Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Celastrol prevents cadmium‐induced neuronal cell death via targeting JNK and PTEN‐Akt/mTOR network

Cadmium (Cd), a toxic environmental contaminant, induces neurodegenerative diseases. Celastrol, a plant‐derived triterpene, has shown neuroprotective effects in various disease models. However, little is known regarding the effect of celastrol on Cd‐induced neurotoxicity. Here, we show that celastrol protected against Cd‐induced apoptotic cell death in neuronal cells. This is supported by the findings that celastrol strikingly attenuated Cd‐induced viability reduction, morphological change, nuclear fragmentation, and condensation, as well as activation of caspase‐3 in neuronal cells. Concurrently, celastrol remarkably blocked Cd‐induced phosphorylation of c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK), but not extracellular signal‐regulated kinases 1/2 and p38, in neuronal cells. Inhibition of JNK by SP600125 or over‐expression of dominant negative c‐Jun potentiated celastrol protection against Cd‐induced cell death. Furthermore, pre‐treatment with celastrol prevented Cd down‐regulation of phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) and activation of phosphoinositide 3′‐kinase/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling in neuronal cells. Over‐expression of wild‐type PTEN enhanced celastrol inhibition of Cd‐activated Akt/mTOR signaling and cell death in neuronal cells. The findings indicate that celastrol prevents Cd‐induced neuronal cell death via targeting JNK and PTEN‐Akt/mTOR network. Our results strongly suggest that celastrol may be exploited for the prevention of Cd‐induced neurodegenerative disorders.
Gating current studies reveal both intra‐ and extracellular cation modulation of K+ channel deactivation

1 The presence of permeant ions can modulate the rate of gating charge return in wild‐type human heart K+ (hKv1.5) channels. Here we employ gating current measurements in a non‐conducting mutant, W472F, of the hKv1.5 channel to investigate how different cations can modulate charge return and whether the actions can be specifically localized at the internal as well as the external mouth of the channel pore. 2 Intracellular cations were effective at accelerating charge return in the sequence Cs+ > Rb+ > K+ > Na+ > NMG+. Extracellular cations accelerated charge return with the selectivity sequence Cs+ > Rb+ > Na+= NMG+. 3 Intracellular and extracellular cation actions were of relatively low affinity. The Kd for preventing slowing of the time constant of the off‐gating current decay (τoff) was 20.2 mM for intracellular Cs+ (Cs+i) and 358 mM for extracellular Cs+ (Cs+o). 4 Both intracellular and extracellular cations can regulate the rate of charge return during deactivation of hKv1.5, but intracellular cations are more effective. We suggest that ion crystal radius is an important determinant of this action, with larger ions preventing slowing more effectively. Important parallels exist with cation‐dependent modulation of slow inactivation of ionic currents in this channel. However, further experiments are required to understand the exact relationship between acceleration of charge return and the slowing of inactivation of ionic currents by cations.
A biomechanical evaluation of three drop wire configurations.

OBJECTIVE Evaluate effect of adding drop wires to single-ring constructs. STUDY DESIGN Biomechanical study SAMPLE POPULATION Single ring circular external skeletal fixator constructs stabilizing a Delrin segment bone model. METHODS Eight replicates of 5 constructs made with 66 mm complete rings, 1.6 mm olive wires, and a 15.9-mm diameter Delrin rod were loaded in axial compression, craniocaudal and mediolateral bending, and torsion. Constructs tested were: (1) base single-ring construct; (2) single-ring construct with a drop wire mounted on fixation bolts; (3) single-ring construct with a drop wire mounted on 1-hole posts; (4) single-ring construct with a drop wire mounted on 2-hole posts; and (5) 2-ring construct. Construct stiffness for each mode of loading was compared using repeated measures ANOVAs (P ≤ .05). RESULTS Axial compression and torsion: the 2-ring construct was stiffer than all others. Drop wire constructs were stiffer than the single-ring construct, but not significantly different from each other. Craniocaudal bending: the 2-ring construct was stiffest with the 2-hole post construct being stiffer than all except the 2-ring construct. Mediolateral bending: the 2-hole post construct was stiffer than the 2-ring construct, which was stiffer than the 1-hole post construct, which was stiffer than the fixation-bolt construct, which was stiffer than the single-ring construct. CONCLUSIONS Drop wires improved stiffness of single-ring constructs in all loading modalities. Positioning the drop wire farther from the ring surface significantly improved craniocaudal and mediolateral bending stiffness, but did not affect axial compression and torsional stiffness.
[Risk factors for the occurrence of cardiovascular system diseases in students].

BACKGROUND/AIM Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death in the majority of developed, as well as in many developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine cardiovascular risk factors in student population and to suggest possible measures for prevention. METHODS The study was carried out during 2007-2008 at the School of Medicine, University of Nis. It included 824 students in their final year (220 males, 604 females). RESULTS There was no significant difference in prevalence of hypertension among the male (1.81%) and female students (0%). The prevalence of obesity (Body Mass Index - BMI > 30 kg/m2) was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in the male (7.27%) than in the female population (1.32%). Abdominal obesity was also more frequently encountered (p < 0.01) in the male (9.09%) than in female population (1.32%). Every fourth student smoked cigarettes with no significant difference between the male and female students. Alcohol consumption was a significantly higher problem (p < 0.001) in the male population (18.18%) than in the female one (2.65%). Physical inactivity was more often found (p < 0.001) in the female students (65.56%), than in male ones (36.36%). By the bivariate correlation of cardiovascular risk factors, it was determined that in the male student population systolic blood pressure correlated significantly with diastolic blood pressure, BMI and waist size, whereas age correlated with sistolic blood pressure, waist size and smoking. In the female students sistolic blood pressure correlated with diastolic blood pressure, BMI and waist size; diastolic blood pressure correlated with BMI and physical inactivity; cigarette smoking correlated with alcohol consumption and age. CONCLUSION Cardiovascular risk factors are present in the final-year students of the School of Medicine, University of Nis. It is necessary to insist on decreasing obesity prevalence, cigarette and alcohol consumption, and on increasing physical activity of students in order to prevent cardiovascular diseases.
Adjuvant Erlotinib Versus Placebo in Patients With Stage IB-IIIA Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (RADIANT): A Randomized, Double-Blind, Phase III Trial.

PURPOSE Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) -tyrosine kinase inhibitors have proven efficacy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We hypothesized that erlotinib would be efficacious in the adjuvant setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS An international randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted in patients with completely resected IB to IIIA NSCLC whose tumors expressed EGFR protein by immunohistochemistry or EGFR amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Patients were assigned 2:1 to erlotinib 150 mg once per day or placebo for 2 years. Stratification factors were stage, histology, previous adjuvant chemotherapy, smoking status, EGFR amplification status, and country. The primary end point was disease-free survival (DFS); key secondary end points were overall survival (OS) and DFS and OS in patients whose tumors had EGFR-activating mutations (EGFRm-positive). RESULTS A total of 973 patients were randomly assigned (November 26, 2007, to July 7, 2010). There was no statistically significant difference in DFS (median, 50.5 months for erlotinib and 48.2 months for placebo; hazard ratio, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.74 to 1.10; P = .324). Among the 161 patients (16.5%) in the EGFRm-positive subgroup, DFS favored erlotinib (median, 46.4 v 28.5 months; hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.38 to 0.98; P = .039), but this was not statistically significant because of the hierarchical testing procedure. OS data are immature. Rash and diarrhea were common adverse events occurring in 528 (86.4%) and 319 (52.2%) patients treated with erlotinib, respectively, versus 110 (32.1%) and 54 (15.7%) patients receiving placebo. The most common grade 3 adverse events in patients treated with erlotinib were rash (22.3%) and diarrhea (6.2%). CONCLUSION Adjuvant erlotinib did not prolong DFS in patients with EGFR-expressing NSCLC or in the EGFRm-positive subgroup. Further evaluation of erlotinib is warranted in the EGFRm-positive subgroup.
Native vs. damaged milk fat globules: membrane properties affect the viscoelasticity of milk gels.

The storage modulus G' of rennet and acid milk gels filled with milk fat globules was measured as a function of the fat globule surface composition (native milk fat globule membrane, caseins and whey proteins, or a mixture of the three due to mechanical treatments) and surface area (i.e., the fat globule size). By different technological procedures, it was possible to obtain fat globules of constant surface composition but various sizes, and vice-versa, which had never been done. For both rennet and acid gels, a critical fraction of the fat globule surface covered by caseins and whey proteins was identified (approximately 40%), beyond which G' increased. Below this threshold, the gel viscoelasticity was unaffected by mechanical treatments. When the diameter of native milk fat globules decreased, the G' of rennet gels increased slightly, whereas that of acid gels decreased sharply. For both types of gels, G' increased when the diameter of partially disrupted fat globules decreased. For recombined globules completely covered with caseins and few whey proteins, G' increased with fat globule surface area for rennet gels whereas it decreased for acid gels. With the help of confocal microscopy and in the light of general structural differences between rennet and acid gels, a mechanism is proposed for the effect of fat globule damage and diameter on G', depending on the interactions the globules can undergo with the casein network.
Unexplained Elevations in Alanine Aminotransferase in Individuals with the Metabolic Syndrome: Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES III)

BackgroundUnexplained elevations in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level have been suggested to signify the presence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in adult NHANES III participants. In this study, we examined the relationship between unexplained elevations in ALT level and the metabolic syndrome and the relationship between unexplained elevations in ALT level and microalbuminuria. MethodsWe examined the prevalence and predictors of unexplained elevations in ALT level in 4376 adult NHANES III participants with the metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to Adult Treatment Panel III criteria, and the presence of unexplained elevations in ALT level was defined based on the previously published criteria. Prevalence of microalbuminuria was compared between 710 individuals with unexplained elevations in ALT level and 1780 control subjects. ResultsPrevalence of unexplained elevations in ALT level in individuals with the metabolic syndrome was 7% and was significantly higher than in those without the metabolic syndrome (3.5%; OR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.78–2.41). Younger age, male gender, higher triglycerides or serum iron levels, low levels of certain antioxidants, and insulin resistance (or diabetes) were independently associated with unexplained elevations in ALT level in the metabolic syndrome. Prevalence of microalbuminuria was not different between individuals with unexplained elevations in ALT level and their control subjects (4.8% versus 6.2%, respectively; P = 0.2). ConclusionsIndividuals with the metabolic syndrome have a significantly higher prevalence of unexplained elevations in ALT level. Because unexplained elevations in ALT level may signify the presence of NAFLD, our data support the notion that NAFLD is part of the spectrum of the metabolic syndrome. However, no relationship was demonstrated between unexplained elevations in ALT level and microalbuminuria.
Synaptic actions of single interneurones mediating reciprocal Ia inhibition of motoneurones

1. The investigation was aimed at defining the function of the interneurones which, according to indirect evidence, mediate the reciprocal Ia inhibition of motoneurones (Hultborn, Jankowska & Lindstrom, 1971 b) by studying their direct synaptic actions. These actions were tested by recording post‐synaptic potentials in motoneurones following spike activity of single interneurones activated by iontophoretic application of glutamate. The interneurones were found to produce unitary monosynaptic IPSPs in those motoneurones in which disynaptic IPSPs are evoked by the group Ia afferents which monosynaptically excite the interneurones.
Ray tracing to predict insolation in urban environment

A Ray Tracing (RT) algorithm has been developed to predict the amount of solar radiation incident on the façades of buildings in urban environments. Such algorithm can be used to estimate the amount of solar energy turned into heat energy which contributes to the Urban Heat Islands (UHI) effect, to evaluate the energy efficiency of solutions like solar captators and, therefore, to estimate the overall energy efficiency of an urban area.
High Order LSTM/GRU

RNN is a powerful model for sequence data but suffers from gradient vanishing and explosion, thus difficult to be trained to capture long range dependences. But people have proposed LSTM and GRU, which try to model the differences between adjacent data frame rather than the data frame itself. By doing so, it allows the error to back propagate throw longer time without vanishing. Also instead of simply accumulating information, these models introduce multiple gating functions which depend on current input and hidden states to control whether information should be taken-in, passed though or discarded. Currently all the gating functions are sigmoid/tanh function over a linear combination of input x and current hidden states h. In this work, we are trying to introduce a high order term for RNN as a component of gating function. By doing so, we argue that it can better model the relation between current input and hidden states, thus better control the flow of information and learn better representation accordingly.
Ambipolar Charge Injection and Transport in a Single Pentacene Monolayer Island

Electrons and holes are locally injected in a single pentacene monolayer island. The two-dimensional distribution and concentration of the injected carriers are measured by electrical force microscopy. In crystalline monolayer islands, both carriers are delocalized over the whole island. On a disordered monolayer, carriers stay localized at their injection point. These results provide insight into the electronic properties, at the nanometer scale, of organic monolayers governing performances of organic transistors and molecular devices.
Preoperative prognostic indicators in cattle with abomasal volvulus.

A prospective study evaluating preoperative prognostic indicators in 80 cattle with abomasal volvulus was done. Surgical correction of the abomasal volvulus was performed in all animals. After surgery, cattle were categorized into 3 groups: productive (acceptable milk production or appetite, n = 59), salvaged (poor milk production or appetite, n = 10), and nonsurvivors (n = 11). Mean values for study variables did not differ significantly between salvaged and nonsurvivor groups. Cattle in these 2 groups were combined to form a nonproductive group, which was compared with the productive group. Productive cattle had a significantly lower preoperative heart rate than nonproductive cattle, were less dehydrated, had lower serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and serum creatinine concentration, more frequent rumen contractions, higher serum Na+ and Cl- concentrations, and had been inappetent for a shorter period. Significant differences were not detected in blood pH, base excess, anion gap, PCV, and serum K+ concentrations between the 2 groups. Feces from nonproductive cattle tended to be reduced in volume and were significantly darker. A number of preoperative prognostic indices were evaluated by calculating the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value (+PV) of each variable and by using logistic regression. Positive predictive values were generally higher in identifying productive cattle than nonproductive cattle. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Individual expertise versus domain expertise.

Comments on the article by T. J. G. Tracey et al. (see record 2013-45602-001), which addressed the question of whether "psychotherapy is a profession without any expertise. " In the past two decades, new insights have emerged on expertise in various domains, including psychotherapy. In particular, the present authors have developed a general, relativistic perspective on expertise that invokes performance-based criteria (Weiss & Shanteau, 2003, 2014). In this commentary, they highlight three distinctions that have emerged from recent research on expertise.
Low Preoperative Cholesterol Level Is a Risk Factor of Sepsis and Poor Clinical Outcome in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery With Cardiopulmonary Bypass*

Objectives:Systemic inflammatory response syndrome and sepsis frequently occur after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether preoperative cholesterol levels can predict sepsis onset and postoperative complications in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Design:Prospective observational study. Setting:Surgical ICU of a French university hospital. Patients:Two hundred and seventeen consecutive patients older than 18 years admitted for planned cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Interventions:Measurements of plasma blood lipids and inflammation markers before anesthesia induction (baseline), at cardiopulmonary bypass start, at cardiopulmonary bypass end, and 3 and 24 hours after cardiac surgery. Outcomes were compared in systemic inflammatory response syndrome patients with sepsis (n = 15), systemic inflammatory response syndrome patients without sepsis (n = 95), and non–systemic inflammatory response syndrome patients (n = 107). Measurements and Main Results:A gradual decrease in plasma cholesterol concentration occurred during surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass but was no longer present after correction for hemodilution. Corrected cholesterol levels were significantly lower at baseline in sepsis patients than in other subgroups, and it remained lower in the sepsis group during and after cardiopulmonary bypass. With regard to sepsis, the discriminatory power of baseline cholesterol was fairly good as indicated by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis (area under the curve, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.72–0.84). The frequency of sepsis progressively decreased with increasing baseline cholesterol level quintiles (18.6% and 0% in the bottom and top quintiles, respectively, p = 0.005). In multivariate analysis, baseline cholesterol levels and cardiopulmonary bypass duration were significant and independent determinants of the 3-hour postcardiopulmonary bypass increase in concentrations of procalcitonin and interleukin-8, but not of interleukin-6. Conclusions:Low cholesterol levels before elective cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass may be a simple biomarker for the early identification of patients with a high risk of sepsis.
Evaluation of pattern scale stress effects of 28nm technology during wire bond and Cu pillar flip chip assembly

Flip chip or wire bonding on highly sensitive low-k and ultra-low-k (ULK) BEoL-structures is an important issue concerning the thermo-mechanical integrity. To assess the thermo-mechanical stress situation in BEoL structures under the loading conditions of wire bonding and pull testing using Finite-element-analyses (FEA), a suitable approach is necessary. In particular, the phenomenon of friction at the bonding surfaces, the heat sources of friction and shock and vibrations have to be considered. These simulations together with experimental findings deliver essential insights into the stress situation within low-k and ULK BEoL structures during bonding and pull tests and, as it is a well described physical model, give basic measurable knowledge on the major factors influencing the thermo-mechanical reliability. Copper instead of Gold wire bonding is introducing much higher mechanical impact to underlying Back-end of line (BeoL) structures and actives like low-k and ultra low-k materials for (BEoL) layers of advanced CMOS technologies because of the higher stiffness and lower ductility of Copper compared to Gold. Increasing stiffness is also an issue for Copper studs replacing solder ball interconnects in the case of flip chip mounting whereby BEoL loading is increasing.
Morphology of the Canine Omentum Part 1: Arterial Landmarks that Define the Omentum

Although the omentum remains an enigmatic organ, research during the last decades has revealed its fascinating functions including fat storage, fluid drainage, immune activity, angiogenesis and adhesion. While clinicians both in human and veterinary medicine are continuously exploring new potential omental applications, detailed anatomical data on the canine omentum are currently lacking, and information is often retrieved from human medicine. In this study, the topographic anatomy of the canine greater and lesser omentum is explored in depth. Current nomenclature is challenged, and a more detailed terminology is proposed. Consistent arteries that are contained within folds of the superficial omental wall are documented, described and named, as they can provide the anatomical landmarks that are necessary for unambiguous scientific communication on the canine omentum. In an included dissection video, the conclusions and in situ findings described in this study are demonstrated.