Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preprogrammed Long‐Term Systemic Pulsatile Delivery of Parathyroid Hormone to Strengthen Bone

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is the only US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)‐approved anabolic agent for the treatment of osteoporosis. The anabolic action of PTH depends on the mode of PTH administration. Pulsatile administration promotes bone formation, however continuous PTH exposure results in bone resorption. In addition, the therapeutic effect of PTH is optimal when the dose and duration fit the therapeutic window. Current PTH treatment requires daily injection, which is neither a convenient nor a favorable choice of patients. Here, an implantable and biodegradable device capable of long‐term pulsatile delivery of PTH is developed as a patient‐friendly alternative. The advanced materials and fabrication techniques developed in this work enable us to preprogram a pulsatile delivery device to systemically deliver 21 daily pulses of PTH that build bone in vivo. In addition, the device is biodegradable and absorbable in vivo so that no retraction procedure is needed. Therefore, this implantable and biodegradable pulsatile device holds promise to promote bone growth and treat various conditions of bone loss without the burden of daily injections or secondary surgeries.
Delta Lenses and Opfibrations

We compare the delta lenses, also known as d-lenses, of Diskin et al. with the c-lenses, known to be equivalent to opfibrations, already studied by the authors. Contrary to expectation a c-lens is a d-lens but not conversely. This result is surprising because d-lenses appear to provide the same information as c-lenses, and some more besides, suggesting that the implication would be the reverse -- a d-lens would appear to be a special kind of c-lens. The source of the surprise can be traced to the way the two concepts deal differently with morphisms in a certain base comma category $(G,1_\bV)$. Both c-lenses and d-lenses are important because they extend the notion of lens to take account of the information available in known transitions between states and this has important implications in practice.
The impact of dental caries on children and young people: what they have to say?

BACKGROUND Dental caries affects 60-90% of children across the world and is associated with a variety of negative impacts. Despite its ubiquity, there has been surprisingly little exploration of these impacts from the child's perspective. AIM The aim was to allow children to describe the impact of dental caries on their daily lives and to describe the terminology they used. DESIGN Children, aged 5-15 years, with caries experience were purposively sampled from primary and secondary care dental clinics. Focus groups (n = 5) and in-depth interviews (n = 16) were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis took a narrative approach, and themes were derived from the data using framework analysis. RESULTS Pain was the main theme to emerge. Within this, three subthemes were identified: impacts related to pain, strategies adopted to reduce pain, and emotional aspects resulting from pain. A second theme was also identified relating to the aesthetic aspects of caries. CONCLUSION Children as young as 5 years of age were able to competently discuss their experiences of dental caries. Participants reported a number of impacts affecting various aspects of their lives. These will be incorporated into the future development of a caries-specific measure of oral health-related quality of life.
Dipicolinic Acid Greatly Enhances Production of Spore Photoproduct in Bacterial Spores upon UV Irradiation

Formation of the spore photoproduct (SP) (5-thyminyl-5,6-dihydrothymine) in DNA of dormant spores of Bacillus subtilis upon UV irradiation is due to binding of α/β-type small, acid-soluble proteins (SASP). However, the yield of SP as a function of UV fluence is ∼15-fold higher in spores than in an α/β-type-SASP-DNA complex in vitro. The yield of SP as a function of UV fluence in forespore DNA from mutants which make α/β-type SASP but not dipicolinic acid (DPA) was 10 to 20 times lower than that in dormant spores. Furthermore, the yield of SP as a function of UV fluence in an α/β-type-SASP-DNA complex in vitro was increased sixfold by DPA. These data provide further support for the idea that the high DPA level in dormant spores increases the yield of SP as a function of UV fluence and thereby sensitizes spores to UV.
Restructuring of a Peat in Interaction with Multivalent Cations: Effect of Cation Type and Aging Time

It is assumed to be common knowledge that multivalent cations cross-link soil organic matter (SOM) molecules via cation bridges (CaB). The concept has not been explicitly demonstrated in solid SOM by targeted experiments, yet. Therefore, the requirements for and characteristics of CaB remain unidentified. In this study, a combined experimental and molecular modeling approach was adopted to investigate the interaction of cations on a peat OM from physicochemical perspective. Before treatment with salt solutions of Al3+, Ca2+ or Na+, respectively, the original exchangeable cations were removed using cation exchange resin. Cation treatment was conducted at two different values of pH prior to adjusting pH to 4.1. Cation sorption is slower (>>2 h) than deprotonation of functional groups (<2 h) and was described by a Langmuir model. The maximum uptake increased with pH of cation addition and decreased with increasing cation valency. Sorption coefficients were similar for all cations and at both pH. This contradicts the general expectations for electrostatic interactions, suggesting that not only the interaction chemistry but also spatial distribution of functional groups in OM determines binding of cations in this peat. The reaction of contact angle, matrix rigidity due to water molecule bridges (WaMB) and molecular mobility of water (NMR analysis) suggested that cross-linking via CaB has low relevance in this peat. This unexpected finding is probably due to the low cation exchange capacity, resulting in low abundance of charged functionalities. Molecular modeling demonstrates that large average distances between functionalities (∼3 nm in this peat) cannot be bridged by CaB-WaMB associations. However, aging strongly increased matrix rigidity, suggesting successive increase of WaMB size to connect functionalities and thus increasing degree of cross-linking by CaB-WaMB associations. Results thus demonstrated that the physicochemical structure of OM is decisive for CaB and aging-induced structural reorganisation can enhance cross-link formation.
Mitigating the health impacts of a natural disaster — the June 2007 long‐weekend storm in the Hunter region of New South Wales

A severe storm that began on Thursday, 7 June 2007 brought heavy rains and gale‐force winds to Newcastle, Gosford, Wyong, Sydney, and the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales. The storm caused widespread flooding and damage to houses, businesses, schools and health care facilities, and damaged critical infrastructure. Ten people died as a result of the storm, and approximately 6000 residents were evacuated. A natural disaster was declared in 19 local government areas, with damage expected to reach $1.5 billion. Additional demands were made on clinical health services, and interruption of the electricity supply to over 200 000 homes and businesses, interruption of water and gas supplies, and sewerage system pump failures presented substantial public health threats. A public health emergency operations centre was established by the Hunter New England Area Health Service to coordinate surveillance activities, respond to acute public health issues and prevent disease outbreaks. Public health activities focused on providing advice, cooperating with emergency service agencies, monitoring water quality and availability, preventing illness from sewage‐contaminated flood water, assessing environmental health risks, coordinating the local government public health response, and surveillance for storm‐related illness and disease outbreaks, including gastroenteritis. The local ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) radio station played a key role in disseminating public health advice. A household survey conducted within a fortnight of the storm established that household preparedness and storm warning systems could be improved.
The mechanism of chvostek's sign.

THE INCREASED mechanical irritability of the peripheral nerves in tetany was described by Chvostek 1 in 1876 and 1879. Only the excessive irritability of the facial nerve, however, was named after him. He recommended percussing the facial nerve in front of the external auditory meatus and claimed that the muscular contraction evoked was not a reflex, but was due to "direct stimulation of the facial nerve. " Schultze 2 observed that Chvostek's sign could also be easily evoked by percussion of an area between the corner of the mouth and the zygomatic arch. The responses to this mode of stimulation are now often called Chvostek signs II and III, according to the extensiveness of the response within the muscles supplied by the middle facial branch. The Chvostek sign is often present in this form only. In some cases of tetany Schultze observed, moreover, that with percussion of the middle branch muscles
A new performance evaluation software for background subtraction algorithms

In this paper, we present a new software developed to evaluate performance of background subtraction (BGS) methods in pixel-level and frame-level. To evaluate accuracy of diverse conventional BGS techniques, users first should select a BGS method, its fundamental parameters and test data set. Then, the software performs implemented analysis procedures to output qualitative and quantitative evaluation results in terms of precision, recall and f-measure. The software will be very useful in evaluating user-provided BGS methods against existing BGS methods on a variety of test data sets.
Optimal Operation Strategy of Energy Storage System for Grid-Connected Wind Power Plants

This paper proposes an adaptive optimal policy for hourly operation of an energy storage system (ESS) in a grid-connected wind power company. The purpose is to time shift wind energy to maximize the expected daily profit following uncertainties in wind generation and electricity price. A stochastic dynamic programming (SDP) framework is adopted to formulate this problem, and an objective function approximation method is applied to improve the SDP computational efficiency. Case studies on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas demonstrate that the resultant profits from SDP-based operation policy are considerably higher than those from deterministic policy, and comparable to those from the perfect information model. It is concluded that the presented SDP approach can provide operation policy highly adaptive to uncertainties arising from wind and price. The proposed framework can help the wind company optimally manage its generation with ESS.
p70 S6 Kinase Is Regulated by Protein Kinase Cζ and Participates in a Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase-Regulated Signalling Complex

ABSTRACT p70 S6 kinase (p70S6K) is an important regulator of cell proliferation. Its activation by growth factor requires phosphorylation by various inputs on multiple sites. Data accumulated thus far support a model whereby p70S6K activation requires sequential phosphorylations at proline-directed residues in the putative autoinhibitory pseudosubstrate domain, as well as threonine 389. Threonine 229, a site in the catalytic loop is phosphorylated by phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK-1). Experimental evidence suggests that p70S6K activation requires a phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3-K)-dependent signal(s). However, the intermediates between PI3-K and p70S6K remain unclear. Here, we have identified PI3-K-regulated atypical protein kinase C (PKC) isoform PKCζ as an upstream regulator of p70S6K. In coexpression experiments, we found that a kinase-inactive PKCζ mutant antagonized activation of p70S6K by epidermal growth factor, PDK-1, and activated Cdc42 and PI3-K. While overexpression of a constitutively active PKCζ mutant (myristoylated PKCζ [myr-PKCζ]) only modestly activated p70S6K, this mutant cooperated with PDK-1 activation of p70S6K. PDK-1-induced activation of a C-terminal truncation mutant of p70S6K was also enhanced by myr-PKCζ. Moreover, we have found that p70S6K can associate with both PDK-1 and PKCζ in vivo in a growth factor-independent manner, while PDK-1 and PKCζ can also associate with each other, suggesting the existence of a multimeric PI3-K signalling complex. This work provides evidence for a link between a phorbol ester-insensitive PKC isoform and p70S6K. The existence of a PI3-K-dependent signalling complex may enable efficient activation of p70S6K in cells.
SAR Calculations in Various Parts of Pregnant Woman during MR Imaging

Satoru Kikuchi , Kazuyuki Saito , Masaharu Takahashi , Koichi Ito , and Hiroo Ikehira 4 1 Graduate School of Science and Technology, Chiba University 2 Research Center for Frontier Medical Engineering, Chiba University 3 Faculty of Engineering, Chiba University 1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8522, kikuchi@graduate.chiba-u.jp 4 National Institute of Radiological Sciences 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
Near-optimal parameterization of the intersection of quadrics

In this paper, we present the first exact, robust and practical method for computing an explicit representation of the intersection of two arbitrary quadrics whose coefficients are rational. Combining results from the theory of quadratic forms, linear algebra and number theory, we show how to obtain parametric intersection curves that are near-optimal in the number and depth of radicals involved.
Posthypoxic Reoxygenation-Induced Neurotoxicity Prevented by Free Radical Scavenger and NMDA/non-NMDA Antagonist in Tandem as Revealed by Dynamic Changes in Glucose Metabolism with Positron Autoradiography

Using a positron autoradiography technique, dynamic changes in the cerebral glucose metabolic rate (CMRglc) induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation were investigated in living brain slices. After incubating fresh rat brain slices (300 microm thick) with [(18)F]2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ([(18)F]FDG) in oxygenated Krebs-Ringer solution at 36 degrees C, serial two-dimensional time-resolved images of [(18)F]FDG uptake in the slices were obtained on imaging plates. As compared to the unloaded control values, with hypoxia-loading [(18)F]FDG uptake increased markedly, suggesting enhanced glycolysis. The net influx constant (K) of [(18)F]FDG at pre-hypoxia-loading and after reoxygenation with loading hypoxia for various periods of time was quantitatively evaluated by applying the Patlak graphical method to the image data. Regardless of the brain region, with hypoxia of </=10-min duration, the K value returned to the preloading level, whereas with hypoxia of >/=20 min duration only partial or no recovery was seen, indicating irreversible neuronal damage. The 30-min administration of either N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)/non-NMDA antagonist or a free radical scavenger at the same time as reoxygenation after 20 min hypoxia showed a neuroprotective effect inhibiting the decrease in the post-hypoxia-loading K value. In contrast, no such neuroprotective effect was evident with administration of either of these agents only during hypoxia loading, possibly indicating that immediately after reoxygenation neuronal damage was induced mediated by excitatory amino acids and free radicals in tandem. These results demonstrate that serial quantitative evaluation of CMRglc using this technique may be of use in investigating the brain tissue injury associated with hypoxia/reoxygenation as well as clarifying the underlying mechanisms and protective effect of various drugs against such injury.
Tinidazole for the treatment of vaginal infections

Tinidazole has been used for vaginal infection worldwide but not in the US for > 40 years. Recently, tinidazole has been re-introduced and approved by the FDA for trichomoniasis and restudied as an alternative to metronidazole for bacterial vaginosis. In vitro antimicrobial activity and pharmacokinetics studies indicate that tinidazole has minor but possibly relevant antimicrobial as well as pharmacokinetic advantages when compared directly with metronidazole. Clinical comparison has been infrequent although the limited head-to-head studies indicate minimal therapeutic advantage with tinidazole. Perhaps the more relevant differences relate to the enhanced tolerance and reduced toxicity of tinidazole. Ongoing, as yet incomplete, studies directly comparing the clinical efficacy of metronidazole and tinidazole for bacterial vaginosis should clarify the status of tinidazole; however, cure rates are unlikely to be significantly different. Although uncommon, high-level trichomonal metronidazole resistance can be reliably cured by using tinidazole, which is an invaluable advantage.
Expression of aquaporin 5 increases proliferation and metastasis potential of lung cancer

Water channel aquaporin 5 (AQP5) is highly expressed at the apical membrane of alveolar type I epithelial cells and confers high osmotic water permeability. AQP5 is also expressed in lung cancer tissue. Previous studies showed there was an up‐regulation of AQP5 expression in cancer tissue compared to surrounding normal tissue. In addition, expression of AQP5 in lung cancer tissue was associated with poor prognosis. Herein, we tested the role of AQP5 in lung cancer oncogenesis and development. Lung cancer cells with different expression of AQP5 were used to study cell proliferation and migration, two important parameters for tumour cell biology. We found enhanced proliferation and migration potential in cancer cells with high AQP5 expression, while reduced proliferation and metastasis potential in cancer cells with low AQP5 expression. Oncogene analysis showed significantly increased PCNA and c‐myc expression in AQP5 transfected cells. AQP5 transfected cells also showed significant increased MUC5AC mucin expression, which might contribute to the enhanced metastasis potential of lung cancer. AQP5 overexpression resulted in enhanced activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), extracellular receptor kinase (ERK1/2), and p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) pathway in cancer cells. Moreover, deletion of AQP5 demonstrated decreased activation of the EGFR/ERK/p38 MAPK pathway in AQP5 knockout mice lungs, while deletion of AQP1 or AQP3 did not exhibit significant changes on activation of the EGFR/ERK/p38 MAPK pathway in lung tissue. In conclusion, our results provide evidence for AQP5‐facilitated lung cancer cell proliferation and migration, possibly through activation of the EGFR/ERK/p38 MAPK signalling pathway, but why AQP5 but not other aquaporin expression affects the EGFR/ERK/p38 MAPK pathway still needs further exploration. Copyright © 2010 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Personality Trait Development Across the Transition to Retirement

In this study, we examined trajectories of Big Five personality development in the 5 years before and after retirement. Our sample was composed of 690 retirees (ages 51–81) and a propensity-score matched comparison group of 532 nonretirees drawn from a nationally representative longitudinal study of the Netherlands. Participants contributed data across a maximum of 6 measurement waves over a period of 7 years. In the month after retirement, participants experienced sudden increases in openness and agreeableness followed by gradual declines in these traits over the next 5 years. Emotional stability increased before and after retirement. The transition to retirement was not associated with changes in conscientiousness or extraversion. Further, we found significant individual differences in development across the transition to retirement for each personality trait but could not identify any moderators that accounted for these individual differences. These results contribute to our understanding of personality development in older adulthood as well as the temporal dynamics of personality change in response to major life events.
Intrauterine lead exposure and preterm birth.

The objective of this study was to determine the risk of preterm birth in relation to umbilical cord blood lead levels (UCL) among primiparous and multiparous women. A case-cohort study was performed in Mexico City during 1995. A total of 459 full-term births was compared with 161 preterm births (before 37 gestational weeks). Mothers were interviewed before the delivery about their reproductive histories and other related factors of preterm birth. Lead was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Lead levels were higher in primiparous women who had a preterm birth than in primiparous women with a full-term birth (9.77+/-2.0 microgram/dl vs 8.24+/-2.15 microgram/dl); this difference was marginally significant. After adjusting for other known preterm birth risk factors, the frequency of preterm birth was almost three times higher among women who had UCL levels greater or equal to 5.1 microgram/dl compared to those who had UCL levels lower than 5.1 microgram/dl. This difference was not observed among multiparous women. Our results suggest that intrauterine lead exposure may be associated with preterm birth in first deliveries but not in subsequent ones.
Nonradioactive colony hybridization assay for detection and enumeration of enterotoxigenic Clostridium perfringens in raw beef

A DNA probe endolabeled with digoxigenin by PCR was developed to detect and enumerate enterotoxigenic Clostridium perfringens in raw beef. After 2 h of hybridization, membranes were developed by using an anti-digoxigenin-alkaline phosphatase conjugated antibody. The resulting chromogenic reaction allowed us to detect and enumerate < or = 10 CFU of C. perfringens per g.
The Critical Appraisal of the Papers Published in the "Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences", 2007-2010

Objective: This study has been done in order to evaluate the papers published in the "Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences" from 2007 to 2010. Methods: A questionnaire was developed according to the design, evidence level, and recommendations to write scientific papers. Validity was achieved by consulting experts. Reliability was tested by re-evaluation of 7 randomly selected papers, one month after the first evaluation by Pearson correlation coefficient (r = 0.8). Different parts of the paper, including title, abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, and references, were evaluated by a total of 47 questions. Each required item was judged as: appropriate, partially appropriate, not appropriate, and not applicable. SPSS software was used for descriptive analysis. Results: From spring 2007 to summer 2010, 7 issues with 72 papers were published. The most frequent problem in the title was that one could not understand the design of the research by reading it. In the abstract part, in 90% of papers, time and setting of research were not mentioned. Statistical test was not mentioned in 70%, and reliability of the questionnaires was not mentioned in 70% of papers. The discussion part was the hardest part to judge and had few inappropriate issues, such as unnecessary repetition of introduction and/or results; in 20% of papers the conclusion was not appropriate based on the research design. Conclusions: The evaluated papers had strong points, yet more effort is needed for them to approach excellence. Declaration of interest: None.