Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Definitions and Characteristics of Sodium Sensitivity and Blood Pressure Resistance

Sensitivity and resistance to the effects of sodium were evaluated in normotensive and hypertensive humans by two approaches. Blood pressure was measured after an intravenous infusion of 2 L of normal (0.9%) saline and after sodium and volume depletion induced by a low sodium diet and furosemide administration in 378 normal volunteers and 198 subjects with essential hypertension. Those in whom mean arterial blood pressure decreased by at least 10 mm Hg after sodium and volume depletion were considered sodium-sensitive, and those with a decrease of 5 mm Hg or less (including an increase in pressure) were considered sodium-resistant. The second study utilized the blood pressure response to modest dietary sodium restriction in 74 normotensive subjects to identify sodium sensitivity and resistance. In both studies the responses were heterogeneous. In the first study significantly more hypertensive subjects were sodium-sensitive, as compared with those in the normotensive group (p < 0.001). Plasma renin activity (low, normal, or high) did not predict sodium responses. In both groups sodium-sensitive individuals were significantly older (p < 0.001) and had lower baseline renin values than sodium-resistant subjects. Factors related to the change in mean arterial blood pressure after sodium and volume depletion included baseline pressure (r = −0.54, p < 0.001) and age (r = −0.16, p = 0.002 in the normotensive group; r = −0.28, p < 0.001 in the hypertensive group). The response to dietary sodium restriction was also correlated with baseline pressure (r = 0.61, p < 0.001) and the initial urinary sodium excretion (r = 0.27, p < 0.01). These two different studies demonstrate that sensitivity and resistance exist in normotensive as well as hypertensive subjects and that this phenomenon may be associated with the change in blood pressure with age.
Suppression of Complement Regulatory Proteins (CRPs) Exacerbates Experimental Autoimmune Anterior Uveitis (EAAU)1

This study was undertaken to explore the role of complement regulatory proteins (CRPs) in experimental autoimmune anterior uveitis (EAAU). We observed that the levels of CRPs, Crry and CD59, in the eyes of Lewis rats increased during EAAU and remained elevated when the disease resolved. The in vivo role of these CRPs in EAAU was explored using neutralizing mAbs, antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (AS-ODNs), and small interfering RNAs against rat Crry and CD59. Suppression of Crry in vivo at days 9, 14, or 19 by neutralizing mAb or AS-ODNs resulted in the early onset of disease, the exacerbation of intraocular inflammation, and delayed resolution. Suppression of CD59 was only effective when the Abs and ODNs were given before the onset of disease. The most profound effect on the disease was observed when a mixture of Crry and CD59 mAbs or AS-ODNs was administered. A similar effect was observed with a combination of Crry and CD59 small interfering RNA. There was no permanent histologic damage to ocular tissue after the inflammation cleared in these animals. Increased complement activation as determined by increased deposition of C3, C3 activation fragments, and membrane attack complex was observed in the eyes of Lewis rats when the function and/or expression of Crry and CD59 was suppressed. Thus, our results suggest that various ocular tissues up-regulate the expression of Crry and CD59 to avoid self-injury during autoimmune uveitis and that these CRPs play an active role in the resolution of EAAU by down-regulating complement activation in vivo.
COBS — A MODEL REFLECTING THE DUALITY OF THE TWO PARADIGMS OF ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATION

We present COBS — a model of a concurrent object-based computational system with handshakes as elementary actions of inter-process communication. Processes are considered to be partial views of the system. Their communication by asynchronous message passing and variable sharing is modeled by elementary processes on the same abstraction level. The same acts of computation and communication can be observed in two ways — from the point of view of each of the two principal paradigms of asynchronous communication. The choice of one of the two dual views may influence the programming style and/or the efficiency of programs, based on availability of the supporting hardware and software tools. However, the model documents that there is no principal obstacle in re-programming any asynchronous system of processes using the dual paradigm. ةــصلاخلا ىلع ينبم و تانئاكلا ىلع مئاق تقاوتم لاصتا ماظنل جذومنك COBS ثحبلا اذه يف ضرعن فوس ريغ ةرباعلا لئاسرلا نع ريبعتلاب جذومنلا اذه حمسيو . ةيلخادلا تلااصتلال ةيساسأ ةيلمعك حفاصتلا تلااصتلاا جذومن مهفل ساسأو دحاو يديرجت ىوتسم ىلع ةيلوأ تايلمعك ةكرتشملا تاريغتملاو ،ةنمازتملا رايتخا نإ . ةنمازتملا ريغ ةمظنلأا يف لاصتلااو باسحلا ةيلمع سفنل نيلباقتم نيهجوكو ،ةيلخادلا ةيئانثلا ةقيرط ىلع رثؤي دق (ةكرتشملا تاريغتملاو ةنمازتملا ريغ ةرباعلا لئاسرلا) نيلباقتملا نيهجولا نيذه دحأ كلذك صني جذومنلا نكلو ،ةيجمرب ةئيبو ةزهجأ نم حاتـملا ىلع ءانب جماربلا ةءافك وأ/و ماظنلا ةجمرب . رخلآا هجولا ىلع ماظنلا ةجمرب ةداعإ مامأ يسيئر قئاع دجوي لا هنأ ىلع
Regulatory CD4+ T Cells Expressing Endogenous T Cell Receptor Chains Protect Myelin Basic Protein–specific Transgenic Mice from Spontaneous Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

The development of T cell–mediated autoimmune diseases hinges on the balance between effector and regulatory mechanisms. Using two transgenic mouse lines expressing identical myelin basic protein (MBP)–specific T cell receptor (TCR) genes, we have previously shown that mice bearing exclusively MBP-specific T cells (designated T/R−) spontaneously develop experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), whereas mice bearing MBP-specific T cells as well as other lymphocytes (designated T/R+) did not. Here we demonstrate that T/R− mice can be protected from EAE by the early transfer of total splenocytes or purified CD4+ T cells from normal donors. Moreover, whereas T/R+ mice crossed with B cell–deficient, γ/δ T cell–deficient, or major histocompatibility complex class I–deficient mice did not develop EAE spontaneously, T/R+ mice crossed with TCR-α and -β knockout mice developed EAE with the same incidence and severity as T/R− mice. In addition, MBP-specific transgenic mice that lack only endogenous TCR-α chains developed EAE with high incidence but reduced severity. Surprisingly, two-thirds of MBP-specific transgenic mice lacking only endogenous TCR-β chains also developed EAE, suggesting that in T/R+ mice, cells with high protective activity escape TCR-β chain allelic exclusion. Our study identifies CD4+ T cells bearing endogenous α and β TCR chains as the lymphocytes that prevent spontaneous EAE in T/R+ mice.
An Option to Reduce Transaction Costs

For small transaction costs, we determine the leading order optimal dynamic trading strategy of a portfolio of stock, cash, and options. Except for the transaction costs, our market assumptions are those of Black, Scholes, and Merton. Without transaction costs, the option is redundant in the portfolio. With transaction costs, however, we show that adding the option to the portfolio can significantly reduce overall trading costs compared to optimal strategies that use only stock and cash. The analysis is based on an asymptotic expansion with three scales: macroscopic, mesoscopic, and microscopic. The macroscopic analysis is Merton's optimal investment problem. Within a plane defined by the amount of stock and options held, the macroscopic analysis yields a Merton line of optimal portfolios. We show that there is a particular magic point on the Merton line that minimizes expensive stochastic movement away from the Merton line. The mesoscopic scale governs less expensive deviations of the portfolio away from the magic point but along the Merton line. The microscopic scale governs the more expensive deviations of the portfolio away from the magic point, transverse to the Merton line. The resulting strategy is related to commonly used Delta and Gamma hedging strategies, but our scale analysis implies that some rebalancings are much more effective than others. We do not give rigorous mathematical proofs, only arguments of formal applied mathematics.
Poverty and Health Ethics in Developing Countries

Developing countries face difficulties of exploitation, dehumanisation and lack of ethical professionalism, to an extent that developed countries do not encounter. Poverty-related difficulties include lack of infrastructure, unreasonable dominance of defence-related expenses in the budget, lack of a sufficient number of health care providers, absence of accountability for serious medical malpractice, as well as exploitation of patients in pharmaceutical trials. This country report presents the case of Bangladesh, one of the poorest countries in the world and therefore a good example for the deplorable condition of the health sector in developing countries.
Genome Analysis Computational Finishing of Large Sequence Contigs Reveals Interspersed Nested Repeats and Gene Islands in the rf 1-Associated Region of Maize 1 [ W ] [ OA ]

The architecture of grass genomes varies on multiple levels. Large long terminal repeat retrotransposon clusters occupy significant portions of the intergenic regions, and islands of protein-encoding genes are interspersed among the repeat clusters. Hence, advanced assembly techniques are required to obtain completely finished genomes as well as to investigate gene and transposable element distributions. To characterize the organization and distribution of repeat clusters and gene islands across large grass genomes, we present 961and 594-kb contiguous sequence contigs associated with the rf1 (for restorer of fertility1) locus in the near-centromeric region of maize (Zea mays) chromosome 3. We present two methods for computational finishing of highly repetitive bacterial artificial chromosome clones that have proved successful to close all sequence gaps caused by transposable element insertions. Sixteen repeat clusters were observed, ranging in length from 23 to 155 kb. These repeat clusters are almost exclusively long terminal repeat retrotransposons, of which the paleontology of insertion varies throughout the cluster. Gene islands contain from one to four predicted genes, resulting in a gene density of one gene per 16 kb in gene islands and one gene per 111 kb over the entire sequenced region. The two sequence contigs, when compared with the rice (Oryza sativa) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) genomes, retain gene colinearity of 50% and 71%, respectively, and 70% and 100%, respectively, for high-confidence gene models. Collinear genes on single gene islands show that while most expansion of the maize genome has occurred in the repeat clusters, gene islands are not immune and have experienced growth in both intragene and intergene locations. Disciplines Agricultural Science | Agriculture | Bioinformatics | Computational Biology | Plant Pathology Comments This article is from Plant Physiology 151 (2009): 483–495, doi:10.1104/pp.109. 143370. Rights Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted. This article is available at Iowa State University Digital Repository: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/plantpath_pubs/69
The influence of strain-rate dependent solder material models on the interconnection stress of BGA components in Jedec drop test

The strain-rate dependent yield property of solder has a strong influence on the stress distributions in solder interconnections during Jedec drop tests. In this paper the effect of this material behavior is shown by FEM drop test simulations of productive BGA components in order to predict realistic failure mechanism. Two lead free solder alloys SnAg1.3Cu0. 5 (SAC1305) and SnAg3.5 (SA35) were characterized in a high strain-rate tensile tester in a range of 40s−1 to 800s−1. The specimens were produced in a casting process with a high stress dimension close to real solder joints, in order to create similar size effects. The stress-strain behavior was recorded with high resolution using strain gauge sensors. The evaluation of the yield stress dependency on strain-rate was done by the measured stress data. Hereby the SAC1305 solder revealed a high sensitivity of yield stress on the applied strain-rate, while the SA35 solder marginally increased its yield stress. The influence of both strain-rate dependent solder models on the interconnection stress distribution was tested against a simple bilinear and an elastic material model. The simplified models cause excessive stress in the copper pads of substrate and PCB due to their high and neglected yield behavior, respectively. The accurate solder models significantly reduce the copper stress by generating locally higher plastic deformations and a wider distribution of plastic strain in the solder balls. The different strain-rate sensitivity affects the distribution of plastic strain between solder and copper. High strain-rate sensitive solders reduce the plastic strain in the solder with higher PCB deformations and increase the stress and strain in the copper compared to materials with a low sensitivity. The application of strain-rate dependent solder material models is necessary for realistic stress interpretations in drop test conditions. The neglect of this material behavior leads to unrealistic stress distributions and thus, it leads to wrong failure assumptions and lifetime predictions.
Combined simian hemorrhagic fever and Ebola virus infection in cynomolgus monkeys.

Simian hemorrhagic fever (SHF) virus and a new strain of Ebola virus were isolated concurrently in recently imported cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) being maintained in a quarantine facility. Ebola virus had never been isolated in the U.S. previously and was presumed to be highly pathogenic for humans. A chronology of events including measures taken to address the public health concerns is presented. The clinicopathologic features of the disease were abrupt anorexia, splenomegaly, marked elevations of lactate dehydrogenase, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase, with less prominent elevations of blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and other serum chemistry parameters. Histologically, fibrin deposition, hemorrhage, and necrosis of lymphoid cells and reticular mononuclear phagocytes were present in the spleens of SHF and of Ebola virus-infected animals. Intravascular fibrin thrombi and hemorrhage were also present in the renal medulla and multifocally in the gastrointestinal tract. Necrosis of lymphoid and epithelial cells was occasionally noted in the gastrointestinal tract. The histopathologic findings considered specific for Ebola virus infection include hepatocellular necrosis, necrosis of the zona glomerulosa of the adrenal cortex, and interstitial pneumonia, all of which were generally associated with the presence of 1 to 4 mu intracytoplasmic amphophilic inclusion bodies. The disease spread within rooms despite discontinuation of all direct contact with animals, and droplet or aerosol transmission was suspected. Antibody to Ebola virus developed in animal handlers but no clinical disease was noted, suggesting a less virulent strain of virus. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Human Adipose-Derived Stromal Cells for Cell-Based Therapies in the Treatment of Systemic Sclerosis

The present study was designed to evaluate the clinical outcome of cell-based therapy with cultured adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) for the treatment of cutaneous manifestations in patients affected by systemic sclerosis (SSc). ASCs have an extraordinary developmental plasticity, including the ability to undergo multilineage differentiation and self-renewal. Moreover, ASCs can be easily harvested from small volumes of liposuction aspirate, showing great in vitro viability and proliferation rate. Here we isolated, characterized, and expanded ASCs, assessing both their mesenchymal origin and their capability to differentiate towards the adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic lineage. We developed an effective method for ASCs transplantation into sclerodermic patients by means of a hyaluronic acid (HA) solution, which allowed us to achieve precise structural modifications. ASCs were isolated from subcutaneous adipose tissue of six sclerodermic patients and cultured in a chemical-defined medium before autologous transplantation to restore skin sequelae. The results indicated that transplantation of a combination of ASCs in HA solution determined a significant improvement in tightening of the skin without complications such as anechoic areas, fat necrosis, or infections, thus suggesting that ASCs are a potentially valuable source of cells for skin therapy in rare diseases such as SSc and generally in skin disorders.
A Model Relating Pupil Diameter to Mental Workload and Lighting Conditions

In this paper, we present a proof-of-concept approach to estimating mental workload by measuring the user's pupil diameter under various controlled lighting conditions. Knowing the user's mental workload is desirable for many application scenarios, ranging from driving a car, to adaptive workplace setups. Typically, physiological sensors allow inferring mental workload, but these sensors might be rather uncomfortable to wear. Measuring pupil diameter through remote eye-tracking instead is an unobtrusive method. However, a practical eye-tracking-based system must also account for pupil changes due to variable lighting conditions. Based on the results of a study with tasks of varying mental demand and six different lighting conditions, we built a simple model that is able to infer the workload independently of the lighting condition in 75% of the tested conditions.
Evaluation of buccal cell collection protocols for genetic susceptibility studies

Buccal cells are increasingly used as a source of quality DNA to improve participation rates in molecular studies. Here, three buccal cell collection protocols were compared to determine factors affecting the yield of cells, total DNA per sample, and DNA yield per cell. In addition, kinetic quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (TaqMan™) was used to quantify human DNA available for PCR. The method of collection used influenced the overall DNA yield per sample. The collection buffer used influenced the number of cells but not the overall DNA yield per sample. Repeated freezing and thawing did not affect overall DNA yield per sample, DNA yield per cell, or the total number of cells collected. Mouthwashes had the highest DNA yield per sample (20.8 μg) compared with cytobrush samples (1.9 μg from three cytobrushes) and tongue depressors (0.8 μg from three tongue depressors). However, mouthwash samples may contain significant non-human DNA and other contaminants that could interfere with some molecular studies. Spectrometry grossly overestimated the total DNA recovered from mouthwash samples compared with fluorometry or quantitative PCR.
Release of [3H]-d-Aspartate from Primary Astrocyte Cultures in Response to Raised External Potassium

There are significant Ca2+-independent increases in extracellular glutamate and aspartate during various CNS insults such as ischemia and anoxia. However, the cellular sources of such presumed nonvesicular excitatory amino acid (EAA) release have not been established. To further explore potential mechanisms and sites for EAA release, we studied the release of preloaded [3H]-d-aspartate from primary cultured astrocytes prepared from the cerebral cortices of rat pups. Two phases of release were seen in response to raised KCl. The first phase was small and transient, and the second phase was slower and increased progressively. The initial phase of [3H]-d-aspartate release was greatly enhanced by ouabain pretreatment and was inhibited when astrocytes were preexposed to the EAA transport inhibitor threo-hydroxy β-aspartic acid (THBA). Neither of these manipulations affected the second release component. The second phase of release was inhibited by an anion channel blocker, L-644,711, which is known to inhibit hypotonic swelling-induced release of EAA. Ouabain also resulted in the first phase of release occurring at lower [K+]o. Omission of Ca2+ had no effect on either phase of [3H]-d-aspartate release. These results support the hypothesis that the first component of release in cultured astrocytes is a reversal of the glutamate transporter, and the second component is a result of high KCl-induced swelling. Because marked increases in [K+]o are well established in CNS pathologies such as ischemia, such release may represent a significant source for the increased extracellular EAAs seen in such conditions.
The symmetric sum-capacity of the Gaussian half-duplex causal cognitive interference channel to within a constant gap

This paper studies the sum-capacity of the Gaussian half-duplex causal cognitive interference channel, a channel model with two transmitter-receiver pairs where a (cognitive) source cooperates with the other (primary) source in sending data through a shared channel. In contrast to the classical cognitive radio model, here the cognitive source can not transmit and receive at the same time and must causally learn the primary message through a noisy channel. Achievable strategies are developed and shown to match known upper bounds on the symmetric sum-capacity of this channel to within a constant gap for all values of channel parameters. In the process, the generalized degrees of freedom of the channel is characterized.
Viral load in HCV RNA—positive pregnant women

OBJECTIVES:The risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the newborn is estimated to be around 5%, but becomes very high in the case of coinfection with HIV. One of the main factors associated with the vertical transmission of HCV is the viral load. Our objective was to investigate the behavior of HCV viral load during pregnancy in relation to HIV coinfection, liver enzymes, and vertical transmission.METHODS:Three thousand seven hundred forty-eight women seen consecutively in their first trimester of pregnancy were screened for HCV infection. Sixty-five were found to be anti-HCV+/HCV RNA+ and were followed up with clinical and serological assessment (i.e., transaminases and quantitative polymerase chain reaction [PCR] for viral load) in their second and third trimesters and 6 months after delivery. All were anti-HIV and hepatitis B surface antigen negative. HCV RNA was 12.0 ± 19.9 × 106 copies/ml in the first trimester and 10.9 ± 13.3 × 106 in the second, but increased to 19.5 ± 25.1 × 106 in the third trimester. Six months after delivery the viral load returned to the baseline levels; the changes in viral load did not reach any statistical significance, however. Transaminases tended toward a reduction from the baseline during the second and third trimesters, and then an increase in both AST and ALT was recorded 6 months after delivery. However, when the group whose AST/ALT were found abnormal at the first test was considered, no significant changes were recorded during the follow-up. The overall rate of vertical transmission was 4.6%. CONCLUSIONS:With HCV+ mothers monitoring transaminases during pregnancy is unnecessary, and testing liver enzymes at the beginning of pregnancy is sufficient. Qualitative PCR should be done once during the pregnancy, but any staging of the liver disease should be taken after delivery. Quantitative PCR testing is expensive and pointless. Any decision for elective cesarean section in HCV RNA+ mothers should be confirmed by other studies.