Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biodegradable polyester composites reinforced with short abaca fiber

The mechanical properties of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate- co-3-hydroxyvarelate) (PHBV) composites, reinforced with short abaca fibers prepared by melt mixing and subsequent injection molding, were investigated and compared with PHBV composites reinforced with glass fiber (GF). The influences of fiber length, fiber content, and surface treatment of the natural fiber on the mechanical properties were evaluated. Regarding fiber length, the tensile properties had a maximum at a fiber length of about 5 mm. The flexural properties of the PHBV/abaca composite were improved by the surface treatment of abaca with butyric anhydride and pyridine for 5 h because of the increase of interfacial adhesiveness between the matrix polyester and the surface-esterified fiber, as is obvious from the SEM micrographs. The flexural and tensile properties of PHBV/treated abaca composite were comparable to those of PHBV/GF composite, except for tensile modulus, compared with the same weight fraction of fiber. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 129–138, 2002
Clinical Significance of Pain at Hospital Discharge Following Traumatic Orthopedic Injury: General Health, Depression, and PTSD Outcomes at 1 Year

Objectives:The purpose of this study was to determine whether pain at hospital discharge is associated with general health and depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at 1 year following traumatic orthopedic injury. Materials and Methods:This study prospectively enrolled 213 patients, 19 to 86 years of age, admitted to an academic level 1 trauma center for surgical treatment of a traumatic lower-extremity or upper-extremity orthopedic injury. Pain at hospital discharge was measured with the Brief Pain Inventory. At 1-year follow-up, physical and mental health was assessed with the SF-12 and depressive and PTSD symptoms with the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), respectively. Cut-off scores of 10 on the PHQ-9 and 44 on the PCL-C classified patients as having depression or PTSD. Results:A total of 133 patients (62%) completed follow-up at 1 year. Responders and nonresponders did not differ significantly on baseline characteristics. Multivariable regression found that increased pain at discharge was significantly associated with depression (odds ratio=3.3; P<0.001) and PTSD (odds ratio=1.4; P=0.03) at 1 year, after controlling for age, education, injury severity score, and either depressive or PTSD symptoms at hospital discharge. Early postoperative pain was not a significant risk factor for long-term physical and mental health. Discussion:Findings highlight the importance of early screening for uncontrolled postoperative pain to identify patients at high risk for poor psychological outcomes and who could benefit from more aggressive pain management. Results suggest early interventions are needed to address pain severity in patients with orthopedic trauma.
Hepcidin, a key regulator of iron metabolism, is transcriptionally activated by p53

Hepcidin is an iron‐regulatory protein that is upregulated in response to increased iron or inflammatory stimuli. Hepcidin reduces serum iron and induces iron sequestration in the reticuloendothelial macrophages – the hallmark of anaemia of inflammation. Iron deprivation is used as a defense mechanism against infection, and it also has a beneficial effect on the control of cancer. The tumour‐suppressor p53 transcriptionally regulates genes involved in growth arrest, apoptosis and DNA repair, and perturbation of p53 pathways is a hallmark of the majority of human cancers. This study inspected a role of p53 in the transcriptional regulation of hepcidin. Based on preliminary bioinformatics analysis, we identified a putative p53 response‐element (p53RE) contained in the hepcidin gene (HAMP) promoter. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), reporter assays and a temperature sensitive p53 cell‐line system were used to demonstrate p53 binding and activation of the hepcidin promoter. p53 bound to hepcidin p53RE in vivo, andthis p53RE could confer p53‐dependent transcriptional activation. Activation of p53 increased hepcidin expression, while silencing of p53 resulted in decreased hepcidin expression in human hepatoma cells. Taken together, these results define HAMP as a novel transcriptional target of p53. We hypothesise that hepcidin upregulation by p53 is part of a defence mechanism against cancer, through iron deprivation. Hepcidin induction by p53 might be involved in the pathogenesis of anaemia accompanying cancer.
Biological and Genetic Aspects of Donor-Recipient Matching in HSCT

Bone marrow transplantation is a routine clinical activity offering salvage therapy in a number of hematological diseases and inborn errors. There are two obstacles that may delay or even postpone this curable treatment approach. The first is a lack of matched family donors, which affects up to 75% of patients. In this situation a search for unrelated donors, if successfully completed, makes this approach feasible. HLA genes of five loci (A, B, C, DR, and DQ) are currently considered as a basis for matching. Each day brings information of new alleles. Genetic typing can lead to detection of diversity at the single nucleotide level. It ensures that a level of matching is achieved resulting in transplant success rates similar to those seen among siblings sharing the same HLA genotype. While we wish to have a perfect match, also important is elapsing time during the search process, which is related to the presence in the patient of rare alleles and unusual B-C, DR-DQ associations. Having a primary typing of a patient we can predict the chance for a proper match. Each day new donors are recruited worldwide. Iterative searching must be applied in the latter situation. In some cases 6 or more potential donors are required to have a donor accepted by a clinician. Finally, a compromise must be reached between the aspiration of matching at the level of 10 alleles and the urgency of transplantation in patients suffering from relapsing disease. To facilitate the decision-making process, modern information technology must be at hand. The search process includes the complete donor pool which is screened for potential donors. The chosen potential donors must be activated for confirmatory typing which includes 5 loci specificities typed at the high resolution level with exchange of information between registries and the hospital iteratively coming to the optimal decision. The process must be reliable, safe, and transparent, and must operate efficiently in real time. The European Marrow Donor Information System (EMDIS), used in many countries worldwide, ensures fulfillment of the above requirements. The present volume illustrates the above points, supporting the rational basis for the decision-making process.
The Simulium damnosum complex in western Uganda and its role as a vector of Onchocerca volvulus

Summary The status of onchocerciasis vectors in the former Ruwenzori focus in western Uganda was re‐examined some 15 years after control measures against Simulium damnosum s.l. were suspended. The four cytoforms S. kilibanum, ‘Sebwe’, ‘Nkusi’ and S. pandanophilum were found. While the nonanthropophilic ‘Sebwe’ was still widely distributed in rivers north, east and south of the Ruwenzori, the only anthropophilic species and vector, S. kilibanum, had disappeared from most of its former habitats and was now restricted to two limited foci, where high biting densities were encountered. It was still a vector south of the Ruwenzori (Kasese focus), where 15.4% of the parous flies were infected with larval stages of Onchocerca volvulus and 34 infective larvae were found in the heads of 1000 parous flies. In the second focus along the Mahoma and Nsonge rivers, a chromosomally highly polymorphic population of S. kilibanum had replaced the former vector S. neavei, but does not act as a vector. Only 2.3% of the parous females were infected and just 1 infective larva was found in the heads of 1000 parous flies.
Chromatin loops are selectively anchored using scaffold/matrix-attachment regions

The biological significance of nuclear scaffold/matrix-attachment regions (S/MARs) remains a topic of long-standing interest. The key to understanding S/MAR behavior relies on determining the physical attributes of in vivo S/MARs and whether they serve as rigid or flexible chromatin loop anchors. To analyze S/MAR behavior, single and multiple copies of the S/MAR-containing constructs were introduced into various host genomes of transgenic mice and transfected cell lines. These in vivo integration events provided a system to study the association and integration patterns of each introduced S/MAR. By utilizing FISH to visualize directly the localization of S/MARs on the nuclear matrix or chromatin loop, we were able to assign specific attributes to the S/MAR. Surprisingly, when multiple-copy S/MARs were introduced they were selected and used as nuclear matrix anchors in a discriminatory manner, even though they all contained identical primary sequences. This selection process was probably mediated by S/MAR availability including binding strength and copy number, as reflected by the expression profiles and association of multi-copy tandem inserted constructs. Whereas S/MARs functioned as the mediators of loop attachment, they were used in a selective and dynamic fashion. Consequently, S/MAR anchors were necessary but not sufficient for chromatin loops to form. These observations reconcile many seemingly contradictory attributes previously associated with S/MARs.
Over-current relay model implementation for real time simulation & Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) validation

Digital microprocessor based relays are currently being utilized for safe, reliable and efficient operation of power systems. The overcurrent protection relay is the most extensively used component to safeguard power systems from the detrimental effects of faults. Wrong settings in overcurrent relay parameters can lead to false tripping or even bypassing fault conditions which can lead to a catastrophe. Therefore it is important to validate the settings of power protection equipment and to confirm its performance when subject to different fault conditions. This paper presents the modeling of an overcurrent relay in SimPowerSystems (MATLAB/Simulink). The overcurrent relay has the features of instantaneous, time definite and inverse definite minimum time (IDMT) characteristics. A power system is modeled in SimPowerSystems and this overcurrent relay model is incorporated in the test case. The overall model is then simulated in real-time using Opal-RT's eMEGAsim real-time simulator to analyze the relay's performance when subjected to faults and with different characteristic settings in the relay model. Finally Hardware-in-the-Loop validation of the model is done by using the overcurrent protection feature in Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Relay SEL-487E. The event reports generated by the SEL relays during Hardware-in-the-Loop testing are compared with the results obtained from the standalone testing and software model to validate the model.
The Coxsackievirus 2B Protein Suppresses Apoptotic Host Cell Responses by Manipulating Intracellular Ca2+ Homeostasis*

Enteroviruses, small cytolytic RNA viruses, confer an antiapoptotic state to infected cells in order to suppress infection-limiting apoptotic host cell responses. This antiapoptotic state also lends protection against cell death induced by metabolic inhibitors like actinomycin D and cycloheximide. The identity of the viral antiapoptotic protein and the underlying mechanism are unknown. Here, we provide evidence that the coxsackievirus 2B protein modulates apoptosis by manipulating intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis. Using fluorescent Ca2+ indicators and organelle-targeted aequorins, we demonstrate that ectopic expression of 2B in HeLa cells decreases the Ca2+ content of both the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi, resulting in down-regulation of Ca2+ signaling between these stores and the mitochondria, and increases the influx of extracellular Ca2+. In our studies of the physiological importance of the 2B-induced alterations in Ca2+ signaling, we found that the expression of 2B suppressed caspase activation and apoptotic cell death induced by various stimuli, including actinomycin D and cycloheximide. Mutants of 2B that were defective in reducing the Ca2+ content of the stores failed to suppress apoptosis. These data implicate a functional role of the perturbation of intracellular Ca2+ compartmentalization in the enteroviral strategy to suppress intrinsic apoptotic host cell responses. The putative down-regulation of an endoplasmic reticulum-dependent apoptotic pathway is discussed.
Comparison of Risk Factors and Disease Severity Between Old and Young Patients With Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Background Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) tends to relapse and develop complications. The aim of the study was to compare the risk factors and disease severity of GERD in young and old patients. Methods Data from patients with GERD were collected between January and November 2009. The enrolled cases were assigned to the younger group if they were below 65 years, or the elderly group if 65 years or older. The general demographic data, lifestyle characteristics and endoscopic findings of the two groups were compared. Results Among all enrolled 111 patients, 78 and 33 patients were classified in the younger and elderly groups, respectively. The elderly group had significantly more men than the younger group did (72.7% vs 39.7%, P = 0.001). Lower rates of smoking (3% vs 6.4%, P = 0.029) and tea drinking (21.3% vs 34.6%, P = 0.001) were noted in the elderly patients, but similar rates of alcohol and coffee drinking. There were more severe esophagitis, esophagocardiac junction (ECJ) ulcers (21.2% vs. 2.6%, P = 0.003) and hiatal hernia (36.4% vs 16.9%, P = 0.025) in the elderly group. Conclusion Elderly GERD patients were more likely to be male, and having severe esophagitis, but lower rates of cigarette smoking and tea drinking, than those of younger patients.
Choice of random rather than imprinted X inactivation in female embryonic stem cell-derived extra-embryonic cells

In female mammals, one of two X chromosomes is epigenetically inactivated for gene dosage compensation, known as X inactivation (Xi). Inactivation occurs randomly in either the paternal or maternal X chromosome in all embryonic cell lineages, designated as random Xi. By contrast, in extra-embryonic cell lineages, which are segregated from somatic cell lineages in pre-implantation development, the paternal X chromosome is selectively inactivated, known as imprinted Xi. Although it is speculated that erasure of the imprinted mark on either the maternal or paternal X chromosome in somatic cell lineages might change the mode of Xi from imprinted to random, it is not known when this event is completed in development. Here, we tested the mode of Xi during the differentiation of female mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of blastocyst-stage embryos toward trophectoderm (TE) and primitive endoderm (PrE) lineages induced by artificial activation of transcription factor genes Cdx2 and Gata6, respectively. We found that random Xi occurs in both TE and PrE cells. Moreover, cloned embryos generated by the transfer of nuclei from the female ES cells showed random Xi in TE, suggesting the complete erasure of all X imprints for imprinted Xi in ICM-derived ES cells.
Lower risk of urinary tract infection with low‐dose trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole compared to dapsone prophylaxis in older renal transplant patients on a rapid steroid‐withdrawal immunosuppression regimen

Giullian JA, Cavanaugh K, Schaefer H. Lower risk of urinary tract infection with low‐dose trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole compared to dapsone prophylaxis in older renal transplant patients on a rapid steroid‐withdrawal immunosuppression regimen. Clin Transplant 2009 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399‐0012.2009. 01129.x © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
The communication infrastructure during the learning process in web based collaborative learning systems

As people adopt lifelong learning as a key strategy to succeed in the modern knowledge society and conventional teaching styles of classroom lecturing are supplemented by computer-supported collaborative distance learning opportunities, traditional roles of learners and educators may change. The identification and meaning of actor roles and their embeddedness in social systems have a long tradition in social sciences [Freeman 2004; Simmel 1984]. In education sciences, learning is traditionally conceptualized as an adaptive knowledge construction process [Bruner and Piaget 2009]. This view has started to be extended by also taking the network structure and group dynamics during the interaction process of teachers and learners into account [Gergen 1985]. Based on this theoretical background, in this research teachers and students are examined by their embeddedness in different communication networks in macro and micro perspective in remote e-learning communities. By performing structural analysis on the relational data we identified the role structure of actors with three common communication roles, and five emergent network roles of actors as well as the relationship between network structure and learning processes. The results of the study put us in a position to describe the impact of actor positions for the communication behavior in the digital knowledge process in collaborative learning communities.
A comparative evaluation on the cleaning and shaping ability of three nickel titanium rotary instruments using computerized tomography - An ex vivo study

Introduction: Successful root canal treatment depends primarily on the removal of micro-organisms through chemo-mechanical instrumentation of the root canal system. This encompasses shaping by mechanical removal of the dentine and cleaning by chemical disinfection of microorganisms and dissolution of organic tissues from the root canal. While root canal shaping can be predictably and efficiently attained with advanced instrumentation technology, effective cleaning of the entire root canal system remains a challenge. Rotary nickel titanium instruments are known for their efficient preparation of root canal. This is mainly because of the super elasticity of the nickel titanium alloy which gives an increased flexibility and allows the instrument to efficiently follow the original path of root canal. The purpose of this study is to compare the cleaning efficiency and shaping ability of M two, K3, Race ni-ti rotary instruments during the preparation of curved canals in extracted molars. Materials and Methods: Thirty teeth with 18 mm as their working length were selected and divided into three groups of 10 teeth each Angle of curvature, Radius of curvature, was determined using computerized tomography. A Pre and Post-operative measurement of canal width and volume was recorded and compared using CT. The teeth was then sectioned into two halves and subjected to scanning electron microscope. Images were taken at the level of apical third, middle third and coronal third for debris and smear layer. Scoring was done separately for both debris and smear layer. Results: Results were tabulated and statistically analyzed to evaluate the shaping ability and cleaning efficiency. Instruments were examined for any deformation or fracture during canal preparation. Conclusion: M two showed greater enlargements in all the three levels, when compared its width and volume, with other two instruments. K3 was better than Race when compared among them. In the scanning electron microscope study for debris and smear layer M Two performed better followed by K3 and Race.
Occurrence of Lower Oligocene Mammal-Bearing Beds Near Death Valley, California.

It is a curious fact that while the White River deposits with their wealth of vertebrate fossils are widely distributed in the western Great Plains and occur also in certain of the intermontane basins of the Cordilleran province, no horizon, recognized on the basis of land mammals as equivalent in time to the lower Oligocene or Titanotherium Zone, has been found beyond these areas on the North American continent. (1) All the more unusual does this fact seem when it is realized that since the definition of the White River Group by Hayden in 1862 and the early researches on the White River fossil vertebrates by Leidy, Cope and Marsh, field investigations in the Tertiary have progressed broadly and intensively over the Far West.
Slightly superexponential parameterized problems

A central problem in parameterized algorithms is to obtain algorithms with running time <i>f</i>(<i>k</i>) · <i>n</i><sup><i>O</i>(1)</sup> such that <i>f</i> is as slow growing function of the parameter <i>k</i> as possible. In particular, the first natural goal is to make <i>f</i>(<i>k</i>) single-exponential, that is, <i>c</i><sup><i>k</i></sup> for some constant <i>c</i>. This has led to the development of parameterized algorithms for various problems where <i>f</i>(<i>k</i>) appearing in their running time is of form 2<sup><i>O</i>(<i>k</i>)</sup>. However there are still plenty of problems where the "slightly superexponential" <i>f</i>(<i>k</i>) appearing in the best known running time has remained non single-exponential even after a lot of attempts to bring it down. A natural question to ask is whether the <i>f</i>(<i>k</i>) appearing in the running time of the best-known algorithms is optimal for any of these problems. In this paper, we examine parameterized problems where <i>f</i>(<i>k</i>) is <i>k</i><sup><i>O</i>(<i>k</i>)</sup> = 2<sup><i>O</i>(<i>k</i> log <i>k</i>)</sup> in the best known running time and for a number of such problems, we show that the dependence on <i>k</i> in the running time cannot be improved to single exponential. More precisely we prove following tight lower bounds, for three natural problems, arising from three different domains: • The pattern matching problem Closest String is known to be solvable in time 2<sup><i>O</i>(<i>d</i> log <i>d</i>)</sup> · <i>n</i><sup><i>O</i>(1)</sup> and 2<sup><i>O</i>(<i>d</i> log|Σ|)</sup> · <i>n</i><sup><i>O</i>(1)</sup>. We show that there is no 2<sup><i>o</i>(<i>d</i> log <i>d</i>)</sup> · n<sup><i>O</i>(1)</sup> and 2<sup><i>o</i>(<i>d</i>log|Σ|)</sup> · <i>n</i><sup><i>O</i>(1)</sup> time algorithm, unless Exponential Time Hypothesis (ETH) fails. • The graph embedding problem Distortion, that is, deciding whether a graph <i>G</i> has a metric embedding into the integers with distortion at most <i>d</i> can be done in time 2<sup><i>O</i>(<i>d</i> log <i>d</i>)</sup> · <i>n</i><sup><i>O</i>(1)</sup>. We show that there is no 2<sup><i>o</i>(<i>d</i> log <i>d</i>)</sup> · <i>n</i><sup><i>O</i>(1)</sup> time algorithm, unless ETH fails. • The Disjoint Paths problem can be solved in time in time 2<sup><i>O</i>(<i>w</i> log <i>w</i>)</sup> · <i>n</i><sup><i>O</i>(1)</sup> on graphs of treewidth at most <i>w</i>. We show that there is no 2<sup><i>o</i>(<i>w</i> log <i>w</i>)</sup> · <i>n</i><sup><i>O</i>(1)</sup> time algorithm, unless ETH fails. To obtain our result we first prove the lower bound for variants of basic problems: finding cliques, independent sets, and hitting sets. These artificially constrained variants form a good starting point for proving lower bounds on natural problems without any technical restrictions and could be of independent interest. We believe that many further results of this form can be obtained by using the framework of the current paper.