Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optic Nerve Stimulation System with Adaptive Wireless Powering and Data Telemetry

To treat retinal degenerative diseases, a transcorneal electrical stimulation-based system is proposed, which consists of an eye implant and an external component. The eye implant is wirelessly powered and controlled by the external component to generate the required bi-polar current pattern for transcorneal stimulation with an amplitude range of 5 μA to 320 μA, a frequency range of 10 Hz to 160 Hz and a duty ratio range of 2.5% to 20%. Power delivery control includes power boosting in preparation for stimulation, and normal power regulation that adapts to both coupling and load variations. Only one pair of coils is used for both the power link and the bi-directional data link. Except for the secondary coil, the eye implant is fully integrated on chip and is fabricated using UMC (United Microelectronics Corporation, Hsinchu, Taiwan) 0.13 μm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process with a size of 1.5 mm × 1.5 mm. The secondary coil is fabricated on a printed circuit board (PCB) with a diameter of only 4.4 mm. After coating with biocompatible silicone, the whole implant has dimensions of 6 mm in diameter with a thickness of less than 1 mm. The whole device can be put onto the sclera and beneath the eye’s conjunctiva. System functionality and electrical performance are demonstrated with measurement results.
The VirB/VirD4 type IV secretion system of Bartonella is essential for establishing intraerythrocytic infection

Bartonellae are pathogenic bacteria uniquely adapted to cause intraerythrocytic infection in their human or animal reservoir host(s). Experimental infection of rats by Bartonella tribocorum revealed the initial colonization of a yet unidentified niche outside of circulating blood. This primary niche periodically seeds bacteria into the bloodstream, resulting in the invasion and persistent intracellular colonisation of erythrocytes. Here, this animal model was used for a genetic analysis of the virB locus (virB2‐11) and the downstream located virD4 gene, which together encode a putative type IV secretion system (T4SS). A generic method for marker‐less gene replacement allowed the generation of non‐polar in‐frame deletions in either virB4 or virD4. Both mutants were unable to cause bacteraemia, whereas complementation with the full‐length genes in trans completely restored infectivity. Segregation analysis of the complementation plasmids further denoted that VirB4 and VirD4 are required at an early stage of the infection course before the onset of intraerythrocytic bacteraemia. This analysis of defined mutants in an in vivo model identified components of the VirB/VirD4 T4SS as the first bona fide pathogenicity factors in Bartonella.
Paracrine Mechanism of Angiogenesis in Adipose-Derived Stem Cell Transplantation

IntroductionAdipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) have shown potential for cell-based therapy in the field of plastic surgery. However, the fate of ASCs after transplantation and the mechanism(s) of their biologic capabilities remain unclear. MethodsWe isolated and cultured ASCs from transgenic mice that express both luciferase and green fluorescent protein and injected the cells into the inguinal fat pads of wild-type mice. We tested 4 experimental groups, namely, ischemic fat pads with/without ASCs and control fat pads with/without ASCs. ResultsTransplanted ASCs were tracked with bioluminescence imaging. The luminescence gradually decreased over 28 days, indicating cell death after transplantation. More ASCs were retained in ischemic fat pads on day 7 compared to control fat pads. On day 14, adipose tissue vascular density was higher in the ASC transplantation groups compared to those without ASCs. On day 28, there was decreased atrophy of adipose tissue in ASC-treated ischemic fat pads. Transplanted ASCs were detected as nonproliferating green fluorescent protein-positive cells, whereas native endothelial cells adjacent to the transplanted ASCs were proliferative. Protein analysis demonstrated higher expression of hepatocyte growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor in the ASC transplantation groups, suggesting a paracrine mechanism, which was confirmed by in vitro experiments with conditioned media from ASCs. ConclusionsTransplanted ASCs are preferentially retained in ischemic adipose tissue, although most of the cells eventually undergo cell death. They exert an angiogenic effect on adipose tissue mainly through a paracrine mechanism. Increased understanding of these effects will help develop ASCs as a tool for cell-based therapy.
Variations of five eIF4E genes across cassava accessions exhibiting tolerant and susceptible responses to cassava brown streak disease

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is an important tropical subsistence crop that is severely affected by cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) in East Africa. The disease is caused by Cassava brown streak virus (CBSV) and Ugandan cassava brown streak virus (UCBSV). Both have a (+)-sense single-stranded RNA genome with a 5’ covalently-linked viral protein, which functionally resembles the cap structure of mRNA, binds to eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) or its analogues, and then enable the translation of viral genomic RNA in host cells. To characterize cassava eIF4Es and their potential role in CBSD tolerance and susceptibility, we cloned five eIF4E transcripts from cassava (accession TMS60444). Sequence analysis indicated that the cassava eIF4E family of proteins consisted of one eIF4E, two eIF(iso)4E, and two divergent copies of novel cap-binding proteins (nCBPs). Our data demonstrated experimentally the coding of these five genes as annotated in the published cassava genome and provided additional evidence for refined annotations. Illumina resequencing data of the five eIF4E genes were analyzed from 14 cassava lines tolerant or susceptible to CBSD. Abundant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and biallelic variations were observed in the eIF4E genes; however, most of the SNPs were located in the introns and non-coding regions of the exons. Association studies of non-synonymous SNPs revealed no significant association between any SNP of the five eIF4E genes and the tolerance or susceptibility to CBSD. However, two SNPs in two genes were weakly associated with the CBSD responses but had no direct causal-effect relationship. SNPs in an intergenic region upstream of eIF4E_me showed a surprising strong association with CBSD responses. Digital expression profile analysis showed differential expression of different eIF4E genes but no significant difference in gene expression was found between susceptible and tolerant cassava accessions despite the association of the intergenic SNPs with CBSD responses.
A Survey of Anaphora Resolution Approaches for Different Indian Languages

— Anaphora Resolution is a key problem in the field of natural language processing. It is the problem of identifying the referents in the discourse. Pronominal anaphora resolution is a subpart of anaphora resolution where pronouns are referred to noun antecedents. This paper describes the research done in the development of anaphora resolution systems for various Indian Languages.The process of anaphora resolution can become increasingly complex when we encounter complex sentences. The aim of study is to resolve the ambiguity from complex sentences using semantic and pragmatic knowledge.The problem tackled by many Indian languages is no capitalization, lack of standardization, requirement of Unicode based tools. It can be concluded that various approaches are used to resolve anaphors for different Indian Languages.
BASELINE HEALTH AND NUTRITION EVALUATION OF TWO SYMPATRIC NOCTURNAL LEMUR SPECIES (AVAHI LANIGER AND LEPILEMUR MUSTELINUS) RESIDING NEAR AN ACTIVE MINE SITE AT AMBATOVY, MADAGASCAR

Abstract Extractive industries can have significant impacts on ecosystems through loss of habitat, degradation of water quality, and direct impact on floral and faunal biodiversity. When operations are located in sensitive regions with high biodiversity containing endangered or threatened species, it is possible to minimize impact on the environment by developing programs to scientifically monitor the impact on resident flora and fauna species in the early phases of operation so that effects can be mitigated whenever possible. This report presents the baseline health, nutrition, and trace mineral evaluation for 33 Avahi laniger (Eastern wooly lemur) and 15 Lepilemur mustelinus (greater sportive lemur) captured and given complete health evaluations that included the measurement of fat-soluble vitamins and trace minerals in addition to routine complete blood counts, serum chemistries, and parasite evaluations. All lemurs appeared healthy on physical examination despite the presence of minor wounds consistent with interspecies aggression in some individuals. Serum chemistry values were within expected ranges for other lemur species; however, A. laniger erythrocytes were significantly smaller than those of L. mustelinus. Serum nickel values were markedly higher than expected in both species, and selenium, copper, and cobalt levels were higher in L. mustelinus compared with A. laniger at the study site, as well as values for I. indri or P. diadema reported from other locations. Endoparasites and ectoparasites were typical of those reported in other wild lemur species, but load and diversity varied between A. laniger and L. mustelinus despite inhabiting the same forest ecosystem. This baseline assessment provides the foundation for ongoing monitoring.
FORMAÇÃO DE PROFESSORES, COMPLEXIDADE E TRABALHO DOCENTE

As condicoes societarias, hoje, mostram-se multifacetadas e heterogeneas, e, por isso, mais complexas. Pensar e fazer a formacao de professores envolve considerar condicoes situacionais e conscientizar-se das finalidades dessa formacao, considerar os porques, o para que e o para quem ela e realizada, assumindo compromissos eticos e sociais. Levando em conta isso, o artigo propoe inicialmente visitar o cenario que se nos apresenta hoje na sociedade em geral, e, na educacao no Brasil como ponto de partida para uma reflexao sobre como se realiza essa formacao e seus efeitos fundamentando a necessidade de mudancas radicais nesse processo formativo.
Interdialytic Weight Gain and Dry Weight

Accessible online at: www.karger. com/journals/bpu The concept of dry weight in dialysis patients is more illusion than reality since, in general, the attainment of this state may, for reasons to be discussed below, be fraught with patient discomfort and morbidity. However as a concept it represents an ideal state which is more or less what can be observed in healthy persons. To some, dry weight is defined as the weight below which symptoms or hypotension develop during dialysis, but this description is of limited applicability. To others the weight achieved at the end of dialysis which is even below this, is the true dry weight and is targeted at maintenance of normotension and in order to reduce problems from subsequent interdialytic weight gains. Despite the severity implied by these definitions it can be safely stated that the majority of dialysis patients are at the other end of the spectrum in a constant state of extracellular fluid overhydration only relieved intermittently by the dialytic procedure. Some direct evidence for this is derived from the phenomenon of diuresis with subsequent weight loss often seen in the first few days after renal transplantation. The objective of this presentation is to discuss issues affecting interdialytic weight change and methods used to determine and achieve dry weight. Jaeger and Mehta [1] wrote an important review of this topic up to February 1999 entitled ‘Assessment of Dry Weight in Hemodialysis: An Overview’. Interdialytic Weight Gain
Attenuation of Canine Nephrotoxic Glomer‐ulonephritis with an Extracorporeal Immuno‐adsorbent

A novel immunoadsorbent is described in which soluble canine glomerular basement membrane (GBM) antigen was immobilized in collodion membranes adherent to small charcoal particles. As much as 80% of the added GBM antigen was retained in the collodion–charcoal. The binding of GBM antibody to immobilized GBM antigen in vitro and in vivo was demonstrated. For in vivo studies, an extracorporeal circulation system was established, and mongrel dogs were then injected intravenously with GBM antibodies. Whole blood was circulated at 100 ml/min over GBM collodion–charcoal for 4 h. Renal tissue was examined by fluorescence and light microscopy for the deposition of heterologous gamma globulin and glomerular inflammation before and after the extracorporeal procedure. Results showed less deposition of heterologous IgG and less inflammation in experimental dog kidneys than in control kidneys. There was no evidence of release of 131I‐labeled GBM from the immunoadsorbent at the conclusion of perfusion experiments and no significant biochemical or hematologic alterations. Finally, extracorporeal immunoadsorbent treatment was capable of attenuating the early heterologous phase of passive canine nephrotoxic nephritis and may have a potential role in the therapy of anti‐GBM‐mediated nephropathy.
Prevalence and risk factors of tendinitis and related disorders of the distal upper extremity among U.S. workers: comparison to carpal tunnel syndrome.

BACKGROUND National estimates of tendinitis and related disorders of the distal upper extremity among U.S. workers have not been available with the exception of carpal tunnel syndrome. METHODS The Occupational Health Supplement Data of the 1988 National Health Interview Survey were analyzed for tendinitis and related disorders of the hand/wrist and elbow (distal upper extremity) using the Survey Data Analysis (SUDAAN) software. RESULTS Among the 30,074 respondents (statistically weighted population of 127 million) who had worked anytime during the previous 12 months, 0.46% (95% CI: 0.36, 0.56) reported that they experienced a "prolonged" hand discomfort which was called tendinitis, synovitis, tenosynovitis, deQuervain's disease, epicondylitis, ganglion cyst, or trigger finger, by a medical person. This corresponds to 588,000 persons (95% CI: 457,000; 712,000) reporting one of these disorders, 28% (or 164,000) of which were thought to be work-related by the medical person. Among various risk factors examined by multiple logistic regression analysis, bending/twisting of the hands/wrists at work and female gender were significantly associated with reporting of these disorders. CONCLUSIONS By combining these cases with the previously reported cases of work-related carpal tunnel syndrome, we estimate that there were approximately 520,000 cases of work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the distal upper extremity among US workers in 1988.
Cytotoxic and Antioxidant Effects in Various Tissue Extracts of Plumbago zeylanica: Implications for Anticancer Potential

Introduction: Complex natural products are emerging as a potent alternate and complement in anticancer therapies due to its multiple mechanisms of action and minimal effects on nontarget cells/tissues. Some of the traditional herbal formulations contain Plumbago zeylanica L, (commonly known as Chitraka or Chitramoolam) to treat various disorders for centuries in Africa and Asia. Methods: The quantity of Plumbagin was detected in different tissues of P. zeylanica through HPTLC analysis. We evaluated and compared the alcoholic tissue extracts of leaf, stem and root of P. zeylanica with standard pure Plumbagin for its in vitro cytotoxic effects (metabolic viability; MTT assay) in A549 Lung cancer cells and antioxidant potential (DPPH free radical scavenging and total phenol content). RNA sequencing and transcriptome analysis was performed in the most potent tissues of P. zeylanica demonstrating efficient pharmacological activity. Results: The root extract containing 1.3% of plumbagin exhibited strongest scavenging potential with 50% radical scavenging (IC50 value of 3.99 μg) in comparison with 35.85 μg in stem (0.2% Plumbagin) and 18.06 μg in leaf with 0.00007% Plumbagin. The in vitro cytotoxicity in A549 cells also showed that the root extract was most potent with an IC50value of 164.5 μg as compared to extracts from stem (IC50= 379.5 μg) and leaf (IC50=274.9 μg). Conclusion: The strong antioxidant potential shown by the P. zeylanica extract demonstrates its ability to protect the non-target (normal) cells against oxidative stress, while the cytotoxic effects suggest that it could inhibit the growth of cancerous cells. Further, transcriptome analysis predicted the expression of potent gene transcripts coding for quinone biosynthesis in the root tissues of P. zeylanica.
Transformations of nitrate 15N under different forest harvest residue regimes in a hoop pine plantation in Australia

A study was conducted to quantify the effects of harvest residue management on denitrification, leaching and immobilization of 15N-labelled nitrate applied at 20 kg N ha-1 to 1-year-old hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) in subtropical Australia. The experiment was undertaken in PVC microplots of 235 mm diameter and 300 mm long, driven into the soil (Lithosol) to a depth of 250 mm. Three replications were undertaken for each of the seven treatments: control without any residue, ground and unground foliage at 20 Mg dry matter (DM) ha-1, ground foliage at 40 Mg DM ha-1, ground and unground branches at 40 Mg DM ha-1, and ground branches at 80 Mg DM ha-1. In 15 days after simulated daily rainfall of 100, 50 and 25 mm respectively in the first three days, 6-26% of applied 15N was lost via denitrification, 14-35% was immobilized and 32-53% was leached. The treatment incorporating foliage materials lost more 15N (21-26%) via denitrification than other treatments. Measurement of 15N gases (15N2+15N2O) showed higher 15N gas emission on day 1, followed by low gas emissions thereafter. This study showed that significant amounts of mineral N could be lost through leaching and denitrification during plantation establishment.
Cell and bacterial counts in the urine of normal infants and children.

Unrecognized urinary tract infection in infancy and childhood may have serious long-term effects, and chronic adult pyelonephritis may originate undetected at this time. The accurate diagnosis of urinary tract infection in the infant and child is thus important. It is usually based on assessment of the number of pus cells or bacteria in the urine, or both. In the case of cells, contamination from the urethra and periurethral area can increase the number falsely, and in an alkaline urine the rapid disappearance of cells can result in a falsely low count. With bacteria, contamination may occur from the perineal skin during collection, and multiplication will occur in a urine left standing. Antibiotics or chemotherapeutic agents may invalidate bacterial counts as diagnostic tests. The object of the present study was to determine the cell and bacterial counts on urine collected from normal children by commonly used methods and to contrast the findings.
Mekanisme Penuntutan Jaksa Penuntut Umum terhadap Tindak Pidana Anak

Penuntutan adalah salah satu hal yang sangat penting dalam suatu proses penegakan hukum yang merupakan suatu usaha guna untuk membentuk, menciptakan suatu tata tertib dan ketentraman dalam masyarakat serta pencegahan dan penindakan setelah terjadinya tindak pidana. Peristiwa penyimpangan perbuatan melanggar hukum yang dilakukan oleh anak harus mendapatkan penanganan yang khusus. Kejaksaan merupakan salah satu lembaga penegak hukum yang memiliki kewenangan dalam penuntutan sesuai Pasal 137 KUHAP, guna mendapatkan kebenaran materiil. Mekanisme pemeriksaan yang dilakukan Jaksa Penuntut Umum dalam menangani perkara tindak pidana Anak, Anak Korban, dan/atau Anak Saksi perlu didampingi oleh Pembimbing Kemasyarakatan, Pekerja Sosial Profesional dan Tenaga Kesejahteraan Sosial, Orang Tua atau Wali serta Penasihat Hukum, wajib memperhatikan kepentingan terbaik bagi Anak dan mengusahakan suasana kekeluargaan tetap terpelihara serta diupayakan penyelesaian secara Diversi yaitu suatu pengalihan penyelesaian kasus-kasus anak yang diduga telah melakukan tindak pidana tertentu dari proses pidana formal ke penyelesaian damai antara tersangka/terdakwa/pelaku tindak pidana dengan korban di fasilitasi oleh keluarga dan/atau masyarakat, pembimbing kemasyarakatan Anak, dan Jaksa Penuntut Umum di Kejaksaan Negeri Semarang.
Assessment of bone mineral density of the femoral head in dogs with early osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE To compare the bone mineral density (BMD) of the proximal portion of the femur in dogs with and without early osteoarthritis secondary to hip dysplasia. ANIMALS 24 dogs (3 Greyhounds, 6 Labrador-Greyhound crossbreeds, and 15 Labrador Retrievers). PROCEDURE Computed tomography (CT) of the pelvis, including a bone-density phantom, was performed for each dog. Centrally located transverse CT slices and a computer workstation were used to identify 16 regions of interest (ROIs) in the proximal portion of the femur. For each ROI, the mean Hounsfield unit value was recorded; by use of the bone-density phantom and linear regression analysis, those values were converted to equivalent BMD (eBMD). Mean eBMD values for the subchondral and nonsubchondral ROIs in dogs with and without osteoarthritis (determined at necropsy) were compared. A mixed-model ANOVA and post hoc linear contrasts were used to evaluate the effects of osteoarthritis, breed, and sex on the BMD value. RESULTS At necropsy, osteoarthritis was detected in 14 hip joints in 9 dogs; all lesions included early cartilage fibrillation. After adjusting for breed and sex, eBMD in subchondral ROIs 8 and 12 (adjacent to the fovea) were 8% and 6% higher, respectively, in osteoarthritis-affected dogs, compared with unaffected dogs; in the nonsubchondral ROIs, eBMD was 10% higher in osteoarthritis-affected dogs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Compared with findings in unaffected dogs, increased eBMD in hip joints of dogs with early osteoarthritis supports a strong relationship between the subchondral and epiphyseal regions and articular cartilage in the pathogenesis and progression of osteoarthritis.
Learning from Demonstration in Static Environment and Generalizing to Dynamic Environments

Robot learning from demonstration has been successfully used, in industrial environments, to increase the speed and reduce the complexity of the programming phase. A major challenge, however, consists in enabling a robot to generalize task demonstrations to a complex dynamic environment. To tackle this problem, an approach has been proposed in [1], combining GMM/GMR and DMPs with optimal control. This approach allows a robot to generalize noisy task demonstrations to different goal points and environments with static obstacles. Considering that in practical applications, a robot must perform a task in dynamic environments, here we extend the approach in such a way that a robot can learn a task model from demonstrations in an environment with stationary obstacles and reproduce the task in an environment with moving obstacles.
Generation of a conditional Ppap2b/Lpp3 null allele

Lpp3, formerly known as Pap2b, is a lipid phosphohydrolase enzyme. Some of its substrates and products are lipids with potent biological and signaling activities such as phosphatidic acid, lysophosphatidic acid, sphingosine‐1‐phosphate, diacylglycerol, sphingosine, and ceramide. Lpp3 is dynamically expressed during development and is widely distributed in adult tissues. Targeted inactivation of Lpp3 gene (Ppap2b) in the mouse results in embryonic lethality because of defects in extraembryonic vascular development and gastrulation. To study the participation of Lpp3 later in development and in specific cell lineages we generated a conditional allele of Ppap2b. This was accomplished by flanking critical exons, responsible for its catalytic activity with loxP sites. A generalized Cre‐mediated recombination of this allele yielded a phenotype fundamentally identical to our previously reported Ppap2b null allele. genesis 45:465–469, 2007. Published 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.