Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in short-term variability of blood pressure and heart rate during the development of obesity-associated hypertension in high-fat fed dogs.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the nature and time course of autonomic nervous system changes elicited by a 21-week ad libitum high-fat diet (HFD) in dogs. RESULTS The HFD increased body weight (+22.0+/-2.8% at week 21) with an abdominal circumference gain significantly more elevated than the thoracic one. The increases in insulin and free fatty acid plasma levels were correlated with body weight changes. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rate significantly increased (+23+/-6, +28+/-5 and 19+/-9% respectively). Arterial hypertension was characterized by an increase in cardiac output (+22.3+/-7.7%), in left ventricular mass (+18.1+/-5.0% at week 21) and a decrease in spontaneous baroreflex efficiency (-55+/-6%). The time course of autonomic changes (using spectral analysis of systolic blood pressure and heart rate) showed the existence of time-dependent modifications, which were linked with food intake. The initial rise in arterial blood pressure during body weight increment (observed between the 1st and 8th week of HFD) was associated with a transient increase in the low frequency band of systolic blood pressure variability and noradrenaline plasma levels associated with a long-lasting decrease in the high frequency band of heart rate variability. Early changes in short-term variability were significantly correlated with free fatty acid plasma levels. In contrast, the steady-state of obesity-related hypertension was associated with a decreased high frequency band of heart rate variability, without significant changes in noradrenaline plasma levels. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that the HFD induces abdominal obesity, hyperinsulinaemia and arterial hypertension, with a left ventricular hypertrophy associated with a biphasic changes in autonomic activity: an early and long-lasting decrease in parasympathetic nervous system activity and an early but transient increase in sympathetic activity. The present data suggest that autonomic nervous system changes are dependent on the time course of obesity development.
Distributed multi-agent type-2 fuzzy architecture for urban traffic signal control

Rapid advances made in vehicle technology and increased level of urbanization have caused an exponential increase in road traffic congestion levels. This has necessitated the implementation of intelligent traffic responsive signal controllers capable of maintaining the saturation levels in each link thereby reducing congestion and increasing utilization of existing infrastructure. This paper presents one such distributed multi-agent architecture based on weighted type-2 fuzzy inference engine for the urban traffic signal control. Agents have been programmed in PARAMICS microscopic traffic simulator and tested on a simulated section of Central Business District in Singapore with twenty five interconnected intersections. A comparative analysis of the proposed architecture with the existing traffic signal controller HMS - Hierarchical multi-agent system, was performed for two different traffic scenarios. The results clearly indicates better performance of the proposed agent architecture over the benchmark controller and offers scope for improvement in the future.
Comparative analysis of fliC Gene from Salmonella enterica sub-species for biosensor probe design and phylogenetic tree construction

In tandem to the Salmonellosis infection worldwide, a study was conducted to determine the conserved and nonconserved region in Salmonella enterica sub-species so that it can be used to design probes in biosensors for the detection of Salmonella enterica as a species or sub-species distinctively. The region was selected for this study through fliC gene that is present in all Salmonella sub-species, encodes the Salmonella flagella or flagellin determines the serotype due to its H antigen and provides virulence to the bacteria. All sub-species were analyzed in a group of six and then analyzed individually in groups of two with all possible combinations to determine the overlapping regions. Based on the study, the predominant conserved region for S. enterica sub-species is between 103 and 158, whereas the non-conserved region is from 1245 to 1285. A phylogenetic tree was constructed for the S. enterica sub-species to determine the evolution of the Salmonella sub-species.
Sentence Repetition and Processing Resources in Alzheimer's Disease

Sentence processing in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been found to be influenced by several grammatical and extragrammatical factors, including phrase structure and verb-argument relations, number of propositions/verbs, and processing resource capacity. This study examines the effects of these variables on sentence production in AD. Normal control and AD subjects were asked to repeat six types of sentences varying along the above dimensions of complexity. Subjects' processing resource capacity was measured using several verbal working memory tests. AD subjects' sentence-repetition performance was impaired compared to the normal control group. Significant effects were observed for branching direction of phrase structure, canonicity of verb-argument relations, and serial position of errors. Sentence-repetition performance significantly correlated with working memory scores. The findings are interpreted within a resource capacity theory of sentence processing.
[Efficacy and safety of mouthwash diclofenac in oral or periodontal surgery].

BACKGROUND In a multicentre clinical study was evaluated the efficacy and safety of a mouthwash containing diclofenac 0.074% in patients undergone to oral or periodontal surgery. METHODS Multicentre clinical open study. The patients rinsed for 1 min twice a day with diclofenac mouthwash for 7 days. After the baseline measurements of all parameters, spontaneous pain and burning were evaluated daily, while redness and oedema after 3 and 7 days of treatment. Seventy-nine patients (48 F, 31 M), mean aged 42.5 years+/-13.1 SD, with pain intensity at the end of anaesthesia effect equivalent to 54.8 mm+/-15.1 SD of a visual analogue scale were evaluated for efficacy. RESULTS Spontaneous pain was significantly reduced by diclofenac mouthwash, versus baseline, in the first day of treatment. After a week of treatment, intensity was reduced more than 88% (p<0.01). Burning, redness and oedema too evidenced a similar behaviour, with absence of the sign respectively superior to 87%, 72% and 91 % (p<0.01). The physician's and patient's final judgement overlapped, recording a resolution/improvement in 94.1% of cases, particularly improvement in 77.2% for the physician and in 70.9% for the patients. Palatability was judged pleasant/acceptable in all cases. CONCLUSIONS Diclofenac mouthwash is endowed by very good efficacy and safety in the treatment of inflammatory condition of the buccal cavity following oral or periodontal surgery.
Experimental investigation of a dual band-reject filter using C-shaped DGS with improved Q-factor

A compact, small size dual band-stop C-shaped defected ground structure (DGS) is proposed in this paper. Two similar C-shaped patterned ground structures are designed and their dimensions are adjusted to obtain band rejection frequency response at 2.4 GHz and 6.7 GHz. Then, two DGSs structure are cascaded in series to obtain a high Q-factor dual-band rejection property. The distance between two DGSs is adjusted for an acceptable response. All structures are numerically investigated using HFSS and the dual band filter is designed and implemented. Results show that there are two parallel resonance frequencies at 2.468 GHz and 6.629 GHz with a very high Q-factor, while signal attenuation at the resonant frequencies is at least 20 dB. Also, the equivalent circuit of the proposed filter including two parallel resonance RLC circuit based on measured S-parameters is presented. The new introduced DGS filter is successfully designed and fabricated and the measured results are in a good agreement with those obtained by numerical investigation.
The effect of overall stimulus velocity on motion parallax

This study examined the effectiveness with which motion parallax information can be utilized by rhesus monkeys for depth perception. A visual display comprised of random-dots that mimicked a rigid, three-dimensional object rocking back and forth was used. Differential depth was produced by presenting sub-regions of the dots moving at different velocities from the rest of dots in the display. The tasks for the monkeys were to detect or discriminate a target region that was protruding the furthest from the background plane. To understand the role of stimulus movement, we examined the accuracy and the rapidity of the saccadic responses as a function of rocking velocity of the entire three-dimensional object. The results showed that performance accuracy improved and reaction times decreased with increasing rocking velocities. The monkeys can process the motion parallax information with remarkable rapidity such that the average reaction time ranged between 212 and 246 milliseconds. The data collected suggest that the successive activation of just two sets of cones is sufficient to perform the task.
Novel Miniaturized Artificial Magnetic Conductor

The design of a novel miniaturized artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) using interdigital capacitors is presented. The operation of the AMC is evaluated using finite element method (FEM) simulations. A prototype is manufactured and characterized based on reflection coefficient phase in an anechoic chamber. The performance of the AMC unit cell for both normal and oblique incidence is also studied.
Well-being among persons at risk of psychosis: the role of self-labeling, shame, and stigma stress.

OBJECTIVE When young people at risk of psychosis experience early signs of the disorder or early intervention, they may label themselves as "mentally ill. " However, empirical data related to the potentially harmful effects of self-labeling and stigma among young people at risk of psychosis are lacking. This study used a stress-coping model to examine mechanisms by which stigma may exert an impact on young people at risk of psychosis. METHODS The authors assessed self-reports of perceived public stigma, shame about having a mental illness, self-labeling, and the cognitive appraisal of stigma as a stressor (stigma stress) as predictors of well-being among 172 residents of Zürich, Switzerland, who were between 13 and 35 years old. All participants were at high risk or ultra-high risk of psychosis or at risk of bipolar disorder. Psychiatric symptoms were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, and well-being was measured by instruments that assessed quality of life, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. RESULTS Perceived public stigma, shame, and self-labeling were independently associated with increased stigma stress. More stigma stress, in turn, predicted reduced well-being, independent of age, gender, symptoms, and psychiatric comorbidity. Stigma stress partly mediated the effects of perceived public stigma, shame, and self-labeling on well-being. CONCLUSIONS Perceived public stigma, shame, and self-labeling appear to be associated with stigma stress and reduced well-being among young people at risk of psychosis. With early intervention programs gaining traction worldwide, effective strategies to address the shame and stigma associated with at-risk states and early psychosis are needed.
The ARM Fast Context Switch Extension for Linux

The ARMv5 CPUs are inexpensive, low power, 32 bit processors widely used in embedded systems. Because of these processors’ cache implementation, using memory protection on these systems incurs a performance penalty too large for many real time applications. By implementing the Fast Context Switch Extension, we achieved improved cache performance while retaining memory protection under the Linux 2.6 kernel. We briefly discuss the problem, explain the necessary changes to the Linux memory management system, and present performance measurements taken from artificial and real world applications.
Harmonic clutter recognition and suppression for automotive radar sensors

In this article, we propose a novel harmonic clutter recognition and suppression method to overcome the deterioration of a target- or vehicle-detection performance due to harmonic clutters. Although several studies have been performed on the reflection and diffraction on road surfaces for automotive radar sensors, most of them did not consider the case where metallic structures such as iron tunnels with greater reflection are densely distributed. The proposed method measures the periodicity of harmonic clutters by analyzing the spectral characteristics of the received radar signal with various road conditions. The proposed method can successfully recognize harmonic clutters. In addition, experimental results show that early detection of a target vehicle in an iron tunnel under adaptive cruise control is improved using the proposed clutter suppression method.
Characterization of pncA mutations in pyrazinamide-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Pyrazinamide (PZA) is a first-line drug for short-course tuberculosis therapy. Resistance to PZA is usually accompanied by loss of pyrazinamidase (PZase) activity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. PZase converts PZA to bactericidal pyrazinoic acid, and the loss of PZase activity is associated with PZA resistance. The gene (pncA) encoding the M. tuberculosis PZase has recently been sequenced, and mutations in pncA were previously found in a small number of PZA-resistant M. tuberculosis strains. To further understand the genetic basis of PZA resistance and determine the frequency of PZA-resistant strains having pncA mutations, we analyzed a panel of PZA-resistant clinical isolates and mutants made in vitro. Thirty-three of 38 PZA-resistant clinical isolates had pncA mutations. Among the five strains that did not contain pncA mutations, four were found to be falsely resistant and one was found to be borderline resistant to PZA. The 33 PZA-resistant clinical isolates and 8 mutants made in vitro contained various mutations, including nucleotide substitutions, insertions, or deletions in the pncA gene. The identified mutations were dispersed along the pncA gene, but some degree of clustering of mutations was found at the following regions: Gly132-Thr142, Pro69-Leu85, and Ile5-Asp12. PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis was shown to be useful for the rapid detection of pncA mutations in the PZA-resistant strains. We conclude that a mutation in the pncA gene is a major mechanism of PZA resistance and that direct sequencing by PCR or SSCP analysis should help to rapidly identify PZA-resistant M. tuberculosis strains.
Snail and Slug Mediate Radioresistance and Chemoresistance by Antagonizing p53‐Mediated Apoptosis and Acquiring a Stem‐Like Phenotype in Ovarian Cancer Cells

The transcriptional repressors Snail and Slug contribute to cancer progression by mediating epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT), which results in tumor cell invasion and metastases. We extend this current understanding to demonstrate their involvement in the development of resistance to radiation and paclitaxel. The process is orchestrated through the acquisition of a novel subset of gene targets that is repressed under conditions of stress, effectively inactivating p53‐mediated apoptosis, while another subset of targets continues to mediate EMT. Repressive activities are complemented by a concurrent derepression of specific genes resulting in the acquisition of stem cell‐like characteristics. Such cells are bestowed with three critical capabilities, namely EMT, resistance to p53‐mediated apoptosis, and a self‐renewal program, that together define the functionality and survival of metastatic cancer stem cells. EMT provides a mechanism of escape to a new, less adverse niche; resistance to apoptosis ensures cell survival in conditions of stress in the primary tumor; whereas acquisition of “stemness” ensures generation of the critical tumor mass required for progression of micrometastases to macrometastases. Our findings, besides achieving considerable expansion of the inventory of direct genes targets, more importantly demonstrate that such elegant cooperative modulation of gene regulation mediated by Snail and Slug is critical for a cancer cell to acquire stem cell characteristics toward resisting radiotherapy‐ or chemotherapy‐mediated cellular stress, and this may be a determinative aspect of aggressive cancer metastases. STEM CELLS 2009;27:2059–2068
Measuring Fecal Steroids: Guidelines for Practical Application

Abstract: During the past 20 years, measuring steroid hormone metabolites in fecal samples has become a widely appreciated technique, because it has proved to be a powerful, noninvasive tool that provides important information about an animal's endocrine status (adrenocortical activity and reproductive status). However, although sampling is relatively easy to perform and free of feedback, a careful consideration of various factors is necessary to achieve proper results that lead to sound conclusions. This article aims to provide guidelines for an adequate application of these techniques. It is meant as a checklist that addresses the main topics of concern, such as sample collection and storage, time delay extraction procedures, assay selection and validation, biological relevance, and some confounding factors. These issues are discussed briefly here and in more detail in other recent articles.
Disease modification in partial epilepsy.

With the growth in antiepileptic drug treatment, the question arises as to what extent we are merely treating the symptom (i.e. the seizures) rather than the underlying disease process (i.e. epileptogenesis). Epileptogenicity can be considered as the process whereby structural and functional changes occur following an insult that in some cases result in epilepsy. Epileptogenicity also describes some of the changes and processes that contribute to the progression observed in some epilepsies. These processes have been modelled in animals mostly by the kindling model of epilepsy, in which repetition of subconvulsive stimuli results in a progressive epileptic state and eventually leads to spontaneous seizures. However, it is not clear that kindling has a human correlate, so models in which an initial insult (status epilepticus, hyperthermia, hypoxia, trauma) is followed by the development of lowered seizure threshold and, in some instances, spontaneous seizures have been used. These models seem to support the "second hit" hypothesis, in which there is an initial insult resulting in lowered seizure threshold, and then a later insult, the "second hit", that results in the expression of epilepsy. These models also support the concept of a latent period during which there could be targeted therapies to prevent the epileptogenic process. Although the occurrence of neuronal damage is one such target, neuronal damage is not necessary for epileptogenesis, and other mechanisms are at play. At the present time, it is not known whether targeted therapies may also affect compensatory processes, such as brain repair. Clearly, this would be a potential risk of such strategies. Epidemiological evidence and trials indicate that our present antiepileptic drugs are not effective in preventing epileptogenesis; antiepileptic drugs were, however, not designed for this purpose. Data from animal experiments suggest that treatment of non-convulsive status epilepticus following specific insults may prevent epileptogenesis. The relevance of this for the human condition remains uncertain, but non-convulsive status epilepticus is probably an under-recognized and probably under-treated condition. Perhaps one of the most salutary findings has been the observation of decreased childhood epilepsy with improved neonatal care. This highlights the importance of medical care at the time of an insult, and of prevention of the insults. This review discusses the data that support the concepts underlying epileptogenesis and the model systems that are presumed to reflect the human condition. Particular attention is paid to the potential for interrupting the processes underlying epileptogenesis.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Y-Short Tandem Repeat Testing in Forensic Casework.

Y-chromosome-specific human DNA markers can be a useful tool in forensic casework. Several case scenarios are presented to point out the advantages and disadvantages of Y-STR testing over autosomal STR testing. The main advantage of the Y-STR approach is the ability to detect the male component even in extreme mixtures of male and female DNA. It is also useful for rapid screening of large number of stains and the determination of the number of semen donors for mixtures of two or more male individuals. The main disadvantage is the inability to distinguish between male relatives and the limitations of the haplotype frequency approach.
Playing piano in visuospatial neglect: a case study.

The figure shows the family pedigree. Her mother (I-2) had an ataxic gait. Her siblings comprised three males and three females. Among the six, one sister (II-1), one brother (II-2), and the proband (II-5) were affected. Her sister's (II-1) gait became shuffling at the age of 25 years, and a neurological examination conducted by one of us (TH) when she was 48 years old disclosed nystagmus, slow and slurred speech, limb dysmetria, and exaggerated deep tendon reflexes with Babinski's signs. Her brother's (II-2) gait became shuffling, similar to that of his sister (II-1) at the age of 33 years. One sister (II-4) was unaffected. One brother (II-6)
Trenched Schottky barrier PMOS for latchup resistance

A new CMOS technology for VLSI applications has been developed. It provides latchup resistance, good performance, reduced source/drain resistance, and allows the use of shallower junctions with little increase in technological complexity. The key feature of this new structure is the realization of a self-aligned diffused lateral ring around the Schottky PMOS source and drain (S/D) that combines the advantages of the diffused technology with the latchup resistance of the Schottky source and drain.
The functional dissection of human peripheral null cells with respect to antibody‐dependent cellular cytotoxicity and natural killing

A null lymphocyte subpopulation was isolated from human peripheral blood using a combination of Ficoll density gradient centrifugation, chromatographic separation of immunoglobulin‐bearing cells on Sephadex G‐200‐anti‐human F(ab'), columns and E rosette sedimentation. Null cell recovery averaged 5% of total peripheral mononuclear cells with greater than 90% purity by surface marker analysis. The purified null subpopulation was markedly enriched for antibody‐dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and natural killing (NK) activity, while the Ig+′ and E' populations were virtually inactive. In the NK assay, the number of recovered lytic units in the null subpopulation was greatly increased over the total lytic units in unf ractionated cell populations, while enrichment in ADCC lytic units was strictly dependent on the concentration of null cells in effector populations. The null cell mediators of both ADCC and NK activity were shown to lack the Ia‐like surface antigen, p 23, 30. The results suggest that both ADCC and NK are mediated by the same population of null cells comprising less than 5% of peripheral lymphocytes and which lack the Ia‐like antigen p 23, 30, as well as mature T and B cell surface markers. The marked enrichment of NK activity in purified null populations suggests that E+ T cells may regulate NK by this subpopulation in vivo.