Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Supplemental oxygen therapy. Basis for noninvasive treatment of retinopathy of prematurity.

PURPOSE To determine the effectiveness of supplemental oxygen therapy (SOT) in ameliorating the proliferative vasculopathy characteristic of the feline model of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). METHODS Kittens were exposed to high (70% to 80%) oxygen for the first 4 days of life to induce obliteration of the retinal circulation. The level of inspired oxygen at successive stages after hyperoxia were varied systematically, and the retinas were examined for the extent of revascularization, astrocyte survival, intactness of the blood-retinal barrier, and extent of preretinal vessels. RESULTS The level of inspired oxygen required to protect the retina from hypoxic damage and yet provide a stimulus for growth of the vasculature varied during a 6-week period. The rate of revascularization of the retina increased as the oxygen content of the inspired gas mixture decreased, with a consequential increase in the pathology observed. However, a regimen that produced a quicker rate of revascularization with a slightly higher level of pathology actually offered the retina greater protection in the long term. The formation of preretinal vessels was effectively prevented by SOT. Supplemental oxygen therapy could be terminated once a significant portion of the retina was revascularized. CONCLUSIONS The proliferative vasculopathy of a kitten model of ROP can be significantly reduced by a regimen of SOT, which attempts to mimic physiological levels of hypoxia in the retina during its revascularization. Optimal revascularization requires a balance between the rate and quality of vessel growth. With further refinement of the protocol, SOT could provide noninvasive treatment of ROP in neonates.
Isolation and Characterization of phyC Mutants in Arabidopsis Reveals Complex Crosstalk between Phytochrome Signaling Pathways Article, publication date, and citation information can be found at www.plantcell.org/cgi/doi/10.1105/tpc.012971.

Studies with mutants in four members of the five-membered Arabidopsis phytochrome (phy) family (phyA, phyB, phyD, and phyE) have revealed differential photosensory and/or physiological functions among them, but identification of a phyC mutant has proven elusive. We now report the isolation of multiple phyC mutant alleles using reverse-genetics strategies. Molecular analysis shows that these mutants have undetectable levels of phyC protein, suggesting that they are null for the photoreceptor. phyC mutant seedlings were indistinguishable from wild-type seedlings under constant far-red light (FRc), and phyC deficiency had no effect in the phyA mutant background under FRc, suggesting that phyC does not participate in the control of seedling deetiolation under FRc. However, when grown under constant red light (Rc), phyC seedlings exhibited a partial loss of sensitivity, observable as longer hypocotyls and smaller cotyledons than those seen in the wild type. Although less severe, this phenotype resembles the effect of phyB mutations on photoresponsiveness, indicating that both photoreceptors function in regulating seedling deetiolation in response to Rc. On the other hand, phyB phyC double mutants did not show any apparent decrease in sensitivity to Rc compared with phyB seedlings, indicating that the phyC mutation in the phyB-deficient background does not have an additive effect. These results suggest that phyB is necessary for phyC function. This functional dependence correlates with constitutively lower levels of phyC observed in the phyB mutant compared with the wild type, a decrease that seems to be regulated post-transcriptionally. phyC mutants flowered early when grown in short-day photoperiods, indicating that phyC plays a role in the perception of daylength. phyB phyC double mutant plants flowered similarly to phyB plants, indicating that in the phyB background, phyC deficiency does not further accelerate flowering. Under long-day photoperiods, phyA phyC double mutant plants flowered later than phyA plants, suggesting that phyC is able to promote flowering in the absence of phyA. Together, these results suggest that phyC is involved in photomorphogenesis throughout the life cycle of the plant, with a photosensory specificity similar to that of phyB/D/E and with a complex pattern of differential crosstalk with phyA and phyB in the photoregulation of multiple developmental processes.
Aloe vera: It's effect on gingivitis

Objective: Aloe vera is the oldest medicinal plant that has maintained its popularity over the course of time. It is widely known for its medicinal uses in wound healing, as an analgesic, and for its anti-inflammatory properties. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the anti-inflammatory property of aloe vera mouthwash on plaque-induced gingivitis. Materials and Methods: Forty-five patients who were diagnosed with plaque-induced gingivitis were included in the study. They were divided into three groups with fifteen patients in each group. Group 1 was asked to rinse with 10 ml of aloe vera mouthwash twice daily for three months. Group 2 were treated with scaling only. Group 3 patients were asked to rinse with aloe vera mouthwash and scaling was done. The clinical changes were evaluated with Loe and Silness gingival index (1963) and Muhlemann and Son's Sulcus bleeding index (1971) at baseline, after one month and three months, respectively. Results: The data obtained was compared statistically. The paired ‘t’ test was done for intragroup comparison and one-way analysis of variance with a post hoc Tukey test was used for intergroup comparison. The data was obtained at the baseline, end of first month, and end of the third month. The result suggested reduction in gingival inflammation in all the three groups, but it was more in the aloe vera mouthwash and scaling group. Hence, it was concluded that aloe vera had a significant anti-inflammatory property. Thus, it can be used as an adjunct to mechanical therapy for treating plaque-induced gingivitis.
Aerodynamic design on the non-planar rotor system of a multi-rotor flying robot (MFR)

An original multi-rotor flying robot (MFR) with six non-planar coaxial rotor pairs is introduced in this paper, compared with the other small rotorcrafts, the corresponding two adjacent face-to-face (F-F) and the back-to-back (B-B) rotor units are proposed as the research component to study the overall performance of the rotorcraft. The main characteristic of this novel configuration is that the attitude and translation dynamics are totally decoupled. In addition, the aerodynamic interactions of the rotor pair at low Reynolds number (Re) condition are totally new and different from any other MFRs. Indeed, together with the detailed aerodynamic analysis using the Euler-Lagrange method for the rotor system, the simulations in the presence of the much improved performance are performed to validate the aerodynamic models and test the effectiveness of the proposed rotor system. Combined with the benefits of the non-planar rotor pairs, the simulation showed a good aerodynamic performance.
The Viral Polymerase Inhibitor 2′-C-Methylcytidine Inhibits Norwalk Virus Replication and Protects against Norovirus-Induced Diarrhea and Mortality in a Mouse Model

ABSTRACT Human noroviruses are a major cause of food-borne illness, accountable for 50% of all-etiologies outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis (in both developing and developed countries). There is no vaccine or antiviral drug for the prophylaxis or treatment of norovirus-induced gastroenteritis. We recently reported the inhibitory effect of 2′-C-methylcytidine (2CMC), a hepatitis C virus polymerase inhibitor, on the in vitro replication of murine norovirus (MNV). Here we evaluated the inhibitory effect of 2CMC on in vitro human norovirus replication through a Norwalk virus replicon model and in a mouse model by using AG129 mice orally infected with MNV. Survival, weight, and fecal consistency were monitored, and viral loads in stool samples and organs were quantified. Intestines were examined histologically. 2CMC reduced Norwalk virus replicon replication in a dose-dependent manner and was able to clear cells of the replicon. Treatment of MNV-infected AG129 mice with 2CMC (i) prevented norovirus-induced diarrhea; (ii) markedly delayed the appearance of viral RNA and reduced viral RNA titers in the intestine, mesenteric lymph nodes, spleen, lungs, and stool; (iii) completely prevented virus-induced mortality; and (iv) resulted in protective immunity against a rechallenge. We demonstrate for the first time that a small-molecule inhibitor of norovirus replication protects from virus-induced disease and mortality in a relevant animal model. These findings pave the way for the development of potent and safe antivirals as prophylaxis and therapy of norovirus infection.
Parsing Perceptions of Place: Locative and Textual Representations of Place Émilie-Gamelin on Twitter

We increasingly engage in geographies mediated by social media, which is changing how we experience and produce places. This raises questions about how ‘place’ is conceived and received in networked virtual spaces. Place has remained difficult to grasp in both geography and communications studies that utilize social media data. To attend to this, I first develop a conceptual framework that bridges the phenomenology of spatiality with the communication of place. I then present a case study of Place Emilie-Gamelin in Montreal: a plaza located atop the city’s busiest transit hub. Despite its geographic centrality, it is a liminal space appropriated by marginalized groups and contentious political movements. Since 2015, it has been subject to a city-led revitalization program with intentions of attracting party-goers and tourists. Using a communications geography framework, I collected a year’s worth of tweets, first, employing a filter to capture georeferenced tweets in and around the study site, and second, using the site’s toponyms to retrieve tweets through textual queries. To understand these representations, I coded them by relevance, theme and communicative function. Results showed a place evolving in scope, name and meaning, reflecting diverging flows and uses. I found that there were more textual connotations of the study site than there were geotweets, and that the former were more diverse in their representation of place. The thesis demonstrates how promotional content on Twitter should be more critically analyzed in concert with expressive and descriptive tweets and geotweets, and that this implies spatial ontologies and data collection methods that consider a place on social media as a discursive construction. This is especially so since Twitter has become increasingly ‘platial’ through internal changes and its entwinement with other social media platforms: changes which require consideration in all Twitter-based spatial and textual analyses. The study provides an updated perspective on Twitter’s use in the spatial humanities, GIScience and geography and contributes to those interested in applying more nuanced cartographies of places.
Improved Compaction and Packing Properties of Naproxen Agglomerated Crystals Obtained by Spherical Crystallization Technique

Naproxen was crystallized from acetone-water in the presence of different concentrations of hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC). Naproxen particles recrystallized in the presence of HPC exhibited an obvious improvement in their packing, flow, and mechanical properties compared to naproxen recrystallized in the absence of the polymer (control particles). The results showed that the particle size distributions of the treated samples were broader than those obtained when HPC was absent. The agglomerates produced in the presence of 0.25% HPC displayed superior flow characteristics (displaying both a low angle of repose and Carr index) in comparison to samples produced in the presence of other concentrations of HPC. This was attributed to the spherical shape and smooth surface, since the area of contact in the powder bed for spherical agglomerates was smaller than that for other crystal shapes. However it was found that the tensile strength of tablets with the particles isolated in the presence of 1% HPC was increased to a greater extent than tablets produced using the spherical particles. Generally, the tensile strengths of the tablets increased with increasing concentrations of HPC present in the crystallization medium. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray powder diffraction studies showed that naproxen particles, crystallized in the presence of HPC did not undergo structural modifications.
Macroeconomics of Demonetisation: A short period equilibrium

The effects of demonetization in India have been a widely discussed and debated issue ever since 8th November, 2016. This paper wishes to add to that debate by focusing on a proper theoretical understanding of demonetization. In doing so, we construct a couple of models based on the Keynesian-Kaleckian framework. Both these models are based on interest rate targeting which makes money supply endogenous. The first model is an open economy AD-AS model while the second is a dual economy structuralist macro model. Both the models show how demonetisation can produce adverse macroeconomic outcomes.
Normal ADP-Induced Aggregation and Absence of Dissociation of the Membrane GP IIb-IIIa Complex of Intact Rat Platelets Pretreated with EDTA

Summary ADP-induced platelet aggregation requires the presence of external calcium and fibrinogen. When human platelets are incubated for 30 min at 37° C with 5mM EDTA and then resuspended in a calcium containing medium, they lose their ability to bind fibrinogen and to aggregate in response to ADP stimulation. Under these conditions, the effect of EDTA is irreversible and accompanied by dissociation of the glycoprotein (GP) IIb-IIIa complex into its free subunits, GP IIb and GP IIIa. We studied the effect of incubation of intact rat platelets with 5 mM EDTA at 37° C from 30 to 120 min. EDTA treated rat platelets showed normal aggregation in response to 5 εM ADP in the presence of added purified rat fibrinogen and bound 125I-labeled rat fibrinogen at the same rate and magnitude after stimulation with 5 εM ADP as untreated platelets. Control and EDTA treated rat platelets, labeled or not with 125I and solubilized in Triton X-100, had a similar pattern of immunoprecipitates after crossed immunoelectrophoresis (CIE) analysis. The rat GP IIb-IIIa arc was located by incorporation of an 125I-labeled polyclonal anti-human GP IIb-IIIa antibody. In contrast, in experiments using rat platelet lysates, we demonstrated that the rat GP IIb-IIIa is a Ca2+-dependent heterodimer as it was dissociated by EDTA. Using SDS-PAGE and two-dimensional SDS-PAGE, the rat GP IIb-IIIa complex was found to have characteristics similar to the human complex with the exception that the light chain of the rat GP IIb was undetectable after 125I surface labeling. Small structural particularities of rat GP IIb-IIIa might still explain the functional differences observed between intact rat and human platelets treated with EDTA.
Exercise‐induced lipid peroxidation: Implications for deoxyribonucleic acid damage and systemic free radical generation

Exercise‐induced deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage is often associated with an increase in free radicals; however, there is a lack of evidence examining the two in parallel. This study tested the hypothesis that high‐intensity exercise has the ability to produce free radicals that may be capable of causing DNA damage. Twelve apparently healthy male subjects (age: 23 ± 4 years; stature: 181 ± 8 cm; body mass: 80 ± 9 kg; and VO2max: 49 ± 5 ml/kg/min) performed three 5 min consecutive and incremental stages (40, 70, and 100% of VO2max) of aerobic exercise with a 15‐min period separating each stage. Blood was drawn after each bout of exercise for the determination of ex vivo free radicals, DNA damage, protein carbonyls, lipid hydroperoxide (LOOH) concentration, and a range of lipid‐soluble antioxidants. Lipid‐derived oxygen‐centered free radicals (hyperfine coupling constants aNitrogen = 13.7 Gauss (G) and aβHydrogen = 1.8 G) increased as a result of acute moderate and high‐intensity exercise (P < 0.05), while DNA damage was also increased (P < 0.05). Systemic changes were observed in LOOH and for lipid‐soluble antioxidants throughout exercise (P < 0.05); however, there was no observed change in protein carbonyl concentration (P > 0.05). These findings identify lipid‐derived free radical species as possible contributors to peripheral mononuclear cell DNA damage in the human exercising model. This damage occurs in the presence of lipid oxidation but in the absence of any change to protein carbonyl concentration. The significance of these findings may have relevance in terms of immune function, the aging process, and the pathology of carcinogenesis. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 52:35–42, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Alcohol, conscientiousness and event-level condom use.

OBJECTIVES Alcohol impairs judgement and could be causally implicated in sexual risk taking. However, meta-analytic studies do not find an association between alcohol use and unprotected sexual intercourse at the event level, where both behaviours refer to the same point in time. Associations between personality traits and sexual risk taking have been replicated across several studies. Traits may be better conceptualized as independent risk factors, where alcohol use mediates the association between personality and condom use. The objective of our study was to determine the direct and indirect effects connecting big five personality traits with condom use, potentially mediated through alcohol use during the most recent sexual encounter. DESIGN A sample of community-dwelling adults (N= 190) completed measures of big five personality traits and a detailed assessment of event-level sexual behaviour and alcohol use. RESULTS In regression model adjusting for known confounding factors, including oral contraceptive use, partner type, and hazardous drinking patterns, one standard deviation increase in conscientiousness was associated with a 1.14-fold increase in the odds of using a condom with most recent sexual partner (p= .04). Repeating the analysis using zero-inflated regression for estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) values revealed an association between conscientiousness and eBAC (p= .002). There was no association between alcohol and condom use in either analysis. CONCLUSIONS The results illustrate that personality traits are strong independent risk factors for sexual risk taking and eBAC values during sexual events, and both should be incorporated into research designs. Future research should evaluate specific facets of conscientiousness, and whether eBAC mediates the association between personality and condom use in other samples. The possibility of tailoring interventions to personality traits is discussed.
Response of Gut Microbiota to Fasting and Hibernation in Syrian Hamsters

ABSTRACT Although hibernating mammals wake occasionally to eat during torpor, this period represents a state of fasting. Fasting is known to alter the gut microbiota in nonhibernating mammals; therefore, hibernation may also affect the gut microbiota. However, there are few reports of gut microbiota in hibernating mammals. The present study aimed to compare the gut microbiota in hibernating torpid Syrian hamsters with that in active counterparts by using culture-independent analyses. Hamsters were allocated to either torpid, fed active, or fasted active groups. Hibernation was successfully induced by maintaining darkness at 4°C. Flow cytometry analysis of cecal bacteria showed that 96-h fasting reduced the total gut bacteria. This period of fasting also reduced the concentrations of short chain fatty acids in the cecal contents. In contrast, total bacterial numbers and concentrations of short chain fatty acids were unaffected by hibernation. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments indicated that fasting and hibernation modulated the cecal microbiota. Analysis of 16S rRNA clone library and species-specific real-time quantitative PCR showed that the class Clostridia predominated in both active and torpid hamsters and that populations of Akkermansia muciniphila, a mucin degrader, were increased by fasting but not by hibernation. From these results, we conclude that the gut microbiota responds differently to fasting and hibernation in Syrian hamsters.
A Tool for Simple and Efficient Clinical Protocol Evaluation

Researchers need to evaluate newly thought clinical protocols for validity and performance. A main challenge for such evaluations is the lack of real-world data sets due to the private nature of patient information. Researchers resort to synthetic data in order to simulate the real-world counterpart. We present a tool for researchers to increase their confidence in the evaluations they perform by allowing them to run their evaluations on a large number of synthetic data sets efficiently. This tool is used for distributing the evaluation on multiple machines in parallel, hence reducing processing time by the number of machines used, and for monitoring and merging the results. It allows the comparison of multiple algorithms and includes filters based on name length and record field selection to evaluate the effectiveness of algorithms in that regard. It also addresses the firewall limitations of current laboratory infrastructures, especially when security is of key importance.
Fast-SeqSLAM: A fast appearance based place recognition algorithm

Loop closure detection or place recognition is a fundamental problem in robot simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). SeqSLAM is considered to be one of the most successful algorithms for loop closure detection as it has been demonstrated to be able to handle significant environmental condition changes including those due to illumination, weather, and time of the day. However, SeqSLAM relies heavily on exhaustive sequence matching, a computationally expensive process that prevents the algorithm from being used in dealing with large maps. In this paper, we propose Fast-SeqSLAM, an efficient version of SeqSLAM. Fast-SeqSLAM has a much reduced time complexity without degrading the accuracy, and this is achieved by using an approximate nearest neighbor (ANN) algorithm to match the current image with those in the robot map and extending the idea of SeqSLAM to greedily search a sequence of images that best match with the current sequence. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our Fast-SeqSLAM algorithm in appearance based loop closure detection.