Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Radio observations of PSR B1259-63 through the 2004 periastron passage

We report here on extensive radio observations of the binary system containing PSR B1259-63 and the Be star SS 2883, made around the time of the 2004 periastron. This is the fourth periastron to have been observed in detail. As in previous observations, changes in the dispersion and rotation measures of the pulsar are detected over a period spanning 200 d. We show that the eclipse of the pulsed emission lasts from 16 d prior to periastron to 15 d after periastron and is consistent from one periastron to the next. We demonstrate that the timing solution proposed by Wang, Johnston & Manchester provides a good fit through the 2004 periastron. The light curve of the transient unpulsed radio emission is broadly similar from one periastron to the next. For this periastron, however, the light curve is strongly peaked post-periastron with rather little enhancement prior to periastron, in contrast to the 2000 periastron where the peak flux densities were more equal. These observations remain consistent with the interpretation that the pulsar passes through the dense circumstellar disc of the Be star just before and just after periastron. The observed differences from one periastron to the next can be ascribed to variations in the local disc density and magnetic field structure at the time the pulsar enters the disc.
Effects of moderate alcohol intake on fasting insulin and glucose concentrations and insulin sensitivity in postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial.

CONTEXT Epidemiologic data demonstrate that moderate alcohol intake is associated with improved insulin sensitivity in nondiabetic individuals. No controlled-diet studies have addressed the effects of daily moderate alcohol consumption on fasting insulin and glucose concentrations and insulin sensitivity. OBJECTIVE To determine whether daily consumption of low to moderate amounts of alcohol influences fasting insulin and glucose concentrations and insulin sensitivity in nondiabetic postmenopausal women. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Randomized controlled crossover trial of 63 healthy postmenopausal women, conducted at a clinical research center in Maryland between 1998 and 1999. INTERVENTIONS Participants were randomly assigned to consume 0, 15, or 30 g/d of alcohol for 8 weeks each as part of a controlled diet. All foods and beverages were provided during the intervention. An isocaloric beverage was provided in the 0-g/d arm. Energy intake was adjusted to maintain constant body weight. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Fasting insulin, triglyceride, and glucose concentrations, measured at the end of each dietary period; insulin sensitivity, estimated with a published index of glucose disposal rate corrected for fat-free mass based on fasting insulin and fasting triglyceride concentrations, compared among treatments with a mixed-model analysis of variance. RESULTS A complete set of plasma samples was collected and analyzed for 51 women who completed all diet treatments. Consumption of 30 g/d of alcohol compared with 0 g/d reduced fasting insulin concentration by 19.2% (P =.004) and triglyceride concentration by 10.3% (P =.001), and increased insulin sensitivity by 7.2% (P =.002). Normal-weight, overweight, and obese individuals responded similarly. Only fasting triglyceride concentration was significantly reduced when comparing 0 and 15 g/d of alcohol (7.8%; P =.03), and no difference was found between consumption of 15 and 30 g/d of alcohol; however, there was a significant linear trend (P =.001). Fasting glucose concentrations were not different across treatments. CONCLUSIONS Consumption of 30 g/d of alcohol (2 drinks per day) has beneficial effects on insulin and triglyceride concentrations and insulin sensitivity in nondiabetic postmenopausal women.
Microbiological Comparison of Surface Soil and Unsaturated Subsurface Soil from a Semiarid High Desert

Thirty-two chemoheterotrophic bacteria were isolated from unsaturated subsurface soil samples obtained from ca. 70 m below land surface in a high desert in southeastern Idaho. Most isolates were gram positive (84%) and strict aerobes (79%). Acridine orange direct counts of microbes in one subsurface sample showed lower numbers than similar counts performed on surface soils from the same location (ca. 5 × 105 versus 2 × 106 cells per g [dry weight] of soil), but higher numbers than those from plate counts performed on the subsurface material. Another sample taken from the same depth at another location showed no evidence of colonies under identical conditions. Soil analyses indicated that subsurface sediments versus surface soils were slightly alkaline (pH 7.9 versus 7.4), had a higher water content (25.7 versus 6.3%), and had lower organic carbon concentrations (0.05 to 0.17 versus 0.25% of soil dry weight). Analyses of biologically relevant gases from the unsaturated subsurface indicated an aerobic environment. As in other unsaturated soil environments, either a high proportion of bacteria in these subsurface sediments are not viable or they are incapable of growth on conventional media under aerobic conditions. The presence and numbers of bacteria in these deep sediments may be influenced by colonization opportunities afforded by periodic percolation of surface water through fractures in overlying strata.
CD 11 b activation suppresses TLR-dependent inflammation and autoimmunity in systemic lupus erythematosus

Genetic variations in the ITGAM gene (encoding CD11b) strongly associate with risk for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Here we have shown that 3 nonsynonymous ITGAM variants that produce defective CD11b associate with elevated levels of type I interferon (IFN-I) in lupus, suggesting a direct link between reduced CD11b activity and the chronically increased inflammatory status in patients. Treatment with the small-molecule CD11b agonist LA1 led to partial integrin activation, reduced IFN-I responses in WT but not CD11b-deficient mice, and protected lupus-prone MRL/Lpr mice from end-organ injury. CD11b activation reduced TLR-dependent proinflammatory signaling in leukocytes and suppressed IFN-I signaling via an AKT/FOXO3/IFN regulatory factor 3/7 pathway. TLRstimulated macrophages from CD11B SNP carriers showed increased basal expression of IFN regulatory factor 7 (IRF7) and IFN-b, as well as increased nuclear exclusion of FOXO3, which was suppressed by LA1-dependent activation of CD11b. This suggests that pharmacologic activation of CD11b could be a potential mechanism for developing SLE therapeutics. Research Article Autoimmunity Inflammation
Using Randomized Response for Differential Privacy Preserving Data Collection

This paper studies how to enforce differential privacy by using the randomized response in the data collection scenario. Given a client’s value, the randomized algorithm executed by the client reports to the untrusted server a perturbed value. The use of randomized response in surveys enables easy estimations of accurate population statistics while preserving the privacy of the individual respondents. We compare the randomized response with the standard Laplace mechanism which is based on query-output independent adding of Laplace noise. Our research starts from the simple case with one single binary attribute and extends to the general case with multiple polychotomous attributes. We measure utility preservation in terms of the mean squared error of the estimate for various calculations including individual value estimate, proportion estimate, and various derived statistics. We theoretically derive the explicit formula of the mean squared error of various derived statistics based on the randomized response theory and prove the randomized response outperforms the Laplace mechanism. We evaluate our algorithms on YesiWell database including sensitive biomarker data and social network relationships of patients. Empirical evaluation results show effectiveness of our proposed techniques. Especially the use of the randomized response for collecting data incurs fewer utility loss than the output perturbation when the sensitivity of functions is high.
The Service Configurator framework: an extensible architecture for dynamically configuring concurrent, multi-service network daemons

Developing extensible, robust, and efficient network daemons is a challenging task. The authors describe a daemon control framework consisting of automated tools and reusable components that simplify the task of developing, configuring, and reconfiguring concurrent, multi-service network daemons. These daemons contain multiple communication-related services that execute in one or more processes or threads. This framework uses object-oriented design techniques and C++ language features to enhance operating system mechanisms that provide inter-process communication, communication port demultiplexing, explicit dynamic linking, and concurrency. In addition to describing the object-oriented architecture of the daemon control framework, the authors also present an example that illustrates how the framework supports the development of network daemons whose services may be updated and extended without modifying, recompiling, relinking, or restarting existing daemons. <<ETX>>
Pathophysiology of myocardial hibernation. Implications for the use of dobutamine echocardiography to identify myocardial viability

Since the pioneering works of Tennant and Wiggers,1 it has been known that total ischaemia leads to a prompt cessation of contraction and eventually results in the appearance of cell damage and irreversible myocardial necrosis. Accordingly, in the minds of many cardiologists, the discovery of an abnormal regional contraction in a patient with coronary artery disease had long been equated with the presence of irreversible myocardial necrosis. However, with the advent of recanalisation treatment, evidence progressively accumulated that prolonged regional “ischaemic” dysfunction did not always arise from irreversible tissue damage and, to some extent, could be reversed by the restoration of blood flow.2-5 These observations have led to the speculation that chronically jeopardised myocardium, which is often referred to as “hibernating”,2-7 could spontaneously downgrade its contractile function and minimise its energy requirements to prevent the appearance of irreversible tissue damage.2 4 5 During the past decade, the pathophysiology of the hibernating myocardium has received considerable attention and has fostered the development of several new modalities aimed at predicting the return of left ventricular function after revascularisation. Among these modalities, dobutamine stress echocardiography8-24 has recently emerged as a safe, non-invasive, and accurate way of identifying viable myocardium. It is the purpose of this paper to review some of the more recent advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of chronic myocardial hibernation and the use of dobutamine echocardiography to identify viable myocardium. Emphasis will be placed on regional perfusion–contraction matching in both the experimental and the clinical setting, on the peculiar morphological changes that have been shown to occur in the hibernating myocardium, on the determinants of mechanical reversibility after restoration of adequate coronary patency, and on the presence of recruitable inotropic reserve. ### EXPERIMENTAL DATA The tight coupling between coronary flow, myocardial oxygen consumption, and contractile performance of …
Peroxisome proliferator ameliorates endothelial dysfunction in a murine model of hyperhomocysteinemia.

To test the hypothesis that endothelial dysfunction in hyperhomocysteinemia was due to increased levels of nitrotyrosine and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity in response to antagonism of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPAR-alpha), cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) -/+ mice were bred, tail tissue was analyzed for genotype by PCR, and tail vein blood was analyzed for homocysteine (Hcy) by spectrofluorometry. To induce PPAR-alpha, mice were administered 8 microg/ml of ciprofibrate (CF) and grouped: 1) wild type (WT), 2) WT + CF, 3) CBS, 4) CBS + CF (n = 6 in each group). In these four groups of mice, plasma Hcy was 3.0 +/- 0.2, 2.5 +/- 1.2, 15.2 +/- 2.6 (P < 0.05 compared with WT), 11.0 +/- 2.9 micromol/l. Mouse urinary protein was 110 +/- 11, 86 +/- 6, 179 +/- 13, 127 +/- 9 microg.day(-1). kg(-1) by Bio-Rad dye binding assay. Aortic nitrotyrosine was 0.099 +/- 0.012, 0.024 +/- 0.004, 0.132 +/- 0.024 (P < 0.01 compared with WT), 0.05 +/- 0.01 (scan unit) by Western analysis. MMP-2 activity was 0.053 +/- 0.010, 0.024 +/- 0.002, 0.039 +/- 0.009, 0.017 +/- 0.006 (scan unit) by zymography. MMP-9 was specifically induced in CBS -/+ mice and inhibited by CF treatment. Systolic blood pressure (SPB) was 90 +/- 2, 88 +/- 16, 104 +/- 8 (P < 0.05 compared with WT), 96 +/- 3 mmHg. Aortic wall stress [(SPB. radius(2)/wall thickness)/2(radius + wall thickness)] was 10.2 +/- 1.9, 9.7 +/- 0.2, 16.6 +/- 0.8 (P < 0.05 compared with WT), 13.1 +/- 2.1 dyn/cm(2). The results suggest that Hcy increased aortic wall stress by increasing nitrotyrosine and MMP-9 activity.
Linear processing and sum throughput in the multiuser MIMO downlink

We consider linear precoding and decoding in the downlink of a multiuser multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) system, wherein each user may receive more than one data stream. We propose several mean squared error (MSE) based criteria for joint transmit-receive optimization and establish a series of relationships linking these criteria to the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratios of individual data streams and the information theoretic channel capacity under linear minimum MSE decoding. In particular, we show that achieving the maximum sum throughput is equivalent to minimizing the product of MSE matrix determinants (PDetMSE). Since the PDetMSE minimization problem does not admit a computationally efficient solution, a simplified scalar version of the problem is considered that minimizes the product of mean squared errors (PMSE). An iterative algorithm is proposed to solve the PMSE problem, and is shown to provide near-optimal performance with greatly reduced computational complexity. Our simulations compare the achievable sum rates under linear precoding strategies to the sum capacity for the broadcast channel.
Evaluation of Speech Intelligibility and Sound Localization Abilities with Hearing Aids Using Binaural Wireless Technology

Wireless synchronization of the digital signal processing (DSP) features between two hearing aids in a bilateral hearing aid fitting is a fairly new technology. This technology is expected to preserve the differences in time and intensity between the two ears by co-ordinating the bilateral DSP features such as multichannel compression, noise reduction, and adaptive directionality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the benefits of wireless communication as implemented in two commercially available hearing aids. More specifically, this study measured speech intelligibility and sound localization abilities of normal hearing and hearing impaired listeners using bilateral hearing aids with wireless synchronization of multichannel Wide Dynamic Range Compression (WDRC). Twenty subjects participated; 8 had normal hearing and 12 had bilaterally symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss. Each individual completed the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT) and a sound localization test with two types of stimuli. No specific benefit from wireless WDRC synchronization was observed for the HINT; however, hearing impaired listeners had better localization with the wireless synchronization. Binaural wireless technology in hearing aids may improve localization abilities although the possible effect appears to be small at the initial fitting. With adaptation, the hearing aids with synchronized signal processing may lead to an improvement in localization and speech intelligibility. Further research is required to demonstrate the effect of adaptation to the hearing aids with synchronized signal processing on different aspects of auditory performance.
Platelet function in renal failure.

Abstract Study of the bleeding tendency in uremia in 26 subjects, 10 of whom were bleeding, showed platelet counts and plasma coagulation factors to be normal. There was a significant inverse correlation between the level of serum urea nitrogen and creatinine, and the adhesiveness of the platelets. Platelet adhesiveness was significantly lower in bleeding subjects than in those without bleeding. A prolonged bleeding time was more frequent in the group with bleeding. Abnormal prothrombin consumption was found only in bleeding subjects despite normal numbers of platelets and plasma coagulation factors. The ingestion of urea in 10 normal volunteers prolonged the bleeding time in five and decreased the platelet adhesiveness, which fell to pathologic levels, in eight. These observations suggest a direct effect of urea or one of its metabolites on platelet function and help define the bleeding defect of uremia.
Khat chewing amongst UK resident male Yemeni adults: an exploratory study.

AIM This cross sectional study recruited adult male Yemeni residents in Sheffield and Birmingham, UK, to assess their use of khat. METHODS Structured interviews were conducted in both areas during weekly khat chewing sessions. The data collected included socio-demographic characteristics, khat use, dependency on khat, psychological functioning of chewers (GHQ-12) and nicotine dependency. Patterns of khat use, dependency and psychological functioning were correlated with age and self-reported oral problems. RESULTS 75 khat chewing volunteers (mean age 40.75 years) were interviewed. Average age of starting khat chewing was 17 years. The weekly amount chewed ranged from 0.25-3.0 khat bundles. Older respondents were more likely to be frequent chewers (p<0.025). 39% were assessed as dependent on khat, which correlated with frequency of use (p<0.041) and being in debt (p<0.046). Khat chewing correlated with nicotine dependence (p< 0.014). Self-reported oral problems correlated with both nicotine (p<0.04) and khat dependence (p<0.001). 93% reported that khat chewing promoted excessive smoking and 12% that this practice had initiated their tobacco use. CONCLUSIONS Khat chewing creates dependency and correlates with tobacco smoking and nicotine dependence. Further research should investigate the correlations between khat and nicotine dependence. Development of a specific measure of khat dependence is recommended.
Some studies on tuberculosis in camel

SUMMARY A total of 704 camels at different abattoirs were investigated in this study by different techniques for diagnosis of tuberculosis (T.B.). These examined camels were divided into two groups, the first group with 569 camels which were kept in close contact with cattle and the second group with 135 camels were kept in close farm. Both groups were examined for the presence of tubercles like lesions in different organs. In 1 st group, tubercles granuloma could be detected in 25 camels mainly in lungs, lymph nodes and spleen. Eight camels of these group were reported as ELISA positive. By bacteriological examination of them, M. bovis could be isolated from 5 camels as well as typical histopathological lesions were observed which formed mainly of granulomatous reactions at different stages and milliary T. B. in 5 camels. On the other hand, in 2 nd group 4 camels was positive (+ ve) for granuloma formation and one positive (+ve) for ELISA while were negative for bacteriological and histopathological examination for T.B. We concluded that the incidence of camels infected with T.B. in Egypt is 0.7% and this incidence present among camels kept in close contact with cattle.
A Single-Electron Reducing Quinone Oxidoreductase Is Necessary to Induce Haustorium Development in the Root Parasitic Plant Triphysaria[C][W]

Single-electron reductions of host plant benzoquinones are catalyzed by a parasitic plant quinone oxidoreductase. This is one of the first steps in the haustorium development signal transduction pathway. Parasitic plants in the Orobanchaceae develop haustoria in response to contact with host roots or chemical haustoria-inducing factors. Experiments in this manuscript test the hypothesis that quinolic-inducing factors activate haustorium development via a signal mechanism initiated by redox cycling between quinone and hydroquinone states. Two cDNAs were previously isolated from roots of the parasitic plant Triphysaria versicolor that encode distinct quinone oxidoreductases. QR1 encodes a single-electron reducing NADPH quinone oxidoreductase similar to ζ-crystallin. The QR2 enzyme catalyzes two electron reductions typical of xenobiotic detoxification. QR1 and QR2 transcripts are upregulated in a primary response to chemical-inducing factors, but only QR1 was upregulated in response to host roots. RNA interference technology was used to reduce QR1 and QR2 transcripts in Triphysaria roots that were evaluated for their ability to form haustoria. There was a significant decrease in haustorium development in roots silenced for QR1 but not in roots silenced for QR2. The infrequent QR1 transgenic roots that did develop haustoria had levels of QR1 similar to those of nontransgenic roots. These experiments implicate QR1 as one of the earliest genes on the haustorium signal transduction pathway, encoding a quinone oxidoreductase necessary for the redox bioactivation of haustorial inducing factors.
A Video Database for the Development of Stereo-3D Post-Production Algorithms

This paper introduces a new database of freely available stereo-3D content designed to facilitate research in stereo post-production. It describes the structure and content of the database and provides some details about how the material was gathered. The database includes examples of many of the scenarios characteristic to broadcast footage. Material was gathered at different locations including a studio with controlled lighting and both indoor and outdoor on-location sites with more restricted lighting control. An intended consequence of gathering the material is that the database contains examples of degradations that would be commonly present in real-world scenarios. This paper describes one such artefact caused by uneven exposure in the stereo views, causing saturation in the over-exposed view. An algorithm is proposed that replaces the saturated data by interpolating data from the unsaturated view in the wavelet domain.
A Framework for Clinical Decision Making and Medical Experience Storing

Different models of Decision Support Systems (DSS) are used in medicine to help physicians in disease diagnosis, prognosis evaluation and therapy prescription. The DSS models rely on mathematical or computer theories. Each of them offers advantages and drawbacks. We propose a DSS system architecture which tries to integrate the different kinds of decision models and to use them to deal with the successive clinical decision steps. Besides, the decision process includes patient data, experts' knowledge, statistical and epidemiological data, experience. The Case Based Reasoning (CBR) approach is used to store and retrieve the previous clinical cases. The object case components are clustered, indexed and stored in an object data base. To sum up, we propose a framework for clinical decision making and experience storing based on the main DSS models. Each step of the decision process is supervised by a finite state automaton which triggers the appropriate module and knowledge or data sources. At last, we illustrate our approach through an example : the epilepsy diagnosis and therapy.