Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cultured human corneal endothelial cell transplantation with a collagen sheet in a rabbit model.

PURPOSE To evaluate the function of cultured human corneal endothelial cells (HCECs) in vivo and the feasibility of HCEC transplantation with a collagen sheet as the substitute carrier of HCECs. METHODS Adult human donor cornea derived from cultured HCECs was labeled with the fluorescent tracker DiI (1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate) and seeded on a collagen sheet. The pump function of the HCEC sheet was evaluated by measurement of the potential difference and short-circuit current. A 6-mm sclerocorneal incision and Descemetorhexis were performed on rabbit eyes. The HCECs on a collagen sheet was brought into the anterior chamber and fixed to the posterior stroma (HCEC group). Rabbit corneas with collagen sheet transplantation after Descemetorhexis (collagen group) and with only Descemetorhexis (no-transplantation group) were the control. Each group, observed for 28 days after surgery, underwent histologic and fluorescence microscopic examinations. RESULTS Pump function parameters of the HCEC sheets were 76% to 95% of those of human donor corneas. Mean corneal thickness in the HCEC group was significantly less than in the collagen and no-transplantation groups 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days (P < 0.05) after surgery. DiI-labeled cells were spread over the rear corneal surface in the HCEC group. Marked stromal edema was present in the collagen and no-transplantation groups with hematoxylin-eosin staining, but none in the HCEC group with collagen sheets bearing monolayer cells. CONCLUSIONS The findings indicate that cultured HCECs transplanted from adult human donor cornea by means of a collagen sheet can retain their function of corneal dehydration in a rabbit model and suggest the feasibility of transplantation for CEC dysfunction using cultured HCECs with a collagen sheet.
Taq1B polymorphism of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) gene in primary combined hyperlipidaemia.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) gene polymorphism is known to be associated with changes in lipid profiles. Primary hyperlipidaemia is considered to be a major risk factor for pancreatitis, atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. We investigated the association of one common polymorphism in the CETP gene (Taq1B) with plasma lipid levels and CETP activity in Iranian subjects with and without primary combined hyperlipidaemia. METHODS The study included 102 patients with primary combined hyperlipidaemia and 214 health individuals. Polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphisms were used for genotype detection. To determine the relationship between Taq1B polymorphism and lipid levels, lipids and CETP activity were measured in primary combined hyperlipidaemic and normolipidaemic subjects, with and without Taq1B polymorphism. RESULTS Plasma CETP activity was significantly (P<0.001) higher in primary combined hyperlipidaemic individuals than in controls. Plasma HDL-C was higher in both groups, in the B(2)B(2) genotype than in the B(1)B(1) and B(1)B(2) genotypes, whereas the serum TG concentrations and CETP activity were lower in B(2)B(2) genotype compared with other genotypes (B(1)B(1) and B(1)B(2)). The genotype and allelic frequencies for this polymorphism differed significantly between hyperlipidaemic and nonmolipidaemic individuals (P<0.05). In both groups, CETP Taq 1B polymorphism (presence of B(2) allele) correlated significantly with HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) (r=0.201 and r=0.452 in control and patient groups respectively) and CETP activity (r= -0.123 for controls and r= -0.192 for patients). INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION The results showed that Taq 1B polymorphism of CETP gene was associated with changes in lipids profile and plasma CETP activity in the selected population and might have a role in contributing to genetic risk of developing coronary artery disease.
DEPRESSION TRAJECTORIES IN GIRLS 1 Running Head : DEPRESSION TRAJECTORIES IN GIRLS Depressive Symptom Trajectories Among Girls in the Juvenile Justice System : Findings from an RCT of Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care

Youth depression is a significant and growing international public health problem. Youth who engage in high levels of delinquency are at particularly high risk for developing problems with depression. The present study examined the impact of a behavioral intervention designed to reduce delinquency (Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care; MTFC) compared to a group care intervention (GC; i.e., services as usual) on trajectories of depressive symptoms among adolescent girls in the juvenile justice system. MTFC has documented effects on preventing girls’ recidivism, but its effects on preventing the normative rise in girls’ depressive symptoms across adolescence have not been examined. This indicated prevention sample included 166 girls (13–17 years at T1) who had at least one criminal referral in the past 12 months and who were mandated to out-of-home care; girls were randomized to MTFC or GC. Intent-to-treat analyses examined the main effects of MTFC on depression symptoms and clinical cut-offs, and whether benefits were greatest for girls most at risk. Depressive symptom trajectories were specified in hierarchical linear growth models over a two year period using five waves of data at six month intervals. Depression clinical cut-off scores were specified as nonlinear probability growth models. Results showed significantly greater rates of deceleration for girls in MTFC versus GC for depressive symptoms and for clinical cut-off scores. The MTFC intervention also showed greater benefits for girls with higher levels of initial depressive symptoms. Possible mechanisms of effect are discussed, given MTFC’s effectiveness on targeted and nontargeted outcomes.
Ultrasonographic screening for thyroid cancer in siblings of patients with apparently sporadic papillary carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Epidemiological studies have shown a higher risk of thyroid cancer among individuals who have a relative with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) compared to those without a family history. This study evaluated the prevalence of thyroid cancer among subjects with only one first-degree relative (sibling) with PTC who had no palpable nodules, factors predictive of this malignancy, and the characteristics of tumors discovered during ultrasonographic screening. METHODS A total of 757 siblings of 447 patients with apparently sporadic PTC were examined. Nodules were palpable in 34 subjects (excluded). The 723 individuals without palpable abnormalities were submitted to thyroid ultrasonography and comprised the study group. The control group, consisting of 241 volunteers without a family history of thyroid cancer matched for gender and age to the study group, was also submitted to thyroid ultrasonography. All nodules ≥ 5 mm were examined by fine-needle aspiration cytology. Subjects with benign cytology were not submitted to surgery, whereas the subjects having malignant, suspicious for a malignancy, indeterminate, or inadequate cytology were referred for thyroidectomy. RESULTS Ultrasonography detected nodules in 303 (41.9%) study subjects. PTC was observed in 5.94% of the 723 subjects studied (8% women and 3.75% men, p=0.017) and in 14.2% of the 303 subjects with nonpalpable nodular disease. In the control group, 80 (33.2%) of the volunteers had nodules. PTC was observed in 1.2% of them and in 3.8% of those with nodular disease. In addition, 7.17% of the 447 patients had siblings with PTC detected only by ultrasonography. Multicentricity of the tumor was the main predictor of the presence of malignancy in siblings of patients with PTC. Twenty-two subjects (3% of those screened) had tumors that were not intrathyroid microcarcinomas (whereas all three tumors detected in controls were intrathyroid microcarcinomas). Screening permitted an earlier diagnosis of the disease when compared to siblings with a spontaneous diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS The present results favor ultrasonographic screening of first-degree relatives of patients with apparently sporadic multicentric PTC, especially among women.
Automatic Removal of Ocular Artifacts from EEG Signals

Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals are often contaminated by ocular artifacts. In present study, a novel and robust technique is presented to eliminate ocular artifacts from EEG signals automatically. Independent component analysis (ICA) method is used to decompose EEG signals. In the first step, the features of topography and power spectral density of those components are extracted. In the second step, we introduce manifold learning algorithm to reduce the dimensionality of initial features. Then, a classifier is used to identify ocular artifacts components. The classifier is selected from several typical classifiers by comparing their classification performances. Classification results show that manifold learning with the nearest neighbor algorithm performs best. Finally, using an example of ocular artifacts removal, we show that the novel technique can effectively remove ocular artifacts with little distortion of underlying brain signals.
Production of Sustained Hypertension by Chronic Intrarenal Norepinephrine Infusion in Conscious Dogs

The purpose of this study was to determine whether increased sympathetic nervous system activity with proportionally greater stimulation to the kidney could result in sustained hypertension. This was simulated by continuous intrarenal norepinephrine infusion. Effects of chronic infusion of norepinephrine (0.285 &mgr;g/kg Per mm) u>t tne renal artery and inferior vena cava were compared in uninephrectomized conscious dogs. Ten days of intrarenal norepinephrine infusion produced a sustained rise in mean arterial pressure (25 mm Hg), and a 32-mEg positive sodium balance occurred. Inferior vena caval infusion caused a transient rise, lasting 24 hours, in mean arterial pressure which was associated with a 54-mEq natriuresis. With renal artery infusion, peripheral plasma renin activity rose from 1.0 ± 0 0.2 to 4.4 ± 0.8 ng angiotensin I/ml per hour at 1 hour (P <0.002) and fell to 1.4 ± 0.4 at 24 hours (not significant). Inferior vena caval infusion produced a similar result. (Sar',Ala8]angiotensin II (6 fig/kg per min) produced no significant change in arterial blood pressure. (α-Adrenergic blockade with phentolamine normalized the blood pressure. Renal plasma flow was chronically decreased by about 25% in dogs given intrarenal norepinephrine; no significant change in glomerular filtration rate occurred. The cardiac output decreased from a control of 7.2 ± 0.6 to 4.8 ± 0.1 liters/ min (P <0.01) and total peripheral resistance was increased from a control of 13 ± 1 to 26 ± 1 resistance units (RU) (/> < 0.0005) in dogs given intrarenal norepinephrine. The data indicate that chronic intrarenal infusion of norepinephrine in uninephrectomized conscious dogs results in sustained hypertension characterized by decreased renal plasma flow, normal glomerular filtration rate, positive sodium balance, and increased total peripheral resistance due to norepinephrine-dependent vasoconstriction.
07 03 10 2 v 1 6 M ar 2 00 7 Image Ellipticity from Atmospheric Aberrations

We investigate the ellipticity of the point-spread function (PSF) produced by imaging an unresolved source with a telescope, subject to the effects of atmospheric turbulence. It is important to quantify these effects in order to understand the errors in shape measurements of astronomical objects, such as those used to study weak gravitational lensing of field galaxies. The PSF modeling involves either a Fourier transform of the phase information in the pupil plane or a ray-tracing approach, which has the advantage of requiring fewer computations than the Fourier transform. Using a standard method, involving the Gaussian weighted second moments of intensity, we then calculate the ellipticity of the PSF patterns. We find significant ellipticity for the instantaneous patterns (up to more than 10%). Longer exposures, which we approximate by combining multiple (N) images from uncorrelated atmospheric realizations, yield progressively lower ellipticity (as 1/ √ N). We also verify that the measured ellipticity does not depend on the sampling interval in the pupil plane using the Fourier method. However, we find that the results using the ray-tracing technique do depend on the pupil sampling interval, representing a gradual breakdown of the geometric approximation at high spatial frequencies. Therefore, ray tracing is generally not an accurate method of modeling PSF ellipticity induced by atmospheric turbulence unless some additional procedure is implemented to correctly account for the effects of high spatial frequency aberrations. The Fourier method, however, can be used directly to accurately model PSF ellipticity, which can give insights into errors in the statistics of field galaxy shapes used in studies of weak gravitational lensing. Subject headings: atmospheric effects – gravitational lensing
Revision of the Sokolow-Lyon-Rappaport and cornell voltage criteria for left ventricular hypertrophy.

BACKGROUND Electrocardiographically-detected left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a strong predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE To assess the performance of the Sokolow-Lyon-Rappaport (SLR) and Cornell voltage criteria in a population sample regarding the diagnosis of LVH on echocardiogram (ECHO). METHODS A total of 641 out of the 682 participants of the second phase of the MONICA-Vitória project were assessed using electrocardiogram and echocardiogram. A subgroup of healthy individuals (n=269) was used to generate reference values of LV mass (LVM). Sensitivities and specificities of the electrocardiographic criteria were determined by the ROC (receptor-operator characteristics) curve in relation to the diagnosis of LVH, as defined by the internal echocardiographic criterion (LVM > 48 and 46 g/m2.7 for males and females, respectively). RESULTS The prevalence of LVH as detected by ECHO was 23.7% in the total sample, in which 49% of the individuals were hypertensive. The Cornell criterion showed a better association with the LVM as estimated by ECHO (r= 0.37, p < 0.01) than the SLR criterion (r= 0.19) as well as a better performance in the analysis of the area under the ROC curve. The new cut-off points for the internally-defined Cornell voltage criterion (2.3 mV for males and 1.9 mV for females) showed an acceptable combination of sensitivity (22.5 and 28% for males and females, respectively), with a high specificity (95%). CONCLUSION The classic SLR and Cornell voltage criteria showed a low performance in relation to LVH as detected by the ECHO. However, this accuracy may be improved by using the Cornell voltage criteria defined in the present study.
Nonlinear Preconditioning Techniques for Full-Space Lagrange-Newton Solution of PDE-Constrained Optimization Problems

The full-space Lagrange--Newton algorithm is one of the numerical algorithms for solving problems arising from optimization problems constrained by nonlinear partial differential equations. Newton-type methods enjoy fast convergence when the nonlinearity in the system is well-balanced; however, for some problems, such as the control of incompressible flows, even linear convergence is difficult to achieve and a long stagnation period often appears in the iteration history. In this work, we introduce a nonlinearly preconditioned inexact Newton algorithm for the boundary control of incompressible flows. The system has nine field variables, and each field variable plays a different role in the nonlinearity of the system. The nonlinear preconditioner approximately removes some of the field variables, and as a result, the nonlinearity is balanced and inexact Newton converges much faster when compared to the unpreconditioned inexact Newton method or its two-grid version. Some numerical results are presented to d.
Vaccination against staphylococcal mastitis.

Abstract Extract Sir:- Immunisation with staphylococcal vaccines is a potential means of increasing the resistance to bacterial invasion of the udder. However, the development of an effective vaccine for control of staphylococcal mastitis in ruminants has proved to be an elusive goal. There have been numerous attempts to develop vaccines against coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus mastitis, but very few attempts to develop vaccines using coagulase-negative staphylococci. Development of a vaccine against coagulase-negative staphylococci may help control the sub-clinical mastitis caused by these organisms and assist in the search for an effective vaccine against mastitis caused by the more pathogenic coagulase-positive S. aureus.We describe here an experiment in which ewes were immunised with live coagulase-negative staphylococcal vaccine and challenged during lactation by intramammary infusion of a homologous strain.
A hybrid evolutionary algorithm for promoter recognition

The aim of this study is to identify the smallest possible set of features and optimal model parameters for promoter recognition. Particularly, we propose a novel hybrid evolutionary algorithm, which integrates Markov blanket-embedded genetic algorithm (MBEGA), comprehensive learning particle swarm optimize (CLPSO), and support vector machine (SVM) as a whole. This method adopts MBEGA for promoter feature selection while employs CLPSO to optimize the parameters of the promoter identification model. Empirical results on the eukaryotic promoter database (EPD) suggest that, our proposed approach is able to obtain better or competitive classification accuracy than other methods and it is effective and efficient in eliminating irrelevant and redundant features in training process.
L'approche pragmatique en psychopathologie cognitive

L'auteur tente de caracteriser l'approche pragmatique en psychopathologie. Avoir avoir rappele la definition classique de la pragmatique, il analyse les methodes, les objectifs et les principaux resultats theoriques et pratiques de son application a l'etude de la schizophrenie, de l'autisme et de la paranoia. Puis en s'attachant aux travaux consacres a la schizophrenie, il montre que l'approche pragmatique constitue un paradigme unifie integrant de maniere coherente theorie, observation et experimentation
PSD95 Suppresses Dendritic Arbor Development in Mature Hippocampal Neurons by Occluding the Clustering of NR2B-NMDA Receptors

Considerable evidence indicates that the NMDA receptor (NMDAR) subunits NR2A and NR2B are critical mediators of synaptic plasticity and dendritogenesis; however, how they differentially regulate these processes is unclear. Here we investigate the roles of the NR2A and NR2B subunits, and of their scaffolding proteins PSD-95 and SAP102, in remodeling the dendritic architecture of developing hippocampal neurons (2–25 DIV). Analysis of the dendritic architecture and the temporal and spatial expression patterns of the NMDARs and anchoring proteins in immature cultures revealed a strong positive correlation between synaptic expression of the NR2B subunit and dendritogenesis. With maturation, the pruning of dendritic branches was paralleled by a strong reduction in overall and synaptic expression of NR2B, and a significant elevation in synaptic expression of NR2A and PSD95. Using constructs that alter the synaptic composition, we found that either over-expression of NR2B or knock-down of PSD95 by shRNA-PSD95 augmented dendritogenesis in immature neurons. Reactivation of dendritogenesis could also be achieved in mature cultured neurons, but required both manipulations simultaneously, and was accompanied by increased dendritic clustering of NR2B. Our results indicate that the developmental increase in synaptic expression of PSD95 obstructs the synaptic clustering of NR2B-NMDARs, and thereby restricts reactivation of dendritic branching. Experiments with shRNA-PSD95 and chimeric NR2A/NR2B constructs further revealed that C-terminus of the NR2B subunit (tail) was sufficient to induce robust dendritic branching in mature hippocampal neurons, and suggest that the NR2B tail is important in recruiting calcium-dependent signaling proteins and scaffolding proteins necessary for dendritogenesis.
Association of Sleep Groups and Sleep Survey Results of High School Students.

In January 2003 the High School Late Start Committee of the Northville Public Schools sent surveys to all families, faculty, and middle and high school students. The descriptive results of this survey can be found at www.northville. k12.mi. us/hr/late_start_committee_surveysummary. htm. This study focuses on the responses of the high school students, the identification of sleep groups among the students, and the association of the groups to their responses regarding behaviors and affect. The discussion looks at alternative intervention strategies for teenagers with sleep disorder problems.
The Silent Countdown. Essays in European Environmental History

There is a growing need for cooperation between disciplines, not only to deal with the burning problems of the present, but to study the interaction of societies and their ecosystems in the past. In the 1970s studies in Environmental History were largely confined to North America. Recent years have brought about a vast increase in the "amount, the quality and the scope of scholarship on historical interactions between human (social and economic) de velopment and the biosphere in Europe, both East and West. This broad interest in environmental history may have been heightened and sharpened by the dangers of unbridled technology and unlimited growth, which are becoming more and more manifest. However, for several reasons it is still difficult to become familiar with the different approaches to this new and interdisciplinary of study. Many fields of thought - biology, anthropology, field geography, sociology and history - are involved; the relevant books and articles are hard to find and a coherent theoretical framework is still lacking, because the key issues have yet to be submitted to a thorough scholarly debate. It is hoped that the pre sent volume will make a contribution towards overcoming those shortcomings. "
An adaptive filter bank for motor imagery based Brain Computer Interface

Brain Computer Interface (BCI) provides an alternative communication and control method for people with severe motor disabilities. Motor imagery patterns are widely used in Electroencephalogram (EEG) based BCIs. These motor imagery activities are associated with variation in alpha and beta band power of EEG signals called Event Related Desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS). The dominant frequency bands are subject-specific and therefore performance of motor imagery based BCIs are sensitive to both temporal filtering and spatial filtering. As the optimum filter is strongly subject-dependent, we propose a method that selects the subject-specific discriminative frequency components using time-frequency plots of Fisher ratio of two-class motor imagery patterns. We also propose a low complexity adaptive Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filter bank system based on coefficient decimation technique which can realize the subject-specific bandpass filters adaptively depending on the information of Fisher ratio map. Features are extracted only from the selected frequency components. The proposed adaptive filter bank based system offers average classification accuracy of about 90%, which is slightly better than the existing fixed filter bank system.