Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MRI-Based Topographic Parcellation of Human Neocortex: An Anatomically Specified Method with Estimate of Reliability

We describe a system of parcellation of the human neocortex, based upon magnetic resonance images, that conserves the topographic uniqueness of the individual brain. Subdivision of the neocortex, according to this system, is based entirely upon the configuration of a specified set of cerebral landmarks, principally neocortical fissures. These are present but unique in the details of their configurations in each individual brain. We introduce here a computer-assisted algorithm that ensures that a skilled investigator can execute the parcellation routine in a manageable period of time. Secondly, we outline a comprehensive set of conventions that specify how the boundaries of parcellation units are defined by anatomic landmarks. The average interobserver agreement in voxel assignment to parcellation units within the overall neocortex was 80.2%.
Neuronal medium that supports basic synaptic functions and activity of human neurons in vitro

Significance Neuronal cultures are very valuable to learn about basic principles of the nervous system. In vivo, neural electrical activity is the essence of nervous system function, controlling emotion, memory, sensory modalities, and behavior. In this study, we discovered that many crucial neurophysiological properties were strongly altered in classic culture media that are widely used by the research community. To overcome this problem, we designed and tested a new tissue culture neuromedium that adequately supports in vitro neuronal activity. The improvements made in this medium reduce the gap between in vivo brain physiological conditions and neuronal models in vitro. Improving physiological conditions in vitro may lead to more successful translation from bench to clinics. Human cell reprogramming technologies offer access to live human neurons from patients and provide a new alternative for modeling neurological disorders in vitro. Neural electrical activity is the essence of nervous system function in vivo. Therefore, we examined neuronal activity in media widely used to culture neurons. We found that classic basal media, as well as serum, impair action potential generation and synaptic communication. To overcome this problem, we designed a new neuronal medium (BrainPhys basal + serum-free supplements) in which we adjusted the concentrations of inorganic salts, neuroactive amino acids, and energetic substrates. We then tested that this medium adequately supports neuronal activity and survival of human neurons in culture. Long-term exposure to this physiological medium also improved the proportion of neurons that were synaptically active. The medium was designed to culture human neurons but also proved adequate for rodent neurons. The improvement in BrainPhys basal medium to support neurophysiological activity is an important step toward reducing the gap between brain physiological conditions in vivo and neuronal models in vitro.
Theory of electric dipole spin resonance in quantum dots: Mean field theory with Gaussian fluctuations and beyond

Very recently, the electric dipole spin resonance (EDSR) of single electrons in quantum dots was discovered by three independent experimental groups. Remarkably, these observations revealed three different mechanisms of EDSR: coupling of electron spin to its momentum (spin-orbit), to the operator of its position (inhomogeneous Zeeman coupling), and to the hyperfine Overhauser field of nuclear spins. In this paper, I present a unified microscopic theory of these resonances in quantum dots. A mean field theory, derived for all three mechanisms and based on retaining only two-spin correlators, justifies applying macroscopic description of nuclear polarization to the EDSR theory. In the framework of the mean field theory, a fundamental difference in the time dependence of EDSR inherent of these mechanisms is revealed; it changes from the Rabi-type oscillations to a nearly monotonic growth. The theory provides a regular procedure to account for the higher nuclear-spin correlators that become of importance for a wider time span and can change the asymptotic behavior of EDSR. It also allows revealing the effect of electron spin dynamics on the effective coupling between nuclear spins.
Numerical Dominance and Phylotype Diversity of Marine Rhodobacter Species during Early Colonization of Submerged Surfaces in Coastal Marine Waters as Determined by 16S Ribosomal DNA Sequence Analysis and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization

ABSTRACT Early stages of surface colonization in coastal marine waters appear to be dominated by the marine Rhodobacter group of the α subdivision of the division Proteobacteria (α-Proteobacteria). However, the quantitative contribution of this group to primary surface colonization has not been determined. In this study, glass microscope slides were incubated in a salt marsh tidal creek for 3 or 6 days. Colonizing bacteria on the slides were examined by fluorescence in situ hybridization by employing DNA probes targeting 16S or 23S rRNA to identify specific phylogenetic groups. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was then used to quantify and track the dynamics of bacterial primary colonists during the early stages of surface colonization and growth. More than 60% of the surface-colonizing bacteria detectable by fluorescence staining (Yo-Pro-1) could also be detected with the Bacteria domain probe EUB338. Archaea were not detected on the surfaces and did not appear to participate in surface colonization. Of the three subdivisions of the Proteobacteria examined, the α-Proteobacteria were the most abundant surface-colonizing organisms. More than 28% of the total bacterial cells and more than 40% of the cells detected by EUB338 on the surfaces were affiliated with the marine Rhodobacter group. Bacterial abundance increased significantly on the surfaces during short-term incubation, mainly due to the growth of the marine Rhodobacter group organisms. These results demonstrated the quantitative importance of the marine Rhodobacter group in colonization of surfaces in salt marsh waters and confirmed that at least during the early stages of colonization, this group dominated the surface-colonizing bacterial assemblage.
Solving Word Problems: More Than Reading Issues for Deaf Students

Deaf and hearing college students were given 30 mathematics problems to solve. The initial 15 were presented as numeric/graphic problems, followed by 15 corresponding word problems, with both conditions sequenced for a progressive increase in problem complexity. Each word problem described the kind of shape and measurement information that was presented in its corresponding numeric/ graphic problem. The results showed that the deaf college students, regardless of reading level, were comparable in performance to the hearing college students when solving the numeric/graphic problems and the initial, least complex set of corresponding word problems. However, as the complexity of the descriptive information in the word problems increased along with the complexity of the problem situations, the performance scores of the deaf students decreased. No comparable decrease was observed in the hearing students' scores. While reading ability level was associated with the deaf students' lower scores when solving word problems, the analyses show that other factors also contributed.
Data locality sensitivity of multithreaded computations on a distributed-memory multiprocessor

The locality of the data in parallel programs is known to have a strong impact on the performance of distributed-memory multiprocessor systems. The worse the locality in access pattern, the worse the performance of single-threaded multiprocessor systems. The main reason is that a lower locality increases the latency for network messages, so a processor waiting for these messages idles for long periods. A good data-partitioning strategy strives to improve the locality of accesses by reducing the data sharing and the network traffic. A certain amount of data sharing, however, is a must for any non-trivial parallel program. So to tune the performance of multiprocessor systems, compilers and programmers expend significant effort to improve the data partitioning.The technique of multithreading has been promoted as an effective mechanism to hide inter-processor communication and remote data access latencies by quickly switching among a set of ready threads. In this paper, we show that multithreading also provides an immunity to the performance variations due to changes in data locality distributions in a distributed-memory multiprocessor. First, we propose two performance metrics to quantify the sensitivity of performance to the data locality. Second, we perform a quantitive comparison of data-locality sensitivity with both single-threaded and multithreaded computations underlying the designed experiments and benchmark programs. We perform these experiments on the 20-node EARTH-MANNA system. Our experimental results show that not only does a multithreaded computation yield a higher performance than does the single-threaded computation, but the performance is more robust with respect to the same data partitioning. That is, a lower data-locality sensitivity can be achieved with multithreading.
Milk isotopic values demonstrate that nursing fur seal pups are a full trophic level higher than their mothers.

RATIONALE In mammals including humans, mother-to-offspring transfer of nutrients has been the focus of several isotopic studies. Measurement of δ(13) C and δ(15) N values were mainly conducted on easily sampled tissues such as blood and hair that allow the calculation of apparent discrimination factors (∆(13) C and ∆(15) N) between offspring and maternal tissues. Quantifying real ∆(13) C and ∆(15) N values requires the measurement of the δ(13) C and δ(15) N values of milk, the exclusive food of newborns. Surprisingly, little isotopic information is available on milk and its biochemical components (lipids and proteins). METHODS Paired blood and milk samples from 10 lactating females and their pups were collected from two otariid species, the Antarctic and subantarctic fur seals. Tissue δ(13) C and δ(15) N values were measured using continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry (CFIRMS) on maternal and offspring blood, and on whole milk, lipid-free milk and milk lipids, thus allowing the calculation and comparison of apparent (maternal blood to offspring blood) and real (lipid-free milk to offspring blood) ∆(13) C and ∆(15) N values. RESULTS In both fur seal species, the apparent ∆(13) C values averaged ~0.0 ‰. Lipid-free milk was slightly (13) C-depleted compared with both maternal and pup blood and it was strongly (13) C-enriched (~6.3 ‰) compared with milk lipids. In contrast, the apparent and real ∆(15) N values averaged 1.2-1.4 and 2.6-3.0 ‰, respectively, the differences being explained by the ~1.5 ‰ lower milk δ(15) N values than those of maternal blood. CONCLUSIONS In fur seals, the low apparent ∆(15) N translated into a higher real ∆(15) N value, amounting to a full trophic level, which is in agreement with the almost never verified hypothesis that (15) N differences between mothers and their offsprings should reflect one complete trophic level. The study highlights the need to measure milk isotopic values to disentangle the nutritional mother-to-offspring relationships.
Altered Reactivity of Superoxide Dismutase in Familial Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

A subset of individuals with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS) possesses dominantly inherited mutations in the gene that encodes copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD). A4V and G93A, two of the mutant enzymes associated with FALS, were shown to catalyze the oxidation of a model substrate (spin trap 5,5′-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide) by hydrogen peroxide at a higher rate than that seen with the wild-type enzyme. Catalysis of this reaction by A4V and G93A was more sensitive to inhibition by the copper chelators diethyldithiocarbamate and penicillamine than was catalysis by wild-type CuZnSOD. The same two chelators reversed the apoptosis-inducing effect of mutant enzymes expressed in a neural cell line. These results suggest that oxidative reactions catalyzed by mutant CuZnSOD enzymes initiate the neuropathologic changes in FALS.
Purification and Characterization of Bovine Brain 5′‐Nucleotidase

Abstract: The 5′‐nucleotidase located in the cytoplasmic fraction of bovine brain cortex was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. The molecular weight was 134,000 daltons in the presence of sodium deoxycholate, whereas the enzyme formed high molecular weight aggregates in the absence of detergent. The purified enzyme showed the same kinetic and electrophoretic behaviour as the enzyme present in the original cytoplasmic fraction, and the presence of surfactants did not change the Km and Vm, values. The nucleotidase from this source was a phosphohydrolase of 5′‐mononucleotides acting on the deoxyribonucleotides and ribonucleotides of purines and pyrimidines. 5′‐IMP was the preferred substrate; the optimum pH was 7.5. The study of the influence of the temperature on the initial reaction rates allowed calculation of the δEa, and δHo values. The variation of Vm and Km with a change in pH suggests the existence of a sulfhydryl group and an imidazole group in the enzymesubstrate complex.
Echocardiography findings in a case with Ballantyne syndrome

Marked fluid retention occurs in Ballantyne syndrome, but few reports are available on changes in cardiac morphology in this syndrome. A woman with generalized edema, dyspnea, fetal hydrops (skin edema and ascites), thickened placenta, and elevated plasma B‐type natriuretic peptide level (344 pg/mL) was admitted to our hospital at gestational week (GW) 20+3. Blood pressure remained within the normal range. However, acute increases in left atrial volume index, pulmonary artery systolic pressure, and hyperdynamic left ventricular function (as evidenced by increased left ventricular ejection fraction to 74% with cardiac index of 5.1 L/min/m2) occurred preceding fetal death at GW 21+4 in the presence of increased inferior vena cava diameter (23 mm) and relatively low systemic vascular resistance of 752 dyn·s/cm5. These findings suggested life‐threatening heart failure and required cesarean delivery at GW 21+5 resulting in complete recovery. The placenta suggested cytomegalovirus infection.
Single dose oral ibuprofen for acute postoperative pain in adults.

BACKGROUND This review updates a 1999 Cochrane review showing that ibuprofen at various doses was effective in postoperative pain in single dose studies designed to demonstrate analgesic efficacy. New studies have since been published. Ibuprofen is one of the most widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) analgesics both by prescription and as an over-the-counter medicine. Ibuprofen is used for acute and chronic painful conditions. OBJECTIVES To assess analgesic efficacy of ibuprofen in single oral doses for moderate and severe postoperative pain in adults. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched Cochrane CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Oxford Pain Relief Database for studies to May 2009. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trials of single dose orally administered ibuprofen (any formulation) in adults with moderate to severe acute postoperative pain. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. Pain relief or pain intensity data were extracted and converted into the dichotomous outcome of number of participants with at least 50% pain relief over 4 to 6 hours, from which relative risk and number-needed-to-treat-to-benefit (NNT) were calculated. Numbers of participants using rescue medication over specified time periods, and time to use of rescue medication, were sought as additional measures of efficacy. Information on adverse events and withdrawals were collected. MAIN RESULTS Seventy-two studies compared ibuprofen and placebo (9186 participants). Studies were predominantly of high reporting quality, and the bulk of the information concerned ibuprofen 200 mg and 400 mg. For at least 50% pain relief compared with placebo the NNT for ibuprofen 200 mg (2690 participants) was 2.7 (2.5 to 3.0) and for ibuprofen 400 mg (6475 participants) it was 2.5 (2.4 to 2.6). The proportion with at least 50% pain relief was 46% with 200 mg and 54% with 400 mg. Remedication within 6 hours was less frequent with higher doses, with 48% remedicating with 200 mg and 42% with 400 mg. The median time to remedication was 4.7 hours with 200 mg and 5.4 hours with 400 mg. Sensitivity analysis indicated that pain model and ibuprofen formulation may both affect the result, with dental impaction models and soluble ibuprofen salts producing better efficacy estimates. Adverse events were uncommon, and not different from placebo. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS The very substantial amount of high quality evidence demonstrates that ibuprofen is an effective analgesic in treating postoperative pain. NNTs for 200 mg and 400 mg ibuprofen did not change significantly from the previous review even when a substantial amount of new information was added. New information is provided on remedication.
Interleukin-17 and type 17 helper T cells.

Type 17 helper T cells (Th17) — a third class of T cells — and their major cytokine, interleukin-17, are essential for the defense against certain fungi, extracellular bacteria, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Defective control of Th17 cells and production of interleukin-17 are prominent in chronic inflammation and several immunoinflammatory disorders. Monoclonal antibodies against cytokines produced by Th17 cells are being investigated in clinical trials.
A network-type brain machine interface for supporting activities of daily living

We have developed a network-type brain machine interface (BMI) system called "Network BMI" to help elderly and physically handicapped people to become self-reliant in daily life such as at home or a health clinic. It can control real-world actuators like wheelchairs based on human intention measured by portable brain measurement devices. In this paper, we introduce the technologies for achieving the Network BMI system to support activities of daily living.
Advances in Brief An Estrogen Receptor Mutant with Strong Hormone-independent Activity from a Metastatic Breast Cancer '

activity is also thought to be modulated by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation on multiple serine and tyrosine residues through more or less defined signaling pathways (5, 6). It is well accepted that the presence of ER identifies those breast cancer patients with a lower risk of disease recurrence and better survival, who may also have a better response to endocrine interven tions (7). The discovery of ER variants with altered function, e.g., transcriptionally active in the absence of estrogen (dominant-positive) or transcriptionally inactive but preventing the activity of wt ER (dominant-negative), may help elucidate the different responses of individual breast tumors to treatment (8). However, the ultimate clinical significance of the ER variants remains to be defined until their presence can be verified at the protein level in clinical studies. We and others have previously described the presence of several ER-splicing variants in human breast cancer cell lines and tumors (8â€”12). Single-bp changes within the ER, however, appear to be infrequent in primary breast tumors (13â€”15). To examine their occur rence in metastatic breast tumors, we used SSCP and sequence anal ysis to screen DNA from 30 tumor specimens for mutations in all eight coding exons of the ER gene. The transcriptional activity of the three missense mutations that we found was assessed by their trans fection with different ERE-reporter gene constructs into HeLa cells and human MDA-MB-23l breast cancer cells. One of these naturally occurring ER mutants, Tyr537Asn, is at a previously described phos phorylation site located in the COOH-terminal end of the hormone binding domain. This alteration conferred a potent constitutive tan scriptional activity that was independent of estradiol binding and was essentially unaffected by Tam or the pure antiestrogen ICI 164,384.
Actin-based motility of isolated axoplasmic organelles.

We previously showed that axoplasmic organelles from the squid giant axon move toward the barbed ends of actin filaments and that KI-washed organelles separated from soluble proteins by sucrose density fractionation retain a 235-kDa putative myosin. Here, we examine the myosin-like activities of KI-washed organelles after sucrose density fractionation to address the question whether the myosin on these organelles is functional. By electron microscopy KI-washed organelles bound to actin filaments in the absence of ATP but not in its presence. Analysis of organelle-dependent ATPase activity over time and with varying amounts of organelles revealed a basal activity of 350 (range: 315-384) nmoles Pi/mg/min and an actin-activated activity of 774 (range: 560-988) nmoles/mg/min, a higher specific activity than for the other fractions. By video microscopy washed organelles moved in only one direction on actin filaments with a net velocity of 1.11 +/- . 03 microns/s and an instantaneous velocity of 1.63 +/- 0.29 microns/s. By immunogold electronmicroscopy, 7% of KI-washed organelles were decorated with an anti-myosin antibody as compared to 0.5% with non-immune serum. Thus, some axoplasmic organelles have a tightly associated myosin-like activity.
Cohomology Theory in Birational Geometry

This is a continuation of [10], where it was shown that K-equivalent complex projective manifolds have the same Betti numbers by using the theory of p-adic integrals and Deligne’s solution to the Weil conjecture. The aim of this note is to show that with a little more book-keeping work, namely by applying Faltings’ p-adic Hodge Theory, our p-adic method also leads to the equivalence of Hodge numbers – a result which was previously known by using motivic integration.
New pathogens.

Introduction Infections account for 29 of the 96 major causes of human mortality and morbidity [1,2] and an estimated 25% of global deaths annually [3]. Although most of this burden is caused by well-established pathogens there are signi®cant numbers of `new' or emerging pathogens (Table 1). A recent review has identi®ed a very precise 1415 species of organisms pathogenic for man, including 217 prions and viruses, 538 bacteria, 307 fungi, 66 protozoa and 287 helminths. Of these, 175 (12%) were considered to be emerging [4]. There are a number of reasons for this emergence of new agents, including altered ecology, man's encroachment into previously uninhabited areas, and to a large extent the application of the new molecular technologies. In the current issue we have addressed a number of these `new' pathogens including Cyclospora cayetanensis (®rst detected in gorillas in 1986), Cryptosporidium parvum (®rst human case described in 1976) and Clostridium dif®cile (toxin described in 1977 and association with bacterium in 1978). There is also an increasing number of hepatotrophic viruses. Currently, hepatitis viruses A to E are recognized causes of liver disease. However, these do not account for all cases of infection-related hepatitis. Cases of non-A±E hepatitis or beyond E hepatitis are well described, and some of these are discussed in detail in a following article. It is however worth emphasising some salient points concerning these `new' pathogens.