Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protection of Trigonelline on Experimental Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

The mechanisms leading to diabetic peripheral neuropathy are complex and there is no effective drug to treat it. As an active component of several traditional Chinese medicines, trigonelline has beneficial effects on diabetes with hyperlipidemia. The protective effects and the mechanism of trigonelline on diabetic peripheral neuropathy were evaluated in streptozotocin- and high-carbohydrate/high-fat diet-induced diabetic rats. Rats were divided into four groups at the end of week 2: control, diabetes, diabetes + trigonelline (40 mg/kg), and diabetes + sitagliptin (4 mg/kg). After 48-week treatment, technologies of nerve conduction, cold and hot immersion test, transmission electron microscopy, real-time PCR, and Western blotting were applied. Serum glucose, serum insulin, insulin sensitivity index, lipid parameters, body weight, sciatic nerve conduction velocity, nociception, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor mRNA and protein, total and phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases protein expression, malonaldehyde content, and superoxide dismutase activity were altered in diabetic rats, and were near control levels treated with trigonelline. Slight micropathological changes existed in sciatic nerve of trigonelline-treated diabetic rats. These findings suggest that trigonelline has beneficial effects for diabetic peripheral neuropathy through glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor/p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases signaling pathway, nerve conduction velocity, antioxidant enzyme activity, improving micropathological changes of sciatic nerve and decreasing lipid peroxidation.
Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering sensor based on fused biconical taper fiber

In this paper a novel Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) sensor combining with fused taper optical fiber (FBTF) and the film coating with silver sols is proposed. This structure is designed to obviously increase the SERS active surface when the radius is reduced and the length of the taper is increased, because the penetration depth is proportional to the taper length and inversely proportional to the taper radius according to the fiber-optic evanescent-wave theory. Based on the SERS sensing principle, the feasibility of FBTF sensor is analyzed in this paper. Actually, the Raman spectrum of R6G is obtained from the taper surface coating with the silver sols in our experiments. The detecting concentration is up to 10–7M. Moreover, this SERS sensing structure is simple and reproducible.
Cyanobacterial Ecotypes in Different Optical Microenvironments of a 68°C Hot Spring Mat Community Revealed by 16S-23S rRNA Internal Transcribed Spacer Region Variation

ABSTRACT We examined the population of unicellular cyanobacteria (Synechococcus) in the upper 3-mm vertical interval of a 68°C region of a microbial mat in a hot spring effluent channel (Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming). Fluorescence microscopy and microsensor measurements of O2 and oxygenic photosynthesis demonstrated the existence of physiologically distinct Synechococcus populations at different depths along a light gradient quantified by scalar irradiance microprobes. Molecular methods were used to evaluate whether physiologically distinct populations could be correlated with genetically distinct populations over the vertical interval. We were unable to identify patterns in genetic variation in Synechococcus 16S rRNA sequences that correlate with different vertically distributed populations. However, patterns of variation at the internal transcribed spacer locus separating 16S and 23S rRNA genes suggested the existence of closely related but genetically distinct populations corresponding to different functional populations occurring at different depths.
Influence of pressure changes on recruitment pattern and neck muscle activities during Cranio-Cervical Flexion Tests (CCFTs).

BACKGROUND The muscle activity of the deep cervical flexors is emphasized more than that of the superficial cervical flexors, and it has been reported that functional disorders of the longuscolli are found in patients who experience neck pain. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to analyze the recruitment patterns and muscle activities of the cervical flexors during Cranio-Cervical Flexion Tests (CCFTs) through real-time ultrasonography and surface electromyography with a view to presenting appropriate pressure levels for deep cervical flexor exercise protocols based on the results of the analysis. METHODS The twenty subjects without neck pain were trained until they became accustomed to CCFTs, and the pressure level was increased gradually from 20 mmHg to 40 mmHg by increasing the pressure level 5 mmHg at a time. Real-time ultrasonography images of the longuscolli and the sternocleidomastoid were taken to measure the amounts of changes in the thicknesses of these muscles, and surface electromyography was implemented to observe the muscle activity of the sternocleidomastoid. The measured value is RMS. RESULTS According to the results of the ultrasonography, the muscle thicknesses of both the longuscolli and the sternocleidomastoid showed significant increases, as the pressure increased up to 40 mmHg (p< 0.05). The differences in the muscle thicknesses at all individual pressure levels showed significant increases (p< 0.05). According to the results of the electromyography, the muscle activity of the sternocleidomastoid gradually increased as the pressure increased up to 40 mmHg, the increases were significant between 20 mmHg and 25 mmHg, between 30 mmHg and 35 mmHg (p< 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The pressure levels of exercise methods at which the muscle activity of the deep cervical flexors is maximally increased and the muscle activity of the superficial cervical flexors is minimally increased are 25 mmHg-30 mmHg.
Social and economic trajectories and women's health

© Oxford University Press, 2002. All rights reserved. This chapter describes some of the complexity and change in women's lives, and proposes an approach to the study of socioeconomic and psychosocial pathways through the life course, as precursors of physical and mental health outcomes. The first section outlines what is known about women's socioeconomic life trajectories: the relationship between social origins and destinations, labour force participation, and their relationship to marriage and child rearing. The second section describes a theoretical and methodological approach to the analysis of the life course that takes account of social structure and changing individual characteristics over time.
Faster Time to Peak Tension and Velocity of Shortening in Right Versus Left Ventricular: Trabeculae and Papillary Muscles of Dogs

Some of the mechanical characteristics of papillary muscles and trabeculae (n = 14) isolated from the free wall of the right ventricle of dogs were compared to those obtained from the free wall of the left ventricle (n = 14). Peak total tension (7.2 ± 1.6 versus 7.9 ± 1.7 g/mm2, p = NS) and peak velocity of tension development (31 ± 8 vs. 28 ± 4 g/mm2/sec, p = NS) were similar in both groups of muscles. However, right ventricular muscles shortened faster over nearly all loading conditions, and during isometric contraction, their time to attain peak total tension was shorter (336 ± 26 vs. 401 ± 42 msec, p < 0.005) than that of left ventricular muscles. Varying stimulation rates (6, 12, 24, and 36 stimuli/min), increasing calcium concentration from 2.54 to 6.35 mM or adding norepinephrine 50 &mgr;M, did not significantly alter these differences. There were no differences in myosin isozymes (V1, V2, or V3) between ventricles to explain these differences. These results indicate that important mechanical differences exist between right and left ventricular myocardium and that these differences should be considered when extrapolations are made from myocardium of one area of the heart to another.
Exception Resolution Service for RBAC systems

We propose an exception resolution service for a role based access control (RBAC) system as a supplementary service, that will increase the flexibility of RBAC systems. Our model will keep the security policies based on a RBAC system while some not role based administrations are possible. In other words, the not role based access permission is not independent from the RBAC system. The related definitions and functions are given. An implementation example shows that the service is useful and efficient in practice.
Fungus Causing White-Nose Syndrome in Bats Accumulates Genetic Variability in North America with No Sign of Recombination

Since its discovery in 2006, the emerging infectious disease known as white-nose syndrome has killed millions of bats in North America, making it one of the most devastating wildlife epidemics in recorded history. We demonstrate that there has been as yet only spontaneous mutation across the North American population of P. destructans, and we find no indication of recombination. Thus, selective forces, which might otherwise impact pathogenic virulence, have so far had essentially no genetic variation on which to act. Our study confirmed the time of origin for the first and, thus far, only introduction of P. destructans to North America. This system provides an unprecedented opportunity to follow the evolution of a host-pathogen interaction unfolding in real time. ABSTRACT Emerging fungal diseases of wildlife are on the rise worldwide, and the white-nose syndrome (WNS) epidemic in North American bats is a catastrophic example. The causal agent of WNS is a single clone of the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Early evolutionary change in this clonal population has major implications for disease ecology and conservation. Accumulation of variation in the fungus through mutation, and shuffling of variation through recombination, could affect the virulence and transmissibility of the fungus and the durability of what appears to be resistance arising in some bat populations. Our genome-wide analysis shows that the clonal population of P. destructans has expanded in size from a single genotype, has begun to accumulate variation through mutation, and presents no evidence as yet of genetic exchange among individuals. IMPORTANCE Since its discovery in 2006, the emerging infectious disease known as white-nose syndrome has killed millions of bats in North America, making it one of the most devastating wildlife epidemics in recorded history. We demonstrate that there has been as yet only spontaneous mutation across the North American population of P. destructans, and we find no indication of recombination. Thus, selective forces, which might otherwise impact pathogenic virulence, have so far had essentially no genetic variation on which to act. Our study confirmed the time of origin for the first and, thus far, only introduction of P. destructans to North America. This system provides an unprecedented opportunity to follow the evolution of a host-pathogen interaction unfolding in real time.
Estimating optical properties of layered surfaces using the spider model

Many object surfaces are composed of layers of different physical substances, known as layered surfaces. These surfaces, such as patinas, water colors, and wall paintings, have more complex optical properties than diffuse surfaces. Although the characteristics of layered surfaces, like layer opacity, mixture of colors, and color gradations, are significant, they are usually ignored in the analysis of many methods in computer vision, causing inaccurate or even erroneous results. Therefore, the main goals of this paper are twofold: to solve problems of layered surfaces by focusing mainly on surfaces with two layers (i.e., top and bottom layers), and to introduce a decomposition method based on a novel representation of a nonlinear correlation in the color space that we call the “spider” model. When we plot a mixture of colors of one bottom layer and n different top layers into the RGB color space, then we will have n different curves intersecting at one point, resembling the shape of a spider. Hence, given a single input image containing one bottom layer and at least one top layer, we can fit their color distributions by using the spider model and then decompose those layered surfaces. The last step is equivalent to extracting the approximated optical properties of the two layers: the top layer's opacity, and the top and bottom layers' reflections. Experiments with real images, which include the photographs of ancient wall paintings, show the effectiveness of our method.
Increased intestinal ABCA1 expression contributes to the decrease in cholesterol absorption after plant stanol consumption

The hypocholesterolemic effect of plant stanols is explained by a decreased intestinal cholesterol absorption due to a competition between plant stanols and cholesterol for incorporation into mixed micelles. Earlier we had suggested that plant stanols have a so far unknown action inside the enterocytes. The recent discovery of the involvement of ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters in cholesterol absorption was a lead to further explore the hypocholesterolemic mechanism of plant stanols. We found that mixed micelles enriched with sitostanol or with cholesterol plus sitostanol were potent inducers of ABCA1 expression in caco‐2 cells, an accepted model to study human intestinal lipoprotein metabolism. Based on these findings, we now hypothesize that plant stanols– and possibly plant sterols–increase ABCA1‐mediated cholesterol efflux back into the intestinal lumen. We further hypothesize that intracellular levels of plant stanols are monitored by the same sensors (SREBP‐2 and LXR) as those that monitor cholesterol. Consequently, increased plant stanol levels within the enterocyte activate cholesterol efflux through ABCA1‐but not SREBP‐2‐mediated endogenous cholesterol synthesis even if intracellular cholesterol concentrations are lowered through consumption of plant stanols. If our hypothesis is correct, then the LXR pathway may be a target for dietary regulation of intestinal lipid metabolism. —Plat, J., Mensink, R. P. Increased intestinal ABCA1 expression contributes to the decrease in cholesterol absorption after plant stanol consumption. FASEB J. 16, 1248–1253 (2002)
The Effect of the Neurac Sling Exercise on Postural Balance Adjustment and Muscular Response Patterns in Chronic Low Back Pain Patients

[Purpose] This study aimed to examine the effects of the Neurac sling exercise on postural balance adjustment and muscular response patterns in chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients. [Subjects and Methods] Sixteen CLBP patients participated in this study. They were randomly and equally assigned to group I, whose members received ordinary physical therapy (40 minutes per time, four times per week), and group II, whose members performed a lumbar stabilization exercise using the Neurac sling after ordinary physical therapy (40 minutes per time, four times per week). The visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were used to evaluate exercise effects. BioRescue and electromyography were utilized for the measurement of changes in postural balance adjustment and muscular response patterns, respectively. [Results] Both groups saw their VAS and ODI decrease significantly. There were significant decreases in both groups in posturography as well, but group II recorded a greater decrease. There were significant increases in the flexion–relaxation ratio in both groups, and there were significant increases in the extension–flexion ratio in the left L1–2 of group I and in all elements of group II. [Conclusion] Lumbar stabilization exercise using the Neurac sling is effective in decreasing pain, improving damaged postural balance adjustment, and normalizing muscle response patterns of CLBP patients.
A data mining approach to reduce the false alarm rate of patient monitors

Patient monitors in intensive care units trigger alarms if the state of the patient deteriorates or if there is a technical problem, e.g. loose sensors. Monitoring systems have a high sensitivity in order to detect relevant changes in the patient state. However, multiple studies revealed a high rate of either false or clinically not relevant alarms. It was found that the high rate of false alarms has a negative impact on both patients and staff. In this study we apply data mining methods to reduce the false alarm rate of monitoring systems. We follow a multi-parameter approach where multiple signals of a monitoring system are used to classify given alarm situations. In particular we focus on five alarm types and let our system decide whether the triggered alarm is clinically relevant or can be considered as a false alarm. Several classification algorithms (Naive Bayes, Decision Trees, SVM, kNN and Multi-Layer Perceptron) were evaluated. For training and test sets a subset of the freely available MIMIC II database was used. Alarm-specific classification accuracy was between 78.56% and 98.84%. Suppression rates for false alarms were between 75.24% and 99.23%. Classification results strongly depend on available training data, which is still limited in the intensive care domain. However, this study shows that data mining methods are useful and applicable for alarm classification.
Female Aging Alters Expression of Human Cumulus Cells Genes that Are Essential for Oocyte Quality

Impact of female aging is an important issue in human reproduction. There was a need for an extensive analysis of age impact on transcriptome profile of cumulus cells (CCs) to link oocyte quality and developmental potential with patient's age. CCs from patients of three age groups were analyzed individually using microarrays. RT-qPCR validation was performed on independent CC cohorts. We focused here on pathways affected by aging in CCs that may explain the decline of oocyte quality with age. In CCs collected from patients >37 years, angiogenic genes including ANGPTL4, LEPR, TGFBR3, and FGF2 were significantly overexpressed compared to patients of the two younger groups. In contrast genes implicated in TGF-β signaling pathway such as AMH, TGFB1, inhibin, and activin receptor were underexpressed. CCs from patients whose ages are between 31 and 36 years showed an overexpression of genes related to insulin signaling pathway such as IGFBP3, PIK3R1, and IGFBP5. A bioinformatic analysis was performed to identify the microRNAs that are potential regulators of the differentially expressed genes of the study. It revealed that the pathways impacted by age were potential targets of specific miRNAs previously identified in our CCs small RNAs sequencing.
An Efficient Active Constraint Selection Algorithm for Clustering

In this paper, we address the problem of active query selection for clustering with constraints. The objective is to determine automatically a set of queries and their associated must-link and can-not link constraints to help constraints based clustering algorithms to converge. Some works on active constraints learning have already been proposed but they are only applied to K-Means like clustering algorithms which are known to be limited to spherical clusters while we are interested in constraints-based clustering algorithms that deals with clusters of arbitrary shapes and sizes (like Constrained-DBSCAN, Constrained-Hierarchical Clustering. . . ). Our novel approach relies on a k-nearest neighbors graph to estimate the dense regions of the data space and generates queries at the frontier between clusters where the cluster membership is most uncertain. Experiments show that our framework improves the performance of constraints based clustering algorithms.
Monitoring Recent Fluctuations of the Southern Pool of Lake Chad Using Multiple Remote Sensing Data: Implications for Water Balance Analysis

The drought episodes in the second half of the 20th century have profoundly modified the state of Lake Chad and investigation of its variations is necessary under the new circumstances. Multiple remote sensing observations were used in this paper to study its variation in the recent 25 years. Unlike previous studies, only the southern pool of Lake Chad (SPLC) was selected as our study area, because it is the only permanent open water area after the serious lake recession in 1973–1975. Four satellite altimetry products were used for water level retrieval and 904 Landsat TM/ETM+ images were used for lake surface area extraction. Based on the water level (L) and surface area (A) retrieved (with coinciding dates), linear regression method was used to retrieve the SPLC’s L-A curve, which was then integrated to estimate water volume variations ( Δ V ). The results show that the SPLC has been in a relatively stable phase, with a slight increasing trend from 1992 to 2016. On annual average scale, the increase rate of water level, surface area and water volume is 0.5 cm year−1, 0.14 km2 year−1 and 0.007 km3 year−1, respectively. As for the intra-annual variations of the SPLC, the seasonal variation amplitude of water level, lake area and water volume is 1.38 m, 38.08 km2 and 2.00 km3, respectively. The scatterplots between precipitation and Δ V indicate that there is a time lag of about one to two months in the response of water volume variations to precipitation, which makes it possible for us to predict Δ V . The water balance of the SPLC is significantly different from that of the entire Lake Chad. While evaporation accounts for 96% of the lake’s total water losses, only 16% of the SPLC’s losses are consumed by evaporation, with the other 84% offset by outflow.
Inadequate Coordination of Maternal and Infant HIV Services Detrimentally Affects Early Infant Diagnosis Outcomes in Lilongwe, Malawi

Objective:To assess the continuity of care and outcome of pediatric HIV prevention, testing, and treatment services, focusing on early infant diagnosis with DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Design:A retrospective observational cohort. Methods:Maternal HIV antibody, infant HIV DNA PCR test results, and outcome data from HIV-infected infants from the prevention of mother-to-child transmission, early infant diagnosis, and pediatric HIV treatment programs operating in Lilongwe, Malawi, between 2004 and 2008 were collected, merged, and analyzed. Results:Of the 14,669 pregnant women who tested HIV antibody positive, 7875 infants (53.7%) received HIV DNA PCR testing. One thousand eighty-four infants (13.8%) were HIV infected. Three hundred twenty (29.5%) children enrolled into pediatric HIV care, with 202 (63.1%) at the Baylor Center of Excellence. Among these, antiretroviral therapy was initiated on 110 infants (54.5%) whose median age was 9.1 months (interquartile range, 5.4-13.8) and a median of 2.5 months (interquartile range, 1.4-5.2) after HIV clinic registration. Sixty-nine HIV-infected infants (34.2%) died or were lost by December 2008. Initiation of antiretroviral therapy increased the likelihood of survival 7-fold (odds ratio, 7.1; 95% confidence interval, 3.68 to 13.70). Conclusions:Separate programs for maternal and infant HIV prevention and care services demonstrated high attrition rates of HIV-exposed and HIV-infected infants, elevated levels of mother-to-child transmission, late infant diagnosis, delayed pediatric antiretroviral therapy initiation, and high HIV-infected infant mortality. Antiretroviral therapy increased HIV-infected infant survival, emphasizing the urgent need for improved service coordination and strategies that increase access to infant HIV diagnosis, improve patient retention, and reduce antiretroviral therapy initiation delays.