Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Colonic elongation inhibits pellet propulsion and migrating motor complexes in the murine large bowel

The colonic migrating motor complex (CMMC) is a rhythmically occurring neurally mediated motor pattern. Although the CMMC spontaneously propagates along an empty colon it is responsible for faecal pellet propulsion in the murine large bowel. Unlike the peristaltic reflex, the CMMC is an ‘all or none’ event that appears to be dependent upon Dogiel Type II/AH neurons for its regenerative slow propagation down the colon. A reduction in the amplitude of CMMCs or an elongated colon have both been thought to underlie slow transit constipation, although whether these phenomena are related has not been considered. In this study we examined the mechanisms by which colonic elongation might affect the CMMC using video imaging of the colon, tension and electrophysiological recordings from the muscle and Ca2+ imaging of myenteric neurons. As faecal pellets were expelled from the murine colon, it shortened by up to ∼29%. Elongation of the colon resulted in a linear reduction in the velocity of a faecal pellet and the amplitude of spontaneous CMMCs. Elongation of the oral end of a colonic segment reduced the amplitude of CMMCs, whereas elongation of the anal end of the colon evoked a premature CMMC, and caused the majority of CMMCs to propagate in an anal to oral direction. Dogiel Type II/AH sensory neurons and most other myenteric neurons responded to oral elongation with reduced amplitude and frequency of spontaneous Ca2+ transients, whereas anal elongation increased their amplitude and frequency in most neurons. The inhibitory effects of colonic elongation were reduced by blocking nitric oxide (NO) production with l‐NA (100 μm) and soluble guanylate cyclase with 1H‐[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3‐a]quinoxalin‐1‐one (ODQ; 10 μm); whereas, l‐arginine (1–2 mm) enhanced the inhibitory effects of colonic elongation. In conclusion, polarized neural reflexes can be triggered by longitudinal stretch. The dominant effect of elongation is to reduce CMMCs primarily by inhibiting Dogiel Type II/AH neurons, thus facilitating colonic accommodation and slow transit.
A Comparison of Self-Selected Walking Speeds and Walking Speed Variability When Data Are Collected During Repeated Discrete Trials and During Continuous Walking.

A typical gait analysis data collection consists of a series of discrete trials, where a participant initiates gait, walks through a motion capture volume, and then terminates gait. This is not a normal 'everyday' gait pattern, yet measurements are considered representative of normal walking. However, walking speed, a global descriptor of gait quality that can affect joint kinematics and kinetics, may be different during discrete trials, compared to continuous walking. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of continuous walking versus discrete trials on walking speed and walking speed variability. Data were collected for 25 healthy young adults performing 2 walking tasks. The first task represented a typical gait data collection session, where subjects completed repeated trials, beginning from a standstill and walking along a 12-m walkway. The second task was continuous walking along a "figure-of-8" circuit, with 1 section containing the same 12-m walkway. Walking speed was significantly higher during the discrete trials compared to the continuous trials (p < .001), but there were no significant differences in walking speed variability between the conditions. The results suggest that choice of gait protocol may affect results where variables are sensitive to walking speed.
Expanding the mouse embryonic stem cell proteome: Combining three proteomic approaches

The current study used three different proteomic strategies, which differed by their extent of intact protein separation, to examine the proteome of a pluripotent mouse embryonic stem cell line, R1. Proteins from whole‐cell lysates were subjected either to 2‐D‐LC, or 1‐DE, or were unfractionated prior to enzymatic digestion and subsequent analysis by MS. The results yielded 1895 identified non‐redundant proteins and, for 128 of these, the specific isoform could be determined based on detection of an isoform‐specific peptide. When compared with two previously published proteomic studies that used the same cell line, the current study reveals 612 new proteins.
Investigation of cold contrast recovery as a function of acquisition and reconstruction parameters for 2D cardiac PET

Cardiac PET imaging differs from oncology PET due to cold area detection and quantitation in the heart as compared to hot spot detection in whole-body FDG imaging for oncology. To assess reconstruction and acquisition settings for cold area imaging, a phantom containing six cold spheres, cold-rod sets and a uniform activity area was imaged on a dedicated PET-CT system using F-18 over a range of scanning conditions, activities and acquisition times. Count levels of 10, 20, 50, 200 and 650M counts were repeatedly acquired over a range of phantom total activity comparable to that which can be encountered in cardiac PET studies. Analysis included calculation of noise equivalent counts (NEC) and analysis of contrast versus background variability for each scan reconstructed with different OSEM iterations and filters and with FBP using various filters. For all count and NEC levels, higher and more consistent cold area contrast recovery was found with FBP reconstruction as compared to OSEM. In general, higher noise was found with FBP as compared to OSEM, but the difference diminished as the total counts increased into the range for cardiac PET. Therefore, FBP reconstruction methods should be considered in place of OSEM for cold feature imaging in cardiac PET
A Posteriori Pareto Front Diversification Using a Copula-Based Estimation of Distribution Algorithm

We propose CEDA, a Copula-based Estimation of Distribution Algorithm, to increase the size, achieve high diversity and convergence of optimal solutions for a multiobjective optimization problem. The algorithm exploits the statistical properties of Copulas to produce new solutions from the existing ones through the estimation of their distribution. CEDA starts by taking initial solutions provided by any MOEA (Multi Objective Evolutionary Algorithm), construct Copulas to estimate their distribution, and uses the constructed Copulas to generate new solutions. This design saves CEDA the need of running an MOEA every time alternative solutions are requested by a Decision Maker when the found solutions are not satisfactory. CEDA was tested on a set of benchmark problems traditionally used by the community, namely UF1, UF2, . , UF10 and CF1, CF2, . , CF10. CEDA used along with SPEA2 and NSGA2 as two examples of MOEA thus resulting in two variants CEDA-SPEA2 and CEDA-NSGA2 and compare them with SPEA2 and NSGA2. The results of The experiments show that, with both variants of CEDA, new solutions can be generated in a significantly smaller without compromising quality compared to those found SPEA2 and NSGA2.
Shadow puppetry

The mapping between 3D body poses and 2D shadows is fundamentally many-to-many and defeats regression methods, even with windowed context. We show how to learn a function between paths in the two systems, resolving ambiguities by integrating information over the entire length of a sequence. The basis of this function is a configural and dynamical manifold that summarizes the target system's behaviour. This manifold can be modeled from data with a hidden Markov model having special topological properties that we obtain via entropy minimization. Inference is then a matter of solving for the geodesic on the manifold that best explains the evidence in the cue sequence. We give a closed-form maximum a posteriori solution for geodesics through the learned density space, thereby obtaining optimal paths over the dynamical manifold. These methods give a completely general way to perform inference over time-series; in vision they support analysis, recognition, classification and synthesis of behaviours in linear time. We demonstrate with a prototype that infers 3D from monocular monochromatic sequences (e.g., back-subtractions), without using any articulatory body model. The framework readily accommodates multiple cameras and other sources of evidence such as optical flow or feature tracking.
Colour Fusion in Face Authentication System Based on Visible and Near Infrared Images

In this paper, face authentication using images taken in visible and near-infrared spectra (NIR) is studied. Visible images are in RGB colour space and near-infrared images are in gray levels colour space. First, the performance of system in each of the primary colour spaces of visible and near-infrared spectrum is evaluated that the verification process is based on the Normalised Correlation measure within the LDA feature space. In order to utilize the information of colour images, the scores associated to an adaptively selected subset of the colour based classifiers are then fused in the decision level. The selection process is based on a sequential search technique called the "plus L and take away R" algorithm. The sum rule and svm rule is used for fusing the related scores. Our extensive experimental studies using the HFB face database demonstrate that using the proposed method, the performance of the system considerably improves as compared to the individual Visible-based or NIR-based face verification systems.
In vitro mutagenesis of the promoter region for a vaccinia virus gene: evidence for tandem early and late regulatory signals

A vaccinia virus gene that is expressed throughout the reproductive cycle was found to have two sets of RNA start sites approximately 55 nucleotides apart. The site nearest to the coding segment is used early in infection and the one further upstream is used after DNA replication. A series of 5' to 3' deletions were made in the promoter region, and the truncated DNA segments were then ligated to the coding portion of the procaryotic chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene to measure expression. The effects of these mutations on chloramphenicol acetyltransferase synthesis were determined in a vaccinia virus helper-dependent transient expression system and by forming infectious vaccinia virus recombinants that contain the chimeric genes. Deletions extending up to 31 nucleotides before the late RNA start site had no effect on either early or late expression. Removal of an additional 15 nucleotides produced a dramatic decrease in late expression but had no effect on early expression. The latter was not diminished until the deletion was extended from 31 to 24 nucleotides before the early RNA start site. These results were confirmed by transcriptional analyses. We concluded that this vaccinia virus gene has two promoters and that the regulatory signals for each are located within 31 nucleotides of their sites of transcription.
Double helicase II (uvrD)-helicase IV (helD) deletion mutants are defective in the recombination pathways of Escherichia coli

The Escherichia coli helD (encoding helicase IV) and uvrD (encoding helicase II) genes have been deleted, independently and in combination, from the chromosome and replaced with genes encoding antibiotic resistance. Each deletion was verified by Southern blots, and the location of each deletion was confirmed by P1-mediated transduction. Cell strains containing the single and double deletions were viable, indicating that helicases II and IV are not essential for viability. Cell strains lacking helicase IV (delta helD) exhibited no increase in sensitivity to UV irradiation but were slightly more resistant to methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) than the isogenic wild-type cell strain. As expected, cell strains containing the helicase II deletion (delta uvrD) were sensitive to both UV irradiation and MMS. The introduction of the helicase IV deletion into a delta uvrD background had essentially no effect on the UV and MMS sensitivity of the cell strains analyzed. The double deletions, however, conferred a Rec- mutant phenotype for conjugational and transductional recombination in both recBC sbcB(C) and recBC sbcA backgrounds. The Rec- mutant phenotype was more profound in the recBC sbcB(C) background than in the recBC sbcA background. The recombination-deficient phenotype indicates the direct involvement of helicase II and/or helicase IV in the RecF pathway [recBC sbcB(C) background] and RecE pathway (recBC sbcA background) of recombination. The modest decrease in the recombination frequency observed in single-deletion mutants in the recBC sbcB(C) background suggests that either helicase is sufficient. In addition, helicase IV has been overexpressed in a tightly regulated system. The data suggest that even modest overexpression of helicase IV is lethal to the cell.
In Vivo Evolution of X4 Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Variants in the Natural Course of Infection Coincides with Decreasing Sensitivity to CXCR4 Antagonists

ABSTRACT CXCR4-using (X4) human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) variants evolve from CCR5-restricted (R5) HIV-1 variants. Early after their first appearance in vivo, X4 HIV-1 variants additionally use CCR5. The ability to use CCR5 in addition to CXCR4 is generally lost late in infection. Here we studied whether this evolution of the coreceptor repertoire is also reflected in a changing sensitivity of X4 variants to CXCR4 antagonists such as peptide T22 and the synthetic compound AMD3100. We observed differences in the concentrations of CXCR4 antagonists needed to suppress replication of X4 HIV variants from different patients. In general, late X4 HIV variants were less sensitive to AMD3100 than were early R5X4 HIV variants. The differences between early R5X4 HIV variants and late X4 variants were less pronounced for T22-mediated inhibition. These results suggest an ongoing evolution of X4 virus variants toward more efficient usage of the cellular entry complex.
Association of Early versus Late Initiation of Dialysis with Mortality: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background/Aims: The association of the timing of dialysis initiation with mortality is controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis to determine the relationship between the risk of death and early initiation of dialysis, when the patient has a greater estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Methods: Prospective and retrospective cohort studies that independently measured the effect of early vs. late initiation of dialysis on risk of death were identified by review of several databases. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated by comparison of the highest and lowest quartiles and combined by a random-effects model. Results: 15 studies (1,285,747 patients) met the inclusion criteria. Summary estimates indicated that early start of dialysis was associated with increased risk of mortality (OR = 1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.18–1.49, p < 0.00001). Subgroup analysis indicated that early starters were 6.61 years older (p < 0.00001) and more likely to have diabetes (OR = 2.23, 95% CI: 1.83–2.71, p < 0.00001) than late starters. Analysis of pooled results of early and late starters indicated that older age (OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.05–1.33, p = 0.006), diabetes (OR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.38–1.87, p < 0.00001), and high comorbidity index score (OR = 2.38, 95% CI: 1.75–3.25, p < 0.00001) were strongly associated with increased risk of death. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis indicates that early initiation of dialysis (at higher eGFR) was associated with an increased risk of death. Older age, greater likelihood of diabetes, and the presence of severe comorbid disease(s) partly explain this effect.
Psychometric evaluation of Turkish version of the Perceived Stress Scale with Turkish college students

Abstract Background: The Turkish version of the Perceived Stress Scale (T-PSS-10) measures the extent to which situations in one’s life are appraised as stressful. Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the measurement structure of T-PSS-10. Method: Two-hundred and thirty-five Turkish university students (93 men and 142 women) completed the T-PSS-10, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the General Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale (GAD-7), and the Inventory of Common Problems (ICP). Results: Confirmatory factor analysis results indicated that a one-factor model did not fit the data, whereas a two-factor correlated model (stress related self-efficacy beliefs, stress related feelings of helplessness) provided a better fit between the model and the data. Significant moderate correlations were found for the stress-related self-efficacy beliefs and stress-related feelings of helplessness factors with depression, anxiety, academic difficulty, relationship problems and health problems. The internal consistency reliability coefficients for the stress-related self-efficacy beliefs and stress-related feelings of helplessness factors were 0.68 and 0.85, respectively. Conclusions: This study provided support for the reliability and validity of T-PSS-10 suggesting that it can be used as a screening instrument by health professionals working with Turkish college students.
Development of anticipatory nausea: a prospective analysis.

The development of anticipatory nausea in cancer chemotherapy typically has been viewed in terms of a respondent learning model. Firm support for this etiological model has been precluded by use of retrospective research designs, however. The present study employed a prospective design to identify patientand treatment-related variables characteristic of patients who subsequently develop anticipatory nausea. Seventy-one chemotherapy outpatients were interviewed before and after each chemotherapy infusion during their first 6 months of treatment. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that patients who developed anticipatory nausea were characterized by more severe posttreatment nausea, more time-consuming treatment infusions, and greater state anxiety relative to patients without anticipatory nausea. In general, results supported a respondent learning conceptualization of the development of anticipatory nausea. Clinical implications of these findings for the prevention of anticipatory nausea are suggested.
Prioritising seascape connectivity in conservation using network analysis

Summary 1.Connectivity is regarded globally as a guiding principle for conservation planning, but due to difficulties in quantifying connectivity empirical data remain scarce. Lack of meaningful connectivity metrics are likely leading to inadequate representation of important biological connections in reserve networks. Identifying patterns in landscape connectivity can, theoretically, improve the design of conservation areas. 2.We used a network model to estimate seascape connectivity for coral reef-associated fishes in a subtropical bay in Australia. The model accounted for two scales of connectivity: i) within mosaics at a local scale and ii) among these mosaics at a regional scale. Connections among mosaics were modelled using estimations of post-larval small and intermediate movement distances represented by home ranges of two fish species. 3.Modelled connectivity patterns were assessed with existing data on fish diversity. For fishes with intermediate home ranges (0 to 6 km), connectivity (quantified by the index Probability of Connectivity (dPC)) explained 51– 60% of species diversity. At smaller home ranges (0 to 1 km) species diversity was associated closely with intra-mosaic connectivity quantified by the index dPCintra. 4.Mosaics and their region-wide connections were ranked for their contribution to overall seascape connectivity, and compared against current positions and boundaries of reserves. Our matching shows that only three of the ten most important mosaics are at least partly encompassed within a reserve, and only a single important regional connection lies within a reserve. 5.Synthesis and applications. Notwithstanding its formal recognition in reserve planning, connectivity is rarely accounted for in practice, mainly because suitable metrics of connectivity are not available in planning phases. Here, we show how a network analysis can be effectively used in conservation planning by identifying biological connectivity inside and outside present reserve networks. Our results demonstrate clearly that connectivity is insufficiently represented within a reserve network. We also provide evidence of key pathways in need of protection to avoid nullifying the benefits of protecting key reefs. The guiding principle of protecting connections among habitats can be achieved more effectively in future, by formally incorporating our findings into the decision framework. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) - Measuring Dielectric Constant of Polluted Soil to Estimate Diesel Oil Content

The paper presents results of experimental study on the possibility of calculating the content of diesel oil in soils from measurements of dielectric permittivity with the TDR technique in a soil-water-air-diesel oil system. Results of calculation were compared with the actual content of diesel oil measured in laboratory conditions. The comparison shows that the content of diesel oil in soils may be precisely determined pn the basid of measurements of dielectric permittivity in contaminated soils.
Clinical Chronopharmacology in the Elderly

The behavior and effects of medications may be modified in the elderly. Factors contributing to such alterations may involve differences in drug pharmacokinetics and response and/or social and economic factors that affect nutrition and compliance to medications. Many studies have been devoted to such factors, but most of them have not taken into account chronopharmacologic data. Indeed, drug‐administration time constitutes an additional factor of variability in drug response in the elderly. Biological rhythm‐dependent differences in the kinetics and dynamics of medications seem to be diminished or altered with aging. Chronopathological (rhythmic aspects of disease) data in the elderly are of particular importance, taking into account frequently associated diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, diabetes, glaucoma, hypertension, and inflammatory conditions, among others. Although some chronobiological data are available, chronopharmacologic phenomena have yet to be extensively investigated in the elderly. Most of the sparse studies concern drug chronokinetics, but the data found in the literature do not reveal a clear trend in the age‐related changes. Chronokinetic variations in the elderly, compared to young adults, suggest an amplification of the administration‐time effects, as demonstrated for digoxin; dampening, as demonstrated for indomethacin; or detection of administration‐time effects only in aged but not in young subjects, as found for others medications. Additional studies are needed to better understand the influence of age on the chronokinetics of medications. Moreover, the literature on possible administration‐time differences in drug dynamics in the elderly is also very sparse. Altered receptor and/or post‐receptor properties and impaired sensitivity of homeostatic mechanisms have yet to be studied from a chronopharmacological point of view. Thus, additional studies are needed to properly understand how drug responses in the elderly may vary in relation to the circadian timing of medications.