Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Discogenic Origins of Spinal Instability

Study Design. Cadaveric motion segment experiment. Objective. To show how two physical aspects of disc degeneration (dehydration and endplate disruption) contribute to spinal instability. Summary of Background Data. The origins of spinal instability and its associations with back pain are uncertain. Methods. Twenty-one cadaveric thoracolumbar motion segments aged 48 to 90 years were secured in cups of dental plaster and loaded simultaneously in bending and compression to simulate full flexion, extension, and lateral bending movements. Vertebral movements, recorded using a two-dimensional “MacReflex” motion analysis system, were analyzed to calculate neutral zone (NZ), range of motion (ROM), bending stiffness (BS), horizontal translational movements, and the location of the center of rotation (COR). Intradiscal “stresses” were measured by pulling a miniature pressure transducer through the disc along its midsagittal diameter. All experiments were repeated after each of two treatments, which simulated physical aspects of disc degeneration: creep loading to dehydrate the disc and compressive overload to disrupt the endplate. Results were analyzed using ANOVA and linear regression. Results. Motion segment height was reduced by 1.0 (SD 0.3) mm during creep and by a further 1.7 (0.6) mm after endplate disruption. In flexion and lateral bending, the combined treatments increased NZ and ROM by 89% to 298%, and increased the “instability index” (NZ/ROM) by 43% to 61%. Translational movements increased by 58% to 86%, whereas BS decreased by 42% to 48%. In extension, ROM and NZ were little affected, although the COR moved closer to the apophyseal joints. Measures of instability increased most in lateral bending, and following endplate disruption. Stress concentrations in the posterior anulus fibrosus increased markedly after endplate disruption. Conclusions. Two physical aspects of disc degeneration (dehydration and endplate disruption) cause markedsegmental instability. Back pain associated with instability may be attributable to stress concentrations in degenerated discs.
Non-genomic actions of aldosterone: mechanisms and consequences in kidney cells.

Steroid-hormone action in the classical sense meansbindingto intracellular receptors, bindingof thehormone–receptorcomplextoDNAandactivationorrepression of transcription of target genes. However,all classes of steroid hormones can additionally actthroughnon-genomicmechanismsandtherebychangephysiological processes [1]. In contrast to genomicsteroid actions, these non-genomic effects are char-acterized with rapid onset and insensitivity towardsinhibitors of transcription and translation. Non-genomic effects of aldosterone on various targetorgans and cells have been described, i.e. vascularsmooth muscle cells and endothelial cells [2], skeletalmusclecells[3],lymphocytes[4],cardiacmyocytes[5],colonic epithelial cells [6] and kidney cells [7]. In theclassical target organ, the kidney, aldosterone stimu-lates Na
Molecular Detection and Species-Specific Identification of Medically Important Aspergillus Species by Real-Time PCR in Experimental Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis

ABSTRACT Diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) remains a major challenge to clinical microbiology laboratories. We developed rapid and sensitive quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays for genus- and species-specific identification of Aspergillus infections by use of TaqMan technology. In order to validate these assays and understand their potential diagnostic utility, we then performed a blinded study of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid specimens from well-characterized models of IPA with the four medically important species. A set of real-time qPCR primers and probes was developed by utilizing unique ITS1 regions for genus- and species-specific detection of the four most common medically important Aspergillus species (Aspergillus fumigatus, A. flavus, A. niger, and A. terreus). Pan-Aspergillus and species-specific qPCRs with BAL fluid were more sensitive than culture for detection of IPA caused by A. fumigatus in untreated (P < 0.0007) and treated (P ≤ 0.008) animals, respectively. For infections caused by A. terreus and A. niger, culture and PCR amplification from BAL fluid yielded similar sensitivities for untreated and treated animals. Pan-Aspergillus PCR was more sensitive than culture for detection of A. flavus in treated animals (P = 0.002). BAL fluid pan-Aspergillus and species-specific PCRs were comparable in sensitivity to BAL fluid galactomannan (GM) assay. The copy numbers from the qPCR assays correlated with quantitative cultures to determine the pulmonary residual fungal burdens in lung tissue. Pan-Aspergillus and species-specific qPCR assays may improve the rapid and accurate identification of IPA in immunocompromised patients.
Information, Randomness and Incompleteness - Papers on Algorithmic Information Theory; 2nd Edition

The papers gathered in this book were published over a period of more than twenty years in widely scattered journals. They led to the discovery of randomness in arithmetic which was presented in the recently published monograph on “Algorithmic Information Theory” by the author. There the strongest possible version of Godel's incompleteness theorem, using an information-theoretic approach based on the size of computer programs, was discussed. The present book is intended as a companion volume to the monograph and it will serve as a stimulus for work on complexity, randomness and unpredictability, in physics and biology as well as in metamathematics.
High frame rate Doppler echocardiography in the rat: an evaluation of the method.

AIMS In small animal models, two-dimensional (2D) and Doppler echocardiography should provide more information than M-mode, especially in animals with infarcted and distorted left ventricles, but has been limited by low frame rates and poor near field resolution. New, high frame rate echo-Doppler equipment with digital processing was tested for accuracy of measurements. METHODS AND RESULTS Fourteen normal Wistar rats (232-328 g) were examined under halothane anaesthesia. Pulsed Doppler recordings from both left ventricular outflow tract(LVOT) and right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) cor-responded well with simultaneous ultrasound transit time measurements of aortic flow (LVOT: v=0.99x+4.8, min R=0.93. Standard error of estimate (SEE)=8.3 ml x min(-1), and RVOT: v=0.97x -4.3. R=0.93. SEE =8.4 ml x min(-1). No systematic differences were observed over a flow range of 20-90 ml x min(-1). Left ventricular (LV) dimensions assessed by 2D parasternal long-axis and short-axis views were equal to M-mode measurements with LV diameter 6.6 + 0.44 mm, anterior wall 1.8 +/- 0.18 mm, and posterior wall 1.5 + 0.56 mm. Mean absolute difference 4.4-8.5%. Intra- and interobserver variability was 4.6 +/- 4.1% and 6.7 +/- 7.0% for Doppler measurements, and 4.3 +/- 3.8% and 3.8 +/- 4.6% for dimensions, respectively. CONCLUSION High frame rate Doppler echocardiography provides accurate non-invasive measurements of cardiac structure and function in the rat.
Formalizations of the retinex model and its variants with variational principles and partial differential equations

Abstract. Land and McCann introduced the retinex model as a computational theory of color vision. However, retinex details were described algorithmically rather than mathematically. Soon after the birth of retinex, Horn proposed a drastic simplification of the model, which, however, had the merit of being mathematically explicit and rigorous. As a consequence, at least two different interpretations of retinex appeared in the literature almost at the same time. This generated a lot of confusion about the name retinex that persists even now. The aim of this paper is to present an overview about the different interpretations and the corresponding mathematical formalizations of retinex in terms of variational principles and partial differential equations.
Estimation of the diesel exhaust exposures of railroad workers: II. National and historical exposures.

The diesel exhaust exposures of railroad workers in thirteen job groups from four railroads in the United States were used to estimate U.S. national average exposures with a linear statistical model which accounts for the significant variability in exposure caused by climate, the differences among railroads and the uneven distribution of railroad workers across climatic regions. Personal measurements of respirable particulate matter, adjusted to remove the contribution of cigarette smoke particles, were used as a marker for diesel exhaust. The estimated national means of adjusted respirable particulate matter (ARP) averaged 10 micrograms/m3 lower than the simple means for each job group, reflecting the climatic differences between the northern railroads studied and the distribution of railroad workers nationally. Limited historical records, including some industrial hygiene data, were used to evaluate past diesel exhaust exposures, which were estimated to be approximately constant from the 1950's to 1983.
Accumulation of endogenous salicylic acid confers drought tolerance to Arabidopsis

We investigated stomatal phenotype and drought tolerance of Arabidopsis salicylic acid-accumulating mutants, acd6 and cpr5. In these mutants, the light-induced stomatal opening was impaired and the impairment of stomatal opening was restored by peroxidase inhibitors, salicylhydroxamic acid and azide. The acd6 and cpr5 mutant plants were more tolerant to drought stress than wild-type plants. Introduction of nahG gene into the acd6 and cpr5 mutants prevented the inhibition of stomatal opening and reduced the drought tolerance. Drought tolerance-related genes were more highly expressed in the cpr5 and acd6 mutant plants than in the wild-type plants. These results suggest that accumulation of salicylic acid improves drought tolerance through inhibition of light-induced stomatal opening in Arabidopsis.
Brain Blood Flow and Velocity

Objective. Because transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) is unable to measure arterial diameter, it remains unproven whether the changes in cerebral blood velocity it measures are representative of changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF). Our study was designed to compare velocity changes with flow changes measured by two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, perfusion MRI and arterial spin labeling (ASL), using flavanol‐rich cocoa to induce CBF changes in healthy volunteers. Methods. We enrolled 20 healthy volunteers aged 62 to 80 years (mean, 73 years). Each was studied at baseline and after drinking standardized servings of cocoa for 7 to 14 days. Results. Changes in middle cerebral artery (MCA) flow by TCD were significantly correlated with changes in perfusion assessed by gadolinium‐enhanced MRI (r = 0.63; P < .03). Measurements with ASL showed a stronger correlation with borderline significance. Conclusions. Changes in flow velocity in the MCA associated with drinking cocoa were highly correlated with changes in CBF measured by the two MRI techniques using the tracer gadolinium and ASL. These results validate Doppler measurements of CBF velocity as representative assessments of CBF.
MobisenseCar: A Mobile Crowd-Based Architecture for Data Acquisition and Processing in Vehicle-Based Sensing

The use of wireless technology via smartphone allows designing smartphone applications based on OBD-II for increasing environment sensing. However, uploading of vehicle’s diagnostics data via car driver’s tethered smart phone attests a long Internet latency when a large number of concurrent users use the remote mobile crowdsensing server application simultaneously, which increases the communication cost. The large volume of data would also challenge the traditional data processing framework. This paper studies design functionalities of mobile crowdsensing architecture applied to vehicle-based sensing for handling a huge amount of sensor data collected by those vehicle-based sensors equipped with a smart device connected to the OBD-II interface. The proposed MobiSenseCar uses Node.js, a web server architecture based on single-thread event loop approach and Apache Hive platform responsible for analyzing vehicle’s engine data. The Node.JS is 40% faster than the traditional web server side features thread-based approach. Experiment results show that MapReduce algorithm is highly scalable and optimized for distributed computing. With this mobile crowdsensing architecture it was possible to monitor information of car’s diagnostic system condition in real time, improving driving ability and protect the environment by reducing vehicle emissions.
Electroconvulsive Therapy in First-Episode Schizophrenia

Abstract: Knowledge about the efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on schizophrenia comes from chronic patients and little known on young, first-episode patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate short-term and long-term efficacy of ECT in patients with first-episode schizophrenia. In the first phase of the study, 90 hospitalized, first-episode patients with schizophrenia were enrolled; psychopathology was evaluated with Brief Psychiatric Research Scale (BPRS), Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS), and Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) on admission and discharge. Antipsychotics were first-line treatment for most of the patients, but medication for nonrespondent catatonic patients and patients who had violent behaviors were treated with ECT. The patients who met the remission criteria were intended to a 1-year follow-up after discharge. BPRS, SAPS, and SANS were monthly recorded during the follow-up. Differences in clinical characteristics, relapse, and rehospitalization rates were analyzed in patients with or without ECT treatment. Thirteen patients were treated with ECT. They were low educated and were more likely nonparanoid subtypes (catatonic, disorganized). The ECT group had higher BPRS scores on admission and their hospitalization period was longer than the antipsychotic group. On the contrary, BPRS and SAPS scores of the ECT group were lower at discharge. The ECT group presented shorter follow-up duration than the antipsychotic group during the follow-up period. In conclusion, the efficacy of ECT was very satisfactory in acute term in first-episode schizophrenia, but the same efficacy was not continuous during the 1-year follow-up.
THE PRESENT STATUS OF THE GERM‐CELL PROBLEM IN VERTEBRATES

(i) Morphological studies relating to the origin and differentiation of the definitive germ cells in vertebrates have, as indicated, resulted in conflicting views. In many instances two or more competent investigators who have studied the same form have reached different conclusions. (2) Some contend that the germ cells are set aside from the soma during the early stages of embryonic development, and that these alone serve as the progenitors of the functional sex cells. (3) Others recognize an early differentiation of sex cells but hold that these are supplemented by others produced from the somatic epithelium of the gonad in late embryonic or post‐embryonic stages. (4) Another group recognizes the early differentiated cells as germ cells but contend that these all degenerate and that the definitive ones are formed from the germinal epithelium. These degenerating germ cells are believed by certain authors to be a phylogenetic recapitulation of the condition in lower forms. (5) Finally, yet another group contends that the so‐called primordial germ cells are not germ cells at all but are enlarged cells in some stage of mitosis or in some specific metabolic phase. This group believes that all germ cells are derived from the somatic cells of the germinal epithelium. (6) Experimental work supports the view that the primordial germ cells, which are recognized early, are the progenitors of the definitive sex cells. When these primordial germ cells are prevented from reaching the site of the developing gonad the individual fails to develop sex cells, although a sterile gonad and its associated structures may develop. (7) I suggest that the observed proliferation of germ cells from the germinal epithelium, reported by numerous investigators, can be interpreted in another way by a thorough study of the enlarged germ cells in relation to the epithelium. It seems probable that the cells of the epithelium, which form functional sex elements, are not and never were a part of the mesothelial covering, but are cells which were segregated early, and are merely stored in the epithelium.
Immunodepression by Rowson-Parr Virus in Mice. I. Growth Curves of Rowson-Parr Virus and Immunological Relationships with Friend Virus

The growth curve of Rowson-Parr virus (RPV) was studied in the spleen of mice infected with RPV only and of mice infected with Friend virus (FV) preparations, which consist of a mixture of RPV and FV. In mice infected with FV preparations, RPV replicated to a higher titer than FV and attained higher levels than in singly infected mice. The chronic viremia of RPV-infected mice was found to coexist with circulating anti-RPV antibodies. These antibodies also neutralize FV and are probably responsible for the resistance against FV conferred to mice by prior infection with RPV.
Lectin typing of five medically important Candida species

Summary This study reports the patterns of agglutination of 93 clinical Candida isolates by 14 commercial lectins. The isolates were of the species Candida albicans (55), C. tropicalis (12), C. guilliermondii (10), C. glabrata (eight) and C. parapsilosis (eight). Hundred percent of isolates were agglutinated, at least, by a panel of three lectins: Canavalia ensiformis (ConA), Lens culinaris (LCA) and Pisum sativum (PSA), all of them with α‐d‐mannose specificity. In addition, another panel of three lectins could distinguish between C. glabrata, C. tropicalis and C. albicans. Lectin typing may be of potential value for taxonomic and epidemiological studies of yeasts in clinical laboratories.
Effects of fertilizer on inorganic soil N in East Africa maize systems: vertical distributions and temporal dynamics.

Fertilizer applications are poised to increase across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), but the fate of added nitrogen (N) is largely unknown. We measured vertical distributions and temporal variations of soil inorganic N following fertilizer application in two maize (Zea mays L.)-growing regions of contrasting soil type. Fertilizer trials were established on a clayey soil in Yala, Kenya, and on a sandy soil in Tumbi, Tanzania, with application rates of 0-200 kg N/ha/yr. Soil profiles were collected (0-400 cm) annually (for three years in Yala and two years in Tumbi) to examine changes in inorganic N pools. Topsoils (0-15 cm) were collected every 3-6 weeks to determine how precipitation and fertilizer management influenced plant-available soil N. Fertilizer management altered soil inorganic N, and there were large differences between sites that were consistent with differences in soil texture. Initial soil N pools were larger in Yala than Tumbi (240 vs. 79 kg/ha). Inorganic N pools did not change in Yala (277 kg/ha), but increased fourfold after cultivation and fertilization in Tumbi (371 kg/ha). Intra-annual variability in NO-3 -N concentrations (3-33 μg/g) in Tumbi topsoils strongly suggested that the sandier soils were prone to high leaching losses. Information on soil inorganic N pools and movement through soil profiles can h vulnerability of SSA croplands to N losses and determine best fertilizer management practices as N application rates increase. A better understanding of the vertical and temporal patterns of soil N pools improves our ability to predict the potential environmental effects of a dramatic increase in fertilizer application rates that will accompany the intensification of African croplands.
Activation of Antioxidative Enzymes Induced by Low-Dose-Rate Whole‐Body γ Irradiation: Adaptive Response in Terms of Initial DNA Damage

Abstract Otsuka, K. , Koana, T. , Tauchi, H. and Sakai, K. Activation of Antioxidative Enzymes Induced by Low-Dose-Rate Whole-Body γ Irradiation: Adaptive Response in Terms of Initial DNA Damage. Radiat. Res. 166, 474–478 (2006). An adaptive response induced by long-term low-dose-rate irradiation in mice was evaluated in terms of the amount of DNA damage in the spleen analyzed by a comet assay. C57BL/ 6N female mice were irradiated with 0.5 Gy of 137Cs γ rays at 1.2 mGy/h; thereafter, a challenge dose (0.4, 0.8 or 1.6 Gy) at a high dose rate was given. Less DNA damage was observed in the spleen cells of preirradiated mice than in those of mice that received the challenge dose only; an adaptive response in terms of DNA damage was induced by long-term low-dose-rate irradiation in mice. The gene expression of catalase and Mn-SOD was significantly increased in the spleen after 23 days of the low-dose-rate radiation (0.5 Gy). In addition, the enzymatic activity of catalase corresponded to the gene expression level; the increase in the activity was observed at day 23 (0.5 Gy). These results suggested that an enhancement of the antioxidative capacities played an important role in the reduction of initial DNA damage by low-dose-rate radiation.
Prevention of pelvic inflammatory disease by screening for cervical chlamydial infection.

BACKGROUND Chlamydia trachomatis is a frequent cause of pelvic inflammatory disease. However, there is little information from clinical studies about whether screening women for cervical chlamydial infection can reduce the incidence of this serious illness. METHODS We conducted a randomized, controlled trial to determine whether selective testing for cervical chlamydial infection prevented pelvic inflammatory disease. Women who were at high risk for disease were identified by means of a questionnaire mailed to all women enrollees in a health maintenance organization who were 18 to 34 years of age. Eligible respondents were randomly assigned to undergo testing for C. trachomatis or to receive usual care; both groups were followed for one year. Possible cases of pelvic inflammatory disease were identified through a variety of data bases and were confirmed by review of the women's medical records. We used an intention-to-screen analysis to compare the incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease in the two groups of women. RESULTS Of the 2607 eligible women, 1009 were randomly assigned to screening and 1598 to usual care. A total of 645 women in the screening group (64 percent) for chlamydia; 7 percent tested positive and were treated. At the end of the follow-up period, there had been 9 verified cases of pelvic inflammatory disease among the women in the screening group and 33 cases among the women receiving usual care (relative risk, 0.44; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.20 to 0.90). We found similar results when we used logistic-regression analysis to control for potentially confounding variables. CONCLUSIONS A strategy of identifying, testing, and treating women at increased risk for cervical chlamydial infection was associated with a reduced incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease.