Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinically relevant HOCl concentrations reduce clot retraction rate via the inhibition of energy production in platelet mitochondria

Abstract Using porcine blood, we examined the impact of hypochlorite, product of activated inflammatory cells, on clot retraction (CR), an important step of hemostasis. We found that, in vitro, HOCl is able to reduce CR rate and enlarge final clot size in whole blood (t.c. 100 μM), platelet-rich plasma (PRP) threshold concentration (t.c. 50 μM), and an artificial system (washed platelets and fibrinogen) (t.c. 25 nM). Combination of low HOCl and peroxynitrite concentrations resulted in synergistic inhibition of CR by these stressors. Concentrations of HOCl completely inhibiting CR failed to affect the kinetics of coagulation measured in PRP and in platelet-free plasma. Concentrations of HOCl reducing CR rate in PRP augmented production of lactate, inhibited consumption of oxygen by platelets, and decreased total adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content in PRP-derived clots. In an artificial system, concentrations of HOCl resulting in inhibition of CR (25–100 nM) reduced mitochondrial transmembrane potential and did not affect actin polymerization in thrombin-stimulated platelets. These concentrations of HOCl failed to affect the adhesion of washed platelets to fibrinogen and to evoke sustained calcium signal, thus excluding stressor action on glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptors. Exogenously added Mg-ATP almost completely recovered HOCl-mediated retardation of CR. Concentrations of HOCl higher than those affecting CR reduced thromboelastometric variables (maximum clot firmness and α angle). We conclude that low clinically relevant HOCl concentrations may evoke the inhibition of CR via the reduction of platelet contractility resulted from malfunction of platelet mitochondria. At the inflammatory conditions, CR may be the predominant HOCl target.
Digital anaesthesia: one injection or two?

Background Digital nerve blocks (DNB) are performed frequently in the Emergency Department (ED). The aim of this study was to establish whether single injection subcutaneous digital nerve block (SDNB) is as effective as the traditional (two injection) digital nerve block (TDNB) for digital anaesthesia. Method Single blinded, prospective, randomised-controlled multicentre trial within Hampshire EDs. Patients ≥16 years attending the ED with fingertip injuries/infections (distal to the distal-interphalangeal joint) requiring a DNB were randomised to SDNB/TDNB groups. Outcome measures were: primary - successful anaesthesia; secondary - patient distress, clinician satisfaction (CS), complications. Results 76 patients were randomised. (37 received SDNB). At 5 min, more patients in the SDNB group (28/37, 76%) were adequately anaesthetised than in the TDNB group, (22/34, 65%). At 10 min, 33/37 (89%) of the SDNB group compared to 28/34 (82%) of the TDNB group were adequately anaesthetised. The mean (SD) of self-reported distress scores for the SDNB group were lower than those reported for the TDNB group, whereas the mean (SD) of CS scores for SDNB were higher than those reported for TDNB. Neither group reported complications from anaesthesia. Conclusions SDNB is as effective as TDNB. Outcome measures favoured SDNB, but only CS scores achieved statistical significance. Trial recruitment is much slower than anticipated. However, clinical practice has demonstrated that SDNB works and practice is already changing within the Hampshire region, with some departments adopting SDNB as standard practice. Therefore, the results are being presented now to allow clinicians to make an informed choice. Our results may also contribute to future metanalyses.
Multiview Uncorrelated Discriminant Analysis

Multiview learning is more robust than single-view learning in many real applications. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) is a popular technique to utilize information stemming from multiple feature sets. However, it does not exploit label information effectively. Later multiview linear discriminant analysis (MLDA) was proposed through combining CCA and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Due to the successful application of uncorrelated LDA (ULDA), which seeks optimal discriminant features with minimum redundancy, we propose a new supervised learning method called multiview ULDA (MULDA) in this paper. This method combines the theory of ULDA with CCA. Then we adapt discriminant CCA (DCCA) instead of the CCA in MLDA and MULDA, and discuss about the effect of this modification. Furthermore, we generalize these methods to the nonlinear case by kernel-based learning techniques. The new method is called kernel multiview uncorrelated discriminant analysis (KMUDA). Then we modify kernel multiview discriminant analysis and KMUDA by replacing Kernel CCA with Kernel DCCA. Our methods are tested on different real datasets and compared with other state-of-the-art methods. Experimental results validate the effectiveness of our methods.
Serotonin neuron abnormalities in the BTBR mouse model of autism

The inbred mouse strain BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J (BTBR) is studied as a model of idiopathic autism because they are less social and more resistant to change than other strains. Forebrain serotonin receptors and the response to serotonin drugs are altered in BTBR mice, yet it remains unknown if serotonin neurons themselves are abnormal. In this study, we found that serotonin tissue content and the density of serotonin axons is reduced in the hippocampus of BTBR mice in comparison to C57BL/6J (C57) mice. This was accompanied by possible compensatory changes in serotonin neurons that were most pronounced in regions known to provide innervation to the hippocampus: the caudal dorsal raphe (B6) and the median raphe. These changes included increased numbers of serotonin neurons and hyperactivation of Fos expression. Metrics of serotonin neurons in the rostral 2/3 of the dorsal raphe and serotonin content of the prefrontal cortex were less impacted. Thus, serotonin neurons exhibit region‐dependent abnormalities in the BTBR mouse that may contribute to their altered behavioral profile. Autism Res 2017, 10: 66–77. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effect of time and temperature on multiplication of Vibrio vulnificus in postharvest Gulf Coast shellstock oysters

After harvest, shellstock oysters stored under controlled temperatures of 10, 13, and 18 degrees C and at ambient outside air temperature (23 to 34 degrees C) were sampled after 12 and 30 h for Vibrio vulnificus. At 13 degrees C and below, V. vulnificus failed to multiply in the oysters. In oysters held at 18 degrees C for 30 h and under ambient conditions for 12 and 30 h, V. vulnificus numbers were statistically greater (P < 0.05) than those in oysters at harvest. These data indicate that endogenous V. vulnificus can multiply in unchilled shellstock oysters.
Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency and multiple sclerosis

In a previous issue of Radiologia Brasileira, Radu & Gonçalves published an editorial discussing the relation between chronic cerebrospinal insufficiency and multiple sclerosis, on the basis of articles published by Zamboni et al. Such question has recently emerged and has been fervorously discussed in the scientific community, but definite conclusions are still to be drawn. Thus, as members of the editorial board of this journal, we are concerned about the conclusion of the mentioned article that says: “angioplasty seems a promising avenue mainly for the relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis course, offering significant improvement in long-term neurological outcome with no relapses in patients with stable venous patency”. So, we would like to bring forward more information on this subject to the readers of RB, particularly with the objective of emphasizing that, in the literature, there is not any reliable, proved and validated evidence that angioplasty presents any benefit for patients with multiple sclerosis. It should be emphasized that, according to a recent article published in the journal Nature, the initial study developed by Dr. Zamboni was a non-randomized, non-blinded trial based on a small series including only 65 patients. Thus, in spite of the findings of such study deserving attention and further investigation, nobody in the clinical community involved in treatment of multiple sclerosis has accepted venoplasty
Performability Modeling of Manual Resolution of Data Inconsistencies for Optimization of Data Synchronization Interval

For disaster recovery, many database systems with valuable data have been designed with database synchronization between main and backup sites. The data synchronization interval affects the performability of system which is a combined measure of performance and availability. It is important to determine the optimal synchronization interval in terms of performability so as to satisfy customers' requirements. However, existing techniques to identify the optimal synchronization interval do not consider the performability impacts of time-consuming manual resolution task for inconsistent data. To address this issue, this paper proposes a method to identify the data synchronization interval which optimizes performability by solving a stochastic reward net model describing the manual and automatic failure-recovery behavior of a database system. Several numerical examples are given to demonstrate the proposed method and its potential practical applicability.
Developing a N400 Brain Computer Interface Based on Semantic Expectancy

In this study, we present a new application to the study of the N400 related event component applied to the Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) field. The N400 is classically defined in literature as an index of semantic integration mechanisms and it is sensitive to the difficulty with which the reader integrates the input within the semantic context, based on their expectations. By varying the level of violation of expectations in the semantic context and presenting sentences lacking the final word (cloze probability test) we want to train a classifier so that it can always complete the sentences in accordance with the expectations of the participant. The online classification is based on the average peak differences in three different conditions (target, semantically related and unrelated), where the amplitude of the N400 should correlate with the progressive and greater violation of semantic expectation. The findings can contribute significantly to this area of research that is still left with several unanswered questions as this research is one of the first to exploit the N400 in an
Developing a novel interface for capturing self reports of affect

This paper describes the Subtle Stone, a tangible handheld tool which supports the communication of emotional experience in the classroom. The results of an initial evaluation suggest that this novel interface is easy to use within a busy working context, and renders the concept of emotion more accessible to young learners. The highly adaptable nature of the tool may make it a useful research instrument within other experimental contexts as well as a communication device for different experiential reports.
Molecular phylogeny of sea snakes reveals a rapidly diverged adaptive radiation

Evolutionary relationships within and between the marine hydrophiine sea snake groups have been inferred primarily using morphological characters, and two major groups traditionally are recognized. The Aipysurus group comprises nine species in two genera, and the taxonomically chaotic Hydrophis group comprises as many as 40 species, of which 27 are generally allocated to the genus Hydrophis and 13 to ten additional genera. In addition to these two major groups are three putatively 'primitive' monotypic genera, Hydrelaps darwiniensis, Ephalophis greyi and Parahydrophis mertoni. The present study investigated the evolutionary relationships of 23 representative species of marine hydrophiines, comprising 15 species from the Hydrophis group, six species from the Aipysurus group, and H. darwiniensis and P. mertoni, to address two broad aims. First, the aim was to provide a robust phylogeny for sea snakes to test previous phylogenetic hypotheses based on morphology, and thus provide some taxonomic stability to the group. Second, there was interest in evaluating the hypothesis that the Hydrophis group might represent a rapidly diverged adaptive radiation. A large mitochondrial DNA data set based on the cytochrome b gene (1080 bp, 401 parsimony informative) and the 16S rRNA gene (510 bp, 57 parsimony informative) was assembled and these data were analysed using parsimony, maximum-likelihood and Bayesian approaches. All analyses yielded virtually the same optimal tree, confirming that hydrophiine sea snakes comprise at least three lineages. The Aipysurus group formed a strongly supported and well-resolved monophyletic clade. The Hydrophis group also formed a strongly supported clade; however, resolution among the genera and species was very poor. Hydrelaps darwiniensis and P. mertoni formed a sister clade to the Hydrophis lineage. Our phylogeny was used to test the validity of previous taxonomic and phylogenetic hypotheses, and to demonstrate that the genus Hydrophis is not monophyletic. Genetic diversity relative to phenotypic diversity is four to seven times greater in the Hydrophis lineage compared with the Aipysurus lineage. The topology of our phylogenetic hypothesis, combined with the levels of genetic divergence relative to morphological diversity, demonstrate that the Hydrophis lineage represents a rapidly diverged adaptive radiation. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that this adaptive radiation may be due to historical sea level fluctuations that have isolated populations and promoted speciation.
Micro-magnetic simulation of magnetic cluster, thermal activation volume, and media noise in perpendicular recording media

As the recording density of hard-disk drives increases, it becomes more important to suppress media noise, which is deeply related to magnetic cluster. In this study, the magnetic cluster, thermal activation volume and the media noise in perpendicular recording media have been analyzed by using micro-magnetic simulation, and compared with data for longitudinal recording media.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis Can Utilize Heme as an Iron Source

ABSTRACT Most iron in mammals is found within the heme prosthetic group. Consequently, many bacterial pathogens possess heme acquisition systems to utilize iron from the host. Here, we demonstrate that Mycobacterium tuberculosis can utilize heme as an iron source, suggesting that M. tuberculosis possesses a yet-unknown heme acquisition system.
ECM‐dependent mRNA expression profiles and phosphorylation patterns of p130Cas, FAK, ERK and p38 MAPK of osteoblast‐like cells

Osteoblast cells synthesize collagen‐rich ECM (extracellular matrix) in response to various environmental cues, but little is known about ECM‐dependent variations in phosphorylation patterns. Using MC3T3 E1 osteoblast‐like cells and mouse whole‐genome microarrays, we investigated molecular signalling affected by collagen‐based ECMs. A genome‐wide expression analysis revealed that cells grown in the 3D collagen matrix partially suppressed the genes associated with cell adhesion and cell cycling. Western analysis demonstrated that the expression of the active (phosphorylated) form of p130Cas, FAK (focal adhesion kinase) and ERK1/2 (extracellular‐signal‐regulated protein kinase 1/2) was reduced in cells grown in the 3D matrix. Conversely, phosphorylation of p38 MAPK (p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase) was elevated in the 3D matrix, and its up‐regulation was linked to an increase in mRNA levels of dentin matrix protein 1 and bone sialoprotein. Although multiple characteristics such as surface topography, chemical composition and mechanical properties differ in the preparations of our collagen‐rich milieu, our observations support the notion that geometrical alterations in ECM environments can alter the phosphorylation pattern of p130Cas, FAK, ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK and lead to a differential developmental fate.
The associative striatum: Organization of cortical projections to the dorsocentral striatum in rats

The dorsocentral striatum (DCS) is the major site of input from medial agranular cortex (AGm) and has been implicated as an associative striatal area that is part of a cortical‐subcortical circuit involved in multimodal spatial functions involving directed attention. Anterograde axonal tracing was used to investigate the spatial organization of corticostriatal projections to DCS. Injections of biotinylated dextran amine were made into several cortical areas known to project to DCS based on retrograde tracing data. These included areas AGm, lateral agranular cortex (AGl), orbital cortex, posterior parietal cortex (PPC), and visual association cortex. We discovered a previously undescribed geometry whereby the projection from AGm is prominent within DCS and the main corticostriatal projections from areas other than AGm are situated around the periphery of DCS: visual association cortex dorsomedially, PPC dorsally, AGl laterally, and orbital cortex ventrally. Each of these cortical projections is also represented by less dense aggregates of terminal labeling within DCS, organized as focal patches and more diffuse labeling. Because these cortical areas are linked by corticocortical connections, the present findings indicate that interconnected cortical areas have convergent terminal fields in the region of DCS. These findings suggest that DCS is a central associative region of the dorsal striatum characterized by a high degree of corticostriatal convergence. J. Comp. Neurol. 467:271–292, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of α-Oligosaccharide Phenotype ofNeisseria gonorrhoeae Strain MS11 on Invasion of Chang Conjunctival, HEC-1-B Endometrial, and ME-180 Cervical Cells

ABSTRACT The genes encoding the glycosyltransferases responsible for the addition of the five sugars in the α-oligosaccharide (α-OS) moiety of lipooligosaccharide (LOS) have been identified. Disruption of these glycosyltransferase genes singly or in combination results in corresponding truncations in LOS. In the present work we show that sequential deletion of the terminal four sugar residues of gonococcal α-OS had no discernible effect on the invasion of human conjunctival, endometrial, and cervical cell lines. However, deletion of the proximal glucose, which resulted in the complete deletion of α-OS, significantly impaired invasion of the gonococci into all three cell lines. The effect of deleting α-OS on invasion was independent of and additive to the known invasion-promoting factor OpaA. These data suggest that the proximal glucose residue of the α-OS chain of LOS is required for efficient invasion of gonococci into host mucosa.
Oxford at SemEval-2017 Task 9: Neural AMR Parsing with Pointer-Augmented Attention

We present a neural encoder-decoder AMR parser that extends an attention-based model by predicting the alignment between graph nodes and sentence tokens explicitly with a pointer mechanism. Candidate lemmas are predicted as a pre-processing step so that the lemmas of lexical concepts, as well as constant strings, are factored out of the graph linearization and recovered through the predicted alignments. The approach does not rely on syntactic parses or extensive external resources. Our parser obtained 59% Smatch on the SemEval test set.
The Impact of Legal Schools of Thought

This paper provides a quantitative analysis of the e ects of legal schools of thought on appellate jurisprudence and criminal sentencing decisions. We construct measures of the in uence of a major school of conservative legal thought Law and Economics using the linguistic features of judicial opinions and attendance at a law-and-economics training program. We examine the impact of law-and-economics on decision-making in the appellate decisions of U.S. Circuit Court Judges and the criminal-sentencing decisions of U.S. District Court Judges. Random assignment of cases allows us to control for other court-level and caselevel factors in uencing those decisions. We show that appellate-court judges who use law-and-economics language or attend law-and-economics training are more likely to issue and support conservative rulings (even controlling for political party). In particular, they tend to rule against regulatory agencies; in criminal cases, they tend to reject appeals by defendants and are more likely to mention deterrence in their opinions. Trial-court judges who attend a law-and-economics training program are more likely to impose longer criminal sentences. This e ect is largest when judges have more discretion over sentencing.
A Scheme for Collaboratively Processing Nearest Neighbor Queries in Oblivious Storage

Security concerns are a substantial impediment to the wider deployment of cloud storage. There are two main concerns on the confidentiality of outsourced data: i) protecting the data, and ii) protecting the access pattern (i.e., which data is being accessed). To mitigate these concerns, schemes for Oblivious Storage (OS) have been proposed. In OS, the data owner outsources a key-value store to a cloud server, and then can later execute get, put, and remove queries, by collaboration with the server; furthermore, both the data and the access pattern are hidden from the server. In this paper, we extend the semantics of OS by proposing an oblivious index that supports nearest neighbor queries. That is, finding the nearest keys to the query in the key-value store. Our proposed index structure for supporting nearest-neighbor has similar performance bounds to previous OS schemes that did not support nearest-neighbor, in terms of client storage, server storage and rounds of communication.
Correlation of diffusion tensor and dynamic perfusion MR imaging metrics in normal-appearing corpus callosum: support for primary hypoperfusion in multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Hypoperfusion of the normal-appearing white matter in multiple sclerosis (MS) may be related to ischemia or secondary to hypometabolism from wallerian degeneration (WD). This study evaluated whether correlating perfusion and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics in normal-appearing corpus callosum could provide support for an ischemic mechanism for hypoperfusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fourteen patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and 17 control subjects underwent perfusion MR imaging and DTI. Absolute measures of cerebral blood volume (CBV), cerebral blood flow (CBF), and mean transit time (MTT) were calculated. Mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) maps were computed from DTI data. After visual coregistration of perfusion and DTI images, regions of interest were placed in the genu, central body, and splenium of normal-appearing corpus callosum. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were calculated using mean DTI and perfusion measures in each region. RESULTS In the RRMS group, CBF and CBV were significantly correlated with MD in the splenium (r = 0.83 and r = 0.63, respectively; both P < .001) and in the central body (r = 0.86 and r = 0.65, respectively; both P < .001), but not in the genu (r = 0.23 and 0.25, respectively; both P is nonsignificant). No significant correlations were found between MTT and DTI measures or between FA and any perfusion measure in the RRMS group. No significant correlations between diffusion and perfusion metrics were found in control subjects. CONCLUSION In the normal-appearing corpus callosum of patients with RRMS, decreasing perfusion is correlated with decreasing MD. These findings are more consistent with what would be expected in primary ischemia than in secondary hypoperfusion from WD.