Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bone Maturity and Thyroidal Status at Birth: Role of the Ultrasonographic Evaluation of the Distal Femoral Epiphysis

Abstract Purpose: Thyroidal hormones are important for bone development, and ultrasonographic (US) evaluation of the distal femoral epiphysis (DFE) has recently been suggested as a new method for the assessment of skeletal maturity in infants. A delayed bone maturation, expressed by a smaller or absent DFE nucleus (in terms of DFE surface area, sum of the epiphyseal diameters, or DFE height and acetabular size), has been largely demonstrated in diagnosed hypothyroid infants, while no data analyze the role and meaning of the DFE dimensions (in terms of volume) in newborn before knowledge of the congenital neonatal screening results. The aims of the present study were to ultrasonographically evaluate the volume of DFE in newborns, and to determine whether it has any predictive role for the thyroidal status at birth. Materials and Methods: 238 newborns (M/F: 121 /117) were evaluated. The gestational age, body weight and length at birth were registered. Neonatal screening for congenital hypothyroidism (CH), based on TSH levels on blood spot, was performed in all on the 3 rd day of life. The DFE volume was ultrasonographically evaluated, taking into account the three diameters of the DFE nucleus, within 48 hours of birth. Results: No newborn was found to have CH on neonatal screening. The DFE volume ranged between 0.00 cm and 0.61 cm (mean 0.14 ± 0.10 cm, median 0.13 cm). The DFE volume did not differ between males and females, while it was significantly greater in at term babies than in preterm babies. No differences in TSH values at screening were noted among the groups. The DFE volume was significantly related to gestational age, birth weight and length. A significant relationship was found between the DFE volume and TSH concentrations at screening. Conclusion: US evaluation of DFE volume provides a simple method for assessing bone maturity at birth, which is related to gestational age, body weight and length at birth. Nonetheless, it has any predictive role for thyroidal status at birth, being not related to TSH levels on neonatal screening for CH.
Embryo Mortality Around the Period of Maintenance of the Corpus Luteum Causes Alterations to the Ovarian Function of Lactating Dairy Cows1

ABSTRACT Objectives were to identify cows with embryo mortality (EM) around the period of corpus luteum maintenance by interferon tau (IFNT) and to characterize ovarian function in cows that underwent EM. Lactating Holstein cows received artificial insemination (AI) (Day = 0) with semen or extender only. From Day 14 to 42 transrectal ultrasonography was performed daily to monitor ovarian dynamics and uterine contents whereas blood was collected every 48 h to determine ISG15 and MX2 mRNA abundance in blood mononuclear cells (Day 14 to 22 only) and determination of hormone concentrations. Cows were classified in the following reproductive status groups: cyclic (inseminated with extender; n = 15), pregnant (embryo present on Day 42; n = 23), no embryo (n = 23), and EM (n = 14). EM was defined as the presence of an embryo based on interferon-stimulated genes (ISG) mRNA abundance and concentrations of pregnancy-specific protein B (PSPB) above specific cutoff points but no embryo visualized by ultrasonography. Within the EM group, early EM (up to Day 22) was when ISG fold changes were above specific cutoff points from Day 18 to 22 and PSPB below 0.7 ng/ml on and after Day 24, whereas late EM (after Day 22) was when PSPB was above 0.7 ng/ml on or after Day 24 regardless of ISG expression. This experiment provided evidence that the combination of ISG expression patterns and PSPB concentrations is a reasonable method to determine EM around the period of corpus luteum maintenance by IFNT because cows with evidence of EM had patterns of ISG expression more similar to pregnant than cyclic cows or cows with no embryo. Within the EM group, only cows with late EM had delayed luteal regression and longer interovulatory intervals. No major alterations in follicular function were observed after the onset of luteolysis. Our results suggest that embryo development needs to continue beyond 22 days after AI to effectively prevent luteolysis and extend the luteal phase.
The insulin-like growth factor I receptor as a physiologically relevant target of p53 in apoptosis caused by interleukin-3 withdrawal

The wild-type p53 protein is known to modulate apoptosis induced in 32D murine hemopoietic cells by interleukin-3 withdrawal. In 32D cells and in 32D cells constitutively expressing a temperature-sensitive mutant of p53 (32Dtsp53), overexpression of a wild-type (but not a mutant) insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR) protects these cells from apoptosis. A tsp53 in its wild-type conformation causes a decrease in the levels of IGF-IRs, and this decrease is accompanied by increased sensitivity of these cells to apoptosis. However, when the expression of the IGF-IR cDNA is regulated by a viral promoter, IGF-IR levels are not decreased by a wild-type p53, and apoptosis does not occur. These findings show that, in 32Dtsp53 cells, the IGF-IR is a physiologically relevant target of p53 in the process of apoptosis.
Effect of ethanol on psychomotor performance and on risk taking behaviour

Ethanol may increase the willingness to take risks, but this issue remains controversial. We used a risk-taking paradigm in which volunteers answered a series of general knowledge questions with numerical answers and were asked to judge the length of a line that would just fit into a given gap. A maximum score was given for an exactly correct answer. For answers that were less than the correct value, the score was reduced gradually to zero, while answers even slightly over the correct value were penalized considerably. Total points were rewarded by cash payments, so volunteers were taking real risks when making their responses. Performance was assessed in a two-period, double-blind crossover study, comparing ethanol (0.7 g/kg) with placebo in 20 female volunteers aged 19–20 years. Tests were carried out before and at 45 min after dosing. Mean (SD) ethanol blood alcohol concentrations were 65 (10.5) mg/100 ml. Ethanol impaired the skill/ability measure of the length estimation test (SD of difference between length of line and gap), which increased from 5.9 to 6.6 (p < 0.05), indicating a reduced accuracy of estimation. The risk measures in both tasks were not significantly affected. The skill/ability measure in the general knowledge task was not significantly affected. Other performance tests showed that ethanol produced the expected impairment of both speed and accuracy. These results suggest that risk-taking is not increased by ethanol at doses approaching the UK legal limit for driving.
Different Sensitivity of Glucose and Amino Acid Metabolism to Insulin in NIDDM

NIDDM subjects are characterized by impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance with respect to glucose metabolism. To examine whether the defect in glucose utilization extends to amino acid metabolism, 6 NIDDM subjects (64 ± 4 yr of age; ideal body weight of 107 ± 3%) and 7 control subjects (58 ± 4 yr of age; ideal body weight of 105 ± 2%) were studied with the euglycemic insulin clamp technique, in combination with [1-14C]leucine and indirect calorimetry. All subjects participated in two studies. In study 1, after 3 h of tracer equilibration, a 3-h insulin clamp (40 mU · m−2 · min−1) was performed to define the effect of insulin on leucine kinetics and glucose metabolism. In study 2, subjects received a repeat 3-h insulin clamp, and a balanced amino acid solution was infused to increase the plasma amino acid concentrations ∼ 2-fold to examine the effect of combined physiological hyperinsulinemia-hyperaminoacidemia on the rate of leucine and glucose disposal. Insulin-mediated total body glucose uptake was significantly reduced in NIDDM during both study 1 (5.6 ± 0.4 vs. 6.9 ± 0.6 mg · kg−1 · min−1 P < 0.01) and study 2 (5.2 ± 0.4 vs. 6.8 ± 0.6, P < 0.01). Basal plasma leucine (120 ± 10 vs. 123 ± 11 μM) and α-ketoisocaproic acid concentrations (28 ± 3 vs. 25 ± 2 μM) were similar in NIDDM and control subjects, respectively. In contrast, the basal plasma glucose concentration (8.9 ± 0.8 vs. 4.7 ± 0.2 μM) and the HbA1c (8.5 ± 0.2 vs. 5.7 ± 0.2%) were significantly increased in NIDDM (P < 0.01). In the postabsorptive state, endogenous leucine flux, leucine oxidation, and nonoxidative leucine disposal were similar in NIDDM and control subjects. When insulin was infused without amino acids (study 1), the decrement in plasma leucine (53 ± 5 vs. 48 ± 4 μM), endogenous leucine flux (13 ± 2 vs. 11 ± 1 μmol · m−2 · min−1), leucine oxidation (1.6 ± 0.2 vs. 1.3 ± 0.1 μmol · m−2 · min−1), and nonoxidative leucine disposal (10 ± 1 vs. 8 ± 1 μmol · m−2 · min−1) was comparable in both groups. During combined insulin and amino acid infusion (study 2), plasma leucine concentration (185 ± 20 vs. 190 ± 15 μM) rose similarly in NIDDM and control subjects. In NIDDM, the increment in leucine oxidation (9.0 ± 0.7 vs. 8.5 ± 0.6 μmol · m−2 · min−1) and nonoxidative leucine disposal (9.3 ± 0.7 vs. 10.5 ± 0.9 μmol · m−2 · min−1) was similar to that observed in control subjects; the decrement in endogenous leucine flux (22.3 ± 2.1 vs. 20.2 ±1.9 μmol · m−2 · min−1) was comparable in both groups. We conclude that 1) insulin-mediated glucose disposal is significantly impaired in NIDDM and 2) the effect of insulin on endogenous leucine flux (protein degradation), nonoxidative leucine disposal (protein synthesis), and leucine oxidation is similar in NIDDM and control subjects. These results indicate a clear-cut dissociation between the effect of insulin on glucose and protein metabolism in NIDDM.
Analyzing Alloy Constraints using an SMT Solver: A Case Study

This paper describes how Yices, a SAT Modulo theories solver, can be used to analyze the address-book problem expressed in Alloy, a first-order relational logic with transitive closure. Current analysis of Alloy models – as performed by the Alloy Analyzer – is based on SAT solving and thus, is done only with respect to finitized types. Our analysis generalizes this approach by taking advantage of the background theories available in Yices, and avoiding type finitization when possible. Consequently, it is potentially capable of proving that an assertion is a tautology – a capability completely missing from the Alloy Analyzer. This paper also reports on our experimental results that compare the performance of our analysis to that of the Alloy Analyzer for various versions of the address book problem.
Interplay of polarizability and ionicity in IV-VI compounds.

The cubic- to rhombohedral-phase transitions of the IV-VI compounds PbTe, SnTe, and GeTe have been investigated within a diatomic linear-chain model. By scaling the polarizability model parameters with the ionicity as defined by Littlewood, we have calculated the phase diagrams of mixed crystals of ${\mathrm{Sn}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{x}}$${\mathrm{Pb}}_{\mathrm{x}}$Te, ${\mathrm{Pb}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{x}}$${\mathrm{Ge}}_{\mathrm{x}}$Te, and ${\mathrm{Ge}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{x}}$${\mathrm{Sn}}_{\mathrm{x}}$Te as functions of composition x. Good agreement with experimental data could be achieved. For pure GeTe, predictions of the temperature dependence of the soft-mode frequency are made.
Anomeric effect for a 2,5,7-triazabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane derivative.

A new member of the polyazapolycyclic family of compounds, namely N(3),N(6),2,5,7-pentaphenyl-2,5,7-triazabicyclo[2.2. 1]heptane-3,6-diamine xylene solvate, C(34)H(31)N(5). C(8)H(10), was synthesized for the first time and the crystal structure is reported. There are no hydrogen bonds joining the molecules. All four chiral C atoms have the same absolute configurations. With regard to the four N-C-N groups, anomeric effects are observed to cause a reduction of C-N bond length and N-atom pyramidality.
High‐Titer Adenovirus Vector Production in 293S Cell Perfusion Culture

Human 293S cells culture for recombinant adenovirus production is traditionally carried out in batch at a maximum of 6 × 105 cells/mL. A previous report demonstrated that fed‐batch, applied to the adenovirus/293S cells system, improves the volumetric production of viral proteins by increasing the cell density at which cells can be infected, up to 2 × 106 cells/mL, without reducing the per‐cell yield of product. To increase this cell density limit, the adenovirus production was performed in a perfusion system where the cells were separated by means of a tangential flow filtration device. 293S cell growth to 14 × 106 cells/mL was achieved in 10 days, at a medium renewal rate of 1 volume of medium per reactor volume and day (VVD). For adenovirus production, three 293S cell cultures were perfused at 1 VVD in parallel and infected at an average density of 8 × 106 cells/mL. One of the cultures was set at 37 °C and the two others at 35 °C. After a rapid initial cell loss, the average cell density stabilized at 5.75 × 106 cells/mL, 12 h postinfection, which was 8 times higher than the cell density in the batch control. This allowed the production of 3.2 × 109 infectious viral particles/mL (IVP/mL) at 37 °C and 7.8 × 109 IVP/mL at 35 °C, this last result being 5.5 times higher than the control. To our knowledge, this nonconcentrated titer is the highest value that has ever been published for adenovirus vector production. These observations lead to the conclusion that perfusion is an efficient tool to maintain, at high cell density, a specific production rate level sufficient to increase significantly the adenovirus volumetric production. Furthermore, it shows that perfusion at 35 °C can improve viral titer by 2.4‐fold compared to 37 °C, in accordance with a previous study on adenovirus batch production.
Application of response surface methodology to optimise ultrasonic-assisted extraction of four chromones in Radix Saposhnikoviae.

INTRODUCTION Radix Saposhnikoviae is one of the most famous Chinese herbal medicines with many pharmacological activities towards inflammatory symptoms and antioxidation. Chromones are considered as one of the effective components. It is important to find a reasonable method to extract the chromones in S. divaricata. OBJECTIVE To develop an ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) to extract chromones in Radix Saposhnikoviae and to optimise extraction conditions. METHODOLOGY Four chromones (prim-O-glucosylcimifugin, cimifugin, 5-O-methylvisammioside and sec-O-glucosylhamaudol) were extracted by the UAE method combined with response surface methodology (RSM). Box-Behnken design (BBD) was applied to evaluate the effects of three independent variables (ethanol concentration, extraction time and extraction temperature) on the chromones yield of Radix Saposhnikoviae. RESULTS Correlation analysis of the mathematical-regression model indicated that a quadratic polynomial model could be employed to optimise the extraction of chromones by UAE method. The optimal conditions to obtain the highest chromones yield of Radix Saposhnikoviae were a solvent of 75% ethanol, an extraction time of 48 min and an extraction temperature of 67°C. CONCLUSION Under these optimal conditions, the experimental values agreed closely with the predicted values. The analysis of variance indicated a high goodness of model fit and the success of RSM method for optimising chromones extraction in Radix Saposhnikoviae.
A Tabu Search Approach to Polygonal Approximation of Digital Curves

Most of the previous polygonal approximation methods are sub-optimal and their compression ratio with respect to a given error tolerance is not good enough for some applications. Recently, a genetic-based approach which can provide near-optimal solutions is presented, but the demands on computation and memory are too high. In this paper, a new polygonal approximation method using the tabu search technique is presented. The proposed method produces a higher compression ratio than the suboptimal approach and the genetic-based approach, and the computation cost and the memory store are more efficient.
Development of primer sets designed for use with the PCR to amplify conserved genes from filamentous ascomycetes

We constructed nine sets of oligonucleotide primers on the basis of the results of DNA hybridization of cloned genes from Neurospora crassa and Aspergillus nidulans to the genomes of select filamentous ascomycetes and deuteromycetes (with filamentous ascomycete affiliations). Nine sets of primers were designed to amplify segments of DNA that span one or more introns in conserved genes. PCR DNA amplification with the nine primer sets with genomic DNA from ascomycetes, deuteromycetes, basidiomycetes, and plants revealed that five of the primer sets amplified a product only from DNA of the filamentous ascomycetes and deuteromycetes. The five primer sets were constructed from the N. crassa genes for histone 3, histone 4, beta-tubulin, and the plasma membrane ATPase. With these five primer sets, polymorphisms were observed in both the size of and restriction enzyme sites in the amplified products from the filamentous ascomycetes. The primer sets described here may provide useful tools for phylogenetic studies and genome analyses in filamentous ascomycetes and deuteromycetes (with ascomycete affiliations), as well as for the rapid differentiation of fungal species by PCR.
Oxygen-dependent upstream activation sites of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cytochrome c genes are related forms of the same sequence

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the two genes, CYC1 and CYC7, that encode the isoforms of cytochrome c are expressed at different levels. Oxygen regulation is mediated by the expression of the CYP1 gene, and the CYP1 protein interacts with both CYC1 upstream activation sequence 1 (UAS1) and CYC7 UASo. In this study, the homology between the CYP1-binding sites of both genes was investigated. The most noticeable difference between the CYC1 and CYC7 UASs is the presence of GC base pairs at the same positions in a repeated sequence in CYC7 compared with CG base pairs in CYC1. Directed mutagenesis changing these GC residues to CG residues in CYC7 led to CYC1-like expression of CYC7 both in a CYP1 wild-type strain and in a strain carrying the semidominant mutation CYP1-16 which reverses the oxygen-dependent expression of the two genes. Our results strongly support the hypothesis that the CYP1-binding sites in CYC1 and CYC7 are related forms of the same sequence and that the CYP1-16 protein has altered specificity for the variant forms of the consensus sequences in both genes.
Information Extraction based Multiple-Category Document Classification for the Global Legal Information Network

This paper describes a prototype application of an information extraction (IE) based document classification system in the international law domain. IE is used to determine if a set of concepts for a class are present in a document. The syntactic and semantic constraints that must be satisfied to make this determination are derived automatically from a training corpus. A collection of IE systems are arranged in a classification hierarchy and novel documents are guided down the hierarchy based on the results from the previous level. Experimental results for a research prototype are given on a subset of the Global Legal Information Network domain.
CGMAP: a new approach to Network-on-Chip mapping problem

The NoC paradigm is one, if not the only one, fit to enable the integration of an exceedingly large number of computational, logical and storage blocks in a single chip. This paper presents a novel technique called CGMAP, which finds a mapping of the vertices of a task graph to the tiles of a mesh based NoC architecture. The proposed algorithm is basically a genetic algorithm, which takes the advantages of the chaotic systems by using them instead of the random processes in the GA.Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm performs as well as the previously proposed mapping algorithms considering some performance indexes such as hop distance, energy consumption, and latency ratio.
Bioavailability and Risk Assessment of Orally Ingested Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a family of toxicants that are ubiquitous in the environment. These contaminants generate considerable interest, because some of them are highly carcinogenic in laboratory animals and have been implicated in breast, lung, and colon cancers in humans. These chemicals commonly enter the human body through inhalation of cigarette smoke or consumption of contaminated food. Of these two pathways, dietary intake of PAHs constitutes a major source of exposure in humans. Although many reviews and books on PAHs have been published, factors affecting the accumulation of PAHs in the diet, their absorption following ingestion, and strategies to assess risk from exposure to these hydrocarbons following ingestion have received much less attention. This review, therefore, focuses on concentrations of PAHs in widely consumed dietary ingredients along with gastrointestinal absorption rates in humans. Metabolism and bioavailability of PAHs in animal models and the processes, which influence the disposition of these chemicals, are discussed. The utilitarian value of structure and metabolism in predicting PAH toxicity and carcinogenesis is also emphasized. Finally, based on intake, disposition, and tumorigenesis data, the exposure risk to PAHs from diet, and contaminated soil is presented. This information is expected to provide a framework for refinements in risk assessment of PAHs from a multimedia exposure perspective.
Content of delusional thoughts in Alzheimer's disease and assessment of content-specific brain dysfunctions with BEHAVE-AD-FW and SPECT

ABSTRACT Background: A consensus on the brain dysfunction(s) underlying the delusions of Alzheimer's Dementia (AD) remains to be achieved. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that content-based categorization of delusional ideas manifests as dysfunction of category-specific brain regions. Methods: Fifty-nine consecutive first-visit AD outpatients underwent Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), Mini-Mental State Examination, and Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease Frequency-Weighted Severity scale (BEHAVE-AD-FW) to assess cerebral blood flow (CBF), cognitive function, and delusion, respectively. SPECT images were analyzed by SPM5. Results: CBF decreased at the temporal poles and right inferior temporal gyrus in “delusion of theft,” at the temporal poles in “suspiciousness/paranoia,” at the right parahippocampal gyrus and insula in “abandonment,” and at the right amygdala in “Residence is not home. ” Conclusions: Our findings offer a perspective on the discrete categories of the pathological thoughts of AD patients that have previously been lumped together as “delusions. ” Dysfunction of the temporal poles may be associated with a socioemotional deterioration that may include pathological suspiciousness. Delusion of theft may be a manifestation of socioemotional deterioration and poor insight. Emotional factors may be essential for delusions of abandonment and “not home. ”
A monolithic fast-hopping frequency synthesizer for MB-OFDM UWB

This paper presents a 3 GHz to 5 GHz monolithic fast-hopping frequency synthesizer designed in a 0.18 /spl mu/m RF CMOS technology for multiband OFDM (MB-OFDM) ultra-wideband (UWB) application. This synthesizer provides 4 center frequencies. Each center frequency is generated by single-sideband (SSB) mixing of the output frequency from an on-chip phase-locked loop (PLL) and another frequency derived from the PLL. Band switching time of less than 2 ns is realized by using a multiplexer to switch the input signals of a SSB mixer. Operating at a 1.8 V supply, the LO leakage and unwanted sideband suppression for all the center frequencies are better than -40 dBc. Power dissipation is 65 mW and the chip area is 0.9 mm/sup 2/.