Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression and Role of Connective Tissue Growth Factor in Painful Disc Fibrosis and Degeneration

Study Design. We collected the specimens of lumbar intervertebral discs from patients with discogenic low back pain, to study the histopathological features and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expressions. Objective. To study the expression and role of CTGF in fibrosis and degeneration of painful disc tissue. Summary of Background Data. Previous studies have demonstrated that degenerative disc commonly showed fibrosis in histology. CTGF, a downstream effector mediated by transforming growth factor–&bgr;1 (TGF-&bgr;1), is commonly related to tissue fibrosis. We do not know whether CTGF is expressed in painful disc, and related to painful disc degeneration and fibrosis. Methods. This study included 43 lumbar intervertebral disc specimens from 28 patients with discogenic low back pain obtained during posterior lumbar interbody fusion and 16 asymptomatic degenerative discs from patients without low back pain. Further, 8 normal discs were included as controls. Their histopathological features were studied, and the expression of CTGF was assessed using immunohistochemistry. Results. Histologic examination revealed that the painful discs showed chronic inflammatory reaction with blood vessel infiltration in varying degrees. The anulus fibrosus had lost its normal lamellar architecture, and instead, disorganization, disruption, and crossed fusion were observed. Normal fibroblasts were replaced by chondrocytes in the anulus fibrosus. The nucleus pulposus showed marked fibrosis, blood vessel infiltration, and inflammatory granulation tissue formation. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated strong CTGF expression in the painful discs, weak expression in the asymptomatic degenerative disc, and no expression in the control discs. Conclusion. The painful degenerative disc is significantly different from the asymptomatic degenerative disc with regard to histopathological findings. The strong CTGF expression in the painful disc may be related to disc fibrosis and degeneration.
Distributed Routing Schemes with Accessibility Consideration in Multi-Hop Wireless Networks

In this paper, two novel distributed routing schemes, named adaptive-information-moving-rate routing scheme (AIMR) and adaptive-information-moving-distance-and-link-rate routing scheme (AIMDLR), are proposed for multi-hop wireless networks by jointly considering the number of hops and the link states. With one-hop information only, both schemes aim at improving the network spectral efficiency under two different bandwidth sharing methods (i.e., throughput-maximization bandwidth sharing and equal-time bandwidth sharing), respectively. In addition, a general scheme, called probability-based scheme (PBS), is proposed to improve the accessibility of distributed routing schemes, which is denoted by the success probability of finding a route reaching the destination. In the PBS, the node selection in each hop is based on a well-defined probability, which takes into account the locations of the transmitter and the receiver at each hop and the uncertainty in the subsequent hops. By combining the PBS with the AIMR and the AIMDLR, the proposed probability-based AIMR (PAIMR) and probability-based AIMDLR (PAIMDLR) can not only improve the accessibility significantly but also achieve higher effective spectral efficiency compared to the counterparts. Simulation results are finally presented to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed routing schemes.
Identification of Akt-independent Regulation of Hepatic Lipogenesis by Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) Complex 2*

Background: mTORC2 is an insulin-stimulated kinase that activates kinases such as Akt. Results: Hepatic mTORC2 deletion increased glucose output dependent on Akt-FoxO and blocked lipogenesis that was not restored by activation of Akt-FoxO signaling. Conclusion: mTORC2-dependent factors other than Akt are critical for hepatic lipogenesis. Significance: Understanding signals separating hepatic glucose output from lipogenesis is crucial for effective diabetes treatment. Mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) is a key activator of protein kinases that act downstream of insulin and growth factor signaling. Here we report that mice lacking the essential mTORC2 component rictor in liver (LrictorKO) are unable to respond normally to insulin. In response to insulin, LrictorKO mice failed to inhibit hepatic glucose output. LrictorKO mice also fail to develop hepatic steatosis on a high fat diet and manifest half-normal serum cholesterol levels. This is accompanied by lower levels of expression of SREBP-1c and SREBP-2 and genes of fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis. LrictorKO mice had defects in insulin-stimulated Akt Ser-473 and Thr-308 phosphorylation, leading to decreased phosphorylation of Akt substrates FoxO, GSK-3β, PRAS40, AS160, and Tsc2. LrictorKO mice also manifest defects in insulin-activated mTORC1 activity, evidenced by decreased S6 kinase and Lipin1 phosphorylation. Glucose intolerance and insulin resistance of LrictorKO mice could be fully rescued by hepatic expression of activated Akt2 or dominant negative FoxO1. However, in the absence of mTORC2, forced Akt2 activation was unable to drive hepatic lipogenesis. Thus, we have identified an Akt-independent relay from mTORC2 to hepatic lipogenesis that separates the effects of insulin on glucose and lipid metabolism.
Evaluating a new leaf fluorescence sensor for estimating rice nitrogen status

Real-time non-destructive diagnosis of crop nitrogen (N) status is crucially important for the success of in-season site-specific N management. Chlorophyll meter (CM) has been commonly used to non-destructively estimate crop leaf chlorophyll concentration, and indirectly estimate crop N status. Dualex 4 is a newly developed leaf fluorescence sensor that can estimate both leaf chlorophyll concentration and polyphenolics, especially flavonoids. The ratio of chlorophyll and flavonoid concentration, which is termed N balance index (NBI), has been reported to be more sensitive to crop N status than SPAD meter readings. So far, no studies have been reported to evaluate this new sensor for estimating rice N status. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the accuracy of Dualex 4 sensor and chlorophyll meter SPAD-502 for estimating the N nutritional status of rice in Northeast China. A field experiment involving five N application rates (0, 70, 100, 130, 160 kg N ha-1), two cultivars (Longjing 21 and Kongyu 131) and three replications was conducted in Jiansanjiang, Heilongjiang Province, China in 2013. Leaf and plant samples were collected at three key growth stages and analyzed for chlorophyll and N concentrations. The preliminary results indicated that both instruments could explain over 80% of variation of leaf chlorophyll concentration. Their ability to estimate leaf N concentration was influenced by rice cultivars and growth stages. Across cultivars and growth stages, Dualex 4 and SPAD meter-based indices only explained about 30% of variation of leaf N concentration. Although flavonoid was negatively correlated with leaf N concentration (R2=0.172, p=0.0002), the new index NBI (Chlorophyll/Flavonoid) did not significantly improve the accuracy of estimating leaf N concentration as compared with SPAD meter. More studies are needed to further evaluate the Dualex 4 leaf fluorescence sensor for estimating rice N status and determine its potential benefits over SPAD meter.
Gene amplification of atypical PKC‐binding PARD3 in radiation‐transformed neoplastic retinal pigment epithelial cell lines

Neoplastic transformation induced by ionizing radiation was studied using a human retinal pigment epithelial cell line immortalized by telomerase. Radiation‐transformed cell clones were tumorigenic in athymic mice and were analyzed by G‐banding and comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). Radiation‐transformed cloned cell lines and cell lines derived from tumors produced in athymic nude mice following transplantation exhibited a recurrent karyotype:45,XX,der(10),‐13. CGH showed an amplification of 10p11.2 and a deletion of the remaining 10p. Positional cloning of the amplified region by FISH analysis and subsequent sequence analysis of BAC clones showing amplified FISH signals identified the candidate gene PARD3. This gene also was found to be transcriptionally expressed at an increased level. The findings indicate that PARD3 may play an important role in radiation‐induced carcinogenesis of RPE cells. This is the first evidence for PARD3 amplification in human cancer cells. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Living donor liver transplantation for obese patients: Challenges and outcomes

Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is an accepted option for end‐stage liver disease, particularly in countries in which there are organ shortages. However, little is known about LDLT for obese patients. We sought to determine the effects of obesity on pretransplant living donor selection for obese recipients and their outcomes. On the basis of body mass index (BMI) values, 148 patients were classified as normal weight (N), 148 were classified as overweight (OW), and 74 were classified as obese (O). O recipients had significantly greater BMI values (32.1 ± 1.6 versus 23.2 ± 1.9 kg/m2, P < 0.001) and received larger actual grafts (918.9 ± 173 versus 839.4 ± 162 g, P = 0.002) than recipients with normal BMI values. Donors who donated to O recipients had a greater mean BMI (26.3 ± 3.8 kg/m2) than those who donated to N recipients (24.4 ± 3.2 kg/m2, P = 0.001). Although O recipients were more likely to face some challenges in finding a suitable living donor, there were no differences in graft survival [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.955, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.474‐1.924, P = 0.90] or recipient survival (HR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.56‐1.5, P = 0.67) between the 3 groups according to an adjusted Cox proportional hazards model. There were no significant differences in posttransplant complication rates between the 3 recipient groups or in the morbidity rates for the donors who donated to O recipients versus the donors who donated to OW and N recipients (P = 0.26). Therefore, we recommend that obese patients undergo pretransplant evaluations. If they are adequately evaluated and selected, they should be considered for LDLT. Liver Transpl 20:311‐322, 2014. © 2013 AASLD.
Evaluation of (76)Br-FBAU as a PET reporter probe for HSV1-tk gene expression imaging using mouse models of human glioma.

UNLABELLED The utility of 5-(76)Br-bromo-2'-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine ((76)Br-FBAU), a uracil analog, as a PET reporter probe for use with the herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase (HSV1-tk) reporter gene system for gene expression imaging was evaluated in vivo and in vitro using human and rat glioma cells. METHODS Human glioma cell lines U87 and U251 were transduced with replication-defective adenovirus constitutively expressing HSV1-tk (Ad.TK) or a control expressing green fluorescent protein (Ad.GFP). These cells were incubated with (76)Br-FBAU for 20-120 min to determine the percentage of total dose uptake. In vitro uptake of equimolar concentrations (1.8 x 10(-8) mol/L) of (76)Br-FBAU and 2'-fluoro-2'-deoxy-5-iodouracil-beta-d-arabinofuranoside ((14)C-FIAU) was also determined in RG2-TK rat glioma cells stably expressing HSV1-tk and in control RG2 cells at 30-120 min. In vivo uptake of (76)Br-FBAU was determined in subcutaneous U87 tumor intratumorally transduced with Ad.TK by ex vivo biodistribution. Uptake in intracranial U87 tumors transduced with Ad.TK expressing HSV1-tk was measured by brain autoradiography. In vivo PET was performed on subcutaneous and intracranial U87 tumors transduced with Ad.TK and on subcutaneous and intracranial stably expressing RG2-TK tumors. RESULTS U87 and U251 cells transduced with Ad.TK had significantly increased uptake of (76)Br-FBAU compared with cells transduced with Ad.GFP over 20-120 min. In stably expressing cells at 120 min, (14)C-FIAU uptake in RG2-TK tumor cells was 11.3 %ID (percentage injected dose) and in RG2 control cells was 1.7 %ID, and (76)Br-FBAU uptake in RG2-TK tumor cells was 14.2 %ID and in RG2 control cells was 1.5 %ID. Ex vivo biodistribution of subcutaneous U87 tumors transduced with Ad.TK accumulated (76)Br-FBAU significantly more than in the control Ad.GFP transduced tumor and normal tissue, with the lowest uptake in brain. Autoradiography showed localized uptake in intracranial U87 and U251 cells transduced with Ad.TK. PET image analyses of mice with RG2-TK tumors resulted in an increased tumor-to-background ratio of 13 and 26 from 2 to 6 h after injection, respectively, in intracranial tumors. CONCLUSION (76)Br-FBAU accumulates in glioma cells constitutively expressing HSV1-tk by either adenoviral transduction or in stably expressing cell lines both in vitro and in vivo. (76)Br-FBAU shows promise as a PET reporter probe for use with the HSV1-tk in vivo gene expression imaging system.
Experiencing an Intimate Partner’s Breast Cancer: Attachment, Caregiving, and Burden in Men

Objective: This study examined interrelationships among adult attachment orientations, caregiving, and caregiver burden in men of female partners with breast cancer, and tested whether caregiving patterns mediated associations between men’s attachment orientations and their self-reported caregiver burden. Method: The participants were 124 male partners of women with breast cancer. These participants completed assessments related to attachment, caregiving, and caregiver burden. Path models examined the associations between constructs and tested mediational effects. Results: Findings demonstrated significant associations between men’s adult attachment orientations and their experience of caregiver burden. In addition, the maintenance of proximity in caregiving completely mediated the respective associations of attachment security and attachment avoidance to caregiver health problems, on one hand, and to the caregiver’s self-esteem (e.g., another indicator for caregiver burden), on the other. Moreover, we found a direct effect of attachment avoidance on health problems. Conclusions: This study highlighted the importance of addressing adult attachment dispositions and caregiving to understanding the relational processes implicated in caregiver burden. The results support the conclusion that men’s adult attachment orientations and caregiving patterns toward their female partners with breast cancer are relevant contributors to men’s perceptions of caregiver burden.
Detection of Sleeping Cells in LTE Networks Using Diffusion Maps

In mobile networks emergence of failures is caused by various breakdowns of hardware and software elements. One of the serious failures in radio networks is a Sleeping Cell. In our work one of the possible root causes for appearance of this network failure is simulated in a dynamic network simulator. The main aim of the research is to detect the presence of a Sleeping Cell in the network and to define its location. For this purpose Diffusion Maps data mining technique is employed. The developed fault identification framework is using the performance characteristics of the network, collected during its regular operation, and for that reason it can be implemented in real Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks within the Self-Organizing Networks (SON) concept.
Effect of ricin and abrin on survival of L1210 leukemic mice and on leukemic and normal bone‐marrow cells

The effect of ricin and abrin on the survival of mice treated with L1210 leukemic cells intraperitoneally or intravenously was studied. In mice given 1 × 105 L1210 leukemia cells intraperitoneally a single dose of ricin (2.1 μg/kg) intraperitoneally gave the best results, an increased life span (ILS) of 59%. Abrin also increased the life span of such animals although to a lesser extent. The effect of ricin was superior to that of 5‐fluorouracil, but inferior to that of adriamycin, which gave a maximum ILS of 280%. In mice given L1210 cells intravenously no increase in life span was obtained with ricin, abrin or adriamycin, whereas 5‐fluorouracil gave an ILS of 40–50%. In spleen colony assays the differential effect of ricin and abrin on the proliferative capacity of normal hematopoietic and leukemic colony‐forming cells in bone marrow was studied. The differential effect of ricin was as good as that of adriamycin and considerably better than that of 5‐fluorouracil. Abrin had a much smaller effect than ricin on both normal and leukemic cells. The effect of abrin on the leukemic cells was too small to be of therapeutic value. The results warrant exploration of the use of ricin in the treatment of human leukemia.
Garnet-type solid-state fast Li ion conductors for Li batteries: critical review.

Batteries are electrochemical devices that store electrical energy in the form of chemical energy. Among known batteries, Li ion batteries (LiBs) provide the highest gravimetric and volumetric energy densities, making them ideal candidates for use in portable electronics and plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles. Conventional LiBs use an organic polymer electrolyte, which exhibits several safety issues including leakage, poor chemical stability and flammability. The use of a solid-state (ceramic) electrolyte to produce all-solid-state LiBs can overcome all of the above issues. Also, solid-state Li batteries can operate at high voltage, thus, producing high power density. Various types of solid Li-ion electrolytes have been reported; this review is focused on the most promising solid Li-ion electrolytes based on garnet-type metal oxides. The first studied Li-stuffed garnet-type compounds are Li5La3M2O12 (M = Nb, Ta), which show a Li-ion conductivity of ∼10(-6) at 25 °C. La and M sites can be substituted by various metal ions leading to Li-rich garnet-type electrolytes, such as Li6ALa2M2O12, (A = Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Sr0.5Ba0.5) and Li7La3C2O12 (C = Zr, Sn). Among the known Li-stuffed garnets, Li6.4La3Zr1. 4Ta0.6O12 exhibits the highest bulk Li-ion conductivity of 10(-3) S cm(-1) at 25 °C with an activation energy of 0.35 eV, which is an order of magnitude lower than that of the currently used polymer, but is chemically stable at higher temperatures and voltages compared to polymer electrolytes. Here, we discuss the chemical composition-structure-ionic conductivity relationship of the Li-stuffed garnet-type oxides, as well as the Li ion conduction mechanism.
Principles of Protein and Lipid Targeting in Secondary Symbiogenesis: Euglenoid, Dinoflagellate, and Sporozoan Plastid Origins and the Eukaryote Family Tree 1 , 2

The biggest unsolved problems in chloroplast evolution are the origins of dinoflagellate and euglenoid chloroplasts, which have envelopes of three membranes not two like plants and chromists, and of the sporozoan plastid, bounded by four smooth membranes. I review evidence that all three of these protozoan plastid types originated by secondary symbiogenesis from eukaryotic endosymbionts. Instead of separate symbiogenetic events, I argue that dinoflagellate and sporozoan plastids are directly related and that the common ancestor of dinoflagellates and Sporozoa was photosynthetic. I suggest that the last common ancestor of all Alveolata was photosynthetic and acquired its chlorophyll c‐containing plastids in the same endosymbiogenetic event as those of Chromista. Chromista and Alveolata are postulated to be a clade designated chromalveolates. I propose that euglenoids obtained their plastids from the same (possibly ulvophycean) green alga as chlorarachneans and that Discicristata (Euglenozoa plus Percolozoa) and Cercozoa (the group including chlorarachneans) form a clade designated cabozoa (protozoa with chlorophyll a + b). If both theories are correct, there were only two secondary symbiogenetic events (witnessed by the chlorarachnean and cryptomonad nucleomorphs) in the history of life, not seven as commonly assumed. This greatly reduces the postulated number of independent origins of chloroplast protein‐targeting machinery and of gene transfers from endosymbiont to host nuclei. I discuss the membrane and plastid losses and innovations in protein targeting implied by these theories, the comparative evidence for them, and their implications for eukaryote megaphylogeny. The principle of evolutionary conservatism leads to a novel theory for the function of periplastid vesicles in membrane biogenesis of chlorarachneans and chromists and of the key steps in secondary symbiogenesis. Protozoan classification is also slightly revised by abandoning the probably polyphyletic infrakingdom Actinopoda, grouping Foraminifera and Radiolaria as a new infrakingdom Retaria, placing Heliozoa within a revised infrakingdom Sarcomastigota, establishing a new flagellate phylum Loukozoa for Jakobea plus Anaeromonadea within an emended subkingdom Eozoa, and ranking Archezoa as an infrakingdom within Eozoa.
A validation of the Polish version of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRSR)

ABSTRACT Primary objective: The aim of this study was to determine the validity of the Polish version of the Coma Recovery Scale—Revised (CRS-R). Methods and design: Two trained raters, A and B, administered CRS-R on a group of 20 patients with severe brain injury (median age ± SD, 38.0 ± 14.39 years). Both rater A and rater B completed their assessment on day 1, and rater A repeated their assessment on day 2. Inter-rater and test-retest reliability were evaluated with an intra-class correlation coefficient and Spearman rank correlation. Internal consistency was estimated with Cronbach’s α. Agreement in diagnostic impression was determined using Cohen’s κ. Results: Inter-rater reliability for CRS-R total scores and test-retest reliability was excellent: (ρ = 0.76, p < 0.001) and (ρ = 0.92, p < 0.001), respectively. Inter-rater diagnostic agreement was good (κ = 0.72, p < 0.001). Inter-rater reliability for subscales was fair to excellent. Internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach’s α = 0.85). Conclusion: The Polish version of CRS-R can be administered reliably by trained raters and can successfully differentiate between vegetative state (VS), minimally conscious (MCS), and patients emerging from a minimally conscious state (EMCS).
Movement bias in visual attention for perceptually-guided selective rendering of animations

The Human Visual System (HVS) is a key part of the rendering pipeline. The human eye is only capable of sensing image detail in a 2° foveal region, relying on rapid eye movements, or saccades, to jump between points of interest. These points of interest are prioritised based on the saliency of the objects in the scene or the task the user is performing. These "glimpses" of a scene are then assembled by the HVS into a coherent, but inevitably imperfect, visual perception of the environment. In this process, much detail, which the HVS deems unimportant, may literally go unnoticed. The major obstacle for real-time rendering of high fidelity graphics is computational complexity. Visual science research has shown that movement in the background of a scene may influence how subjects perceive foreground objects. In this paper we use knowledge of the HVS to show that we can selectively render walk-throughs without perceptual loss of quality, at significantly reduced time, if high saliency movement is present during the animation.