Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Might Migraine Damage The Brain?

Recent debate concerning the interpretation of studies of regional cerebral blood flow in migraine has re-emphasized that cerebral ischaemia may occur during attacks of migraine with aura. In this article we suggest that the presence of ischaemia during attacks makes it possible that migraine with aura causes neuronal damage in the long term. We argue that damage is likely to occur in the primary visual cortex, given that a recent high-resolution rCBF study has found flow reductions confined to this area. Furthermore, we hypothesize that the extent to which rCBF is reduced in migraine with aura is sufficient to cause damage only to GABA-ergic inhibitory interneurons in layer IV of this cortex. In animal models, similar cells are known to be selectively vulnerable to damage as a result of hypoxic conditions. Evidence consistent with our hypothesis is provided by recent studies of visual function in migraine. Some clinical and pathophysiological implications of this hypothesis are discussed.
Optimal decisions of closed-loop supply chain considering substitution in new and old product

In a closed-loop supply chain system with new and old product, remanufacturing and substitution was considered in the problem. Before random demand and random return are realized, the manufacutring quantities of new and old product, and remanufacturing quantity of used product need to be decided. Firstly, the closed loop system model with substitution and random return was proposed, and the optimal decsion problem was given. Secondly, the problem was translated into other optimal problem, the existence and uniqueness of optimal solution were proved, and the optimal decision structure was given.
Effects of thermal conductivity on dielectric breakdown of micro, nano sized BN filled polypropylene composites

In this work, a range of polypropylene (PP) based composites filled with micro or nano sized boron nitride (BN) particles at different loadings (0, 3, 6 and 9 wt%) were manufactured to investigate effects of thermal conductivity on surface dielectric breakdown (SDB). In addition to thermal conductivity measurement of various samples, thermal dissipation was also discussed to analyze the relationship between them. Meanwhile, in order to evaluate SDB strength of the manufactured samples, time to SDB, erosion depth and weight loss of the polymeric samples were measured through the test. Obtained results show that thermal conductivity of the doped PP composite is obviously improved. The increased thermal conductivity results in improvement of thermal dissipation ability, which contributes to inhibition of SDB occurrence. Thermal conductivity, thermal dissipation ability and SDB strength all represent positive correlation to filler loading level. More importantly, compared with nano-BN filled PP samples, PP/micro-BN samples can obtain higher thermal conductivity, better thermal dissipation ability and higher SDB strength at the same filler content. Experimental validation was also conducted with dc bulk dielectric breakdown (BDB) measurement of various samples. It is concluded that introduction of nano-BN filler into base resin favors improvement of BDB strength evidently, while the sample coated micro-BN exhibits a lower BDB strength than the base resin in any filler loadings investigated.
Chemical, mechanical and morphological properties of hypomineralized enamel of permanent first molars

Abstract Objective. The microstructure of hypomineralized enamel in permanent teeth has been described in several studies as less distinct prism sheaths and disorganized enamel with lack of organization of the enamel crystals. The mechanical properties, hardness and modulus of elasticity of the hypomineralized enamel have lower values compared with normal. The aim of this study was to examine normal and hypomineralized enamel using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), hardness measurements and X-ray microanalysis (XRMA). Material and methods. Four extracted hypomineralized permanent first molars, sectioned and cut in half, were analyzed with SEM, XRMA and hardness measurements. Results. An inverse relation was found between the micro hardness and the Ca:C ratio in hypomineralized and normal enamel. The acid-etched hypomineralized enamel appeared on SEM to be covered with a structureless layer and the prisms appeared disorganized, with thick prism sheaths and loosely packed crystallites. Furthermore, bacteria were found deep in porous hypomineralized enamel close to the enamel–dentin junction. Conclusions. Teeth diagnosed with molar incisor hypomineralization have significantly lower hardness values in the hypomineralized enamel compared with normal enamel. The hardness values vary according to the morphological and chemical properties.
Physical arguments for distance-weighted interactions in elastic network models for proteins

Yang et al. (1) have recently drawn attention to the drawbacks of arbitrary cutoff distances in elastic network models (ENMs) for proteins and proposed an ENM they call “parameter-free,” in which the interactions between residue pairs i, j are weighted by the inverse square of their distances rij. They found that this modified ENM reproduces crystallographic B-factors better than the cutoff-based one.
Digest: Unpacking fitness effects of spontaneous mutations

New biological variation originates from mutations, so understanding their effects—and how those effects vary with environment or genetic background—is critical to evolutionary studies. Kraemer et al. (2017) sequenced and measured the fitness of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii lineages that had experienced minimal selection. They found that mutations in these lineages had a small average deleterious effect attributable to mutations in coding regions, and average mutational effects varied depending on the ancestor's genotype. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Antimicrobial activity of ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, desacetylcefotaxime, and cefotaxime-desacetylcefotaxime in the presence of human serum

Eighty-seven organisms were tested against ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, desacetylcefotaxime, and the combination of cefotaxime and desacetylcefotaxime (1:1 ratio) in broth containing 0, 25, or 50% human serum. In the presence of human serum, ceftriaxone MICs were four- to eightfold higher than those obtained in broth, changing 98% of Staphylococcus aureus strains from the susceptible to the moderately susceptible category and 53% of selected gram-negative strains to a more resistant category. The MICs of cefotaxime, desacetylcefotaxime, and cefotaxime plus desacetylcefotaxime were not adversely affected by human serum; in fact, the bactericidal activity was slightly improved.
Clinical predictors of time to return to competition and of recurrence following hamstring strain in elite Australian footballers

Objective To investigate early clinical predictors of time to return to competition and of recurrence following hamstring strain. Design Prospective observational study. Setting Elite level of Australian football competition. Participant 59 players who suffered a hamstring strain in 2002 season. Predictors Clinical assessment by a physiotherapist and questionnaire. Main outcome measures Time taken to return to play and recurrence of hamstring injury within 3 weeks. Results Players taking more than 1 day to walk pain-free were significantly more likely (p=0.018) to take longer than 3 weeks to return to competition (adjusted odds ratio 4.0; 95% CI 1.3 to 12.6). Nine players (15.2%) experienced an injury recurrence, all involving the biceps femoris. Recurrence was more likely in players who reported a hamstring injury in the past 12 months (adjusted odds ratio 19.6; 95% CI 1.5 to 261.0; p=0.025). Conclusion Time to walk pain-free and previous hamstring injury are predictors of time to return to competition and recurrence, respectively, and should be included in a clinical assessment to aid in prognosis.
Derived Gene Operational Model for Semantic Similarity Search in Web Document Mining

A. Web Document Mining Web mining is the important operations of data mining method used to identify the patterns from the Web. Web document mining introduces searching effect of relevant information for retrieving exact users quires and terms. Document data includes text, images, audio, video or structured records and so on. Web document mining technologies are the most important one for extracting knowledge on the Web. Based on the targets analysis, web mining is divided into Web usage mining, Web content mining and Web structure mining. Web content mining is an automatic process that exists over keyword extraction. Gene Ontology (GO) was created to define the attributes of genes and gene products using a controlled terminology. It is used to support the research related to gene products and documents on the web. The entity type ontology contains the familiar gene ontology of physical types was studied. GO contains collection of defined vocabularies that explain biological models and gene products recognized by computers and individuals. The GO ontology is denoted as a directed acyclic graph (DAG) in which the terms are nodes and the correlation among DAG are edges. DAG is a fundamental structure of the ontology that has child concepts and number of parent. The several number of parent concepts includes the advantage of higher flexibility, facilitate the powerful grouping, searching and identify the similar genes. Figure 1.1 shows the architecture of gene ontology process. In above entity relationship process, text corpus is taken as input which is accumulated in local database. Initially, the user query is sent to database and related information of the query is extracted from text using the dictionary-based text mining. Fig. 1.1 : Architecture Gene Ontology Process
Gonadotrophic regulation of precursor incorporation into ovarian RNA, protein, and acid-soluble fractions. I. Effects of pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMSG), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH).

The time course of gonadotrophic regulation of precursor uptake and incorporation into ovarian RNA and protein, ovarian growth, and estrogen production has been measured and correlated. Significant increases in in vivo cytidine and amino acid incorporation into ovarian RNA and protein, respectively, were noted by 4 hr after PMSG or LH treatment of immature rats. PMSG was found to initiate growth of the ovary and its secretion of estrogen within 18 hr of hormone administration. As little as 2.5 μg of LH effectively stimulated in vivo cytidine incorporation into RNA. This LH response was both hormone and tissue specific and could be obtained in hypophysectomized as well as intact immature animals. Since the in vivo PMSG and LH effects were not readily apparent under in vitro incorporating conditions, it is suggested that an intact ovarian blood supply is essential for the expression of the PMSG and LH response. (Endocrinology 83: 1083, 1968)
Vocabulary of Quranic Concepts: A semi-automatically created terminology of Holy Quran

The identification and organization of terminology is the foremost step while organizing the domain knowledge for any domain as it is the terms and their inter-relationships that define the conceptual knowledge base. Quran, comprising the divine words of wisdom has been considered and used as prime source of knowledge and guidance for Muslims throughout the world for fourteen centuries. The concepts/topics discussed in Quran have been organized/indexed by many scholars which are used by Muslims who use them to search for guidance regarding various issues of daily life. In current era of information technology, various search services for Quranic topics are available online. They mostly use the terminologies (concepts hierarchy) manually built by scholars. In our work, we have used a semi-automatic approach to identify important concepts/topics from six English translations of Quran, and organized them into a hierarchical structure, named as Vocabulary of Quranic Concepts (VQC). CNC Value method of term recognition is used to identify significant concepts, which are then manually analyzed by domain expert, and are then organized into a hierarchy using the term-head principle. Due to extreme sensitivity of this work, complete automation of system is avoided and outcomes at all steps are manually analyzed. Currently, we have developed a vocabulary from translation of only second chapter of Quran (Al-Bakara). VQC is available at: https://sites.google. com/a/mcs.edu. pk/codteem/projects/qwn
A short version of the Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale (PASS-20): preliminary development and validity.

BACKGROUND Research has shown significant relations between fear and avoidance of pain and the suffering and disability of chronic pain. Effective measurement tools have formed the foundation for studying these relations. METHODS The present article describes the initial development and validation of the PASS-20, a short form version of the Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale (PASS). Like the original inventory, the PASS-20 measures fear and anxiety responses specific to pain. Items were selected for the short version based on item variance, item intercorrelation and reliability analyses. RESULTS The PASS-20 shows strong internal consistency, reliability, and good predictive and construct validity. Item reduction appears to result in minimal shrinkage of validity correlations. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the results suggest that the short form retains adequate psychometric properties. Possible research and clinical implications for the PASS-20 include more efficient screening during evaluations of patients with chronic pain, and use when the time or effort needed for the full version is prohibitive.
Molecular Dynamics of the Sodium Channel Pore Vary with Gating: Interactions between P-Segment Motions and Inactivation

Disulfide trapping studies have revealed that the pore-lining (P) segments of voltage-dependent sodium channels undergo sizable motions on a subsecond time scale. Such motions of the pore may be necessary for selective ion translocation. Although traditionally viewed as separable properties, gating and permeation are now known to interact extensively in various classes of channels. We have investigated the interaction of pore motions and voltage-dependent gating in μ1 sodium channels engineered to contain two cysteines within the P segments. Rates of catalyzed internal disulfide formation (kSS) were measured in K1237C+W1531C mutant channels expressed in oocytes. During repetitive voltage-clamp depolarizations, increasing the pulse duration had biphasic effects on the kSS, which first increased to a maximum at 200 msec and then decreased with longer depolarizations. This result suggested that occupancy of an intermediate inactivation state (IM) facilitates pore motions. Consistent with the known antagonism between alkali metals and a component of slow inactivation,kSS varied inversely with external [Na+]o. We examined the converse relationship, namely the effect of pore flexibility on gating, by measuring recovery from inactivation in Y401C+E758C (YC/EC) channels. Under oxidative conditions, recovery from inactivation was slower than in a reduced environment in which the spontaneous YC/EC cross-link is disrupted. The most prominent effects were slowing of a component with intermediate recovery kinetics, with diminution of its relative amplitude. We conclude that occupancy of an intermediate inactivation state facilitates motions of the P segments; conversely, flexibility of the P segments alters an intermediate component of inactivation.
Airborne Water Droplets in Mist or Fog 05 Affect Nocturnal Attacks in Asthmatic Children

Our study objectives were to evaluate whether or not airborne water droplets in mist or fog affect the occurrence of nocturnal attacks of asthmatic children using a retrospective study. This study included 971 visits by children with bronchial asthma to the emergency department at nighttime (from 18:00 to 09:00) during a 3-year period (04 1, 1998–03 31, 2001). Meteorological data were checked at a local fire station and regional meteorological observatory. We divided nighttime into five 3-hour periods to evaluate the relationship between chronological changes in the frequency of the emergency department visits of asthmatic children and of meteorological conditions. In four of five periods of nighttime, multivariate analysis showed that mist or fog, average atmospheric temperature, and barometric pressure were related to the number of emergency department visits (n = 1096, r = 0.165–0.263, p<0.0001). We divided the year into four seasons to eliminate differences between atmospheric temperature and barometric pressure on clear nights and on misty or foggy nights; we also found the mean number of emergency department visits was higher on misty or foggy nights than on clear nights in each seasonal period (p<0.01). In addition, average atmospheric temperature on misty or foggy nights with the emergency department visits was higher than that on misty or foggy nights without any visits (p<0.01). Asthmatic children frequently visited the emergency department on misty or foggy nights, especially during midnight to dawn periods with high atmospheric temperature. Because a higher atmospheric temperature on misty or foggy nights indicates a larger saturated amount of airborne water droplets, our results suggest that mist and fog, in particular a saturated amount of airborne water droplets, may be a stimulus for bronchoconstriction.
Deficits in small interneurons in prefrontal and cingulate cortices of schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients.

A recent report suggested that neurons in the prefrontal, anterior cingulate, and primary motor cortex of the brains of schizophrenic subjects may be less dense than those in the brains of nonschizophrenic subjects. We have determined whether pyramidal neurons and/or interneurons are preferentially reduced in schizophrenic subjects. Twelve control subjects and 18 schizophrenic subjects were studied in a blind, quantitative analysis of the density of pyramidal cells, interneurons, and glial cells in each of the six layers of the anterior cingulate and prefrontal cortex. The results showed that numbers of small neurons (interneurons) were reduced in most layers of the cingulate cortex in schizophrenic subjects compared with nonschizophrenic subjects, with the differences being greatest in layer II. In the prefrontal area, interneuronal density was also lower in layer II and, to a lesser extent, in layer I in schizophrenic subjects compared with control subjects. In most cases, the differences were similar, although more significant, in schizophrenic subjects who had had superimposed mood disturbances than in schizophrenic subjects who had not had such comorbidity. Numbers of pyramidal neurons generally were not different between control and schizophrenic subjects, except in layer V of the prefrontal area, where schizophrenic subjects showed higher densities of these neurons. Glial numbers did not differ between the control and schizophrenic subjects, suggesting that a neurodegenerative process did not cause the reduced interneuronal density observed. Using multiple regression analysis and analysis of covariance, decreases in the density of layer II interneurons could not be adequately explained by the effects of various confounding variables, such as age, postmortem interval, duration of specimen fixation, or administration of neuroleptic agents. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Non-specific immunity in rabbits infected with 10 strains of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus with different biological properties

To determine the parameters of non-specific immunity in rabbits infected with 10 biologically different strains of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) virus (BS89, Hagenow, Rainham, Frankfurt, Asturias, Vt97, Triptis, Hartmannsdorf, Pv97, 9905 RHDVa) the following indices were assessed: polimorphonuclear cell (PMN) adherence capacity, absorption index, percentage of absorbing cells, spontaneous, stimulated as well as spectrophotometric test for reduction of the nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT), metabolic activity coefficient of neutrophilic granulocytes, stimulation index, myeloperoxidase activity, lysozyme concentration and activity index. The symptoms and the percentage of mortality in animals infected were recorded. On the basis of the estimated parameters, the present study confirmed the existence of immunotypes among the strains of the RHD virus. However, the results did not indicate a connection between biological property of the RHD virus (haemagglutination capacity and generation of antigenic variants) and the immunological profile of the strains.
Painting the digital river

This paper recounts the rationale and process of writing a book on digital painting, the coming together of computer graphics and contemporary art. As both a digital and a 'physical' painter, I felt there were fascinating possibilities the practitioner comes across, but these implications were being overlooked. There is a view that 'new media' will simply replace 'traditional media', like painting. I intended to show that a painter can 'go digital' and yet remain quite obviously a painter. There had to be a balance between the detailed discussion of computer graphics and the detail of painting: the techniques, the histories, the continuing debates, in a way that would bring it alive to a wider readership. The title, 'Painting the Digital River', is a metaphor for what divides the territory, for the co-existence of change and continuity, and for the journey of discovery.
Antithrombotic Properties of the Thromboxane A2/Prostaglandin H2 Receptor Antagonist S18886 on Prevention of Platelet-Dependent Cyclic Flow Reductions in Dogs

A potent thromboxane A2/PGH2 (TP)-receptor antagonist, S18886, was evaluated for its antithrombotic property in a dog model of acute periodic platelet-mediated thrombosis in stenosed coronary arteries with endothelial damage. After thrombosis had been obtained in 11 dogs, S18886 (300 μg/kg bolus) was administered IV. Heart rate, systemic blood pressure, and coronary blood flow were continuously recorded. Ex vivo whole blood platelet aggregation (PA), blood pH, hematocrit, platelet count, PO2, PCO2, and bleeding times were measured before and 30 minutes after administration of S18886. S18886 completely inhibited thrombosis in all dogs in approximately 5-10 minutes. No change in heart rate, blood pressure, pH, PO2, PCO2, platelet count, or bleeding time and a slight but significant elevation in hematocrit occurred. Infusion of epinephrine IV after complete inhibition of thrombosis by S18886 partially restored thrombosis in 3 of the 11 dogs. PA induced by collagen (4 μg/mL), collagen (0.25 μg/mL) plus epinephrine (1 μg/mL), collagen (1 μg/mL) plus epinephrine (1 μg/mL), ADP (40 μM) plus epinephrine (1 μg/mL), and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (0.5 nM) were attenuated by 90 ± 8% (P < 0.005), 98 ± 2% (P < 0.05), 78 ± 6% (P < 0.005), 70 ± 10% (P < 0.005), and 28 ± 8% (P < 0.05), respectively. In conclusion, S18886 is a potent platelet inhibitor that attenuates in vivo platelet-dependent thrombosis in the experimental dog model and reduces ex vivo platelet aggregation.