Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mitochondrial dysfunction in myocardium obtained from clinically normal dogs, clinically normal anesthetized dogs, and dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVE To compare mitochondrial complex I and complex IV activity in myocardial mitochondria of clinically normal dogs, clinically normal dogs exposed to inhalation anesthesia, and dogs affected with dilated cardiomyopathy. SAMPLE Myocardial samples obtained from 21 euthanized dogs (6 clinically normal [control] dogs, 5 clinically normal dogs subjected to inhalation anesthesia with isoflurane prior to euthanasia, 5 dogs with juvenile-onset dilated cardiomyopathy, and 5 dogs with adult-onset dilated cardiomyopathy). PROCEDURES Activity of mitochondrial complex I and complex IV was assayed spectrophotometrically in isolated mitochondria from left ventricular tissue obtained from the 4 groups of dogs. RESULTS Activity of complex I and complex IV was significantly decreased in anesthetized dogs, compared with activities in the control dogs and dogs with juvenile-onset or adult-onset dilated cardiomyopathy. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Inhalation anesthesia disrupted the electron transport chain in the dogs, which potentially led to an outburst of reactive oxygen species that caused mitochondrial dysfunction. Inhalation anesthesia depressed mitochondrial function in dogs, similar to results reported in other species. This effect is important to consider when anesthetizing animals with myocardial disease and suggested that antioxidant treatments may be beneficial in some animals. Additionally, this effect should be considered when designing studies in which mitochondrial enzyme activity will be measured. Additional studies that include a larger number of animals are warranted.
Leveled Fully Homomorphic Signatures from Standard Lattices

In a homomorphic signature scheme, a user Alice signs some large dataset x using her secret signing key and uploads the signed data to an untrusted remote server. The server can then run some computation y=f(x) over the signed data and homomorphically derive a short signature σf,y certifying that y is the correct output of the computation f. Anybody can verify the tuple (f, y, σf,y) using Alice's public verification key and become convinced of this fact without having to retrieve the entire underlying data. In this work, we construct the first leveled fully homomorphic signature} schemes that can evaluate arbitrary {circuits} over signed data. Only the maximal {depth} d of the circuits needs to be fixed a-priori at setup, and the size of the evaluated signature grows polynomially in d, but is otherwise independent of the circuit size or the data size. Our solution is based on the (sub-exponential) hardness of the small integer solution (SIS) problem in standard lattices and satisfies full (adaptive) security. In the standard model, we get a scheme with large public parameters whose size exceeds the total size of a dataset. In the random-oracle model, we get a scheme with short public parameters. In both cases, the schemes can be used to sign many different datasets. The complexity of verifying a signature for a computation f is at least as large as that of computing f, but can be amortized when verifying the same computation over many different datasets. Furthermore, the signatures can be made context-hiding so as not to reveal anything about the data beyond the outcome of the computation. These results offer a significant improvement in capabilities and assumptions over the best prior homomorphic signature schemes, which were limited to evaluating polynomials of constant degree. As a building block of independent interest, we introduce a new notion called homomorphic trapdoor functions (HTDF) which conceptually unites homomorphic encryption and signatures. We construct HTDFs by relying on the techniques developed by Gentry et al. (CRYPTO '13) and Boneh et al. (EUROCRYPT '14) in the contexts of fully homomorphic and attribute-based encryptions.
Sensor Minimization Problems with Static or Dynamic Observers for Fault Diagnosis

We study sensor minimization problems in the context of fault diagnosis. Fault diagnosis consists of synthesizing a diagnoser that observes a given plant and identifies faults in the plant as soon as possible after their occurrence. Existing literature on this problem has considered the case of static observers, where the set of observable events does not change during execution of the system. In this paper, we consider static as well as dynamic observers, where the observer can switch sensors on or off, thus dynamically changing the set of events it wishes to observe.
Enterprise Modelling and Information Systems Architecture Vol . 3 , No . 1 , July 2008 Enterprise Architecture in Enterprise Engineering 3

Originating from quite different fields of theory and practice, the terms "Enterprise Ontology" and "Enterprise Architecture" currently belong to the standard vocabulary of those professionals who are concerned with (re)designing and (re)engineering enterprises, thereby exploiting modern information and communication technologies for innovating products and services as well as for optimizing operational performance. Because of the inherent characteristics of modern enterprises, often operating within networks of cooperating enterprises, the task of these professionals can rightly be characterized as having to master unprecedented high complexity. The statement, put forward in the paper, that the current notion of Enterprise Architecture does not offer satisfactory help and thus need to evolve into an effective conceptual tool, is clarified in a historical context. In order to let Enterprise Architecture become a sensible, effective notion, complementary to Enterprise Ontology, it is proposed to define it conceptually as normative restriction of design freedom, and operationally as a coherent and consistent set of design principles. The new, evolved notion of Enterprise Architecture is clarified and illustrated using a case example.
Growth-dependent inhibition of CCAAT enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP alpha) gene expression during hepatocyte proliferation in the regenerating liver and in culture

As an approach to understanding physiological mechanisms that control the proliferation of highly differentiated cells, we are addressing whether certain hepatic transcription factors participate in mechanisms that control the growth of hepatocytes. We have focused on CCAAT enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP alpha), a transcription factor which is highly abundant in normal liver and is considered to regulate expression of many genes, including some involved in energy metabolism (S. L. McKnight, M. D. Lane, and S. Gluecksohn-Walsh. Genes Dev. 3:2021-2024, 1989). Using Northern (RNA) blot analysis, we have examined the expression of C/EBP alpha mRNA during liver regeneration and in primary cultures of hepatocytes. C/EBP alpha mRNA levels decrease 60 to 80% within 1 to 3 h after partial hepatectomy as the cells move from G0 to G1 and decrease further when cells progress into S phase. Run-on transcription analysis is in agreement with the Northern blot data, thus suggesting that C/EBP alpha is transcriptionally regulated in regenerating liver. C/EBP alpha mRNA expression also decreases dramatically during the growth of freshly isolated normal hepatocytes cultured under conventional conditions (on dried rat tail collagen; stimulated to proliferate by epidermal growth factor [EGF] and insulin). Cultures of hepatocytes on rat tail collagen in the presence or absence of EGF clearly show that within 3 h, EGF depresses C/EBP alpha mRNA expression and that this effect is substantially greater by 4 h. Inhibition of protein synthesis in the liver by cycloheximide or in cultured hepatocytes by puromycin or cycloheximide effectively blocks the down-regulation of C/EBP alpha gene expression, apparently by stabilizing the normal rapid turnover of the C/EBP alpha mRNA (half-life of <2 h). This drop in C/EBP alpha gene expression in response to activation of hepatocyte growth is consistent with the proposal that C/EBP alpha has an antiproliferative role to play in highly differentiated cells (R. M. Umek, A. D. Friedman, and S. L. McKnight, Science 251: 288-292, 1991).
Decreased surfactant protein A in patients with bacterial pneumonia.

Abnormalities have been previously noted in the lipid content of the lavage fluid of patients with bacterial pneumonia. In order to determine if these changes were also seen in surfactant apoproteins, we studied levels of surfactant protein A (SP-A) in patients with bacterial pneumonia. Patients without human immunodeficiency virus who were being evaluated for pulmonary infiltrates underwent bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Twenty-two patients with pneumonia, 12 caused by gram-positive organisms (Gm+ PNEU) and 10 caused by gram-negative organisms (Gm- PNEU), were compared with 10 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and 11 control subjects (CON). The percentage of neutrophils in the BAL was significantly higher in the patients with IPF and the pneumonia groups than in the control group (CON: mean, 1; range, 0 to 3. IPF: mean, 26; range, 13 to 42). Gm+ PNEU: mean, 33; range, 8 to 99. Gm- PNEU: mean, 64; range, 10 to 92; p < 0.0001). The amount of SP-A in the BAL fluid was similar for the CON and the IPF groups (CON: mean, 15; range, 5.75 to 26.5 micrograms/ml BAL. IPF: mean, 18.4; range, 6.49 to 45.64 micrograms/ml), whereas both pneumonia groups had significantly less SP-A (Gm- PNEU: mean, 5.54; range, 0.58 to 12.7. G+ PNEU: mean, 1.93; range, 0.47 to 6.74; p < 0.001). There was significantly less SP-A in the Gm+ PNEU group than in the Gm- PNEU group (p < 0.02). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Repetitive Mass Practice or Focused Precise Practice for Retraining Walking After Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury? A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial

Background. Retraining walking following spinal cord injury using visually guided tasks may be especially efficacious because it engages the motor cortex, whose input may facilitate improvements in functional walking. Objectives. To contrast 2 methods of retraining, one emphasizing precise, visually guided walking over obstacles and on targets (Precision Training), the other emphasizing mass practice of walking on a treadmill (Endurance Training). Methods. A randomized, single-blind, crossover design was used. Twenty-two participants, ≥7 months postinjury, were randomly allocated to start with Precision or Endurance Training. Each phase of training was 5 times per week for 2 months, followed by a 2-month rest. Measures of walking speed, distance, skill, confidence, and depression were obtained before training, then monthly thereafter. Results. Both forms of training led to significant improvements in walking, with Endurance Training inducing bigger improvements in walking distance than Precision Training, especially for high-functioning walkers who had initial walking speeds >0.5 m/s. The largest improvements in walking speed and distance occurred in the first month of Endurance Training, with minimal changes in the second month of training. In contrast, improvements in walking skill occurred over both months during both types of training. Retention of over ground walking speed, distance, and skill was excellent for both types of training. Conclusions. Intensive walking training in the chronic phase after spinal cord injury is effective in improving over ground walking. Visually guided tasks for training individuals with chronic spinal cord injury were not superior to mass practice on a treadmill.
Prevalence in the United States of aac(6′)-Ib-cr Encoding a Ciprofloxacin-Modifying Enzyme

ABSTRACT Among 313 Enterobacteriaceae from the United States with a ciprofloxacin MIC of ≥0.25 μg/ml and reduced susceptibility to ceftazidime, aac(6′)-Ib was present in 50.5% of isolates, and of these, 28% carried the cr variant responsible for low-level ciprofloxacin resistance. aac(6′)-Ib-cr was geographically widespread, stable over time, most common in Escherichia coli, equally prevalent in ciprofloxacin-susceptible and -resistant strains, and not associated with qnr genes.
Evaluation of Cadmould Software to Simulate the Filling Phase of a Natural Rubber Compound in Injection Moulding Process

The possibility of using Cadmould software to simulate the filling behaviour of a natural rubber compound during an injection moulding process was investigated. For the simulation process, the determination of required material input data involving the rheological and cure kinetics data of the designed rubber compound were conducted. It was discovered that the acquired data were able to function as reliable material input data as they were comparable with related data available in the Cadmould software materials database. Verification of the simulated filling profiles by experimental short shots specimens showed that the Cadmould Rubber Package was able to predict the realistic filling behaviour of the formulated natural rubber compound inside the mould cavity when the measured material data were utilized. Whereas, the usage of available material database from the software failed to model the mould filling progression of the intended natural rubber compound.
Zinc and copper levels are not correlated with angiographically-defined coronary artery disease in sudanese patients

We investigated zinc and copper levels in angiographically defined obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients undergoing elective coronary angiography in El-Shaab Hospital, Sudan. We performed a cross-sectional study. One hundred forty-two patients were enrolled. Sociodemographic and medical characteristics were collected using a questionnaire. Glucose, lipid, zinc, and copper levels were measured. Out of 142 patients, 102 (71.8%) had CAD and 40 (28.2%) had patent coronary arteries. There were no significant differences in median (interquartile range) zinc [118.5 (97.2–151.0) vs. 130.0 (106.0–174.0) μg/ml, P = 0.120] and copper [150.6 (125.0–183.0) vs. 158 (132.0–180.0) μg/mL, P = 0.478] levels between patients with CAD and those with patent coronary arteries. In linear regression analysis, there were no associations between CAD and zinc and copper levels. The current study failed to show any significant association between CAD and zinc and copper levels.
You Are Wrong! - Automatic Detection of Interaction Errors from Brain Waves

Brain-computer interfaces, as any other interaction modality based on physiological signals and body channels (e.g., muscular activity, speech and gestures), are prone to errors in the recognition of subject's intent. In this paper we exploit a unique feature of the "brain channel", namely that it carries information about cognitive states that are crucial for a purposeful interaction. One of these states is the awareness of erroneous responses. Different physiological studies have shown the presence of error-related potentials (ErrP) in the EEG recorded right after people get aware they have made an error. However, for human-computer interaction, the central question is whether ErrP are also elicited when the error is made by the interface during the recognition of the subject's intent and no longer by errors of the subject himself. In this paper we report experimental results with three volunteer subjects during a simple human-robot interaction (i.e., bringing the robot to either the left or right side of a room) that seem to reveal a new kind of ErrP, which is satisfactorily recognized in single trials. These recognition rates significantly improve the performance of the brain interface.
Direct Semantics of Extended State Machines

In this paper we consider a substantial subset of UML 2 state machine notation and assign an axiomatic semantics to this. This semantics is assigned directly to the original models, and does not require pre-processing of the models to reduce them to a more basic form. The advantage of this is that the semantics retains the structure and context information of the model, making it easier to relate semantic analysis results to the model.
Impaired Endothelium-Dependent Flow-Mediated Vasodilation in Hypertensive Subjects With Hyperaldosteronism

Background—Recent studies suggest that aldosterone may impair endothelium-dependent vascular function through suppression of nitric oxide formation. Assessments of forearm blood flow or arterial compliance suggest a similar effect in humans. The present study was designed to determine whether chronic aldosterone excess in subjects with resistant hypertension impairs endothelium-dependent vascular reactivity as indexed by direct assessment of brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD). Methods and Results—Consecutive subjects (n=80) with resistant hypertension were prospectively evaluated with an early-morning ratio of plasma aldosterone to plasma renin activity and 24-hour urinary aldosterone and sodium. Changes in brachial artery diameter during reactive hyperemia were measured by high-resolution ultrasound. Hyperaldosteronism was diagnosed on the basis of a renin activity <1.0 ng · mL−1 · h−1, urinary aldosterone >12 μg/24 h, and urinary sodium >200 mEq/24 h. FMD was significantly lower in 36 subjects with hyperaldosteronism (1.8±1.3% versus 3.9±1.9% from baseline; P <0.0001) compared with the 44 subjects without hyperaldosteronism. FMD was negatively and significantly correlated with plasma aldosterone (r =−0.38, P =0.0006), 24-hour urinary aldosterone (r =−0.49, P <0.0001), and ratio of plasma aldosterone to plasma renin activity (r =−0.43, P <0.0001) but was independent of blood pressure, age, and body mass index. In 30 subjects, 3 months of treatment with spironolactone significantly increased FMD (2.5±1.7 versus 6.0±2.0%; P <0.0001) independently of blood pressure change. Conclusions—These data demonstrate a strong association between aldosterone excess and impaired endothelial function in human subjects as indexed by flow-mediated arterial vasodilation. These results suggest that chronic aldosteronism may have a blood pressure–independent effect on cardiovascular disease progression in subjects with resistant hypertension.
A method and program for estimating graphical models for linkage disequilibrium that scale linearly with the number of loci, and their application to gene drop simulation

MOTIVATION Efficient models for genetic linkage disequilibrium (LD) are needed to enable appropriate statistical analysis of the dense, genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism assays currently available. RESULTS Estimation of graphical models for LD within a restricted class of decomposable models is shown to be possible using computer time and storage that scale linearly with the number of loci. Programs for estimation and for simulating from these models on a whole-genome basis are described and provided. AVAILABILITY Java classes and source code for IntervalLD and GeneDrops are freely available over the internet at http://bioinformatics.med.utah.edu/~alun.
Factors associated with waterpipe tobacco smoking among Lebanese women

ABSTRACT Waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) has become a serious public health threat in the Middle East and beyond. To estimate the prevalence rates of cigarette and WTS among Lebanese women and describe characteristics associated with each behavior. Secondary analysis of women’s health data obtained in a national survey in 2010. Of 2,255 selected women, 78 percent reported no or past long-term WTS. Among the 12 percent of regular waterpipe smokers, 40 percent were light users (mean three waterpipe heads weekly), while 60 percent were heavy users (mean of 11 heads per week). About 70 percent were never or past long-term cigarette smokers. Younger age, location within Greater Beirut (GB) and having professional employment were significantly associated with use of WTS. Older age, GB location, lower education, and ever-married were significantly associated with cigarette smoking. WTS is becoming a socially normative behavior among empowered professional women, who can spare the time and expense to engage in this behavior in easily accessible cafés, which prohibit cigarette smoking. Government, media, and NGO campaigns against smoking should target waterpipe use, not only in Lebanon but also across the Arab world and among Arab communities in the Diaspora with messages different from anti-cigarette campaigns.
Cooperation of TLR12 and TLR11 in the IRF8-Dependent IL-12 Response to Toxoplasma gondii Profilin

TLRs play a central role in the innate recognition of pathogens and the activation of dendritic cells (DCs). In this study, we establish that, in addition to TLR11, TLR12 recognizes the profilin protein of the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii and regulates IL-12 production by DCs in response to the parasite. Similar to TLR11, TLR12 is an endolysosomal innate immune receptor that colocalizes and interacts with UNC93B1. Biochemical experiments revealed that TLR11 and TLR12 directly bind to T. gondii profilin and are capable of forming a heterodimer complex. We also establish that the transcription factor IFN regulatory factor 8, not NF-κB, plays a central role in the regulation of the TLR11- and TLR12-dependent IL-12 response of DCs. These results suggest a central role for IFN regulatory factor 8–expressing CD8+ DCs in governing the TLR11- and TLR12-mediated host defense against T. gondii.
The Complete Mitochondrial Genome of the Damsel Bug Alloeorhynchus bakeri (Hemiptera: Nabidae)

The complete sequence of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of the damsel bug, Alloeorhynchus bakeri, has been completed and annotated in this study. It represents the first sequenced mitochondrial genome of heteropteran family Nabidae. The circular genome is 15, 851 bp in length with an A+T content of 73.5%, contains the typical 37 genes that are arranged in the same order as that of the putative ancestor of hexapods. Nucleotide composition and codon usage are similar to other known heteropteran mitochondrial genomes. All protein-coding genes (PCGs) use standard initiation codons (methionine and isoleucine), except COI, which started with TTG. Canonical TAA and TAG termination codons are found in eight protein-coding genes, the remaining five (COI, COII, COIII, ND5, ND1) have incomplete termination codons (T or TA). PCGs of two strands present opposite CG skew which is also reflected by the nucleotide composition and codon usage. All tRNAs have the typical clover-leaf structure, except the dihydrouridine (DHU) arm of tRNASer (AGN)which forms a simple loop as known in many other metazoa. Secondary structure models of the ribosomal RNA genes of A. bakeri are presented, similar to those proposed for other insect orders. There are six domains and 45 helices and three domains and 27 helices in the secondary structures of rrnL and rrnS, respectively. The major non-coding region (also called control region) between the small ribosomal subunit and the tRNAIle gene includes two special regions. The first region includes four 133 bp tandem repeat units plus a partial copy of the repeat (28 bp of the beginning), and the second region at the end of control region contains 4 potential stem-loop structures. Finally, PCGs sequences were used to perform a phylogenetic study. Both maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses highly support Nabidae as the sister group to Anthocoridae and Miridae.
Two Related Families of Retrotransposons from Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Two related families of transposons were isolated from schizosaccharomyces pombe, an organism which has been the object of extensive genetic studies which had previously produced no evidence for the existence of such elements. These two classes of repeated DNAs, dubbed Tf1 (transposon of fission yeast 1) and Tf2 have many properties of retrotransposons. Tf1 and Tf2 both possess long terminal repeats and predicted protein sequences that resemble the protease, reverse transcriptase, and integrase domains of retroviruses. The chromosomal locations and total numbers of Tf1 and Tf2 differ greatly in various isolates of S. pombe. The Tf elements are expressed in the form of 4.5-kb mRNAs. The complete sequence of Tf1 was determined and suggests that a novel mechanism for regulating its gene expression may be used.