Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
OXIDATIVE STRESS IN SHEEP INDUCED BY CADMIUM CHLORIDE TOXICITY, WITH THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF ALPHA LIPOIC ACID

Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy toxic metal, with harmful effects on animals and public health. Recently the risk of cadmium toxicity is substantially regarded; the environmental pollution is increased due to multiuses of this element in various industries. This study was performed to clarify the effects of acute cadmium toxicity in sheep with trail of using alpha lipoic acid as an antioxidant therapeutic substance. Fifteen male lambs aged from 5-to-7 months were divided equally in to three groups, they were supplied with ordinary diet and provided with water ad-lib, the first group 1 was administered a single dose of CdCl2 3 mg/kg.bw subcutaneously (S/C), the second group 2 was injected with the same dose of CdCl2 and by the same route, and then simultaneously administered an alpha lipoic acid 50 mg/kg.bw intramuscularly, the later drug was repeated after 12 hours via the same route. The third group 3 was left as control and given normal saline (S/C). All animals were daily monitored and the clinical signs were recorded. The signs of cadmium toxicity appeared 18 hours post CdCl2 administration in the group 1; the signs were gradually increased in severity and multiple systems were involved included: digestive disturbances, cardiovascular and neurological dysfunctions, and locomotors abnormalities. Significant elevations in the body temperature, respiratory and heart rates were observed, deaths of 2 lambs were recorded 96 hours post CdCl2 injection. The group 2 showed mild clinical signs, and no death was occurred, moreover insignificant variations between clinical parameters in both groups 2 and 3 were recorded. Serum biochemical analysis revealed significant (P<0.05) increased of malondialdehyde (5.41 ± 0.282 μmol/L) and glutathione (10.68 ± 0.38 μmol/L) concentrations and marked elevation of serum catalase activity (103.85 ± 3.93 u/L) was also observed in group I, whereas the last three parameters showed no significant differences between groups 2 and 3; these results pointed to the role of alpha lipoic acid in ameliorating the toxic effect of cadmium to great extent.
Allergic rhinitis and associated factors in schoolchildren from Bogota, Colombia.

BACKGROUND Allergic rhinitis is one of the most frequent chronic diseases among children. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of and the factors associated with self-reported allergic rhinitis symptoms in schoolchildren from Bogota, Colombia. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL We followed the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) methodology. Our sample included 3,256 children aged 6 - 7 and 3,830 adolescents aged 13 - 14 years. RESULTS The prevalence of self-reported allergic rhinitis symptoms was 30.8% among children and 36.6% among adolescents. Factors associated with self-reported allergic rhinitis among children included current asthma and atopic dermatitis symptoms; use of acetaminophen in the first year of life and in the last 12 months; antibiotic use in the first year of life; high- school and university maternal education; smokers at home; and caesarean delivery. Among adolescents, associated factors included current asthma and atopic dermatitis symptoms; current acetaminophen use once per month; frequent fast-food consumption; cat exposure at home; and smoking. CONCLUSION Further exploration of factors associated with allergic rhinitis symptoms is needed.
Effects of atmospheric turbulence and building sway on optical wireless-communication systems.

Urban optical wireless communication (UOWC) systems are considered a last-mile technology. UOWC systems use the atmosphere as a propagation medium. To provide a line of sight the transceivers are placed on high-rise building. However, dynamic wind loads, thermal expansion, and weak earthquakes cause buildings to sway. These sways distort the alignment between transmitter and receiver, causing pointing errors, the outcome of which is fading of the received signal. Furthermore, atmospheric turbulence causes fluctuations in both the intensity and the phase of the received signal, resulting in impaired link performance. A bit-error probability (BEP) model is developed that takes into account both building sway and turbulence-induced log amplitude fluctuations (i.e., fading of signal intensity) in the regime in which the receiver aperture, D0, is smaller than the turbulence coherence diameter, d0. It is assumed that the receiver has knowledge about the marginal statistics of the signal fading and the instantaneous signal-fading state.
Network Measurement in Multihop Wireless Networks with Lossy and Correlated Links

Multihop wireless networking is a key enabling technology for interconnecting a vast number of IoT devices. Measurement is fundamental to various network operations including management, diagnostics, and optimization. Out-of-band measurement approaches use external sniffers to monitor the network traffic passively, and they provide detailed information about the network. However, existing approaches do not carefully consider lossy and correlated links which are common in low-power wireless networks, resulting in unsatisfactory packet capture ratio and low measurement quality. In this paper, we present NetVision, a practical out-of-band measurement system with special consideration for sniffer deployment. By explicitly considering link quality and link correlation, we are able to achieve a high measurement quality while minimizing the deployment cost. We formulate the sniffer deployment problem as an optimization problem and propose efficient algorithms for solving this problem. We further design a set of instructions and APIs to simplify a variety of common measurement tasks. We implement NetVision on the TinyOS/TelosB platform and evaluate its performance extensively both in simulation and an indoor testbed with 80 TelosB nodes. Results show that NetVision is accurate, generic, and robust. Three typical case studies demonstrate that NetVision can facilitate various measurement and debugging tasks.
Fabrication and characteristics of hydroxyapatite reinforced polypropylene as a bone analogue biomaterial

Composite biomaterials, which consist of a polymer matrix and a particulate bioactive phase and are hence analogous to bone microstructure, have been developed for human hard tissue substitution. In this investigation, a manufacturing route employing injection moulding was established for producing bone analogue biomaterials. Using this manufacturing technology, a potential bone replacement material, hydroxyapatite (HA) reinforced polypropylene (PP) composite (HA/PP), was made, with the HA volume percentage being up to 25%. The characteristics of the HA/PP composite were studied using various techniques including scanning elec- tron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), tensile testing, microhardness testing, and dy- namic mechanical analysis (DMA). It was demonstrated that with the use of the established manufacturing route, HA particles were well dispersed and homogeneously distributed in the PP matrix. Properties of the composite were affected by the amount of HA incorporated in the composite. The melting temperature and crystallisation temperature of the composite were slightly affected by the addition of HA particles, and the crystallinity of the PP matrix polymer was decreased with an increase in HA content. Young's modulus, microhardness, and stor- age modulus increased when the HA volume percentage was increased from 10 to 25%, with corresponding decreases in tensile strength, elongation at fracture and loss tangent. 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 106: 2780-2790, 2007
Histone Code Modulation by Oncogenic PWWP-domain Protein in Breast Cancers

Abstract : Amplification of 8p11-12 occurs in approximately 15% of human breast cancer (HBC), and this region of amplification is significantly associated with disease-specific survival and distant recurrence in breast cancer patients. Earlier, we identified Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome candidate 1-like 1 (WHSC1L1) as a candidate oncogene of 8p11-12 amplified region, based on statistical analysis of copy number increase and overexpression. In this study, we demonstrated that WHSC1L1 acts as a transforming gene: stable WHSC1L1 overexpression in nontumorigenic MCF10A cells induces transformed phenotypes, whereas WHSC1L1 knockdown in 8p12 amplified, ER-positive breast cancer cells inhibits proliferation in vitro. We also found that overexpression of WHSC1L1 likely induces the acquisition of stem cell-like properties in vitro. WHSC1L1 family proteins have been shown to bind to methylated histones, specifically H3K36 methylation marks. We determined global methylation levels in a panel of breast cancer cell lines, including WHSC1L1-amplified SUM-44 and SUM-52 lines. We identified several WHSC1L1 target genes, one of which is the Iroquois homeobox 3 gene, a member of the Iroquois homeobox transcription factor family. In summary, our findings provide a strong foundation for further mechanistic research and therapeutic options using WHSC1L inhibitors to treat breast cancer.
Sodium Channel Inactivation in Heart: A Novel Role of the Carboxy‐Terminal Domain

Electrical activity in the heart depends critically on the interactions of multiple ion channels to coordinate the timing of excitation and contraction of the ventricles. Voltage‐gated sodium channels underlie the rapid spread of impulses through the atria and ventricles, but the importance of sodium (Na+) channels to the control of the ventricular action potential has only most recently become apparent through the investigation of the relationship between mutation‐induced clinical phenotypes and the altered function of mutant Na+ channels linked to inherited arrhythmias. Investigation into the structural basis of disease‐associated mutations of the cardiac Na+ channel has led to the discovery of novel role of the Na+ channel carboxy‐terminal (CT) domain in controlling channel inactivation. Intramolecular interactions between the carboxy‐terminal domain and an intracellular peptide loop that forms the inactivation gate are required to minimize channel reopening during prolonged depolarization. Disruption of this interaction leads to persistent sodium channel current, action potential prolongation, and elevated risk of cardiac arrhythmia.
Distal superior cerebellar artery aneurysm presenting with cerebellar infarction: report of two cases.

SUMMARY We report two cases of aneurysm of the distal branches of the superior cerebellar artery presenting with cerebellar infarction. In both cases, the diagnosis required close correlation of the findings from different imaging techniques, as catheter angiography failed to opacify the lesions. In one patient endovascular parent vessel occlusion was performed, whereas in the second patient the aneurysm thrombosed spontaneously. We describe the clinical and radiologic presentation of these aneurysms and discuss their pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment.
PolIVb influences RNA-directed DNA methylation independently of its role in siRNA biogenesis

DNA-dependent RNA polymerase (Pol)IV in Arabidopsis exists in two isoforms (PolIVa and PolIVb), with NRPD1a and NRPD1b as their respective largest subunits. Both isoforms are implicated in production and activity of siRNAs and in RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM). Deep sequence analysis of siRNAs in WT Arabidopsis flowers and in nrpd1a and nrpd1b mutants identified >4,200 loci producing siRNAs in a PolIV-dependent manner, with PolIVb reinforcing siRNA production by PolIVa. Transposable element identity and pericentromeric localization are both features that predispose a locus for siRNA production via PolIV proteins and determine the extent to which siRNA production relies on PolIVb. Detailed analysis of DNA methylation at PolIV-dependent loci revealed unexpected deviations from the previously noted association of PolIVb-dependent siRNA production and RdDM. Notably, PolIVb functions independently in DNA methylation and siRNA generation. Additionally, we have uncovered siRNA-directed loss of DNA methylation, a process requiring both PolIV isoforms. From these findings, we infer that the role of PolIVb in siRNA production is secondary to a role in chromatin modification and is influenced by chromatin context.
Wie groß ist der Brain Drain innerhalb von Deutschland

Der innerdeutsche Brain Drain, also die Abwanderung von Akademikern in andere Bundeslander, nimmt bisher ein moderates Ausmas an. Zehn Jahre nach Studienabschluss sind noch knapp uber 70 % aller Absolventen im Bundesland ihres Studiums ansassig. Die Daten zeigen ferner, dass ein Wegzug, wenn er uberhaupt stattfindet, in den ersten Jahren direkt nach Studienabschluss vollzogen wird. Je langer ein Absolvent bereits vor Ort verblieben ist, umso geringer ist die Wahrscheinlichkeit fur einen spateren Wegzug. Speziell fur Ostdeutschland besteht Anlass zu verhaltenem Optimismus. Die ostdeutschen Bundeslander erweisen sich als attraktive Studienorte, die talentierte junge Menschen von auserhalb anziehen. Wenn es gelingt, diese zukunftigen Absolventen auch im Lande zu halten, kann dies das Humankapital vor Ort und damit das Wirtschaftswachstum erhohen.
Running Head : INTENTION INTERFERENCE EFFECT The Intention Interference Effect : The Difficulty of Ignoring What You Intend to Do

Intentions have been shown to be more accessible (e.g., more quickly and accurately recalled) compared to other sorts of to-be-remembered information; a result termed an intention superiority effect (Goschke & Kuhl, 1993). In the current study, we demonstrate an intention interference effect (IIE) in which colour-naming performance in a Stroop task was slower for words belonging to an intention that participants had to remember to carry out (Do the Task condition) versus an intention that did not have to be executed (Ignore the Task condition). In previous work (e.g., Cohen et al., 2005), having a prospective intention in mind was confounded with carrying a memory load. In Experiment 1, we added a digit-retention task to control for effects of cognitive load. In Experiment 2, we eliminated the memory confound in a new way, by comparing intention-related and control words within each trial. Results from both Experiments 1 and 2 revealed an intention interference effect suggesting that interference is very specific to the intention, not just to a memory load.
Studies of the mechanisms by which cells become resistant to corticosteroids.

Summary A particular steroidal molecular structure is essential for eliciting a particular biologic response. Target cells (e.g., lymphocytes, fibroblasts, and reticuloendothelial cells) transform the molecular structure of corticosteroids, each in its own unique way (biotransformation). By this process, these cells can control biologic effectiveness at the cellular level. Fibroblasts resistant to the growth-inhibitory effect of cortisol and lymphocytes resistant to lysis by cortisol will inactivate this hormone in greater quantities than do more sensitive cells. However, sensitive cells can become resistnat to synthetic steroids which are not metabolized by these cells. Therefore, it is apparent that the degree of biotransformation is not proportional to the degree of resistance. It is possible that other factors such as permeability might be involved in the induction of resistance.
MPS II in females: molecular basis of two different cases

Editor—Hunter disease or mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPS II, MIM 309900) is an X linked recessive disease resulting from deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme iduronate-2-sulphatase (IDS, E.C.3.1.6.13). 1 The IDS cDNA has been isolated2 and the genomic region containing the IDS gene and pseudogene has been completely sequenced.3 Phenotypic expression of X linked disorders in females may be the result of an X chromosome anomaly or homozygosity for the mutated gene, but is most frequently the result of skewed X chromosome inactivation. We describe two affected girls, case 1 and case 2, with a mild and a severe form of MPS II, respectively. Both have a normal karyotype but increased dermatan sulphate and heparan sulphate excretion in urine, a marked deficiency of IDS activity, and normal α-L-iduronidase, β-D-glucuronidase, and arylsulphatase A activities in leucocytes and cultured skin fibroblasts ruling out MPS I, MPS VII, and multiple sulphatase deficiency. Molecular studies showed that case 1 is the first case of female MPS II with two mutated IDS genes and that case 2 has a de novo gene rearrangement on the paternal allele (a 3254 bp deletion from intron 7 to intron 8 with an insertion of 20 bp) associated with skewed X inactivation of the normal maternal X chromosome. Case 1 was born into a French gypsy family. At 11 years of age, she presented with hepatomegaly and growth retardation, but had no dysmorphic features, no multiplex dysostosis, no corneal clouding, no cardiovascular disease, no splenomegaly, and no mental retardation, in agreement with a mild form of MPS II. A unique IDS transcript with a T to C substitution at cDNA position 246 in exon 2 (accessionM38371 2) was found in fibroblasts, changing codon CTC (leucine) to CCC (proline), L41P. Sequencing of the PCR products from intron …
Nano-TiO 2 / PEEK bioactive composite as a bone substitute material : in vitro and in vivo studies

will appear. Or use: http://dvpr.es/ w7aLhc  Video abstract Dovepress submit your manuscript | www.dovepress. com Dovepress 1215 O R I G I N A L R E S E A R C H open access to scientific and medical research Open Access Full Text Article http://dx.doi. org/10.2147/IJN.S28101 In te rn at io na l J ou rn al o f N an om ed ic in e do w nl oa de d fr om h ttp s: //w w w . d ov ep re ss . c om / b y 54 . 1 91 . 4 0. 80 o n 07 -J ul -2 01 7 F or p er so na l u se o nl y. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
Exploitation de l'échelle d'écriture pour améliorer la reconnaissance automatique des textes manuscrits arabe

Plusieurs facteurs inherents a l’ecriture augmentent la complexite de la reconnaissance automatique de documents manuscrits, comme la taille de l’ecriture. Dans ce travail nous nous interessons a la prise en compte de tels facteurs dans la modelisation afin d’ameliorer la performance des systemes automatiques. Les experimentations ont ete conduites sur des textes manuscrits arabes extraits de l’une des plus grandes bases etiquetees de documents manuscrits arabes, la base de donnees NIST-OpenHaRT qui inclut de grandes variabilites dans la taille du texte inter et intra mots et lignes. Nous proposons plusieurs approches pour faire face a ces variations lors des deux phases d’apprentissage et de reconnaissance. Les premieres experimentations montrent que la reconnaissance est largement affectee par la taille d’ecriture. Pour prendre en compte ce parametre nous proposons de classifier les donnees en trois classes selon la taille. En phase de reconnaissance, nous avons redimensionne chaque donnee de test a plusieurs tailles predefinies, puis nous avons combine les scores de reconnaissance associes a chacune des tailles. Cette approche a permis des gains notables de performance de deux systemes de reconnaissance, HMM et BLSTM. De plus, nous avons integre des donnees artificiellement redimensionnees pour adapter les modeles HMM a differentes echelles. Nous avons aussi obtenu des gains de performance par deux methodes differentes de combinaison (ROVER, treillis) des resultats des modeles adaptes. Nous fournissons les resultats de reconnaissance obtenus qui montrent les avantages de l’exploitation de la taille d’ecriture.
A real-time flash translation layer via adaptive partial garbage collection

In real-time embedded systems with flash storage memory, partial garbage collection is used to avoid long response latency and provide guaranteed response time upper bound. However, existing partial garbage collection schemes involve too many valid page copy and erase operations, which results in degradation in both system average performance and endurance of flash memory. To solve this problem, in this paper, we propose a real-time hybrid-level flash translation layer (FTL) called RAFTL – a real-time FTL using an adaptive partial garbage collection policy. RAFTL allocates physical blocks mapped to the same logical block on demand to postpone the partial garbage collection process. Moreover, we adopt an adaptive partial garbage collection policy, which combines the centralised and the distributed partial garbage collection policies. The experimental results show that our scheme reduces the valid page copy and erase operations significantly. Also, on the basis of providing a guaranteed worst case system response time, RAFTL provides an average write request response time which is approximate to the time to write one page.
Effect of Seville Orange Juice and Grapefruit Juice on Indinavir Pharmacokinetics

Considerable interpatient variability in indinavir pharmacokinetics, possibly due in part to variable metabolism of the drug through intestinal cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4, may contribute to poor virologic response in certain individuals with HIV infection. The purpose of this study was to characterize the influence of intestinal CYP3A4 modulation with grapefruit juice and Seville orange juice on indinavir pharmacokinetics. In an open‐label, three‐period crossover study, 13 healthy volunteers received indinavir 800 mg every 8 hours for 1 day and a single 800 mg dose the next morning. The last two indinavir doses were taken with 8 ounces of Seville orange juice, single‐strength grapefruit juice, or water (control). Plasma samples were collected at time 0 (predose) and at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 hours after the last indinavir dose. Concentration‐time data were analyzed using noncompartmental methods. Coadministration of Seville orange juice and indinavir resulted in a statistically significant increase in indinavir tmax (1.87 [1.65‐2.22] vs. 1.25 [1.03‐1.60] h; p < 0.05) without altering other pharmacokinetic parameter values. Grapefruit juice administration did not result in any changes in indinavir pharmacokinetics. Modulation of intestinal CYP3A4 by grapefruit juice and Seville orange juice did not alter the systemic availability of indinavir. The contribution of presystemic metabolism to indinavir interpatient variability appears to be small.
Utility and correlation of known anticoagulation parameters in the management of pediatric ventricular assist devices

AIM To assess utility and correlation of known anticoagulation parameters in the management of pediatric ventricular assist device (VAD). METHODS Retrospective study of pediatric patients supported with a Berlin EXCOR VAD at a single pediatric tertiary care center during a single year. RESULTS We demonstrated associations between activated thromboplastin time (aPTT) and R-thromboelastography (R-TEG) values (rs = 0.65, P < 0.001) and between anti-Xa assay and R-TEG values (rs = 0.54, P < 0.001). The strongest correlation was seen between aPTT and anti-Xa assays (rs = 0.71, P < 0.001). There was also a statistically significant correlation between platelet counts and the maximum amplitude of TEG (rs = 0.71, P < 0.001). Importantly, there was no association between dose of unfractionated heparin and either measure of anticoagulation (aPTT, anti-Xa or R-TEG value). CONCLUSION This study suggests that while there is strong correlation between aPTT, anti-Xa assay and R-TEG values for patients requiring VAD support, there is a lack of relevant correlation between heparin dose and degree of effect. This raises concern as various guidelines continue to recommend using these parameters to titrate heparin therapy.