Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A biological model of tamponade gases following pneumatic retinopexy

Purpose. Predict the persistence and expansion of intraocular tamponade gases used in retinal detachment surgery. Quantify factors that contribute to elevations in the intraocular pressure. Methods. We developed a non-equilibrium physiological model of intraocular gas transfer in vitreoretinal surgery. The model was calibrated using published volumetric decay measurements for four perfluorocarbon gases (CF 4, C 2 F 6, C 3 F 8, C 4 F 10) injected into the New Zealand red rabbit. We validated the model by comparing predicted and experimental results at different conditions in the rabbit. Using the rabbit results, the model was scaled up to humans. Results. Predictions of gas expansion, half-life, and intraocular pressure in humans were found to correlate very well with clinical results. Gas transfer in the eye was controlled by diffusion through plasma and membranes. Although intraocular pressure depended on several complicating factors such as the physiological condition of the eye as well as the medications being used, prediction of conditions that favor elevations in intraocular pressure were identified based on the transport and thermodynamic properties of the gases. Conclusions. The biological model accurately predicted the dynamics of intraocular gases in the human eye. The major factor affecting the intraocular pressure was the aqueous humor dynamics, which is highly dependent on the physiological conditions in the eye. However, for long duration gases such as perfluoropropane, elevations in intraocular pressure are possible following an increase in volume and/or purity of the injected gas. By injecting a mixture of air with an expansive gas, it is possible to reduce elevations in intraocular pressure in patients with the trade off of a reduced longevity of the gas bubble. For gases that diffuse faster than perfluoropropane, there are minimal effects on intraocular pressure due to these changes.
Modulation of efficiency of translation termination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Nonsense suppression is a readthrough of premature termination codons. It typically occurs either due to the recognition of stop codons by tRNAs with mutant anticodons, or due to a decrease in the fidelity of translation termination. In the latter case, suppressors usually promote the readthrough of different types of nonsense codons and are thus called omnipotent nonsense suppressors. Omnipotent nonsense suppressors were identified in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in 1960s, and most of subsequent studies were performed in this model organism. Initially, omnipotent suppressors were localized by genetic analysis to different protein- and RNA-encoding genes, mostly the components of translational machinery. Later, nonsense suppression was found to be caused not only by genomic mutations, but also by epigenetic elements, prions. Prions are self-perpetuating protein conformations usually manifested by infectious protein aggregates. Modulation of translational accuracy by prions reflects changes in the activity of their structural proteins involved in different aspects of protein synthesis. Overall, nonsense suppression can be seen as a “phenotypic mirror” of events affecting the accuracy of the translational machine. However, the range of proteins participating in the modulation of translation termination fidelity is not fully elucidated. Recently, the list has been expanded significantly by findings that revealed a number of weak genetic and epigenetic nonsense suppressors, the effect of which can be detected only in specific genetic backgrounds. This review summarizes the data on the nonsense suppressors decreasing the fidelity of translation termination in S. cerevisiae, and discusses the functional significance of the modulation of translational accuracy.
FPGA based variable structure control for switched D.C/D.C converters

The problem of designing a variable structure controller slide-mode (VSC-SM) for D.C/D.C converters operating under varying operational conditions is proposed. The problem discusses modelling assumptions together with the design procedures for a forward D.C/D.C converter. A robust VSC-SM that can track a constant reference voltage and reject constant disturbances is then developed
Recognition of Novel Faces after Single Exposure is Enhanced during Pregnancy

Protective mechanisms in pregnancy include Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy (NVP) (Fessler, 2002; Flaxman and Sherman, 2000), increased sensitivity to health cues (Jones et al., 2005), and increased vigilance to out-group members (Navarette, Fessler, and Eng, 2007). While common perception suggests that pregnancy results in decreased cognitive function, an adaptationist perspective might predict that some aspects of cognition would be enhanced during pregnancy if they help to protect the reproductive investment. We propose that a reallocation of cognitive resources from nonessential to critical areas engenders the cognitive decline observed in some studies. Here, we used a recognition task disguised as a health rating to determine whether pregnancy facilitates face recognition. We found that pregnant women were significantly better at recognizing faces and that this effect was particularly pronounced for own-race male faces. In human evolutionary history, and today, males present a significant threat to females. Thus, enhanced recognition of faces, and especially male faces, during pregnancy may serve a protective function.
Focal neuronal migration disorders and intractable partial epilepsy: Results of surgical treatment

Twenty‐six patients with focal or lateralized neuronal migration disorders and intractable partial epilepsy were treated surgically. Twenty‐four had reliable follow‐up ranging from 1 to 15 years (mean, 5.0). Pathologically, they fell into two categories: focal cortical dysplasia (12 patients) and forme fruste of tuberous sclerosis (8 patients). In the remaining 4 patients, the material was inadequate for histological analysis. Outcome regarding seizure control was assessed according to a classification most sensitive to variations in frequency of major attacks. Ten (42°) of the 24 patients achieved good or excellent outcome, 6(25°) had a worthwhile decrease in seizure frequency, and 8 (33°) had only discrete improvement. The variable most strongly correlated with surgical outcome was the amount of lesion removed. Seventy‐seven percent of patients in whom a complete excision or excision of 50° or more of the lesion was accomplished achieved excellent or good surgical outcome. Conversely, no patient with less than 50° of the lesion removed attained the same result. There was no correlation between other clinical, radiological, or electrographic variables and outcome regarding seizure control. Specifically there was no significant correlation between the amount of excision of the epileptogenic area as judged by scalp electroencephalography and electrocorticography studies, and surgical outcome. In patients with neuronal migration disorders and intractable partial epilepsy, removal of the structural abnormality takes precedence over removal of epileptogenic tissue as the main surgical strategy to achieve seizure control.
Retention of the Radiotracers 64Cu-ATSM and 64Cu-PTSM in Human and Murine Tumors Is Influenced by MDR1 Protein Expression

Tumor hypoxia is often associated with resistance to chemotherapy. Multidrug resistance type 1 (MDR1) protein is a member of the adenosine triphosphate binding cassette (ABC) proteins, some of which are involved in the multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype in tumors. Many studies have focused on the role of these proteins in modulating drug resistance, but their effect on retention of imaging agents is less well studied. To study the role of MDR1 expression on the accumulation of 64Cu-diacetyl-bis(N4-methylthiosemicarbazone) (64Cu-ATSM) and 64Cu-pyruvaldehyde-bis(N4-methylthiosemicarbazone) (64Cu-PTSM) in human tumors in vitro and in vivo, we used a model system composed of a low MDR1–expressing parent uterine sarcoma cell line and a daughter cell line selected for overexpression of MDR1. Aromatase knockout (ArKO) mice that spontaneously developed liver tumors were used as an additional in vivo model to study the effect of MDR expression on 64Cu-ATSM and -PTSM retention. Methods: Biodistribution experiments after injection of 64Cu-ATSM or -PTSM were performed in wild-type mice, ArKO mice, and ArKO mice bearing liver tumors (n = 3–5/group), and in nude mice bearing human tumor xenografts for in vivo PET/CT. Liver expression of Abcb1a and Abcb1b, the MDR1 proteins in mouse liver, was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. 64Cu-ATSM and -PTSM accumulation and efflux studies were conducted in tumor cell lines. The uptake experiments were repeated after knockdown of MDR1 protein expression using MDR1-specific small interfering RNAs. Results: In vivo, the hepatic tumors had a lower percentage injected dose per gram of 64Cu-ATSM or -PTSM and more highly expressed Abcb1b than did wild-type liver or nontumor-bearing ArKO liver. High MDR1–expressing tumors showed lower tracer activity on PET/CT images. In vitro, cells highly expressing MDR1 had significantly decreased 64Cu-ATSM and -PTSM retention and enhanced efflux. Knockdown of MDR1 expression significantly enhanced the 64Cu-ATSM and -PTSM retention and decreased the efflux in MDR1-positive cells. Conclusion: The expression of MDR1 glycoprotein (or its equivalents in mice) affects the retention of 64Cu-ATSM and -PTSM in the human and murine tumors tested. These results may have implications for clinical hypoxia imaging in tumors and the therapeutic efficacy of 64Cu-ATSM.
Facets of Wisdom: A Theoretical Synthesis

Review of the past decade of literature reveals numerous attempts to construct a workable definition of wisdom. Some researchers bypass definition and opt for factor analytical studies of common opinions about attributes of the ‘wise person’. Such factors as age, experience, intelligence, knowledge, intuition, common sense, and personality variables consistently emerge from the data, but no one has attempted to link these factors to construct a unified definition of wisdom. This article compares and synthesizes the various studies and concludes that they can be unified theoretically if we view wisdom as the recognition of and response to human limitation.
Separation and comparison of 2-thioribothymidine-containing transfer ribonucleic acid and the ribothymidine-containing counterpart from cells of Thermus thermophilus HB 8.

For the extreme thermophile Thermus thermophilus HB 8, a positive correlation was observed among the growth temperatures of the cells, the melting temperature, and the 2-thioribothymidine (s2T) content of tRNA extracted from cells grown at various temperatures [Watanabe, K. , Shinma, M. , Oshima, T. , & Nishimura, S. (1976) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 72, 1137-1144]. On the basis of these observations, studies were carried out from which the following results were obtained. (1) Both RNase T1 and U2 digestions of tRNA gave only four fragments containing s2T or T: s2T psi CGp, s2T psi CAp, T psi CGp, and T psi CAp. For the different growth temperatures, the ratio of the content of s2T psi CGp plus s2T psi CAp to that of T psi CGp plus T psi CAp was almost the same as that of the s2Tp to Tp content reported previously. (2) The midpoint of the s2T-specific circular dichroism spectral change induced by heat was constant for all tRNAs extracted from cells grown at various temperatures, suggesting that the s2T-containing tRNAs melt at about the same temperature, which is independent of the growth temperature of cells. (3) s2T-containing tRNA was separated from the T-containing counterpart quantitatively by a specific modification of s2T with bromoaceto-2,4-dinitroanilide followed by BD-cellulose column chromatography. The molar ratio of the s2T- and T-containing tRNAs was also similar to that of s2Tp to Tp as mentioned above. These results demonstrate that T. thermophilus cells have both s2T- and T-containing tRNAs, whose relative content is controlled by the growth temperature. This phenomenon may be necessary to enable the thermophile to adapt to higher temperatures.
Experimental exposure to wood smoke: effects on airway inflammation and oxidative stress

Background: Particulate air pollution affects cardiovascular and pulmonary disease and mortality. A main hypothesis about the mechanisms involved is that particles induce inflammation in lower airways, systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. Objectives: To examine whether short-term exposure to wood smoke in healthy subjects affects markers of pulmonary inflammation and oxidative stress. Methods: 13 subjects were exposed first to clean air and then to wood smoke in a chamber during 4-hour sessions, 1 week apart. The mass concentrations of fine particles at wood smoke exposure were 240–280 μg/m3, and number concentrations were 95 000–180 000/cm3, about half of the particles being ultrafine (<100 nm). Blood and breath samples were taken before and at various intervals after exposure to wood smoke and clean air and examined for exhaled nitric oxide and Clara cell protein in serum and urine, and malondialdehyde in exhaled breath condensate. Results: Exposure to wood smoke increased alveolar nitric oxide 3 hours post-exposure while malondialdehyde levels in breath condensate were higher both immediately after and 20 hours after exposure. Serum Clara cell protein was increased 20 hours after exposure. Conclusions: Wood smoke at levels that can be found in smoky indoor environments caused an inflammatory response and signs of increased oxidative stress in the respiratory tract, especially in the lower airways.
Americans' Willingness to Voluntarily Delay Retirement

* Raimond Maurer is professor in finance, portfolio management, and pension finance at Goethe University of Frankfort. Olivia S. Mitchell is the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Professor, professor of Business Economics and Public Policy, professor of Insurance and Risk Management, and the executive director of the Pension Research Council at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Ralph Rogalla is a professor of economics at Goethe University. Tatjana Schimetschek is a research assistant at Goethe University of Frankfort. This Research Brief is based on MRRC Working Paper 2014-308. Requiring workers to delay retirement by raising Social Security retirement ages is an unpopular policy, as demonstrated by protests around the world in the last decade. Our recent research examines an alternative approach to encourage, but not require, delayed claiming by providing an incentive to do so. Specifically, we investigate whether replacing the Social Security’s current annuitized delayed retirement credit with a lump sum payment could induce workers to voluntarily defer claiming of their Social Security benefits, and possibly to work more.
Analysis of reliability-based incremental redundancy with convolutional codes

Incremental redundancy, or hybrid type-II ARQ (HARQ), algorithms use a combination of forward error correction and retransmissions to guarantee reliable packet data communication. In our previous work (V. Tripathi et al. 2003), we have proposed an adaptive HARQ algorithm that exploits received codeword reliability for optimizing the size of the subsequent retransmissions. The optimization is based on two mappings: the codeword reliability to block error rate (BLER) mapping and the coding rate to codeword reliability mapping. We provide analytical approximations for these mappings for any convolutional code. Through simulations, the approximations are shown to be accurate in the range of interest.
Complaint Management 2.0 – The “Sag’s uns” Blog as a Concept to Direct Democracy?

With students being part of the digital natives group the demand for more digital communication in universities is getting more and more important. To serve this matter the Technical University (TU) Braunschweig introduced “Sag’s uns” (ger. Tell us), a blog where students can write their ideas, praises and complaints related to their field of study. In this way, Sag’s uns even can be seen as a new way of corporate communications for universities. This paper focuses on how students are engaged in university processes in order to establish a democratic basic.
Does cerebral hypoxia facilitate central fatigue?

What is the topic of this review? This review addresses whether a mismatch between cerebral O2 demand and delivery accelerates the development of central fatigue during endurance‐type exercise. What advances does it highlight? The difficulty with studying the importance of cerebral O2 availability for exercise performance is to manipulate cerebral O2 availability independently of muscular O2 availability. The different approaches to overcome this limitation indicate that cerebral oxygenation is not a major limiting factor in normoxia, but may limit performance in submaximal exercise tasks in hypoxia.
Journal article content as a predictor of commitment to change among continuing medical education respondents

Background: Journal reading is a time‐tested means of continuing medical education (CME) among physicians. Asking physicians to make a written statement of commitment to change has been shown to increase the likelihood of eventual change in practice behavior when used in conjunction with CME lectures. We describe the type and medical content of articles responsible for commitment to change comments among readers of a large circulation primary care journal. Methods: Response to the question “what change(s) do you plan to make in your practice as a result of reading the articles in this issue? ” were analyzed from CME response cards associated with six issues (1 year's publication) of the Archives of Family Medicine. Responses indicating a commitment to change were analyzed to characterize the type and content of articles responsible for their generation. Results: During the 1‐year study period, original contributions (reports of research trials) dealing with medicine and preventive medicine content accounted for the greatest number of comments. After adjusting for the frequency of article type and content, special articles and those dealing with complementary medicine accounted for the highest number of comments on a per‐article basis. Findings: Family physicians make commitment to change statements on the basis of a broad range of journal articles. Certain articles are more likely to generate statements of commitment to planned changes in practice.
Infectious reproductive disease pathogens in dairy herd bulls.

OBJECTIVE Investigate the presence of infectious reproductive disease pathogens in dairy herd bulls in south-west Victoria, Australia, using a cross-sectional study. METHODS Dairy herd bulls from 32 herds were sampled for bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV: 256 bulls, 32 herds) prior to the natural mating period, bovine herpes virus-1 prior to (10 bulls, 5 herds) and after (118 bulls, 19 herds) the natural mating period, and for Campylobacter fetus spp. and Tritrichomonas foetus after the natural mating period (61 bulls, 7 herds). BVDV was detected from an ear-notch sample using a commercially available rapid assay ELISA, bovine herpes virus-1 and T. foetus were screened for by PCR from a penile swab and preputial sample respectively, and C. fetus spp. were screened for by culture of preputial samples. RESULTS None of the bulls tested positive for BVDV antigen. Campylobacter fetus venerealis (or C. fetus fetus) was cultured in 6.6% (4/61) of bulls, representing 2 of the 7 (28.6%) farms that were not vaccinating bulls against bovine genital campylobacteriosis. Bovine herpes virus-1 was identified in 7.8% (10/128) bulls sampled; T. foetus was not identified in any samples. CONCLUSION Bovine genital campylobacteriosis is present in south-western Victoria, despite longstanding recommendations to vaccinate bulls. Screening bulls for persistent infection with BVDV is probably justified, despite the absence of persistently infected bulls in this study. Further research is warranted to investigate the potential reproductive implications of BHV-1, and the presence of T. foetus.
Extensive genetic divergence associated with speciation in filamentous fungi.

Little is known about genetic differentiation during speciation in fungi. The Collybia dryophila complex (Basidiomycetes: Tricholomataceae) contains several closely related groups of fungi at various levels of evolutionary divergence. Mating compatibility studies show there are several intersterile groups within the complex, three of which are distributed over two or more continents. Genetic relationships among five intersterility groups were compared by the method of DNA.DNA hybridization. Clustering techniques were used to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships of these fungi. Genic identity based on DNA.DNA hybridization corresponds well with mating compatibility. Reduced genic identity was observed between geographically isolated populations of a single mating group. This evidence suggests an allopatric mode of evolution for the C. dryophila group. These results indicate extensive genic divergence is associated with the appearance of intersterility barriers in basidiomycetous fungi. The levels of divergence observed in these and in other fungi are significantly higher than that observed in many other eukaryotes, and this suggests that the rate of molecular or morphological evolution in fungi may differ from that found in other organisms.
Quality of life of Nepali patients with ear disease before and after corrective surgery

Hearing impairment is a significant burden in the developing world. However, no suitable quality of life (QoL) measures exist for use in Nepal. We aimed to amend and translate the Glasgow Health Status Inventory (GHSI), assessing QoL at any given time, and the Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI), assessing change in QoL following intervention, into Nepali and to assess the impact of ear disease and effect of surgery on QoL.
Identification of APC gene mutations in colorectal cancer using universal microarray‐based combinatorial sequencing‐by‐hybridization

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal dominant inherited form of colorectal cancer, caused mostly by mutations in the APC gene. Due to the wide variety of mutations found and the large size of the APC gene, several methods of mutation detection are used, which can be time consuming and costly. Here we demonstrate a new method of mutation detection in the APC gene using an array‐based approach termed combinatorial sequencing‐by‐hybridization (cSBH). In cSBH, a universal probe set is attached to a support and a second one is in solution. Two‐probe ligation occurs when a DNA strand from the target PCR product consecutively anneals to both unlabeled array‐bound and solution‐phase dye‐labeled probe, creating all target‐complementary long‐labeled probes attached to the surface. A standard array reader scores fluorescent signals at each array position. Cell lines and patient DNA with known APC gene mutations were analyzed using a cSBH‐based HyChip™ product. Results show that this universal hexamer (6‐mer) chip can successfully detect a range of mutations. Results are very robust for a continuous readout of 3.6 kb from a PCR target, with 99.97% accuracy on a single HyChip™ slide. cSBH is a fast, cost‐efficient method for first stage mutation screening in the APC or any other gene. Hum Mutat 24:261–271, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.