Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Computerized Dynamic Posturography: The Influence of Platform Stability on Postural Control

ObjectivePostural stability can be quantified using posturography systems, which allow different foot platform stability settings to be selected. It is unclear, however, how platform stability and postural control are mathematically correlated. DesignTwenty subjects performed tests on the Biodex Stability System at all 13 stability levels. Overall stability index, medial-lateral stability index, and anterior-posterior stability index scores were calculated, and data were analyzed using analysis of variance and linear regression analysis. ResultsA decrease in platform stability from the static level to the second least stable level was associated with a linear decrease in postural control. The overall stability index scores were 1.5 ± 0.8 degrees (static), 2.2 ± 0.9 degrees (level 8), and 3.6 ± 1.7 degrees (level 2). The slope of the regression lines was 0.17 for the men and 0.10 for the women. ConclusionsA linear correlation was demonstrated between platform stability and postural control. The influence of stability levels seems to be almost twice as high in men as in women.
Applications of affinity interactions in capillary electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has proven useful for the study of reversible molecular interactions. This is because highly efficient and reproducible separations take place in an environment where molecular interactions may contribute to selectivity without being inhibited by adverse buffer conditions. Affinity CE may be used to estimate quantitative binding data (binding constants and in some cases binding stoichiometries and rate constants) for various molecular interactions. Specific binding interactions (e.g., based on antibodies or aptamers) may also be utilized to quantitatively measure specific analytes using CE. Applications within these areas are here reviewed with focus on the last three years and with emphasis on novel concepts as well as innovative methodology and technology. It is concluded that the affinity CE approach is of growing versatility and will continue to play an integral role in discovering, characterizing, and exploiting biomolecular interactions.
A Novel Amplitude Modulation Architecture via Time-Varying Programmable Metasurface for Wireless Communication Systems

Different from the traditional wireless communication systems, where both amplitude and phase components are used to provide a form of modulation, almost all of space time-modulated matesurface (MS) currently reported are modulated by phase components. In this paper we propose a new architecture of time-varying modulated MS based on two features. First, inspired by the idea of beamforming-like techniques that different digital sequences are added to the MS, in this way, the amplitude can be changed rapidly for modulation by holding the constant phase. Here, a pentagonal array-based MS is designed to achieve amplitude modulation (AM) by the use of on-off field programming gate array (FPGA) hardware. Second, a quasi-optical measurable scheme in the near-filed is used to show the phenomena and detect the measurements. To verify the ideas mentioned above, the simulations and measurements are carried out.
Novel antioxidant technology for prostate cancer chemoprevention and treatment

The mechanisms underlying prostate carcinogenesis are not firmly elucidated. An exciting area of research in this regard asks whether prostate cancer results from the consequences of lifelong exposure of prostate tissue to oxidative stress. This article reviews the laboratory-based literature on oxidative stress and its possible role in prostate carcinogenesis. The progression of clinical studies focusing on the relationship between antioxidant supplementation and risk of developing prostate cancer are discussed, along with the patent literature since 2003 involving novel antioxidant technology applicable to prostate cancer prevention and treatment. In particular, recently published in vitro experiments with a novel α-tocopherol analogue, 2,2,5,7,8-pentamethyl-6-chromonal, which characterised its unique spectrum of antioxidant and antiandrogen properties in prostate cancer cell lines, is discussed. In addition, recent patent applications and supporting findings from the literature surrounding: i) cisplatin tocopherol compounds; ii) coix seed soft capsules with vitamin E; iii) vitamin E succinate (α-tocopheryl succinate); iv) lycopene preparations with other carotenoids; v) compounds of the ginger family; vi) novel aryl-carbaldehyde oxime derivatives; vii) novel phenyl quinoline derivatives; and viii) resveratrol, its derivatives and preparations thereof are discussed as they relate to prostate cancer chemoprevention and treatment.
Development of a Stable Episomal Shuttle Vector for Toxoplasma gondii *

The rapid developments in the molecular genetics of Toxoplasma gondii have far reaching implications in treatment and vaccination strategies for this as well as closely related pathogens such as Plasmodium. Although stable transformation of this parasite through homologous and illegitimate genomic integration has provided many of the tools necessary for genetic analysis, subsequent manipulations of the DNA have proven laborious. This report describes the selection and subsequent characterization of a Toxoplasma sequence that permits the episomal maintenance of bacterial plasmids in this parasite. This sequence was isolated from the Toxoplasma genome through selection for episomal stability of a pUC19-based library in the absence of a selectable marker. A 500-base pair fragment was determined to possess the stabilization activity. Transformations ofToxoplasma using vectors possessing this fragment, referred to as EMS (episomal maintenance sequence), demonstrated an elevated stable transformation frequency compared with the vector alone. Mutants deficient in hypoxanthine-xanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase activity were used as a test to see if this gene could be selected from a genomic library using a vector containing the EMS. The success of this test demonstrates the utility of EMS-containing vectors in complementation strategies and the ability of such constructs bearing large fragments of the Toxoplasma genome to be maintained episomally.
Robustness testing in pharmaceutical freeze-drying: Inter-relation of process conditions and product quality attributes studied for a vaccine formulation

Context: The recent US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) legislation has introduced the evaluation of the Design Space of critical process parameters in manufacturing processes. In freeze-drying, a “formulation” is expected to be robust when minor deviations of the product temperature do not negatively affect the final product quality attributes. Objective: To evaluate “formulation” robustness by investigating the effect of elevated product temperature on product quality using a bacterial vaccine solution. Materials and methods: The vaccine solution was characterized by freeze-dry microscopy to determine the critical formulation temperature. A conservative cycle was developed using the SMART™ mode of a Lyostar II freeze dryer. Product temperature was elevated to imitate intermediate and aggressive cycle conditions. The final product was analyzed using X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Karl Fischer, and modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC), and the life cell count (LCC) during accelerated stability testing. Results: The cakes processed at intermediate and aggressive conditions displayed larger pores with microcollapse of walls and stronger loss in LCC than the conservatively processed product, especially during stability testing. For all process conditions, a loss of the majority of cells was observed during storage. Conclusion: For freeze-drying of life bacterial vaccine solutions, the product temperature profile during primary drying appeared to be inter-related to product quality attributes.
Soluble type II transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) receptor inhibits TGF-beta signaling in COLO-357 pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and attenuates tumor formation.

UNLABELLED Human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas overexpress transforming growth factor-betas (TGF-betas). This overexpression has been correlated with decreased patient survival. TGF-betas bind to a type II TGF-beta receptor (TbetaRII) dimer, which heterotetramerizes with a type I TGF-beta receptor (TbetaRI) dimer, thereby activating downstream signaling. PURPOSE AND EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN To determine whether blocking TGF-beta actions would suppress pancreatic cancer cell growth in vivo, we expressed a soluble TbetaRII, encoding amino acids 1-159 of the extracellular domain in COLO-357 human pancreatic cancer cells. This cell line expresses all of the three mammalian TGF-beta isoforms and is growth inhibited by TGF-beta in vitro. RESULTS COLO-357 clones expressing soluble TbetaRII were no longer growth inhibited by exogenous TGF-beta1 and exhibited a marked decrease in their invasive capacity in vitro. When injected s.c. into athymic mice, these clones exhibited attenuated growth rates and angiogenesis and decreased levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 mRNA as compared with tumors formed by sham-transfected cells. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that endogenous TGF-betas can confer a growth advantage in vivo to a pancreatic cancer cell line that is growth inhibited in vitro and suggest that a soluble receptor approach can be used to block these tumorigenic effects of TGF-betas.
Publication bias in meta‐analyses from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

We used a Bayesian hierarchical selection model to study publication bias in 1106 meta‐analyses from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews comparing treatment with either placebo or no treatment. For meta‐analyses of efficacy, we estimated the ratio of the probability of including statistically significant outcomes favoring treatment to the probability of including other outcomes. For meta‐analyses of safety, we estimated the ratio of the probability of including results showing no evidence of adverse effects to the probability of including results demonstrating the presence of adverse effects.
Medical image registration by combining global and local information: a chain-type diffeomorphic demons algorithm

The demons algorithm is a popular algorithm for non-rigid image registration because of its computational efficiency and simple implementation. The deformation forces of the classic demons algorithm were derived from image gradients by considering the deformation to decrease the intensity dissimilarity between images. However, the methods using the difference of image intensity for medical image registration are easily affected by image artifacts, such as image noise, non-uniform imaging and partial volume effects. The gradient magnitude image is constructed from the local information of an image, so the difference in a gradient magnitude image can be regarded as more reliable and robust for these artifacts. Then, registering medical images by considering the differences in both image intensity and gradient magnitude is a straightforward selection. In this paper, based on a diffeomorphic demons algorithm, we propose a chain-type diffeomorphic demons algorithm by combining the differences in both image intensity and gradient magnitude for medical image registration. Previous work had shown that the classic demons algorithm can be considered as an approximation of a second order gradient descent on the sum of the squared intensity differences. By optimizing the new dissimilarity criteria, we also present a set of new demons forces which were derived from the gradients of the image and gradient magnitude image. We show that, in controlled experiments, this advantage is confirmed, and yields a fast convergence.
Bankruptcy Filing Rates after a Major Hurricane

Twelve to thirty-six months after a major hurricane, bankruptcy filing rates appear to increase for affected areas. The Article draws that conclusion by examining all eighteen hurricanes that hit the fifty United States between 1980 and 2004 and that caused $1 billion or more in damages. Despite substantial limitations in the data that would obscure all but the strongest relationships, distinct patterns emerge. Although further empirical analyses should be done, these findings suggest that Congress should except victims of hurricanes and other natural disasters from recent legislation that will make it more difficult to get bankruptcy relief. Because higher bankruptcy filing rates can be a seen as a symptom of financial distress, this Article also suggests other ideas for legislative relief, including both temporary moratoria on debt collections and adverse credit reporting and more permanent relief such as mandatory debtor-creditor mediation before a creditor could get a court judgment against hurricane victims.
Giant axon and neurofilament accumulation in Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease type 2E

The axonal type 2 Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease (CMT2) is phenotypically poorly characterized. Here the authors report a family with a Pro22Ser mutation in the neurofilament-light gene (NF-L; CMT2E) manifesting electrophysiologically as the demyelinating type 1 CMT (CMT1) and pathologically as an axonopathy with giant axons and accumulation of disorganized NF. NF-L should be investigated in CMT2 as well as in CMT1 not associated with the usual genes PMP22, Cx32, and P0.
[Diagnostic decision tree for the correct use of neuropsychological evaluation in head injury].

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE We present a diagnostic decision tree for the correct use of neuropsychological evaluation techniques in head injury. Our aim is to avoid extensive, intensive use of unnecessary tests and measurements or lapses into diagnostic error which often accompany cognitive dysfunction when 'superficial' 'undirected' studies are done. DEVELOPMENT It is essential to select the neuropsychological, neuroconductal and psychosocial evaluation tests which are most suitable in each case and establish a reliable diagnosis of the functional, cognitive, emotional and psychosocial conditions of the patient. The decision tree for neuropsychological evaluation is a guide to assist professionals so that they may adequately examine the functional changes which can occur as a consequence of traumatic brain damage, adapted to each point in its evolution and taking into account factors which may influence neuropsychological evaluation. CONCLUSION The evaluation of consequences of trauma includes evaluation of the gravity of the head injury, and the neuropsychological, neuroconductal and functional evaluation of the patient.
Sorting things out: Assessing effects of unequal specimen biomass on DNA metabarcoding

Abstract Environmental bulk samples often contain many different taxa that vary several orders of magnitude in biomass. This can be problematic in DNA metabarcoding and metagenomic high‐throughput sequencing approaches, as large specimens contribute disproportionately high amounts of DNA template. Thus, a few specimens of high biomass will dominate the dataset, potentially leading to smaller specimens remaining undetected. Sorting of samples by specimen size (as a proxy for biomass) and balancing the amounts of tissue used per size fraction should improve detection rates, but this approach has not been systematically tested. Here, we explored the effects of size sorting on taxa detection using two freshwater macroinvertebrate bulk samples, collected from a low‐mountain stream in Germany. Specimens were morphologically identified and sorted into three size classes (body size < 2.5 × 5, 5 × 10, and up to 10 × 20 mm). Tissue powder from each size category was extracted individually and pooled based on tissue weight to simulate samples that were not sorted by biomass (“Unsorted”). Additionally, size fractions were pooled so that each specimen contributed approximately equal amounts of biomass (“Sorted”). Mock samples were amplified using four different DNA metabarcoding primer sets targeting the Cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene. Sorting taxa by size and pooling them proportionately according to their abundance lead to a more equal amplification of taxa compared to the processing of complete samples without sorting. The sorted samples recovered 30% more taxa than the unsorted samples at the same sequencing depth. Our results imply that sequencing depth can be decreased approximately fivefold when sorting the samples into three size classes and pooling by specimen abundance. Even coarse size sorting can substantially improve taxa detection using DNA metabarcoding. While high‐throughput sequencing will become more accessible and cheaper within the next years, sorting bulk samples by specimen biomass or size is a simple yet efficient method to reduce current sequencing costs.
Effects of high frequency deep brain stimulation on urine storage and voiding function in conscious minipigs

Suprapontine neural integration during the storage phase is decisive for the timing of voiding. Neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease are thus frequently complicated by bladder dysfunction. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of high frequency deep brain stimulation on the urine storage and voiding function in conscious Parkinsonian minipigs.
Combination of quercetin and tannic acid in inhibiting 26S proteasome affects S5a and 20S expression, and accumulation of ubiquitin resulted in apoptosis in cancer chemoprevention

Abstract To look for oral proteasome inhibitors, daily injested food is the best source for cancer chemoprevention. A combination of active components from vegetables, coffee, tea, and fruit could be more efficient to inhibit 26S proteasome activities for preventing cancer diseases. Tannic acid and quercetin have been shown to strongly inhibit 26S proteasome activity, but the molecular target involved remains unknown. Overlay assay, peptide assay, Western blot, and 2-D gels were used to assess the combination of quercetin and tannic acid as a potential inhibitor. Here, we demonstrated that the combination of quercetin and tannic acid (1) synergistically suppresses chymotrypsin-, caspase-, and trypsin-like proteolytic activities, (2) are tightly binding substrates, (3) do not perturb the proteasome structure, (4) inhibit the 26S proteasome affected by ubiquitin, ATP, or β-casein, and (5) inhibit β-casein degradation by the 26S proteasome in vitro. Finally, the inhibition of the proteasome by a combination of quercetin plus tannic acid in Hep-2 cells resulted in the induction of S5a at low dose, accumulation of ubiquitin, and the cleavage of pro-caspase-3, followed by the induction of apoptotic cell death. Evaluating the combination of quercetin and tannic acid as an oral drug to prevent cancer may provide a pharmacological rationale to pursue preclinical trials of this combination.
Mechanisms of endothelial to mesenchymal transition in the retina in diabetes.

PURPOSE Hyperglycemia-induced endothelial damage is a key pathogenetic factor in diabetic retinopathy. Endothelial damage may lead to phenotypic changes in the cells manifested by reduced expression of endothelial markers and increased expression of mesenchymal markers, termed endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndMT). We investigated mechanisms of such changes in the retinal endothelial cells and in the retina of diabetic animals. METHODS Human retinal microvascular endothelial cells were grown in medium containing 5 mM glucose or 25 mM glucose with or without TGFβ1 peptide or TGFβ1 inhibitor or miR-200b mimic transfection. Messenger RNA levels of endothelial markers, mesenchymal markers, and specific signaling molecules of TGFβ pathway were quantified. Expression of miR-200b and histone acetylator p300 was quantified. Retinal tissues from mice with endothelial-specific overexpression of miR-200b, with or without streptozotocin-induced diabetes, were similarly examined. RESULTS Glucose caused decreased expression of mRNA and protein levels of endothelial markers and increased expression of mesenchymal markers with reduced miR-200b. A glucose-like effect was seen using TGFβ1 peptide. Such changes were mediated by miR-200b and p300. In the retinas of wild-type diabetic mice, EndMT was observed, which was prevented in miR-200b transgenic mice with diabetes. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate glucose-induced EndMT in vitro and in vivo is possibly mediated through TGFβ and regulated by miR-200b and p300.
Sinusoidal Input Current Discontinuous Conduction Mode Control of the VIENNA Rectifier

During light load conditions unidirectional power factor correction rectifiers, such as the VIENNA rectifier, enter discontinuous conduction mode, causing the relationship between average half-bridge voltage and duty cycle to become nonlinear and synchronously sampled current measurements not equaling the switching period average. Combined, these measurement and actuation errors result in distorted input currents at light load if no additional measures are taken. This work presents a control scheme that leads to low total harmonic distortion of the input currents in discontinuous conduction mode without relying on current measurements. The analytic expressions for the duty cycles and the threshold between discontinuous and continuous conduction mode are derived, the capability of supplying asymmetric loads is investigated and the effect on the noise spectrum relevant for the electromagnetic interference filter design is studied. Measurements of efficiency, total harmonic distortion, and conducted electromagnetic interference in discontinuous and continuous conduction mode are obtained on a 65 kW prototype operating at 290 to 530 V line-to-line RMS mains voltage range and supplying 800 V dc output voltage. The prototype, which is optimized for pulse load applications, achieves a power density of 9.56 kW/dm3 (157 W/in3) and 97.2 % efficiency at full load using 650 V Si insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBTs) with 28 kHz switching frequency.
Compliance with leisure‐time physical activity recommendations in pregnant women

Objective. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence and factors associated with the performance of minimal beneficial leisure‐time physical activity in the first half of pregnancy according to the criteria of the American College of Sport and Medicine (ACSM) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Material and methods. This was a cross‐sectional study carried out at the Maternal and Neonatal University Hospital in Granada, which services the whole population of the hospital reference area. We studied 1,175 healthy pregnant women aged over 18 years. Information about sociodemographics, lifestyles, obstetric antecedents and anthropometric variables were collected. The amount of leisure‐time physical activity was quantified by assigning metabolic equivalents to each activity. The ACSM and ACOG criteria were used to define optimal physical activity in the first half of pregnancy. The frequency of compliance for both criteria was estimated. Multiple logistic regression models were fitted to study the factors associated with the recommendations. Results. Only 20.3% (95% confidence interval 15.50–26.10) of the women complied with ACOG criteria. More women complied with ACSM recommendations (70.8%, 95% confidence interval 67.5–73.8), which are less restrictive criteria. Women aged 30 years old or older and those with a university degree tended to devote more time to exercising according to both recommendations. Conclusion. The prevalence of pregnant women who performed minimal beneficial leisure‐time physical activity was lower with the dominant and more accepted criteria. It is necessary to encourage physical activity, mainly among those who are younger, and those with lower levels of educational attainment.