We present a neurocomputational model for auditory streaming, which is a prominent phenomenon of auditory scene analysis. The proposed model represents auditory scene analysis by oscillatory ...correlation, where a perceptual stream corresponds to a synchronized assembly of neural oscillators and different streams correspond to desynchronized oscillator assemblies. The underlying neural architecture is a two-dimensional network of relaxation oscillators with lateral excitation and global inhibition, where one dimension represents time and another dimension frequency. By employing dynamic connections along the frequency dimension and a random element in global inhibition, the proposed model produces a temporal coherence boundary and a fissure boundary that closely match those from the psychophysical data of auditory streaming. Several issues are discussed, including how to represent physical time and how to relate shifting synchronization to auditory attention.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
In this work, a nonconventional protein source of pea protein isolate (PPI) was filled with montmorillonite (MMT) and rectorite (REC) by solution intercalation respectively, and then the reinforced ...PPI-based nanocomposites were produced by hot press. The structure and interaction in the nanocomposites were investigated by FTIR, XRD, DSC, DMA, and pH and Zeta-potential tests whereas the reinforcing effect was verified by tensile test. Furthermore, the origin of enhancing mechanical performances and the effects of layered silicate structure were explored. Although the MMT with lower negative-charge surface and smaller apparent size of crude particles was easier to be exfoliated completely, the exfoliated REC nanoplatelets with more negative-charge could form stronger electrostatic interaction with positive-charge-rich domains of PPI molecules, and hence produced the highest strength in two series of nanocomposites. In this case, the newly formed hydrogen bonds and electrostatic interaction on the surface of silicate lamellas guaranteed the transferring of the stress to rigid layered silicates. The cooperative effect of newly formed physical interaction between layered silicates and PPI molecules as well as the spatial occupancy of intercalated agglomerates of layered silicates destroyed the original microphase structure of PPI matrix and cleaved the entanglements among PPI molecules. It was not in favor of enhancing the elongation and strength.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
In this 96-week, placebo-controlled trial, oral cladribine reduced relapse rates and lowered the risk of sustained disability in patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis. Patients who ...were treated with cladribine had large reductions in lymphocyte counts and more infections, including herpes zoster and one death from reactivation of tuberculosis.
Oral cladribine reduced relapse rates and lowered the risk of sustained disability in patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis. Patients had large reductions in lymphocyte counts and more infections, including herpes zoster and one death from reactivation of tuberculosis.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic and debilitating autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system, in which T and B cells are believed to play a major pathophysiological role.
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Treatment benefits and disease modification can be obtained with the currently approved parenteral immunomodulatory and immunosuppressant therapies: interferon beta, glatiramer acetate, mitoxantrone, and natalizumab. However, treatment responses are often less than complete, and concern regarding safety and side-effect profiles may limit the general use of these drugs. The need for parenteral administration may present relative or absolute barriers to access, limiting treatment adherence and long-term outcomes.
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Intracellular accumulation of the active . . .
Stereolithography can be used to produce physical models of the craniofacial skeleton from three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) data. The purpose of this study was to assess its accuracy for ...modeling osseous defects of the midface. Maxillary resections simulating unilateral maxillectomy (N = 3), bilateral maxillectomy (N = 3), and unilateral orbitomaxillectomy (N = 3) were performed as for sinus tumor resection on nine fresh cadaver skulls. Stereolithographic models (SLMs) were made from the specimen's CT data. The accuracy of SLMs was determined by comparing distances between key landmarks on the skulls and SLMs. Each SLM was grossly accurate with some loss of thin delicate structures. The mean differences in overall dimensions between the SLMs and skull specimens were 1.5 mm (range: 0-5.5 mm) for craniofacial measures, 1.2 mm (range: 0-4.8 mm) for skull base measures, 1.6 (range: 0-5.8 mm) for midface measures, 1.9 mm (range: 0-7.9 mm) for maxilla measures, and 1.5 mm (range: 0-5.7 mm) for orbital measures. The mean differences in defect dimensions were 1.9 mm (range: 0.1-5.7 mm) for unilateral maxillectomy, 0.8 mm (range: 0.2-1.5 mm) for bilateral maxillectomy, and 2.5 mm (range: 0.2-7.0 mm) for orbitomaxillectomy defects. Midface SLMs may be more prone to error than those of other craniofacial regions because of the presence of thin walls and small projections. Thus, one should consider designing midface bone replacements that are larger in critical dimensions than those predicted by preoperative modeling. These findings have important implications for the planning of current surgical methods as well as future applications of tissue-engineered bone replacement.
Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) are a source of mesenchymal stem cells with the potential to differentiate into several cell types. We ...initially isolated SHED cells and compared their osteogenic capacity with commercially available DPSCs. Both cells exhibited similar capacities of growth and osteogenic differentiation. A fourfold to sixfold increase in endogenous microRNA26a (miR26a) expression during osteogenic differentiation of preosteoblasts and a similar but attenuated increase (twofold to fourfold) in differentiating SHED was observed, suggesting a role in the process. We, therefore, overexpressed miR26a in SHED to determine if the osteogenic differentiation capacity can be potentiated
. SHED with a threefold increase in miR26a expression showed increased growth rate when compared with parent cells. When exposed to an osteogenic differentiating promoting medium, the miR26a overexpressing cells showed 100-fold increases in the expression of bone marker genes such as type 1 collagen, alkaline phosphatase, and Runx2. The mineralization capacity of these cells was also increased 15-fold. As miR26a targets regulate several bone-specific genes, we evaluated the effect of miR26a overexpression on established targets. We found a moderate decrease in SMAD1 and a profound decrease in PTEN expression. miR26a could potentiate its effect on osteoblast differentiation by its ability to inhibit PTEN and increase the viability of cells and their numbers, a process essential in osteoblast differentiation. Our studies suggest that the upregulation of miR26a can increase bone formation and may serve as an important target to further investigate its potential in tissue engineering applications.
Astragalus membranaceus is a widely used herbal medicine in Asia. It has been recognized as possessing various biological properties, however, studies on the activity of the A. membranaceus ...polysaccharide (AMP), a major component of A. membranaceus, on human peripheral blood dendritic cells (PBDCs) have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we found that AMP induced changes in dendritic morphology and the upregulation of activation marker expression and inflammatory cytokine production in human blood monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDCs). The AMP promoted the activation of both blood dendritic cell antigen 1+ (BDCA1+) and BDCA3+ PBDCs. AMP-induced secretion of cytokines in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was mainly due to PBDCs. Finally, activated BDCA1+ and BDCA3+ PBDCs by AMP elicited proliferation and activation of autologous T cells, respectively. Hence, these data demonstrated that AMPs could activate dendritic and T cells in human blood, and may provide a new direction for the application of AMPs in the regulation of human immunity.
•AMP induces activation of human monocyte-derived DCs.•AMP promotes maturation of BDCA1+ and BDCA3+ human peripheral blood DCs.•AMP-stimulated PBDCs elicit proliferation and activation of CD4 and CD8 T cells.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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