Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Nature of the Sensory Input to the Neonatal Rat Barrel Cortex

Sensory input plays critical roles in the development of the somatosensory cortex during the neonatal period. This early sensory input may involve: (1) stimulation arising from passive interactions with the mother and littermates and (2) sensory feedback arising from spontaneous infant movements. The relative contributions of these mechanisms under natural conditions remain largely unknown, however. Here, we show that, in the whisker-related barrel cortex of neonatal rats, spontaneous whisker movements and passive stimulation by the littermates cooperate, with comparable efficiency, in driving cortical activity. Both tactile signals arising from the littermate's movements under conditions simulating the littermates' position in the litter, and spontaneous whisker movements efficiently triggered bursts of activity in barrel cortex. Yet, whisker movements with touch were more efficient than free movements. Comparison of the various experimental conditions mimicking the natural environment showed that tactile signals arising from the whisker movements with touch and stimulation by the littermates, support: (1) a twofold higher level of cortical activity than in the isolated animal, and (2) a threefold higher level of activity than in the deafferented animal after the infraorbital nerve cut. Together, these results indicate that endogenous (self-generated movements) and exogenous (stimulation by the littermates) mechanisms cooperate in driving cortical activity in newborn rats and point to the importance of the environment in shaping cortical activity during the neonatal period. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Sensory input plays critical roles in the development of the somatosensory cortex during the neonatal period. However, the origins of sensory input to the neonatal somatosensory cortex in the natural environment remain largely unknown. Here, we show that in the whisker-related barrel cortex of neonatal rats, spontaneous whisker movements and passive stimulation by the littermates cooperate, with comparable efficiency, in driving cortical activity during the critical developmental period.
TNF-&agr; Receptor 1 Expression Predicts Poor Prognosis of Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma, Not Otherwise Specified

We have previously shown that in tumor specimens from patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (DLBCL, NOS), the tumor necrosis factor-&agr; (TNF-&agr;)-positive type correlates with a poorer prognosis compared with the TNF-&agr;-negative type. In the present study, we further evaluated 60 lymphoma tissue specimens from patients with DLBCL, NOS by immunohistochemical staining with antibodies against TNF-&agr; receptor 1 (TNFR1) and TNF-&agr; receptor 2 (TNFR2). Our results demonstrated that 31 cases (52%) were positive and 29 (48%) were negative for TNFR1 and that the TNFR1-positive cases were significantly correlated with a poorer overall survival (OS; P=0.0006, log rank test) than the TNFR1-negative cases. The TNFR2-positive cases tended to have a poorer OS than the TNFR2-negative cases, although the difference was not significant. TNFR1 expression in tumor cells was a significant prognostic factor for OS and was independent of the International Prognostic Index (IPI). Among 31 TNF-&agr;-positive DLBCL, NOS cases, 27 (87%) were positive and 4 (13%) were negative for TNFR1. Both TNF-&agr;-positive and TNFR1-positive cases were significantly correlated with a poorer OS compared with the TNF-&agr;-positive but TNFR1-negative cases. Twenty-seven cases (45%) with the TNF-&agr;-positive and TNFR1-positive subtype of DLBCL, NOS had a poorer prognosis for OS and progression-free survival compared with the 33 cases (55%) with the remaining subtypes, and the TNF-&agr;-positive and TNFR1-positive subtype of DLBCL, NOS was also shown to be independent of the IPI. In addition to the IPI, the prognosis of patients can be more accurately identified by evaluating both TNF-&agr; and TNFR1 expression.
Inability to regain normal body mass despite extensive refuelling in great reed warblers following the trans‐Sahara crossing during spring migration

Migratory birds wintering in Africa face the challenge of passing the Sahara desert with few opportunities to forage. During spring migration birds thus arrive in the Mediterranean area with very low energy reserves after crossing the desert. Since early arrival to the breeding grounds often is of importance to maximize reproductive success, finding stopover sites with good refuelling possibilities after the Saharan passage is of utmost importance. Here we report on extensive fuelling in the great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus on the south coast of Crete in spring, the first land that they encounter after crossing the Sahara desert and the Mediterranean Sea in this area. Birds were studied at a river mouth and due to an exceptional high recapture rate (45 and 51% in two successive years), we were able to get information about stopover behaviour in 56 individual great reed warblers during two spring seasons. The large proportion of trapped great reed warbler compared to other species and the large number of recaptures suggest that great reed warblers actively choose this area for stopover. They stayed on average 3–4 d, increased on average about 3.5 g in body mass and the average rate of body mass increase was 4.8% of lean body mass d–¹. Wing length affected the rate of increase and indicated that females have a slower increase than males. The results found show that great reed warblers at this site regularly deposit larger fuel loads than needed for one continued flight stage. The low body mass found in great reed warblers (also in birds with high fat scores) is a strong indication that birds staging at Anapodaris still had not been able to rebuild their structural tissue after the strenuous Sahara crossing, suggesting that rebuilding structural tissue may take longer time than previously thought.
Breast Cancer prediction based on Backpropagation Algorithm

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide and occurs in nearly one out of eight women. Currently there are three techniques to diagnose breast cancer: mammography, FNA (Fine Needle Aspirate) and surgical biopsy. In this paper, we develop a system that can classify “Breast Cancer Disease” tumor using neural network with Feed-forward Backpropagation Algorithm to classify the tumor from a symptom that causes the breast cancer disease. The main aim of research is to develop more cost-effective and easy-to-use systems for supporting clinicians. For the breast cancer tumor diagnosis problem, experimental results show that the concise models extracted from the network achieve high accuracy rate of on the training data set and on the test data set. Breast cancer tumor database used for this purpose is from the University of Wisconsin (UCI) Machine Learning Repository.
Evaluation of mRNA expression of estrogen receptor β and its isoforms in human normal and neoplastic endometrium

Endometrial cancer is well known to be estrogen‐dependent. Two estrogen receptor types, ERα and ERβ, are major mediators of a diversity of biologic functions of estrogen and play an important role in estrogen‐dependent tissues and cancers. Cloning of ERβ was followed by the discovery of a variety of its isoforms. Using real‐time RT‐PCR, the relative expression levels of ERβ1, ERβ2 (ERβcx), ERβ3, ERβ4 and ERβ5 were studied. We observed coexpression of ERβ isoforms in the endometrium and upregulation of the ERβ5 transcript in malignant endometrium. We also observed downregulation of ERβ2Δ5 transcript in neoplastic endometrium, using a semiquantitative method. Our results suggest that analyzing the changes in ERβ and its isoforms may be important in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of endometrial cancer. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Visual field rehabilitation in the cortically blind?

SUMMARY Investigators have recently reported that specific practice facilitates-the restitution of visual fields in partially blinded humans with lesions to the striate cortex. In order to further evaluate this work, attempts were made to retrain twelve homonymous hemianopic or quadran-tanopic patients with similar methods, but under conditions in which possible contaminating experimental variables were controlled, including: (a) reliance on gross subjective impressions, (b) large visual stimuli response variability, (c) changes in detection strategies with practice and (d) compensatory eccentric fixation. The results indicate that visual field increases are not train-able. It is concluded that previous studies should be regarded with caution and the restitution of visual fields after damage to the striate cortex in humans is probably not possible with existing methods. eye movement from the fixation spot to the stimulus which was presented for 1 s duration in differing positions in the hemianopic field. He was reminded to avoid searching for the target beyond the first saccade, regardless of his success in localisation. The patient was then informed as to the meridian in which the stimulus would appear, but he was not informed as to its exact position on the meridian. The stimulus positions in the blind hemifield ranged between 3-50° from the visual field border as determined by Static Perimetry with a 1/4 stimulus (above). Inter-stimulus interval was 5 s; thirty second rests were given every 2-3 minutes. Two to three hundred trials at a total of 1 to 4 meridans (depending upon size of the scotoma) were presented each session on a 2-3 day a week basis at the same time each day.
La perception de la qualité des services e-gouvernementaux: vers des interfaces adaptatives prenant en compte des typologies d'utilisateurs

E-government services are actually a major stake for public administrations. However, regarding perceived quality, no models, neither measurement scales are specifically developed for them. A literature review, from a critical point of view, leads to the conclusion that actual perceived quality models are not taking enough into account end-users. This is mainly related to the methodology approaches used for their definition. In order to overcome theses weaknesses, we propose a methodology which aims at developing a measurement scale through an ergonomic approach. This measurement scale will lead to the identification of a perceived quality meta-model which could be instantiated to several sub-models according to users' profile. Finally, we put forward application perspectives to adaptive interfaces design.
Olivary Hypertrophy in a Case with Palatal Myoclonus:Light‐ and Electron‐microscopic Study

Abstract: This is a report on the ultrastructural finding of the olivary hypertrophy in a case with palatal myoclonus. By light microscopy two types of neuronal changes were observed in the inferior olivary nucleus, i.e. the central chromatolysis and cytoplasmic vacuolation. Both types were also recognized by electron microscopy and the cytoplasmic vascuolation was identified as the vesiculated endoplasmic reticulum. In the reactive astrocytes, mitochondria were strikingly proliferated.
Oscillatory Protein Expression Dynamics Endows Stem Cells with Robust Differentiation Potential

The lack of understanding of stem cell differentiation and proliferation is a fundamental problem in developmental biology. Although gene regulatory networks (GRNs) for stem cell differentiation have been partially identified, the nature of differentiation dynamics and their regulation leading to robust development remain unclear. Herein, using a dynamical system modeling cell approach, we performed simulations of the developmental process using all possible GRNs with a few genes, and screened GRNs that could generate cell type diversity through cell-cell interactions. We found that model stem cells that both proliferated and differentiated always exhibited oscillatory expression dynamics, and the differentiation frequency of such stem cells was regulated, resulting in a robust number distribution. Moreover, we uncovered the common regulatory motifs for stem cell differentiation, in which a combination of regulatory motifs that generated oscillatory expression dynamics and stabilized distinct cellular states played an essential role. These findings may explain the recently observed heterogeneity and dynamic equilibrium in cellular states of stem cells, and can be used to predict regulatory networks responsible for differentiation in stem cell systems.
Gas Storage Valuation Under Multi-Factor Levy Processes

A practical1The author's views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Gazprom Marketing & Trading Limited or any of its affiliates. problem for energy companies is instituting a consistent framework across its supply and trading activities to deliver on all-important P&L and at-Risk reporting requirements. With a focus on storage assets and wider natural gas market exposures, we present a gas storage valuation methodology, which uniquely uses a flexible multifactor Levy process setting that allows for consistent valuation and risk management reporting across a general derivative book. Our approach is capable of replicating the complex covariance structure of the natural gas forward curve and capturing time spread volatility, a key driver of extrinsic storage value, while being simultaneously capable of accurately calibrating to market traded options. We begin by extending a single factor Mean Reverting Variance Gamma process to an arbitrary number of dimensions and, by way of specific examples, show how the traditional Principal Component Analysis based view of gas forward curve dynamics can be incorporated into a primarily market based valuation. We develop in the process an innovative implied moments based calibration technique, which allows for efficient calibration of general multifactor forward curve models to delivery period options common in energy and commodity markets. Furthermore, to accommodate the forward curve and traded options market consistency, we propose an appropriate joint market based calibration and historical estimation methodology. Through a formal model specification analysis, we provide evidence that the multifactor Levy models we propose provide a better joint fit to NBP natural gas options-forward market data, relative to comparative benchmark models. Finally, we develop a novel multidimensional fast Fourier transform based storage valuation algorithm and provide empirical evidence that the multifactor Levy model suite is better specified to more accurately capture extrinsic value.
Triple‐negative breast cancer in the elderly: Prognosis and treatment

Our objective is to characterize treatment of triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) in older patients and measure mortality risk relative to younger women. We conducted a retrospective cohort study analysis of patients presenting with primary TNBC, age 25‐93, stage I‐III from 1990 to 2014, identified and tracked by our registry (n=771). Clinical characteristics were chart abstracted at diagnosis and follow‐up. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to measure disease‐specific survival (DSS) by age with Cox regression modeling for relative contribution of patient and clinical characteristics. Of patients, 80% were <65 years (n=612), 13% were 65‐74 years (n=100), and 7% were 75 and older (n=59). Older women presented more often with lower stage BC (stage I: 31% age <65, 48% age 65‐74, 39% age 75+; P=.014). All three age groups were equally likely to have radiation therapy (77%) but older patients were less often treated with adjuvant chemotherapy (<65=95%, 65‐74=76%, 75+=39%; P<.001). Mean follow‐up was 7.34 years and did not differ by age. Five‐year DSS was equivalent across the three age groups (<65=85%, 65‐74=90%, 75+=83%, P=.322). In Cox regression analysis controlling for stage, histologic and nuclear grade, diagnosis year, radiation and chemotherapy treatment, age was not significantly associated with disease‐specific mortality. TNBC survival appears equivalent by age despite less aggressive treatment in patients 75 years and older. This may be a result of lower stage at diagnosis and decreased disease virulence resulting in comparative survival despite less treatment.
Cloning and heterologous expression of the Candida albicans gene PMI 1 encoding phosphomannose isomerase

Using a DNA fragment derived from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae phosphomannose isomerase (PMI) structural gene as a probe against a random ordered array library of genomic DNA from the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans, we have cloned the C. albicans PMI 1 gene. This gene, which is unique in the C. albicans genome, can functionally complement PMI‐deficient mutants of both S. cerevisiae and Escherichia coli. The DNA sequence of the PMI 1 gene predicts a protein with 64·1% identity to PMI from S. cerevisiae. Sequential gene disruption of PMI 1 produces a strain with an auxotrophic requirement for D‐mannose. The heterologous expression of the PMI 1 gene at levels up to 45% of total cell protein in E. coli leads to partitioning of the enzyme between the soluble and particulate fractions. The protein produced in the soluble fraction is indistinguishable in kinetic properties from the material isolated from C. albicans cells. The nucleotide sequence data reported here will appear in the EMBL database under Accession Number X82024.
Turbulence Model Assessment in Compressible Flows around Complex Geometries with Unstructured Grids

One of the key factors in simulating realistic wall-bounded flows at high Reynolds numbers is the selection of an appropriate turbulence model for the steady Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes equations (RANS) equations. In this investigation, the performance of several turbulence models was explored for the simulation of steady, compressible, turbulent flow on complex geometries (concave and convex surface curvatures) and unstructured grids. The turbulence models considered were the Spalart–Allmaras model, the Wilcox k- ω model and the Menter shear stress transport (SST) model. The FLITE3D flow solver was employed, which utilizes a stabilized finite volume method with discontinuity capturing. A numerical benchmarking of the different models was performed for classical Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) cases, such as supersonic flow over an isothermal flat plate, transonic flow over the RAE2822 airfoil, the ONERA M6 wing and a generic F15 aircraft configuration. Validation was performed by means of available experimental data from the literature as well as high spatial/temporal resolution Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS). For attached or mildly separated flows, the performance of all turbulence models was consistent. However, the contrary was observed in separated flows with recirculation zones. Particularly, the Menter SST model showed the best compromise between accurately describing the physics of the flow and numerical stability.
Implementation of large size multipliers using ternary adders and higher order compressors

Recent FPGA architectures facilitate the efficient mapping of high order compressors to implement multi-operand additions. This feature can be used to improve the performance and area utilization of large size multipliers. In this paper we present an improved design approach utilizing ternary adders and Generalized Parallel Compressors, GPCs, for the addition of the partial products. Multipliers of different sizes ranging from 80 bits to 170 bits were implemented on Altera's Stratix III devices. The results of our proposed scheme are compared to the standard ripple-adder-based multipliers. On average, a delay reduction of 17.7% and area saving of 56.53% were achieved when using ternary adders. Using the GPCs with one level ternary adder, the average delay reduction is 18.7% and the average area saving is 24.1%.
Vaginal Dryness

Oil-based lubricants, such as petroleum jelly, baby oil, or mineral oil, may damage latex condoms and/or diaphragms and make them less effective in preventing pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections. Polyurethane condoms can be used with oil based products. Also, lubricants that are made with water or silicone can be used with latex condoms and diaphragms. The content on the UpToDate website is not intended nor recommended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your own physician or other qualified health care professional regarding any medical questions or conditions. The use of this website is governed by the UpToDate Terms of Use ©2014 UpToDate, Inc.
A Fast Document Classification Algorithm for Gene Symbol Disambiguation in the BITOLA Literature-Based Discovery Support System

Gene symbol disambiguation is an important problem for biomedical text mining systems. When detecting gene symbols in MEDLINE citations one of the biggest challenges is the fact that many gene symbols also denote other, more general biomedical concepts (e.g. CT, MR). Our approach to this problem is first to classify the citations into genetic and non-genetic domains and then to detect gene symbols only in the genetic domain. We used ontological information provided by Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) for this classification task. The proposed algorithm is fast and is able to process the full MEDLINE distribution in a few hours. It achieves predictive accuracy of 0.91. The algorithm is currently implemented in the BITOLA literature-based discovery support system (http://www.mf.uni-lj.si/bitola/).
The effects of propofol, isoflurane and sevoflurane on vecuronium infusion rates for surgical muscle relaxation in dogs.

OBJECTIVE To compare the constant rate infusion (CRI) of vecuronium required to maintain a level of neuromuscular blockade adequate for major surgeries, e.g. thoracotomy or laparotomy, in dogs anaesthetized with a CRI of fentanyl and either propofol, isoflurane or sevoflurane. STUDY DESIGN Prospective, randomized, cross-over study. ANIMALS Thirteen male beagles (age, 9-22 months; body mass 6.3-11.3 kg). MATERIALS AND METHODS Dogs were anaesthetized with propofol (24 mg kg(-1) hour(-1) IV CRI; group P), isoflurane (1.3% end-tidal concentration; group I) or sevoflurane (2.3% end-tidal concentration; group S) with fentanyl (5 microg kg(-1) hour(-1) IV, CRI). Sixty to seventy minutes after induction of anaesthesia, vecuronium was administered at a rate of 0.4, 0.3 and 0.2 mg kg(-1) hour(-1) in groups P, I and S respectively. To determine the degree of neuromuscular block, a peripheral nerve was stimulated electrically using the train-of-four (TO4) stimulus pattern. Evoked muscle contractions were evaluated using a neuromuscular monitoring device. Once the TO4 ratio reached 0, the continuous infusion rate was decreased and adjusted to maintain a TO4 count of 1. Continuous infusion was continued for 2 hours. The infusion rate of vecuronium was recorded 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 minutes after the start of infusion. RESULTS The mean continuous infusion rates of vecuronium during stable infusion were 0.22 +/- 0.04 (mean +/- SD), 0.10 +/- 0.02 and 0.09 +/- 0.02 mg kg(-1) hour(-1) in groups P, I and S respectively. There were statistically significant differences between the rates in groups P and I and between the rates in groups P and S. Conclusions and clinical relevance In healthy dogs, the recommended maintenance infusion rate of vecuronium is 0.2 mg kg(-1) hour(-1) under CRI propofol-fentanyl anaesthesia and 0.1 mg kg(-1) hour(-1) during CRI fentanyl-isoflurane or sevoflurane anaesthesia.