2,367 research outputs found
Traditional Chinese Medicine Improves Activities of Daily Living in Parkinson's Disease
We evaluated the effects of a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), named Zeng-xiao An-shen Zhi-chan 2 (ZAZ2), on patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Among 115 patients with idiopathic PD enrolled (mean age, 64.7 ± 10.2 years old), 110 patients (M = 65, F = 45; mean age, 64.9 ± 10.7 years old) completed the study. Patients took either ZAZ2 (n = 59) or placebo granule (n = 56) in a blind manner for 13 weeks while maintaining other anti-Parkinson medications unchanged. All participants wore a motion logger, and we analyzed the power-law temporal autocorrelation of the motion logger records taken on 3 occasions (before, one week, and 13 weeks after the drug administration). Drug efficacy was evaluated with the conventional Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), as well as the power-law exponent α, which corresponds to the level of physical activity of the patients. ZAZ2 but not placebo granule improved the awake-sleep rhythm, the UPDRS Part II, Part II + III, and Part IV scores, and the α values. The results indicate that ZAZ2 improved activities of daily living (ADL) of parkinsonism and, thus, is a potentially suitable drug for long-term use
Towards Equitable Representation in Text-to-Image Synthesis Models with the Cross-Cultural Understanding Benchmark (CCUB) Dataset
It has been shown that accurate representation in media improves the
well-being of the people who consume it. By contrast, inaccurate
representations can negatively affect viewers and lead to harmful perceptions
of other cultures. To achieve inclusive representation in generated images, we
propose a culturally-aware priming approach for text-to-image synthesis using a
small but culturally curated dataset that we collected, known here as
Cross-Cultural Understanding Benchmark (CCUB) Dataset, to fight the bias
prevalent in giant datasets. Our proposed approach is comprised of two
fine-tuning techniques: (1) Adding visual context via fine-tuning a pre-trained
text-to-image synthesis model, Stable Diffusion, on the CCUB text-image pairs,
and (2) Adding semantic context via automated prompt engineering using the
fine-tuned large language model, GPT-3, trained on our CCUB culturally-aware
text data. CCUB dataset is curated and our approach is evaluated by people who
have a personal relationship with that particular culture. Our experiments
indicate that priming using both text and image is effective in improving the
cultural relevance and decreasing the offensiveness of generated images while
maintaining quality.Comment: Still on going wor
Discovery of four gravitational lensing systems by clusters in the SDSS DR6
We report the discovery of 4 strong gravitational lensing systems by visual
inspections of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey images of galaxy clusters in Data
Release 6 (SDSS DR6). Two of the four systems show Einstein rings while the
others show tangential giant arcs. These arcs or rings have large angular
separations (>8") from the bright central galaxies and show bluer color
compared with the red cluster galaxies. In addition, we found 5 probable and 4
possible lenses by galaxy clusters.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Added referenc
High-Dialysate-Glucose-Induced Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial-Mediated Apoptosis in Human Peritoneal Mesothelial Cells
Human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs) are a critical component of the peritoneal membrane and play a pivotal role in dialysis adequacy. Loss of HPMCs can contribute to complications in peritoneal dialysis. Compelling evidence has shown that high-dialysate glucose is a key factor causing functional changes and cell death in HPMCs. We investigated the mechanism of HPMC apoptosis induced by high-dialysate glucose, particularly the role of mitochondria in the maintenance of HPMCs. HPMCs were incubated at glucose concentrations of 5 mM, 84 mM, 138 mM, and 236 mM. Additionally, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) was used as an antioxidant to clarify the mechanism of high-dialysate-glucose-induced apoptosis. Exposing HPMCs to high-dialysate glucose resulted in substantial apoptosis with cytochrome c release, followed by caspase activation and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage. High-dialysate glucose induced excessive reactive oxygen species production and lipid peroxidation as well as oxidative damage to DNA. Mitochondrial fragmentation, multiple mitochondrial DNA deletions, and dissipation of the mitochondrial membrane potential were also observed. The mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death were suppressed using NAC. These results indicated that mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the main causes of high-dialysate-glucose-induced HPMC apoptosis
Low Radon Concentration Measurement with a Radon-Dissolved Liquid Scintillator Pilot Detector
We construct a high sensitivity radon pilot detector using liquid
scientillator dissolved radon for the CDEX rare-event searches program. The
CDEX-10 project employs a germanium detector array immersed in a massive liquid
nitrogen tank. However, radon emanated from the surface of the tank can
contribute background. As a result, radon contamination in the liquid nitrogen
tank must be regulated and monitored, which necessitates the use of a low-level
Rn measuring device. The radon-dissolved liquid scintillator (LS) detectors
utilizes cascade decay selections, yielding a unique signature. All background
events occurring in the LS, with regard to the system and co-efficiency of Rn
absorption, have been studied. Background activity is mearsured to be
59.818.4 Bq per 300 mL LS. Meanwhile, it shows that radon
concentration absorbed by LS will be saturated and is linearly related to radon
concentration in nitrogen gas. Furthermore, the co-efficiency factor can be
optimized by lowering temperature or raising pressure. Eventually the detection
limit for 222Rn in nitrogen gas is observed to be 9.6 mBq/m^3.Comment: 14 pages, 18 figure
Immunohistochemical localization of galectin-3 in the granulomatous lesions of paratuberculosis-infected bovine intestine
The presence of galectin-3 was immunohistochemically quantified in bovine intestines infected with paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) to determine whether galectin-3 was involved in the formation of granulation tissue associated with the disease. Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection was histochemically confirmed using Ziehl-Neelsen staining and molecularly diagnosed through rpoB DNA sequencing. Galectin-3 was detected in the majority of inflammatory cells, possibly macrophages, in the granulomatous lesions within affected tissues, including the ileum. These findings suggest that galectin-3 is associated with the formation of chronic granulation tissues in bovine paratuberculosis, probably through cell adhesion and anti-apoptosis mechanisms
Cornelia de Lange Syndrome with NIPBL Gene Mutation: A Case Report
Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS) is a multiple congenital anomaly characterized by distinctive facial features, upper limb malformations, growth and cognitive retardation. The diagnosis of the syndrome is based on the distinctive clinical features. The etiology is still not clear. Mutations in the sister chromatid cohesion factor genes NIPBL, SMC1A (also called SMC1L1) and SMC3 have been suggested as probable cause of this syndrome. We experienced a case of newborn with CdLS showing bushy eyebrows and synophrys, long curly eyelashes, long philtrum, downturned angles of the mouth and thin upper lips, cleft palate, micrognathia, excessive body hair, micromelia of both hands, flexion contracture of elbows and hypertonicity. We detected a NIPBL gene mutation in a present neonate with CdLS, the first report in Korea
Device-independent verification of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering
If the presence of entanglement could be certified in a device-independent
(DI) way, it is likely to provide various quantum information processing tasks
with unconditional security. Recently, it was shown that a DI protocol,
combining measurement-device-independent techniques with self-testing, is able
to verify all entangled states, however, it imposes demanding requirements on
its practical implementation. Here, we present a less-demanding protocol based
on Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering, which is achievable with current
technology. Particularly, we first establish a complete framework for DI
verification of EPR steering and show that all steerable states can be
verified. Then, we analyze the three-measurement setting case, allowing for
imperfections of self-testing. Finally, a four-photon experiment is implemented
to device-independently verify EPR steering and to further demonstrate that
even Bell local states can be faithfully verified. Our findings pave the way
for realistic applications of secure quantum information tasksComment: 6+8 pages; Comments are welcom
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