Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prepubertal and pubertal caecal wall histology in Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica).

The present study is aimed to investigate changes in caecal wall histology of quails, during prepubertal and pubertal periods. To this end, forty quails at the ages of 10, 20, 30 (prepuberty) and 40 (puberty) days were slaughtered (10 birds in each sampling time) and histological sections from proximal, middle and distal parts of caeca were prepared and stained with HE moreover, the villi became wider at pubertal period. Highest width of both mucosal and muscular layers was observed on day 30. Sub mucosal layer width continued to increase with age. In middle part, the villi became significantly shorter and wider around puberty. Sub mucosal layer was thickest at puberty while the mucosal layer had its highest width. The increase in sub mucosal layer width was accompanied by expansion of lymphoid tissues in both proximal and middle parts. The villi were absent in distal part of cecum. The width of muscular layer increased with age during the prepubertal period and remained statistically constant afterwards. It can be concluded that caecal immune structures of quails in pre pubertal and pubertal ages expand by age and are more developed at puberty. The structural ability of muscular layer of caecal apex is increased at puberty which helps in returning particles back to colon when their entrance is increased due to short villi.
Zonisamide in the treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study.

BACKGROUND Painful diabetic neuropathy is a form of neuropathic pain frequently encountered as a complication of diabetes mellitus types I and II. Pharmacotherapy is one modality of treatment for this distressing and often disabling condition, but there is no medication available that consistently provides adequate pain relief with acceptable safety and tolerability. Tricyclic antidepressants, certain antiepileptic drugs, and opioids have been shown in randomized, controlled trials to be of benefit in painful diabetic neuropathy, although none has Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved labeling for this indication. STUDY OBJECTIVE To analyze the safety and efficacy of zonisamide in the treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy. This pilot study is the first randomized, controlled trial of zonisamide for the treatment of any neuropathic pain disorder. STUDY DESIGN Forty-two patients 18-80 years of age with type I or type II diabetes mellitus and at least a 3-month history of painful diabetic neuropathy were screened in the study, and 25 were randomized to zonisamide (N = 13) or placebo (N = 12). The study drug was titrated over a 6-week period and continued at a fixed dosage for a 6-week maintenance period. The mean dosage of zonisamide for the maintenance phase was 540 mg/day. OUTCOME MEASURES Patients kept a daily log of their pain using both a 0-100 mm visual analog scale and a 0-10 Likert scale. RESULT Pain scores on both the visual analog scale and the Likert scale decreased more for the zonisamide group compared with the placebo group, regardless of whether the comparison was made for the intent-to-treat population, the population that entered the maintenance phase, or the completer population, but these differences did not reach statistical significance. Tolerability of zonisamide was only fair in this study, which had a high number of dropouts from the zonisamide group. CONCLUSION A larger randomized, controlled trial is needed to establish the efficacy and tolerability of zonisamide for painful diabetic neuropathy.
Actors', Partners', and Observers' Perceptions of Sarcasm

This study compared actors', partners', and observers' perceptions of the amount of sarcasm used by participants (n = 80) in videotaped conversations. Significant differences were found among perceptions of actors, partners, and observers. Of the three perspectives, actors perceived themselves as using the greatest amount of sarcasm, followed by partners' perceptions of actors. Observers perceived actors as using the least amount of sarcasm. Correlations conducted to assess whether partners and observers recognized actors' individual attempts at sarcasm during the conversations were generally low.
Microfluidic isotachophoresis: A review

Electromigration methods including CE and ITP are attractive for incorporation in microfluidic devices because they are relatively easily adaptable to miniaturization. After its popularity in the 1970s, ITP has made a comeback in microfluidic format (μ‐ITP, micro‐ITP) driven by the advantages of the steady‐state boundary, the self‐focusing effect, and the ability to aid in preconcentrating analytes in the sample while removing matrix components. In this review, we provide an overview of the developments in the area of μ‐ITP in a context of the historic developments with a focus on recent developments in experimental and computational ITP and discuss possible future trends. The chip‑ITP areas and topics discussed in this review and the corresponding sections include: PC simulations and modeling, analytical μ‐ITP, preconcentration ITP, transient ITP, peak mode ITP, gradient elution ITP, and free‐flow ITP, while the conclusions provide a critical summary and outlook. The review also contains experimental conditions for μ‐ITP applications to real‐world samples from over 50 original journal publications.
Effects of Resveratrol on Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Review

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation in the colon and small intestine. IBD produces many symptoms that can cause discomfort and a modified lifestyle. IBD has no cure, only drugs used to suppress its inflammation, which have exhibited harmful side effects. Resveratrol, 3,5,40 -trihydroxy-trans-stilbene, is a natural phenol with anti-inflammatory attributes. Studies have found consistent results showing that resveratrol supplementation in experimental rodent models of IBD can reduce inflammatory biomarkers. This review presents experimental animal models of IBD showing that resveratrol supplementation can down-regulate inflammatory pathways of MAPK and NF-κb, lessen COX-2, modify cytokines, diminish leukocytes, alter intestinal microflora, and decrease clinical symptoms in vivo, all of which contribute to an improved state of the disease. These outcomes, however, have not yet been studied in naturally occurring IBD in humans. Future research should attempt and refine to determine if resveratrol could be an effective therapy for IBD in humans.
Low Mid-Proterozoic atmospheric oxygen levels and the delayed rise of animals

Low oxygen limited the rise of animals Oxygen levels in Earth's early atmosphere had an important influence on the evolution of complex life. Planavsky et al. analyzed the isotopic signature of chromium in sedimentary rocks from across the globe—a proxy for past oxygen levels. Oxygen levels in the mid-Proterozoic (1.6 billion to 900 million years ago) were very low: less than 0.1% of the modern atmosphere. These low levels were probably below the minimum oxygen requirements for the earliest animals, delaying their emergence and diversification. Science, this issue p. 635 Oxygen levels in Earth’s early atmosphere were often less than 1% of modern levels. The oxygenation of Earth’s surface fundamentally altered global biogeochemical cycles and ultimately paved the way for the rise of metazoans at the end of the Proterozoic. However, current estimates for atmospheric oxygen (O2) levels during the billion years leading up to this time vary widely. On the basis of chromium (Cr) isotope data from a suite of Proterozoic sediments from China, Australia, and North America, interpreted in the context of data from similar depositional environments from Phanerozoic time, we find evidence for inhibited oxidation of Cr at Earth’s surface in the mid-Proterozoic (1.8 to 0.8 billion years ago). These data suggest that atmospheric O2 levels were at most 0.1% of present atmospheric levels. Direct evidence for such low O2 concentrations in the Proterozoic helps explain the late emergence and diversification of metazoans.
The Deep Ocean During the Last Interglacial Period

Oxygen isotope analysis of benthic foraminifera in deep sea cores from the Atlantic and Southern Oceans shows that during the last interglacial period, North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) was 0.4° ± 0.2°C warmer than today, whereas Antarctic Bottom Water temperatures were unchanged. Model simulations show that this distribution of deep water temperatures can be explained as a response of the ocean to forcing by high-latitude insolation. The warming of NADW was transferred to the Circumpolar Deep Water, providing additional heat around Antarctica, which may have been responsible for partial melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Systemic sclerosis sine scleroderma and limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis: similarities and differences.

OBJECTIVES To compare a cohort of patients with systemic sclerosis sine scleroderma (ssSSc) vs. patients with limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (lcSSc). METHODS Forty-five patients with ssSSc and 186 patients with lcSSc were investigated. Demographic, clinical and immunologic features and survival were compared. RESULTS There were no significant differences between ssSSc and lcSSc in gender, age at onset and interval between onset and diagnosis. ssSSc patients fulfilled the ACR criteria for SSc less than lcSSc patients (13%/77%, p<0.0001). There were no significant differences in articular involvement, myopathy, tendon friction rubs and gastrointestinal, pulmonary, cardiac and renal involvements. There was a trend to higher prevalence of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in ssSSc patients (29%/19%) but not reach significant difference. The prevalence of antinuclear and anticentromere antibodies and slow capilaroscopic pattern was similar. Sicca syndrome (13%/30%; p=0.024), digital ulcers (16%/50%; p<0.0001), calcinosis (11%/26%; p=0.047) and acroosteolysis (0% /10%; p=0.028) were more frequently in lcSSc. Survival at 5, 10, and 15 yr was not different in ssSSc and lcSSc patients (100%/98%, 100%/98%, and 92%/89%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS ssSSc and lcSSc patients share demographic, clinical and immunologic features. Survival is also similar in both groups. Differences are mainly due to peripheral vascular manifestations. However, despite great similarities, we believe that ssSSc patients should be considered as a different subset in order to avoid misdiagnosis. ssSSc patients should be truly differentiated from early SSc using sensitive and specific studies looking for any asymptomatic organ involvement.
Transplantation immunity to individually unique antigens of chemically induced bladder tumors in mice

We have previously shown that lymphocyte‐mediated immunity to common bladder tumor antigens can be demonstrated in vitro. In this study we used two carcinomas and two sarcomas of the urinary bladder of BALB/c mice to immunize syngeneic animals against tumor‐specific transplantation antigens (TSTA) in order to determine whether common and/or individually unique antigens could be detected by resistance of the mice to challenge with tumor cells. Strong transplantation resistance was induced against each individual tumor line by immunizing with the respective line. No evidence could be obtained for the presence of TSTA common to the two carcinomas or to the two sarcomas (or to all four tumors).
Chemoprevention of gastric dysplasia: randomized trial of antioxidant supplements and anti-helicobacter pylori therapy.

BACKGROUND Previous research has identified a high risk of gastric carcinoma as well as a high prevalence of cancer precursor lesions in rural populations living in the province of Nariño, Colombia, in the Andes Mountains. METHODS A randomized, controlled chemoprevention trial was conducted in subjects with confirmed histologic diagnoses of multifocal nonmetaplastic atrophy and/or intestinal metaplasia, two precancerous lesions. Individuals were assigned to receive anti-Helicobacter pylori triple therapy and/or dietary supplementation with ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, or their corresponding placebos. Gastric biopsy specimens taken at baseline were compared with those taken at 72 months. Relative risks of progression, no change, and regression from multifocal nonmetaplastic atrophy and intestinal metaplasia were analyzed with multivariate polytomous logistic regression models to estimate treatment effects. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS All three basic interventions resulted in statistically significant increases in the rates of regression: Relative risks were 4.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.6-14.2) for anti-H. pylori treatment, 5. 1 (95% CI = 1.7-15.0) for beta-carotene treatment, and 5.0 (95% CI = 1.7-14.4) for ascorbic acid treatment in subjects with atrophy. Corresponding relative risks of regression in subjects with intestinal metaplasia were 3.1 (95% CI = 1.0-9.3), 3.4 (95% CI = 1.1-9.8), and 3.3 (95% CI = 1.1-9.5). Combinations of treatments did not statistically significantly increase the regression rates. Curing the H. pylori infection (which occurred in 74% of the treated subjects) produced a marked and statistically significant increase in the rate of regression of the precursor lesions (relative risks = 8.7 [95% CI = 2.7-28.2] for subjects with atrophy and 5.4 [95% CI = 1.7-17.6] for subjects with intestinal metaplasia). CONCLUSIONS In the very high-risk population studied, effective anti-H. pylori treatment and dietary supplementation with antioxidant micronutrients may interfere with the precancerous process, mostly by increasing the rate of regression of cancer precursor lesions, and may be an effective strategy to prevent gastric carcinoma.
Impact of nonlinear MOS capacitance effect on transient analysis of interposer through-silicon vias

In this paper, the equivalent circuit model of a pair of TSVs in a passive interposer base is developed, with the nonlinear MOS capacitance effect treated appropriately. Based on the circuit model, the transient analysis of the interposer TSVs is carried out. The results would be helpful for the design and practical applications of interposer-based 2.5-D IC systems.
Studies of carcino‐fetal proteins. II. Biochemical comparison of α‐fetoprotein from human fetuses and patients with hepatocellular cancer

α‐fetoprotein from human fetuses and patients with a hepatocelhlar cancer was isolated and characterized. In accordance with earlier reports, the two proteins had similar electrophoretic mobilities and gave a reaction of immunological identity. They had very similar amino acid compositions. Each was composed of a single polypeptide chain with a molecular weight of 70,000. Protein from both sources had about 4 % carbohydrate with 2 moles of sialic acid per mole of protein. Tryptic digests of the isolated fetal and cancer α‐fetoproteins were compared by peptic mapping. About 30 peptides were seen and the patterns given by the two proteins were indistinguishable. Thus both fetal and cancerous liver cells produce α‐fetoproteins which are structurally indistinguishable and probably identical.
Nanometer-Thick Yttrium Iron Garnet Films With Extremely Low Damping

Yttrium iron garnet (YIG) films that are in the nanometer thickness range and show extremely low damping are reported. The films were deposited via sputtering at room temperature and were then annealed in O2 at high temperature. A 22-nm-thick YIG film showed a Gilbert damping constant α = (8.58 ± 0.21) × 10-5, which represents the lowest damping ever reported for nanometer-thick magnetic films. The film had a gyromagnetic ratio of |γ| = 2.83 MHz/Oe and a saturation induction of 4π Ms = 1766 G, which are both very close to those of single-crystal YIG bulk materials. The film had a very smooth surface, with an rms surface roughness of about 0.13 nm.
MAISA - Maintenance of semantic annotations

Semantic annotations are often used in a wide range of applications ranging from information retrieval to decision support. Annotations are produced through the association of concept labels from Knowledge Organization System (KOS), i.e. ontology, thesaurus, dictionaries, with pieces of digital information, e.g. images or texts. Annotations enable machines to interpret, link, and use a vast amount of data. However, the dynamic nature of KOS may affect annotations each time a new version of a KOS is released. New concepts can be added, obsolete ones removed and the definition of existing concepts may be refined through the modification of their labels/properties. As a result, many annotations can lose their relevance, thus hindering the intended use and exploitation of annotated data. To solve this problem, methods to maintain the annotations up-to-date are required. In this thesis we propose a framework called MAISA to tackle the problem of adapting outdated annotations when the KOS utilized to create them change. We distinguish two different cases. In the first one we consider that annotations are directly modifiable. In this case, we proposed a rule-based approach implementing information derived from the evolution of KOS as well as external knowledge from the Web. In the second case, we consider that the annotations are not modifiable. The goal is then to keep the annotated documents searchable even if the annotations are produced with a given KOS version but the user used another version to query them. In this case, we designed a knowledge graph that represent a KOS and its successive evolution and propose a method to extract the history of a concept and add the gained label to the initial query allowing to deal with annotation evolution. We experimentally evaluated MAISA on realistic cases-studies built from four well-known biomedical KOS: ICD-9-CM, MeSH, NCIt and SNOMED CT. We show that the proposed maintenance method allow to maintain semantic annotations using standard metrics.
Use of deprivation indices in small area studies.

SIR I would like to make a contribution to the wide ranging debate currently focussed on small area health data and deprivation indices. This contribution is in response to the supplement Use of deprivation indices in small area studies of environment and health,' which focussed on these issues. I have a number of concerns about issues discussed in three of the papers in this supplement"A and my comments mainly focus on statistical issues related to general ecological modelling and, in particular, to putative
11 06 v 2 [ qu an tph ] 2 6 Fe b 20 15 Tensor Representation of Spin States

We propose a generalization of the Bloch sphere representation for arbitrary spin states. It provides a compact and elegant representation of spin density matrices in terms of tensors that share the most important properties of Bloch vectors. Our representation, based on covariant matrices introduced by Weinberg in the context of quantum field theory, allows for a simple parametrization of coherent spin states, and a straightforward transformation of density matrices under local unitary and partial tracing operations. It enables us to provide a criterion for anticoherence, relevant in a broader context such as quantum polarization of light.
Spontaneous luteinizing hormone surges can be reliably prevented by the timely administration of a gonadotrophin releasing hormone antagonist (Nal-Glu) during the late follicular phase.

A new gonadotrophin releasing hormone antagonist (Nal-Glu) was used during the late follicular phase of the natural cycle in order to prevent spontaneous surges of luteinizing hormone (LH). Eight regularly ovulating women (group 1) received two injections of Nal-Glu (5 mg) administered 48 h apart when plasma oestradiol levels exceeded 125 pg/ml. Human menopausal gonadotrophin (HMG, 225 IU) was administered simultaneously with Nal-Glu and repeated every 12 h thereafter until either a spontaneous LH surge occurred or human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG, 5000 IU) was administered. HCG was arbitrarily administered 48 h after the second Nal-Glu injection. Six other women (group 2) receiving only HMG served as controls. In seven of the eight women in group 1, LH and progesterone remained low for 96 h following Nal-Glu, i.e. until HCG administration. In the remaining woman in this group, LH started to rise 12 h before HCG injection. In this group, Nal-Glu did not interfere with follicular development or the plasma profile of oestradiol. All women developed one single dominant follicle with the exception of one subject who had already spontaneously developed two dominant follicles prior to administration of Nal-Glu and HMG. In group 2, LH rose spontaneously in all women before the planned HCG injection. The luteal phase was apparently not altered by Nal-Glu. These results suggest that Nal-Glu administration during the late follicular phase of natural cycles supported by HMG, can prevent the spontaneous LH surge while not interfering with follicular growth. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Methodological advances in drug discovery for Chagas disease

Introduction: Chagas disease is the highest impact human infectious disease in Latin America, and the leading worldwide cause of myocarditis. Despite the availability of several compounds that have demonstrated efficacy in limiting the effects of Trypanosoma cruzi, these compounds are rarely used due to their variable efficacy, substantial side effects and the lack of methodologies for confirming their effectiveness. Furthermore, the development of more efficacious compounds is challenged by limitations of systems for assessing drug efficacy in vitro and in vivo. Areas covered: Herein, the authors review the development of Chagas disease drug discovery methodology, focusing on recent developments in high-throughput screening, in vivo testing methods and assessments of efficacy in humans. Particularly, this review documents the significant progress that has taken place over the last 5 years that has paved the way for both target-focused and high-throughput screens of compound libraries. Expert opinion: The tools for in vitro and in vivo screening of anti-T. cruzi compounds have improved dramatically in the last few years and there are now a number of excellent in vivo testing models available; this somewhat alleviates the bottleneck issue of quickly and definitively demonstrating in vivo efficacy in a relevant host animal system. These advances emphasize the potential for additional progress resulting in new treatments for Chagas disease in the coming years. That being said, national and international agencies must improve the coordination of research and development efforts in addition to cultivating the funding sources for the development of these new treatments.
A small RFID tag antenna for metallic object using characteristic mode

A small UHF RFID tag antenna for metallic object using characteristic mode theory (CMT) is presented in this paper. The tag antenna is composed of a rectangle loop and the metallic object. The rectangle loop is used as an inductive coupler element (ICE) to excite a specified characteristic mode current of the metallic object. In this case, the metallic object itself will act as the main radiator. The loop is printed on the ceramic material with a high relative dielectric constant and placed at a current maximum of a desired mode. The satisfactory result proves that the desired characteristic mode has been partially excited by this small loop.