Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Homocysteine, Cystathionine, Methylmalonic Acid and B-Vitamins in Patients with Renal Disease

Abstract Moderate hyperhomocysteinemia is very frequent in renal patients. Aside from homocysteine (HCY) itself, the metabolites methylmalonic acid (MMA) and cystathionine (CYS) supply further information about disturbances in HCY metabolism. In two groups of renal patients, transplant and hemodialysis patients, we measured HCY, MMA and CYS and evaluated their diagnostic value for impaired HCY metabolism due to vitamin deficiency and renal insufficiency. We investigated serum samples from 63 transplant patients and 38 patients undergoing hemodialysis. HCY, MMA and CYS were assayed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, vitamin B6 by HPLC, B12 and folate by chemiluminescence immunoassay. The determination of HCY, MMA, and CYS in renal patients provides specific information about intracellular disturbances of HCY metabolism. The frequency of increased metabolite levels in renal patients was much higher than the frequency of lowered vitamin concentrations in serum. Furthermore, the metabolite levels in transplant patients were only moderately increased, whereas they were strongly increased in patients on hemodialysis (HCY 19.2 vs. 28.8 μmol/l, MMA 292 vs. 1025 nmol/l, CYS 733 vs. 2711 nmol/l). Our findings may support the use of MMA determination in the diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency in renal patients. Compared to vitamin B12 deficiency, renal dysfunction itself appears to cause only a modest elevation in serum MMA. Regression analysis revealed that the moderate elevation of HCY and CYS in transplant patients is mainly a consequence of impaired remethylation of HCY to methionine with activated transsulfuration, whereas the mildly elevated MMA level is attributable to renal dysfunction. In patients on hemodialysis, all three metabolites were markedly elevated, indicating a strongly disturbed HCY metabolism. Based on a backward regression, we discovered that the HCY metabolism was strongly disturbed by renal insufficiency and vitamin deficiency. The markedly elevated HCY level was mainly attributable to functional vitamin B12 deficiency indicated by high MMA, and the strong CYS elevation was due to renal dysfunction and inhibition of this pathway by low levels of vitamin B6. In conclusion, besides HCY, the determination of MMA and CYS levels supports an early diagnosis of B-vitamin deficiency in renal patients. MMA is a more sensitive indicator of intracellular vitamin B12 deficiency than vitamin B12 in serum.
Advantages of a TDMA based, energy-efficient, self-organizing MAC protocol for WSNs

The paper presents EMACs, a medium access protocol especially designed for wireless sensor networks. The medium access protocol consists of a fully distributed and self-organizing TDMA scheme, in which each active node periodically listens to the channel and broadcasts a short control message. This control message is needed for medium access operation and is also used to piggy back various types of information at low energy costs. Information in the control message is used to create a maximal independent set of nodes. This set of nodes creates a connected network and nodes in the set are active, while other nodes are passive and save energy by exploiting the infrastructure created by the connected network. The presented approach is compared in simulation with the SMAC protocol (a medium access protocol with coordinated adaptive sleeping) in a realistic multi-hop network setup where sensor readings are transported to a specific node and routes are established using the dynamic source routing protocol. The EMACs protocol is able to extend the network lifetime by 30% to 55% compared to SMAC in a static network topology, and in a dynamic network topology, EMACs prolongs the network lifetime by a factor of 2.9 to 4.2.
SYNTHESIS AND PHOTOCYTOTOXICITY OF SOME NEW SUBSTITUTED PHTHALOCYANINES

Abstract Some new, ring‐substituted phthalocyanines have been synthesized and underwent preliminary testing for photodynamic activity using the colony forming ability of Chinese hamster cells in culture as an endpoint. Using 4‐(3‐N, N‐diethylaminopropyl)phthalonitrile as a precursor, the previously unknown metal‐free 2,9,16,23‐tetra‐(3‐N, N‐diethylaminopropyl)phthalocyanine was prepared and converted to its zinc (II) and its cationic water‐soluble 2,9,16,23‐tetramethylammonium zinc (II) iodide derivatives. Other new phthalocyanine derivatives tested, include a 2,9,16,23‐tetra(2‐hydroxymethyl‐2‐methyIbutoxy)phthalocyaninato zinc (II) and 2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24‐octahydroxyphthalocyaninato zinc (II) derivatives. Boron tribromide cleavage of the newly prepared and fully characterized 2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24‐octamethoxyphthalocyanine gave the unstable metal‐free octahydroxyphthalocy‐anine, which could only be characterized by ultraviolet‐visible, NMR and IR spectroscopy.
Wideband diversity in multipath channels with nonuniform power dispersion profiles

The focus of this paper is to derive the symbol error probability (SEP) of a Rake receiver with a limited number of fingers that track the strongest multipath components in a frequency-selective Rayleigh fading channel. We develop an analytical framework that allows the computation of the SEP for nonuniform power dispersion profiles (PDPs) and spreading bandwidth. By transforming the physical Rake receiver with correlated ordered paths into the domain of a 'virtual Rake" receiver with conditionally independent virtual paths, analytical expressions for the SEP are derived in terms of the spreading bandwidth, the channel profile, and the number of combined paths. We show how our analytical results can be used to predict the performance of various Rake architectures in environments with nonuniform PDPs using for example, the channel models defined for the next generation wireless standards. Furthermore, we validate our methodology by comparison to data obtained from channel measurements, showing good agreement with our analytically derived results.
OAP: An obstruction-aware cache management policy for STT-RAM last-level caches

Emerging memory technologies are explored as potential alternatives to traditional SRAM/DRAM-based memory architecture in future microprocessor designs. Among various emerging memory technologies, Spin-Torque Transfer RAM (STT-RAM) has the benefits of fast read latency, low leakage power, and high density, and therefore has been investigated as a promising candidate for last-level cache (LLC)1. One of the major disadvantages for STT-RAM is the latency and energy overhead associated with the write operations. In particular, a long-latency write operation to STT-RAM cache may obstruct other cache accesses and result in severe performance degradation. Consequently, mitigation techniques to minimize the write overhead are required in order to successfully adopt this new technology for cache design. In this paper, we propose an obstruction-aware cache management policy called OAP. OAP monitors the cache to periodically detect LLC-obstruction processes, and manage the cache accesses from different processes. The experimental results on a 4-core architecture with an 8MB STT-RAM L3 cache shows that the performance can be improved by 14% on average and up to 42%, with a reduction of energy consumption by 64%2.
Deficit of the graphemic buffer: Effects of a written lexical segmentation strategy

In this study, we describe a treatment applied to a patient (AM) who presented, among other language deficits, a severe alteration of the graphemic buffer. Inspired by the rare studies devoted to the re-education of this component, the aim of the therapy was not to restore the general functioning of this short-term memory store but to compensate its dysfunction by teaching the patient to divide long words into meaningful sub-segments. Due to the acoustico-phonological deficits presented by our patient, this strategy was centred on lexical written segmentation. We discuss our results with reference to the interpretation formulated by Aliminosa and co-workers (1993) in a recent paper ''Remediation of acquired dysgraphia as a technique for testing interpretations of deficits''.
A Culture of Servitude: The Impact of Tourism and Development on South Carolina's Coast

Tourism has become the primary industry of the Low Country of South Carolina. In response, the economic, social, and cultural fabric of the area has changed to accommodate this industry. Using interviews and observations, this study examined issues concerning host-guest interactions from a political ecological perspective. Overall, especially for the local African American residents, tourism has created in effect a "culture of servitude. " Proposals to help alleviate these negative impacts are suggested.
Localization of prostate cancer by contrast-ultrasound diffusion imaging

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Exploring music practice among sixth-grade band and orchestra students

The purpose of this study was to describe the practice motivation and regulation of sixth-grade instrumentalists (11–12 years of age). A sample of 224 US band and orchestra students, representing 85 elementary schools, completed a 36-item practice inventory and produced two narratives depicting a typical practice session and a practice episode involving a difficult piece of music. Factor analysis of practice inventory responses demonstrated that motivation and self-regulation are distinct dimensions of music practice. While orchestra students reported significantly higher levels of practice motivation, there were no significant differences between band and orchestra students' self-reports for frequency of practice, amount of practice, or practice regulation. Practice motivation and regulation were associated with the quality of home environment in which students typically practice. Written narratives revealed that some students employ a range of practice and regulatory strategies, while others follow practice routines that cannot be considered strategic. Practice motivation was reflected in student comments about personal interest, effort, and emotional responses experienced while practicing.
Penile Tumescence and Perceptual Responses to Rape as a Function of Victim's Perceived Reactions1

Seventy-five male students participated in an experiment designed to address two interrelated issues. The first concerned conflicting findings regarding nondeviants' sexual responsiveness to rape depictions. In the present experiment, a rape portrayal in which the assailant perceived that the victim became sexually aroused was found to result in high sexual arousal (as indicated by penile tumescence) in comparison to a rape emphasizing the victim's abhorrence of the assault. These differences would appear to successfully reconcile earlier conflicting data. In addressing the second issue, it was found that exposures that portrayed rape in a relatively negative or “positive” manner affected subsequent reactions to rape. More specifically, sexual responsiveness to rape was inhibited following an earlier exposure to a depiction emphasizing a rape victim's abhorrence, while undesirable cognitive-perceptual changes occurred as a result of exposure to a rape depiction portraying the victim as sexually aroused. Further, self-reported possibility of engaging in rape was found to correlate with callous attitudes to rape and with selfreported sexual arousal to violent sexuality in a predicted pattern.
Pharmacogenomics of statin response

Purpose of review Although statin therapy has been shown to reduce substantially the risk for cardiovascular disease in multiple patient subgroups, there is wide inter-individual variation in statin efficacy, in terms of both plasma lipoprotein response and clinical outcome. Recent findings A number of studies have reported that polymorphisms in genes affecting statin pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics are associated with measures of statin efficacy, but the magnitude of variation in statin response that could be explained by these associations is small. Genome-wide association studies may yield a more comprehensive set of markers for predicting statin efficacy and muscle toxicity. For the results of these analyses to have clinical value, however, there remains a need to replicate findings in multiple populations, to connect effects on LDL and other biomarkers with clinical outcomes, and to determine whether the associations apply to each individual statin. Summary Satisfying these requirements for clinical applicability will be challenging, but discovery of specific genotypes that influence statin efficacy and characterization of their functional effects in cellular or animal model systems may enhance our understanding of determinants of cardiovascular disease risk. They may also allow us to identify pathways that may be targeted to yield effective prevention and treatment.
Relationship between GF(2^m) Montgomery and Shifted Polynomial Basis Multiplication Algorithms

Applying the matrix-vector product idea of the Mastrovito multiplier to the GF(2m) Montgomery multiplication algorithm, we present a new parallel multiplier for irreducible trinomials. This multiplier and the corresponding shifted polynomial basis (SPB) multiplier have the same circuit structure for the same set of parameters. Furthermore, by establishing isomorphisms between the Montgomery and the SPB constructions of GF(2m), we show that the Montgomery algorithm can be used to perform the SPB multiplication without any changes and vice versa
Peripherally Induced Tregs – Role in Immune Homeostasis and Autoimmunity

Thymically derived Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (tTregs) constitute a unique T cell lineage that is essential for maintaining immune tolerance to self and immune homeostasis. However, Foxp3 can also be turned on in conventional T cells as a consequence of antigen exposure in the periphery, under both non-inflammatory and inflammatory conditions. These so-called peripheral Tregs (pTregs) participate in the control of immunity at sites of inflammation, especially at the mucosal surfaces. Although numerous studies have assessed in vitro generated Tregs (termed induced or iTregs), these cells most often do not recapitulate the functional or phenotypic characteristics of in vivo generated pTregs. Thus, there are still many unanswered questions regarding the T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire and function of pTregs as well as conditions under which they are generated in vivo, and the degree to which these characteristics identify specialized features of pTregs versus features that are shared with tTregs. In this review, we summarize the current state of our understanding of pTregs and their relationship to the tTreg subset. We describe the recent discovery of unique cell surface markers and transcription factors (including Neuropilin-1 and Helios) that can be used to distinguish tTreg and pTreg subsets in vivo. Additionally, we discuss how the improved ability to distinguish these subsets provided new insights into the biology of tTregs versus pTregs and suggested differences in their function and TCR repertoire, consistent with a unique role of pTregs in certain inflammatory settings. Finally, these recent advances will be used to speculate on the role of individual Treg subsets in both tolerance and autoimmunity.
Closed-loop DBS with movement intention

In this paper we present a prototype proof-of-concept for a closed-loop deep brain stimulation system for patients with essential tremor. This system makes use of sensed movement intentions via EEG to determine when stimulation is required and automatically enables stimulation only when needed. We demonstrate this system using a healthy subject and a benchtop experimental prototype. By limiting stimulation to only when it is therapeutically required, implanted neurostimulators can be more power efficient and potentially limit the period where patients experience side-effects to only the time when therapy is needed.
Beyond induction: the continuing professional development needs of early‐career teachers in Scotland

Continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers in Scotland, as in many other countries worldwide, is receiving increased attention. Within the Scottish context, a gap in the CPD framework had been identified for early‐career teachers who have completed the induction year but are not yet eligible to embark on the Chartered Teacher Programme. Learning and Teaching Scotland, the school curriculum development body for Scotland, therefore commissioned a research project to explore the CPD needs and priorities of these early‐career teachers and the barriers to their participation. The project employed a three‐staged methodology: nominal group technique interviews with teachers in four local authorities; a national online survey; and a stakeholder consultation exercise. Results indicate that the early‐career teachers have a wide range of different needs, in terms of both content and mode of CPD, yet they do not appear to feel strongly about barriers to their participation. The article concludes by outlining policy and practice implications arising from the research.
Calcium Concentration and Artificial Precipitates in Human Pancreatic Juice

We studied the role of the increase in the calcium concentration in pure pancreatic juice of alcoholic noncalcified chronic pancreatitis. Pure pancreatic juice was obtained endoscopically. The pancreatic juice from patients with chronic pancreatitis was adjusted to pH 7.5; then the calcium concentration was adjusted to 0.4, 2.9, 5.4, or 10.4 mmol/L. Artificial precipitates were produced by incubation of the samples at 37°C for 6 hours. Proteins in the artificial precipitates were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and the protein patterns were compared with the patterns of natural protein plugs from patients with chronic pancreatitis. The amount of the precipitate increased as the added calcium increased. The protein patterns of SDS-PAGE of the artificial precipitates were similar to those of protein plugs. Albumin, a-amylase, lipase, trypsinogen, and chymotrypsinogen were identified by immunoblotting both in the precipitate and in the protein plug. The increased calcium concentrations in pancreatic juice induced the formation of precipitates whose protein composition was similar to that of protein plugs. An increased calcium concentration in human pancreatic juice may play an important role in the pathogenesis of protein plugs.
BLACK HOLES AND NONPERTURBATIVE CANONICAL 2 D DILATON GRAVITY

We investigate nonperturbative canonical quantization of two dimensional dilaton gravity theories with an emphasis on the CGHS model. We use an approach where a canonical transformation is constructed such that the constraints take a quadratic form. The required canonical transformation is obtained by using a method based on the Bäcklund transformation from the Liouville theory. We quantize dilaton gravity in terms of the new variables, where it takes a form of a bosonic string theory with background charges. Unitarity is then established by going into a light-cone gauge. As a direct consequence, black holes in this theory do not violate unitarity, and there is no information loss. We argue that the information escapes during the evaporation process. We also discuss the implications of this quantization scheme for the quantum fate of real black holes. The main conclusion is that black holes do not have to violate quantum mechanics. E-mail address: A.MIKOVIC@IC.AC. UK
Efficient Gene Expression Analysis by Linking Multiple Data Mining Algorithms

The set of gene micro-arrays, which consists of two leukemia types, was used as a target to evaluate the efficiency of novel integrated data mining classification process. Discovering the most relevant subset of genes among few thousands of analyzed genes is necessary to get accurate disease classification. Dimensional complexity of the classification process was reduced by a filter based on mutual information feature selection coupled with the support vector machines classifier in the leave-one-out loop. The result was an efficient and reliable tool named MIFS/SVM hybrid. Optimal procedure parameters that enable accurate classification and attribute selection could be determined within an acceptable time frame
Increasing heterosexual transmission of HIV‐1 subtype C in Inland Central Western Brazil

The molecular epidemiology of HIV‐1 in Brazil is complex and heterogeneous because several subtypes co‐circulate with some important regional differences. This study evaluated HIV‐1 subtypes amongst pregnant women living in the metropolitan area and in the interior cities from central western Brazil. From June 2008 to June 2010, 86.9% of confirmed cases of HIV‐1 infection amongst pregnant women (172 out of 198 cases) were recruited in Goiania/Goias state. The HIV‐1 pol gene was sequenced after nested‐PCR. HIV‐1 subtypes were assigned by REGA, phylogenetic, and bootscan analyses. The median age of participants was 26 years (15–41 years range); 58.7% of participants were diagnosed during prenatal care and 51.7% of participants came from >50 interior cities within Goias state. Amongst the 131 HIV‐1 pol sequences, 64.9% were subtype B, 13.0% were BF1 recombinant, 11.4% were subtype C, 7.6% were subtype F1, and 2.3% were BC recombinant. According to the HIV‐1 diagnosis date (1994–2010), a significant increase in subtype C and a decrease of BF1 mosaics were observed over time. All subtype C patients lived in interior cities where the highest prevalence of subtype C outside southern Brazil was observed (18.4%). Phylogenetic analysis revealed multiple independent introductions of the Brazilian subtype C clade from the southern/southeastern regions of Brazil. The HIV‐1 epidemic in women from central western Brazil infected by the heterosexual route is characterized by an unexpectedly high prevalence of subtype C viruses highly related to those circulating in southern/southeastern Brazil. These findings highlight the importance of molecular surveillance programs outside large metropolitan regions in Brazil. J. Med. Virol. 85:396–404, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cortical biochemistry in MCI and Alzheimer disease

Objective: Mild cognitive impairment, hypothesized to be prodromal Alzheimer disease (AD), shows abundant senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, but its biochemical correlates remain undefined. Methods: Biochemical profiles of Aβ, tau, α-synuclein, and oxidative pathologies were characterized in middle frontal gyrus, inferior parietal cortex, and entorhinal cortex in postmortem frozen brains from subjects diagnosed antemortem with no cognitive impairment, mild cognitive impairment, or AD. Results: Insoluble Aβ and tau, as well as tissue isoprostanes, from each brain region analyzed did not correlate with the clinical diagnosis proximate to death, but insoluble Aβ and 8,12-iso-iPF2α-VI levels from gray matter of all brain regions correlated strongly with the burden of AD pathology, whereas insoluble tau did not. Conclusions: The biochemical alterations in cortical tau, Aβ, and isoprostane do not reflect the onset of clinical dementia.
Do Davydov solitons exist at 300 K?

The Davydov model for a one-dimensional protein, coupling the high-frequency amide-I vibration to longitudinal-acoustic phonons, is investigated by use of finite-temperature molecular dynamics. Soliton dynamics is studied in both equilibrium and nonequilibrium situations. The random thermal motions prevent self-trapping from occurring at temperatures of interest for transport in real proteins. 9 references, 2 figures, 1 table.