Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Age and pattern of intellectual decline among Down Syndrome and other mentally retarded adults

A comparison was made of Down Syndrome and other mentally retarded young adults in community work and residential settings for differences in cognitive profile across age groups using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Evidence is of a significant erosion of test scores, especially performance scale scores for the non-DS mentally retarded subjects from the third to fourth decades of life. The Down Syndrome cohort remained relatively stable for cognitive profile over time with the notable exception of the Block Design subtest which declined significantly over the two decades; and in contrast with the control sample. Further investigation is suggested in the event that the Block Design subtest has potential as a diagnostic 'marker' for the early identification of DS individuals likely to be most susceptible to premature Alzheimer's-like senile dementia.
Artificial neural nets for K-complex detection

An explorative study was initiated to determine whether artificial neural nets (ANNs) can be used to detect K-complexes in EEGs (electroencephalograms). K-complexes are relatively large waves with a duration of between 500 and 1500 ms often seen during sleep stage 2. Sleep spindles (bursts of rhythmic activity with a frequency of 12 to 16 Hz) are almost always observed in the neighborhood of K-complexes. The data and methods used to analyze K-complex are described. In all cases, a multilayer backpropagation ANN was used. The number of input nodes and hidden layers varied. Two different strategies were used to prepare the input to the ANN, and results for both are presented. The results indicate that the neural net approaches used are not adequate for the detection of K-complexes. <<ETX>>
Strength of attachment of an in-house, microbubble, ultrasound contrast agent

An in-house, lipid-based, microbubble ultrasound contrast agent has been successfully targeted to a streptavidin coated agar surface and SK-Hep-1 cells. Initial investigations assessed the strength of attachment of the agent to an agar surface via a streptavidin-biotin bond. The strength of this bond was found to be 75 times stronger than a control investigation in which the biotinylated agent was ‘attached’ to an uncoated agar surface. The in-house agent was then targeted to SK-Hep-1 cells using a streptavidin-biotin bridge. Streptavidin was found to attach to over 90% of the microbubble population with antibodies successfully attaching to 75.4% of the microbubble population. Adhesion of SK-Hep-1 cells under low wall shear stress has also been assessed.
An ECM-Mimicking, Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Embedded Hybrid Scaffold for Bone Regeneration

While biologically feasible, bone repair is often inadequate, particularly in cases of large defects. The search for effective bone regeneration strategies has led to the emergence of bone tissue engineering (TE) techniques. When integrating electrospinning techniques, scaffolds featuring randomly oriented or aligned fibers, characteristic of the extracellular matrix (ECM), can be fabricated. In parallel, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which are capable of both self-renewing and differentiating into numerous tissue types, have been suggested to be a suitable option for cell-based tissue engineering therapies. This work aimed to create a novel biocompatible hybrid scaffold composed of electrospun polymeric nanofibers combined with osteoconductive ceramics, loaded with human MSCs, to yield a tissue-like construct to promote in vivo bone formation. Characterization of the cell-embedded scaffolds demonstrated their resemblance to bone tissue extracellular matrix, on both micro- and nanoscales and MSC viability and integration within the electrospun nanofibers. Subcutaneous implantation of the cell-embedded scaffolds in the dorsal side of mice led to new bone, muscle, adipose, and connective tissue formation within 8 weeks. This hybrid scaffold may represent a step forward in the pursuit of advanced bone tissue engineering scaffolds.
MELAS and l‐arginine therapy: pathophysiology of stroke‐like episodes

Mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke‐like episodes (MELAS) is a maternally inherited multisystem mitochondrial disorder. Although many molecular and cellular mechanisms have been discovered leading to mitochondrial cytopathy, the pathogenic mechanism of stroke‐like episodes seen in MELAS has not been clarified yet. According to the muscle and brain pathology and vascular physiology, mitochondrial angiopathy, or endothelial dysfunction, were proposed to play an important role for developing stroke‐like episodes. Based on a hypothesis of mitochondrial angiopathy theory, we use l‐arginine in MELAS patients and report its usefulness. This review aims to give a general idea on the actual knowledge about the possible pathogenic mechanism of stroke‐like episodes, including clinical symptoms that lead to stroke‐like episodes, muscle, or brain pathology, molecular cellular functions, neuroimagings including MRI, MRS, and SPECT, and the proposed site of action of l‐arginine therapy on MELAS patients. Currently, l‐arginine therapy may be the most promising for the treatment of stroke‐like episodes in MELAS.
The effect of dialysis modality on phosphate control : haemodialysis compared to haemodiafiltration. The Pan Thames Renal Audit.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Hyperphosphataemia is a primary risk factor for patients with end-stage kidney failure. Phosphate clearance by traditional thrice-weekly standard haemodialysis is inadequate for patients achieving recommended dietary protein goals. We investigated whether phosphate control was improved by adding convective clearance with haemodiafiltration. METHODS We audited pre-midweek session calcium and phosphate levels in 5366 adult patients, 4515 treated by haemodialysis and 851 by on-line haemodiafiltration. RESULTS The cohorts were similar for age, sex and dialysis vintage. Serum phosphate was lower in the haemodiafiltration cohort (1.42 +/- 0.61 mmol/l) compared to the haemodialysis cohort (1.53 +/- 0.53 mmol/l; P < 0.001), as was the calcium-phosphate product (3.31 +/- 1.53 vs 3.5 +/- 1.33 mmol(2)/l(2), respectively; P < 0.001) despite a shorter treatment session time (3.68 +/- 0.44 vs 3.92 +/- 0.49 h; P < 0.001). Parathyroid hormone levels were similar. CONCLUSIONS The results of this audit suggest that haemodiafiltration offers improved phosphate control compared to standard intermittent haemodialysis.
Macrophage depletion in the murine olfactory epithelium leads to increased neuronal death and decreased neurogenesis

Apoptosis of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) induced by olfactory bulbectomy (OBX) leads to the activation of resident macrophages within the olfactory epithelium (OE). These macrophages phagocytose degenerating OSNs and secrete chemokines, which recruit additional macrophages into the OE, and cytokines/growth factors, which regulate basal cell proliferation and differentiation and maturation of OSNs. In this study we apply for the first time the use of liposome‐encapsulated clodronate to selectively deplete macrophages during the OSN degeneration/regeneration cycle in order to elucidate the role(s) of macrophages in regulating cellular mechanisms that lead to apoptosis and neurogenesis. Mice were injected intranasally and intravenously with either liposome‐encapsulated clodronate or empty liposomes prior to and after OBX or sham OBX. At 48 hours after surgery the numbers of macrophages in the OE of both sham and OBX clodronate‐treated mice were significantly reduced compared to liposome‐treated controls (38% and 35%, respectively, P < 0.05). The reduction in macrophage numbers was accompanied by significant decreases in OE thickness (22% and 21%, P < 0.05), the number of mOSNs (1.2‐ and 1.9‐fold, P < 0.05), and basal cell proliferation (7.6‐ and 3.8‐fold, P < 0.005) in sham and OBX mice, respectively, compared to liposome‐treated controls. In OBX mice there was also increased immunoreactivity for active caspase‐3 in the OE and olfactory nerves of clodronate‐treated OBX mice compared to liposome‐treated controls. These results indicate that macrophages modulate the OSN population in the normal and target‐ablated murine OE by influencing neuronal survival and basal cell proliferation, resulting in neurogenesis and replacement of mature OSNs. J. Comp. Neurol. 501:206–218, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Empagliflozin and Progression of Kidney Disease in Type 2 Diabetes.

BACKGROUND Diabetes confers an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular and renal events. In the EMPA-REG OUTCOME trial, empagliflozin, a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor, reduced the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes at high risk for cardiovascular events. We wanted to determine the long-term renal effects of empagliflozin, an analysis that was a prespecified component of the secondary microvascular outcome of that trial. METHODS We randomly assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and an estimated glomerular filtration rate of at least 30 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2) of body-surface area to receive either empagliflozin (at a dose of 10 mg or 25 mg) or placebo once daily. Prespecified renal outcomes included incident or worsening nephropathy (progression to macroalbuminuria, doubling of the serum creatinine level, initiation of renal-replacement therapy, or death from renal disease) and incident albuminuria. RESULTS Incident or worsening nephropathy occurred in 525 of 4124 patients (12.7%) in the empagliflozin group and in 388 of 2061 (18.8%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio in the empagliflozin group, 0.61; 95% confidence interval, 0.53 to 0.70; P<0.001). Doubling of the serum creatinine level occurred in 70 of 4645 patients (1.5%) in the empagliflozin group and in 60 of 2323 (2.6%) in the placebo group, a significant relative risk reduction of 44%. Renal-replacement therapy was initiated in 13 of 4687 patients (0.3%) in the empagliflozin group and in 14 of 2333 patients (0.6%) in the placebo group, representing a 55% lower relative risk in the empagliflozin group. There was no significant between-group difference in the rate of incident albuminuria. The adverse-event profile of empagliflozin in patients with impaired kidney function at baseline was similar to that reported in the overall trial population. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk, empagliflozin was associated with slower progression of kidney disease and lower rates of clinically relevant renal events than was placebo when added to standard care. (Funded by the Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company Diabetes Alliance; EMPA-REG OUTCOME ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01131676.).
Glomerular haemodynamics during renal artery clamping and haemorrhage in the dog

The influence of gradual decline in renal perfusion pressure (RPP) due either to renal artery clamping (C) or to haemorrhagic hypotension (HH) was studied using micropuncture techniques in anaesthetized dogs. The decrease in renal blood flow (RBF) was more profound and set in earlier during HH than during C, where perfect autoregulation was observed down to a mean arterial blood pressure of 85 mmHg. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was also only slightly decreased during C, with no change in filtration fraction (FF); again, a much greater decrease in GFR with an increase in FF was seen in HH. The excretion of water, electrolytes and urea were also more decreased during HH than during C. Similar changes were seen at the single nephron (SN) level. Opposite changes were observed in arteriolar resistances: during C a decrease in total arteriolar resistance (RT) amounting to ‐22% at a RPP of 84 mmHg and ‐13% at 60 mmHg was seen, due exclusively to a drop in afferent resistance (RA), but during HH there was a significant increase in RT by +36% at RPP of 110 mmHg, +39% at 85 mmHg and +68% at 60 mmHg. This increase was mainly due to an increase in efferent resistance (RE) rather than in RA: +42 vs. +31%, respectively, at 110 mmHg and +67 vs +19% respectively, at 85 mmHg. It was not until a RPP of 60 mmHg was reached that this difference between RE and RA disappeared, being +67% for RE and +69% for RA. The ultrafiltration coefficient, Kf, did not change during C and only decreased slightly with the biggest drop in RPP during HH (2.84 microliters mmHg‐1 min‐1 during HH vs. 4.19 microliters mmHg‐1 min‐1 before HH). The SNGFR/GFR ratio remained unchanged during C but declined with decreasing RPP during HH, which probably indicates a 'redistribution' of RBF to the deeper regions of the renal cortex. In conclusion, major differences in renal function were observed between C and HH whose cause is unknown.
Impact of interface-traps on TDDB lifetime by distorting the Weibull slope

In this study, impact of traps located at SiO2/Si interface on the time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) lifetime is investigated by modeling the Weibull distribution in high-k (HK) dielectric stacks. The results show that the interface traps will cause the distortion of Weibull slope of TDDB lifetime, decreasing the growing rate of the probability of breakdown after a long time.
Engineering herbicide resistance in plants by expression of a detoxifying enzyme

Phosphinothricin (PPT) is a potent inhibitor of glutamine synthetase in plants and is used as a non‐selective herbicide. The bar gene which confers resistance in Streptomyces hygroscopicus to bialaphos, a tripeptide containing PPT, encodes a phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (PAT) (see accompanying paper). The bar gene was placed under control of the 35S promoter of the cauliflower mosaic virus and transferred to plant cells using Agrobacterium‐mediated transformation. PAT was used as a selectable marker in protoplast co‐cultivation. The chimeric bar gene was expressed in tobacco, potato and tomato plants. Transgenic plants showed complete resistance towards high doses of the commercial formulations of phosphinothricin and bialaphos. These data present a successful approach to obtain herbicide‐resistant plants by detoxification of the herbicide.
Characteristics of Special Type Breast Tumors in Our Center.

Objective Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with different histological types. Ductal breast cancer constitutes the vast majority of the breast cancers. However limited data are present in the rest of breast cancers called special or rare type breast cancers. Here in this study, we tried to describe the clinical features of special type breast cancers in our center. Materials and Methods Retrospective descriptive study was performed in Kocaeli University School of Medicine, Department of General Surgery between January 2000 and January 2016. Women diagnosed with primary breast cancer other than ductal carcinoma were included to the study. In total, 101 patients were evaluated according to histologic types, molecular types, Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) stages, and grades. Survival of the patients was also evaluated. Results Medullary and metaplastic types showed basal type; tubular, mucinous, micropapillary carcinoma, cribriform, lobular and apocrine tumors showed luminal type molecular pattern. Neither the existence of ductal carcinoma nor any histologic types had any effects on survival. Apocrine tumors were presented in younger ages. Conclusion Histologic types of breast cancer are closely related with the molecular types of the breast cancer. Tumor size, grade, stage of the disease can show differences among histological types which might be due to the genetic background, late onset or limited number of patients. In order to achieve more significant results, multicenter national studies are needed.
Output feedback strategies for systems with impulsive and fast controls

This paper deals with output feedback impulse control under set-membership uncertainty where the control realization consists of a sequence of δ-impulses. It indicates solution schemes based on generalized Dynamic Programming relations of the HJB type and suggests recommendation for computation. The problem is then generalized to the case of high-order “fast” controls which solve the terminal control problem in arbitrary small time. Finally an output feedback control problem is solved where communication signals for the available noisy measurements arrive at Poisson instants of time. Numerical examples are demonstrated.
Mildly Oxidized Low Density Lipoprotein Induces Contraction of Human Endothelial Cells through Activation of Rho/Rho Kinase and Inhibition of Myosin Light Chain Phosphatase*

Mildly oxidized low density lipoprotein (mox-LDL) is critically involved in the early atherogenic responses of the endothelium and increases endothelial permeability through an unknown signal pathway. Here we show that (i) exposure of confluent human endothelial cells (HUVEC) to mox-LDL but not to native LDL induces the formation of actin stress fibers and intercellular gaps within minutes, leading to an increase in endothelial permeability; (ii) mox-LDL induces a transient decrease in myosin light chain (MLC) phosphatase that is paralleled by an increase in MLC phosphorylation; (iii) phosphorylated MLC stimulated by mox-LDL is incorporated into stress fibers; (iv) cytoskeletal rearrangements and MLC phosphorylation are inhibited by C3 transferase from Clostridium botulinum, a specific Rho inhibitor, and Y-27632, an inhibitor of Rho kinase; and (v) mox-LDL does not increase intracellular Ca2+concentration. Our data indicate that mox-LDL induces endothelial cell contraction through activation of Rho and its effector Rho kinase which inhibits MLC phosphatase and phosphorylates MLC. We suggest that inhibition of this novel cell signaling pathway of mox-LDL could be relevant for the prevention of atherosclerosis.
[Spontaneous healing of various types of rat tympanic membrane perforation].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the spontaneous healing process of various types of rat tympanic membrane perforation, study the perforation healing mechanism. METHODS Fifty rats were divided into five groups in randomization, and performed perforations phi = 2.5 mm, 1 mm, respectively in the center of tympanic membrane pars tensa, posterior marginal perforation (phi = 1.5 mm) in pars tensa, the handle of malleus cauterized with chromic acid after tympanic membrane 3/4 excision, and perforation (phi = 1.5 mm) in the center of pars flaccid, The histology of the perforations healing process was observed with light microscope. RESULTS The epithelia retracted in the early stage after perforation. The epithelia near the annulus and manubrium showed hyperplasia. The epithelia hyperplasia also appeared the intact annulus region remote to the perforation. The middle connective tissue layer reacted later than the epithelial layer. The defects were closed first by the accumulation of the epithelial cells. The difference of healing time had no statistics significance between the big and small perforations. One ear perforated, but the other side intact ear appears no change. The epithelia didn't migrate into the tympanic cavity in the posterior marginal perforations. All the perforations healed after the manubriums of the malleus were damaged. Perforations in pars flaccid healed more quickly. CONCLUSIONS The normal migration of the epithelia of the tympanic membrane played an important role in the healing of perforation. The generation center was located near tympanic annulus and manubrium of the malleus, so the protection of these two regions was very important in the middle-ear surgery.
Remembrances of Times East

How do people think about time? Here we describe representations of time in Pormpuraaw, a remote Australian Aboriginal community. Pormpuraawans’ representations of time differ strikingly from all others documented to date. Previously, people have been shown to represent time spatially from left to right or right to left, or from front to back or back to front. All of these representations are with respect to the body. Pormpuraawans instead arrange time according to cardinal directions: east to west. That is, time flows from left to right when one is facing south, from right to left when one is facing north, toward the body when one is facing east, and away from the body when one is facing west. These findings reveal a qualitatively different set of representations of time, with time organized in a coordinate frame that is independent from others reported previously. The results demonstrate that conceptions of even such fundamental domains as time can differ dramatically across cultures.
Intermittent implosion and pattern formation of trapped Bose-Einstein condensates with an attractive interaction.

The collapsing dynamics of a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate with attractive interaction are revealed to exhibit two previously unknown phenomena. During the collapse, the condensate undergoes a series of rapid implosions that occur intermittently within a very small region. When the sign of the interaction is suddenly switched from repulsive to attractive, e.g., by the Feshbach resonance, density fluctuations grow to form various patterns such as a shell structure.
Genetic analysis of durations: Correlated frailty model applied to survival of Danish twins

Population studies of changes in human morbidity and mortality require models which take into account the influence of genetic and environmental factors on life‐related durations, such as age at onset of the disease or disability, age at death, etc. In this paper we show how a bivariate survival model based on the concept of correlated individual frailty can be used for the genetic analysis of durations. Six genetic models of frailty are considered and applied to Danish twin survival data. The results of statistical analysis allow us to conclude that at least 50% of variability in individual frailty is determined by environmental factors. The approach suggests a method of estimation of the lower bound for the biological limit of human longevity. Directions for further research are discussed. ©1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A New Cyclic Hexapeptide and a New Isocoumarin Derivative from the Marine Sponge-Associated Fungus Aspergillus similanensis KUFA 0013

A new isocoumarin derivative, similanpyrone C (1), a new cyclohexapeptide, similanamide (2), and a new pyripyropene derivative, named pyripyropene T (3) were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of the culture of the marine sponge-associated fungus Aspergillus similanensis KUFA 0013. The structures of the compounds were established based on 1D and 2D NMR spectral analysis, and in the case of compound 2 the stereochemistry of its amino acid constituents was determined by chiral HPLC analysis of the hydrolysate by co-injection with the d and l amino acids standards. Compounds 2 and 3 were evaluated for their in vitro growth inhibitory activity against MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma), NCI-H460 (non-small cell lung cancer) and A373 (melanoma) cell lines, as well as antibacterial activity against reference strains and the environmental multidrug-resistant isolates (MRS and VRE). Only compound 2 exhibited weak activity against the three cancer cell lines, and neither of them showed antibacterial activity.
A 5.5 GHz low-power PLL using 0.18-µm CMOS technology

This paper presents a fully-integrated 5.5 GHz low-power consumption phase-locked loop (PLL) on standard 0.18-μm CMOS process. Utilizing the transformer feedback VCO and high speed true single phase clock (TSPC) divider, the 5.5 GHz PLL achieves low power consumption of 9.23 mW. In addition, a rail-to-rail buffer amplifier is incorporated between the VCO and TSPC divider chain to provide full voltage swing for TSPC input. The measured phase noises are -85 dBc/Hz and -116.6 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz and 10 MHz frequency offsets, respectively.