Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Age‐dependent sensitivity of the developing brain to irradiation is correlated with the number and vulnerability of progenitor cells

In a newly established model of unilateral, irradiation (IR)‐induced injury we compared the outcome after IR to the immature and juvenile brain, using rats at postnatal days 9 or 23, respectively. We demonstrate that (i) the immature brains contained more progenitors in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and subgranular zone (SGZ) compared with the juvenile brains; (ii) cellular injury, as judged by activation of caspase 3 and p53, as well as nitrotyrosine formation, was more pronounced in the SVZ and SGZ in the immature brains 6 h after IR; (iii) the number of progenitor and immature cells in the SVZ and SGZ decreased 6 h and 7 days post‐IR, corresponding to acute and subacute effects in humans, respectively, these effects were more pronounced in immature brains; (iv) myelination was impaired after IR at both ages, and much more pronounced after IR to immature brains; (v) the IR‐induced changes remained significant for at least 10 weeks, corresponding to late effects in humans, and were most pronounced after IR to immature brains. It appears that IR induces both an acute loss of progenitors through apoptosis and a perturbed microenvironment incompatible with normal proliferation and differentiation, and that this is more pronounced in the immature brain.
Environnement pour le développement et la preuve de correction systèmatiques de programmes parallèles fonctionnels. (Environment for the systematic development and proof of correction of functional parallel programs)

Concevoir et implanter des programmes paralleles est une tâche complexe, sujette aux erreurs. La verification des programmes paralleles est egalement plus difficile que celle des programmes sequentiels. Pour permettre le developpement et la preuve de correction de programmes paralleles, nous proposons de combiner le langage parallele fonctionnel quasi-synchrone BSML, les squelettes algorithmiques - qui sont des fonctions d’ordre superieur sur des structures de donnees reparties offrant une abstraction du parallelisme – et l’assistant de preuve Coq, dont le langage de specification est suffisamment riche pour ecrire des programmes fonctionnels purs et leurs proprietes. Nous proposons un plongement des primitives BSML dans la logique de Coq sous une forme modulaire adaptee a l’extraction de programmes. Ainsi, nous pouvons ecrire dans Coq des programmes BSML, raisonner dessus, puis les extraire et les executer en parallele. Pour faciliter le raisonnement sur ceux-ci, nous formalisons le lien entre programmes paralleles, manipulant des structures de donnees distribuees, et les specifications, manipulant des structures sequentielles. Nous prouvons ainsi la correction d’une implantation du squelette algorithmique BH, un squelette adapte au traitement de listes reparties dans le modele de parallelisme quasi synchrone. Pour un ensemble d’applications partant d’une specification d’un probleme sous forme d’un programme sequentiel simple, nous derivons une instance de nos squelettes, puis nous extrayons un programme BSML avant de l’executer sur des machines paralleles.
Calcium currents and transients in co‐cultured contracting normal and Duchenne muscular dystrophy human myotubes

1 The goal of the present study was to investigate differences in calcium movements between normal and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) human contracting myotubes co‐cultured with explants of rat spinal cord with attached dorsal root ganglia. Membrane potential, variations of intracellular calcium concentration and T‐ and L‐type calcium currents were recorded. Further, a descriptive and quantitative study by electron microscopy of the ultrastructure of the co‐cultures was carried out. 2 The resting membrane potential was slightly less negative in DMD (‐61.4 ± 1.1 mV) than in normal myotubes (‐65.5 ± 0.9 mV). Both types of myotube displayed spontaneous action potentials (mean firing frequency, 0.42 and 0.16 Hz, respectively), which triggered spontaneous calcium transients measured with Indo‐1. 3 The time integral under the spontaneous Ca2+ transients was significantly greater in DMD myotubes (97 ± 8 nm s) than in normal myotubes (67 ± 13 nm s). 4 The L‐ and T‐type current densities estimated from patch‐clamp recordings were smaller in DMD cells (2.0 ± 0.5 and 0.90 ± 0.19 pA pF−1, respectively) than in normal cells (3.9 ± 0.7 and 1.39 ± 0.30 pA pF−1, respectively). 5 The voltage‐dependent inactivation relationships revealed a shift in the conditioning potential at which inactivation is half‐maximal (Vh,0.5) of the T‐ and L‐type currents towards less negative potentials, from ‐72.1 ± 0.7 and ‐53.7 ± 1.5 mV in normal cells to ‐61.9 ± 1.4 and ‐29.2 ± 1.4 mV in DMD cells, respectively. 6 Both descriptive and quantitative studies by electron microscopy suggested a more advanced development of DMD myotubes as compared to normal ones. This conclusion was supported by the significantly larger capacitance of the DMD myotubes (408 ± 45 pF) than of the normal myotubes (299 ± 34 pF) of the same apparent size. 7 Taken together, these results show that differences in T‐ and L‐type calcium currents between normal and DMD myotubes cannot simply explain all observed alterations in calcium homeostasis in DMD myotubes, thus suggesting that other transmembrane calcium transport mechanisms must also be altered in DMD myotubes compared with normal myotubes.
Twin-twin transfusion syndrome: etiology, severity and rational management

The twin-twin transfusion syndrome is a serious complication of monochorionic twin pregnancies. Partly as a result of an inadequate understanding of the pathophysiology of the syndrome, there is a lack of consensus in clinical management. We sought to review the available information on the etiology of twin-twin transfusion syndrome, to identify parameters that contribute to the severity of the syndrome, and propose a rational management plan based on pathophysiology, clinical presentation and the efficacy of therapies. We therefore amalgamated recent advances in twin-twin transfusion syndrome computer modelling and clinical studies, particularly on therapeutic outcomes. We found that the oligo-polyhydramnios sequence that defines twin-twin transfusion syndrome prenatally represents a wide continuum of severity in the imbalance between the fetoplacental circulations of both twins. In severe twin-twin transfusion syndrome cases, in which the circulatory imbalance deteriorates beyond fetal control, fetoscopic laser therapy of all anastomoses along the placental vascular equator is predicted to have significantly better survival rates and fewer neurological sequelae than amnioreduction. In contrast, mild twin-twin transfusion syndrome cases have better outcomes after one or at most a few amnioreductions than laser therapy, as a result of significantly fewer procedure-related risks. In conclusion, optimal individual therapy may possibly achieve an 85% survival rate in twin-twin transfusion syndrome, but requires advancement in non-invasive criteria that predict the severity of the syndrome. Identifying such criteria is a future challenge. For the interim, twin-twin transfusion syndrome diagnosed before 26 weeks' gestation has significantly better survival rates and fewer neurological sequelae after laser therapy than amnioreduction. Twin-twin transfusion syndrome diagnosed after 26 weeks can best be treated by amnioreduction, or delivery. Contrary to previous claims, fetoscopic laser therapy has outgrown its experimental status. Although improvements in technique and technology are likely, laser placental ablation has a firm scientific and clinical basis.
A study of lipid profile Levels of Type II Diabetes Mellitus

This study consists of two parts; the Part one is to evaluate the level of Blood glucose and lipid profile among diabetic patients(121 patients) which are compared with non-diabetic subjects (60 persons) and part two is to correlate lipid profile with cardiovascular abnormalities among type II diabetic patients. The diabetic patients were collected from Jabir Aboeleiz Center for Diabetes (51.9±11.22 years). Sixty healthy non-diabetic subjects were chosen as controls (52.44±10.76years). Blood glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) were measured by enzymatic colorimetric methods in both groups, and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) was calculated for each sample. Among diabetic patients, there is high glucose level, serum total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol (p 0.05). The study concluded that higher level of cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL-cholesterol in diabetic patients compared to non-diabetic subjects with lower level of serum HDL-cholesterol in diabetic patient compared to non- diabetic subjects. Keywords: Diabetic, Insulin, Mellitus and lipid.
Design and analysis of UWB band pass filter with ring filter

To realize an ultra wideband (UWB) bandpass filter (BPF) in wireless communications, a device is developed using a new ring filter. The ring filter is compact, with low insertion loss, sharp rejection and a constant group delay within the UWB pass band. The ring filter is made to control the attenuation pole frequency by adjusting both the ring and the stub impedance. A center frequency and a bandwidth of the 5-stage UWB BPF are designed based on the transmission line model. The circuit conditions of two attenuation poles at either side of the passband are given together with controlling them.
Malware variants detection based on opcode image recognition in small training set

this paper proposes a method to solve the problem that the accuracy of malware detection is severely limited within the small training set. Firstly, we disassemble the malware binaries into opcode sequences and convert the opcode sequences into images. Then, we enhance the images by using histogram normalization, dilation, erosion, and extract feature by using principal component analysis (PCA). Finally, training and detecting by using classifier SVM based on RBF kernel function. The experimental results show that the image recognition can improve the accuracy of malware detection; in case of small training set, the detection accuracy is improved and the detection time is much less than the time of KNN.
More than Words and Good Intentions: The Political Agenda-Setting Power Behind Foreign Aid Mechanisms

In this paper, international aid is examined as a tool for political agenda-setting. A theoretical model is constructed for the analysis, incorporating the incentives created by foreign aid, on the political benefits of recipient governments. The model also incorporates the compensating benefits provided by these governments through the legitimization of the donor country's political agenda. The main results of this model indicate that governments which offer international assistance can influence the political agenda of recipient countries through two channels: 1) By reducing the political costs of official intervention in issues that receive aid, and 2) By generating incentives for additional political rent-seeking. The results are studied in the case of aid provided by the USA to Colombia during the period 1998-2012, which shows the power of US presidents to establish part of the Colombian political agenda related to drugs and terrorism. The results are obtained through a novel content analysis of presidential speeches in both countries and from a set of estimates corrected by possible problems of endogeneity in foreign aid allocation.
An investigation into the altered binding mode of green tea polyphenols with human serum albumin on complexation with copper

Green tea is rich in several polyphenols, such as (−)-epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG), (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC), and (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). The biological importance of these polyphenols led us to study the major polyphenol EGCG with human serum albumin (HSA) in an earlier study. In this report, we have compared the binding of ECG, EGC, and EGCG and the Cu(II) complexes of EGCG and ECG with HSA. We observe that the gallate moiety of the polyphenols plays a crucial role in determining the mode of interaction with HSA. The binding constants obtained for the different systems are 5.86 ± 0.72 × 104 M−1 (K ECG-HSA), 4.22 ± 0.15 × 104 M−1 (K ECG-Cu(II)-HSA), and 9.51 ± 0.31 × 104 M−1 (K EGCG-Cu(II)-HSA) at 293 K. Thermodynamic parameters thus obtained suggest that apart from an initial hydrophobic association, van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonding are the major interactions which held together the polyphenols and HSA. However, thermodynamic parameters obtained from the interactions of the copper complexes with HSA are indicative of the involvement of the hydrophobic forces. Circular dichroism and the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic measurements reveal changes in α-helical content of HSA after binding with the ligands. Data obtained by fluorescence spectroscopy, displacement experiments along with the docking studies suggested that the ligands bind to the residues located in site 1 (subdomains IIA), whereas EGC, that lacks the gallate moiety, binds to the other hydrophobic site 2 (subdomain IIIA) of the protein.
[Value of FIB-4 for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B].

OBJECTIVE To assess the diagnostic value of FIB-4 in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) by comparing their results with histological features. METHODS 212 chronic hepatitis B patients underwent liver biopsy with a blood sample taken simultaneously. The serum level of ALT, AST, PLT were tested. These results together with age of the patients were put into the formula and final results of FIB-4 were computed. Three different endpoints were studied according to liver fibrosis stage, namely significant fibrosis (S2 to s4), extensive fibrosis (S3 to S4) and cirrhosis (S4). With liver biopsy as the gold standard, ROC curves were delineated for different endpoints. The area under the ROC curves reflected its diagnostic values. RESULTS The distribution of their fibrosis stage was as follows, S0:3 (1.4%); S1:49 (23.1%); S2:66 (31.1%); S3:50 (23.6%); S4:44 (20.8%). That means 160 patients (75.5%) had significant fibrosis (S2 to S4), 94 (44.3%) had extensive fibrosis (S3 to S4) and 44 (20.8%) had cirrhosis (S4). The AUCs of FIB-4 for significant fibrosis, extensive fibrosis and cirrhosis were 0.733 (95% CI: 0.660-0.806, P < 0.01), 0.746 (95% CI: 0.679-0.813, P < 0.01), 0.756 (95% CI: 0.687-0.825, P < 0.01) respectively. CONCLUSION The FIB-4 index is a simple, accurate and inexpensive methed to assess liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis and may reduce the need for liver biopsy.
Why Do We Lie? A Practical Guide to the Dishonesty Literature

Over the last decade, a massive body of research has been devoted to uncovering human dishonesty. In the present paper, we review more than a hundred papers from this literature and provide a comprehensive overview by first listing the existing theoretical frameworks, and then covering the common empirical approaches, synthesizing the demographic and personal characteristics of those who cheat, identifying the behavioural mechanisms found that affect dishonesty and finally we finish by discussing how the empirical evidence fit theory. Overall, the review concludes that many people behave dishonestly, but also that it is a highly malleable behavior sensitive to elements such as decision contexts, behaviour of others, state of mind and depletion. The review can be used as an overview of the dishonesty literature or as a guide or work of reference for selected topics of interest.
Does the technique employed for skin temperature assessment alter outcomes? A systematic review

Skin temperature is an important physiological measure that can reflect the presence of illness and injury as well as provide insight into the localised interactions between the body and the environment. The aim of this systematic review was to analyse the agreement between conductive and infrared means of assessing skin temperature which are commonly employed in in clinical, occupational, sports medicine, public health and research settings. Full-text eligibility was determined independently by two reviewers. Studies meeting the following criteria were included in the review: (1) the literature was written in English, (2) participants were human (in vivo), (3) skin surface temperature was assessed at the same site, (4) with at least two commercially available devices employed—one conductive and one infrared—and (5) had skin temperature data reported in the study. A computerised search of four electronic databases, using a combination of 21 keywords, and citation tracking was performed in January 2015. A total of 8,602 were returned. Methodology quality was assessed by two authors independently, using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. A total of 16 articles (n = 245) met the inclusion criteria. Devices are classified to be in agreement if they met the clinically meaningful recommendations of mean differences within ±0.5 °C and limits of agreement of ±1.0 °C. Twelve of the included studies found mean differences greater than ±0.5 °C between conductive and infrared devices. In the presence of external stimulus (e.g. exercise and/or heat) five studies found exacerbated measurement differences between conductive and infrared devices. This is the first review that has attempted to investigate presence of any systemic bias between infrared and conductive measures by collectively evaluating the current evidence base. There was also a consistently high risk of bias across the studies, in terms of sample size, random sequence generation, allocation concealment, blinding and incomplete outcome data. This systematic review questions the suitability of using infrared cameras in stable, resting, laboratory conditions. Furthermore, both infrared cameras and thermometers in the presence of sweat and environmental heat demonstrate poor agreement when compared to conductive devices. These findings have implications for clinical, occupational, public health, sports science and research fields.
The Chemical Stability and Sterility of Sodium Thiopental After Preparation

Manufacturer's instructions recommend discarding unused portions of sodium thiopental 24 h after reconstitution.Heeding this recommendation may result in the disposal of a large proportion of prepared thiopental. Although thiopental is relatively inexpensive, the volume prepared by many anesthesia departments could make this waste significant. To address this possibility, we investigated the chemical stability and sterility of thiopental in pharmacy-prepared, prefilled syringes. Stock solutions of thiopental were mixed and drawn into syringes under sterile conditions by pharmacists or pharmacy assistants. Fifty-six samples were stored under refrigeration (3[degree sign]C); the remaining 56 samples were stored at room temperature (22[degree sign]C). Each day for 7 days, eight samples from each group were analyzed by using high-performance liquid chromatography for chemical stability and cultured for microbiological colonization. Differences in thiopental concentration between the room temperature and the refrigerated samples were measured over time by using repeated-measures analysis of variance (P <or=to 0.05). Three positive culture samples (S. epidermidis and S. hemolyticus) most likely represent laboratory contamination and not colonization. At 22[degree sign]C, thiopental remains stable and sterile for 6 days and well beyond 7 days at 3[degree sign]C. Implications: This study examines the shelf life of the anesthetic drug thiopental in pharmacy-filled syringes stored at either room temperature or under refrigeration. The results justify the use of prepared solutions beyond the package insert recommendation of 24 h.
Subunit Oligomerization and Substrate Recognition of the Escherichia coli ClpYQ (HslUV) Protease Implicated by In Vivo Protein-Protein Interactions in the Yeast Two-Hybrid System

ABSTRACT The Escherichia coli ClpYQ (HslUV) is an ATP-dependent protease that consists of an ATPase large subunit with homology to other Clp family ATPases and a peptidase small subunit related to the proteasomal β-subunits of eukaryotes. Six identical subunits of both ClpY and ClpQ self-assemble into an oligomeric ring, and two rings of each subunit, two ClpQ rings surrounded by single ClpY rings, form a dumbbell shape complex. The ClpYQ protease degrades the cell division inhibitor, SulA, and a positive regulator of capsule transcription, RcsA, as well as RpoH, a heat shock sigma transcription factor. Using the yeast-two hybrid system, we explored the in vivo protein-protein interactions of the individual subunits of the ClpYQ protease involved in self-oligomerization, as well as in recognition of specific substrates. Interactions were detected with ClpQ/ClpQ, ClpQ/ClpY, and ClpY/SulA. No interactions were observed in experiments with ClpY/ClpY, ClpQ/RcsA, and ClpQ/SulA. However, ClpY, lacking domain I (ClpYΔI) was able to interact with itself and with intact ClpY. The C-terminal region of ClpY is important for interaction with other ClpY subunits. The previously defined PDZ-like domains at the C terminus of ClpY, including both D1 and D2, were determined to be indispensable for substrate binding. Various deletion and random point mutants of SulA were also made to verify significant interactions with ClpY. Thus, we demonstrated in vivo hetero- and homointeractions of ClpQ and ClpY molecules, as well as a direct association between ClpY and substrate SulA, thereby supporting previous in vitro biochemical findings.
Natural history of CNS relapse in patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a 20-year follow-up analysis of SWOG 8516 -- the Southwest Oncology Group.

PURPOSE To investigate the incidence, natural history, and risk factors predictive of CNS relapse in patients with de novo aggressive lymphomas and to evaluate the efficacy of CNS prophylaxis in patients with initial bone marrow (BM) involvement. PATIENTS AND METHODS We conducted an analysis of CNS events from 20-year follow-up data on 899 eligible patients with aggressive lymphoma treated on Southwest Oncology Group protocol 8516, a randomized trial of CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone), MACOP-B (methotrexate, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone, and bleomycin), ProMACE (prednisone, methotrexate, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, etoposide)-CytaBOM (cytarabine, bleomycin, vincristine, methotrexate), and m-BACOD (methotrexate, bleomycin, cyclophosphamide, etoposide). Patients with BM involvement randomly assigned to receive ProMACE-CytaBOM (63 patients) or m-BACOD (58 patients) were to receive CNS prophylaxis, whereas those randomly assigned to receive CHOP or MACOP-B did not. RESULTS CNS relapse is uncommon (25 of 899 patients), with a cumulative incidence of 2.8%. CNS relapse occurs early (median time to relapse, 5.4 months from diagnosis). Indeed, 20 of 25 patients with CNS relapse relapsed during chemotherapy, or within 6 months of completion. The number of extranodal sites and the International Prognostic Index were predictive of CNS relapse. There was no significant benefit of CNS prophylaxis in patients with BM involvement at diagnosis; however, given the small number of events, the power of this analysis is limited. CONCLUSION The early occurrence of CNS events suggests that these patients had subclinical disease at initial diagnosis. As such, strategies to better detect and treat patients with subclinical CNS disease at diagnosis would be anticipated to result in a decrease in the incidence of CNS relapse, without subjecting those patients not destined for CNS relapse to unnecessary and potentially toxic prophylaxis strategies.