Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nurturing humanism through teaching palliative care

After many years of neglect by the medical establishment, the discipline of palliative medicine is finally moving into academic health centers (AHCs). While hospice programs have cared for dying patients in the community for years with little input from mainstream medicine, palliative care is gaining a foothold in AHCs, challenging these centers to integrate the hospice approach with biomedicine. The discipline of palliative care promises to be a rich source of learning and growth for physicians-in-training. Teaching about palliative care affirms two essential but vulnerable dimensions of the practice of medicine--the importance of relationship-centered care and the value of doctoring as a source of meaning and growth for physicians. In addition to fostering fundamental humanistic learning, palliative medicine is an excellent vehicle for teaching basic but often neglected clinical competencies, including pain and symptom control, communication, and working as part of a health care team. Because palliative care settings offer extraordinary learning opportunities, the authors recommend that clinical experiences in palliative care be integrated into the core curricula of all medical schools as well as appropriate residency programs.
Study on the Effect of Concentration and Temperature on Rheological Properties of Whole Barley Flour Suspension by Using Mitschka Method

Rheological behavior of cooked whole barley flour suspension (5–7 g/100 mL) was studied using Brookfield Digital Viscometer at four rpm (10, 20, 50 and 100), and for five temperatures (30, 35, 40, 45 and 50C). The suspension behaved as a shear-thinning fluid and the power law model could satisfactorily describe the relationship between shear rate and shear stress with flow behavior index in the range of 0.49–0.74. The consistency coefficient was in the range of 0.20–2.08 Pa·sn and it varied inversely with temperature following Arrhenius equation, while a power law model was suitable for its direct relationship with concentration. Practical Applications Barley is gaining importance in human food because of the presence of β-glucans having beneficial effects on health. The study embodied in the present work gives the idea of viscosity of whole barley flour suspension for different concentrations, temperatures and shear rates. Information on these parameters and a model relating them are important attributes required in preparation, quality control and equipment design for barley-based soups.
Sirolimus for solid organ transplantation in children

Abstract: Sirolimus represents a major advancement in the field of solid organ transplantation and is being used as a rescue agent for acute and chronic rejection as well as for primary immunosuppression with good graft outcome. Although initial studies with sirolimus were in adults, now significant data have accumulated on the role of sirolimus in pediatric solid organ transplantation. This article reviews the current status of sirolimus in pediatric transplantation.
Design of a Customized Pattern for Improving Color Constancy Across Camera and Illumination Changes

This paper adresses the problem of color constancy on a large image database acquired with varying digital cameras and lighting conditions. Automatic white balance control proposed by an available commercial camera is not sufficient to provide reproducible color classification. A device-independent color representation may be obtained by applying a chromatic adaptation transform, from a calibrated color checker pattern included in the field of view. Instead of using the standard Macbeth color checker, we suggest to select judicious colors to design a customized pattern from contextual information. A comparative study demonstrates that this approach insures a stronger constancy of the interesting colors before the vision control.
Floorplanning for throughput

Large Systems-on-Chip (SoC) in advanced technologies run at such high frequencies that the time-of-flight of signals connecting two distant pins in the layout can be higher than the clock period. In order to avoid performance penalties wires are pipelined using latches. However the throughput of the system may be altered due to the presence of loops in the logic netlist. In this paper we address the problem of floorplanning a large design with interconnect pipelining and inserting throughput in the cost function of the floorplanning algorithm. The throughput results obtained on a series of benchmarks are then validated using a simple router that places flipflops along the nets built with an heuristical minimum rectilinear steiner tree.
Congruent and incongruent audiovisual cues to prominence

The current paper addresses the effect of auditory and visual information on the perception of accents. The research consists of two perception experiments in which we present video clips of recorded speakers as stimuli to listeners. The first experiment tests whether listeners can detect the accented syllable in a sequence of three nonsense syllables, which are presented to subjects in three conditions (audio+vision, vision alone, audio alone). The second experiment exploits so-called mixed stimuli, i.e., artificially constructed three-syllable utterances that have conflicting auditory and visual cues to accents. Results from these two studies confirm earlier findings that there are indeed visual cues to accents, but these appear to have weaker cue value than auditory information.
Carboxylesterase 1 Gene Duplication and mRNA Expression in Adipose Tissue Are Linked to Obesity and Metabolic Function

Context and Aims Carboxylesterase 1 (CES1) appears to play an important role in the control of the metabolism of triglycerides and cholesterol in adipocytes and other cell types including hepatocytes. Therefore, it is relevant to gain insights into the genetic versus non-genetic mechanisms involved in the control of CES1 mRNA expression. Here, we investigated CES1 mRNA expression level in adipose tissue and its association with measures of adiposity and metabolic function in a population of elderly twins. Furthermore, the heritability of CES1 mRNA expression level in adipose tissue and the effect of CES1 gene duplication were assessed. Methodology A total of 295 monozygotic and dizygotic twin subjects (62–83 years) with (n = 48) or without (n = 247) type 2 diabetes mellitus were enrolled in the study. They were subjected to a standard oral glucose tolerance test and excision of abdominal subcutaneous fat biopsies during the fasting state. Levels of CES1 mRNA and copy number of the gene were assessed by quantitative PCR. Results CES1 mRNA expression level in adipose tissue was positively associated with body-mass index (P<0.001), homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (P = 0.003) and level of fasting glucose (P = 0.002), insulin (P = 0.006), and triglycerides (P = 0.003). The heritability for the expression of CES1 mRNA in adipose tissue was high. CES1 gene duplication was positively associated with insulin sensitivity (P = 0.05) as well as glucose tolerance (P = 0.03) and negatively associated with homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (P = 0.02). Duplication of CES1 was not linked to mRNA level of this gene (P = 0.63). Conclusion CES1 mRNA in adipose tissue appears to be under strong genetic control and was associated with measures of metabolic function raising the possibility of a potential role of this enzyme in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Further studies are needed to understand the potential effect of CES1 gene duplication on adipocyte and whole-body metabolic functions.
FTO Variants Are Associated With Obesity in the Chinese and Malay Populations in Singapore

OBJECTIVE— Association between genetic variants at the FTO locus and obesity has been consistently observed in populations of European ancestry and inconsistently in non-Europeans. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of FTO variants on obesity and type 2 diabetes in Southeast Asian populations. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS— We examined associations between nine previously reported FTO single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and related traits in 4,298 participants (2,919 Chinese, 785 Malays, and 594 Asian Indians) from the 1998 Singapore National Health Survey (NHS98) and 2,996 Malays from the Singapore Malay Eye Study (SiMES). RESULTS— All nine SNPs exhibited strong linkage disequilibrium (r2 = 0.6–0.99), and minor alleles were associated with obesity in the same direction as previous studies with effect sizes ranging from 0.42 to 0.68 kg/m2 (P < 0.0001) in NHS98 Chinese, 0.65 to 0.91 kg/m2 (P < 0.02) in NHS98 Malays, and 0.52 to 0.64 kg/m2 (P < 0.0001) in SiMES Malays after adjustment for age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, and exercise. The variants were also associated with type 2 diabetes, though not after adjustment for BMI (with the exception of the SiMES Malays: odds ratio 1.17–1.22; P ≤ 0.026). CONCLUSIONS— FTO variants common among European populations are associated with obesity in ethnic Chinese and Malays in Singapore. Our data do not support the hypothesis that differences in allele frequency or genetic architecture underlie the lack of association observed in some populations of Asian ancestry. Examination of gene-environment interactions involving variants at this locus may provide further insights into the role of FTO in the pathogenesis of human obesity and diabetes.
Adaptive Logarithmic Mapping For Displaying High Contrast Scenes

We propose a fast, high quality tone mapping technique to display high contrast images on devices with limited dynamicrange of luminance values. The method is based on logarithmic compression of luminance values, imitatingthe human response to light. A bias power function is introduced to adaptively vary logarithmic bases, resultingin good preservation of details and contrast. To improve contrast in dark areas, changes to the gamma correctionprocedure are proposed. Our adaptive logarithmic mapping technique is capable of producing perceptually tunedimages with high dynamic content and works at interactive speed. We demonstrate a successful application of ourtone mapping technique with a high dynamic range video player enabling to adjust optimal viewing conditions forany kind of display while taking into account user preference concerning brightness, contrast compression, anddetail reproduction.
Crop immunity against viruses: outcomes and future challenges

Viruses cause epidemics on all major cultures of agronomic importance, representing a serious threat to global food security. As strict intracellular pathogens, they cannot be controlled chemically and prophylactic measures consist mainly in the destruction of infected plants and excessive pesticide applications to limit the population of vector organisms. A powerful alternative frequently employed in agriculture relies on the use of crop genetic resistances, approach that depends on mechanisms governing plant–virus interactions. Hence, knowledge related to the molecular bases of viral infections and crop resistances is key to face viral attacks in fields. Over the past 80 years, great advances have been made on our understanding of plant immunity against viruses. Although most of the known natural resistance genes have long been dominant R genes (encoding NBS-LRR proteins), a vast number of crop recessive resistance genes were cloned in the last decade, emphasizing another evolutive strategy to block viruses. In addition, the discovery of RNA interference pathways highlighted a very efficient antiviral system targeting the infectious agent at the nucleic acid level. Insidiously, plant viruses evolve and often acquire the ability to overcome the resistances employed by breeders. The development of efficient and durable resistances able to withstand the extreme genetic plasticity of viruses therefore represents a major challenge for the coming years. This review aims at describing some of the most devastating diseases caused by viruses on crops and summarizes current knowledge about plant–virus interactions, focusing on resistance mechanisms that prevent or limit viral infection in plants. In addition, I will discuss the current outcomes of the actions employed to control viral diseases in fields and the future investigations that need to be undertaken to develop sustainable broad-spectrum crop resistances against viruses.
Molecular imaging based on x-ray fluorescent high-Z tracers

We propose a novel x-ray fluorescence imaging setup for the in vivo detection of high-Z tracer distributions. The main novel aspect is the use of an analyzer-based, energy-resolved detection method together with a radial, scatter reducing collimator. The aim of this work is to show the feasibility of this method by measuring the Bragg reflected K-fluorescence signal of an iodine solution sample in a proof of principle experiment and to estimate the potential of the complete imaging setup using a Monte Carlo simulation, including a quantification of the minimal detectable tracer concentration for in vivo imaging. The proof of principle experiment shows that even for a small detector area of approximately 7 mm2, the collimated and Bragg reflected K-fluorescence signal of a sample containing an iodine solution with a concentration of 50 µg ml−1 can be detected. The Monte Carlo simulation also shows that the proposed x-ray fluorescence imaging setup has the potential to image distributions of high-Z tracers in vivo at a radiation dose of a few mGy and at tracer concentrations down to 1 µg ml−1 for iodine in small animals.
More Than Just Skin Deep? Personality Information Influences Men's Ratings of the Attractiveness of Women's Body Sizes

ABSTRACT This study examined the influence of personality information on perceptions of the physical attractiveness of a range of female body sizes. A sample of 2,157 male university students were randomly assigned to one of 10 groups in which they received personality information about women they were rating, or a control group in which they received no personality information. Controlling for participants' age and body mass index, results showed no significant between-group differences in the body size that participants found most attractive. However, participants provided with positive personality information perceived a wider range of body sizes as physically attractive compared with the control group, whereas participants provided with negative personality information perceived a narrower range of body sizes as attractive. Correlations showed that participants' own Extraversion was associated with their body size ratings. These results suggest that non-physical cues have an influence on the perception of physical beauty.
Shape memory alloy-based small crawling robots inspired by C. elegans

Inspired by its simple musculature, actuation and motion mechanisms, we have developed a small crawling robot that closely mimics the model organism of our choice: Caenorhabditis elegans. A thermal shape memory alloy (SMA) was selected as an actuator due to the similarities of its properties to C. elegans muscles. Based on the anatomy of C. elegans, a 12-unit robot was designed to generate a sinusoidal undulating motion. Each body unit consisting of a pair of SMA actuators is serially connected by rigid links with an embedded motion control circuit. A simple binary operation-based motion control mechanism was implemented using a microcontroller. The assembled robot can execute C. elegans-like motion with a 0.17 Hz undulation frequency. Its motion is comparable to that of a real worm.
Experimental Infection of Dogs with Leishmania and Saliva as a Model to Study Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis

Background Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis (CVL) is a zoonotic disease caused by Leishmania infantum, transmitted by the bite of Lutzomyia longipalpis sand flies. Dogs are the main domestic reservoir of the parasite. The establishment of an experimental model that partially reproduces natural infection in dogs is very important to test vaccine candidates, mainly regarding those that use salivary proteins from the vector and new therapeutical approaches. Methodology/Principal Findings In this report, we describe an experimental infection in dogs, using intradermal injection of Leishmania infantum plus salivary gland homogenate (SGH) of Lutzomyia longipalpis. Thirty-five dogs were infected with 1×107 parasites combined with five pairs of Lutzomyia longipalpis salivary glands and followed for 450 days after infection and clinical, immunological and parasitological parameters were evaluated. Two hundred and ten days after infection we observed that 31,4% of dogs did not display detectable levels of anti-Leishmania antibodies but all presented different numbers of parasites in the lymph nodes. Animals with a positive xenodiagnosis had at least 3,35×105 parasites in their lymph nodes. An increase of IFN-γ and IL-10 levels was detected during infection. Twenty two percent of dogs developed symptoms of CVL during infection. Conclusion The infection model described here shows some degree of similarity when compared with naturally infected dogs opening new perspectives for the study of CVL using an experimental model that employs the combination of parasites and sand fly saliva both present during natural transmission.
Reproductive Toxic effects of cisplatin and Its Modulation by the Antioxidant sodium 2-Mercaptoethanesulfonate (Mesna) in Female Rats

Study Objective: Chemical protection against cisplatin, which is a commonly used cancer chemotherapeutic agent, is not well defined. We tested the hypothesis that the antioxidant mesna might protect against the cisplatin-induced repoductive effects in female rats. Design & Setting: Adult female rats were injected with saline, cisplatin alone, or mesna + cisplatin, mated with males, and euthanized on gestational day 17. Patients: Animal Model. Interventions: The administration of either cisplatin or mesna + cisplatin (two injections one week apart, mesna 30 minute pretreatment) followed by mating one week after treatment. Main Outcomes Measured: The number corpora lutea, implantation and resorptions sites, viable and non-viable fetuses, fetal weights, and the level of progesterone per corpus luteum. Results: The administration of cisplatin caused an increase in pre- and post- implantation loss, an increase in the number of resorptions and a decrease in the number of viable fetuses. Mesna administered prior to cisplatin resulted in a decrease in the rate of the pre- and post implantation loss, along with a decrease in the number of resorptions and an increase in the number of live fetuses. Conclusions: Prior exposure to cisplatin caused significant adverse effects on fertility as evidenced by the decreased implantation due to increased fetal loss. The administration of mesna appeared to temper cisplatin damage by lessening the cisplatin effects on fetal resorption.
Förster resonance energy transfer photoacoustic microscopy

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) provides fluorescence signals sensitive to intra- and inter-molecular distances in the 1-10 nm range. Widely applied in the optical imaging environment, FRET enables visualization of physicochemical processes in molecular interactions and conformation changes. We reported photoacoustic imaging of FRET, based on non-radiative decay that produces heat and subsequent acoustic waves. The experimental results show that photoacoustic imaging offers better penetration into scattering biological tissue. Through its ability to three-dimensionally image tissue with scalable resolution, photoacoustic microscopy provides a beneficial biomedical tool to broaden the in vivo application of the FRET technique.
Using Graph Theory to Describe and Model Chromosome Aberrations

Abstract Sachs, R. K. , Arsuaga, J., Vázquez, M. , Hlatky, L. and Hahnfeldt, P. Using Graph Theory to Describe and Model Chromosome Aberrations. Radiat. Res. 158, 556–567 (2002). A comprehensive description of chromosome aberrations is introduced that is suitable for all cytogenetic protocols (e.g. solid staining, banding, FISH, mFISH, SKY, bar coding) and for mathematical analyses. “Aberration multigraphs” systematically characterize and interrelate three basic aberration elements: (1) the initial configuration of chromosome breaks; (2) the exchange process, whose cycle structure helps to describe aberration complexity; and (3) the final configuration of rearranged chromosomes, which determines the observed pattern but may contain cryptic misrejoinings in addition. New aberration classification methods and a far-reaching generalization of mPAINT descriptors, applicable to any protocol, emerge. The difficult problem of trying to infer actual exchange processes from cytogenetically observed final patterns is analyzed using computer algorithms, adaptations of known theorems on cubic graphs, and some new graph-theoretical constructs. Results include the following: (1) For a painting protocol, unambiguously inferring the occurrence of a high-order cycle requires a corresponding number of different colors; (2) cycle structure can be computed by a simple trick directly from mPAINT descriptors if the initial configuration has no more than one break per homologue pair; and (3) higher-order cycles are more frequent than the obligate cycle structure specifies. Aberration multigraphs are a powerful new way to describe, classify and quantitatively analyze radiation-induced chromosome aberrations. They pinpoint (but do not eliminate) the problem that, with present cytogenetic techniques, one observed pattern corresponds to many possible initial configurations and exchange processes.
Dynamic service evolution for open languages in the grid and service oriented architecture

Dynamic behavior is inherent in virtual organizations. Semantics has to be processed to manage dynamism and other properties like state, life cycle, faults, and others. In our paper we identify a gap between service interfaces and semantic for dynamic services to establish virtual organizations. We propose a novel approach called "dynamic service evolution" (DSE) to overcome this gap. A common language is needed to allow dynamic semantic information processing. The evolution of a language enables bilateral agreements between services and clients in an open process. We have applied our approach in N2Grid and present a prototype in this paper. N2Grid deploys artificial neural networks as virtual resources in a Grid. By the DSE we solve the problem, which no general standards (languages) for neural network representations exist.