressive episodes per year, 0.21 [0.26]; for type I, mean (SD) decrease, 0.35 [0.15]). Subjects with BD-II who continued on ADs had slightly more depressive, but fewer manic/hypomanic, episodes than subjects with BD-I. No notable differences were seen in either group in time to a recurrence of mood episodes or total time-in-remission. Conclusions The findings do not confirm the hypothesis that long-term AD treatment in patients with BP-II has better outcomes than in patients with BD-I, except somewhat lower risk of manic/hypomanic episodes.
Structural changes of the soleus and the tibialis anterior motoneuron pool during development in the rat

The morphological development of motoneuron pools of two hindlimb muscles of the rat, soleus (SOL) and tibialis anterior (TA), was studied in rats ranging in age between 8 and 30 postnatal days (P8—P30). Motoneurons were retrogradely labelled by injecting a cholera toxin B subunit solution directly into the muscles. This resulted in extensive labelling of motoneurons as well as their dendritic trees.
Exchange protein activated by cAMP (Epac) mediates cAMP activation of p38 MAPK and modulation of Ca2+-dependent K+ channels in cerebellar neurons

The exchange factor directly activated by cAMP (Epac) is a newly discovered direct target for cAMP and a guanine-nucleotide exchange factor for the small GTPase Rap. Little is known about the neuronal functions of Epac. Here we show that activation of Epac by specific cAMP analogs or by the pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide induces a potent activation of the Ca2+-sensitive big K+ channel, slight membrane hyperpolarization, and increased after-hyperpolarization in cultured cerebellar granule cells. These effects involve activation of Rap and p38 MAPK, which mobilizes intracellular Ca2+ stores. These findings reveal a cAMP Epac-dependent and protein kinase A-independent signaling cascade that controls neuronal excitability.
Pharmacokinetics of intravenous dexmedetomidine in children under 11 yr of age.

BACKGROUND Information has been very limited on the pharmacokinetics of the selective alpha(2)-adrenoceptor agonist dexmedetomidine in children, particularly in children <2 yr of age. METHODS Eight children aged between 28 days and 23 months and eight children aged between 2 and 11 yr undergoing either elective bronchoscopy or nuclear magnetic resonance imaging were included in the study. Dexmedetomidine 1 microg kg(-1) was infused i.v. over 5 min. Blood samples for the measurement of plasma concentrations of dexmedetomidine were collected for 5 h after starting the infusion. Pharmacokinetic calculations were based on non-compartmental methods. RESULTS In the two groups of paediatric patients, the median (range) values for total plasma clearance of dexmedetomidine were 17.4 (14.1-27.6) and 17.3 (9.3-22.5) ml kg(-1) min(-1), for volume of distribution at steady state 3.8 (1.9-4.6) and 2.2 (1.3-2.8) litre kg(-1) (P<0.05), and for elimination half-life 139 (90-198) and 96 (69-140) min (P<0.05), respectively. The volume of distribution at steady state was negatively associated with subject age (r=-0.69, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS To reach a certain plasma concentration, children younger than 2 yr of age evidently need larger initial doses of dexmedetomidine than the older children, as young children have a larger volume of distribution of the drug than older children and adults. Since the total plasma clearance of dexmedetomidine is independent of age, similar rates of infusion can be used in younger and older children to maintain a steady-state concentration of dexmedetomidine in plasma.
A Ciphertext-Policy Attribute-Based Encryption Based on an Ordered Binary Decision Diagram

Ciphertext-policy attribute-based encryption (CP-ABE) is widely used in many cyber physical systems and the Internet of Things for guaranteeing information security. In order to improve the performance and efficiency of CP-ABE, this paper makes a change to the access structure of describing access polices in CP-ABE, and presents a new CP-ABE system based on the ordered binary decision diagram (OBDD). The new system makes full use of both the powerful description ability and the high calculating efficiency of OBDD. First, in the access structure, the new system allows multiple occurrences of the same attribute in a strategy, supports both positive attribute and negative attribute in the description of access polices, and can describe free-form access polices by using Boolean operations. Second, in the key generation stage, the size of secret keys generated by the new system is constant and not affected by the number of attributes; furthermore, time complexity of the key generation algorithm is O(1). Third, in the encryption stage, both the time complexity of the encryption algorithm and the size of generated ciphertext are determined by the number of valid paths contained in the OBDD instead of the number of attributes occurring in access polices. Finally, in the decryption stage, the new system supports fast decryption and the time complexity of the decryption algorithm is only O(1). As a result, compared with existing CP-ABE schemes, the new system has better performance and efficiency. It is proved that the new CP-ABE system can also resist collision attack and chosen-plaintext attack under the decisional bilinear Diffie Hellman assumption.
Evidence from biosynthetically incorporated strontium and FTIR difference spectroscopy that the C-terminus of the D1 polypeptide of photosystem II does not ligate calcium.

Recent FTIR studies have provided evidence that the C-terminal alpha-COO(-) group of the D1 polypeptide at D1-Ala344 is a unidentate ligand of a Mn ion in photosystem II [Chu, H. -A. , Hiller, W. , and Debus, R. J. (2004) Biochemistry 43, 3152-3166; Kimura, Y. , Mizusawa, N. , Yamanari, T. , Ishii, A. , and Ono, T. -A. (2005) J. Biol. Chem. 280, 2078-2083]. However, the FTIR data could not exclude Ca ligation. Furthermore, the recent approximately 3.5 A X-ray crystallographic structural model positions the alpha-COO(-) group of D1-Ala344 near a Ca ion [Ferreira, K. N. , Iverson, T. M. , Maghlaoui, K. , Barber, J., and Iwata, S. (2004) Science 303, 1831-1838]. Therefore, to conclusively establish whether the alpha-COO(-) group of D1-Ala344 ligates Mn or Ca, the symmetric carboxylate stretching mode of the alpha-COO(-) group of D1-Ala344 was identified in the S(2)-minus-S(1) FTIR difference spectrum of PSII particles having Sr substituted for Ca. Cells of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 were propagated in media having Sr substituted for Ca and containing either l-[1-(13)C]alanine or unlabeled ((12)C) alanine. The S(2)-minus-S(1) FTIR difference spectra of the purified PSII particles show that substituting Sr for Ca alters several carboxylate stretching modes, including some that may correspond to one or more metal ligands, but importantly does not alter the symmetric carboxylate stretching mode of the alpha-COO(-) group of D1-Ala344. In unlabeled PSII particles, this mode appears at approximately 1356 cm(-)(1) in the S(1) state and at either approximately 1337 or approximately 1320 cm(-)(1) in the S(2) state, irrespective of whether the PSII particles contain Ca or Sr. These data are inconsistent with Ca ligation and show, therefore, that the C-terminal alpha-COO(-) group of the D1 polypeptide ligates a Mn ion. These data also show that substituting Ca with the larger Sr ion perturbs other unidentified carboxylate groups, at least one of which may ligate the Mn(4) cluster.
Wavelet Transform Based Abnormality Analysis of Heart Sound

Abstract-This paper is concerned with the analysis of the first (S1) and second (S2) heart sound of the Phonocardiogram signal (PCG) using Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) and Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT). The second heart sound S2 consists of two major components A2 and P2. The time delay between them plays very vital role in medical diagnosis. DWT is used for denoising and finding the best split of A2 and P2 components of S2, where as, CWT is used to determine the number of frequency components of S1 and S2. Experiments are performed on normal and pathological PCG signals. Denoising and finding split between A2 and P2 is carriedout using DWT. The frequency components of S1 and S2 of PCG are determined using CWT. Also split between A2 and P2 have been measured using CWT.
Effect of the Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR‐4) variants on intima‐media thickness and monocyte‐derived macrophage response to LPS

Objectives. Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR‐4) is believed to contribute to the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. The association of the D299G polymorphism of the TLR‐4 gene with the progression of coronary and carotid atherosclerosis, risk of cardiovascular events and myocardial infarction is controversial. We have investigated whether the presence of the D299G polymorphism and the co‐segregated T399I polymorphism affects the intima‐media thickness (IMT) in the general population.
Haematological and biochemical values of 10 green iguanas (Iguana iguana)

Ten clinically healthy green iguanas (Iguana iguana) imported from South America were examined, and haematological and biochemical measurements were made on samples of blood. This paper describes the methods of blood sampling, handling and laboratory analysis, and presents the results as a set of normal blood ranges for the green iguana.
Defining the Human Brain Proteome Using Transcriptomics and Antibody-Based Profiling with a Focus on the Cerebral Cortex

The mammalian brain is a complex organ composed of many specialized cells, harboring sets of both common, widely distributed, as well as specialized and discretely localized proteins. Here we focus on the human brain, utilizing transcriptomics and public available Human Protein Atlas (HPA) data to analyze brain-enriched (frontal cortex) polyadenylated messenger RNA and long non-coding RNA and generate a genome-wide draft of global and cellular expression patterns of the brain. Based on transcriptomics analysis of altogether 27 tissues, we have estimated that approximately 3% (n=571) of all protein coding genes and 13% (n=87) of the long non-coding genes expressed in the human brain are enriched, having at least five times higher expression levels in brain as compared to any of the other analyzed peripheral tissues. Based on gene ontology analysis and detailed annotation using antibody-based tissue micro array analysis of the corresponding proteins, we found the majority of brain-enriched protein coding genes to be expressed in astrocytes, oligodendrocytes or in neurons with molecular properties linked to synaptic transmission and brain development. Detailed analysis of the transcripts and the genetic landscape of brain-enriched coding and non-coding genes revealed brain-enriched splice variants. Several clusters of neighboring brain-enriched genes were also identified, suggesting regulation of gene expression on the chromatin level. This multi-angle approach uncovered the brain-enriched transcriptome and linked genes to cell types and functions, providing novel insights into the molecular foundation of this highly specialized organ.