Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphology and topography of on- and off-alpha cells in the cat retina

Neurofibrillar staining methods were found to stain all alpha cells of the cat retina completely, that is the perikaryon, the axon and the dendritic branches. The dendrites of the alpha cells in vertical sections were found to be unistratified and to occupy two narrow strata in the outer half of the inner plexiform layer. This difference in branching level could also be observed in whole-mount preparations and it has been demonstrated in the preceding paper (Peichl & Wässle 1981) that it corresponds to the physiological on‒off dichotomy. Thus the topographical distribution of on- and off-alpha cells could be studied. They were found to occur in about equal numbers. Both on- and off-alpha cell perikarya form a regular lattice and both lattices are superimposed independently. The dendritic branches of neighbouring alpha cells overlap and each retinal point is covered by the dendritic field of at least one on- and one off-alpha cell. The dendritic trees of on-alpha cells seem to have more small branches and are on the average smaller than those of off-alpha cells. The density of alpha cells was found to peak in the central area whence it continuously decreased towards the retinal periphery.
An Activated L-selectin Mutant with Conserved Equilibrium Binding Properties but Enhanced Ligand Recognition under Shear Flow*

Selectins mediate the initial tethering and rolling of leukocytes on vessel walls. Adhesion by selectins is a function of both ligand recognition at equilibrium and mechanical properties of the selectin-ligand bond under applied force. We describe an EGF domain mutant of L-selectin with profoundly augmented adhesiveness over that of native L-selectin but conserved ligand specificity. This mutant, termed LPL, was derived by a substitution of the EGF-like domain of L-selectin with the homologous domain from P-selectin. The mutant bound soluble carbohydrate L-selectin ligand with affinity comparable with that of native L-selectin but interacted with all surface-bound ligands much more readily than native L-selectin, in particular under elevated shear flow. Tethers mediated by both native and mutant L-selectin exhibited similar lifetimes under a range of shear stresses, but the rate of bond formation by the mutant was at least 10-fold higher than that of native L-selectin toward distinct L-selectin ligands. Enhanced rate of bond formation by the mutant was associated with profoundly stronger rolling interactions and reduced dependence of rolling on a threshold of shear stress. This is the first demonstration that the EGF domain can modulate the binding of the lectin domain of a selectin to surface-immobilized ligands under shear flow without affecting the equilibrium properties of the selectin toward soluble ligands.
Gene Regulation in S. mutans

Dental caries is a chronic infectious disease of multifactorial etiology that derives from the interplay among cariogenic bacteria on the dentition, the host diet, and other environmental exposures. Streptococcus mutans proliferates as a biofilm on the tooth surface, where it obtains nutrients and metabolizes fermentable dietary carbohydrates. The accumulation of lactic acid as a by-product of fermentation results in acidification of the plaque biofilm and demineralization of tooth enamel, marking the onset of decay. The ability of S. mutans to respond to environmental stresses presented by salivary flow, acid pH, oxidative stress, and changes in carbohydrate source and availability is essential for its survival and predominance in caries lesions. Importantly, S. mutans has evolved a network of regulators to integrate its cellular response to environmental change. Herein we describe the latest insights into global gene regulation in S. mutans, including mechanisms of signal transduction, carbon catabolite repression, and quorum-sensing. An improved understanding of these regulatory networks can provide a basis for novel therapeutic applications aimed at treating and/or preventing caries.
Instinctive sleeping and resting postures: an anthropological and zoological approach to treatment of low back and joint pain

If you are a medical professional and have been trained in a “civilised” country you probably know next to nothing about the primate Homo sapiens and how they survive in the wild. You probably do not know that nature has provided an automatic manipulator to correct most spinal and peripheral joint lesions in primates. In common with millions of other so called civilised people you suffer unnecessarily from musculoskeletal problems and are discouraged about how to treat the exponential rise in low back pain throughout the developed world. Humans are one of 200 species of primates.1 All primates suffer from musculoskeletal problems; nature, recognising this fact, has given primates a way to correct them. The study of animals in the wild has been a lifelong pursuit. I grew up with tribal people and in 1953-4 commanded a platoon of African soldiers from nine tribes, who taught me to sleep on my side without a pillow so that I could listen out for danger with both ears. I have organised over 14 expeditions all over the world to meet native peoples and study their sleeping and resting postures. They all adopted similar postures and exhibited few musculoskeletal problems. I must emphasise that this is not a comparison of genes or races but of lifestyles. I tried to carry out surveys to collect evidence but they were meaningless, as tribespeople give you the answer they think you want. They often object to having their photographs …
Lapita sites of the Bismarck Archipelago

The Lapita question The prehistory of the western Pacific has, for the last 30 years, been dominated by the problem of the origins of the present Polynesian and Melanesian cultures (Terrell 1988). In 1961 Golson drew attention to the distribution of highly decorated Lapita pottery, now known to date from between 3500 BP and 2000 BP, which crossed the present-day division between Melanesia and Polynesia. Furthermore, sites with Lapita pottery represented the first evidence of occupation on Tonga and Samoa, the most westerly Polynesian islands from which it was thought that the rest of Polynesia was colonized. Lapita pottery came to be associated with a movement of people from Melanesia to Polynesia and was seen to represent the founding group ancestral to later Polynesian groups.
How dynamic networks work: A short tutorial on spontaneous networks

The current race of the information technology society to connect any device to higher networks (e.g. to the Internet), has led to various applications that were unbelievable a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, with all the increasing amount of connectivity, setup, configuration and handling of electronic devices has become more and more complex and often today's users are overwhelmed by functionality and required knowledge. To solve this problem, industry has turned to create intelligent devices, that do the interconnection work almost automatically and, therefore, are able to connect to so-called dynamic networks. At the very moment, some competitive approaches try to fight this challenge with common concepts behind, but slightly different technologies used. This paper starts with a short motivation why dynamic networks could be of interest for factory automation systems, too. Afterwards, we provide a tutorial on up-to-date spontaneous networks. We start with an insight into the approach proposed by Sun Microsystems, called Java Intelligent Network Infrastructure, followed by a quick overview on Microsoft's approach, called Universal Plug and Play. Next, a proposed standard for wireless communication, called Blue-tooth, is presented. Finally, we show some dynamic features of the well-known Common Object Request Broker Architecture.
PATTY: A programmable atom type and language for automatic classification of atoms in molecular databases

PATTY (Programmable ATom TYper) is an algorithm for assigning “atom types” to a molecule based on its connection table of atoms and bonds. Its operation is controlled entirely by a rules file created by the user. Each rule contains a “pattern”, a description in linear notation of a class of chemical substructures which may contain branches or rings. Rules are of two sorts: those which define properties to be used in subsequent rules and those which assign the final atom types. As an example, we present rules for classifying atoms into seven broad types based on their physical properties (e.g. cation, H-bond donor, hydrophobe). This classification has been applied to large databases of three-dimensional modes of druglike compounds. PATTY is very rapid and operates on a variety of hardware platforms.
Extending the Inter-Domain PCE Framework for Authentication and Authorization in GMPLS Networks

IETF is working on the design of new architectures and signaling solutions to support inter-AS (Autonomous System) GMPLS-TE (Generalized Multi Protocol Label Switching with Traffic Engineering) for multi-domain, multi-carrier connection setup with guaranteed quality of service (QoS). In addition, the Path Computation Element (PCE) working group is developing the framework for inter-domain path computation. However, many issues are still open regarding the joint path computation and path setup signaling solutions for inter-carrier authentication and authorization (AA). In this paper, we propose the first security solution which integrates inter-domain AA features in the PCE path computation framework. Specifically, we define a new architecture for inter-domain QoS path provisioning based on an extension of the PCE framework to include features that allow domains interested in inter-domain resources to get AA for end-to-end path provisioning over multiple domains belonging to different carriers. In addition, we introduce a mechanism to tie policies controlling path setup with the AA mechanisms introduced in the PCE framework. While at present provisioning of inter-domain paths is based on rather static settlements between neighboring domains that make end-to-end QoS provisioning a challenge, we propose an AA framework that allows domains interested in setting an inter-domain QoS path to have guarantees about resource provided by each domain along the path from source to destination. Simulation results show the performance of the model proposed in networks having different size and connectivity.
Distinct pathways in the pathogenesis of sebaceous carcinomas implicated by differentially expressed microRNAs.

IMPORTANCE The molecular-genetic alterations contributing to the pathogenesis of sebaceous carcinoma and sebaceous adenoma remain poorly understood. Given that sebaceous carcinoma is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, there is a critical need to delineate the pathways driving sebaceous carcinoma and candidate molecules for targeted therapy. OBJECTIVE To describe differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) in a series of periocular sebaceous carcinomas compared with sebaceous adenomas in order to identify pathways driving the pathogenesis of sebaceous carcinoma. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Thirty sebaceous carcinomas and 23 sebaceous adenomas (including 11 that were confirmed to be related to Muir-Torre syndrome and 6 that were confirmed to be sporadic) were obtained from archives (from 48 patients) of 2 institutions (University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, and Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand) and profiled. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Expression of miRNAs was determined using total RNA from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction performed in a microfluidics card containing 378 unique miRNAs. Fold change was determined using the ΔΔCt method (reference probe, RNU48). Median centering was used to normalize the data. Two-sample t tests were used to identify differentially expressed miRNAs. The false discovery rate was assessed by β-uniform mixture analysis of P values from the t statistics. Significance was defined by this estimated false discovery rate. RESULTS Serial testing and validation confirmed overexpression of 2 miRNAs previously reported to be oncogenic, miR-486-5p (4.4-fold; P = 2.4 × 10-8) and miR-184 (3.5-fold; P = 1.7 × 10-6), in sebaceous carcinoma compared with sebaceous adenoma and downregulation of 2 miRNAs previously reported to have tumor-suppressive properties, miR-211 (-5.8-fold; P = 2.3 × 10-9) and miR-518d (-4.5-fold; 6.7 × 10-5), in sebaceous carcinoma compared with sebaceous adenoma. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Sebaceous carcinoma exhibits an miRNA expression profile distinct from that of sebaceous adenoma, implicating dysregulation of NF-κB and PTEN (targets of miR-486-5p) and TGF-β signaling (target of miR-211) in the pathogenesis of sebaceous carcinoma. The identification of miRNAs whose expression is altered in sebaceous carcinoma compared with sebaceous adenoma provides a novel entry point for a more comprehensive understanding of the molecular-genetic alterations pivotal to the development of sebaceous carcinoma.
RISING INCIDENCE OF MALARIA IN AHMEDABAD, GUJARAT IN 2011-12

Background: Malaria, a disease of antiquity, has proved to be a formidable deterrent to the cultural and socio-economic progress of man in tropical, subtropical and monsoon prone zones if world. Aims & Objective: To highlight that the incidence of malaria is static throughout the year in India. Material and Methods: We analysed our institutional data for the period between April-2011 to Aug-2012 P. vivax was found to account for 69% of all malaria cases and P. falciparum for the other 31%. Infection by P. vivax and P. falciparum (63.13%) was commonest age group of 16 to 40 years. Results: Plasmodium infection was more common in the age group 16-40. Male were having more incidence of plasmodium infection. The incidence of P. vivax infection was peak during May to Sep. Same way incidence of falciparum was peak in August to November. Conclusion: The incidence of p. vivax was present throughout the year. Overall incidence of p.vivax was high. The available data indicate that the burden of malaria morbidity (P. vivax) is very high in this country. P. Vivax malaria is present throughout the year with the peak in months of May to September. On the other hand incidence of p. Falciparum has a peak in monsoon months i.e. Aug to Nov. In order to implement an effective malaria control program, accurate information on the incidence and prevalence of malaria is required.
Nasty, Brutish, and Short: What Makes Election News Popular on Twitter?

During the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, Twitter served as an important platform for the spread of news articles, which have significant influence on public opinion. Yet the sharing of stories is often based on innate emotional triggers, seldom rational. In our research, we seek to examine whether the emotional vocabulary of political news stories can lead to their popularity. To explore these questions, we construct a corpus of 2,650 articles from 12 different news publications over 5 months, connected with the 123,113 tweets by 20,964 Twitter users that share them. Using the Harvard Inquirer lexicons, we automatically code stories for emotionality and positivity. We then run regressions between the independent variables of story length, emotionality, and positivity and the dependent variable of number of shares across 7 different political divisions of Twitter users, as well as the collective dataset. On the whole, we find Twitter users to favor stories that are Hobbesian in nature: nasty (negative in positivity), brutish (high in emotionality), and short (low in word count). However, differences emerge when considering different levels of political engagement among users.
Relationship between Helicobacter pylori hopQ genotype and clinical outcome in Asian and Western populations

Background and Aims: Outer membrane proteins of Helicobacter pylori mediate important pathogen–host interactions such as colonization, adhesion and the inflammatory response. hopQ genotypes have been suggested to be associated with increased risk of peptic ulcer. The aim of this study was to test the relation of hopQ genotype to H. pylori‐related disease and histological changes in Asian and Western countries.
The effects of nicotine on cone and rod b-wave responses in larval zebrafish

Abstract Acetylcholine is present in and released from starburst amacrine cells in the inner plexiform layer (IPL), but its role in retinal function except, perhaps, in early development, is unclear. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are thought to be present on ganglion, amacrine, and bipolar cell processes in the IPL, and it is known that acetylcholine increases the spontaneous and light-evoked responses of retinal ganglion cells. The effects of acetylcholine on bipolar cells are not known, and here we report the effects of nicotine on the b-wave of the electroretinogram in larval zebrafish. The b-wave originates mainly from ON-bipolar cells, and the larval zebrafish retina is cone-dominated. Only small rod responses can be elicited with dim lights in wild-type larval zebrafish retinas, but rod responses can be recorded over a range of intensities in a mutant (no optokinetic response f) fish that has no cone function. We find that nicotine strongly enhances cone-driven b-wave response amplitudes but depresses rod driven b-wave response amplitudes without, however, affecting rod- or cone-driven b-wave light sensitivity.
Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy for High‐Resolution Imaging of Cell‐Surface Events

The wavelength of light imposes a physical limit of ∼400 nm on the maximum resolution that can be achieved using light microscopy. This unit will describe the use of total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIR‐FM), or evanescent wave microscopy, an approach that partially overcomes this physical limit and permits one to selectively image just those fluorophores in the optical plane (along the z axis) within 50 nm of the cell surface. TIR‐FM works by means of limiting the depth of penetration of the excitation light within this narrow region. This narrow excitatory plane not only provides a high signal‐to‐noise ratio but also minimizes the photodamage to the cell.
Premature aging and alcoholism.

The proposition is frequently put forth in the literature dealing with alcohol abuse that the process which underlies the cognitive impairment found in chronic alcoholics is premature aging of the central nervous system (Fitzhugh et al., 1965; Kish and Cheney, 1969; Goldstein and Shelly, 1971; Smith et al., 1971; Jones and Parsons, 1972; Kleinknecht and Goldstein, 1972; Blusewicz et al., 1977a, 1977b; Bertera and Parsons, 1978; Ryan and Butters, 1979). This proposition has a certain amount of face validity in that the outward appearance and certain behavioral attributes of chronic alcoholics may resemble those of a person of advanced age. In addition, many of the neuroanatomical changes found in alcoholics are also similar (Courville, 1955). Beyond brief references to characteristics common to alcoholics and the elderly, little discussion of the premature aging hypothesis has appeared in the literature. In this paper, we hope to delve more deeply into the areas of similarity between alcoholic deterioratio.
Static drone placement by elephant herding optimization algorithm

Optimal placement of drones is a very challenging problem and it belongs to the group of hard optimization problems for which swarm intelligence algorithms were successfully applied. This paper presents an implementation of the recent elephant herding optimization algorithm for solving the static drone location problem. The objective of the model applied in this paper is to establish monitoring of all targets with the least possible number of drones. In empirical tests we used two problem instances: one with 30 uniformly distributed targets, and one with 30 clustered targets. The simulation results show that the elephant herding optimization algorithm performs well in covering targets for both instances of the problem, especially considering the number of drones that were deployed.
Telemedicine and Alzheimer’s Disease From Studio-Based Videoconferencing to Mobile Handheld Cell Phones

The use of Telemedicine in the assessment of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's Disease is evolving with advances in Information and Communication Technology. This article outlines the course of evolution in Western Australia, a large state with a sparse population outside of the capital city. The starting point of the evolution, video-conferencing in Telehealth studios, is reviewed as well as the next stage, use of desktop technology, which enables the physician to consult from the office or clinic. A pilot study currently being undertaken to assess the validity of the latest stage in evolution of Telehealth—the use of handheld mobile cell phone video calling that allows the physician and patient to interact at locations convenient to both parties. The pitfalls and implications of the use of this stage, should it prove to be a valid approach, are discussed.
Understanding and Predicting Empathic Behavior in Counseling Therapy

Counselor empathy is associated with better outcomes in psychology and behavioral counseling. In this paper, we explore several aspects pertaining to counseling interaction dynamics and their relation to counselor empathy during motivational interviewing encounters. Particularly, we analyze aspects such as participants’ engagement, participants’ verbal and nonverbal accommodation, as well as topics being discussed during the conversation, with the final goal of identifying linguistic and acoustic markers of counselor empathy. We also show how we can use these findings alongside other raw linguistic and acoustic features to build accurate counselor empathy classifiers with accuracies of up to 80%.
Critical Review of Minimally Invasive Approaches in Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract Despite high survivorship for total knee arthroplasty, many reports have described low patient-satisfaction rates. Standard parapatellar approaches have been linked with decreased quadriceps muscle strength, which may in turn lead to prolonged rehabilitation and altered kinematics. Although technically demanding, minimally invasive techniques offer the potential for shorter recovery times and improved strength. Our purpose was to compare perioperative factors, the clinical and radiographic outcomes, complications, and survivorship of several minimally invasive approaches to each other and to the conventional medial parapatellar approach. A total of 23 level I or II studies were reviewed. There were no statistically significant differences in perioperative factors, clinical or radiographic outcomes, survivorship, or complication rates between patients the various minimally invasive approaches to a standard approach. The only significant difference observed was in recovery of quadriceps muscle function (shorter in patients who had a minimally invasive approach). The minimally invasive lateral approach had more complications than the other minimally invasive approaches. The mini-midvastus approach had the best clinical outcomes at 1 and 3 months when compared with other minimally invasive approaches and standard approaches. The mini-subvastus approach had the lowest rate of complications, overall. Further multicenter randomized trials are needed to determine the minimally invasive approach that best improves outcomes while minimizing complications.