Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular cytogenetics of tragelaphine and alcelaphine interspecies hybrids: hybridization, introgression and speciation in some African antelope

Hybridization can occur naturally among diverging lineages as part of the evolutionary process leading to complete reproductive isolation, or it can result from range shifts and habitat alteration through global warming and/or other anthropogenic influences. Here we report a molecular cytogenetic investigation of hybridization between taxonomically distinct species of the Alcelaphini (Alcelaphus buselaphus 2n = 40 × Damaliscus lunatus 2n = 36) and the Tragelaphini (Tragelaphus strepsiceros 2n = 31/32 × Tragelaphus angasii 2n = 55/56). Cross-species fluorescence in situ hybridization provides unequivocal evidence of the scale of karyotypic difference distinguishing parental species. The findings suggest that although hybrid meiosis of the former cross would necessitate the formation of a chain of seven, a ring of four and one trivalent, the progeny follow Haldane's rule showing F1 male sterility and female fertility. The tragelaphine F1 hybrid, a male, was similarly sterile and, given the 11 trivalents and chain of five anticipated in its meiosis, not unexpectedly so. We discuss these findings within the context of the broader evolutionary significance of hybridization in African antelope, and reflect on what these hold for our views of antelope species and their conservation.
X chromosome inactivation in nuclear transfer ES cells

Nuclear transfer ES (ntES) cells are established from cloned blastocysts generated by somatic cell nuclear transfer and are expected to be an important resource for regenerative medicine. However, cloned mammals, generated by similar methods, show various abnormalities, which suggest disordered gene regulation. Random X chromosome inactivation (XCI) has been observed to take place in cloned female mouse embryos, but XCI does not necessarily occur according to Xce strength, a genetic element that determines the likelihood of each X chromosome to be inactivated. This observation suggests incomplete reprogramming of epigenetic marks related to XCI. Here, we investigated XCI in ntES cell lines, which were established using differentiated embryoid bodies that originated from a female mouse ES cell line. We examined Xist RNA localization, histone modifications in the Xist locus, and XCI choice. We did not find substantial differences between the ntES lines and their parental ES line. This suggests that the Xist locus and the epigenetic marks involved in XCI are reprogrammed by nuclear transfer and subsequent ntES cell establishment. In contrast to skewed XCI in cloned mice, our observations indicate that normal XCI choice takes place in ntES cells, which supports the goal of safe therapeutic cloning for clinical use.
Die Analyse von Sure 112

Wollte man versuchen, das bestimmten Texten bekundete philologisch-exegetische Interesse zu quantifizieren, indem man eine numerische Relation zwischen der Länge des Textes und dem Umfang der diesem gewidmeten „Worte über Worte" herstellt, dann würde unter den Texten arabischer Sprache der Sure 112 mit ihren knappen 15 Wörtern wohl der erste Rang zufallen. Bringen wir den Wortlaut in Erinnerung):
A single-inductor multiple-bipolar-output (SIMBO) converter with fully-adaptive feedback matrix and improved light-load ripple

Specified for one output channel 1V to 4V, the second one 1.8V to 4V and the last one 0V to −1.8V, a prototype of single-inductor multiple-bipolar-output (SIMBO) DC-DC converter performed on 0.25-μm CMOS mixed signal process is presented. Fully-adaptive feedback matrix in pulse-width modulation (PWM) control to suppress cross regulation and constant-voltage-ripple pulse-frequency modulation (PFM) control to achieve fair light-load ripple for various conversion mode and wide-range conversion ratio are proposed. This converter can automatically switch between PWM and PFM control. The peak conversion efficiency is close to 90%.
Inhibition and facilitation in schizotypy

Participants scoring high and low on a schizotypy scale (n = 18 in each group) switched between naming words and naming colors in a Stroop task in congruent, neutral, and incongruent conditions. The findings were that, while being slower and less accurate overall than low schizotypes, the high schizotypy group did not display disproportionately greater Stroop inhibition or facilitation, suggesting intact selective attention. However, the high schizotypy group suffered disproportionately larger switching costs. The results provide evidence for similarities between schizotypy and schizophrenia, specifically that the problem in schizotypy is to do with switching rather than selecting attention, because of a difficulty either in selecting task-relevant information or in inhibiting inappropriate response alternatives.
Remarkably Reduced Transplant-Related Complications by Dibromomannitol Non-Myeloablative Conditioning before Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

A non-myeloablative conditioning protocol containing dibromomannitol (DBM/cytosine arabinoside/cyclophosphamide) has been applied to 36 chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients followed by bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from sibling donors. Risk factors include: accelerated phase (10 patients), older age (17 patients over >40 years) and long interval between diagnosis and BMT (27 months on average). Severe mucositis did not occur. Venoocclusive liver disease was absent. Infectious complications were rare. Although grade II–IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was present in 9 (25%) cases, there were only 2 serious (III–IV) ones. Chronic GVHD occurred in 25 (69%) cases, preceded by acute GVHD in 9 of the 25 affected patients. Early hematological relapse, 7–29 weeks after BMT, developed in 6 patients (17.6%). No relapse was noted in the completely chimeric patients, however molecular genetic residual disease was observed in 6 patients, in most of them after transient short-term mixed chimeric state. Overall actual survival rate is 83.3% for the 36 cases, and leukemia-free survival is 72.2% for the 34 engrafted patients.
Neurobehavioural symptoms one year after a head injury

Background Neurobehavioural symptoms are common immediately after a minor head injury but have not been studied one year after the injury. Aims To estimate the rate and pattern of neurobehavioural symptoms one year after a head injury of varying severity. Method Adults who had been hospitalised after a head injury (n=196, 164 of whom had a face-to-face interview) and showed indirect evidence of brain assault were assessed for the presence of neurobehavioural symptoms with the help of a behaviour rating scale. Results About 40% had three or more symptoms. Individual symptoms varied among 3% (social disinhibition), 15% (lack of initiative) and 35% (irritability) of the cohort. Premorbid factors such as lower social class and lower educational achievement, head-injury-related factors such a low Glasgow coma score, and outcome-related factors such as the presence of a disability according to the Edinburgh Rehabilitation Status Scale and psychiatric caseness according to the Clinical Interview Schedule–Revised, significantly influenced the rate and the pattern of behavioural symptoms. The pattern of symptoms varied between age groups and according to the severity of the head injury. Conclusions A significant proportion of patients with varying degrees of severity of head injury showed behavioural symptoms after one-year of head injury.
Improved reversal learning and altered fear conditioning in transgenic mice with regionally restricted p25 expression

Cleavage of the cyclin‐dependent kinase 5 activator p35 generates the protein fragment p25, which accumulates in the forebrain of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Although p25 expression has been suggested to affect learning and memory, this hypothesis has not been tested to date. To investigate the role of p25 in hippocampus‐dependent learning and memory we have generated transgenic mice expressing p25 preferentially in postnatal forebrain. p25 expression was highest in hippocampus where it averaged approximately 33% of endogenous p35 expression. This low level of p25 expression did not seem to result in hyperphosphorylation of tau, but increased the phosphorylation of neurofilament M and enhanced the expression of tau protein. These molecular changes did not correlate with neurodegeneration or motor abnormalities. In the Morris water maze the p25 mutants were normal in learning an initial platform location, but surprisingly reversal learning was improved when the platform position was changed. The p25 mutants were normal in contextual fear conditioning. However, when trained with a tone presentation the mutants showed reduced contextual conditioning and enhanced tone fear conditioning. We conclude that low p25 expression has pleiotropic effects on learning and memory. As p25 expression can improve learning and memory, p25 formation could be a compensatory mechanism for learning and memory deficits in Alzheimer's disease.
MECANISMOS PATOGÉNICOS DE LA PARÁLISIS BRAQUIAL CONGÉNITA

Antecedentes: Se define clasicamente a la paralisis braquial congenita como la paresia flacida de una extremidad superior secundaria al estiramiento traumatico del plexo braquial durante el parto, en la extraccion del hombro anterior, en relacion a la distocia de hombro. Numerosas series han reportado la falta de relacion entre la paralisis braquial congenita y el estiramiento traumatico del plexo braquial durante la distocia de hombro. Objetivo: Realizar una revision de la literatura para identificar las causas relacionadas con la paralisis braquial congenita. Resultados: Hasta en un 50% de los casos la paralisis braquial congenita no se asocia a distocia de hombro. Estos casos, son de peor pronostico, afectan principalmente al hombro posterior y se presentan en recien nacidos de menor peso al nacer, pudiendo presentarse en un parto cesarea. La paralisis braquial congenita no asociada a distocia de hombro reconoce multiples mecanismos patogenicos como: postura viciosa fetal in utero, traccion del hombro posterior por el promontorio sacro, neoplasias fetales, tumores uterinos, y otras. Conclusion: La paralisis braquial congenita, debe ser entendida como un sindrome, clinicamente caracterizado por paralisis flacida de una de las extremidades superiores detectada en el recien nacido, que responde a diferentes mecanismos patogenicos y de pronostico variable segun el caso.
Astrocyte cell lineage. V. Similarity of astrocytes that form in the presence of dBcAMP in cultures to reactive astrocytes in vivo

The relationship between astrocytes forming in the presence of dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dBcAMP) in culture and reactive astrocytes responding to a cerebral cortex stab wound was investigated using computerized image analysis (Zeiss IBAS 1) and immunocytochemical staining. The diameters of the nuclei of astrocytes in primary cultures of newborn mouse neopallial cells were compared to those of the nuclei of normal and reactive astrocytes in histological sections of mouse cerebral cortex. We found that the nuclei of astrocytes that formed in the presence of dBcAMP in cultures are significantly larger than those of spontaneously occurring small stellate astrocytes in culture and of normal astrocytes of the cerebral cortex in vivo but corresponded more closely to the nuclei of reactive astrocytes in the area surrounding a stab wound in the cerebral cortex. Large stellate cells formed in the presence of dBcAMP had vimentin and an increase in GFP‐containing intermediate filaments. Formation of reactive astrocytes in vivo is also associated with an increase in both vimentin and GFP‐containing intermediate filaments. These observations indicate a closer relationship of astrocytes formed in the presence of dBcAMP in cultures to the reactive astrocytes in the cerebral cortex than to normal astrocytes. We propose, therefore, that the large stellate astrocytes that form in the presence of dBcAMP be referred to as reactive astrocytes in culture.
An Exploratory Analysis of Judicial Elections in Texas: Does Subject Matter Jurisdiction Matter?

The existence of both the Texas Supreme Court and Texas Court of Criminal Appeals makes it possible to test several important hypotheses of elections held between 1988 and 2008 using a variety of statistical tools related to the impact that subject matter jurisdiction (civil versus criminal) has on the outcomes of an election. In this comparative analysis, this article shows that the factors that influence election outcomes for seats on one court are different than those factors that influence outcomes on the other. New information is learned about the importance of demographic variables, judicial or legislative experience, and performance in the state bar poll.
Influence of prenatal physical activity on the course of labour and delivery according to the new Polish standard for perinatal care.

INTRODUCTION Prenatal physical activity has been increasingly recommended in recent years as the fundamental condition of physiological pregnancy and birth by health promoting organizations throughout the world. OBJECTIVE To determine the influence of prenatal physical activity on the course of labour and delivery. The practical purpose was to present prenatal physical activity as an effective tool in the implementation of the new Polish standard for perinatal care. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE OF KNOWLEDGE: Reviewed publications report either a positive impact or no impact of physical activity on selected parameters of labour and delivery. The most frequently cited benefits of physical exercise during pregnancy include: shorter delivery, less frequent need for anesthesia, reduced risk of operative births, a lower rate of induction of labor, amniotomy, episiotomy and perineum lacerations, and improved neonatal outcome. CONCLUSIONS A review of the literature shows that regular prenatal physical activity can help reduce medical interventions during labour, without having negative consequences for either the mother or the foetus. It should be an important tool to implement the Polish standard for perinatal care. There is a need to promote regular prenatal physical activity among women, medical personnel, and physical education staff. Detailed instructions for designing prenatal exercise programmes should be included in the new guidelines for physical activity during pregnancy, both in Poland and abroad. To support or negate the hypothesis of the positive effects of physical activity on the course of labour and delivery, well-designed research trials should be conducted with the properly structured prenatal exercise programmes in the intervention groups.
A randomized trial of tailored skin cancer prevention messages for adults: Project SCAPE.

OBJECTIVES We evaluated the impact of a mailed, tailored intervention on skin cancer prevention and skin self-examination behaviors of adults at moderate and high risk for skin cancer. METHODS Adults at moderate and high risk for skin cancer were recruited in primary health care settings in Honolulu, HI, and Long Island, NY. After completing a baseline survey, participants were randomized to 2 groups. The treatment group received tailored materials, including personalized risk feedback, and the control group received general educational materials. Multivariate analyses compared sun protection and skin self-examination between groups, controlling for location, risk level, gender, and age. RESULTS A total of 596 adults completed the trial. The tailored materials had a significant effect on overall sun-protection habits, the use of hats, the use of sunglasses, and the recency of skin self-examination. Some effects were moderated by location and risk level. CONCLUSIONS Tailored communications including personalized risk feedback can improve sun-protection behaviors and skin self-examination among adults at increased risk for skin cancer. These convenient, low-cost interventions can be implemented in a variety of settings and should be tested further to assess their long-term effectiveness.
Improvement of transient response in high-current output DC-DC converters

Concerning a low-voltage and high-current output DC-DC converter such as a voltage regulator module used for a 64-bit microprocessor, synchronization with paralleled current-doubler rectifiers has been considered for improvement in dynamic response. As a result, the output voltage deviation of 50 mV at a slew rate of 300 A//spl mu/s has been performed on a prototype with an output of 1.3 V/130 A.
Simplified Spelling and the Cult of Efficiency in the “Progressiv” Era

At the height of the Progressive Era, a small circle of scholars and educators launched a zealous but failed effort to reform American spelling. Bankrolled by Andrew Carnegie, the Simplified Spelling movement epitomized the era's much-chronicled passion for “efficiency”: By replacing words like through and although with thru and altho, the simplifiers said, citizens would save both time and money. Yet the rapid demise of the campaign also highlights the limits of America's efficiency craze, even during its supposed heyday. Although some critics invoked the efficiency idiom against Simplified Spelling, questioning its utility and practicality, others denounced efficiency itself. Even if simplification made spelling more efficient, they said, Americans should retain their older forms in the name of higher values: beauty, habit, and tradition. Their rejection of Simplified Spelling stood as a standing rebuke to the gospel of efficiency, which never quite gained the full-throated worship that its high priests imagined.
Local controllability of control systems with feedback

We prove sufficient conditions for the instantaneous local controllability of nonlinear (nonsmooth) control systems with feedback. We introduce for that purpose the high-order variations of the reachable map, which is related strongly to its shape. It is a direction in which the reachable map evolves. The cone of variations is convex. This allows one to prove the following theorem: if there exist variationsv1, . ,vp such that ϑ ∈ int co{v1, . ,vp}, then the system is small-time locally controllable at the point of equilibrium. We provide a short proof of the main result of Sussmann (Ref. 12) and extend it to differential inclusions.
Improving Faculty Feedback to Resident Trainees during a Simulated Case: A Randomized, Controlled Trial of an Educational Intervention

Background:Although feedback conversations are an essential component of learning, three challenges make them difficult: the fear that direct task feedback will harm the relationship with the learner, overcoming faculty cognitive biases that interfere with their eliciting the frames that drive trainees’ performances, and time pressure. Decades of research on developmental conversations suggest solutions to these challenges: hold generous inferences about learners, subject one’s own thinking to test by making it public, and inquire directly about learners’ cognitive frames. Methods:The authors conducted a randomized, controlled trial to determine whether a 1-h educational intervention for anesthesia faculty improved feedback quality in a simulated case. The primary outcome was an analysis of the feedback conversation between faculty and a simulated resident (actor) by using averages of six elements of a Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale and an objective structured assessment of feedback. Seventy-one Harvard faculty anesthesiologists from five academic hospitals participated. Results:The intervention group scored higher when averaging all ratings. Scores for individual elements showed that the intervention group performed better in maintaining a psychologically safe environment (4.3 ± 1.21 vs. 3.8 ± 1.16; P = 0.001), identifying and exploring performance gaps (4.1 ± 1.38 vs. 3.7 ± 1.34; P = 0.048), and they more frequently emphasized the professionalism error of failing to call for help over the clinical topic of anaphylaxis (66 vs. 41%; P = 0.008). Conclusions:Quality of faculty feedback to a simulated resident was improved in the interventional group in a number of areas after a 1-h educational intervention, and this short intervention allowed a group of faculty to overcome enough discomfort in addressing a professionalism lapse to discuss it directly.
In vivo coronary artery plaque assessment with computed tomography angiography: is there an impact of iterative reconstruction on plaque volume and attenuation metrics?

Background Coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) allows the evaluation of coronary plaque volume and low attenuation (lipid-rich) component, for plaque vulnerability assessment. Purpose To determine the effect of iterative reconstruction (IR) on coronary plaque volume and composition. Material and Methods Consecutive patients without coronary artery disease were prospectively enrolled for 256-slice CT. Images were reconstructed with both filtered back projection (FBP) and a hybrid IR algorithm (iDose4, Philips) levels 1, 3, 5, and 7. Coronary plaques were assessed according to predefined Hounsfield unit (HU) attenuation intervals, for total plaque and HU-interval volumes. Results Fifty-three patients (mean age, 53.6 years) were included. Noise was significantly decreased and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) / contrast-to-noise (CNR) were both significantly improved at all IR levels in comparison to FBP. Plaque characterization was performed in 41 patients for a total of 125 plaques. Total plaque volume ranged from 104.4 ± 120.7 to 107.4 ± 128.9 mm3 and low attenuation plaque component from 40.5 ± 54.7 to 43.5 ± 58.9 mm3, with no statistically significant differences between all IR levels and FBP (P = 0.786 and P ≥ 0.078, respectively). Conclusion IR improved image quality. Total and low attenuation plaque volumes were similar using either IR or FBP.
Prostate cancer-specific survival differences in patients treated by radical prostatectomy versus curative radiotherapy.

OBJECTIVE We compared the cause-specific survival of patients who received radiotherapy to those who received surgery for cure of their prostate cancer using a number of design and analytic steps to mitigate confounding by indication. METHODS This was a case-cohort study of 2213 patients in the Ontario Cancer Registry diagnosed between 1990 and 1998 who were either treatment candidates or received curative radiotherapy or surgery. Cases included patients who died of prostate cancer within 10 years. The study population was restricted to those who were candidates for either treatment (radiotherapy or surgery) based on disease severity (low and intermediate risk using the Genitourinary Radiation Oncologists of Canada risk groups). The median follow-up was 51 months. Cause-specific survival was analyzed using Cox-proportional hazards regression with case-cohort variance adjustment. Results from intent-to-treat analyses were compared to results by treatment received. RESULTS Adjusted hazard ratios for risk of prostate cancer death for radiotherapy compared to surgery for the entire study population were 1.62 (95%CI 1.00-2.61) and 2.02 (1.19-3.43) analyzing by intent-to-treat and treatment received, respectively. Intent-to-treat hazard ratios for the low- and intermediate-risk groups were 0.87 (0.28-2.76) and 1.57 (0.95-2.61), respectively. CONCLUSION Overall results were driven by the finding in the intermediate-risk group, which indicated that radiotherapy was not as effective as surgery in this group. Confirmation was needed with special attention paid to risk stratification and the impact of more contemporary delivery of these treatment options.