Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preputial separation as an external sign of pubertal development in the male rat.

The normal occurrence of preputial separation was determined in 4 groups of rats by daily attempts after 30 days of age to manually retract the prepuce with gentle pressure. In Group 1 blood samples were collected via cardiac puncture and steroid determinations made. Group 2 animals were castrated and silastic implants of steroids placed. Group 3 was tested for mature motile sperm in the caput epididymus; 1/2 of the Group 4 rats were handled daily from Days 1 to 21. The mean ages of preputial separation in the 4 groups were 39 42 44 and 45 days of age just preceding the appearance of mature sperm in the caput epididymis. Preputial separation occurred prior to the significant increase in circulating androgen levels by Day 51 as measured by radioimmunoassay. Castration as late as Day 35 blocked preputial separation demonstrating that separation was dependent on the continued presence of low-level androgen. Silastic implants of testosterone or dihydrotestosterone but not estradiol reversed the effects of castration. Handling neonatal males daily prior to weaning significantly delayed preputial separation and was correlated with significantly lower circulating levels of androgen and luteinizing hormone at 45 days of age. Preputial separation may be used as an index of change in peripubertal androgen secretion. (Authors modified)
Association of Hearing Impairment and Emotional Vitality in Older Adults.

OBJECTIVES To better understand the potential impact of hearing impairment (HI) and hearing aid use on emotional vitality and mental health in older adults. METHOD We investigated the cross-sectional association of HI with emotional vitality in 1,903 adults aged 76-85 years in the Health ABC study adjusted for demographic and cardiovascular risk factors. Hearing was defined by the speech frequency pure tone average (no impairment < 25 dB, mild impairment 25-40 dB, and moderate or greater impairment > 40 dB). Emotional vitality was defined as having a high sense of personal mastery, happiness, low depressive symptomatology, and low anxiety. RESULTS Compared with individuals with no HI, participants with moderate or greater HI had a 23% lower odds of emotional vitality (odds ratio [OR] = 0.77; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.59-0.99). Hearing aid use was not associated with better emotional vitality (OR = 0.98; 95% CI: 0.81-1.20). DISCUSSION HI is associated with lower odds of emotional vitality in older adults. Further studies are needed to examine the longitudinal impact of HI on mental health and well-being.
Magnetocapacitance and dissipation factor of epitaxial graphene Hall bars

We report measurements of the magneto-capacitance and the associated dissipation factor of graphene-based quantum Hall effect devices at frequencies in the kHz range. The main motivation for this work is yielding information for the modeling and optimization of quantum Hall resistance devices measured with alternating current, but here we focus on the characteristic ac properties of graphene and the relevant loss mechanism.
Use of pretransformation to cope with extreme values in important candidate features

Extreme values in predictors often strongly affect the results of statistical analyses in high‐dimensional settings. Although they frequently occur with most high‐throughput techniques, the problem is often ignored in the literature. We suggest to use a very simple transformation, proposed before in a different context by Royston and Sauerbrei, as an intermediary step between array preprocessing and high‐level statistical analysis. This straightforward univariate transformation identifies extreme values in continuous features and can thus be used as a diagnostic tool for outliers. The use of the transformation and its effects is demonstrated for diverse univariate and multivariate statistical analyses using nine publicly available microarray data sets.
Optimal Prevention of Seizures Induced by High‐Dose Busulfan

High‐dose busulfan is frequently used in a variety of conditioning regimens for hematopoietic cell transplantation. In this setting, busulfan has marked neurotoxicity, specifically causing seizures that generally are tonic‐clonic in character. Phenytoin has been the preferred drug to treat busulfan‐induced seizures, but this practice should be reexamined in light of newer antiepileptic drugs being preferentially used by neurologists. Characteristics of ideal seizure prophylaxis include lack of overlapping toxicity with the conditioning regimen, lack of interference with engraftment of donor cells, and minimal potential for pharmacokinetic drug interactions. Based on these criteria, phenytoin is suboptimal due to possible toxicities and is especially ill suited because of its ability to induce busulfan metabolism. It is postulated that this induction adversely affects efforts to update methods for targeting busulfan doses to individual patients, based on recent developments in the understanding of the pharmacogenomics of busulfan metabolism. The existing clinical data support the use of benzodiazepines, most notably clonazepam and lorazepam, to prevent busulfan‐induced seizures. The second‐generation antiepileptic drug levetiracetam possesses the characteristics of optimal prophylaxis for busulfan‐induced seizures, and early data of its efficacy are promising, although further study is needed.
Current Perspectives on Imaging Cardiac Stem Cell Therapy

Molecular imaging is a new discipline that makes possible the noninvasive visualization of cellular and molecular processes in living subjects. In the field of cardiovascular regenerative therapy, imaging cell fate after transplantation is a high priority in both basic research and clinical translation. For cell-based therapy to truly succeed, we must be able to track the locations of delivered cells, the duration of cell survival, and any potential adverse effects. The insights gathered from basic research imaging studies will yield valuable insights into better designs for clinical trials. This review highlights the different types of stem cells used for cardiovascular repair, the development of various imaging modalities to track their fate in vivo, and the challenges of clinical translation of cardiac stem cell imaging in the future.
Probability based fuzzy modeling

This paper takes advantages from probability theory and fuzzy modeling. We use probability theory to overcome some common problems in data based modeling methods. A probability based clustering method is proposed to partition the hidden features, and extract fuzzy rules with probability measurement. An optimization method are applied to train the consequent part of the fuzzy rules and the probability parameters. The proposed method is validated with two benchmark problems.
IMECE 2004-61665 THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF SINGLE-WALL CARBON NANOTUBES

Despite the significant amount of research on single-wall carbon nanotubes, their thermal conductivity has not been well established. To date only one experimental thermal conductivity measurement has been reported for these molecules around room temperature, with large uncertainty in the thermal conductivity values. Existing theoretical predictions based on molecular dynamics simulation range from several hundred to 6600 W/m-K. In an attempt to clarify the order-of magnitude discrepancy in the literature, this paper utilizes molecular dynamics simulation to systematically examine the thermal conductivity of several (10, 10) single-wall carbon nanotubes as a function of length, temperature, boundary conditions and molecular dynamics simulation methodology. The present results indicate that thermal conductivity ranges from about 30 – 300 W/m-K depending on the various simulation conditions. The results are unconverged and keep increasing at the longest tube length, 40 nm. Agreement with the majority of literature data is achieved for the tube lengths treated here. Discrepancies in thermal conductivity magnitude with experimental data are primarily attributed to length effects, although simulation methodology, stress, and intermolecular potential may also play a role. Quantum correction of the calculated results reveals thermal conductivity temperature dependence in qualitative agreement with experimental data.
Cooperative proportional fairness scheduling for wireless transmissions

Nowadays efficient scheduling with high fairness has attracted much attention in wireless cellular systems. In this paper we consider the downlink transmission for multiple-base-station scenario, where the proportional fairness of multiple users is taken into account. Compared with previous works in the literature, the main contributions of this paper are three-fold: (1) The proportional fairness rule is firstly employed in the multiple-base-station cooperation case. Here we propose a cooperative proportional scheduling (CPF) scheme which maximizes the sum-log utility function using gradient descent rule. (2) We show that when adopting CPF scheduling, the limiting behavior of the throughput converges to an ordinary differential equation (ODE). The limit of each scheduler-user pair's throughput is obtained by solving a fixed-point problem. (3) We propose a distributed implementation of CPF. In the developed distributed mode, the base stations are allowed to exchange their messages of local throughput in a completely distributed and asynchronous way, which makes it realizable in practice.
Prevalence of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. in street-vended food of open markets (tianguis) and general hygienic and trading practices in Mexico City

Street-vendors in Mexico City provide ready-to-eat food to a high proportion of the inhabitants. Nevertheless, their microbiological status, general hygienic and trading practices are not well known. During spring and summer 2000, five tianguis (open markets) were visited and 48 vendors in 48 stalls interviewed. A total of 103 taco dressings were sampled for E. coli and Salmonella spp. : 44 (43%) contained E. coli and 5 (5%) Salmonella (2 S. Enteritidis phage type 8, 1 S. Agona, 2 S. B group). Both E. coli and salmonellas were isolated from three samples. Of Salmonella-positive stalls 80% (4/5) had three or more food-vendors and 80% of vendors were males, compared with 37·3% (16/43) and 46·4% (20/43) in the Salmonella-negative stalls respectively. Food-vendors kept water in buckets (reusing it all day), lacked toilet facilities, and prepared taco dressings the day before which remained at the tianguis without protection for 7·8 h on average. Consumption of street-vended food by local and tourist populations poses a health risk.
Ensuring security for Fixed Block Level Deduplication in Cloud

In the digital world, data is of prime importance for individuals as well as for organizations. As the amount of data being generated increases exponentially with time, duplicate data contents being stored cannot be tolerated. Thus, employing storage optimization techniques is an essential requirement to large storage areas like Cloud. Deduplication is one such storage optimization technique that avoids storing duplicate copies of data. Deduplication over encrypted data brings about more effective storage optimization in large storage areas like Cloud, since such storage areas are resident more of encrypted data. Data deduplication techniques used in large storage areas are widely applied over unencrypted data at file level. Some storage services even provide file level deduplication over encrypted data. Thus, there is a need for having more granular level of deduplication over encrypted data, such as block level deduplication. Objective of this project is to implement fixed block level deduplication over encrypted data with block keys using Cloud and backup services.
Rheological Study of a Liposomal Hydrogel Based On Carbopol

The objective of this work was to investigate flow rheological properties of topical hydrophilic gels, containing liposomes loading dill volatile oil. It is well known that rheological properties of pharmaceutical systems for topical use influence the release rate of the contained active substances. Because of this, it is important to establish whether and to what extent the presence of liposomes or volatile oil determines changes of these characteristics. Liposomes composed of phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol and incorporating Anethi aetheroleum were prepared by thin film hydration method and dispersed into two types of hydrogels (0.5%, respectively 1% carbopol). The rheological measurements were performed at two different temperatures (23°C - storage temperature and 37°C - body temperature). The obtained data indicated for both the experimental hydrogels, at both temperatures, a thixotropic, non - Newtonian, pseudoplastic behavior. It was found that rheological parameters depend on the polymer concentration and on the nature of the incorporated form.
Home telemonitoring for congestive heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis

We conducted a systematic review of the literature about home telemonitoring compared with usual care. An electronic literature search was conducted to identify studies of home telemonitoring use in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients. Twenty-one original studies on home telemonitoring for patients with CHF were included (3082 patients). A random effects model was used to compute treatment efficacy to measure the average effect of the intervention across all studies where the quantitative pooling of results was appropriate. Home telemonitoring reduced mortality (risk ratio = 0.64; 95% CI: 0.48–0.85) compared with usual care. Several studies suggested that home telemonitoring also helped to lower the number of hospitalizations and the use of other health services. Patient quality of life and satisfaction with home telemonitoring were similar or better than with usual care. More studies of higher methodological quality are required to give more precise information about the potential clinical effectiveness of home telehealth interventions.
A clinical study of the outcomes and complications associated with maxillary sinus augmentation.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate the rate of complications in maxillary sinus augmentation surgery and the impact of complications on subsequent implant treatment in a patient population with severe maxillary atrophy scheduled for treatment under general anesthesia. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study population consisted of 70 patients (124 sinuses) with severe maxillary atrophy who underwent maxillary sinus augmentation. Sixteen patients were scheduled to have a unilateral procedure and 54 patients a bilateral procedure. Sinus augmentation was performed with autogenous bone alone in 93 sinuses; in 31 sinuses, a 1:1 mixture of autogenous bone and corticocancellous pig bone particles was used. Twenty-six of 124 procedures involved both sinus augmentation and autogenous block grafting for the treatment of severely atrophic maxillae. RESULTS The most common intraoperative complication was the perforation of the sinus membrane, which was observed in 31 sinuses (25%). Seven (5.6%) sinuses in 7 patients exhibited suppuration of the maxillary sinus. Five of the 7 patients with sinus infection were smokers, showing a prevalence of complications significantly greater in smokers compared to nonsmokers. Moreover, the use of an onlay bone graft in conjunction with sinus augmentation appeared to significantly increase the rate of infective complications. Infections were treated by drainage and the administration of systemic antibiotics. Two clinical cases showing persistent signs of infection required an endoscopic inspection of the maxillary sinus. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION In the present study sinus membrane perforation was not shown to be a significant factor in the rate of implant complications. However, the combination of smoking and onlay bone grafting could significantly increase the rate of postoperative infection following sinus grafting.
Regulation of type I (epidermal) transglutaminase mRNA levels during squamous differentiation: down regulation by retinoids

Squamous differentiation of rabbit tracheal epithelial cells is accompanied by an approximately 50-fold increase in the activity of type I (epidermal) transglutaminase, while the levels of type II (tissue) transglutaminase remain almost undetectable. To identify a cDNA encoding type I transglutaminase, we screened a library of cDNA clones prepared from poly(A)+ RNA isolated from squamous-differentiated rabbit tracheal epithelial cells. Four overlapping clones (represented by clone pTG-7) which span a range of 2.8 kilobases were identified; partial sequencing of pTG-7 indicated that it encodes a transglutaminaselike protein. pTG-7 hybridized to a 3.6-kilobase mRNA which is distinct from that for type II transglutaminase. pTG-7 mRNA levels were low in proliferative cells, increased dramatically in squamous-differentiated cells, and could be further enhanced by growth of the cells in high concentrations (2 mM) of calcium ions. Retinoic acid, which blocks the expression of the squamous phenotype, prevented this increase in pTG-7 mRNA levels. These changes in levels of pTG-7 mRNA parallel the changes in type I transglutaminase activity observed under similar culture conditions. These data indicate that pTG-7 encodes the mRNA for transglutaminase type I and that expression of this mRNA is negatively regulated by retinoic acid.
Understanding marine dissolved organic matter production: Compositional insights from axenic cultures of Thalassiosira pseudonana

Marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a key source of carbon and nutrients to microbial life in the oceans, but rapid biological utilization of labile DOM confounds its compositional characterization. In order to characterize potentially bioavailable DOM produced by phytoplankton, DOM from axenic cultures of Thalassiosira pseudonana cultivated in phosphorus (P) replete and low P conditions was extracted using high‐recovery electrodialysis (ED) techniques, which resulted in an average dissolved organic carbon (DOC) recovery of 76% ± 7% from all cultures. Low P concentrations resulted in greater cell‐normalized production of DOC relative to P replete culture controls at the same growth phase. Despite the different nutrient conditions, DOC composition and DOM molar ratios of carbon to nitrogen (C : N) were similar in all cultures. In contrast, low P concentrations influenced DOM molar carbon to phosphorus (C : P) ratios and dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) composition. Under P replete and low P conditions, DOM C : P ratios were 130 (± 22) and 2446 (± 519), respectively. 31P Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy identified P esters (> 90% of DOP) as the dominant P species in DOM produced under P replete conditions, with small or negligible contributions from phosphonates or glycerol P and polyphosphates. However, based on direct fluorometric analysis, DOP from low P cultures was greater than 8 times enriched in dissolved polyphosphate compared to DOP from replete cultures, which is consistent with the growing evidence that polyphosphate is a dynamic component of total P in low P ocean regions.
Total flavonoids of Bidens bipinnata L. a traditional Chinese medicine inhibits the production of inflammatory cytokines of vessel endothelial cells stimulated by sera from Henoch–Schönlein purpura patients

Objectives Bidens bipinnata L. is well known as a traditional antipyretic, anti‐inflammatory and anti‐rheumatic medicine in China. This study was designed to evaluate the role of total extracted flavonoids from B. bipinnata (TFB) in inhibiting the production of inflammatory cytokines.
Short-term low-dose corticosteroids vs placebo and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs in rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND The effect of low dose corticosteroids, equivalent to 15 mg prednisolone daily or less, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis has been questioned. We therefore performed a systematic review of trials which compared corticosteroids with placebo or non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs. OBJECTIVES To determine whether short-term (i.e. as recorded within the first month of therapy), oral low-dose corticosteroids (corresponding to a maximum of 15 mg prednisolone daily) is superior to placebo and nonsteroidal, antiinflammatory drugs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. SEARCH STRATEGY Medline Silverplatter, The Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, reference lists and a personal archive. SELECTION CRITERIA All randomised studies comparing an oral corticosteroid (not exceeding an equivalent of 15 mg prednisolone daily) with placebo or a nonsteroidal, antiinflammatory drug were eligible if they reported clinical outcomes within one month after start of therapy. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Decisions on which trials to include were made independently by two observers based on the methods sections of the trials only. Standardised effect measures were used for the statistical analyses; the random effects model was used if P<0.10 for the test of heterogeneity. MAIN RESULTS Ten studies, involving 320 patients, were included in the meta-analysis. Prednisolone had a marked effect over placebo on joint tenderness (standardised effect size 1.31, 95% confidence interval 0.78 to 1.83), pain (standardised effect size 1.75, 0.87 to 2.64) and grip strength (standardised effect size 0.41, 0.13 to 0.69). Measured in the original units, the differences were 12 tender joints (6 to 18) and 22 mm Hg (5 to 40) for grip strength. Prednisolone also had a greater effect than nonsteroidal, antiinflammatory drugs on joint tenderness (standardised effect size 0.63, 0.11 to 1.16) and pain (standardised effect size 1.25, 0.26 to 2.24), whereas the difference in grip strength was not significant (standardised effect size 0.31, -0.02 to 0.64). Measured in the original units, the differences were 9 tender joints (5 to 12) and 12 mm Hg (-6 to 31). The risk of adverse effects, also during moderate- and long-term use, seemed acceptable. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS Prednisolone in low doses (not exceeding 15 mg daily) may be used intermittently in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, particularly if the disease cannot be controlled by other means. Since prednisolone is highly effective, short-term placebo controlled trials studying the clinical effect of low-dose prednisolone or other oral corticosteroids are no longer necessary.
Comparative Study of Three Phase Four Wire Shunt Active Power Filter Topologies based Fuzzy Logic DC Bus Voltage Control

In this paper, a comparative study based fuzzy logic DC bus voltage control for three phase four wire shunt active power filter for two different inverter topologies, three-leg splitcapacitor topology (TLSC) and four-leg inverter (FLFB) are proposed. Identification of reference currents will be developed by classical extraction filters based on pq theory in the first section of the paper. DC-bus voltage control in three-phase four-wire shunt active filter is treated by a fuzzy logic control. A comparison of the proposed method against the conventional proportional integral is illustrated with two different inverter topologies through simulation results and a clear advantage of the fuzzy logic control can be observed. Moreover, the switching pattern of the inverter is generated by a modulated hysteresis current controller. All simulations have been realized in the same conditions so results can be compared with each other. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by MATLAB software.