Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Features of Resting-State Electroencephalogram Theta Coherence in Somatic Symptom Disorder Compared With Major Depressive Disorder: A Pilot Study

Objective Somatic symptom disorder (SSD) often co-occurs with major depressive disorder (MDD). Both conditions share common psychobiological and biobehavioral characteristics, but little is known about differential patterns in brain function. In this study, we compared resting-state functional brain connectivity between SSD and MDD using quantitative electroencephalography. Methods Fifteen patients with SSD (SSD group), 15 patients with MDD (MDD group), and 15 healthy volunteers (healthy control [HC] group) participated in this study. Participants were assessed with quantitative electroencephalography using a 21-channel electroencephalogram system. Electroencephalogram coherence in the theta frequency range (3.5–7.5 Hz) was assessed between the following seven electrode pairs: Fp1 and Fp2, F7 and T3, F8 and T4, T5 and P3, P4 and T6, P3 and Pz, and Pz and P4. Differences in coherence between groups were analyzed using analysis of variance. Results Theta coherence between the F7 and T3 electrodes was lower in the SSD group than the MDD and HC groups (F(2,42) = 6.67, p = . 0030). Theta coherence between the T5 and P3 electrodes was lower in the SSD and MDD groups than the HC group (F(2,42) = 5.65, p = . 0067). Theta coherence between the Pz and P4 electrodes was lower in the SSD group than the MDD group (F(2,42) = 6.41, p = . 0037). Conclusions Both SSD and MDD patients commonly showed decreased functional connectivity within the left temporoparietal junction, which has neurophysiological implications for cognitive-attentional processing and social interaction. Frontostriatal circuit dysfunction affects processes that control perception and emotion, as well as misperception of somatosensory data in the parietal somatosensory area, and is more likely to be a neuropathology of SSD than MDD.
Extracellular environment modulates the formation and propagation of particular amyloid structures

Amyloidogenic proteins, including prions, assemble into multiple forms of structurally distinct fibres. The [PSI+] prion, endogenous to the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is a dominantly inherited, epigenetic modifier of phenotypes. [PSI+] formation relies on the coexistence of another prion, [RNQ+]. Here, in order to better define the role of amyloid diversity on cellular phenotypes, we investigated how physiological and environmental changes impact the generation and propagation of diverse protein conformations from a single polypeptide. Utilizing the yeast model system, we defined extracellular factors that influence the formation of a spectrum of alternative self‐propagating amyloid structures of the Sup35 protein, called [PSI+] variants. Strikingly, exposure to specific stressful environments dramatically altered the variants of [PSI+] that formed de novo. Additionally, we found that stress also influenced the association between the [PSI+] and [RNQ+] prions in a way that it superceded their typical relationship. Furthermore, changing the growth environment modified both the biochemical properties and [PSI+]‐inducing capabilities of the [RNQ+] template. These data suggest that the cellular environment contributes to both the generation and the selective propagation of specific amyloid structures, providing insight into a key feature that impacts phenotypic diversity in yeast and the cross‐species transmission barriers characteristic of prion diseases.
Taxes and US Oil Production: Evidence from California and the Windfall Profit Tax

The recent boom in US oil production has prompted debates on levying new taxes on oil. This paper uses new well-level production data and price variation from federal oil taxes and price controls to assess how taxes affected production. After-tax price elasticity estimates range between 0.295 (0.038) and 0.371 (0.025). Response along the shut-in margin is minimal. There is no evidence of spatial shifting of production to minimize tax liabilities. Taken together, the results suggest that taxes reduced domestic production in the 1980s, and the response largely came from wells that continued to pump oil, but at a reduced rate. (JEL H25, H32, L71, L78, Q35, Q38)
Accommodation, pupil diameter and myopia

Concurrent measurements of steady‐state accommodation response/stimulus curves and of pupil diameter were made in groups (n = 20) of young, adult myopes [age (mean ± SD) 23.1 ± 4.5 years, mean‐sphere error (MSE) −3.06 ± 2.35 D, range −0.60 to −8.54 D] and emmetropes (mean age 25.3 ± 5.7 years, mean MSE −0.07 ± 0.26 D, range −0.50 to +0.50 D). The aim of this study was to explore the possibilities that pupil diameters with relaxed accommodation were larger, and that accommodative miosis was weaker, in the myopic group. Such behaviour would lead to relatively greater degradation of the retinal images in the myopic group, even though aberrations at constant pupil diameter and dioptric accommodative lags in the two groups were the same: this might result in excessive axial growth and further myopia development. No evidence for any systematic refractive dependence of pupillary characteristics or accommodative responses was found. Interestingly, those subjects whose response/stimulus curves had a higher slope tended to display greater accommodative miosis, irrespective of their refractive error.
Nature's Configuration of Melanoma Colonies in Pulmonary Parenchyma: Historical Lessons

In 1889, the great German pathologist, Julius Conheim, pronounced that necropsy reveals Nature's footsteps in cancer colonization as opposed to animal experimentation. Accordingly, the easily discernible pathways of the highly colonized melanoma are worthy of tracing as regards the configuration of the colonies formed in the lungs. Perhaps, the historical aspects are best evaluated with reports published in the 19th Century Transactions of the Pathological Society of London. The historical lessons from their vivid descriptions are worthy of record selectively.
Persistence of Colonization of Human Colonic Mucosa by a Probiotic Strain, Lactobacillus rhamnosusGG, after Oral Consumption

ABSTRACT Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG is one of the most thoroughly studied probiotic strains. Its advantages in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders are well documented. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate with colonic biopsies the attachment of strain GG to human intestinal mucosae and the persistence of the attachment after discontinuation of GG administration. A whey drink fermented with strain GG was fed to human volunteers for 12 days. Fecal samples were collected before, during, and after consumption. L. rhamnosus GG-like colonies were detected in both fecal and colonic biopsy samples. Strain GG was identified by its characteristic colony morphology, a lactose fermentation test, and PCR. This study showed that strain GG was able to attach in vivo to colonic mucosae and, although the attachment was temporary, to remain for more than a week after discontinuation of GG administration. The results demonstrate that the study of fecal samples alone is not sufficient in evaluating colonization by a probiotic strain.
Functional disability due to back pain. A population-based study indicating the importance of socioeconomic factors.

Using national survey data, we examined correlates of disability due to low back pain in 1,516 persons who had back pain. Greater education level correlated significantly (P less than 0.001) with fewer disability days (i.e., days of activity limitation, absence from work, confinement to bed, or reduced housework), even after controlling for severity, sciatica, occupation, and age. Findings in men differed from those in women; education level was a strong correlate for men only. For work absenteeism, low income was a stronger correlate than education. These data support the importance of social factors in the prognosis of some musculoskeletal diseases.
Carbohydrate-binding modules promote the enzymatic deconstruction of intact plant cell walls by targeting and proximity effects

Cell wall degrading enzymes have a complex molecular architecture consisting of catalytic modules and noncatalytic carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs). The function of CBMs in cell wall degrading processes is poorly understood. Here, we have evaluated the potential enzyme-targeting function of CBMs in the context of intact primary and secondary cell wall deconstruction. The capacity of a pectate lyase to degrade pectic homogalacturonan in primary cell walls was potentiated by cellulose-directed CBMs but not by xylan-directed CBMs. Conversely, the arabinofuranosidase-mediated removal of side chains from arabinoxylan in xylan-rich and cellulose-poor wheat grain endosperm cell walls was enhanced by a xylan-binding CBM but less so by a crystalline cellulose-specific module. The capacity of xylanases to degrade xylan in secondary cell walls was potentiated by both xylan- and cellulose-directed CBMs. These studies demonstrate that CBMs can potentiate the action of a cognate catalytic module toward polysaccharides in intact cell walls through the recognition of nonsubstrate polysaccharides. The targeting actions of CBMs therefore have strong proximity effects within cell wall structures, explaining why cellulose-directed CBMs are appended to many noncellulase cell wall hydrolases.
Gastric tonometry and enteral nutrition: a possible conflict in critical care nursing practice.

BACKGROUND Gastric tonometry is used to assess gastrointestinal mucosal perfusion in critically ill patients. However, enteral feeding is withheld during monitoring with gastric tonometry because enteral feeding is thought to influence tonometric measurements. OBJECTIVES To examine the effect of enteral feeding on the tonometric measurement of gastric mucosal carbon dioxide. METHODS Gastric tonometers were placed in 20 critically ill patients, and the PCO2 of the gastric mucosa was measured in both the full and the empty stomach during a 48-hour period. RESULTS The PCO2 measured by the tonometer increased after enteral feeding, and a significant difference in the PCO2 of the full versus the empty stomach was evident at 24 and 48 hours. PCO2 at 4, 24, and 48 hours differed significantly in the full stomach and in the empty stomach. However, the data did not reveal a significant difference in either the full stomach or the empty stomach between PCO2 at 24 hours and PCO2 at 48 hours. CONCLUSION After 24 hours of feeding, the initial increase in PCO2 observed at 4 hours was not evident, suggesting stabilization of the intragastric environment. However, a higher PCO2 was evident in the empty stomach, indicating that the presence of the feeding solution may reduce the diffusion of carbon dioxide into the tonometer balloon. Consequently, measurements of intragastric PCO2 obtained after 24 hours of feeding may be reliable if the stomach is emptied by aspiration via the tonometer immediately before measurement.
Determination of central blood pressure by a noninvasive method (brachial BP and QKD interval)

Background: The measurement of central blood pressure (BPc) has become a matter of importance. Several therapeutic trials have noted a different protective effect against cardiovascular complications with different antihypertensive strategies, but an identical decrease in brachial BP (BPb). A possible explanation lies in the different effects of the treatments on BPc. We propose a new noninvasive method for the automatic measurement of BPc based on the QKD interval, an arterial stiffness marker. Materials and methods: This study was carried out on patients referred for cardiac catheterization. We simultaneously measured the central SBP (SBPc) invasively with a pigtail probe, and the BPb by a cuff coupled with recording of the QKD interval. Two cohorts were studied, one to define an algorithm of SBPc estimation and one to validate this algorithm. Results: The first cohort included 65 patients. We performed 136 simultaneous measurements. In the multivariate analysis, four variables were significantly correlated with SBPc: mean BPb (mBPb), QKD, height and heart rate (HR) with the following regression equation: SBP = 105 + 1.29 × mBPb − 0.39 × HR − 0.30 × height − 0.11 × QKD This equation estimated 81% of the variance of the invasive SBPc ± 13 mmHg. This algorithm was then tested in another cohort of 80 patients. Difference between measured and estimated SBPc was 2 ± 14 mmHg. Conclusion: This study showed that it is possible to estimate SBPc by simultaneous measurement of QKD and BPb. If further studies confirm these results, a noninvasive ambulatory method of monitoring of SBPc could be employed in clinical practice.
Time-interleaved single-slope ADC using counter-based time-to-digital converter

In this paper, a time-domain analog-to-digital converter (ADC) using time-to-digital converter (TDC) is presented. The use of TDC in ADCs is a promising technique for future scaled CMOS processes, as it relies on time-resolution rather than voltage resolution. In the proposed ADC, a single-slope capacitor-discharge method is employed to convert input voltage into time, which relaxes the time-domain linearity requirement of comparator. In addition, time-interleaving is employed to increase the time resolution. Lastly, a shared counter-based TDC is used for compact and simple time quantization. Simulation results in 0. 25μm CMOS shows the feasibility of the proposed architecture.
The role of calpains in traumatic brain injury

Abstract Aim: This article attempts to provide a framework that will help to illustrate the roles of calpains in the process of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Method: This review provides meaningful points about the essential role of calpains in the neuropathological changes that follow TBI, identifies useful biomarkers of calpain activation and states the important roles of calpain in the treatment of TBI. Results: Neuronal calpains can be activated within hours or even minutes following contusive or diffuse brain trauma in animals. It has been suggested that they are early mediators of neuronal damage. Trauma can produce sustained calpain activation. In turn, this may result in axonal degeneration and neuronal death in models of TBI. Calpains can cleave cytoskeletal proteins into stable proteolytic fragments that have been widely used as biomarkers of the activation of calpain. The inhibition of calpains can reduce the functional and behavioural deficits by ameliorating axonal pathology and reducing cell deaths in animal models of TBI. Conclusion: This review concentrates on the current understanding of the role of calpains in neuropathology that has been induced by TBI and the significance of calpains as a therapeutic target for the treatment of primary and secondary injuries that are associated with brain trauma.
Transcription of Alu DNA elements in blood cells of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD)

Alu DNA elements were long considered to be of no biological significance and thus have been only poorly defined. However, in the past Alu DNA elements with well-defined nucleotide sequences have been suspected to contribute to disease, but the role of Alu DNA element transcripts has rarely been investigated. For the first time, we determined in a real-time approach Alu DNA element transcription in buffy coat cells isolated from the blood of humans suffering from sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. The reverse transcribed Alu transcripts were amplified and their cDNA sequences were aligned to genomic regions best fitted to database genomic Alu DNA element sequences deposited in the UCSC and NCBI data bases. Our cloned Alu RNA/cDNA sequences were widely distributed in the human genome and preferably belonged to the “young” Alu Y family. We also observed that some RNA/cDNA clones could be aligned to several chromosomes because of the same degree of identity and score to resident genomic Alu DNA elements. These elements, called paralogues, have purportedly been recently generated by retrotransposition. Along with cases of sCJD we also included cases of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Each group revealed a divergent pattern of transcribed Alu elements. Chromosome 2 was the most preferred site in sCJD cases, besides chromosome 17; in AD cases chromosome 11 was overrepresented whereas chromosomes 2, 3 and 17 were preferred active Alu loci in controls. Chromosomes 2, 12 and 17 gave rise to Alu transcripts in dementia cases. The detection of putative Alu paralogues widely differed depending on the disease. A detailed data search revealed that some cloned Alu transcripts originated from RNA polymerase III transcription since the genomic sites of their Alu elements were found between genes. Other Alu DNA elements could be located close to or within coding regions of genes. In general, our observations suggest that identification and genomic localization of active Alu DNA elements could be further developed as a surrogate marker for differential gene expression in disease. A sufficient number of cases are necessary for statistical significance before Alu DNA elements can be considered useful to differentiate neurodegenerative diseases from controls.
Income Support and Social Services for Low-Income People in Washington

The state reports describe the safety net and health care programs in place for low-income people on the eve of welfare reform. The reports also analyze the particular circumstances that are shaping the state's response to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). The state reports are based on case studies in the respective state.
Prevalence of Stroke and Associated Risk Factors in Sleman District of Yogyakarta Special Region, Indonesia

Background Stroke remains one of the most common noncommunicable diseases among Indonesian populations. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of stroke and its associated risk factors in the Sleman District of Yogyakarta Special Region, Indonesia. Method This study was a secondary analysis of community-based data collected by the Sleman Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) in 2016. Basic demographic and socioeconomic data were collected. Additional questions about history of stroke and other chronic diseases were interviewed as a self-reported diagnosis. History of hormonal contraceptives use and dietary patterns were also collected. We examined the association between the prevalence of stroke and risk factors, namely, age, gender, self-reported history of chronic diseases, hormonal contraceptives use, and high-risk dietary patterns. Results The survey included 4,996 households composed of 20,465 individuals. Data regarding stroke incidents were available from 13,605 subjects aged ≥20 years old. Among them, a total of 4,884 subjects also have data regarding stroke risk factors. The overall prevalence of stroke in Sleman District was 1.4% (0.5% men and 0.90% women). The prevalence increased with additional decades of age (p<0.001). In a multivariable model, increasing age, self-reported history of hypertension (OR=8.37, 95%CI: 4.76 to 14.69), and self-reported history of diabetes mellitus (OR=2.87, 95%CI: 1.54 to 5.35) were significantly associated with stroke. Conclusions A community-based survey in Indonesia showed a high prevalence of stroke which was associated with increasing age, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. These findings suggest that preventive actions against the aforementioned modifiable risk factors should be prioritized.
The distribution of Helix pomatia lectin receptors on mouse lymphoid cells and other tissues

The distribution of receptors for the Helix pomatia lectin on mouse lymphoid cells and other tissues was investigated. Using a sensitive resetting assay combined with immunofluorescence, lectin receptors were found on the membrane of approximately 90% of peripheral T lymphocytes, 75% of thymocytes, 30% of bone marrow cells, 20% of nude spleen cells, 15–50% of peritoneal exudate macrophages, and a subpopulation of peritoneal exudate mast cells. The Thy‐1‐positive nude spleen cells were predominantly Helix lectin receptor‐negative. Approximately 5% of B lymphocytes were weakly positive, and neutrophils were negative. Receptors were present also on a subpopulation of cells of a fibroblast cell line and in acetone powder from the liver and, at a lower level, from the kidney and brain. Membrane receptors on all cell types were partially detectable without neuraminidase treatment of the cells. Two methods of fractionating Helix lextin‐positive cells were employed, which gave significantly different results. By rosetting and depletion using density fractionation, T cell mitogen responses were abolished, while B cell mitogen responses, T cell cytotoxicity, and natural killer cytotoxicity were only slightly affected, if at all. Helix lectinagarose column fractionation seemed more sensitive, in that essentially all natural killer cells bound to the column, as well as a considerable number of B lymphocytes. Cytotoxic T cells were heterogeneous: roughly half were not bound, but the remainder were bound and eluted.
Population genomics: From classical statistics to supervised learning

It is essential to understand how the patterns of genetic variation in organisms have been shaped by different evolutionary forces, such as mutation, natural selection, genetic drift, population structure, and population size change. In recent years, with the rapid innovation of next-generation sequencing technology, we are facing the new era of population genomics. The relevant population genomics methods can be classified as classical statistics and supervised learning. The classical statistics methods include many popular ones for detecting natural selection and inferring the parameters of demography, which are based on single or multiple combined statistics. The supervised learning methods may promise a new paradigm to make sense of large datasets in the genomic era. Here a brief introduction was first given on the important theory in population genomics. Then we overviewed the recent research progress in population genomics and shared our perspectives on its future development.