Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electrocardiographic findings in a healthy biracial population. Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study Investigators.

It has been well documented that the prevalence of certain electrocardiographic (ECG) findings among individuals free of coronary heart disease (CHD) differs by race. However, it is not known whether these differences exist independently of CHD risk factors (e.g., hypertension). We examined the ECG tracings of 2,686 apparently healthy, middle-aged African-American and white men and women who participated in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study and were at low risk of CHD. Using the Minnesota Code, among men, 46% of African-Americans, but only 25% of whites, had a minor ECG finding (p < 0.001). In women, 32% of African-Americans and 23% of whites had a minor ECG finding (p < 0.01). Specifically, the age-adjusted prevalences of high-amplitude R wave, ST elevation, T-wave findings, and prolonged P-R interval were statistically significantly higher in African-Americans. As for continuous ECG measurements, the R wave in leads V5 and V6, the S wave in V1, the J-point amplitude in leads V2 and V5, the P-R interval, and the Cornell voltage (¿S V3¿ + R aVL) for left ventricular hypertrophy were all significantly greater in African-Americans than in whites. However, in both men and women, the heart rate corrected QT interval was shorter in African-Americans than in whites. All of these findings remained statistically significant after further adjustment for traditional CHD risk factors. These results suggest that racial differences in electrocardiograms may not be explained entirely by differences in established CHD risk factors, and because current diagnostic ECG criteria are largely based on data from middle-aged white men and women, race should be considered in the interpretation of ECG findings.
A multicriteria simulation optimization method for injection molding

Abstract Injection molding is the most important process for mass-producing plastic products. To help improve and facilitate the molding of plastic parts, advanced computer simulation tools have been developed. While modeling is complicated by itself, the difficulty of optimizing the injection molding process is that the performance measures involving the injection molding process usually show conflicting behaviors. Therefore, the best solution for one performance measure is usually not the best in some other performance measures. This paper introduces a simulation optimization method which considers multiple performance measures and is able to find a set of efficient solutions without having to evaluate a large number of simulations. The main components of the method are metamodeling, design of experiments, and data envelopment analysis. The method is illustrated and detailed here using a simple test example, and it is applied to a real injection molding case. The performance of the method using a different design of experiments is also discussed.
VEGF‐R blockade causes endothelial cell apoptosis, expansion of surviving CD34+ precursor cells and transdifferentiation to smooth muscle‐like and neuronal‐like cells

Severe pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by complex precapillary arteriolar lesions, which contain phenotypically altered smooth muscle (SM) and endothelial cells (EC). We have demonstrated that VEGF receptor blockade by SU5416 {3‐[(2,4‐dimethylpyrrol‐5‐yl)methylidenyl]‐indolin 2‐one} in combination with chronic hypoxia causes severe angioproliferative PH associated with arterial occlusion in rats. We postulate that endothelial‐mesenchymal transdifferentiation can take place in the occlusive lesions and that endothelium‐derived mesenchymal cells can further differentiate toward a SM phenotype. To examine this hypothesis, we incubated human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMVEC) with SU5416 and analyzed these cells utilizing quanti‐tative‐PCR, immunofluorescent staining and flow cytometry analysis. In vitro studies in HPMVEC demonstrated that SU5416 suppressed PGI2S gene expression while potently inducing COX‐2, VEGF, and TGF‐β1 expression;and caused transdifferentiation of mature vascular endothelial cells (defined by Dil‐ac‐LDL, Lectin and Factor VIII) to SM‐like (as defined by expression of α‐SM actin) “transitional” cells, coexpressing both endothelial and SM markers. SU5416 expanded the number of CD34 and/or c‐kit positive cells and caused transdifferentiation of CD34 positive cells but not negative cells. In conclusion, our data show that SU5416 generated a selection pressure that killed some EC and expanded progenitor‐like cells to transdiffer‐entiate to SM‐like and neuronal‐like cells. —Sakao, S. , Taraseviciene‐Stewart, L. , Cool, C. D. , Tada, Y. , Kasahara, Y. , Kurosu, K. , Tanabe, N. , Takiguchi, Y. , Tatsumi, K. , Kuriyama, T. , and Voelkel, N. F. VEGF‐R blockade causes endothelial cell apoptosis, expansion of surviving CD34+ precursor cells and transdifferentiation to smooth muscle‐like and neuronal‐like cells. FASEB J. 21, 3640–3652 (2007)
FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF NANOINDENTATION ON NANOLAMINATED MATERIALS

Nanoindentation is a widely used tool for probing the mechanical properties of materials at the nanoscale. The analysis of the load-displacement curve obtained from nanoindentation provides the hardness and elastic modulus of the material. While hardness is a useful parameter for comparing different alloys and understanding tribological behavior, yield strength is a more useful parameter for alloy design and application in general. The yield strength of a nanoindentation-tested material can be estimated by combining the hardness result with the Tabor factor. This approach is well-established for homogeneous and isotropic materials; however, the application of the approach to recently developed laminated nanocomposites requires a better understanding of the plasticity under nanoindentation. Due to the complicated stress state and the nonhomogeneous geometry of the nanolaminated structure, there is a need to employ numerical methods for this analysis. In this study, the mechanical behavior of a model system of nanolaminated Cu-Nb under nanoindentation was investigated, through modeling the test using finite element method. The force-controlled simulation provided the load-displacement curve that would be obtained from an actual experiment, and Oliver-Pharr method was employed to obtain the hardness of the nanocomposite. The results show that the rule-of-mixture is a good approximation for estimating the nanoindentation hardness of the composites, if the mechanical properties of the constituents are known.
The Preparation and Characterization of Fluorinated Graphene Oxide with Different Degrees of Oxidation

For many excellent graphene derivatives, tailoring the material properties is crucial to get a broader application. In the present work, a series of fluorinated graphene oxide (FGO) with various oxidation degree were synthesized using a modified Hummers method at different reaction temperatures. The structure and property of FGO were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infra-red spectra (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and Zeta potential analysis. The results indicate that the oxygen contents range from 5.61 % to 21.96 % in FGO can be tuned by altering the reaction temperatures. The oxygen in FGO is presented mainly in the form of epoxide and carboxyl groups. With increasing reaction temperature from 50 °C to 90 °C, the oxygen content in FGO decreases and thicker multilayered FGO is formed with lower dispersibility.
Characterization of Single and Double Inactivation Strains Reveals New Physiological Roles for Group 2 σ Factors in the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 68031[W]

Cyanobacteria are eubacteria that perform oxygenic photosynthesis like plants. The initiation of transcription, mediated by the RNA polymerase holoenzyme, is the main determinant of gene regulation in eubacteria. The σ factor of the RNA polymerase holoenzyme is responsible for the recognition of a promoter sequence. In the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, the primary σ factor, SigA, is essential for cell viability. The SigB, SigC, SigD, and SigE factors show significant sequence similarity with the SigA factor but are nonessential. In this study, we have used homology modeling to construct a three-dimensional model of Synechocystis RNA polymerase holoenzyme and all group 1 and 2 σ factors. According to the models, the overall three-dimensional structures of group 1 and 2 σ factors are similar, the SigB and SigD factors being the most similar ones. In addition, we have constructed a complete set of group 2 σ factor double inactivation strains, ΔsigBC, ΔsigBD, ΔsigBE, ΔsigCD, ΔsigCE, and ΔsigDE. All double mutants grow well under standard conditions, but differences are observed in stress conditions. The transition from lag phase to exponential growth is slow in the ΔsigBD strain, and all strains lacking the SigD factor were found to be sensitive to bright light. Furthermore, all group 2 σ factors were found to be involved in acclimation to salt- or sorbitol-induced osmotic stresses.
Acute Postoperative Negative Pressure Pulmonary Edema as Complication of Acute Airway Obstruction: Case Report

Acute postoperative negative pressure pulmonary edema (NPPE) is a respiratory complication due to acute airway obstruction (UAO) that occurs shortly after extubation of patients who underwent general anesthesia (incidence 0.05 to 0.1% ). Usually, this complication develops in healthy young patients, capable of generating high negative intrathoracic pressures(NIP), which is the catalyst in the pathophysiological cascade of acute pulmonary edema.Commonly presents as acute respiratory distress that requires immediate intervention. We report a case of postoperative NPPE occurred immediately after tracheal extubation in an adult patient, who underwent a minor elective orthopedic surgery under general anesthesia(GA). After extubation, UAO due to laryngospasm was observed and the patient started desaturating rapidely. Application of positive pressure via face mask ventilation (FiO2 100%) was unsuccessful in providing effective ventilation so we decided to reintubate the patient. Soon after reintubation, there were bilateral pulmonary rales and pink frothy secretion inside the tracheal tube, compatible with NPPE. Treatment was rapidly instituted with diuretic, corticosteroid and ventilator support with added PEEP. Pulmonary edema resolved completely near after 8 hours later without any complications in the intensive care unit.
Using Social Agents in Algorithm Animations A Case Study with Seal

Many computer science educators note that understanding and analyzing algorithms is difficult. During the last twenty years several systems have been created that use computerized visualizations of algorithms in order to help student understanding. While some positive results can be seen, several questions remain unsolved. One of these is how to ensure that the student correctly understands the visualization that was just viewed. Using artificial intelligence in computer aided education has been presented as an option, but its traditional uses are far from usable. I argue that the use of agent-based engineering can help solve the problem of combining artificial intelligence and computer aided instruction in order to answer the question of ensuring student understanding of algorithms. As proof of the concept I present a prototypical environment for algorithm animation called Seal. It is a student-driven algorithm animation environment with an instructor agent for student guidance. As a part of Seal’s development a DTD has been developed for use in representing algorithms in XML. The ACM Computing Classification System (1998 version): K.3. 2, I.2. 11, H.5. 1
Specific properties of supercritical fluids for fast and exothermic reactive systems

The development of new catalysts for propyne and propadiene (MAPD) hydrogenation is a complex process, because it is a fast reaction performed in gas-liquid-solid. Indeed, in these conditions, the hydrogen flux (G/L and L/S) transported to the reaction sites controls the overall reaction rate, particularly at pilot scale. To avoid this limitation, the MAPD selective hydrogenation was performed in single-phase, using a single pellet string reactor (SPSR) at high-pressure and supercritical conditions. For both conditions, the literature is scarce. Thus, the first step was to develop and validate a microfluidic experimental apparatus and a methodology based on “design of experiments”, in order to obtain PT miscibility diagrams and critical coordinates. These methods combined allowed a fast PT screening compared to conventional phase behavior cells, being around 5 times higher. In parallel, the SPSR was characterized by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for flow and mass transfer. It was shown that the hydrodynamic inside the reactor can be modeled as a plug flow reactor with low axial dispersion, and a LS mass transfer correlation was proposed. After the fluid and reactor characterization, the MAPD hydrogenation was performed at 303 K and from 20 to 120 bar. At these conditions, several parameters were tested, such as WHSV (weight hourly space velocity), pressure and solvent fraction. The results showed that high-pressure and supercritical conditions offer better reaction performance, which is due to the suppression of the gas-liquid limitation and to the diffusivity enhancements (more than 5 times faster than conventional conditions). With this thesis, it was possible, for the first time, to estimate the intrinsic kinetics parameters of a dense C3 cut mixture hydrogenation, allowing a deeper understanding of the involved mechanism. Thus, the use of unconventional conditions has opened a door to new forms of catalyst screening and new ways to study kinetics.
An 82-year-old woman with left upper lobe atelectasis. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

An 82-year-old woman was seen in the pulmonary clinic for complaints of shortness of breath and intermittent wheeze associated with cough productive of scanty white phlegm. This persisted despite treatment with an inhaled bronchodilator and two courses of antibiotics and prednisone that were prescribed by her primary care physician prior to evaluation in the pulmonary clinic. She was a lifelong nonsmoker with a medical history signifi cant only for a partial colectomy, secondary to two reportedly malignant polyps in her colon, 5 years previously. She did not require any additional treatment after the colectomy and was told that she did not require any follow-up. Physical examination was unremarkable at the time of initial evaluation in the pulmonary clinic. CBC count with differential, basic metabolic panel and hepatic panel was unremarkable. A chest radiograph showed atelectasis of the left upper lobe ( Figs 1A , 1B ), which was confi rmed on CT scan ( Figs 1C , 1D ). Flexible bronchoscopy performed the subsequent week revealed an endobronchial lesion in the left main-stem bronchus partially occluding the left upper lobe bronchus ( Fig. 2 ). Endobronchial biopsy specimens using forceps were sent for pathology, and bronchial brushings and washings were sent for cytology. The initial pathology revealed infi ltrative atypical lymphoid tissue that was highly suspicious for lymphoma, but more tissue was requested for a defi nitive diagnosis. The neoplastic cells stained positive for LCA and CD20 and negative for CD3, cytokeratins (AE 1:3, MAK-6), S-100 protein, and thyroid transcription factor-1 . The bronchial brushings also revealed atypical cells that were suspicious for malignancy ( Fig 3 ). In the interim, the patient’s lactate dehydrogenase level and a fl ow cytometric analysis of her peripheral blood revealed no evidence of an overt B-cell lymphop roliferative disorder or an acute myeloproliferative disorder. A PET-CT scan showed increased fl uorodeoxyglucose (FDG ) uptake in the area of the left main-stem bronchus, with increased soft tissue density tracking along this structure. Maximal standardized uptake value (SUV) was 17.1. There was also left hilar lymphadenopathy with hypermetabolic activity and SUV measuring 22.89, as well as bilateral subcentimeter pulmonary nodules that did not demonstrate increased FDG activity ( Fig 4 ). Flexible bronchoscopy was repeated to obtain more tissue, as well as to perform endobronchial ultrasoundguided transbronchial needle aspiration of the left hilar lymph node. Specimens were sent for fl ow cytometric analysis and pathology. Enough tissue was obtained for the pathologist to make a defi nitive diagnosis on this occasion, and additional fresh tissue was sent for fl ow cytometric analysis.
Spatial and Temporal Variability of Bank Erosion during the Period 1930–2016: Case Study—Kolubara River Basin (Serbia)

The fluvial process is characterized by an intense meandering riverbed. The aim of this study was to perform a reconstruction of the lateral migration of a 15 km length of an active meandering river during the period 1930–2016. River morphological changes were analyzed and quantified from cadastral maps and aerial photographs as well as by geodetic survey and GIS. Hydrological characteristics and extreme hydrological events were evaluated in relation to bank erosion rate. The rate of bank erosion was markedly different from the long-term studied meanders, just like in the short-term period. During the 87 years of observation (from 1930 to 2016), the length of the Kolubara River was enlarged by 3.44 km. The average migration rate of the Kolubara River for monitored meanders in the period 1930–2010 was 1.9 m·year−1, while in the period 2010–2016, the average migration rate was 3.3 m·year−1. The rate of bank erosion was more intensive across the entire short-term period than during the longer period, and the maximum annual rate of bank erosion during the period 2010–2016 varied between 0.3 and 11.5 m. It is very likely that in the period from 2010, frequent discharge variations and rapid change of its extreme values caused more intensive bank erosion. These research results will be valuable for river channel management, engineering (soft and hard engineering), and planning purposes (predicting changes in river channel form) in the Kolubara River Basin.
Permissive Effects of Oxygen on Cyclic AMP and Interleukin-1 Stimulation of Surfactant Protein A Gene Expression Are Mediated by Epigenetic Mechanisms

ABSTRACT Surfactant protein A (SP-A) is important for immune defense within the alveolus. Cyclic AMP (cAMP) stimulation of SP-A expression in lung type II cells is O2 dependent and mediated by increased phosphorylation and binding of thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1) to an upstream response element (TTF-1-binding element [TBE]). Interleukin-1 (IL-1) stimulation of SP-A expression is mediated by NF-κB (p65/p50) activation and increased binding to the TBE. In this study, we found that O2 also was permissive for IL-1 induction of SP-A expression and for cAMP and IL-1 stimulation of type II cell nuclear protein binding to the TBE. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation, we observed that when type II cells were cultured in 20% O2, cAMP and IL-1 stimulated the recruitment of TTF-1, p65, CBP, and steroid receptor coactivator 1 to the TBE region of the SP-A promoter and increased local acetylation of histone H3; these effects were prevented by hypoxia. Hypoxia markedly reduced global levels of CBP and acetylated histone H3 and increased the expression of histone deacetylases. Furthermore, hypoxia caused a global increase in histone H3 dimethylated on Lys9 and increased the association of dimethyl histone H3 with the SP-A promoter. These results, together with findings that the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A and the methyltransferase inhibitor 5′-deoxy(5′-methylthio)adenosine markedly enhanced SP-A expression in lung type II cells, suggest that increased O2 availability to type II cells late in gestation causes epigenetic changes that permit access of TTF-1 and NF-κB to the SP-A promoter. The binding of these transcription factors facilitates the recruitment of coactivators, resulting in the further opening of the chromatin structure and activation of SP-A transcription.
Inhibition of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling in PI3KR2-overexpressing colon cancer stem cells reduces tumor growth due to apoptosis

In sporadic colon cancer, colon cancer stem cells (CCSCs) initiate tumorigenesis and may contribute to late disease recurrences and metastases. We previously showed that aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity (as indicated by the ALDEFLUOR® assay) is an effective marker for highly enriching CCSCs for further evaluation. Here, we used comparative transcriptome and proteome approaches to identify signaling pathways overrepresented in the CCSC population. We found overexpression of several components of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway, including PI3KR2, a regulatory subunit of PI3K. LY294002, a PI3K inhibitor, defined the contribution of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in CCSCs. LY294002-treated CCSCs showed decreases in proliferation, sphere formation and self-renewal, in phosphorylation-dependent activation of Akt, and in expression of cyclin D1. Inhibition of PI3K in vivo reduced tumorigenicity, increased detection of cleaved caspase 3, an indicator of apoptosis, and elevated expression of the inflammatory chemokine, CXCL8. Collectively, these results indicate that PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling controls CCSC proliferation and CCSC survival, and suggests that it would be useful to develop therapeutic agents that target this signaling pathway.
Eigenvalue estimates for a three-dimensional magnetic Schrödinger operator

We consider a magnetic Schrödinger operator H = (−ih∇− ~ A) with the Dirichlet boundary conditions in an open set Ω ⊂ R, where h > 0 is a small parameter. We suppose that the minimal value b0 of the module | ~ B| of the vector magnetic field ~ B is strictly positive, and there exists a unique minimum point of | ~ B|, which is non-degenerate. The main result of the paper is upper estimates for the low-lying eigenvalues of the operator H in the semiclassical limit. We also prove the existence of an arbitrary large number of spectral gaps in the semiclassical limit in the corresponding periodic setting. 1. Preliminaries and main results 1.1. Main assumptions. We would like to analyze the asymptotic behavior, in the semiclassical regime, of the low-lying eigenvalues of the Dirichlet realization of the magnetic Schrödinger operator in an open set Ω in R: H = (hDX1 −A1(X)) + (hDX2 −A2(X)) + (hDX3 −A3(X)) , where ~ A = (A1, A2, A3) ∈ C(Ω̄,R) is a magnetic potential and h > 0 is a small parameter. We will denote the coordinates in R as X = (X1, X2, X3) = (x, y, z) . Let ~ B = rot ~ A = (B1, B2, B3) be the corresponding vector magnetic field: B1 = ∂A3 ∂y − ∂A2 ∂z , B2 = ∂A1 ∂z − ∂A3 ∂x , B3 = ∂A2 ∂x − ∂A1 ∂y . Put b0 = min{| ~ B(X)| : X ∈ Ω}. We assume that there exist a (connected) bounded domain Ω1 ⊂⊂ Ω and a constant ǫ0 > 0 such that (1.1) | ~ B(X)| ≥ b0 + ǫ0, x 6∈ Ω1 . We also assume that: (1.2) b0 > 0 , and that there exists a unique minimum X0 ∈ Ω such that | ~ B(X0)| = b0, which is non-degenerate: in some neighborhood of X0 (1.3) C|X −X0| ≤ | ~ B(X)| − b0 ≤ C|X −X0| . 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification. 35P20, 35J10, 47F05, 81Q10.