Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in intracellular water diffusion and energetic metabolism in response to ischemia in perfused C6 rat glioma cells

This work reports results of experiments in hollow‐fiber bioreactor C6 glioma cell cultures where the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of intracellular water (iADC) was measured at diffusion times between 0.83 and 40 ms. The experiments were carried out before and after the onset of permanent ischemia. The changes in iADC following ischemia were dependent on the diffusion time employed in the experiment. An ischemia‐induced decrease in the iADC was measured at short diffusion times, while at long diffusion times the iADC increased. Decreases in the iADC measured at short diffusion times are interpreted to be a result of a decrease in the intrinsic diffusivity of intracellular water due to energy failure. Increases in iADC measured at long diffusion times, are interpreted to result from cell swelling. Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An empirical comparison of the therapeutic benefits of physical exercise and cognitive training on the executive functions of older adults: a meta-analysis of controlled trials.

UNLABELLED A robust body of aging-related research has established benefits of both physical exercise (PE) and cognitive training (CT) on executive functions related to the activities of daily living of older adults; however, no meta-analysis has compared these treatments. OBJECTIVE The current quantitative review involved a comparison of the overall effect sizes of PE and CT interventions on executive functions (Morris, 2008; pre-post-controlled effect size: d(ppc)), while also exploring contextual moderators of treatment outcomes. METHOD A systematic review identified 46 studies (23 PE, 21 CT, and 2 both) meeting inclusion criteria (i.e., controlled interventions, executive-related outcomes, mean ages 65+, information to calculate d(ppc)). RESULTS The weighted mean dppc values came to 0.12 (p < .01) for PE and 0.24 (p < .01) for CT. Treatment effects differed based on executive constructs for CT, with problem solving presenting the highest d(ppc) (0.47, p < .01). Notably, PE produced similar effect sizes across distinct executive functions. Treatment characteristics (e.g., session length/frequency) did not predict effect sizes. CT had a significant benefit on healthy participants (0.26, p < .01), but cognitively impaired samples did not experience a significant effect. CONCLUSIONS Both treatments improved executive functions, but CT presented a potential advantage at improving executive functions. Improvements in executive functions differed depending on construct for CT, whereas each construct produced similar, modest effect sizes for PE. Publication bias and study quality variability potentially bias these conclusions, as lower quality studies likely produced inflated effect sizes.
Zone paper electrophoresis studies on radioiodinated human serum albumin.

lodination of human serum albumin has been investigated considerably. A careful report and review of the literature on physico-chemical aspects was given recently by Hughes and Straessle (1). These authors state: "The experiments reported indicate that considerable amounts of iodine, varying from very small amounts, to amounts greater than the equivalent of the tyrosol residues, may readily be introduced into human serum albumin without detectable changes. A further discussion of the properties of these iodoproteins is given. Under similar conditions of preparation, radioactive ( 131 ) iodinated human serum albumin (IHSA) could be expected to display properties consonant wvith the above investigation.
MIMO OFDM radar system for drone detection

This paper presents a system setup based on MIMO OFDM radar that can be used for drone detection and detection of unpiloted aerial vehicles (UAVs) in general. In recent years UAVs have become more and more popular not only for commercial use but also as a private gadget. However, these drones can also be misused as a weapon by criminals, spies and terrorists. Therefore many research is done to be able to detect drones and prevent further harm. One possible approach is radar that has already been used successfully in automotive and military applications and offers many advantages like weather and daylight independent operation. It is also possible to detect drones that are emitting no electrical or optical signals. However, there are still many challenges that have to be solved before the implementation of reliably operating systems. This paper presents a system approach based on MIMO OFDM radar that can be used to survey large areas simultaneously and detect flying drones. Additionally, verification measurements with a drone in a real world scenario are presented demonstrating the successful operation of the system.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the effect of a Chinese herbal medicine preparation (Dang Gui Buxue Tang) on menopausal symptoms in Hong Kong Chinese women

Objective Many complementary or alternative medicines are being used for the treatment of menopausal symptoms but most have not been properly tested for efficacy or for safety. This study examined the effect of a Chinese herbal preparation (Dang Gui Buxue Tang) on menopausal symptoms in Hong Kong Chinese women. Methods A 6-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the effect of Dang Gui Buxue Tang (a 1 : 5 combination of Dang Gui (Angelicae sinensis) and Huang Qi (Astragalus membranaceus)) on acute menopausal symptoms. A total of 103 symptomatic women were enrolled. Three failed to meet inclusion criteria, leaving 50 subjects for inclusion in each group. Results Overall, mild hot flushes were reported more frequently than either moderate or severe flushes. In analysis by severity of flushes, there was a significant reduction in the number of mild hot flushes per month in the treatment group but not in the placebo group (from 18.9 ± 23.5 at baseline to 8.6 ± 17.1 at 6 months in the treatment group (p < 0.01) and from 26.0 ± 43.5 to 12.4 ± 17.6 in the placebo group (p = 0.062)). For moderate flushes, there was a significant reduction in the placebo group compared with the treatment group (from 18.9 ± 28.7 at baseline to 11.1 ± 29.9 at 6 months in the placebo group (p < 0.05) and from 10.5 ± 22.3 to 6.0 ± 16.0 in the treatment group (p = 0.107)). There was no significant change in either treatment or placebo groups in the reporting of severe hot flushes. Episodes of night sweats decreased significantly in the placebo but not in the treatment group (from 6.8 ± 10.0 at baseline to 1.9 ± 5.7 at 6 months in the placebo group (p < 0.05) and from 5.4 ± 8.9 to 3.2 ± 8.5 in the treatment group (p = 0.471)). In the vasomotor domain of the Menopause Specific Quality of Life, there was a significant reduction in scoring in the placebo group (from 2.8 ± 1.6 to 1.7 ± 1.3, p < 0.01) but not in the treatment group (from 2.8 ± 2.1 to 2.3 ± 1.6, p = 0.247). Conclusions This study found overall no significant difference between Dang Gui Buxue Tang and placebo in the treatment of vasomotor symptoms in Hong Kong Chinese women. The frequency of mild, moderate and severe hot flushes decreased in both treatment and placebo groups, but Dang Gui Buxue Tang was statistically superior to placebo only in the treatment of mild hot flushes. There were no serious adverse events attributable to treatment during the study period.
Matching Observed with Empirical Reality - What you see is what you get?

This paper outlines the primary steps to investigate if artificial agents can be considered as true substitutes of humans. Based on a Socially augmented microworld SAM human tracking behavior was analyzed using time series. SAM involves a team of navigators jointly steering a driving object along different virtual tracks containing obstacles and forks. Speed and deviances from track are logged, producing high-resolution time series of individual training and cooperative tracking behavior. In the current study 52 time series of individual tracking behavior on training tracks were clustered according to different similarity measures. Resulting clusters were used to predict cooperative tracking behavior in fork situations. Results showed that prediction was well for tracking behavior shown at the first and, moderately well at the third fork of the cooperative track: navigators switched from their trained to a different tracking style and then back to their trained behavior. This matches with earlier identified navigator types, which were identified on visual examination. Our findings on navigator types will serve as a basis for the development of artificial agents, which can be compared later to behavior of human navigators.
Sources of variability in the clinical photostress test

The photostress test is a simple clinical technique that can differentiate between retinal and post‐retinal disease. Unfortunately a wide range of normal results have been reported in the literature and it is perhaps for this reason that the test has been little used by clinicians. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of photostress technique, age, ametropia, pupil size and acuity on photostress recovery time (PSRT) in normal subjects. Photostress recovery time was measured in 50 healthy subjects whose ages ranged from 21 to 69 using three clinically applicable techniques and a reference technique designed to bleach a consistent amount of photopigment. The agreement between each clinical technique and the reference technique was determined. Mean photostress recovery time differed for each of the techniques studied. Analysis of the data obtained with the reference and the best clinical technique showed that age was the only factor that had a significant effect on PSRT. The best clinical technique involves exposing the eye to the light from the direct ophthalmoscope for 30 s and measuring the time taken for acuity to return to within one line of pre‐bleach acuity. Photostress recovery time increases with age but is independent of pupil size, ametropia and visual acuity.
ERP Evidence for a Shifting Attention Deficit in Patients with Damage to the Cerebellum

In a previous study, we found that patients with damage to the neocerebellum were significantly impaired in the ability to rapidly shift their attention between ongoing sequences of auditory and visual stimuli (Akshoomoff & Courchesne, 1992). In the present study, young patients with damage to the neoccrebelluni were found to be impaired in rapidly shifting their mention between visual stimuli that occurred within a single location. Event-related potentials recorded during the shifting attention experiment suggested that this reflects a deficit in the. covert ability to selectively activate and deactivate attention. These results lend Further support to the hypothesis that the neocerebellum plays a role in the ability to rapidly shift attention.
Using In Vitro Models for Expression Profiling Studies on Ethanol and Drugs of Abuse

The use of expression profiling with microarrays offers great potential for studying the mechanisms of action of drugs of abuse. Studies with the intact nervous system seem likely to be most relevant to understanding the mechanisms of drug abuse‐related behaviours. However, the use of expression profiling with in vitro culture models offers significant advantages for identifying details of cellular signalling actions and toxicity for drugs of abuse. This study discusses general issues of the use of microarrays and cell culture models for studies on drugs of abuse. Specific results from existing studies are also discussed, providing clear examples of relevance for in vitro studies on ethanol, nicotine, opiates, cannabinoids and hallucinogens such as LSD. In addition to providing details on signalling mechanisms relevant to the neurobiology of drugs of abuse, microarray studies on a variety of cell culture systems have also provided important information on mechanisms of cellular/organ toxicity with drugs of abuse. Efforts to integrate genomic studies on drugs of abuse with both in vivo and in vitro models offer the potential for novel mechanistic rigor and physiological relevance.
Progression of early glaucomatous visual field loss as detected by blue-on-yellow and standard white-on-white automated perimetry.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether blue-on-yellow perimetry reveals progression of glaucomatous damage before it is evident with standard white-on-white perimetry. DESIGN A Humphrey field analyzer (Humphrey Instruments, San Leandro, Calif) was modified to perform blue-on-yellow perimetry to isolate and measure the sensitivity of short wavelength-sensitive mechanisms. Participants were tested annually with standard white-on-white automated perimetry and blue-on-yellow automated perimetry for 5 years. PATIENTS Sixteen patients with early glaucomatous visual field loss in one or both eyes and 62 age-matched normal control subjects. RESULTS At baseline, 25 (78.1%) of the 32 eyes exhibited larger deficits with blue-on-yellow perimetry, five (15.6%) had equivalent loss with both tests, and two (6.3%) had larger deficits with standard white-on-white perimetry. Seven (21.9%) of the 32 eyes demonstrated evidence of progressive visual field loss with standard white-on-white perimetry in 5 years, while the other 25 eyes (78.1%) were relatively stable. Deficits with blue-on-yellow perimetry were twice as large as deficits with white-on-white perimetry in the stable group and were three to four times as large in the group with progressive field loss. CONCLUSIONS Blue-on-yellow perimetry is effective in predicting which patients with early glaucomatous visual field loss are most likely to have progressive loss. The rate of progressive loss is greater with blue-on-yellow perimetry than with standard white-on-white perimetry.
A Novel Pathway for Inducible Nitric-oxide Synthase Activation through Inflammasomes*

Innate immune recognition of flagellin is shared by transmembrane TLR5 and cytosolic Nlrc4 (NOD-like receptor family CARD (caspase activation recruitment domain) domain containing 4)/Naip5 (neuronal apoptosis inhibitory protein 5). TLR5 activates inflammatory genes through MYD88 pathway, whereas Nlrc4 and Naip5 assemble multiprotein complexes called inflammasomes, culminating in caspase-1 activation, IL-1β/IL-18 secretion, and pyroptosis. Although both TLR5 and Naip5/Nlrc4 pathways cooperate to clear infections, little is known about the relative anti-pathogen effector mechanisms operating through each of them. Here we show that the cytosolic flagellin (FLA-BSDot) was able to activate iNOS, an enzyme previously associated with TLR5 pathway. Using Nlrc4- or Naip5-deficient macrophages, we found that both receptors are involved in iNOS activation by FLA-BSDot. Moreover, distinct from extracellular flagellin (FLA-BS), iNOS activation by intracellular flagellin is completely abrogated in the absence of caspase-1. Interestingly, IL-1β and IL-18 do not seem to be important for FLA-BSDot-mediated iNOS production. Together, our data defined an additional anti-pathogen effector mechanism operated through Naip5 and Nlrc4 inflammasomes and illustrated a novel signaling transduction pathway that activates iNOS.
Surgical Treatment of Chronically Recurring Pterygium

Purpose. To report the result of a combined surgical procedure of pterygium excision with simultaneous amniotic membrane transplant, conjunctival limbal autograft, and mitomycin C application in the management of two cases of chronically recurring pterygium. Methods. Report of two cases. Results. The two male patients, ages 24 and 42 years, had undergone six previous surgeries for pterygium, with and without adjunct procedures. In the follow-up period of 26 months for the first case and 25 months for the second case, no recurrence or complications were encountered. Conclusion. A combined procedure seems to be beneficial in cases of chronically recurring pterygia in younger patients. This approach may be considered when all other types of surgery have failed.
The proteasome inhibitor bortezomib stimulates osteoblastic differentiation of human osteoblast precursors via upregulation of vitamin D receptor signalling

Interactions of myeloma cells with the bone marrow microenvironment lead to enhanced osteoclast recruitment and impaired osteoblast activity. Recent evidence revealed that the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib stimulates osteoblast differentiation, but the mechanisms are not fully elucidated. We hypothesised that bortezomib could influence osteoblastic differentiation via alteration of vitamin D signalling by blocking the proteasomal degradation of the vitamin D receptor (VDR). This is of clinical importance, as a high rate of vitamin D deficiency was reported in patients with myeloma. We performed cocultures of primary human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and human osteoblasts (hOBs) with myeloma cells, which resulted in an inhibition of the vitamin D‐dependent differentiation of osteoblast precursors. Treatment with bortezomib led to a moderate increase in osteoblastic differentiation markers in hMSCs and hOBs. Importantly, this effect could be strikingly increased when vitamin D was added. Bortezomib led to enhanced nuclear VDR protein levels in hMSCs. Primary hMSCs transfected with a VDR luciferase reporter construct showed a strong increase in VDR signalling with bortezomib. In summary, stimulation of VDR signalling is a mechanism for the bortezomib‐induced stimulation of osteoblastic differentiation. The data suggest that supplementation of vitamin D in patients with myeloma treated with bortezomib is crucial for optimal bone formation.
Allelic Losses in Neurofibromatosis 2‐Associated Meningiomas

More than 50% of patients with neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) develop meningiomas. Recently, a higher proliferative activity, more mitotic figures, and greater nuclear pleomorphism have been described for NF2-associated meningiomas compared with sporadic ones. To analyze whether such histological differences could reflect underlying genetic differences, we examined 30 meningiomas from 22 NF2 patients for allelic losses on those chromosome arms that are frequently affected by deletions in sporadic meningiomas. In addition, we assessed the proliferative activity of the tumors and studied NF2 germline mutations. Twenty-three meningiomas corresponded to WHO grade I (10 fibrous, 6 psammomatous, 4 transitional, 3 meningothelial) and 7 to WHO grade II. The average MIB-1 index was 1.60 ± 0.85 (WHO grade I: 1.41 ± 0.80, WHO grade II: 2.13 ± 0.82). When compared with several published studies of sporadic meningiomas, the MIB-1 index in NF2-associated meningiomas was not higher. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) flanking or within the NF2 locus at 22q12 was detected in 100% of the tumors. LOH on 1p was the second most frequent abnormality (40%), followed by losses on 10q (27%), 6q and 14q (24%), 18q (23%), and 9p (17%). LOH on 19q and 17p, which is not commonly seen in sporadic meningiomas, was also only rarely detected in NF2-associated meningiomas. NF2 gene mutations were detected in 8 of 15 patients analyzed and were located in exons 2, 5, 6, 7, and 8. We conclude that sporadic and NF2-associated meningiomas share a common spectrum and frequency of allelic deletions as well as, in contrast to previous observations, a similar proliferative activity.
Quick Generation of Fully Mature Dendritic Cells From Monocytes With OK432, Low-Dose Prostanoid, and Interferon-α as Potent Immune Enhancers

Dendritic cells (DCs) are one of the promising tools for enhancing antigen-specific immune responses in clinical settings. Many studies have been performed thus far to verify the efficacy of the DC vaccine in cancer patients; however, the responses have not always been satisfactory, partly because of DC incompetence. To obtain DCs potentially applicable for vaccination of cancer patients, our group sought to establish the strategy of DC generation mainly by modulating culture periods and maturation stimuli. Novel mature DCs that can be generated from monocytes within 3 days by using a combination of OK432 (Streptococcus pyogenes preparation), low-dose prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and interferon-α (OPA-DCs) were developed. They strongly express CD83, CD86, and CCR7 and have potent ability to migrate to CCL21. In addition, they were able to activate natural killer and T helper 1 (TH1) cells and to induce peptide-antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes more significantly than monocyte-derived DCs stimulated with a conventional cytokine cocktail of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and PGE2 (monocyte-conditioned medium [MCM]-mimic DCs). The profound ability of OPA-DCs to stimulate these effectors is attributable to their higher expression of IL-12p70, IL-23, and IL-27 than MCM-mimic DCs, which was supported by the findings that the neutralization of IL-12p70 and IL-23 reduced the TH1 priming ability of OPA-DCs. Even when from advanced gastric or colonic cancer patients, OPA-DCs displayed abilities of migration and TH1 induction comparable to those from healthy subjects. Therefore, OPA-DCs may serve as a feasible vaccine with the potential to enhance TH1-dominant and cytolytic immune responses against cancers.
Achievement : Mediating and Additive Effects

Three conceptual models were tested to examine the relationships among academic self-concept, autonomous academic motivation, and academic achievement. This allowed us to determine whether 1) autonomous academic motivation mediates the relation between academic self-concept and achievement, 2) academic self-concept mediates the relation between autonomous academic motivation and achievement, or 3) both motivational constructs have an additive effect on academic achievement. A total of 925 high school students (404 boys and 521 girls) were asked to complete a questionnaire on two occasions separated by a year interval. Results from SEM analyses provided good support for the hypothesized model positing that autonomous academic motivation mediates the academic self-concept-academic achievement relation. Results are discussed in light of selfdetermination theory and self-concept theory.
Gender‐modulated endogenous baseline neuropeptide Y Y1‐receptor activation in the hindlimb of Sprague‐Dawley rats

This study examined the effect of neuropeptide Y Y1‐receptor blockade both alone, and in interaction with α1‐adrenoceptor antagonism, on basal hindlimb vascular conductance in male and female Sprague‐Dawley rats. Hindlimb vascular conductance was measured during infusion of BIBP3226 (Y1‐receptor antagonist; 100 μg kg−1), prazosin (α1‐receptor antagonist; 20 μg kg−1), and combined blockade. In males, vascular conductance increased 1.1 ± 0.3 μl min−1 mmHg−1 above baseline with BIBP3226, and 2.4 ± 0.4 μl min−1 mmHg−1 above baseline with prazosin (both P < 0.05). The increase in vascular conductance during combined blockade (5.1 ± 0.7 μl min−1 mmHg−1) was greater than the sum of the independent BIBP3226 and prazosin responses (P < 0.05). In females, basal hindlimb vascular conductance was unaffected by Y1‐receptor blockade. However, α1‐receptor blockade resulted in a 3.5 ± 0.6 μl min−1 mmHg−1 increase in vascular conductance above baseline, which was not different than the combined blockade condition. Males had greater skeletal muscle neuropeptide Y concentration (P < 0.05; ELISA) than females. Furthermore, compared with females, male skeletal muscle contained greater Y1‐receptor expression (P < 0.05; Western blot). It was concluded that, under baseline conditions, agonist and receptor‐based mechanisms for Y1‐receptor dependent control of vascular conductance in skeletal muscle was greater in male versus female rats.