Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aeltere Autofahrer: Erhalt, Verbesserung und Verlaengerung der Fahrkompetenz durch Training

Mit Hilfe eines Kontrollgruppendesigns wurde untersucht, ob durch ein professionelles Training bestimmter schwieriger und komplexer Fahraufgaben im Realverkehr die Fahrkompetenz von ueber 70-jaehrigen Kraftfahrern grundsaetzlich erhoeht werden kann und wie lange ein solches intensives Training wirkt. Die Veraenderung der Fahrkompetenz durch das Training wurde mittels eines Referenzkurses im Stadtverkehr (Vorher-Nachher-Vergleich/ Kontrollgruppenvergleich) mit Hilfe eines standardisierten Beurteilungsverfahrens (TRIP-Protokoll) evaluiert. Es konnte nachgewiesen werden, dass die individuelle Fahrkompetenz ueber 70-jaehriger Autofahrer im Realverkehr durch ein professionelles Fahrtraining schwieriger Fahraufgaben in Form eines „Adaptiven Coachings“ im Umfang von 15 Fahrstunden sowie eines zusaetzlichen Feedbacks nach jeder von 4 Testfahrten signifikant und nachhaltig erhoeht werden kann. Die verbesserte Fahrkompetenz ist auch zwoelf Monate nach dem Training noch stabil. Die Referenzstrecke (Messstrecke) enthielt von der Polizei mittels Unfalldatenanalyse erfasste Unfallschwerpunkte aelterer Fahrer. Nach dem Training im Umfang von 15 Fahrstunden erreichten die aelteren Fahrer das Leistungsniveau, das untrainierte Autofahrerinnen und -fahrer mittleren Alters (40 bis 50 Jahre alt, Referenzgruppe) auf der Referenzstrecke zeigten. Die „Feedbackgruppe“, die kein Training, aber nach jeder Messfahrt auf der Referenzstrecke ebenso wie die Trainingsgruppe ein Feedback zur Fahrkompetenz erhalten hatte, konnte die Fahrkompetenz durch diese Intervention ebenfalls deutlich und zeitlich stabil verbessern. Allerdings reichte ein Feedback fuer schwaechere Fahrer allein nicht aus, die Leistungen von Autofahrern mittleren Alters zu erreichen. Subgruppenanalysen zeigen, dass schwaechere Fahrer und Fahrerinnen von einem Fahrtraining am allermeisten profitieren: Sie konnten sich durch das Training am staerksten verbessern. Trotz schwacher Ausgangswerte konnten auch sie das Niveau der Referenzgruppe (40 bis 50 Jahre) erreichen beziehungsweise sogar uebertreffen. Die Ergebnisse des Sehtests, der als Voraussetzung fuer die Teilnahme der Probanden an der Untersuchung durchgefuehrt worden war, unterstuetzen die Forderung, eine regelmaessige Ueberpruefung der Sehfaehigkeit verpflichtend einzufuehren. Allerdings liegen bisher keine abschliessenden Ergebnisse vor, die den Zusammenhang zwischen schlechtem Sehen und Unfallhaeufigkeit unter kontrollierten Bedingungen quantifizieren. Die Untersuchungsergebnisse weisen darauf hin, dass es moeglich ist, die Fahrkompetenz im Alter zu verbessern und nachhaltig zu verlaengern. Darueber hinaus belegen sie einmal mehr, dass Menschen auch im hoeheren Alter noch lernen koennen, und entsprechen so dem Konzept des „lebenslangen Lernens“. (KfV/K)
Interaction of the nuclear localizing cytolytic granule serine protease granzyme B with importin α or β: Modulation by the serpin inhibitor PI‐9

Conditional on perforin‐dependent delivery to the nucleus of target cells, the cytolytic granule serine protease granzyme B (GrB) plays a central role in eliciting the nuclear events of apoptosis, as shown by the fact that reducing GrB nuclear entry prevents nuclear apoptosis. Apart from a requirement for cytosolic factors and lack of dependence on the guanine‐nucleotide‐binding protein Ran, little is known regarding the nuclear import pathway of GrB. In this study we use quantitative yeast two‐hybrid and direct binding assays to show that GrB can be recognized independently by either of the nuclear import receptor family members importin (IMP) α and β1, but that these proteins either alone or in combination cannot replace exogenous cytosol to reconstitute GrB nuclear import in vitro. Whereas antibodies to IMPα inhibit transport, indicating that IMPα is required for GrB nuclear import, those to IMPβ enhance transport, implying that IMPβ inhibits GrB nuclear import; consistent with this, the addition of recombinant IMPβ but not IMPα reduces maximal nuclear accumulation in the presence of cytosol. Intriguingly, complexation of GrB with its specific serpin inhibitor PI‐9 was found to prevent recognition by IMPβ but not by IMPα, and eliminate the apparent requirement for IMPα for nuclear import. We conclude that GrB nuclear import exhibits complex regulation by IMPs; that heterodimerization with PI‐9 can modulate the interaction has implications for protection against apoptosis. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Tumour embolization of the Vx2 rabbit head and neck cancer model with Dextran hydrogel and Holmium-poly(L-lactic acid) microspheres: a radionuclide and histological pilot study.

INTRODUCTION Intra-arterial embolization of unresectable malignant tumours with biodegradable microspheres is an effective way of selective anti-tumour therapy. Promising candidates are Dextran hydrogel (Dex) microspheres for chemo-embolization and Holmium-166 poly(L-lactic acid) (166HoPLA) microspheres for radio-embolization. This study was performed to investigate the distribution of intra-arterially injected microspheres both in vivo and histologically in order to establish an optimal size of particles for embolization of head and neck tumours. MATERIAL Twenty rabbits with Vx2 auricular tumours were embolized via the caudal auricular artery with 4 different batches of microspheres: Radioactive (166)HoPLA microspheres sieved between 20 and 50 microm and Dextran hydrogel microspheres sieved between 20 and 100 microm (Dex20), 30 and 100 microm (Dex30) or 50 and 100 microm (Dex50). Dex20 and Dex50 microspheres were labelled with 99mTechnetium in six cases. METHODS The average particle size of the microspheres was determined. The proportion of microspheres entrapped in the tumour was measured with a gamma camera. The distribution of microspheres around the primary tumour and spill of particles over into lungs or other organs was analysed from histological sections. RESULTS The mean particle diameter varied from 19 to 66 microm: (166)HoPLA 19+/-11 microm, Dex20 40+/-19 microm, Dex30 50+/-19 microm, Dex50 66+/-21 microm. The 19 microm(166)HoPLA particles proved inadequate for embolization as 51% spilled over into the lungs, whereas over 95% of the 40-66 microm Dex microspheres were retained within the primary tumour area. Particle density in lung tissues proved significantly lower for the Dex50 group. Stray emboli to the brain occurred in two rabbits. CONCLUSION The results of this investigation show that both Dextran hydrogel and holmium-166 poly(L-lactic acid) microspheres are potential candidates for embolization of head and neck cancer. In future studies, arterio-arteriolar anastomoses which might confound treatment should be identified and occluded. Particles with a number weighted mean diameter of at least 40 microm and a volume weighted mean size up to 70 microm should be used.
The safety of non-incineration waste disposal devices in four hospitals of Tehran

Abstract Background: The safe management of hospital waste is a challenge in many developing countries. Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions and the microbial disinfectant safety in non-incineration waste disposal devices. Methods: VOC emissions and microbial infections were measured in four non-incineration waste disposal devices including: autoclave with and without a shredder, dry heat system, and hydroclave. Using NIOSH and US EPA-TO14 guidelines, the concentration and potential risk of VOCs in emitted gases from four devices were assessed. ProSpore2 biological indicators were used to assess the microbial analysis of waste residue. Results: There was a significant difference in the type and concentration of VOCs and microbial infection of residues in the four devices. Emissions from the autoclave with a shredder had the highest concentration of benzene, ethyl benzene, xylene, and BTEX, and emissions from the hydroclave had the highest concentration of toluene. The highest level of microbial infection was observed in the residues of the autoclave without a shredder. Conclusions: There is an increased need for proper regulation and control of non-incinerator devices and for monitoring and proper handling of these devices in developing countries.
Mutational analysis of the HER2 gene in lung tumors from Caucasian patients: Mutations are mainly present in adenocarcinomas with bronchioloalveolar features

Activating mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain of the HER2 gene have recently been reported in lung adenocarcinomas, mainly in East Asian patients. Our study was devised to evaluate the prevalence and nature of HER2 mutations in lung adenocarcinomas from Caucasian patients. The mutational status of the HER2 gene was evaluated in 403 lung adenocarcinomas by PCR‐single strand conformation polymorphism analysis and direct sequencing of Exons 19 and 20. We found HER2 mutations in 9 (2.2%) cases. Seven (78%) of the mutations were in frame duplications/insertions at codons 776–779 (YVMA), the other 2 were base substitutions resulting in aminoacid changes. The hotspot mutation at bases 776–779 was previously found to be the most frequent HER2 mutation in Asiatic patients. The distribution of mutations was significantly different between conventional lung adenocarcinomas (CLAs) and lung adenocarcinomas with bronchioloalveolar features (ABAFs). Seven (6.2%) of 113 ABAFs and 2 (0.7%) of 290 CLA were mutated (p = 0.0025). In addition, the frequency of HER2 mutations was slightly higher in females (4.1%) than in males (1.8%) and in never smokers (3.1%) than in smokers (1.9%), but differences were not statistically significant. This series of tumors was also investigated for EGFR and K‐ras mutations. EGFR mutations were observed in 43 (10.7%) cases, and K‐ras mutations in 110 (27.3%) cases. EGFR, HER2 and K‐ras mutations were found to be mutually exclusive events. The presence of HER2 mutations in a subset of patients with lung adenocarcinoma raise hope to treat these patients with HER2 specific kinase inhibitors. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Linking lateral interactions in flicker perception to lateral geniculate nucleus cell responses

The perception of flicker strength in a circular stimulus can be changed by altering the relative temporal phase of a simultaneously flickering surrounding annulus: perceived flicker is weak when the two stimuli are modulated in‐phase and strong when the two are modulated in counter‐phase. Previously, we found that responses of single neurons in the monkey lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) to such stimuli resemble the psychophysical data. On the basis of the resemblance in data, it was proposed that the physiological basis for the flicker perception may be present as proximal as the LGN. To strengthen this hypothesis, we simulated the response of an array of LGN neurons, the receptive fields (RFs) of which are covered by the stimulus. The simulations were based upon single‐cell recordings in the LGN of anaesthetized marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) using the same stimuli as previously. The measurements were repeated for different spatial displacement between the stimulus and the RF. The responses depended upon the spatial displacement and the relative phase between centre and surround stimuli. The neuronal responses can be adequately described by a difference‐of‐Gaussians (DOG) model with a time delay in the RF surround. The model responses at different displacements can be considered to be identical to the output of an array of ideal and identical LGN cells with different RF locations. To be able to describe physiological and psychophysical data, obtained at different stimulus contrasts, it was necessary to consider previously described non‐linear interactions between the RF centres and surrounds. We applied a spatial peak‐to‐trough detector with a subsequent saturation and threshold to simulate a simple cortical decision mechanism. The output of this peak‐to‐trough detector could adequately describe the psychophysical data.
A cardiac myocyte vascular endothelial growth factor paracrine pathway is required to maintain cardiac function

The role of the cardiac myocyte as a mediator of paracrine signaling in the heart has remained unclear. To address this issue, we generated mice with cardiac myocyte-specific deletion of the vascular endothelial growth factor gene, thereby producing a cardiomyocyte-specific knockout of a secreted factor. The hearts of these mice had fewer coronary microvessels, thinned ventricular walls, depressed basal contractile function, induction of hypoxia-responsive genes involved in energy metabolism, and an abnormal response to β-adrenergic stimulation. These findings establish the critical importance of cardiac myocyte-derived vascular endothelial growth factor in cardiac morphogenesis and determination of heart function. Further, they establish an adult murine model of hypovascular nonnecrotic cardiac contractile dysfunction.
A meta-analysis of response inhibition and Stroop interference control deficits in adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI)

The prominent clinical feature of behavioral impulsivity following traumatic brain injury (TBI) suggests impairment of frontal inhibitory control processes. This meta-analysis consolidates the recent surge in studies across two forms of “effortful” inhibition, employing well-defined paradigms of response inhibition (N = 20; i.e., go/no-go, sustained attention to response, stop-signal, Conners' continuous performance tasks) and response interference control (N = 21, i.e., Stroop color word tasks). Across 41 effect sizes involving 989 adults with mild to severe TBI and 969 controls, the overall effect of TBI on reduced inhibitory control was small to moderate (d = 0.3) and significant. The effect was larger in studies measuring response inhibition performance (d = 0.5), while Stroop interference control yielded a nonsignificant overall effect size (d = 0.05). Further analysis of the latter finding revealed a large effect size when Stroop task studies used the outcome measure “total time on task” (d = 1.4), but not “RT per trial” or “number of stimuli” (d = −0.8 and −0.9). Response speed in these tasks was impaired to a large degree (d = 0.96). Together these findings support a response inhibition deficit following TBI but suggest factors other than interference control, such as poor processing speed, fatigue, and underarousal, may underlie poor performance in Stroop tasks.
Performance analysis of inter-cell interference reduction using AOA-based beamforming in Mm wave massive MIMO systems

Millimeter Wave Massive MIMO is considered as one of the main features in the upcoming fifth generation (5G) systems. Inter-cell interference which is represented by pilot contamination in Massive MIMO is less critical at mm wave frequencies due to mm waves' characteristics, however it still has side effects on such system, which cannot be ignored. In this paper, we focus on pilot contamination effects by analyzing the uplink transmission for the mm wave Massive MIMO system that employing hundreds of antenna arrays at Base Station (BS) and multiple antennas at each Mobile Station (MS). Through the uplink training, the channel estimation is used to detect the signals transmitted from a plurality of MSs in their respective cell. By taking the correlation between the channel estimate and the interference from other cells, which is represented as pilot contamination interference into consideration, we propose a 2D-unitary estimation of the signal parameters through rotational invariance techniques (U-ESPRIT) algorithm that utilizes the steering vectors of the uniform rectangular array (URA) to form a basis of the spatial space that can distinguish the desired signal from interfered signal without any change of pilot construction of training signals. The partial space for hybrid beamforming is being selected in accordance with Angle of Arrival (AOA) information, to improve the received average sum rate in the cell. We derive an analytical approximations of the exact and lower bound on the achievable rate. Consequently, the system performance has been evaluated numerically. Simulation results show that our proposal achieved low computational complexity and can achieve better performance in mitigating the majority of inter-cell interference and outperform other prominent techniques that are based on pilot identity only.
Characterizing BEV Powertrain Energy Consumption, Efficiency, and Range During Official and Drive Cycles From Gothenburg, Sweden

In this paper, the energy consumption per distance of a battery electric vehicle (BEV) is comprehensively investigated for various official and gathered real-world drive cycles, including the powertrain's cycle average efficiency. The powertrain component losses are modeled with a high level of detail, and they are functions of both speed and load. It is shown that the difference in calculated drive-cycle energy consumption may be up to 16% when using two different acceleration approximation methods and one speed sample per second, which is an interval commonly used among drive cycles. In contrast to combustion engine vehicles (CEVs), BEV energy consumption per distance generally increases with increasing cycle speed levels, and time spent at high speed levels have the largest influence on the consumption. The effect of acceleration on energy consumption is seen to be considerably reduced due to regenerative braking as it reduces the consumption by up to 49% on an acceleration intense cycle. Even when the regenerative area is limited to about half, the decrease in driving range is less than 1% for most cycles. By introducing the concept of overconsumption, it is shown that much time spent at high levels of acceleration is one of the largest contributors to excess energy consumption for BEVs. Furthermore, the found cycle average powertrain efficiencies are quite similar between the different cycles, with 82%–90% during propulsion and only slightly lower during braking, i.e., much less speed dependent than for CEVs.
Neural network model to predict electrical students' academic performance

Students performance is very crucial to any educational institution particularly in the engineering field. This paper describes a neural network based model (NN model) for academic performance prediction of Electrical Engineering Degree students at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia. The study was conducted on student intakes from Matriculation entry level. The performance was measured based on their cumulative grade point average (CGPA) upon graduation. The students' results for fundamentals subjects at first semester are used as predictor variables (initial values) for predicting the expected (projected) final CGPA upon graduation using Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The outcomes of the study indicated that there appears to be a direct correlation between students' results for core subjects at semester one with the final overall academic performance irrespective of their gender. It can be ascertained that the analysis on strong students' abilities in engineering fundamentals contributed strongly in influencing the overall academic performance in Engineering. Based on the outcomes of this study, we believe that strategic interventions can be done during their study period to improve their final performance, which can be extracted from this prediction model.
Evaluation of a Behavioral Treatment Intervention for Premature Ejaculation Using a Handheld Stimulating Device

Premature ejaculation is usually considered to be the most common male sexual complaint. Psychosocial treatment interventions have been recommended by clinicians since the 1950s, but concerns have been raised regarding their efficacy, especially so since the introduction of pharmaceutical treatment interventions. However, as noted in reviews and meta-analyses, one reason for these concerns is the lack of methodologically robust studies that have attempted to evaluate the efficacy of psychosocial treatment interventions. The present study aimed to replicate a recent study showing promising results for a behavioral treatment intervention using a handheld, vibrating stimulation device in a variation of the classical stop-start technique first introduced by Semans in 1956. The present study enrolled 11 men and used a randomized wait list–controlled design. Results provide further support for the efficacy of this novel treatment intervention and suggest that effects are stable or improved further 6 months after completing treatment. The present study contributes to the growing number of studies that suggest that psychosocial treatment interventions are promising alternatives to pharmacological treatment.
A Lipid-Modified Estrogen Derivative that Treats Breast Cancer Independent of Estrogen Receptor Expression through Simultaneous Induction of Autophagy and Apoptosis

It is a challenge to develop a universal single drug that can treat breast cancer at single- or multiple-stage complications, yet remains nontoxic to normal cells. The challenge is even greater when breast cancer–specific, estrogen-based drugs are being developed that cannot act against multistaged breast cancer complications owing to the cells differential estrogen receptor (ER) expression status and their possession of drug-resistant and metastatic phenotypes. We report here the development of a first cationic lipid-conjugated estrogenic derivative (ESC8) that kills breast cancer cells independent of their ER expression status. This ESC8 molecule apparently is nontoxic to normal breast epithelial cells, as well as to other noncancer cells. ESC8 induces apoptosis through an intrinsic pathway in ER-negative MDA-MB-231 cells. In addition, ESC8 treatment induces autophagy in these cells by interfering with the mTOR activity. This is the first example of an estrogen structure–based molecule that coinduces apoptosis and autophagy in breast cancer cells. Further in vivo study confirms the role of this molecule in tumor regression. Together, our results open new perspective of breast cancer chemotherapy through a single agent, which could provide the therapeutic benefit across all stages of breast cancer. Mol Cancer Res; 9(3); 364–74. ©2011 AACR.
Cytotoxicity of orthodontic wire corroded in fluoride solution in vitro.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the toxicity of fluoride corrosion extracts of stainless steel (SS) and nickel-titanium (NiTi) wires on a human osteosarcoma cell line (U2OS). MATERIALS AND METHODS The SS and NiTi wires were corroded by an electrochemical method with the application of three kinds of electrolytes: 0.2% pH 3.5 acidulated phosphate fluoride (NaF) in artificial saliva, and pH 4 and pH 6.75 artificial saliva solutions. The extracts were analyzed for nickel, chromium, and titanium ions by the atomic absorption method. The extracts were diluted with medium to different concentrations (1, 0.1, and 0.01 microL/mL). The cell survival rate was determined by the ability of test cells to cleave the tetrazolium salt to form a formazan dye. RESULTS The results were compared using one-way analysis of variance. Differences between the treatment means were analyzed using a Student-Newman-Keuls (SNK) test and were considered significant at P < . 05. The release of ionic nickel was different in different extract groups (P < .05). The SS and NiTi wires in the 0.2% pH 3.5 NaF artificial saliva group caused a dose-dependent decrease in the survival rate (P < .05). Survival rates of cells in the groups exposed to extracts of SS and NiTi wires in pH 4 and pH 6.75 artificial saliva solutions showed no statistical differences (P >.05). CONCLUSIONS Orthodontic wires in acidulated fluoride saliva solution can cause U2OS cell toxicity.