Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N(G)-nitro-L-arginine decreases defibrillation-induced free radical generation.

OBJECTIVES to demonstrate that nitric oxide (NO) contributes to free radical generation after epicardial shocks and to determinethe effect of a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, N(G)-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA), on free radical generation. BACKGROUND Free radicals are generated by direct current shocks for defibrillation. NO reacts with the superoxide (O2*-) radical to for peroxynitrite (O = NOO-), which is toxic and initiates additional free radical generation. The contribution of NO to free radical generation after defibrillation is not fully defined. METHODS AND RESULTS Fourteen open chest dogs were studied. In the initial eight dogs, 40 J damped sinusoidal monophasic epicardial shocks was administered. Using electron paramagnetic resonance, we monitored the coronary sinus concentration of ascorbate free radical (Asc*-), a measure of free radical generation (total oxidative flux). Epicardial shocks were repeated after L-NNA, 5 mg/kg IV. In six additional dogs, immunohistochemical staining was done to identify nitrotyrosine, a marker of reactive nitrogen species-mediated injury, in post-shock myocardial tissue. Three of these dogs received L-NNA pre-shock. After the initial 40 J shock, Asc*- rose 39 +/- 2.5% from baseline. After L-NNA infusion, a similar 40 J shock caused Asc*- to increase only 2 +/- 3% form baseline (P < 0.05, post-L-NNA shock versus initial shock). Nitrotyrosine staining was more prominent in control animals than dogs receiving L-NNA, suggesting prevention of O = NOO- formation. CONCLUSION NO contributes to free radical generation and nitrosative injury after epicardial shocks; NOS inhibitors decrease radical generation by inhibiting the production of O = NOO-.
Effect of 1-methylcyclopropene on shelf life, visual quality and nutritional quality of netted melon

The effects of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on shelf life, fruit visual quality and nutritional quality were investigated. Netted melons were treated with air (control) and 0.6 µl l−1 1-MCP at 25 ℃ for 24 h, and then stored at 25 ℃ or 10 ℃ for 10 days. 1-MCP significantly extended the shelf life, inhibited weight loss and delayed firmness decline of melon fruits. Ethylene production was also inhibited and respiration rate was declined. 1-MCP retarded 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) increases and inhibited ACC synthase and ACC oxidase activity. Moreover, 1-MCP treatment reduced the decrease in total soluble solids and titratable acidity, as well as the decrease of the content of sugars (sucrose, fructose and glucose). These results indicated that 1-MCP treatment is a good method to extend melon shelf life and maintain fruit quality, and the combination of 1-MCP and low temperature storage resulted in more acceptable fruit quality.
BAC to the future! or oligonucleotides: a perspective for micro array comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH)

The array CGH technique (Array Comparative Genome Hybridization) has been developed to detect chromosomal copy number changes on a genome-wide and/or high-resolution scale. It is used in human genetics and oncology, with great promise for clinical application. Until recently primarily PCR amplified bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) or cDNAs have been spotted as elements on the array. The large-scale DNA isolations or PCR amplifications of the large-insert clones necessary for manufacturing the arrays are elaborate and time-consuming. Lack of a high-resolution highly sensitive (commercial) alternative has undoubtedly hindered the implementation of array CGH in research and diagnostics. Recently, synthetic oligonucleotides as arrayed elements have been introduced as an alternative substrate for array CGH, both by academic institutions as well as by commercial providers. Oligonucleotide libraries or ready-made arrays can be bought off-the-shelf saving considerable time and efforts. For RNA expression profiling, we have seen a gradual transition from in-house printed cDNA-based expression arrays to oligonucleotide arrays and we expect a similar transition for array CGH. This review compares the different platforms and will attempt to shine a light on the ‘BAC to the future’ of the array CGH technique.
Regenerative effects in the Sit-to-Stand and Stand-to-Sit movement

SUMMARY While Sit-to-Stand and Stand-to-Sit are routine activities and are crucial pre-requisites to walking and running their underlying dynamics are poorly understood. Furthermore, the potential for using these movements to regenerate energy in energy-sensitive devices such as orthoses, prostheses and humanoid robots has never been examined. Insights in this domain can lead to more energy-efficient prosthesis, orthosis and humanoid robot designs. OBJECTIVES: The objectives are two-fold: first, to determine how much energy can be regenerated during standard movements related to transitions between sitting and standing on a scale humanoid model and second, to determine if the chosen actuator could produce better results if the gear ratio were modified. This manuscript's main contribution to the literature is by showing which joint provides the most regenerative effect during transitions between sitting and standing. MODEL DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION: Joint trajectories from existing biomechanics trials of sitting and standing transitions were fed into a 1/10 scale model of a humanoid robot. The robot model, developed in MapleSim, is comprised of standard and off-the-shelf subcomponents, including amplifier, NiMH battery and Robotis Dynamixel RX-28 actuators. RESULTS: Using the RX-28 actuator, the ankle, knee and hip joints all show a degree of regenerative effects, the hip demonstrates the most dramatic levels during the transition from standing to sitting. This contrasts with recent publications which show that the knee has the most important regenerative effects during walking and running. It is also found that for under 3 degree trajectory error the regenerative effect is best for all joints when the gear ratio is increased from the RX-28's 193:1 value to a value of approximately 760:1 for the ankle, 630:1 for the knee and 600:1 for the hip. CONCLUSIONS: During transitions between sitting and standing the greatest potential for regeneration occurs in the hips. Therefore, systems designed to implement regenerative effects between sitting and standing need to include subsystems at the hip for maximum regenerative effects.
Rising IQ Scores: Implications for the Elderly

Data from twenty nations show not a single exception to massive IQ gains over time. The escalation of whatever skills are involved probably began no later than the onset of the industrial revolution. There are national differences, of course. However, over the last 60 years, the most interesting differences are in terms of the kind of IQ test.
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children Adopted From Eastern Europe

OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this investigation were to determine the frequencies of and associations between different neurodevelopmental disorders and to study the potential lasting effects of alcohol on children adopted from eastern Europe. METHODS: In a population-based, prospective, observational, multidisciplinary, cross-sectional, cohort study of 71 children adopted from eastern Europe, children were assessed 5 years after adoption, from pediatric, neuropsychological, and ophthalmologic perspectives. RESULTS: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, that is, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), partial FAS, and alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorders, were identified for 52% of children; FAS was found for 30%, partial FAS for 14%, and alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorders for 9%. Alcohol-related birth defects were found for 11% of children, all of whom also were diagnosed as having FAS. Mental retardation or significant cognitive impairment was found for 23% of children, autism for 9%, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder for 51%, and developmental coordination disorder for 34%. CONCLUSIONS: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and neurodevelopmental disorders were common in this long-term follow-up study of children adopted from orphanages in eastern Europe. Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy has long-lasting adverse effects, causing structural, behavioral, and cognitive damage despite a radically improved environment.
The retreat of glaciers in response to recent climate warming in western China

Abstract Glaciers in China are primarily located in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and surrounding high mountains. The Chinese Glacier Inventory indicates that there are 46 377 glaciers in western China. Meteorological records indicate that air temperature in western China has risen by 0.2˚C per decade since 1951, and 1998 was the warmest year; precipitation in the region increased by 5–10% per decade from 1953 to 1997. Using remote-sensing and Geographic Information System methods, we have monitored the changes in >5000 glaciers over the past 50 years. We conclude that >80% of glaciers in western China have retreated, losing 4.5% of their combined areal coverage, although some glaciers have advanced. In addition, regional differences characterize glacier changes over the past few decades. For example, glaciers in the central and northwestern TP were relatively stable, while glaciers in the mountains surrounding the TP experienced extensive wastage. Mass-balance variations for some glaciers show accelerated ice shrinkage in the last two decades.
Face recognition from multi-pose image sequence

A novel approach to face recognition based on a multi-pose image sequence is presented in this paper. In this approach, faces are represented by their pattern vectors (projections to eigenfaces) in eigenspace. Instead of recognising a face from a single view, a sequence of images showing face movement (from left to the right profile) is used for recognition. Pattern vectors corresponding to multiple poses build a trajectory in eigenspace where each trajectory belongs to one face sequence (profile to profile). In the training phase, sequences of poses construct prototype trajectories, and in recognition phase, an unknown face trajectory is compared with prototypes. New matching models are presented and analysed as well as the influence of some parameters on the recognition ratio.
Corpectomy Versus Laminoplasty for Multilevel Cervical Myelopathy: An Independent Matched-Cohort Analysis

Study Design. Matched patient cohorts using retrospective chart and radiographic review with independent clinical and radiographic follow-up were reviewed. Objective. To compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes of multilevel corpectomy and laminoplasty using an independent matched-cohort analysis. Summary of Background Data. The treatment of choice for multilevel cervical myelopathy remains a matter of investigation. For the decompression of three or more motion segments, multilevel corpectomy and laminoplasty have proven effective while avoiding the pitfalls of laminectomy. Direct clinical comparisons of these two procedures are few in number and are limited by the heterogeneity in their patient groups. Methods. Medical records of all patients treated for multilevel cervical myelopathy with either multilevel corpectomy or laminoplasty between 1994 and 1999 at the Emory Spine Center were reviewed. From a pool of 38 patients meeting stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria, 13 patients who underwent multilevel corpectomy were blindly matched with 13 patients who underwent laminoplasty based on known prognostic criteria. A single physician independently evaluated each patient and their radiographs at their latest follow-up appointment. Results. The cohorts were well matched by age, duration of symptoms, severity of myelopathy (Nurick grade), and preoperative sagittal alignment (C2–C7). Mean operative time, blood loss, and hospital stay were nearly identical. The mean follow-up for multilevel corpectomy and laminoplasty were 49 and 40 months, respectively. Improvement in function averaged 1.6 Nurick grades after laminoplasty and 0.9 grades after multilevel corpectomy (P > 0.05). Subjective improvements in strength, dexterity, sensation, pain, and gait were similar for the two operations. The prevalence of axial discomfort at the latest follow-up was the same for each cohort, but the analgesic requirements tended to be greater for patients who underwent multilevel corpectomy. Sagittal motion from C2 to C7 decreased by 57% after multilevel corpectomy and by 38% after laminoplasty. One complication (C6–C7 herniated nucleus pulposus [HNP] requiring anterior discetomy with fusion) occurred in the laminoplasty group. Multilevel corpectomy complications included progression of myelopathy, nonunion, persistent dysphagia, persistent dysphonia, and subjacent motion segment ankylosis. Conclusions. Both multilevel corpectomy and laminoplasty reliably arrest myelopathic progression in multilevel cervical myelopathy and can lead to significant neurologic recovery and pain reduction in a majority of patients. Surprisingly, the laminoplasty cohort tended to require less pain medication at final follow-up than did the multilevel corpectomy cohort. Given this and the higher prevalence of complications among multilevel corpectomy patients, it is believed that laminoplasty may be the preferred method of treatment for multilevel cervical myelopathy in the absence of preoperative kyphosis.
A bioinformatics system for searching Co-Occurrence based on Co-Operational Formation with Advanced Method (COCOFAM)

Literature analysis is a key step in obtaining background information in biomedical research. However, it is difficult for researchers to obtain knowledge of their interests in an efficient manner because of the massive amount of the published biomedical literature. Therefore, efficient and systematic search strategies are required, which allow ready access to the substantial amount of literature. In this paper, we propose a novel search system, named Co-Occurrence based on Co-Operational Formation with Advanced Method(COCOFAM) which is suitable for the large-scale literature analysis. COCOFAM is based on integrating both Spark for local clusters and a global job scheduler to gather crowdsourced co-occurrence data on global clusters. It will allow users to obtain information of their interests from the substantial amount of literature.
Deep learning-based method for weather forecasting: A case study in Itoshima

Accurate weather forecasting is of paramount importance for a wide range of practical applications, drawing substantial scientific and societal interest. However, the intricacies of weather systems pose substantial challenges to accurate predictions. This research introduces a multilayer perceptron model tailored for weather forecasting in Itoshima, Kyushu, Japan. Our meticulously designed architecture demonstrates superior performance compared to existing models, surpassing benchmarks such as Long Short-Term Memory and Recurrent Neural Networks.
Scattering of Electromagnetic Waves From a Multilayer Elliptic Cylinder Moving in the Axial Direction

A new exact solution to the problem of scattering of electromagnetic waves from multilayer elliptic cylinders moving in the axial direction is proposed. The homogeneous media of the different layers are assumed to be linear and isotropic in their rest frames. All media that are not at rest with respect to the host medium are, moreover, supposed to have an electric conductivity equal to zero (in their rest frames). Starting from the fact that a moving medium can be treated as a stationary bianisotropic one, we deduce the series expansions in terms of Mathieu functions for the electromagnetic fields in the different layers. Then, an efficient recursive procedure for the computation of the solutions is developed. Some numerical results show the reliability of the solution and the efficiency of the recursive procedure proposed.
Advancing Usability Evaluation Through Human Reliability Analysis Human Computer Interaction International 2005

This paper introduces a novel augmentation to the Mohlich and Nielsen’s heuristic usability evaluation methodology. The SPAR-H human reliability analysis method was developed for categorizing human performance in nuclear power plants. Despite the specialized use of SPAR-H for safety critical scenarios, the method also holds promise for use in commercial off-the-shelf software usability evaluations. The SPAR-H method shares task analysis underpinnings with usability approaches to human-computer interaction, and it can be easily adapted to incorporate usability heuristics as performance shaping factors. By assigning probabilistic modifiers to heuristics, it is possible to arrive at the usability error probability (UEP). This UEP is not a literal probability of error but nonetheless provides a quantitative basis to heuristic evaluation. Because HRA provides estimates of human error, it offers a seamless method for prioritizing usability issues, as high error rates typically require more immediate fixes.
Health economic guidelines--similarities, differences and some implications.

OBJECTIVE To classify, summarize, and compare the health economic guidelines (HE) issued in Europe, North America, and Australia to clarify similarities and differences between them. MATERIALS AND METHODS In a literature review HE guidelines were classified according to whether they were 1) formalized, 2) informal, or 3) guidelines for health economic methods. All the guidelines were summarized in a table format according to 15 important methodological aspects. The aspects were compared both within and between the three groups. RESULTS A total of 25 guidelines were identified, seven formalized, eight informal, and 10 guidelines for HE methods. The levels of agreement for methodological aspects within groups were 40% to 100%, 25% to 100% and 30% to 100% for the formalized, informal, and HE guidelines, respectively. The formal guidelines were slightly more homogenous than the other groups. The between-group comparison showed that the guidelines were in agreement for about 75% of methodological aspects. Disagreement between guidelines was found in choice of perspective, resources, and costs that should be included in the analysis, and in methods of evaluating resources used. CONCLUSION A harmonization of methodological requirements and recommendations exists both within and between the guideline groups. This review provides information concerning the core of agreements that have been reached. A number of policy implications for various parties, mainly the pharmaceutical industry, were identified.
Oral Transmission of L-type Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in Primate Model

We report transmission of atypical L-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy to mouse lemurs after oral or intracerebral inoculation with infected bovine brain tissue. After neurologic symptoms appeared, transmissibility of the disease by both inoculation routes was confirmed by detection of disease-associated prion protein in samples of brain tissue.
Pro-Resolving Lipid Mediators (SPMs) and Their Actions in Regulating miRNA in Novel Resolution Circuits in Inflammation

Unresolved inflammation is associated with several widely occurring diseases such as arthritis, periodontal diseases, cancer, and atherosclerosis. Endogenous mechanisms that curtail excessive inflammation and prompt its timely resolution are of considerable interest. In recent years, previously unrecognized chemical mediators derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids were identified that control the acute inflammatory response by activating local resolution programs. Among these are the so-called specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPMs) that include lipoxins (LX), resolvins (Rv), protectins (PD), and maresins (MaR), because they are enzymatically biosynthesized during resolution of self-limited inflammation. They each possess distinct chemical structures and regulate cellular pathways by their ability to activate pro-resolving G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) in a stereospecific manner. For instance, RvD1 controls several miRNAs of interest in self-limited acute inflammation that counter-regulate the mediators and proteins that are involved in inflammation. Here, we overview some of the biosynthesis and mechanisms of SPM actions with focus on the recently reported miR involved in their pro-resolving responses that underscore their beneficial actions in the regulation of acute inflammation and its timely resolution. The elucidation of these mechanisms operating in vivo to keep acute inflammation within physiologic boundaries as well as stimulate resolution have opened resolution pharmacology and many new opportunities to target inflammation-related human pathologies via activating resolution mechanisms.
Distribution and Speciation of Dissolved Iron in Jiaozhou Bay (Yellow Sea, China)

The distribution of total dissolved iron (DFe) and its chemical speciation were studied in vertical profiles of the shallow and semi-closed Jiaozhou Bay (JZB, China) during two contrasting periods: summer (July 19th, 2011) and spring (May 10th, 2012). Samples collected from the surface, middle and bottom layers were analyzed by competitive ligand exchange-adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (CLE-aCSV). The mean DFe concentration during the summer period (median 18.8 nM; average 20.7 nM) was higher than in the spring period (median 12.4 nM; average 16.9 nM), whereas the spatio-temporal variation in spring was larger than in summer. The DFe values showed distinct regional and seasonal differences, ranging from 5.6-107nM in spring period and 13.4-43.4 nM in summer period. In spring, the highest DFe values were observed in the eastern coastal region, especially near an industrial area (up to 107nM), whereas the DFe distribution in summer was relatively even. Due to a tide influence, the vertical variations in the DFe and Lt in both seasons were not significant. On average, the Lt concentration (one class of ligand was estimated in all samples), was higher in spring (35.2±23.4 nM) than in summer (31.1±10.3 nM). A statistically significant correlation was found between Lt and DFe concentrations, it was higher for the summer period than for the spring period. The conditional stability constants (logK') of organic complexes with iron were weaker in spring (11.7±0.3) than in summer (12.3±0.3). The concentrations of Lt were higher in comparison to DFe in all samples: the average [Lt]/[DFe] ratio in the spring and summer samples was 2.4 and 1.5, respectively. Speciation calculations showed that the DFe in the JZB existed predominantly (over 99.99%) in the form of strong organic complexes in both seasons.
Nested identities: national and European identity in Spain

This article focuses on Spain to explain individual variation in the strength of identification with Europe. It relies mainly on statistical analysis of a nationally representative survey conducted in March 2000, but also on historical and newspaper sources. The statistical results support Inglehart's hypotheses about the contribution of high degrees of cognitive mobilization and education to the development of a European identity, but contradict his Postmaterialism thesis. Also, they support Turner's and Tajfel's hypotheses about the role of positive group images in fostering identification with groups. Finally, they show that in Spain regional and national identities are compatible with a European identity. This result is consistent with Calhoun's and Brewer's view of nested group identities who do not see a priori incompatibility between nested identities. Furthermore, it supports the authors' claim that nested identities are potentially compatible, as in Spain, when they are not portrayed and seen as impinging on each other.