Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Arrest of Apoptosis in Auditory Neurons: Implications for Sensorineural Preservation in Cochlear Implantation

Hypothesis The JNK/c-Jun cell death pathway is a major pathway responsible for the loss of oxidative stress-damaged auditory neurons. Background Implantation of patients with residual hearing accentuates the need to preserve functioning sensorineural elements. Although some auditory function may survive electrode insertion, the probability of initiating an ongoing loss of auditory neurons and hair cells is unknown. Cochlear implantation can potentially generate oxidative stress, which can initiate the cell death of both auditory neurons and hair cells. Methods Dissociated cell cultures of P4 rat auditory neurons identified the apoptotic pathway initiated by oxidative stress insults (e.g., loss of trophic factor support) and characterized this pathway by arresting translation of pathway-specific mRNA with antisense oligonucleotide treatment and with the use of pathway specific inhibitors. The presence or absence of apoptosis-specific protein and changes in the level of neuronal survival measured the efficacy of these interventional strategies. Results These in vitro studies identified the JNK/c-Jun cascade as a major initiator of apoptosis of auditory neurons in response to oxidative stress. Neurons pretreated with c-jun antisense oligonucleotide and exposed to high levels of oxidative stress were rescued from apoptosis, whereas neurons in treatment control cultures died. Treatment of oxidative-stressed cultures with either curcumin, a MAPKKK pathway inhibitor, or PD-098059, a MEK1 inhibitor, blocked loss of neurons via the JNK/c-Jun apoptotic pathway. Conclusion Blocking the JNK/c-Jun cell death pathway is a feasible approach to treating oxidative stress–induced apoptosis within the cochlea and may have application as an otoprotective strategy during cochlear implantation.
Nonparametric extreme conditional expectile estimation

Expectiles and quantiles can both be defined as the solution of minimization problems. Contrary to quantiles though, expectiles are determined by tail expectations rather than tail probabilities, and define a coherent risk measure. For these two reasons in particular, expectiles have recently started to be considered as serious candidates to become standard tools in actuarial and financial risk management. However, expectiles and their sample versions do not benefit from a simple explicit form, making their analysis significantly harder than that of quantiles and order statistics. This difficulty is compounded when one wishes to integrate auxiliary information about the phenomenon of interest through a finite‐dimensional covariate, in which case the problem becomes the estimation of conditional expectiles. In this paper, we exploit the fact that the expectiles of a distribution F are in fact the quantiles of another distribution E explicitly linked to F, in order to construct nonparametric kernel estimators of extreme conditional expectiles. We analyze the asymptotic properties of our estimators in the context of conditional heavy‐tailed distributions. Applications to simulated data and real insurance data are provided.
From the machine to the ghost within: Pavlov's transition from digestive physiology to conditional reflexes

L P Pavlov's transition from research on digestiVe physiology to investigations of conditional reflexes involved related departures from two firmly established traditions in his laboratory. One was conceptual: The standardized line of investigation that Pavlov had applied frui(fully to the gastric and pancreatic glands proved inapplicable to the salivary glands, leading him to reevaluate his approach to "psychic secretion. " The dynamics and nature of this reevaluation owed much to a second departure, this one from a standard laboratory practice: Confronted with a conceptual problem that he recognized as psychological and, therefore, beyond his expertise, Pavlov recruited outside experts to help him resolve it, thus importing perspectives from contemporary psychology and psychiatry. The important role of insights from these two disciplines in the birth of research on conditional reflexes has been obscured by Pavlov's tale about this episode-a tale repeated uncritically by subsequent commentators. The intellectual terms of Pavlov's transition are evident in the phrase he chose to replace "psychic secretion"-"uslovnyi refleks. "This term is commonly translated into English as "conditioned reflex, "but its original meaning for Pavlov is better translated as "conditional reflex. "
A novel equalizer for the high-loss backplane at Nyquist frequency

The paper presents a small area and low power equalizer for the high-loss serial backplane built in 65 nm CMOS technology. To mitigate the effects of channel loss and other impairments, a programmable continuous time linear equalizer (CTLE) and a programmable 5-tap decision feedback equalizer (DFE) are used in the receiver. In which DFE employs a loop-unrolling structure to meet timing constraints. Furthermore power and area savings are achieved by using two kinds of D-flip-flop (DFF) in proposed DFE and CMOS-style rail-to-rail clocking. The whole equalizer occupies 0.0091 mm2 and consumes 11-mW under a 1.2 V supply when equalizing 6.25 Gb/s data passed over a FR4 PCB channel with 10~28 dB of loss at Nyquist frequency.
Mammaglobin 1 promotes breast cancer malignancy and confers sensitivity to anticancer drugs

Mammaglobin 1 (MGB1), a member of the secretoglobin family, is expressed in mammary epithelial tissues and is overexpressed in most mammary carcinomas. Despite the extensive research correlating MGB1 expression profiles to breast cancer pathogenesis and disease outcome, the biological significance of MGB1 in cancer processes is still unclear. We have thus set out to conduct a functional evaluation of the molecular and cellular roles of MGB1 in breast cancer processes leading to disease progression. Using a series of breast cancer cell models with conditional MGB1 expression, we demonstrate that MGB1 promotes cancer cell malignant features. More specifically, loss of MGB1 expression resulted in a decrease of cell proliferation, soft agar spheroid formation, migration, and invasion capacities of breast cancer cells. Concomitantly, we also observed that MGB1 expression activates signaling pathways mediated by MAPK members (p38, JNK, and ERK), the focal adhesion kinase (FAK), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and NFκB. Moreover, MGB1 regulates epithelial to mesenchymal (EMT) features and modulates Snail, Twist and ZEB1 expression levels. Interestingly, we also observed that expression of MGB1 confers breast cancer cell sensitivity to anticancer drug‐induced apoptosis. Together, our results support a role for MGB1 in tumor malignancy in exchange for chemosensitivity. These findings provide one of the first descriptive overview of the molecular and cellular roles of MGB1 in breast cancer processes and may offer new insight to the development of therapeutic and prognostic strategies in breast cancer patients. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil as an effective antifungal and herbicidal agent

In order to reduce the use of chemical pesticides, great interest has been focused on environment-friendly biological control agents and botanicals that preserve biodiversity. In this context, our study aimed to assess the antifungal and herbicidal activities of Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil (EO) to find an alternative to synthetic pesticides. The chemical composition of R. officinalis essential oil was determined by gaz chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis (GC-MS). Results showed that R. officinallis EO was rich in monoterpenes and the major constituents were 1,8-cineole (54.6%), camphor (12.27%) and α-pinene (7.09%). However, under laboratory conditions, two tests were carried out. The first one consisted on the study of EO antifungal activity using ELISA microplates and the second one consisted on evaluating the effect of EO on seedling growth of weeds. It was confirmed that this EO significantly inhibits spore germination of Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium culmorum, Penicillium italicum and at 6 mM, the percentage of inhibition reached 100% on Fusarium oxysporum. Indeed, EO slows down seedling growth of Trifolium incarnatum, Silybum marianum, and Phalaris minor. In fact, EO at 5 mM completely inhibits seed germination. On the other hand, another experiment was carried out to evaluate the herbicidal activity by spraying EO on weeds. This showed that a novel herbicide formulation was set up for the first time to improve the activity of R. officinalis EO on post-emergence. Overall, R. officinalis EO can be suggested as a potential eco-friendly pesticide and suitable source of natural compounds potentially usable as natural pesticides.
Plasma lipids and apoproteins, body fat distribution and body fatness in early pubertal children.

Besides body fatness, the body fat distribution is associated with coronary risk in adults, but little has been reported on this aspect in children. This study describes body fatness, body fat distribution (waist-to-hip ratio, WHR) and the plasma lipid and apoprotein profile (TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG, apo A-I and apo B) in 60 boys (age 10.8 +/- 0.1 year; mean +/- s.e.m.) and 64 girls (age 10.2 +/- 0.1 year), all caucasian. To avoid interference by the large changes in plasma sex hormone levels during puberty, only pre- and early pubertal children (Tanner stages of genital c.q. breast development 1 or 2) participated. Physical and sports activity was scored in hours per week using a questionnaire. The boys were taller than the girls (146.2 +/- 0.7 vs 143.2 +/- 0.9 cm; ANOVA, P less than or equal to 0.05) and their WHR was larger (0.88 +/- 0.01 vs 0.83 +/- 0.01; ANOVA, P less than or equal to 0.05). The boys spent 8.0 +/- 0.4 hours weekly on physical and sports activities, the girls 5.5 +/- 0.3 (ANOVA, P less than or equal to 0.05). The plasma lipid and apoprotein profiles were similar in both groups. Body fatness was significantly associated with the lipid and apoprotein profile, although in different ways in boys and girls. In boys there was a relationship with TG (r = 0.49), with apo B (r = 0.33) and with the apo A-I to apo B ratio (r = -0.24); in girls with TG (r = 0.25), HDL-C (r = -0.39), apo A-I (r = -0.28) and with the HDL-C to TC ratio (r = -0.31); P less than 0.05 for all correlations. A regional component of the subcutaneous fatmass, assessed by the partial correlations of the individual skinfold thicknesses with the plasma lipid and apoprotein profile after controlling for body fatness, was lacking in these early and prepubertal children. The WHR was associated with TC (r = 0.35), LDL-C (r = 0.32), apo B (r = 0.36) and with apo A-I/apo B (r = -0.34) in the girls after controlling for body fatness. Although closer investigation into the validity of the WHR as a measure of fat distribution in children is needed, the tentative conclusion is that in pre- and early pubertal girls the WHR has an impact on the plasma lipid and apoprotein profile similar to that seen in adults. It is suggested that in boys these relationships develop later in puberty.
Asthma induced by ice water ingestion in ethnic Chinese asthmatic children: a challenge

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between ice water ingestion and the induction of asthmatic symptoms and signs in ethnic Chinese asthmatic children. Sixty asthmatic children with a positive history of exacerbation of symptoms after drinking ice water were divided randomly into two groups: 34 children were instructed to drink 250 ml of 0‐4°C ice water within one minute, and 26 to drink 250 ml of 25°C warm water. All of the asthmatic children were stable when studied. Twenty‐three healthy children as controls were asked to drink 250 ml of 0‐4°C ice water. The three groups had forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) performed al baseline and at 5, 15, 30, 60, and 90 minutes after challenge. After the spirometric test at 90 minutes the patients of the two asthmatic groups received three puffs (0. 6 mg) of hexoprenaline MDI and a further spirometric lest was performed 5 min after the inhalation. Cough and wheeze were monitored throughout the course of the test.
Effect of Nucleotide on the Binding of Peptides to 70-kDa Heat Shock Protein (*)

In previous work we found that bovine brain hsp70 has a single binding site for nucleotide, and that, with ATP at this site, the rates of association and dissociation of clathrin from hsp70 are fast, whereas with ADP at this site, these rates are unmeasurably slow. In the present study we show, first, that peptide C, cytochrome c peptide, and RNase S peptide bind competitively with clathrin, suggesting that they bind to the same site on hsp70, although RNase S peptide binds an order of magnitude more weakly than peptide C and cytochrome c peptide. Second, we show that, with ADP bound to hsp70, as occurs with clathrin, the rate constant for dissociation of peptide markedly decreases compared to the rate constant observed in ATP. In contrast, ADP only slightly decreases the rate of association of peptide. Based on these data we propose a model in which substrates of hsp70 bind to and dissociate from the ATP form of the enzyme, while, following ATP hydrolysis, they are locked onto the ADP form of the enzyme, unable to dissociate until ADP is released and ATP rebinds.
Neurocognitive impairments in MDMA and other drug users: MDMA alone may not be a cognitive risk factor

Background: MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine; “Ecstasy”) is an amphetamine derivative with mild hallucinogenic and stimulant qualities. MDMA leads to serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) neurotoxicity and has been linked to cognitive impairments. It remains unclear whether these impairments are due to MDMA versus other drug use. Method: Neurocognitive functioning was measured in a sample of abstinent polydrug users (n = 52) with a range of MDMA use and healthy nondrug controls (n = 29). Participants completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and self-report measures of drug use. Results: Polydrug users performed worse than controls on spatial span and spatial working memory (ps < .05). Among polydrug users, lifetime marijuana use significantly predicted verbal learning and memory performance (p < .01), while MDMA use was not predictive of cognitive impairment. Conclusions: This study and our previous report (Hanson, Luciana, & Sullwold, 2008) suggest that moderate MDMA use does not lead to persistent impairments above and beyond that associated with generally heavy drug use, but polydrug use may lead to dose-related temporal and frontoparietal dysfunction. Marijuana use may be particularly problematic. Cause–effect relations are unclear.
Unobtrusive and Energy-Efficient Swimming Exercise Tracking Using On-Node Processing

Body-worn sensors for movement analysis in swimming have to be unobtrusive and energy-efficient. We present a swimming exercise tracker for the unobtrusive positioning at the back of the head and an energy-efficient analysis using an on-node implementation. To develop the system, we collected head kinematics from 11 subjects in two 200-m medley races comprising breaks, turns, and four swimming styles. Each subject was equipped with a 6-D inertial measurement unit and completed one session in rested and fatigued state. Data were analyzed with a classification system, whereby different classifiers, window sizes, and feature sets were evaluated. Algorithm selection for on-node processing was performed on the basis of classifier accuracy and computational cost. The algorithm with the best tradeoff in accuracy and computational cost was selected and had a classification rate of 85.4%. Energy consumption of both on-node processing and Bluetooth streaming was evaluated on the Shimmer sensor platform. The results revealed energy savings of over 60% when data were processed on the sensor node. The presented analysis approach can be easily applied to other data analysis tasks, and the presented toolchain can support the rapid development of wearable systems in sports and healthcare.
EAACI/GA2LEN/EDF/WAO guideline: definition, classification and diagnosis of urticaria

This guideline, together with its sister guideline on the management of urticaria [Zuberbier T, Asero R, Bindslev‐Jensen C, Canonica GW, Church MK, Giménez‐Arnau AM et al. EAACI/GA²LEN/EDF/WAO Guideline: Management of urticaria. Allergy, 2009; 64:1427–1443] is the result of a consensus reached during a panel discussion at the 3rd International Consensus Meeting on Urticaria, Urticaria 2008, a joint initiative of the Dermatology Section of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), the EU‐funded network of excellence, the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA²LEN), the European Dermatology Forum (EDF) and the World Allergy Organization (WAO). Urticaria is a frequent disease. The life‐time prevalence for any subtype of urticaria is approximately 20%. Chronic spontaneous urticaria and other chronic forms of urticaria do not only cause a decrease in quality of life, but also affect performance at work and school and, as such, are members of the group of severe allergic diseases. This guideline covers the definition and classification of urticaria, taking into account the recent progress in identifying its causes, eliciting factors, and pathomechanisms. In addition, it outlines evidence‐based diagnostic approaches for different subtypes of urticaria. The correct management of urticaria, which is of paramount importance for patients, is very complex and is consequently covered in a separate guideline developed during the same consensus meeting. This guideline was acknowledged and accepted by the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS).
Laboratory Evaluation of a Microfluidic Electrochemical Sensor for Aerosol Oxidative Load

Human exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution is associated with human morbidity and mortality. The mechanisms by which PM impacts human health are unresolved, but evidence suggests that PM intake leads to cellular oxidative stress through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Therefore, reliable tools are needed for estimating the oxidant generating capacity, or oxidative load, of PM at high temporal resolution (minutes to hours). One of the most widely reported methods for assessing PM oxidative load is the dithiothreitol (DTT) assay. The traditional DTT assay utilizes filter-based PM collection in conjunction with chemical analysis to determine the oxidation rate of reduced DTT in solution with PM. However, the traditional DTT assay suffers from poor time resolution, loss of reactive species during sampling, and high limit of detection. Recently, a new DTT assay was developed that couples a particle-into-liquid-sampler with microfluidic-electrochemical detection. This “on-line” system allows high temporal resolution monitoring of PM reactivity with improved detection limits. This study reports on a laboratory comparison of the traditional and on-line DTT approaches. An urban dust sample was aerosolized in a laboratory test chamber at three atmospherically relevant concentrations. The on-line system gave a stronger correlation between DTT consumption rate and PM mass (R 2 = 0.69) than the traditional method (R 2 = 0.40) and increased precision at high temporal resolution, compared to the traditional method. Copyright 2014 American Association for Aerosol Research
Frequency Response Calibration Using Multi-Channel Wiener Filters for Microphone Arrays

Frequency response differences among microphones will result in performance degradation of microphone arrays. To remedy this problem, a frequency response calibration method based on multi-channel Wiener filters (MCWFs) is proposed in this paper. The geometric relationship of a single sound source and uncalibrated microphones is first formulated via maximum allowable errors of gain and phase. Next, the system model of the frequency response calibration is constructed, and the microphone signals are approximated to each other using the MCWF. Finally, a least-mean-square (LMS) algorithm is presented to obtain the Wiener solutions rapidly. The proposed method can effectively compensate both the gain and phase errors caused by different sensitivities among microphones in noisy and reverberant environments. The simulation and real-word experimental results reveal the validity of the proposed method.
A cost-benefit analysis: implementing temporary disability insurance in Washington State

Abstract Five states and Puerto Rico currently provide disability insurance to persons unable to work due to temporary disability. No states have adopted such policies since 1969. Labor unions and other advocacy groups have advanced bills in Washington and Oregon that would establish a public disability insurance plan to provide partial wage replacement for serious illness, accident and pregnancy. This paper estimates annual costs and benefits for a temporary disability insurance program in Washington State under the assumption that it would mirror the disability provisions in California without paid family leave.
The role of household members in automobile choice: does it matter who is interviewed?

The choice of automobile purchases in households often involves participation of more than one household member, each of which exerts some degree of influence on the final choice outcome. The influence of more than one agent has been recognised for many years, and yet the majority of automobile choice studies develop choice models as if a single agent is involved in the preference revelation process. What is not clear is whether it makes any substantive difference in preference revelation according to who is interviewed in a household. Using a generalised mixed logit framework that accounts for preference and scale heterogeneity, we estimate a series of models to investigate whether there are significant differences between the preferences of each individual in a household when assessed in isolation from other household members, as well as their joint preferences when expressing their preferences through a group choice task. The context is choosing amongst petrol, diesel and hybrid fuelled vehicles (associated with specific levels of fuel efficiency and engine capacity) when faced with a mix of vehicle prices, fuel prices, fixed annual registration fees, annual emission surcharges and vehicle kilometre emission surcharges. Using a stated choice experiment, we find that sampling a single individual as a representative of the household's preferences is less appropriate than utilising preference information from the relevant group of decision makers in the household.
Upotreba morskih vrsta algi

Algae are broad group of water based photosynthetic organisms which regard to dimension of thallus exist as macro algae and plankton micro algae which are broadly widespread in underwater ecosystem. Biomass underwater spieces of algae presents valuable raw material for whole humanity.It has huge nutritive value, traditionaly its used as food on the Far East and more and more in other countries where mostly red (Rhodophyceae) and brown (Phaeophyceae) algae can be found in form of extract (agar, alginate and carrageenan) in finished products.Being rich in content of various ogranic molecules that has beneficial effect on health and it issuitable to be used as suplements, also its good for alternative way of healing many diseases.They have softening and calming effect on skin, aslo having antioksidant properties makesthem part of many cosmetics products for skin and hair. Containing important elements for soil and plants makes good use from their extract to produce biofertilizer and algal flour which is used for feeding livestock.These organism have more and more potencial in production of biofuels in hope that they will replace fosil fuels but that is still just challange of future.Their ability for accumulating toxic substances and for filter water is still in phase of research.