Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphology of afferent and efferent synapses in hearing organ of goldfish

The sacculus, the hearing organ, of the goldfish was fixed with three different kinds of fixatives: osmium tetroxide, glutaraldehyde and formaldehyde. Three kinds of synapses are encountered in the sensory epithelium: the synapse between the hair cell and the afferent nerve ending, the synapse between the efferent nerve ending and the hair cell, and the synapse between the hair cell and the afferent nerve ending, there are synaptic vesicles about 370‐430 Å in average diameter in the hair cell side of the junction. The vesicles are always round in dependent of the fixative used. In the other two kinds of synapses, the efferent ending contains smaller vesicles about 310‐360 Å in average diameter. The shape of the vesicles changes according to the fixative used; round in osmium tetroxide‐fixed materials, and elongated in aldehydefixed materials. The synapse between the hair cell and the afferent nerve ending in excitatory in nature, while the other two types of synapses are thought to be inhibitory in nature.
Explaining Left Ventricular Pressure Dynamics in Terms of LV Passive and Active Elastances

Abstract There has been much characterization of the heart as a pump by means of models based on elastance and compliance. The present paper puts forward the new concept of time-varying passive and active elastance. The biomechanical basis of cyclic elastances of the left ventricle (LV) is presented. Elastance is defined in terms of the relationship between ventricular pressure and volume as dP = EdV + VdE, where E includes passive elastance, Ep, and active elastance, Ea. By incorporating this concept in LV models to simulate diastolic (filling) and systolic phases, a time-varying expression has been obtained for Ea, and an LV volume dependent expression has been obtained for Ep. It is proposed to use these two elastances Ea and Ep to represent the intrinsic LV properties. The active elastance, Ea, can be used to characterize the LV contractile state and represents LV pressure variation due to LV volume variation (such as during the filling and ejection phases). The passive elastance, Ep, can serve as a measure of LV resistance to filling. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated how the LV pressure dynamics (and LV pressure response to LV volume) can be explained in terms of Ea and Ep.
Mediators of nonadrenergic, noncholinergic inhibition in the proximal, middle and distal regions of rat colon

1 The mediators of non‐adrenergic non‐cholinergic (NANC) relaxation of the longitudinal muscle of rat proximal, middle and distal colon were examined in vitro. 2 Electrical transmural stimulation (TMS) of proximal, middle and distal segments of rat colon induced NANC relaxations which were inhibited by tetrodotoxin (1 μm), but not by atropine (1 μm) or guanethidine (4 μm). 3 In the proximal colon, l‐nitro‐arginine (N5‐nitroamidino‐l‐2,5‐diaminopentanoic acid) inhibited the TMS‐induced NANC relaxation and l‐arginine (1 mm) reversed this inhibition. Nitric oxide (0.3–10 μm) induced relaxation of the proximal segment. 4 NANC relaxation of the proximal segments was still evident after desensitization to vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). A VIP antagonist (VIP 10–28, 10 μm) had no effect on the TMS‐induced NANC relaxation, which was also resistant to α‐chymotrypsin (2 units ml−1) and a substance P antagonist ([d‐Pro2, d‐Trp7,9]substance P, 1 μm). 5 In the middle colon, l‐nitro‐arginine did not inhibit the TMS‐induced NANC relaxation in 6 of 9 preparations tested and partially inhibited the relaxation in the other 3 preparations. l‐Arginine did not reverse the partial inhibition. 6 Complete desensitization to VIP was not achieved in the middle colon. The VIP antagonist had no effect on the TMS‐induced NANC relaxation. After α‐chymotrypsin treatment of the segment, desensitization of the segments to substance P, or in the presence of the substance P antagonist, the TMS‐induced NANC relaxation was augmented. 7 In the distal colon, l‐nitro‐arginine did not have any significant effect on the TMS‐induced relaxation and nitric oxide did not induce relaxation. The VIP antagonist significantly inhibited TMS‐induced NANC relaxation. α‐Chymotrypsin‐treatment of the distal segments resulted in significant inhibition of NANC relaxation. No desensitization to substance P was achieved. Treatment with the substance P antagonist had no effect. 8 These results suggest that nitric oxide is the mediator of the NANC inhibitory response in the proximal region of rat colon; in the middle colon, substance P acts as an excitatory neurotransmitter, antagonizing the NANC relaxation caused by the mediator of the response, which is still uncertain. Our results also suggest that VIP is the most likely candidate as a NANC transmitter in the distal colon.
Fast Parallel Space Allocation, Estimation and Integer Sorting

Abstract The following problems are shown to be solvable in O(log* n) time with optimal speedup with high probability on a randomized CRCW PRAM using O(n) space: • Space allocation: Given nonnegative integers , . ,, allocate nonoverlapping blocks of consecutive memory cells of sizes , . , from a base segment of (∑) consecutive memory cells. • Estimation: Given integers in the range 1. , compute "good" estimates of the number of occurrences of each value in the range 1. • Semisorting: Given integers , . , in the range 1. , store the integers 1, . , in an array of () cells such that for all ∈ {1, . ,}, all elements of {: 1 ≤ ≤ and = } occur together, separated only by empty cells. • Integer chain-sorting: Given integers , . , in the range 1. , construct a linked list containing the integers 1, . , such that for all , ∈ {1, . , }, if precedes in the list, then ≤ . Moreover, given slightly superlinear processor and space bounds, these problems or variations of them can be solved in constant time with high probability. As a corollary of the integer chain-sorting result, it follows that n integers in the range 1.n can be sorted in O(log n/log log n) time with optimal speedup with high probability.
Real time Web usage mining: a heuristic based distributed miner

The behaviour of a Web site's users may change so quickly that attempting to make predictions, according to the frequent patterns coming from the analysis of an access log file, becomes challenging. In order for the obsolescence of the behavioural patterns to become as null as possible, the ideal method would provide frequent patterns in real time, allowing the result to be available immediately. We propose, in this paper a method allowing to find frequent behavioural patterns in real time, whatever the number of connected users is. Considering how fast the frequent behaviour patterns can change since the last analysis of the access log file, this result thus provide completely adapted navigation schemas for user behaviour predictions. Based on a distributed heuristic, our method also answers several tackled problems within the data mining framework: Discovering "interesting zones" (a great number of frequent patterns concentrated over a period of time, or the discovering of "super-frequent" patterns), discovering very long sequential patterns and interactive data mining ("on the fly" modification of the minimum support).
Nonlinear reversal of the PT -symmetric phase transition in a system of coupled semiconductor microring resonators

A system of two coupled semiconductor-based resonators is studied when lasing around an exceptional point. We show that the presence of nonlinear saturation effects can have important ramifications on the transition behavior of this system. In sharp contrast with linear PT-symmetric configurations, nonlinear processes are capable of reversing the order in which the symmetry breaking occurs. Yet, even in the nonlinear regime, the resulting non-Hermitian states still retain the structural form of the corresponding linear eigenvectors expected above and below the phase transition point. The conclusions of our analysis are in agreement with experimental data.
MEN1 disease occurring before 21 years old: a 160-patient cohort study from the Groupe d'étude des Tumeurs Endocrines.

CONTEXT Multiple endocrine neoplasia Type-1 (MEN1) in young patients is only described by case reports. OBJECTIVE To improve the knowledge of MEN1 natural history before 21 years old. METHODS Obtain a description of the first symptoms occurring before 21 years old (clinical symptoms, biological or imaging abnormalities), surgical outcomes related to MEN1 Neuro Endocrine Tumors (NETs) occurring in a group of 160 patients extracted from the "Groupe d'étude des Tumeurs Endocrines" MEN1 cohort. RESULTS The first symptoms were related to hyperparathyroidism in 122 cases (75%), pituitary adenoma in 55 cases (34%), nonsecreting pancreatic tumor (NSPT) in 14 cases (9%), insulinoma in 20 cases (12%), gastrinoma in three cases (2%), malignant adrenal tumors in 2 cases (1%), and malignant thymic-NET in one case (1%). Hyperparathyrodism was the first lesion in 90 cases (56%). The first symptoms occurred before 10 years old in 22 cases (14%) and before 5 years old in five cases (3%). Surgery was performed before age 21 in 66 patients (41%) with a total of 74 operations: pituitary adenoma (n = 9, 16%), hyperparathyroidism (n = 38, 31%), gastrinoma (n = 1, 33%), NSPT (n = 5, 36%), and all cases of insulinoma, adrenal tumors, and thymic-NET. One patient died before age 21 due to a thymic-NET. Overall, lesions were malignant in four cases. CONCLUSIONS Various MEN1 lesions occurred frequently before 21 years old, but mainly after 10 years of age. Rare, aggressive tumors may develop at any age. Hyperparathyroidism was the most frequently encountered lesion but was not always the first biological or clinical abnormality to appear during the course of MEN1.
(Epi)genotype–phenotype correlations in Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome: a paradigm for genomic medicine

Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is the commonest overgrowth cancer predisposition disorder and represents a model for human imprinting dysregulation and tumorigenesis. BWS features can variably combine and present a widely variable range of severity in the phenotypic expression. This wide spectrum is paralleled at molecular level by complex (epi)genetic defects on chromosome 11p15.5 leading to disrupted expression of imprinted genes controlling growth and cellular proliferation. In this review, we outline the spectrum of clinical manifestations of BWS analyzing their (epi)genotype–phenotype correlations. The differences observed in the phenotypic profiles of BWS molecular subtypes allow a composite view of this syndrome with implications on clinical care, diagnosis, follow‐up, and management, and provide directions for future disease monitoring.
Isolation and characterization of Ehrlichia chaffeensis strains from patients with fatal ehrlichiosis

Two new isolates of Ehrlichia chaffeensis (designated Jax and St. Vincent) were obtained from patients with fatal ehrlichial infections. Patients developed characteristic manifestations of severe disease due to E. chaffeensis, including marked thrombocytopenia, pulmonary insufficiency, and encephalopathy. Primary isolation was achieved in DH82 cells; the Jax and St. Vincent isolates were detected within 19 and 8 days postinoculation, respectively. The isolates were characterized by molecular evaluation of the 16S rRNA gene, the groESL heat shock operon, a 120-kDa immunodominant protein gene, and an incompletely characterized repetitive-motif sequence (variable-length PCR target [VLPT]). The sequences were compared with those of the corresponding molecular regions in the type isolate (Arkansas). St. Vincent contained one fewer repeat unit in both the 120-kDa protein gene and the VLPT compared with corresponding sequences of the Jax and Arkansas isolates. 16S rRNA gene sequences from the two new isolates had 100% identity to the corresponding sequences of the 91HE17 and Sapulpa isolates of E. chaffeensis, and to the corrected 16S rRNA gene sequence of the Arkansas isolate. The Jax isolate grew more slowly than the St. Vincent isolate in DH82 cells, and both of the new isolates grew more slowly than the extensively passaged Arkansas isolate. Although specific associations between ehrlichial pathogenicity and genotype were not identified from these comparisons, recovery of this organism from a spectrum of clinical presentations remains an integral step in understanding mechanisms of disease caused by E. chaffeensis.
Sweet Potato (Ipomia Batatus) Varieties Evaluation in Borana Mid Altitude

Sweet potato is one of the most important root and tuber crop for food and feed value. Borana mid altitudes in general and abaya woreda in particular are among the important sweet potato growing regions in southern Ethiopia. However, seeds of improved sweet potato varieties are either unavailable or inadequate. Therefore, the objective of this research is to test a range of improved varieties under Borana condition to identify genotypes with relatively better performance. To this effect, six improved and recommended varieties of sweet potato (Awassa 83, Beletech, Belela, Temesgen, Kulfu and Tula) were brought from Awassa research center and tried for their adaptation at Abaya woreda samara site with local variety in RCBD with three replications in 2014 and 2015 years. The result showed that the local variety is superior in yield and yield components in both years. The local variety gives average marketable fresh yield 111ton ha-1 with a yield advantage of about 77 ton ha-1over the highest yielded improved variety, Awassa 83,which gives about 34 ton ha-1. Therefore it is concluded that the farmers of Borana mid altitudes can continue to produce their local variety until superior variety will be developed for their specific area. Cultivar collection and screening activities can be suggested to develop suitable varieties for the area
The atypical dopamine receptor agonist SKF 83959 enhances hippocampal and prefrontal cortical neuronal network activity in a rat model of cognitive dysfunction

Deficits in neuronal network synchrony in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex have been widely demonstrated in disorders of cognitive dysfunction, including schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. The atypical dopamine agonist SKF 83959 has been shown to increase brain‐derived neurotrophic factor signalling and suppress activity of glycogen synthase kinase‐3 in PFC, two processes important to learning and memory. The purpose of this study was to therefore evaluate the impact of SKF 83959 on oscillatory deficits in methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) rat model of schizophrenia. To achieve this, local field potentials were recorded simultaneously from the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of anesthetized rats at 15 and 90 min following both acute and repeated administration of SKF 83959 (0.4 mg/kg). In MAM rats, but not controls, repeated SKF 83959 treatment increased signal amplitude in hippocampus and enhanced the spectral power of low frequency delta and theta oscillations in this region. In PFC, SKF 83959 increased delta, theta and gamma spectral power. Increased HIP‐PFC theta coherence was also evident following acute and repeated SKF 83959. In apparent contradiction to these oscillatory effects, in MAM rats, SKF 83959 inhibited spatial learning and induced a significant increase in thigmotactic behaviour. These findings have uncovered a previously unknown role for SKF 83959 in the positive regulation of hippocampal–prefrontal cortical oscillatory network activity. As SKF 83959 is known to have affinity for a number of receptors, delineating the receptor mechanisms that mediate the positive drug effects on neuronal oscillations could have significant future implications in disorders associated with cognitive dysfunction.
Parallelization of an algorithm for solving imperfect information games

Game theory is science not only for modeling games such as Chess, Poker or Backgammon compute its solutions but it can also provide useful tools for modeling and solving real life problems that we are not aware of at the first sight. For example, one problem from this category is borders patrolling . These problems are linked because each of them includes huge state space which has to be searched in order to find an optimum solution that maximizes possible payoff under the assumption that opponent acts rationally. The aim of this work is to design and experimentally evaluate the performance of a parallel version of the algorithm from framework developed by ATG group from FEE, CTU. This algorithm uses double-oracle framework, which narrows searched state space by allowing only some strategies to be played by players. The algorithm solves two-player zero-sum games with imperfect information. Before proposing a parallel design an analysis of the algorithm and a survey of known parallel search techniques on two-players game trees are investigated. Parallel version should contribute by shorter computation time allowing faster computation of exploitability of heuristic strategies in imperfect-information games. Simplified, exploitability expresses distance of a strategy from optimum. When comparing two strategies, the one with lower exploitability is better. Experiments show that parallel design proposed in this work achieved speed up of 2.2.
Acceleration of the rate of ethanol fermentation by addition of nitrogen in high tannin grain sorghum.

In this communication, the authors show that accelerated rates of ethanol production, comparable to sorghum varieties containing low levels of tannins and to corn, can occur without the removal of the tannins. The basis of the inhibition appears to be a lack of sufficient nitrogen in the mash for protein synthesis required to support an accelerated fermentative metabolism in Saccharomyces. No inhibition of the enzymes used for starch hydrolysis was found.
lytA Quantitative PCR on Sputum and Nasopharyngeal Swab Samples for Detection of Pneumococcal Pneumonia among the Elderly

ABSTRACT Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay of sputum or nasopharyngeal specimens has shown promising results in the detection of pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia (PncCAP). We applied qPCR for the autolysin gene (lytA) and compared sputum and nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) pneumococcal loads in elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), and specifically in patients with PncCAP, to those in patient groups with other respiratory diseases. We studied patients aged ≥65 years with radiologically confirmed CAP, clinical CAP not retrospectively radiologically confirmed, other acute respiratory infections, or stable chronic lung disease. Pneumococcal etiology of CAP was ascertained by using a combination of multiple diagnostic methods. We analyzed sputum and NPS specimens by lytA qPCR with 104 pneumococcal genome equivalents (GE)/ml as a cutoff for positivity. Among PncCAP patients, lytA qPCR detected pneumococci in 94% of the sputum samples and in large quantities (mean, 6.82 ± 1.02 log10 GE/ml) but less frequently in NPS (44%) and in smaller quantities (5.55 ± 0.92 log10 GE/ml). In all other patient groups, ≤10% of the sputum samples and <5% of the NPS samples were lytA qPCR positive; but when they were positive, the sputum pneumococcal loads were similar to those in the PncCAP patients, suggesting a pneumococcal etiology in these patients. This was supported by other pneumococcal assay results. Overall, sputum lytA qPCR positivity was more common in PncCAP patients than in the other patient groups, but the quantitative results were mainly similar. NPS lytA qPCR was less sensitive than sputum lytA qPCR in detecting PncCAP.
Robust iterative multiuser receiver for coded CDMA systems in non-Gaussian channels

A robust front-end pre-filter incorporating non-quadratic signal processing techniques is proposed. We will demonstrate the effectiveness of this filter in suppressing impulsive noises in a coded direct sequence code-division multiple access (DS-CDMA)communication system. Based on M-Estimation approach, the pre-filter works by minimizing an appropriate penalty function in an iterative fashion with minimal increase in computational complexity of the system. With the use of this pre-filter in the system, performance enhancement in excess of 6dB in non-Gaussian impulsive channels is demonstrated while maintaining comparable performance in Gaussian channel.
Preoperative serum midkine concentration is a prognostic marker for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

High preoperative serum midkine concentration is associated with poor survival in patients with esophageal cancer, even after radical surgery, and thus may have prognostic value. Midkine (MK), a heparin‐binding growth factor, is expressed in numerous cancer tissues, and serum MK (S‐MK) concentrations are increased in patients with various neoplasms. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical significance of S‐MK in patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer (SCC). S‐MK was measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay in 135 healthy controls, 16 patients with benign esophageal disease, and 93 patients with primary esophageal SCC before surgery. The serum concentrations of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), SCC antigen (SCC‐Ag), and cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA21–1) were also evaluated. All patients with esophageal SCC underwent radical esophagec‐tomy. Tumor MK expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 14 fresh tumor specimens. To determine whether S‐MK is of value as a prognostic factor, the authors conducted a survival analysis using Cox's proportional hazards model. S‐MK values in patients with esophageal SCC were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (417±342 pg/ml vs. 154±76 pg/ml, P<0.001). Using 300 pg/ml as the cut‐off value (representing the mean +2 standard deviations of the S‐MK of healthy controls), 61% of patients with esophageal SCC were classified as positive. MK expression by the tumor was significantly associated with high level of S‐MK. High S‐MK (≥300 pg/ml) was associated with tumor size, immunoreactivity and poor survival. Multivariate analysis indicated that S‐MK was an independent prognostic factor. S‐MK may be a useful tumor marker for esophageal SCC. Increased preoperative S‐MK in patients with esophageal SCC is associated with poor survival.
Effects of directional haptic and non-speech audio cues in a cognitively demanding navigation task

Existing car navigation systems require visual or auditory attention. Providing the driver with directional cues could potentially increase safety. We conducted an experiment comparing directional haptic and non-speech audio cues to visual cueing in a navigation task. Participants (N=16) drove the Lane Change Test simulator with different navigational cues. The participants were to recognize the directional cue (left or right) by responding as fast as possible using a tablet. Reaction times and errors were measured. The participants were also interviewed about the different cues and filled up the NASA-TLX questionnaire. The results showed that in comparison to visual cues all the other cues were reacted to significantly faster. Haptic only cueing resulted in the most errors, but it was evaluated as the most pleasant and the least physically demanding. The results suggest that non-visual cueing could improve safety.