Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modelo de doença de parkinson em camundongos baseado na injeção unilateral 6-hidroxidopamina no estriado: caracterização do curso temporal das alterações comportamentais e da degeneração nigroestriatal

A Doenca de Parkinson (DP) e uma doenca neurodegenerativa comum, que afeta principalmente pessoas idosas. Caracteriza-se pela morte progressiva de neuronios dopaminergicos do sistema nigroestriatal, levando ao aparecimento de sintomas que caracterizam a tetrade classica da doenca: tremor em repouso, rigidez muscular, bradicinesia e instabilidade postural. Ha evidencias de que tanto fatores geneticos como ambientais contribuam para o desenvolvimento da doenca. A fim de se melhor entender os mecanismos subjacentes a doenca varios modelos animais foram desenvolvidos que mimetizam algum aspecto da degeneracao dopaminergica envolvida na DP. A injecao intracerebral de 6-OHDA e um dos modelos mais utilizados. Esta toxina e preferencialmente injetada no estriado ou na substância negra, onde promove destruicao seletiva de neuronios catecolaminergicos da via nigroestriatal. Quando a injecao e unilateral, os animais apresentam um comportamento rotatorio estereotipado apos inducao farmacologica e tal comportamento tem sido muito usado pra medir o grau de degeneracao nigroestriatal. Este modelo esta bem caracterizado em ratos e tem sido uma ferramenta util para testar terapias celulares ou farmacologicas com potencial neuroprotetor. Camundongos, assim como ratos, tambem sao largamente utilizados em diversos estudos relacionados a DP. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo melhorar a caracterizacao do modelo de hemiparkinsonismo baseado em uma injecao unica intraestriatal unilateral de 6- OHDA em camundongos C57BL6, visando avaliar o curso temporal da degeneracao dos neuronios dopaminergicos na substância negra e o grau de correlacao entre a degeneracao neuronal e alteracoes comportamentais. Os nossos resultados mostraram que, apos uma unica injecao de 10 μg de 6-OHDA no estriado, ocorre degeneracao progressiva dos neuronios nigrais em funcao do tempo de sobrevida, e que existe uma correlacao alta entre a taxa de degeneracao e o comportamento rotatorio induzido por apomorfina. Comportamentos motores espontâneos de ambulacao e bipedestacao tiveram correlacao menor com a degeneracao. Portanto, sugerimos que o comportamento rotatorio induzido por apomorfina e um bom indicativo do grau de assimetria na via nigroestriatal de camundongos com hemiparkinsonismo induzidos por 6-OHDA e que pode ser uma ferramenta muito util em experimentos que visem testar terapias com potencial neuroprotetor para a doenca de Parkinson.
Crying During the First 10 Days of Life, and Maternal Responses

Crying behaviour during the first 10 days of life was recorded in diary form for 77 mother‐baby pairs; 20 were first babies and 57 second babies. A peak in crying between 6 p.m. and midnight was found for the sample as a whole. Second babies had lower total crying scores, as mothers responded more quickly to crying, and more often by feeding. Breast‐fed babies showed a more marked 24–hour pattern of crying, with higher total scores and more crying after feeds than bottle‐fed babies. Breast‐feeding mothers were more likely to respond quickly to crying. Flexibility of the mother's attitude to scheduling feeds was related to success in breast‐feeding. The relationship is discussed between the speed of maternal response to the infant cry, maternal sensitivity, and the signal value of the cry.
Detecting buried objects with subwavelength resolution using a near-field antenna-array probe

A near-field antenna-array probe is used to perform subwavelength imaging on objects buried a quarter-wavelength beneath the surface of a dielectric slab. Short passive dipole objects are detected by monitoring the input reflection coefficient of the probe as it is scanned over the dielectric. Experimental measurements are presented that verify the subwavelength imaging behavior. A minimum resolvable separation between two objects in terms of dielectric wavelengths was measured to be 0:295λ at a distance of λ/4, compared to 0:639λ for a single monopole probe.
Plastid-Nucleus Distance Alters the Behavior of Stromules

Plastids send “retrograde” signals to the nucleus to deliver information regarding their physiological status. One open question concerning this signal transfer is how the signal bridges the cytoplasm. Based on individual reports of plastid derived tubular membrane extensions connecting to nuclei, these so-called stromules have been suggested to function as communication routes between plastids and nuclei in response to biotic stress. However, based on the data currently available it is unclear whether interactions between stromules and nuclei are truly intentional or observed as a result of an inflated stromule frequency throughout the cell, and are thus a random event. The source of this uncertainty stems from missing information regarding the relative distribution of all plastids and stromules within a given cell. A comprehensive analysis of the upper epidermis of Arabidopsis thaliana rosette leaves was performed via a combination of still images and time-lapse movies of stromule formation in the context of the whole cell. This analysis could definitively confirm that stromule formation is not evenly distributed. Stromules are significantly more frequent within 8 μm of the nucleus, and approximately 90% of said stromules formed facing the nucleus. Time-lapse movies revealed that this enrichment of stromules is achieved via a 10-fold higher frequency of stromule initiation events within this 8 μm zone compared to the cell periphery. Following the movement of plastids and nuclei it became evident that movement and formation of stromules is correlated to nucleus movement. Observations suggest that stromules “connecting” to the nucleus are not necessarily the result of plastids sensing the nucleus and reaching out toward it, but are rather pulled out of the surface of nucleus associated plastids during opposing movement of these two organelles. This finding does not exclude the possibility that stromules could be transferring signals to the nucleus. However, this work provides support for an alternative hypothesis to explain stromule-nuclear interactions, suggesting that the main purpose of nucleus associated stromules may be to ensure a certain number of plastids maintain contact with the constantly moving nucleus.
Classifying Arm Movement with Embedded System and Machine Learning

This paper presents a method to classify the arm movements into 8 categories for the sensor data acquired from a micro-electro-mechenial sensor. The method uses the attribute weighted KNN (AWKNN) which is a kind of machine learning algorithm. The measurement system consists of gyroscopes and an accelerometer, attached to a human arm to measure arm movement. The system has been implemented with ﬁeld-programmable gate array. The sensor data are pre-processed and handed over the AWKNN-based machine learning classiﬁer to classify the sensed arm movements into 8 classes. The training data sets have been collected from the group of men and women who had exercised the predeﬁned arm movements. The developed arm movement recognition system has achieved the accuracy higher than 90% in the experiments.
N-polar GaN/InAlN MIS-HEMT with 400-GHz ƒmax

This paper reports 400-GHz fmax using a tall-stem T-gate on an N-polar GaN/InAIN MIS-HEMT grown by MOCVD. This is the highest reported fmax value to date for an N-polar GaN HEMT and is among the highest values for all GaN HEMTs. GaN-based HEMTs.
Forecasting Power Prices Using a Hybrid Fundamental-Econometric Model

We investigate the performance of two hybrid forecasting models to predict the next-day base load electricity prices on the APX power exchange for Great Britain. Hybrid models have often been advocated as a synthetic method for forecasting, but it is an open question how well they perform at the day-ahead stage. A conventional hybrid approach combines a fundamental model, formulated with supply stack modeling, with an econometric model using data on price drivers. We extend this model to one based upon logistic smooth transition regression, which represents a regime-switching for periods of structural change. Empirical results for out-of-sample forecasting using both hybrid approaches are discussed and compared to non-hybrid time series forecasting methods.
Open source software adoption in Mauritius

Open source software is rapidly spreading in the world as there is no cost associated with its acquisition. Companies have reported substantial savings in their cost of operation with the adoption of such software. As compared to commercial pressure exerted by users for proprietary software, open source software relies on peer pressure among the community involved as far as updates, amendments and enhancements are concerned. In this paper, the adoption of open source software in the world is highlighted together with issues pertaining to their use. In addition, a survey showing the low adoption of such software in the public sector in Mauritius is presented. A case study demonstrating the benefits in terms of cost is explored in the public sector organisation and a medium-sized private organisation in Mauritius. The promise of open source software for Mauritius, as a small island developing state, is also discussed as a way ahead to unleash further benefits.
M(IL-4) Tissue Macrophages Support Efficient Interferon-Gamma Production in Antigen-Specific CD8+ T Cells with Reduced Proliferative Capacity

CD8+ cytotoxic T cell (CTL) responses are necessary for the lysis of virally infected cells and control of infection. CTLs are activated when their TCRs bind a major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-I/peptide complex on the surface of antigen presenting cells such as macrophages (MΦ). It is now apparent that MΦ display remarkable plasticity in response to environmental signals to polarize into classically activated M(LPS + IFN-γ) or alternatively activated M(IL-4). However, little is known about how MΦ activation status influences their antigen presentation function to CD8+ T cell in models of virus infection. Consequently, we tested how polarization of spleen-derived (Sp)-MΦ impacts direct presentation of viral antigens to influence effector and proliferative CD8+ T-cell responses. We show that M(IL-4) Sp-MΦ retain MHC-I surface expression and the ability to stimulate IFN-γ production by CTL following peptide stimulation and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection to levels similar to M0 and M(LPS + IFN-γ) MΦ. However, memory CD8+ T cells cultured in the presence of M(IL-4) MΦ underwent significantly reduced proliferation and produced similar IFN-γ levels as coculturing with M0 or M(LPS + IFN-γ) cells. Thus, these results show a novel ability of polarized MΦ to regulate CD8+ T-cell proliferation and effector functions during virus infection.
Low-Glycemic Index Foods Improve Long-Term Glycemic Control in NIDDM

Objective To compare high- and low-glycemic index (GI) diets in the treatment of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Research Design and Methods Sixteen subjects with well-controlled NIDDM and normal lipid profile, 10 of whom continued oral hypoglycemic medication, participated in the study. A diet that emphasized low-GI foods (e.g., porridge, pasta) was compared with a high-GI diet (e.g., processed cereals, potatoes). The GI of the low-GI diet was 15% lower than the high-GI diet (77 ± 3 vs. 91 ± 1) but otherwise similar in macronutrient composition and fiber, as determined by a 4-day weighed record. The diets were instituted under instruction from a dietitian who visited subjects at home on a weekly basis. Body weight was maintained within 1–2 kg. Results Glycemic control was improved on the low-GI diet compared with the high-GI diet (statistically significant findings, P < 0.05). Mean glycosylated hemoglobin at the end of the low-GI diet was 11% lower (7.0 ± 0.3%) than at the end of the high-GI diet (7.9 ± 0.5%), and the 8-h plasma glucose profile was lower (area under the curve above fasting 128 ± 23 vs. 148 ± 22 mmol.h-1.L-1, respectively). Mean fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol triglycerides, and lipoproteins did not show important differences. Conclusions A low-GI diet gives a modest improvement in long-term glycemic control but not plasma lipids in normolipidemic well-controlled subjects with NIDDM.
Clinicopathogenomic analysis of mismatch repair proficient colorectal adenocarcinoma uncovers novel prognostic subgroups with differing patterns of genetic evolution

Cancer somatic genetic evolution is a direct contributor to heterogeneity at the clonal and molecular level in colorectal adenocarcinoma (COAD). We sought to determine the extent to which genetic evolution may be detected in COAD in routinely obtained single clinical specimens and establish clinical significance with regard to clinicopathologic and outcome data. One hundred and twenty three cases of routinely collected mismatch repair proficient COAD were sequenced on the Illumina Truseq Amplicon assay. Measures of intratumoral heterogeneity and the preferential timing of mutational events were assessed and compared to clinicopathologic data. Survival subanalysis was performed on 55 patients. Patient age (p = 0.013) and specimen percent tumor (p = 0.033) was associated with clonal diversity, and biopsy (p = 0.044) and metastasis (p = 0.044) returned fewer mutations per case. APC and TP53 mutations preferentially occurred early while alterations in FBXW7, FLT3, SMAD4, GNAS and PTEN preferentially occurred as late events. Temporal heterogeneity was evident in KRAS and PIK3CA mutations. Hierarchical clustering revealed a TP53 mutant subtype and a MAPK‐PIK3CA subtype with differing patterns of late mutational events. Survival subanalysis showed a decreased median progression free survival for the MAPK‐PIK3CA subtype (8 months vs. 13 months; univariate logrank p = 0.0380, cox model p= 0.018). Neoadjuvant therapy associated mutations were found for ERBB2 (p = 0.0481) and FBXW7 (p = 0.015). Our data indicate novel molecular subtypes of mismatch repair proficient COAD display differing patterns of genetic evolution which correlate with clinical outcomes. Furthermore, we report treatment acquired and/or selected mutations in ERBB2 and FBXW7.
Energy consumption of air conditioners at different temperature set points

Energy saving in air conditioners is a primary concern in building projects, since a large proportion of the energy consumption in building service equipment is caused by air conditioners. The energy-saving research in air conditioners focuses mostly on the chiller system and the associated control strategies. For air conditioners in buildings, the thermal control strategy to adjust the temperature set point is very easy to implement and very effective in energy saving. In this paper an energy consumption calculation model of a data center in South Africa is presented to estimate the energy consumptions of air conditioners when the temperature set points are 22°C and 23°C.
Motion and color-based video indexing and retrieval

In this paper we present a method for automatic motion and color based video indexing and retrieval. Our system automatically splits a video into a sequence of shots and extracts a few representative frames (r-frames) from each shot. For each r-frame we compute the optical flow field; motion features are then derived from the flow field. Color features are related to the three-dimensional RGB color histogram. Queries (direct or by example) are based on these features. Obtained results proved that motion and color based querying can play a central role in content based video retrieval.
Formation Tracking Control of Unicycle-Type Mobile Robots With Limited Sensing Ranges

A constructive method is presented to design cooperative controllers that force a group of N unicycle-type mobile robots with limited sensing ranges to perform desired formation tracking and guarantee no collisions between the robots. Physical dimensions and dynamics of the robots are also considered in the control design. Smooth and p times differential bump functions are introduced and incorporated into novel potential functions to design a formation tracking control system. Despite the robot limited sensing ranges, no switchings are needed to solve the collision avoidance problem. Simulations illustrate the results.
Asumsi Proportional Hazard (PH) Cox dalam Analisis Cure Rate Penderita Kanker Payudara

Cure models merupakan model survival yang dikembangkan untuk estimasi proporsi pasien yang sembuh (cure) dalam studi klinik. Model ini selain digunakan untuk mengestimasi proporsi pasien yang sembuh juga digunakan untuk mengestimasi probabilitas survival pasien yang tak sembuh sampai pada batas waktu yang diberikan Oleh karena itu model ini dinamakan model mixture. Peluang untuk sembuh, yang biasanya dikenal dengan cure rate atau surviving fraction, didefinisikan sebagai nilai asimtotik dari fungsi survival untuk t (waktu) menuju tak hingga Untuk mengestimasi parameter tak diketahui dalam model mixture digunakan algoritma EM, yang meliputi 2 langkah yaitu: E-step dan M-step. Pada algoritma EM, E-step menghitung ekspekstasi fungsi log likelihood untuk estimasi fungsi densitas, fungsi survival dan proporsi pasien yang tak sembuh. Sedangkan M-step memuat maksimasi fungsi likelihood terkait dengan estimasi fungsi densitas, fungsi survival dan proporsi pasien yang tak sembuh. Baseline survival function tidak dapat dieliminasi secara lengkap pada algoritma EM. Untuk estimasi baseline survival function digunakan asumsi proportional hazard (PH) sebagaimana yang digunakan dalam model PH Cox. Baseline survival ini digunakan untuk menghitung survival rate pada waktu tertentu dan sesuai karakteristik tertentu. Demikian juga untuk menghitung hazard rate pada waktu tertentu dan sesuai karakteristik tertentu, ditentukan baseline hazard function terlebih dahulu berdasar asumsi PH.
Unusual features of thyroid carcinomas in Japanese patients with Werner syndrome and possible genotype–phenotype relations to cell type and race

Werner syndrome (WS), an autosomal recessive disease characterized by premature aging, has a high frequency of association with six rare neoplasms in Japanese patients, and only four of these neoplasms also occur excessively in whites. Several differ from what is usual in their epidemiology and/or histology. Described in this article are peculiarities in the occurrences of follicular and papillary thyroid carcinomas among Japanese patients and the possible genotype–phenotype relations pertaining to cell types and the absence of excess thyroid carcinoma occurrence in whites with WS.
Pergolide versus levodopa monotherapy in early Parkinson's disease patients: The PELMOPET study

Dopamine agonists are used as initial treatment in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) to reduce incidence and severity of motor complications. This paradigm is based on long‐term studies, allowing “rescue” therapy with levodopa. The present strict monotherapy study (PELMOPET, the acronym for the pergolide‐versus‐L‐dopa‐monotherapy‐and‐positron‐emission‐tomography trial) evaluated the efficacy and safety of pergolide versus levodopa without levodopa “rescue” medication. This multicenter, double‐blind, randomized, 3‐year trial compared pergolide monotherapy (n = 148) with levodopa monotherapy (n = 146) in dopamine‐naive patients with early PD (Hoehn and Yahr stage 1–2.5). Primary efficacy measures were clinical efficacy, severity and time to onset of motor complications, and disease progression. During the 3 years, severity of motor complications was significantly lower and time to onset of dyskinesia was significantly delayed in the group receiving pergolide (3.23 mg/day) compared with those receiving levodopa (504 mg/day). However, time to onset of motor complications was not longer in patients receiving pergolide after 3 years. Symptomatic relief (assessed by Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale [UPDRS], UPDRS II, and III, Clinical Global Impressions [CGI] severity, and CGI and Patient Global Impressions [PGI] improvement) was significantly greater in patients receiving levodopa. Adverse events led to discontinuation of therapy in 17.6% of pergolide patients and 9.6% of levodopa patients. This is the first study comparing strict monotherapy with a dopamine agonist versus levodopa in previously untreated early PD. In principle, both levodopa and a dopamine agonist such as pergolide seem to be suitable options as initial PD therapy. The choice remains with the treating physician based on the different efficacy and adverse event profiles. © 2005 Movement Disorder Society
Proteomics and genomics: A hypothesis‐free approach to the study of the role of visceral adiposity in the pathogenesis of the polycystic ovary syndrome

The polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is possibly the most common endocrine disorder in premenopausal women. The primary defect in PCOS consists of an exaggerated androgen secretion by the ovaries and the adrenal glands of affected women, which is amplified by several mechanisms including abdominal adiposity and insulin resistance. Abdominal adiposity contributes to hyperandrogenism by favoring insulin resistance and compensatory hyperinsulinism, because insulin facilitates ovarian and adrenal androgen synthesis, among other mechanisms. Furthermore, mounting evidence suggest that androgen excess may also contribute to a predominantly abdominal disposition of body fat in women, suggesting that women with PCOS suffer from a vicious circle whereby androgen excess favoring the abdominal deposition of fat further facilitates androgen secretion by the ovaries and adrenals. Familial aggregation of PCOS cases suggests an inherited component in PCOS, yet the genetic mechanisms underlying this inheritance remain elusive. The present manuscript reviews the hypothesis‐free approaches – such as genomics and proteomics – that have been used recently to study PCOS, focusing on studies from our group addressing the gene expression profiles and the proteome of visceral adipose tissue of morbidly obese women presenting with or without PCOS.
Boosting the OpenFlow control-plane message exchange performance of OpenvSwitch

The SDN (Software-defined Networking) technology is a new and important technology for next-generation networks. In the current usages of SDN, the most well-known and mature protocol between an SDN controller and SDN switches is the OpenFlow protocol. OpenvSwitch is a software switch that supports the OpenFlow protocol. An OpenvSwitch is commonly run in a physical server to connect all of the virtual machines running on the server with a real network. In addition, it can run on a stand-alone Linux system to make the Linux system and its network interface cards act as a hardware switch. This paper proposes a new design and implementation for OpenvSwitch running on Linux to boost its OpenFlow control-plane message exchange performance. Our results show that our design and implementation can improve the performance by up to 58%.