Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Paniculacin, a new coumarin derivative from Murraya paniculata

Paniculacin (1), a new coumarin derivative, has been isolated from the ethyl acetate soluble fraction of the ethanolic extract of Murraya paniculata along with umbelliferone, scopoletin, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, trans-cinnamic acid, and β-sitosterol. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral data.
Delayed onset congenital hypothyroidism in a patient with DUOX2 mutations and maternal iodine excess

Congenital hypothyroidism (CH), one of the most common congenital endocrine disorders, causes irreversible intellectual disability in untreated patients. Today, the vast majority of patients receive early diagnosis and treatment in the context of newborn screening for CH, and achieve satisfactory cognitive development. However, a subset of patients with delayed onset are undetectable by newborn screening, and miss benefit from early intervention. Here, we report on a delayed‐onset CH patient that had two contributing factors in the pathogenesis of CH simultaneously, i.e., a genetic defect and iodine excess. The patient was exposed to excessive iodine in utero because her mother consumed massive amounts of seaweed during pregnancy. Surprisingly, the patient had a negative result in newborn screening, but developed overt CH at age 3 months. She received thyroxine supplementation until when normalization of the thyroid function was confirmed at age 3 years (i.e., transient CH). Mutation screening for DUOX2, a causative gene for transient CH, showed biallelic mutations (p.[E327X] + [H678R]). This report provides a new example of environmental modification of phenotypes of CH due to a genetic defect, which can potentially distort screening results. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The effect of using online tutors on the self-efficacy of learners

We conducted a study to evaluate the effect of using software tutors on the self-efficacy of students - in particular, whether the type of activity covered by the software tutor correlated with any improvement in self-efficacy after using the tutor along the levels of Bloom's taxonomy; and whether any differential effects could be observed in the improvement of self-efficacy among the sexes and racial groups. The study was conducted over four semesters using two different software tutors. The collected data was analyzed using paired sample t-test and 2 × 2 ANOVA for three different sets of students - those who used the tutor, those who needed to use the tutor and those who learned one or more concepts by using the tutor. We found that if a significant difference was found among taxonomic levels of self-efficacy after using a software tutor, the improvement was statistically significantly greater on the taxonomic level directly relevant to the topic/activity of the tutor than any other level on Bloom's taxonomy except comprehension. Such a difference was found at least among those who actually learned one or more concepts using the tutor, if not everyone who used the tutor. In most cases, the improvement in self-efficacy resulting from the use of the software tutor was indistinguishable across sexes and racial groups.
Ultrahigh Index and Low-loss Silicon Rich Nitride Thin film for NIR HAMR Optics

Ultrahigh index and low-loss silicon rich nitride (SiN<sub><italic>x</italic></sub>) thin-film material is developed and studied for application in heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) as light delivery system operating in the near infrared (NIR) wavelength range. The film is deposited by low-temperature inductively coupled plasma chemical vapour deposition and developed through the tuning of SiH<sub>4</sub>/N<sub>2</sub>/Ar gases ratio. Film characterization of SiN<sub><italic>x</italic></sub>, including material composition, optical properties, and thermal-optics is presented. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows the spectrum of binding energy and a material composition of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$x = 0.6$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The refractive index of developed film is >3.0 with an optical bandgap around 656 nm according to ellipsometery and photospectrometery measurement. Characterization of ultra-low optical absorption is addressed with the use of ellipsometry and prism coupler waveguide loss measurement and the developed film has an absorption coefficient of about 10<sup>−5</sup> in the NIR. The thermal optic characterization shows a thermal optical coefficient of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2.66 \times 10^{-4}~\text{K}^{-1}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> with a stable optical absorption at temperature up to 200 °C. The use of the developed SiN<sub>x</sub> film for HAMR as high-index contrast nanowaveguide and enabling to integrate III–V semiconductor laser for a fully integrated light delivery system is discussed.
A role for lipoxin A4 as anti‐inflammatory and proresolution mediator in human parturition

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of lipoxin A4, an anti‐inflammatory and proresolution modulator, during human parturition. We measured serum levels of lipoxin A4 and myome‐trial protein release using ELISA, quantified lipoxin receptor (FPR2/ALX) mRNA expression using qRT‐PCR, and localized protein expression using immuno‐histochemstry in myometrial biopsies from pregnant women. In addition, we compared the effects of lipoxin A4 (100 nM) with vehicle on basal and LPS‐stimulated expression of proinflammatory cytokines from samples of myometrium from pregnant women. Mean ± se circulating level of lipoxin A4 was 5.89 ± 0.63 nM at 24‐wk gestation, with a further modest increase during pregnancy (P<0.05), but no differences in gestation matched women before and after labor (P>0.05). Levels of lipoxin A4 in nonpregnant women were 0.48 ± 0.04 nM, significantly lower than in pregnant women (P<0.001). FPR2/ALX localized to myocytes and neutrophils, with a 9‐fold increase in mRNA expression in labor (P<0.001). Lipoxin A4 significantly reduced LPS‐induced but not basal expression of the proinflammatory cytokines IL‐6 and IL‐8 in cultured myometrium (P<0.05), compared to vehicle‐treated controls. We demonstrate for the first time a potential role for lipoxin A4 and its receptor in the resolution of the inflammatory events of both physiological and pathological labor. —Maldonado‐Perez, D. , Golightly, E. , Denison, F. C. , Jabbour, H. N. , Norman, J. E. Arole for lipoxin A4 as anti‐inflammatory and proresolution mediator in human parturition. FASEB J. 25, 569–575 (2011). www.fasebj. org
Prospect and progress of personalized peptide vaccinations for advanced cancers

ABSTRACT Introduction: The field of cancer immunotherapy has made dramatic progress in the past 20 years, in part due to the identification of numerous tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). We have developed a novel immunotherapeutic approach called the personalized peptide vaccine (PPV), in which a maximum of four human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched vaccine peptides are selected based on the pre-existing host immunity before vaccination. Areas covered: This review describes recent progress in the use of PPV for various types of advanced cancer. Expert opinion: Although various approaches for therapeutic cancer immunotherapies, including peptide-based vaccines, have been developed and clinically examined, the diverse and heterogeneous characteristics of tumor cells and host immunity seem to limit their therapeutic efficacy. Selection of suitable peptide vaccines for individual patients based on the pre-existing host immunity before vaccination could resolve this limitation and could be a rational approach for developing effective cancer vaccines.
On the Natural History of Falls in Old Age*

The liability of old people to tumble and often to injure themselves is such a commonplace of experience that it has been tacitly accepted as an inevitable aspect of ageing, and thereby deprived of the exercise of curiosity. The literature, in fact, on what has always been a trial for the elderly and is now becoming a problem for the community is very meagre (Sheldon, 1948; Scott, 1954; Droller, 1955; Hobson and Pemberton, 1955; Howell, 1955; DeLargy, 1958; Boucher, 1959; Exton-Smith, 1959; Fine, 1959), and bears little relation to either the practical importance or the intrinsic interest of the subject. An essential preliminary to further investigation is a knowledge of what actually happens, and the present paper is an attempt to meet that need by an account of the natural history of these falls. The inquiry was directed at old people living at home, since the hospital population of old age has a heavy pathological bias, and, in addition, faces postural risks different from those of the community at large. This paper presents the results of an inquiry into 500 falls which happened to 202 individuals-86 had been brought to the casualty department of the Royal Hospital, Wolverhampton, as the result of a fall, 59 had been admitted with a fractured femur, and the names of 57 were provided by the practitioners of the town. The inquiry was stopped when 500 falls had been described. This number is much less than the total falls sustained by these individuals, and reflects merely the number for which reliable information was available. Of the 168 persons seen at home, 34 were men and 134 women. The age distribution of the 202 was as follows: 50-59, 1 1; 60-4, 16; 65-69, 27; 70-74, 35; 75-79, 39; 80-84, 53; 85+, 21. The frequency of the condition, its association with increasing age, and the ease of obtaining contact with a large number of old people so affected are obvious. It proved surprisingly easy to classify the 500 falls, though the categories are not entirely self-contained. Accidental falls . 171 Drop-attacks 125 Trips . 3 Vertigo 37 Recognizable C.N. S. lesion 27 Head back . 20 Postural hypotension . 18 Weakness in leg . 16 Falling out of bed or chair . 10 Uncertain . 23 The very small number of falls out of bed is remarkable, and is in immediate contrast with their predominant importance in the hospital population of
Maximizing gait and balance: behaviors and decision-making processes of persons with multiple sclerosis and physical therapists

Abstract Purpose: To describe the behavioral decisions used by persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) and physical therapists to maximize gait and balance following outpatient physical therapy. Methods: A multi-method case series with seven matched pairs (persons with MS–physical therapists). Quota sampling maximized variability among persons with MS (disease steps score range 3–6). Three of the four physical therapists were MS or neurology certified. Persons with MS completed a phone survey, follow-up interview, and standardized questionnaires. Physical therapists completed an interview. Data were collected 2–8 weeks following discharge. Content and constant comparison analyses were used for thematic development and triangulation. Results: Core themes arose exemplifying the decision-making processes and actions of persons with MS (challenging self by pushing but respecting limits) and physical therapists (finding the right fit). One overarching theme, keeping their lived world large, or participation in valued life roles, emerged integrating both perspectives driving decision-making. Conclusions: Participants have a shared goal of maximizing gait and balance so persons with MS can participate in valued life roles. Understanding the differences in the behavioral decisions and optimizing skill sets in shared decision-making and self-management may enhance the therapeutic partnership and engagement in gait- and balance-enhancing behaviors. Implications for Rehabilitation Persons with MS and physical therapists have a shared goal of maximizing gait and balance so persons with MS can participate in valued activities and life roles, or more poetically, keep their lived world large. Knowledge that persons with MS aim to challenge themselves by pushing but respecting limits can provide physical therapists with greater insight in helping persons with MS resolve uncertainty, set meaningful goals, and build the routines and resilience needed for engagement in gait- and balance-enhancing behaviors. Enriching skill sets in shared decision-making, behavior change and self-management may optimize the physical therapist toolbox.
Phosphoproteomic analysis of ethylene‐regulated protein phosphorylation in etiolated seedlings of Arabidopsis mutant ein2 using two‐dimensional separations coupled with a hybrid quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer

Ethylene regulates a variety of stress responses and developmental adaptation in plants. In the present study, the phosphoproteomics is adopted to investigate the differential protein phosphorylation by ethylene in Arabidopsis ethylene‐insensitive 2 (ein2) mutant. A total of 224 phosphopeptides were identified, of which 64 phosphopeptides were detected three or more times. Ethylene induces a general reduction in phosphorylated proteins in ein2. Totally, three ethylene‐enhanced and three ethylene‐repressible unique phosphopeptides were identified, respectively. Classification of the cellular functions of these phosphoproteins revealed that 55.5% of them are related to signaling and gene expression. Peptide sequence alignment reveals two highly conserved phosphorylation motifs, PRVD/GSx and SPDYxx. Alignment of these phosphopeptides with Arabidopsis proteins reveals five phosphorylation motifs. Both ethylene‐enhanced and ‐repressible phosphopeptides present in these motifs. EIL‐1, ERF110 transcription factors and Hua enhancer 4 (HEN4) are predicted to contain one of the phosphorylation motifs. The phosphorylation of the motif‐containing peptides has been validated by the in vitro kinase assays coupled with MS analysis. The differential regulation of phosphorylation by ethylene is substantiated by Western dot blot analysis. Taken together, these results suggest that ethylene signals may be transduced by a phosphor‐relay from receptors to transcriptional events via both ein2‐dependent and ‐independent pathways.
Cross-Language Identification of Long-Term Average Speech Spectra in Korean and English: Toward a Better Understanding of the Quantitative Difference Between Two Languages

Objective: To identify the quantitative differences between Korean and English in long-term average speech spectra (LTASS). Design: Twenty Korean speakers, who lived in the capital of Korea and spoke standard Korean as their first language, were compared with 20 native English speakers. For the Korean speakers, a passage from a novel and a passage from a leading newspaper article were chosen. For the English speakers, the Rainbow Passage was used. The speech was digitally recorded using GenRad 1982 Precision Sound Level Meter and GoldWave® software and analyzed using MATLAB® program. Results: There was no significant difference in the LTASS between the Korean subjects reading a news article or a novel. For male subjects, the LTASS of Korean speakers was significantly lower than that of English speakers above 1.6 kHz except at 4 kHz and its difference was more than 5 dB, especially at higher frequencies. For women, the LTASS of Korean speakers showed significantly lower levels at 0.2, 0.5, 1, 1.25, 2, 2.5, 6.3, 8, and 10 kHz, but the differences were less than 5 dB. Compared with English speakers, the LTASS of Korean speakers showed significantly lower levels in frequencies above 2 kHz except at 4 kHz. The difference was less than 5 dB between 2 and 5 kHz but more than 5 dB above 6 kHz. Conclusions: To adjust the formula for fitting hearing aids for Koreans, our results based on the LTASS analysis suggest that one needs to raise the gain in high-frequency regions.
Metabolic rates in small brain nuclei determined by high-resolution PET.

UNLABELLED Identification of small nuclei in the brain by PET has been limited by the spatial resolution of conventional scanners. The new detector technology and advanced signal analysis of a high-resolution research tomograph (HRRT) has improved 3-dimensional spatial resolution to 2.2 mm at sufficient efficiency and permitted the quantification of tracer concentrations in small volumes. METHODS In 9 healthy volunteers, cerebral glucose metabolism was investigated after intravenous injection of 370 MBq of (18)F-FDG, and regional cerebral metabolic rates for glucose (rCMRGlc) were determined in various structures of the brain identified on coregistered MR images using stereotactic and topographic anatomic information. RESULTS rCMRGlc values (in mumol/100 g/min) were higher in the cerebral cortex (33.5 +/- 2.98), the basal ganglia (32.6 +/- 3.04 in the nucleus caudatus and 40.2 +/- 3.50 in the putamen), the thalamus (36.6 +/- 4.72), and the cerebellum (29.8 +/- 2.20) and were lower in the cerebral white matter (12.3 +/- 1.45) than those reported previously with conventional scanners. This resulted in an increased ratio of cortical values to white-matter values. Various nuclei in the basal frontal lobe (21.4 +/- 3.19 in the basal forebrain and 32.3 +/- 2.39 in the nucleus accumbens), the temporal lobe (22.2 +/- 1.74 in the corpus amygdalae), the hippocampus (25.7 +/- 2.11), the diencephalon (23.1 +/- 3.33 in the corpus geniculatum laterale, 20.2 +/- 2.87 in the corpus geniculatum mediale, and 25.2 +/- 3.29 in the nucleus subthalamicus), and the brain stem (24.4 +/- 2.47 in the colliculus superior, 31.4 +/- 3.63 in the colliculus inferior, 31.0 +/- 3.10 in the nucleus ruber, and 22.8 +/- 2.35 in the substantia nigra) could be identified, and the metabolic rate was assessed in these structures. The effect of improved spatial resolution on quantified metabolic rates could directly be demonstrated in a few cases investigated on scanners of different generations. CONCLUSION The improved spatial resolution of the HRRT decreased partial-volume effects in the quantification of metabolic rates in the brain and increased the accuracy of rCMRGlc values in large structures. For the first time, this scanner has permitted the determination of metabolic rates in small nuclei that are involved in various neurodegenerative disorders.
Nuclear translocation of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK1) in response to mitogenic stimulation.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) is a dual-specificity protein kinase that is located primarily in the cellular cytosol, both prior to and upon mitogenic stimulation. The existence of a nuclear export signal in the N-terminal domain of MEK [Fukuda, M. , Gotoh, I. , Gotoh, Y. & Nishida, E. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 20024-20028] suggests that there are circumstances under which MEK enters the nucleus and must be exported. Using mutants of MEK, we show that the deletion of the nuclear export signal sequence from constitutively active MEK caused constitutive localization of MEK in the nucleus of COS7 and HEK-293T cells. However, when the same region was deleted from a catalytically inactive MEK, cytoplasmic localization was observed in resting cells, which turned nuclear upon stimulation. Confocal microscopy of COS7 cells expressing the above mutants showed localization of the active MEK in the nuclear envelope and also in the cell periphery. The differences in cellular localization between the wild-type and mutant MEKs are not due to severe changes in specificity because the recombinant, constitutively active MEK that lacked its N-terminal region exhibited the same substrate specificity as the wild-type MEK, both in vitro and in intact cells. Taken together, our results indicate that upon mitogenic stimulation, MEK, like extracellular signal responsive kinase and p90(RSK), is massively translocated to the nucleus. Rapid export from the nucleus, which is mediated by the nuclear export signal, is probably the cause for the cytoplasmic distribution observed with wild-type MEK.
Expenditure-based segmentation of tourists taking into account unobserved heterogeneity: The case of Venice

Visitors to big tourist cities are very likely heterogeneous and can be classified into different segments, for example, low and high spenders. Previous studies on visitor expenditure-based segmentation seem to have only taken into account observed heterogeneity, usually segmenting tourists based on observed characteristics. In the present study, however, the visitors to Venice, Italy, are segmented with respect to their spending into different groups based on both observed and unobserved heterogeneity using a finite mixture model. The results indicate that the visitors belong to three latent classes with respect to their expenditure. Interestingly, different variables affect expenditure differently depending on the latent class belonging. The overall conclusion is that segmenting tourists into different classes based on unobserved heterogeneity with respect to their spending is preferable and more informative than treating the visitors as one homogeneous group. The approach is also more useful for different types of policymaking.
Anesthesia for bronchoscopy and interventional pulmonology: from moderate sedation to jet ventilation

Purpose of reviewThe field of interventional bronchoscopy has seen an evolving need for different types of anesthesia for various procedures. This review describes recent advances in the field of anesthesiology that have increased the suitability of conscious sedation under monitored anesthesia care or general anesthesia for prolonged and complex interventional bronchoscopic procedures, especially those performed on severely ill patients. Additionally, the pros and cons of performing bronchoscopic procedures in the bronchoscopy suite versus the operating room are analyzed. Recent findingsAlthough conscious sedation is the most commonly used form of anesthesia for simple bronchoscopic procedures, general anesthesia is emerging as a more appropriate technique for newer, more complex interventional bronchoscopic procedures. Large interventional pulmonology departments have state-of-the-art bronchoscopy suites in which both conscious sedation and general anesthesia are used. New advances in the field of anesthesiology such as the laryngeal mask airway, short-acting anesthetics with minimal effect on respiratory function, and mechanical jet ventilators are well suited for interventional bronchoscopic procedures. SummaryInterventional bronchoscopists are encouraged to examine the pros and cons of different types of anesthesia for various bronchoscopic procedures.