Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expiratory muscle endurance in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: A reduction in expiratory muscle (ExM) endurance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may have clinically relevant implications. This study was carried out to evaluate ExM endurance in patients with COPD. Methods: Twenty three patients with COPD (FEV1 35 (14)% predicted) and 14 matched controls were studied. ExM endurance was assessed using a method based on the use of an expiratory threshold valve which includes two steps. In step 1 the load is progressively increased (50 g every 2 minutes) until task failure is reached, and the pressure generated against the highest tolerated load is defined as the maximal expiratory sustainable pressure (Pthmax). In step 2 subjects breathe against a submaximal constant load (80% of Pthmax) and the time elapsed until task failure is termed the expiratory endurance time (Tth80). In addition, the strength of peripheral muscles (handgrip, HGS) and respiratory muscles (maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures, Pimax and Pemax, respectively) was evaluated. Results: Patients with COPD had lower ExM strength and endurance than controls: Pemax 64 (19)% predicted v 84 (14)% predicted (mean difference 20%; 95% confidence intervals (CI) 14 to 39); Pthmax 52 (27) v 151 (46) cm H2O (mean difference 99, 95% CI 74 to 123); and Tth80 9.4 (6.3) v 14.2 (7.4) min (mean difference 4.8, 95% CI 1.0 to 10.4; p<0.01 for all). Interestingly, ExM endurance directly correlated with both the severity of airways obstruction (Pthmax with FEV1, r=0.794, p<0.01) and the reduction in strength observed in different muscle groups (Pthmax with HG, Pimax or Pemax, r=0.550, p<0.05; r=0.583, p<0.001; and r=0.584, p<0.001, respectively). Conclusions: ExM endurance is decreased in patients with COPD. This impairment is proportional to the severity of the disease and is associated with lower strength in different muscle groups. This suggests that systemic effects are implicated in the impairment observed in ExM function.
The environment : between theory and practice

Introduction PART I: WHY HASN'T ENVIRONMENTAL PHILOSOPHY HAD AN IMPACT ON POLICIES? 1. The social role of the philosopher and the philosophical role of society 2. Where philosophy meets politics: the concept of the environment PART II: PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT: FROM META-ETHICS TO POLITICAL THEORY 3. Is liberalism environment friendly? 4. The community of nature and the nature of community 5. Democracy and the environment: a radical theory of participation 6. Socialism and the environment. Summary: from theory to practice
Online Placement of Multi-Component Applications in Edge Computing Environments

Mobile edge computing is a new cloud computing paradigm, which makes use of small-sized edge clouds to provide real-time services to users. These mobile edge-clouds (MECs) are located in close proximity to users, thus enabling users to seamlessly access applications running on MECs. Due to the co-existence of the core (centralized) cloud, users, and one or multiple layers of MECs, an important problem is to decide where (on which computational entity) to place different components of an application. This problem, known as the application or workload placement problem, is notoriously hard, and therefore, heuristic algorithms without performance guarantees are generally employed in common practice, which may unknowingly suffer from poor performance as compared with the optimal solution. In this paper, we address the application placement problem and focus on developing algorithms with provable performance bounds. We model the user application as an application graph and the physical computing system as a physical graph, with resource demands/availabilities annotated on these graphs. We first consider the placement of a linear application graph and propose an algorithm for finding its optimal solution. Using this result, we then generalize the formulation and obtain online approximation algorithms with polynomial-logarithmic (poly-log) competitive ratio for tree application graph placement. We jointly consider node and link assignment, and incorporate multiple types of computational resources at nodes.
P Waves During Ectopic Atrial Rhythms in Man: A Study Utilizing Atrial Pacing with Fixed Electrodes

Threshold bipolar pacing was performed from one of 12 selected atrial sites with temporary implanted electrodes in 69 patients following open-heart surgery in order to study P wave polarity and morphology and the P-R interval during paced ectopic atrial rhythms. A negative P wave was recorded in lead I only with pacing the left atrium and only when pacing near the left pulmonary veins. A positive bifid P wave in V1 was recorded only with left atrial pacing and only when pacing was near the inferior pulmonary veins and coronary sinus. P wave polarity and morphology were otherwise of no use in localization of the origin of the impulse in these studies. The pacing stimulus to P wave interval was found to vary between 10 and 54 msec, making the duration of the P-R interval an unreliable indicator of the site of origin of the paced impulse. Although the relation of these paced rhythms to spontaneously occurring ectopic rhythms is unclear, the previously published criteria for localizing ectopic atrial rhythms are again demonstrated to be unreliable. P wave polarity and morphology and the P-R interval are of limited value in ascertaining the origin of ectopic atrial rhythms in man.
Arginine deprivation in KB cells: I. Effect on cell cycle progress

When exponentially growing KB cells were deprived of arginine, cell multiplication ceased after 12 h but viability was maintained throughout the experimental period (42-48 h). Although tritiated thymidine ([(3)H]TdR) incorporation into acid-insoluble material declined to 5 percent of the initial rate, the fraction of cells engaged in DNA synthesis, determined by autoradiography, remained constant throughout the starvation period and approximately equal to the synthesizing fraction in exponentially growing controls (40 percent). Continous [(3)H]TdR-labeling indicated that 80 percent of the arginine-starved cells incorporated (3)H at some time during a 48-h deprivation period. Thus, some cells ceased DNA synthesis, whereas some initially nonsynthesizing cells initiated DNA synthesis during starvation. Flow microfluorometric profiles of distribution of cellular DNA contents at the end of the starvation period indicated that essentially no cells had a 4c or G2 complement. If arginine was restored after 30 h of starvation, cultures resumed active, largely asynchronous division after a 16-h lag. Autoradiographs of metaphase figures from cultures continuously labeled with [(3)H]TdR after restoration indicated that all cells in the culture underwent DNA synthesis before dividing. It was concluded that the majority of cells in arginine-starved cultures are arrested in neither a normal G1 nor G2. It is proposed that for an exponential culture, i.e. from most positions in the cell cycle, inhibition of cell growth after arginine with withdrawal centers on the ability of cells to complete replication of their DNA.
The subiculum: a promising new target of deep brain stimulation for temporal lobe epilepsy, Investigation of closed-loop and open-loop high frequency stimulation of the subiculum in seizure and epilepsy models in rats

Brain-computer interface (BCI) converts neural activities into signals that control computer or other external devices. While BCI is conventionally used for people with disabilities, application of BCI has also been extended for therapeutic purposes such as treatment of epilepsy. A BCI in epilepsy consists of three components: input for signal acquisition, algorithms to distinguish seizures from non-seizure state (detection/ prediction) and output to deliver warning or therapies such as electrical stimulation to subjects. The current chapter first reviewed research on the application of BCI with stimulation output in animal and humans. Then we discussed three components of BCI from signal acquisition, algorithm and application of therapies, particularly with a highlight on important issues that are related to BCI performance such as early detection, optimal stimulation parameters, and patient-specific therapy. Brain computer interface for epilepsy treatment | 41
Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Policy and Practice : Decolonizing Community Contexts

This book provides a space in which struggles for indigenous knowledge within communities are articulated, valued, heard, and responded to. The volume takes change as its focus, yet acknowledges that the origins and significance of change are frequently found to be unsettling. Contributors explore different understandings of change that forge sustainable, inclusive and just communities and examine issues related to citizenship, resistance, peacemaking, critical literacies, and second chance opportunities. The authors seek to promote advocacy of change that recognises the importance of an informed engagement with cross-cultural issues in order to foreground those missing perspectives that are often marginalised, silenced, ignored or denied. All contributors are concerned with how the process of change can bridge the gap between social justice and exclusion and develop critical understandings of the implications of changing policy and practice for those within and working with the educational organisations and communities.
Human KIR2DL5 Is an Inhibitory Receptor Expressed on the Surface of NK and T Lymphocyte Subsets1

Human NK cells, by means of a repertoire of clonally distributed killer cell Ig-like receptors (KIR), survey the expression of individual self HLA class I molecules, which is often altered in infections and tumors. KIR2DL5 (CD158f) is the last identified KIR gene and, with KIR2DL4, constitutes a structurally divergent lineage conserved in different primate species. Research on KIR2DL5 has thus far been limited to its genetic aspects due to a lack of reagents to detect its product. We report here the identification and characterization of the receptor encoded by KIR2DL5 using a newly generated specific mAb that recognizes its most commonly expressed allele, KIR2DL5A*001. KIR2DL5 displays a variegated distribution on the surface of CD56dim NK cells. This contrasts with the expression pattern of its structural homolog KIR2DL4 (ubiquitous transcription, surface expression restricted to CD56bright NK cells) and resembles the profile of KIR recognizing classical HLA class I molecules. Like other MHC class I receptors, KIR2DL5 is also found in a variable proportion of T lymphocytes. KIR2DL5 is detected on the cell surface as a monomer of ∼60 kDa that, upon tyrosine phosphorylation, recruits the Src homology region 2-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase-2 and, to a lesser extent, Src homology region 2-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase-1. Ab-mediated cross-linking of KIR2DL5 inhibits NK cell cytotoxicity against murine FcR+ P815 cells. KIR2DL5 is thus an inhibitory receptor gathering a combination of genetic, structural, and functional features unique among KIR, which suggests that KIR2DL5 plays a specialized role in innate immunity.
Short Note Pn Travel-Time Tomography of the Paleo-Continental-Collision and Rifting Zone around Korea and Japan

A recent dense deployment of seismic stations in South Korea and Japan allows regional seismic imaging of the far-east Asian region that experienced con- tinental collisions and riftings. We perform seismic imaging based on a mantle- lid P-wave (Pn) travel-time tomography to exploit the tectonic imprints in the lithosphere. The average Pn velocity in the region is estimated to be 7:95 0:03 km=sec. The inverted Pn velocities illuminate the tectonic structures. High ve- locities of ∼8:15 km=sec are observed in the Precambrian massif regions, while low velocities of ∼7:8 km=sec are associated with the fold belt and sedimentary basin regions in the southern Korean Peninsula. The Pn velocity is estimated to be low in the backarc basins, including the Ulleung and the Yamato basins, while it is es- timated to be higher on the continental fragments, including the South Korea plateau and the Oki bank. The high-velocity structures along the Japanese Islands support the separation of the Japanese province from the Eurasia plate. The high-velocity anomaly along the east coast of the Korean Peninsula around the Hupo bank suggests intrusion and solidification of high-density material in the lower crust and mantle lid.
Antecedents and consequences of cost system design choices

The central topic of this dissertation is the antec edents and consequences of cost system design choices. This topic already has a long histo ry in the field of management accounting. In the second half of the 1980s, the design of cost sy tems regained much interest from both academics and practitioners. The internal and exter nal environment in which many firms operated, and thus the environment in which costing was undertaken, had undergone substantial change. Traditional cost systems were h avily criticized for not being sufficient anymore in this new environment, and an alternative cost system, activity-based costing (ABC), emerged. The fundamental characteristic of t his alternative cost system is its focus on activities performed by supporting units as the bas is for assigning these units’ costs to cost objects. ABC systems try to identify the causal rel ations between cost objects and the indirect costs they generate by measuring cost objects’ dema nd for supporting activities. Since its introduction in the literature, an overwhelming str eam of publications on ABC has developed, in which its benefits are strongly emphasized. Furt hermore, ABC has become a central topic in the management accounting textbooks, and consult ants have heavily promoted its use. One would therefore be inclined to believe that many fi rms by now would be using ABC. International surveys, however, repeatedly show tha t the percentage of firms that actually uses ABC is usually less than 20 percent. This has given rise to the so-called ABC paradox: the phenomenon that ABC, despite its clear theoretical benefits, is actually used by only a relatively small number of firms.
Therapeutic targeting of human hepatocyte growth factor with a single neutralizing monoclonal antibody reduces lung tumorigenesis

The hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/c-Met signaling pathway is involved in lung tumor growth and progression, and agents that target this pathway have clinical potential for lung cancer treatment. L2G7, a single potent anti-human HGF neutralizing monoclonal antibody, showed profound inhibition of human HGF-induced phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinase induction, wound healing, and invasion in lung tumor cells in vitro. Transgenic mice that overexpress human HGF in the airways were used to study the therapeutic efficacy of L2G7 for lung cancer prevention. Mice were treated with the tobacco carcinogen, nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone, over 4 weeks. Beginning at week 3, i.p. treatment with 100 μg L2G7 or isotype-matched antibody control, 5G8, was initiated and continued through week 15. The mean number of tumors per mouse in the L2G7-treated group was significantly lower than in the control group (1.58 versus 3.19; P = 0.0005). Proliferative index was decreased by 48% (P = 0.013) in tumors from L2G7-treated mice versus 5G8-treated mice, whereas extent of apoptosis was increased in these same tumors by 5-fold (P = 0.0013). Phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinase expression was also significantly decreased by 84% in tumors from L2G7-treated mice versus 5G8-treated mice (P = 0.0003). Tumors that arose in HGF transgenic animals despite L2G7 treatment were more likely to contain mutant K-ras, suggesting that targeting the HGF/c-Met pathway may not be as effective if downstream signaling is activated by a K-ras mutation. These preclinical results show that blocking the HGF/c-Met interaction with a single monoclonal antibody delivered systemically can have profound inhibitory effects on development of lung tumors. [Mol Cancer Ther 2008;7(7):1913–22]
Observability based parameter identifiability for biochemical reaction networks

In systems biology, models often contain a large number of unknown or only roughly known parameters that must be identified. This work examines the question of whether or not these parameters can in fact be estimated from available measurements. We consider identiflability of unknown parameters in biochemical reaction networks obtained from first-principles-modeling of metabolic and signal transduction networks. Such systems consist of continuous time, nonlinear differential equations. Several methods exist for answering the question of identiflability for such systems; many of which restate the question of identiflability as one of observability. We consider the application of such methods to a representative biological system: the NF-KB signal transduction pathway. It is shown that existing observability based strategies, which rely on finding an analytical solution, require significant simplifications to be applicable to systems biology problems which are often not feasible. For this reason, a new method based on the use of an 'empirical observability Gramian' for checking identifiability is proposed. This method is demonstrated through the use of a simple biological example.
Calibration of hydrophones based on reciprocity and time delay spectrometry

A brief survey is given of the calibration methods for hydrophones in the ultrasonic frequency range. The methods presently used in the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Braunschweig, West Germany, for hydrophone calibrations in the frequency range from 1 to 15 MHz are the primary subject of concern. These methods are the two-transducer reciprocity method for the calibration at discrete frequencies, the time-delay-spectrometry substitution method for quasifrequency continuous calibrations, and the two-transducer reciprocity method with time-delay spectrometry, also for quasi-frequency continuous calibration. Compared with the calibration at discrete frequencies, the expenditure of time for a calibration is considerably reduced in the case of the last-mentioned method. The influencing parameters which affect the evaluation of the measurement uncertainty are briefly discussed for the calibration methods applied at the PTB. <<ETX>>
Semantic Integration Research in the Database Community : A Brief Survey

Semantic integration has been a long-standing challenge for the database community. It has received steady attention over the past two decades, and has now become a prominent area of database research. In this article, we first review database applications that require semantic integration, and discuss the difficulties underlying the integration process. We then describe recent progress and identify open research issues. We will focus in particular on schema matching, a topic that has received much attention in the database community, but will also discuss data matching (e.g., tuple deduplication), and open issues beyond the match discovery context (e.g., reasoning with matches, match verification and repair, and reconciling inconsistent data values). For previous surveys of database research on semantic integration, see (Rahm & Bernstein 2001; Ouksel & Seth 1999; Batini, Lenzerini, & Navathe 1986).
Melatonin enhanced bexarotene efficacy in experimental mammary carcinogenesis.

The aim of this paper was to test lower, safe bexarotene dose administered alone and in combination with melatonin to improve its efficacy. Mammary carcinogenesis was induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea in female Sprague-Dawley rats, administered in two doses intraperitoneally between 42. -54. postnatal days and chemoprevention was initiated 7 days prior to first N-methyl-N-nitrosourea injection and lasted 15 weeks. Bexarotene, particularly in combination with melatonin decreased mammary tumor incidence and frequency with a shift from poorly to well differentiated carcinomas. Bexarotene alleviated glycaemia and liver/heart muscle glycogen concentration decreased as well as liver/thymus malondialdehyde increased in comparison with control group. The combination of bexarotene and melatonin is therefore beneficial in preventive-curative model of experimental mammary carcinogenesis and may be applied in oncological practice as such.
Crystal structure of the C2 fragment of streptococcal protein G in complex with the Fc domain of human IgG.

BACKGROUND Streptococcal protein G comprises two or three domains that bind to the constant Fc region of most mammalian immunoglobulin Gs (IgGs). Protein G is functionally related to staphylococcal protein A, with which it shares neither sequence nor structural homology. RESULTS To understand the competitive binding of these two proteins to the Fc region, the crystal structure of a single Ig-binding domain of streptococcal protein G was determined at 3.5 A resolution in complex with the Fc fragment of human IgG and compared with the structures of protein A:Fc and protein G:Fab complexes. Protein G binds to the interface between the second and third heavy chain constant domains of Fc, which is roughly the same binding site used by protein A. Protein G comprises one alpha-helix packed onto a four-stranded beta-sheet. Residues from protein G that are involved in binding are situated within the C-terminal part of the alpha-helix, the N-terminal part of the third beta-strand and the loop region connecting these two structural elements. The identified Fc-binding region of protein G agrees well with both biochemical and NMR spectroscopic data. However, the Fc-binding helices of protein G and protein A are not superimposable. CONCLUSIONS Protein G and protein A have developed different strategies for binding to Fc. The protein G:Fc complex involves mainly charged and polar contacts, whereas protein A and Fc are held together through non-specific hydrophobic interactions and a few polar interactions. Several residues of Fc are involved in both the protein G:Fc and the protein A:Fc interaction, which explains the competitive binding of the two proteins. The apparent differences in their Fc-binding activities result from additional unique interactions.
Brain2Image: Converting Brain Signals into Images

Reading the human mind has been a hot topic in the last decades, and recent research in neuroscience has found evidence on the possibility of decoding, from neuroimaging data, how the human brain works. At the same time, the recent rediscovery of deep learning combined to the large interest of scientific community on generative methods has enabled the generation of realistic images by learning a data distribution from noise. The quality of generated images increases when the input data conveys information on visual content of images. Leveraging on these recent trends, in this paper we present an approach for generating images using visually-evoked brain signals recorded through an electroencephalograph (EEG). More specifically, we recorded EEG data from several subjects while observing images on a screen and tried to regenerate the seen images. To achieve this goal, we developed a deep-learning framework consisting of an LSTM stacked with a generative method, which learns a more compact and noise-free representation of EEG data and employs it to generate the visual stimuli evoking specific brain responses. OurBrain2Image approach was trained and tested using EEG data from six subjects while they were looking at images from 40 ImageNet classes. As generative models, we compared variational autoencoders (VAE) and generative adversarial networks (GAN). The results show that, indeed, our approach is able to generate an image drawn from the same distribution of the shown images. Furthermore, GAN, despite generating less realistic images, show better performance than VAE, especially as concern sharpness. The obtained performance provides useful hints on the fact that EEG contains patterns related to visual content and that such patterns can be used to effectively generate images that are semantically coherent to the evoking visual stimuli.