Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Calcium and bicarbonate ions mediate the inhibition of mast cell histamine release by Avène spa water

Abstract— Avène spa water (ASW) inhibits the histamine release induced in mast cells by substance P; the inhibition is reversed by EDTA and by EGTA. Calcium and magnesium ions, the major cations present in ASW, were experimented in simple saline solutions in the presence of various counter‐ions. Only calcium salts inhibited the peptidergic stimulation, with different potencies ruled by the nature of the counter‐anion (HCO3‐> Cl‐> SO24). On a Ca2+concentration basis, ASW was, however, more inhibitory, suggesting that other compounds present in ASW potentiate the effect of calcium.
A study on merging mechanisms of simple hopfield network models for building associative memory

We are in the era of artificial intelligence which is fulfilling the vision of ubiquitous intelligent machines and systems. Just like in us humans, the most critical elements for machine intelligence are those related to associative memory and recall. It is urgent to have a structure or model that can emulate humanlike associative memory and recall functionality. This research is aimed at building a model based on a hybrid of neural networks like Hopfield network, recursive neural network (Recursive NN), and recurrent neural network (Recurrent NN). In our study, a Hopfield network is used as a core element for learning associative relations among concepts or objects and the Hopfield matrix as a basic unit memory for association knowledge. Hopfield networks in a sequence are recursively merged by applying a Recursive NN and associative relations between concepts/objects nodes in two Hopfield networks are learned and their sequences of merging are kept in a Recurrent NN. When there is a stimulus, the model can retrieve its associative concepts or objects as its recall. This paper shows the feasibility of the proposed model with some case study and a proof of concept prototype.
Alteration of Cell Wall Composition Leads to Amphotericin B Resistance in Aspergillus flavus

An amphotericin B (AmB)‐resistant mutant was isolated from a wild‐type AmB‐susceptible strain of Aspergillus flavus by serial transfer of conidia on agar plates containing stepwise increased concentrations of AmB up to 100 μtg ml−1. The acquired resistance of my celia was specific for polyene‐antibiotics AmB, nystatin and trichomycin. Spheroplasts derived from the resistant mycelia were as susceptible to AmB as the wild‐type. Chemical analysis of the cell wall revealed that levels of alkali‐soluble and ‐insoluble glucans were significantly higher in the resistant mycelia as compared to those in the wild‐type. When resistant mycelia were treated with SDS, they adsorbed as much AmB as wild‐type mycelia. These results suggest that alterations in the cell wall components of mycelia, especially 1,3‐α‐glucan and protein complex in the outermost wall layer, lead to AmB resistance in A. flavus.
Strategies To Increase Alcohol Screening in Health Care Settings

Although health care settings offer an ideal opportunity for identifying people who are currently experiencing or are at risk for problems with alcohol, clinicians screen fewer than one-half of their patients for alcohol use disorders. The rate of alcohol screening may be increased, however, by applying strategies shown to promote the use of screening procedures for other medical problems, such as cancer. These strategies include group education (e.g., workshops or seminars), training given by respected colleagues (i.e., opinion leaders), performance feedback, educational outreach visits to individual physicians (i.e., academic detailing), and financial incentives or penalties. Using clinic-based system protocols (e.g., patient questionnaires) can help make the implementation of alcohol screening in clinical practice both efficient and effective. Although incorporating alcohol screening into other high-priority clinical activities and screening programs remains a challenge, routine alcohol screening as a standard of care for all patients is receiving increased acceptance.
The effects of dihydropyridine derivatives on force and Ca2+ current in frog skeletal muscle fibres.

1. The effects of dihydropyridine (DHP) derivatives on current through the slow Ca2+ channel and on isometric force were investigated in short toe muscle fibres of the frog (Rana temporaria). The experiments were performed under voltage‐clamp conditions with two flexible internal microelectrodes. 2. The non‐chiral DHP derivative nifedipine was used mainly because it allowed control measurements after the inactivation of the drug with UV light. 3. In a TEA sulphate solution containing 4 mM‐free Ca2+, nifedipine (1 microM) caused no relevant alterations in the time course of successive contractures induced by depolarizing steps to 0 mV of 3.5 min duration followed by a restoration time at ‐90 mV of 1.5 min. 4. When external Ca2+ was replaced by Mg2+, nifedipine caused a dose‐dependent shortening of contractures. The effect reached saturation at about 50% of shortening with 1‐5 microM‐nifedipine. In the absence of divalent cations and with Na+ being the only metallic cation in the solution, shortening became more pronounced and maximum force decreased. 5. The application of 2 microM‐nifedipine to a Ca2(+)‐free, Mg2(+)‐containing solution shifted the voltage dependence of force inactivation by 5‐10 mV to more negative potentials. 6. Force activation was facilitated by nifedipine. In the presence of 2 microM‐nifedipine in a Ca2(+)‐containing solution, threshold potentials (rheobase) as negative as ‐75 mV were measured under microscopical observation. UV irradiation shifted the threshold potential back to the normal value of about ‐50 mV. 7. The slow Ca2+ inward current was blocked almost completely by approximately 5 microM‐nifedipine, even when induced from negative holding potentials (‐90 to ‐120 mV), i.e. under conditions where normal phasic contractures could still be observed. 8. Nifedipine (0.8 microM) caused a shift of the voltage dependence of current inactivation (V0.5) by 4 mV from ‐26 to ‐30 mV and at negative holding potentials (‐90 mV), a reduction of maximum current by 35%. 9. The voltage dependence of current activation was not significantly altered by nifedipine (2 microM). 10. It is assumed that nifedipine binds with low affinity to the resting state of the DHP receptor (KD 0.8 microM) and with high affinity (KD 1 nM) to the inactivated and the active state (or to a precursor of this state). These assumptions could explain the relatively small shift of the inactivation curves (points 5 and 8) to more negative potentials and the facilitation of force activation (point 6).
The fate of the retained ovaries following radical hysterectomy.

UNLABELLED The authors studied the function of the preserved ovaries following radical hysterectomy in 65 patients with early stage cervical carcinoma. The ovaries were not displaced and fixed out of the pelvis. Squamous cell carcinoma was diagnosed in 91 cases and adenocarcinoma in 19 cases. Histologic studies of the 110 ovaries removed from 45 patients revealed no metastatic disease. None of the 65 women suffered from recurrent disease. Ovarian function was evaluated by: 1) the presence or absence of postmenopausal symptoms; 2) basal body temperature charts; 3) blood tests for FSH, LH, progesterone, and prolactin; and 4) evaluation of the cervical and vaginal epithelium (vaginal smears). The diagnosis of ovarian failure was based on high levels of FSH (> 30 U/L) on at least three occasions. Basal body temperature studied in 90 cycles of 25 patients revealed various curves indicating occasional anovulatory cycles and luteal-phase deficiency which were confirmed by low serum levels of progesterone. Serum prolactin levels were within the normal range in all cases. Ovarian failure was diagnosed in two instances. Both occurred within three years of radical hysterectomy. Three of the six patients experienced unilateral ovarian cyst formation following surgery, the other three had subsequent unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy at 6, 11, and 24 months after radical hysterectomy. CONCLUSIONS Preservation of the ovaries at the time of radical hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy does not seem to compromise patient care. Impaired function or failure of the retained ovaries, however, is not uncommon; close post-treatment surveillance is therefore important in terms not only of recurrent disease but of function of the ovaries as well.
Delay-based user association in heterogeneous networks with Backhaul

The Internet of things (IoT) as an important application of future communication networks puts a high premium on delay issues. Thus when IoT applications meet heterogeneous networks (HetNets) where macro cells are overlaid with small cells, some traditional problems need rethinking. In this paper, we investigate the delay-addressed association problem in two-tier HetNets considering different backhaul technologies. Specifically, millimeter wave and fiber links are used to provide high-capacity backhaul for small cells. We first formulate the user association problem to minimize the total delay which depends on the probability of successful transmission, the number of user terminals (UTs), and the number of base stations (BSs). And then two algorithms for active mode and mixed mode are proposed to minimize the network delay. Simulation results show that algorithms based on mutual selection between UTs and BSs have better performance than those based on distance. And algorithms for mixed modes have less delay than those for active mode when the number of BSs is large enough, compared to the number of UTs.
Exploring the Identity of Audit Committee Members of New Zealand Listed Companies

We focus on the attributes of audit committee members at an individual level through investigating their ; this approach represents a departure from the traditional approach of measuring their independence and financial expertise. The data revealed that there is a wide range of backgrounds and attributes identified by New Zealand audit committee members as being helpful in performing their responsibilities. Members&#8217; motivation and justification for serving on the audit committees played a significant role in verifying their identity salience in terms of being an audit committee member. Regulators and other corporate governance stakeholders may benefit from a further understanding of the reciprocal relationship between an audit committee mechanism and its members&#8217; identity salience.
Effects of equilibrium exchange on diffusion‐weighted NMR signals: The diffusigraphic “shutter‐speed”

A general picture is presented of the implications for diffusion‐weighted NMR signals of the parsimonious two‐site‐exchange (2SX) paradigm. In particular, it is shown that the diffusigraphic “shutter‐speed,” τ−1 ≡ |q2(DA – DB)|, is a useful concept. The “wave‐number” q has its standard definition (given in the text), and DA and DB are the apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) of molecules in the two “sites,” A and B, if there is no exchange between them. At low gradient strengths (center of q‐space), τ−1 is less than rate constants for intercompartmental water molecule exchange in most tissue cases. Thus, the exchange reaction appears fast. However, q is increased during the course of most experiments and, as it is, the shutter‐speed becomes “faster” and the exchange reaction, the kinetics of which do not change, appears to slow down. This causes a multiexponential behavior in the diffusion‐weighting dimension, b, which also has its standard definition. This picture is found to be in substantial agreement with a number of different experimental observations. It is applied here to literature 1H2O data from a yeast cell suspension and from the human and the rat brain. Since the equilibrium transcytolemmal water exchange reaction appears to be in the fast‐exchange‐limit at small b, the initial slope represents the weighted‐average of the ADCs of intra‐ and extracellular water. Of course, in tissue the former is in the significant majority. Furthermore, a consideration of reasonable values for the other 2SX parameters suggests that, for resting brain tissue, the intracellular water ADC may be larger than the extracellular water ADC. There are some independent inferences of this, which would have ramifications for many applications of diffusion‐weighted MRI. Magn Reson Med 49:450–458, 2003. Published 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Relation between Fucker Fusion Threshold and Retinal Positions

The critical flicker frequencies (CFF) were determined for various locations on the retina. Under the conditions in which pupil size varies little with target luminance and size for a retinal location, two findings were obtained. First, the relation between the CFF value and the retinal location depends basically upon the density distribution of the receptor cells (cones and rods) on the retina. Second, when a large test field is employed, the peripheral area shows a maximal CFF value. These characteristics are explicable in terms of the retinal structure and by assuming some functions for it.
Steps of the Acceptor Invasion Mechanism for HIV-1 Minus Strand Strong Stop Transfer*

Minus strand strong stop transfer is obligatory for completion of HIV-1 minus strand synthesis. We previously showed evidence for an acceptor invasion-initiated mechanism for minus strand transfer. In the present study, we examined the major acceptor invasion initiation site using a minus strand transfer system in vitro, containing the 97-nucleotide full-length R region. A series of DNA oligonucleotides complementary to different regions of the cDNA was designed to interfere with transfer. Oligomers covering the region around the base of the TAR hairpin were most effective in inhibiting transfer, suggesting that the hairpin base is a preferred site for acceptor invasion. The strong pausing of reverse transcriptase at the base of the TAR and the concomitant RNase H cleavages 10–19 nucleotides behind the pause site correlated with the location of the invasion site. Oligomers closer to the 5′-end of R also inhibited transfer, though less effectively, presumably by blocking strand exchange and branch migration. We propose that pausing of reverse transcriptase at the base of TAR increases RNase H cleavages, creating gaps for acceptor invasion and transfer initiation. Strand exchange then propagates by branch migration, displacing the fragmented donor RNA, including the fragment at the 5′ terminus. The primer terminus switches to the acceptor, completing the transfer. Nucleocapsid (NC) protein stimulated transfer efficiency by 5–7-fold. NC enhanced RNase H cleavages close to the TAR base, creating more effective invasion sites for efficient transfer. Most likely, NC also stimulates transfer by promoting strand exchange invasion and branch migration.
Effect of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) grain on growth performance of Cobb 500 broiler chickens

A total of 300 day old Cobb and 500 broiler chicks distributed randomly to 20 pens with 15 chicks each were allocated to 5 different dietary treatments with 4 replicates per treatment in order to evaluate the growth performances of Cobb 500 broiler chickens. A complete randomized design (CRD) was used. Cowpea inclusion levels were 0% (T1), 5% (T2), 10% (T3), 15% (T4) and 20% (T5). A partial budget analysis was done for the treatments. The results of the study revealed that crude protein, dry matter (DM) and the metabolisable energy content of cowpea grain were 25.76%, 89.94% and 3307.37 kcal/kg DM, respectively. Feed intake did not differ significantly (P>0.05) between treatments or inclusion levels. Starter phase ranged from 44 to 45.16 g/bird/day; finisher phase ranged from 113.9 to 117.20 g/bird/day; and the complete experimental period ranged from 83.78 to 85.88 g/bird/day. Daily body weight gains for the entire experimental period were 34.82, 34.27, 36.81, 35.74 and 33.08g (SEM=0.46) for T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 respectively. There was no significant (P>0.05) difference in growth performance for the complete experimental period. Mortality was at 5% for treatment T1 and T4, while for T2, T3, and T5, respectively, no mortality occurred. Partial budget analysis of the different treatments was calculated based on changes in total return. Change in total return was greater in T3 followed by T5, T4, T2 and marginal rate of return was greater in T3 (32.96) than in T2 (5.62), T5 (3.42) and T4 (2.4). This study indicate that inclusion of cowpea from 5 to 20% in the diet of broiler chickens have no adverse effect on growth performance and from the point of partial budget analysis, T3 (10% inclusion level) was the most profitable. Key words: Broiler, cowpea, inclusion level, performance, partial budget analysis.
Importance of eccentric actions in performance adaptations to resistance training.

The inability of the exercises presently used during space-flight to maintain muscle strength and mass may reflect the absence of eccentric (ecc) muscle actions. This study examined the importance of ecc actions in performance adaptations to resistance training. Middle-aged males performed 4-5 sets of 6-12 repetitions (rep) per set of the leg press and leg extension exercises 2 d each week for 19 weeks. Group CON/ECC (n = 9) performed each rep with concentric (con) and ecc actions, group CON (n = 8) with only con actions. Group CON/CON (n = 10) performed twice as many sets with only con actions. The resistance per set was selected to induce failure within the prescribed number of rep. Eight subjects did not train and served as controls. The increase in the three rep maximum (3RM) after training, in general, showed a hierarchy such that CON/ECC greater than CON/CON greater than CON. The differences (p less than 0.05) were: leg press 3RM with con and ecc actions, CON/ECC greater than CON/CON greater than CON (26 greater than 15 greater than 8%); leg press 3RM with only con actions, CON/ECC or CON/CON greater than CON (22 or 18 greater than 14%); and leg extension 3RM with con and ecc actions, CON/ECC greater than CON (29 greater than 16%). These differences (p less than 0.05) were still evident after 1 month of de-training. The results indicate that omission of ecc actions from resistance training compromises increases in strength, probably because intensity is not optimal. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A wearable hand gesture recognition device based on acoustic measurements at wrist

This paper investigates hand gesture recognition from acoustic measurements at wrist for the development of a low-cost wearable human-computer interaction (HCI) device. A prototype with 5 microphone sensors on human wrist is benchmarked in hand gesture recognition performance by identifying 36 gestures in American Sign Language (ASL). Three subjects were recruited to perform over 20 trials for each set of hand gestures, including 26 ASL alphabets and 10 ASL numbers. Ten features were extracted from the signal recorded by each sensor. Support Vector Machine (SVM), Decision Tree (DT), K-Nearest Neighbors (kNN), and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) were compared in classification performance. Among which, LDA offered the highest average classification accuracy above 80%. Based on these preliminary results, our proposed technique has exhibited a promising means for developing a low-cost HCI.
Comparison of Empiric Versus Whole-Body/-Blood Clearance Dosimetry–Based Approach to Radioactive Iodine Treatment in Patients with Metastases from Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

The optimal management of radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment in patients with metastatic thyroid cancer (TC) is still a matter of debate. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 352 patients with RAI-avid metastatic well-differentiated TC treated with 131I by an empiric fixed activity of 3.7 GBq at Gustave Roussy (GR, n = 231) or by personalized activity (2.7–18.6 GBq) based on whole-body/-blood clearance (WB/BC) dosimetry at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC, n = 121). The primary endpoint was to compare overall survival (OS) in the 2 groups of patients by log-rank test. Results: Patients received a median cumulative activity of 14.8 GBq at GR and 24.2 GBq at MSKCC (P < 0.0001). The median follow-up after the diagnosis of metastases was 7.2 y (0.4−31 y). Five-year OS was 86.8% and 78.8% for patients treated at GR and at MSKCC, respectively (P < 0.01). However, there was no statistical difference in OS after correction for sex, age at the diagnosis of distant metastases, metastases site, and metastases extension between the 2 centers (P = 0.16). OS at 5 y was 96% and 96% for patients younger than 40 y with micrometastases, 70% and 65% for patients older than 40 y with macrometastases or multiple metastases, and 92% and 87% for younger patients with macrometastases or older patients with micrometastases treated at GR and MSKCC, respectively (P = not significant). Conclusion: Routine use of WB/BC dosimetry without lesional dosimetry provided no OS advantage when compared with empiric fixed RAI activity in the management of thyroid cancer patients with RAI-avid distant metastases.
Intrathecal fentanyl for prevention of shivering in cesarean section.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this randomized double-blind study was to investigate whether 20 microg of intrathecally administered fentanyl would influence the incidence and severity of shivering in patients undergoing cesarean section. MATERIAL AND METHOD Sixty healthy patients scheduled for cesarean section under spinal anesthesia using 2.2 ml of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine with 0.2 ml of morphine 0.2 mg, were randomly allocated to receive an additional 0.4 ml of fentanyl 20 mg intrathecally (Group F) or normal saline 0.4 ml (Group S). RESULTS The incidence of shivering three hours after spinal anesthesia was 6 of 30 patients, 20% in Group F and 15 of 30 patients, 50% in Group S. The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Almost all of the shivering patients started in their first hour after spinal anesthesia (5 patients in Group F and 13 patients in Group S). None in Group F but 4 patients in Group S started shivering before their babies were delivered. The shivering score was also significantly lower in Group F (p < 0.05). Treatment for shivering was requested in 16% and 26% of the shivering patients in Group F and Group S, respectively. There was no difference in the incidence of pharmacologic side effects. The core temperature did not differ significantly between the groups during 3 hours after spinal anesthesia. CONCLUSION The addition of 20 microg fentanyl in 2.2 ml of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine with 0.2 ml of morphine 0.2 mg intrathecally can reduce the incidence and severity of intraoperative and postoperative shivering after spinal anesthesia for patients who were receiving cesarean section without increasing other side effects.