Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diabetes Increases p53-Mediated Apoptosis following Ischemia

Background: Diabetes impairs the ability of tissue to respond adequately to ischemia. The underlying mechanisms contributing to this impaired response remain unknown. Because increases in apoptosis have been linked to a spectrum of diabetic complications, the authors examined whether programmed cell death is involved in the pathogenesis of poor diabetic tissue responses to ischemia. Methods: Analysis for apoptosis and levels of proaptotic protein, p53, were performed on streptozocin-induced diabetic mice and wild-type controls in a murine model of soft-tissue ischemia (n = 6). In vitro, chronic hyperglycemic culture conditions were used to test inducibility and reversibility of the diabetic phenotype. Small interfering RNA was used to assess the role of p53. Results: Ischemia-induced apoptosis and p53 levels were increased significantly in diabetic dermal fibroblasts both in vivo and in vitro. Chronic hyperglycemic culture was sufficient to induce the increased apoptotic phenotype, and this was not reversible with long-term normoglycemic conditions. Blocking p53 with small interfering RNA resulted in significant protection against ischemic apoptosis. Conclusions: These findings suggest that diabetes causes an increased apoptotic response to ischemia through a p53-mediated mechanism. This increase is not reversible by exposure to low-glucose conditions. This suggests that glycemic control alone will be unable to prevent tissue necrosis in diabetic patients and suggests novel therapeutic strategies for this condition.
VEBLEN’Cİ GÖSTERİŞ AMAÇLI TÜKETİM

Zenginligin, gosteris amacli yapilan tuketim harcamalariyla, toplumun tamamina bir sinyal seklinde gonderilmesi “sosyal statu kazanma” amacli olarak Veblen tarafindan ele alinmis ve ekonomi literaturune girmistir. Sosyal sinif, sembol ve statu, sosyal cevre ve kulturle gosteris amacli tuketimin iliskileri sunuldu. Veblen’in temelleri Sosyoekonomik Yapisalci Felsefe Okuluna ait gorusleri ile Neoklasik Tuketici Teorilerinin nerelerde ve nasil ayrildiklari irdelendi. Tuketicinin her ne olursa olsun toplam faydasini optimum kilacagi varsayimi ile hareket edecegi ve bundan sonra Veblen’in fikirlerinin Neoklasik fikirlere nasil enjekte edilebilecegi analiz edildi. Neoklasik yaklasimin bireyin ekonomik anlamda rasyonel oldugu ve tercihlerini tek basina yaptigi varsayimlari, tuketicinin sosyal bir varlik oldugu ve insanlarin sosyal tabakalarda farkli kulturel ve sosyal birikimlerle yasadiklari gercekleri ile ele alinmis ve bu varsayimlarin islememesinin neden daha rasyonel olabilecegi vurgulanmaya calisilmistir.
Polymorphisms in the factor VII gene and the risk of myocardial infarction in patients with coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND High plasma levels of coagulation factor VII have been suggested to be predictors of death due to coronary artery disease. Since polymorphisms in the factor VII gene contribute to variations in factor VII levels, such polymorphisms may be associated with the risk of myocardial infarction, which is precipitated by thrombosis. METHODS We studied a total of 444 patients, 311 of whom had severe, angiographically documented coronary atherosclerosis. Of these 311 patients, 175 had documentation of a previous myocardial infarction. As a control group, 133 patients with normal coronary arteriograms were also included. We measured the levels of activated factor VII and assessed three polymorphisms in the factor VII gene, one involving the promoter (A1 and A2 alleles), one involving the catalytic region (R353Q), and one involving intron 7. RESULTS Each of the polymorphisms influenced factor VII levels. Patients with the A2A2 and QQ genotypes had the lowest levels of activated factor VII (66 percent and 72 percent lower, respectively, than the levels in patients with the wild-type genotypes). The frequencies of the various genotypes in the patients free of coronary artery disease were similar to those in the entire population of patients with coronary artery disease. In the latter group, there were significantly more heterozygotes and homozygotes for the A2 and Q alleles among those who had not had a myocardial infarction than among those who had had an infarction (P=0.008 for the presence of the promoter polymorphism and P=0.01 for the presence of the R353Q polymorphism by chi-square analysis). The adjusted odds ratio for myocardial infarction among the patients with the A1A2 or RQ genotype was 0.47 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.27 to 0.81). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that certain factor VII genotypes have a role in protection against myocardial infarction. This may explain why some patients do not have myocardial infarction despite the presence of severe coronary atherosclerosis.
World Stroke Day 2008: "little strokes, big trouble".

See World Stroke Day Proclamation Appendix, pages 2409–2420. World Stroke Day is a day with a message for every day: “Stroke is a treatable and preventable catastrophe. ” This year and every subsequent year it will be on October 29th. The theme for this year is “Little strokes, big trouble”. During the World Stroke Congress in Vancouver in 2004, a working group was organized to develop a global agenda for stroke. This agenda was subsequently incorporated into a World Stroke Proclamation launched in Cape Town on October 26, 2006 (supplemental video, available online at http://stroke.ahajournals.org). The 2007 World Stroke Day theme was “Stroke is a treatable and preventable catastrophe and hypertension is its most common and treatable factor”. This year the stroke global agenda will be highlighted at the forthcoming 6th World …
Role of electrical interactions in synchronization of epileptiform bursts.

Four general mechanisms can hypothetically contribute to or mediate localized synchronization of neuronal activity: (a) recurrent excitatory chemical synapses, (b) electrotonic coupling via gap junctions, (c) electrical field effects (ephaptic interactions), and (d) changes in the concentration of extracellular ions (e.g., K+). It has generally been believed that synchronization of epileptiform bursts derives primarily, if not exclusively, from recurrent excitatory chemical synapses. Dual intracellular recordings from the CA3 area of the hippocampus have been used to demonstrate the existence of recurrent synaptic excitation, and computer simulations have provided a theoretical framework for the idea that relatively sparse interactions through recurrent excitatory chemical synapses can generate synchronized bursting after inhibitory pathways are blocked with convulsant agents. Additional experimental studies have supported the hypothesis that a model for seizure discharge, the penicillin-induced paroxysmal depolarization shift (PDS), is associated with a large increase in excitatory synaptic conductance. However, recent studies have suggested that electrical interactions are also likely to play an important role in spike synchronization during epileptic discharges. Several research groups have used in vitro preparations to show that afterdischarges and spontaneous bursts of population spikes (which represent synchronized action potentials) can occur after chemical synaptic transmission has been blocked in solutions containing low [Ca2+]. Although this result was first observed in the CA1 area, it has recently been confirmed in other regions of the hippocampus. These experiments indicate that mechanisms other than chemical synaptic transmission are capable of synchronizing action potentials in the hippocampus. In this chapter, two forms of electrical interaction that could mediate synchronization will be considered: (a) electrotonic coupling through gap junctions and (b) electrical field effects through extracellular space. Changes in the concentration of extracellular ions are another mechanism not involving chemical synapses. However, it seems unlikely that ionic changes act on the rapid time scale of electrical interactions, and their contribution is discussed elsewhere in this volume. We review evidence for the existence of electrotonic coupling and electrical field effects in the hippocampus and neocortex, and discuss their possible involvement in the synchronization of epileptiform events. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Thermal effects of focused ultrasound on the brain: determination with MR imaging.

PURPOSE To determine the feasibility of the use of temperature-sensitive magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for the detection of local temperature elevations at the focus of a low-power ultrasound beam in the brain. MATERIALS AND METHODS The brains in 28 rabbits were sonicated at acoustic power levels of 3.5-17.5 W. Four to five different locations were sonicated at different acoustic power levels in each rabbit. MR images were obtained 2 hours, 48 hours, 10 days, and 23 days after the sonications, depending on when the animals were sacrificed. Histologic evaluation of whole brain was performed. RESULTS Forty of 43 (93%) of the lowest-power (3.5-W) sonications were visible on temperature-sensitive MR images and did not result in any short- or long-term histologic or MR imaging evidence of tissue damage. A contrast-to-noise ratio of approximately 6 and a temperature elevation of 7 degrees-8 degrees C were observed. CONCLUSION Temperature elevations induced by means of focused ultrasound exposures that do not cause damage in the in vivo rabbit brain can be detected at temperature-sensitive MR imaging.
Exercise training in pulmonary hypertension: improving performance but waiting for outcome.

This editorial refers to ‘Exercise training improves peak oxygen consumption and haemodynamics in patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension and inoperable chronic thrombo-embolic pulmonary hypertension: a prospective, randomized, controlled trial’, by N. Ehlken et al . , doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehv337. Pulmonary hypertension is a pathophysiological condition characterized by an increase of mean pulmonary arterial pressure ≥25 mmHg at rest.1 Pulmonary hypertension may complicate multiple clinical disorders and invariably it reduces exercise and functional capacity and represents a risk factor for morbidity and mortality.2 Although important progress in the pharmacotherapy of pulmonary arterial hypertension has been achieved in the past 15 years,3,4 limited functional capacity and reduced survival still characterize patient outcome. Further advances are needed in this area to improve the clinical results of a comprehensive treatment strategy. Ehlken and colleagues now present the data of a randomized controlled trial on the impact of exercise training on peak oxygen consumption and haemodynamics in 87 patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension or inoperable chronic thrombo-embolic pulmonary hypertension.5 The majority of subjects (91%) were on background approved pulmonary arterial hypertension therapies. The exercise training started with an in-hospital 3-week programme and was continued at home with at least 15 min/day for 5 days a week for the following 12 weeks. After 15 weeks, the peak oxygen uptake (primary endpoint) significantly improved in the training group by +24.3% and the 6-min walk distance improved by 41 m. Haemodynamics at rest and during exercise significantly improved in the training group compared with the control group. However, the haemodynamic data were collected only in 74 patients (85%). No significant changes in the N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) plasma …
Sistematização de projetos de controladores fuzzy através de programação orientada a objetos

Atraves do uso da programacao em linguagem orientada a objetos e, aplicando-se uma tecnica de programacao especifica, e possivel gerar um conjunto de classes genericas cujos objetos representam cada bloco de um controlador fuzzy e tambem suas variaveis linguisticas. Tais classes, sendo aplicadas de forma sistematica, facilitam a programacao de uma variedade de controladores desta natureza. Este trabalho apresenta a referida tecnica e mostra os resultados obtidos atraves de um modelo simulado de um pendulo rotacional invertido que e controlado por um sistema de controle composto por tres controladores fuzzy, projetados e construidos sob este ponto de vista.
Regulation of [3H]5-HT release in raphe, frontal cortex and hippocampus of 5-HT1B knock-out mice

Regulation of the electrically evoked release of [3H]5-HT was examined in midbrain, frontal cortex and hippocampus preloaded slices obtained from wild-type and 5-HT1B knock-out mice. In the absence of any drug [3H]5-HT released was increased in midbrain and hippocampus but not in frontal cortex slices of [3H]5-HT1B knock out mice. The selective 5-HT1B agonist CP 93129 and the 5-HT1B/1D agonist sumatriptan, inhibited [3H]5-HT release in hippocampus and cortical slices obtained from control mice but had no effect in mutants. In the two projection areas studied, the nonselective 5-HT agonist 5-carboxyamidotryptamine (5-CT) inhibited [3H]5-HT release in both groups of mice, indicating that additional 5-HT receptors, other than 5-HT1B, might be involved in the regulation of [3H]5-HT release from 5-HT terminals. In slices containing midbrain raphe nuclei, CP 93129 had no effect in either group. In contrast, sumatriptan inhibited [3H]5-HT release in controls and mutants. The latter effect was blocked by the 5-HT1D antagonist GR 127935, but not the 5-HT1A antagonist (+)WAY 100135, thus suggesting that a 5-HT1D-like receptor, possibly 5-HT1Dα, negatively regulates 5-HT release in mouse midbrain raphe nuclei.
Prolonged cerebellar dysfunction associated with paint-sniffing.

This is the second reported case of cerebellar impairment attributed to chronic toluene inhalation. Sniffing of substances containing this solvent is not uncommon. Minimal cases might be detected if careful neurological observation is employed. Prevention of further damage by abstinence from the habit seems possible as judged by the course of the present patient. More importantly, potential abusers might be prevented from starting this pernicious practice with the knowledge that definite, persistent neurologic abnormalities can result.
The probability of a subspace swap in the SVD

We extend the work of Tufts, Kot, and Vaccaro (1987, 1991) to improve the analytical characterization of threshold breakdown in SVD methods. Our results sharpen the Tufts, Kot, and Vaccaro results and lower bound the probability of a subspace swap in the SVD. <<ETX>>
Land-use effect on hydropedology in a mountainous region of Southeastern Brazil

In Brazil, the Mantiqueira Range, southeastern region, shelters the last remnants of the ecologically important Upper Montane Tropical Forest. since extensive exploration that has been taking place in this biome for decades, the influence of land-use changes on hydropedology in these areas must be investigated once major land-use changes have been observed. This study aims to evaluate the land-use influence on soil drainable porosity (SDP) in a headwater watershed located in the Mantiqueira Range region, and to validate the proposed methods based on micromorphological and hydrological indicators. The native vegetation of the study area is Atlantic forest that occupies 62% of the area, and the remaining 38% has been used for pasture. Thirty nine combinations of environmental variables were tested, each one generating a map for predicting SDP. The performance of the spatial prediction of SDP was assessed using 20% of the data from the total number of samples collected throughout the watershed. The least values of SDP are due to the process of removal of native forest and replacement by pasture. Areas with high to moderate SDP are associated with native forest fragments demonstrating the effects of the Atlantic Forest on the water infiltration and groundwater recharge processes, given by the greater contribution of baseflow in a forested catchment located within the studied watershed. The analysis of soil micromorphological images provided useful supporting information on the soil porosity system and along with hydrological properties of the watershed helped understand the SDP behavior on subsurface and groundwater storage capacity.
Deployment & scheduling in Wimax with relays : IEEE802.16j. (Déploiement et ordonnancement dans Wimax avec relais : IEEE802.16j)

Wimax mobile cellular systems are envisioned to provide high data rate multimedia services to users at anytime, anywhere at an affordable cost. The combination of orthogonal division multiple accesses (OFDMA) and relaying in Wimax provide rich opportunities for cost-effective and high performance networks. Wimax standard 802.16j extends not only the coverage of the cell but also increases the average throughput of the users. Much research of this standard has been published in order to optimize the performance of this network. However, when we reviewed the existing architectures of Wimax standard 802.16j and assessed their performance, we realized that the throughput of the system could still be enhanced by using a more efficient frequency reuse and scheduling algorithm. In the first part of the thesis, we review the existing standard 802.16j architectures in which the total throughput of system is slightly higher than that in the standard without relay one. To enhance even more the system performance of this standard, we propose a new architecture built on frequency reuse and sectoring technique. The total throughput increased strongly in our approach compared with to the existing studies. In the second part of the thesis, we study the impact of interference in our relay model. The simulation results showed that the SINR of mobile stations in our approach increase very slightly comparing to the one in Wimax with relay without frequency reuse and sectoring. Therefore the impact of interference is small and can be considered as negligible. We concluded that our proposition still provide a better performance. In the third part of the thesis, we proposed a new radio resource management approach in downlink in order to guarantee the user's fairness but still maintain a high total throughput. The simulation results showed that there was a trade-off between the fairness-aware and the total throughput of the system.
β-Amyloid-induced Dynamin 1 Degradation Is Mediated by N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptors in Hippocampal Neurons*

Alzheimer disease (AD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder that leads to debilitating cognitive deficits. Although little is known about the early functional or ultrastructural changes associated with AD, it has been proposed that a stage of synaptic dysfunction might precede neurodegeneration in the development of this disease. Unfortunately, the molecular mechanisms that underlie such synaptic dysfunction remain largely unknown. Recently we have shown that β-amyloid (Aβ), the main component of senile plaques, induced a significant decrease in dynamin 1, a protein that plays a critical role in synaptic vesicle recycling, and hence, in the signaling properties of the synapse. We report here that this dynamin 1 degradation was the result of calpain activation induced by the sustained calcium influx mediated by N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors in hippocampal neurons. In addition, our results showed that soluble oligomeric Aβ, and not fibrillar Aβ, was responsible for this sustained calcium influx, calpain activation, and dynamin 1 degradation. Considering the importance of dynamin 1 to synaptic function, these data suggest that Aβ soluble oligomers might catalyze a stage of synaptic dysfunction that precedes synapse loss and neurodegeneration. These data also highlight the calpain system as a novel therapeutic target for early stage AD intervention.
The Holy Spirit and the Christian Life the Theological Basis of Ethics

This rare volume provides a concise statement of the major ideas of one of the greatest Protestant thinkers of the twentieth century, Karl Barth. Divided into three parts, it presents Barth's lecture, "The Holy Spirit and the Christian Life. " This work emphasizes Barth's focus on the Trinitarian character of God's self-revelation. Barth insists there is no way to get behind or beyond the fact that God is revealed to us in three distinct ways, yet with a unity that cannot be divided. He claims that we can finally look only to God's self-disclosure as the reliable basis for Christian ethics. The Library of Theological Ethics series focuses on what it means to think theologically and ethically. It presents a selection of important and otherwise unavailable texts in easily accessible form. Volumes in this series will enable sustained dialogue with predecessors though reflection on classic works in the field.
Oil palm plantations fail to support mammal diversity.

Agricultural expansion is the largest threat to global biodiversity. In particular, the rapid spread of tree plantations is a primary driver of deforestation in hyperdiverse tropical regions. Plantations tend to support considerably lower biodiversity than native forest, but it remains unclear whether plantation traits affect their ability to sustain native wildlife populations, particularly for threatened taxa. If animal diversity varies across plantations with different characteristics, these traits could be manipulated to make plantations more "wildlife friendly. " The degree to which plantations create edge effects that degrade habitat quality in adjacent forest also remains unclear, limiting our ability to predict wildlife persistence in mixed-use landscapes. We used systematic camera trapping to investigate mammal occurrence and diversity in oil palm plantations and adjacent forest in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Mammals within plantations were largely constrained to locations near native forest; the occurrence of most species and overall species richness declined abruptly with decreasing forest proximity from an estimated 14 species at the forest ecotone to -1 species 2 km into the plantation. Neither tree height nor canopy cover within plantations strongly affected mammal diversity or occurrence, suggesting that manipulating tree spacing or planting cycles might not make plantations more wildlife friendly. Plantations did not appear to generate strong edge effects; mammal richness within forest remained high and consistent up to the plantation ecotone. Our results suggest that land-sparing strategies, as opposed to efforts to make plantations more wildlife-friendly, are required for regional wildlife conservation in biodiverse tropical ecosystems.
Ontogeny of a symbiont-produced chemical defense in Bugula neritina (Bryozoa)

The larvae of the arborescent bryozoan Bugula neritina are chemically defended against predators by unpalatable secondary metabolites called bryostatins. Bryostatins, polyketide- derived secondary compounds, are produced by the bacterial symbiont 'Candidatus Endobugula sertula', which is present throughout all life stages of B. neritina. Crude extracts of larval and all juve- nile stages of B. neritina significantly reduced pinfish feeding (p < 0.003). Extract unpalatability is due to high bryostatin concentrations. As B. neritina increases in age after larval settlement and metamor- phosis, palatability increases as bryostatin concentrations decrease precipitously. Extracts of brood- ing portions of adult colonies reduced pinfish feeding by a significant 54% (p = 0.008), whereas ex- tracts of non-brooding portions of the same colonies resulted in a non-significant 20% decline in feeding (p = 0.125). Our data suggest that the different life stages of B. neritina employ alternate de- fensive strategies. The mobile, short-lived larvae and early-stage juveniles are defended from preda- tors by having deterrent levels of bryostatins; in contrast, the older juveniles and adults, which are clonal and relatively long-lived, may be defended largely by high levels of structural material (i.e. chitin and carbonate). Predation pressure on the vulnerable larval stage of B. neritina appears in part to have driven selection for the development and maintenance of the symbiotic relationship between B. neritina and Ca. Endobugula sertula whereby the larvae are chemically defended by symbiont- produced bryostatins.