Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New pre-analytical approach for the deep proteome analysis of sera from pancreatitis and pancreas cancer patients

The presence of high-abundance proteins and the wide dynamic range of protein-distribution complicates the proteome analysis of crude serum. The aim was to establish a new preanalytical protocol for analysis of the deep serum-proteome for biomarker discovery. Methods: We investigated the stability and functionality of ProteoMiner™ and tested the new protocol by SELDI-TOF-MS profiling with serum samples obtained from patients with different pancreatic diseases. Results: We developed a high-throughput protocol and proved the convenience of ProteoMiner™ in the 96-well format to provide insights into the deep serum proteome and facilitate the detection of novel serum biomarkers. Serum samples spiked with defined amounts of insulin, processed with ProteoMiner™ and analyzed by SELDI-TOF-MS revealed that the concentration of the spiked insulin was not altered by ProteoMiner™ treatment. Conclusion: ProteoMiner™ technology is robust preanalytical step and can be used in a high-throughput format for analysis of low-abundant proteins in serum.
Studies of cocaine-exposed human infants.

On the positive side of this rush to judgment is the valid concern for the health and development of drug-exposed children. This concern has led to a substantial effort on the part of the scientific community to understand the effects of prenatal drug exposure on the developing child. In a relatively brief amount of time there has been an explosion of research in this area including an infusion of crossfertilization and interdisciplinary collaboration. No doubt because of the attention that this particular area of scientific inquiry has drawn, the process of scientific inquiry has been accelerated. This process has, however, resulted in some misinformation, compelling society to understand what is known and what is unknown as the second generation begins.
Anemia Prevalence among Pregnant Women and Birth Weight in Five Areas in China

Objectives: To investigate the current prevalence of anemia among pregnant women in different areas of China and the association with birth weight and educational level. Methods: A total of 6,413 women aged 24–37 in the third trimester of pregnancy from five areas were randomly selected from all gravidas who gave birth in the hospitals from 1999 to 2003. Blood hemoglobin concentration (Hb) was measured by the cyanomethemoglobin method; Hb <110 g/l was considered as anemia. Results: The overall prevalence of anemia was 58.6%, ranging from 48.1 to 70.5% in the five areas. There was a significant difference in the prevalence of anemia between women who have mental jobs and those who have physical jobs (52.3 vs. 61.1%, p < 0.01). The prevalence of anemia depended on the level of education: with 52.9, 62.4 and 66.5%, for college, secondary school and primary education, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.005). Results showed that higher birth weight was associated with Hb concentrations ranging from 90 to 140 g/l, whereas lower birth weight occurred below 80 g/l and above 140 g/l Hb. Conclusions: The prevalence of anemia in Chinese pregnant women was high both in rural areas and towns. Area of residence, education level and type of job influenced the prevalence of anemia. Low maternal Hb concentrations influenced birth weight.
Development of an In-Fiber Nanocavity Towards Detection of Volatile Organic Gases

A fiber optic sensor for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) detection has been developed and characterized for some organic gasses. The sensor is based on a novel vapochromic material, which is able to change its optical properties in presence of organic vapors in a reversely way. A nano Fabry Perot is constructed onto a cleaved ended optical fiber pigtail by Electrostatic Self Assembly method (ESA), doping this structure with the vapochromic material. Employing a reflection scheme, a change in the intensity modulated reflected signal at 850 nm have been registered. The response of the sensor has been evaluated for five different VOCs, and a deeper study has been made for vapors of three different alcohols.
Dynamics based control with an application to area-sweeping problems

In this paper we introduce Dynamics Based Control (DBC), an approach to planning and control of an agent in stochastic environments. Unlike existing approaches, which seek to optimize expected rewards (e.g., in Partially Observable Markov Decision Problems (POMDPs)), DBC optimizes system behavior towards specified system dynamics. We show that a recently developed planning and control approach, Extended Markov Tracking (EMT) is an instantiation of DBC. EMT employs greedy action selection to provide an efficient control algorithm in Markovian environments. We exploit this efficiency in a set of experiments that applied multi-target EMT to a class of area-sweeping problems (searching for moving targets). We show that such problems can be naturally defined and efficiently solved using the DBC framework, and its EMT instantiation.
Compact substrate models for efficient noise coupling and signal isolation analysis

Current propagation within a lightly doped substrate is approximated with a half-ellipse to efficiently estimate substrate resistances. As opposed to existing work, the proposed model contains only one fitting parameter. Compact models are also developed to determine the isolation efficiency of several commonly used structures such as a guard ring and triple well. The accuracy of these models is verified by comparing the models with a commercial substrate extraction tool based on a boundary element method. These models are used to compare several isolation structures within an industrial mixed-signal circuit with a lightly doped substrate.
Effects of Obesity on Transcriptomic Changes and Cancer Hallmarks in Estrogen Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer

Background Obesity increases the risk of cancer death among postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor–positive (ER+) breast cancer, but the direct evidence for the mechanisms is lacking. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate direct evidence for the mechanisms mediating this epidemiologic phenomenon. Methods We analyzed transcriptomic profiles of pretreatment biopsies from a prospective cohort of 137 ER+ breast cancer patients. We generated transgenic (MMTV-TGFα;A y /a) and orthotopic/syngeneic (A y /a) obese mouse models to investigate the effect of obesity on tumorigenesis and tumor progression and to determine biological mechanisms using whole-genome transcriptome microarrays and protein analyses. We used a coculture system to examine the impact of adipocytes/adipokines on breast cancer cell proliferation. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results Functional transcriptomic analysis of patients revealed the association of obesity with 59 biological functional changes (P < .05) linked to cancer hallmarks. Gene enrichment analysis revealed enrichment of AKT-target genes (P = .04) and epithelial–mesenchymal transition genes (P = .03) in patients. Our obese mouse models demonstrated activation of the AKT/mTOR pathway in obesity-accelerated mammary tumor growth (3.7- to 7.0-fold; P < .001; n = 6–7 mice per group). Metformin or everolimus can suppress obesity-induced secretion of adipokines and breast tumor formation and growth (0.5-fold, P = .04; 0.3-fold, P < .001, respectively; n = 6–8 mice per group). The coculture model revealed that adipocyte-secreted adipokines (eg, TIMP-1) regulate adipocyte-induced breast cancer cell proliferation and invasion. Metformin suppress adipocyte-induced cell proliferation and adipocyte-secreted adipokines in vitro. Conclusions Adipokine secretion and AKT/mTOR activation play important roles in obesity-accelerated breast cancer aggressiveness in addition to hyperinsulinemia, estrogen signaling, and inflammation. Metformin and everolimus have potential for therapeutic interventions of ER+ breast cancer patients with obesity.
Variant of partially mapped crossover for the Travelling Salesman problem

In this paper a variant of partially mapped crossover (VPMX) is designed using cut point positions and is tested for its performance with the existing partially mapped crossover (PMX). In order to test the performance ,two mutation operators are used. These mutation operators are inverted displacement and inversion mutations. Partially mapped crossover (PMX) with inversion and with inverted displacement and a variant of partially mapped crossover (VPMX) with inversion and with inverted displacement are programmed in C++ and implemented on a set of ten benchmark problems taken from the Travelling salesman problem library (TSPLIB). The results indicate that the designed variant of PMX is superior by showing a better performance in eight instances in combination with the inverted displacement mutation. In two instances PMX has obtained a better result. One is PMX with inversion mutation and the other is PMX with inverted displacement mutation.
Amyloid Fibrils from Hemoglobin

Amyloid fibrils are a class of insoluble protein nanofibers that are formed via the self-assembly of a wide range of peptides and proteins. They are increasingly exploited for a broad range of applications in bionanotechnology, such as biosensing and drug delivery, as nanowires, hydrogels, and thin films. Amyloid fibrils have been prepared from many proteins, but there has been no definitive characterization of amyloid fibrils from hemoglobin to date. Here, nanofiber formation was carried out under denaturing conditions using solutions of apo-hemoglobin extracted from bovine waste blood. A characteristic amyloid fibril morphology was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), with mean fibril dimensions of approximately 5 nm diameter and up to several microns in length. The thioflavin T assay confirmed the presence of β-sheet structures in apo-hemoglobin fibrils, and X-ray fiber diffraction showed the characteristic amyloid cross-β quaternary structure. Apo-hemoglobin nanofibers demonstrated high stability over a range of temperatures (−20 to 80 °C) and pHs (2–10), and were stable in the presence of organic solvents and trypsin, confirming their potential as nanomaterials with versatile applications. This study conclusively demonstrates the formation of amyloid fibrils from hemoglobin for the first time, and also introduces a cost-effective method for amyloid fibril manufacture using meat industry by-products.
The Beauty of Fractals: Fractals in the 3-Body Problem Via Symplectic Integration

1. Introduction. The statement of the n-body problem is tantalizingly simple: Given the present positions and velocities of n celestial bodies, predict their motions under Newton's inverse square law of gravitation for all future time and deduce them for all past time. This simplicity belies the fact that efforts to solve this problem, beginning particularly with the work of Henri Poincaré in the late 19th century, essentially led to the creation of the field of dynamical systems. The study of the n-body problem remains an active area of research (see, for example, [17]). It is intriguing to consider how Poincaré's research might have benefited had he access to modern computing capabilities. That he was able to discern what are now known as fractals and chaotic behavior in the 3-body problem [19] using only paper, pencil, and mental acumen (ferocious though it was) is remarkable. It is safe to assume, nonetheless, that even Poincaré would have gained further insight into fractal geometry and chaotic dynamics had he access to modern numerical integration algorithms. In particular, given that the equations of motion for the 3-body problem are Hamiltonian in nature, it is now clear that he would have used a symplectic integration algorithm to numerically compute solutions. The development of new numerical integration algorithms for Hamiltonian systems of ODEs and, more generally, for systems of equations admitting a geometric structure, began in the 1990s and continues to this day [6]. These algorithms have proven far superior to Runge-Kutta type algorithms in approximating the long-term, global, qualitative behavior of solutions. It is fun to imagine Poincaré staring at
Hepatitis C Virus Infection Can Present with Metabolic Disease by Inducing Insulin Resistance

Although hepatitis C virus (HCV) targets the liver, it has become increasingly evident that HCV can induce diseases of many organs. Recently, much attention is drawn to metabolic disorders in HCV infection. First, hepatic steatosis and derangement in lipid metabolism have been found characteristic of HCV infection, and later on, a correlation was noted between HCV infection and diabetes as well as insulin resistance. We have demonstrated that HCV by itself can induce insulin resistance through disturbing the insulin signaling pathway by HCV proteins. The fact that HCV infection induces insulin resistance by the virus itself may influence the progression of chronic liver disease and open up novel therapeutic approaches. In conclusion, towards the future, HCV infection needs to be viewed not only as a liver disease but also as a metabolic disease.
Explaining Mass Support for Agricultural Protectionism: Evidence from a Survey Experiment During the Global Recession

Abstract Why are citizens in advanced industrialized countries willing to accept high prices for agricultural products? Conventional wisdom suggests that agricultural interests secure government protection because producers are concentrated and better politically organized than diffused consumers. Due to its focus on producer capacity for collective action, however, the literature fails to account for the high levels of mass support for agricultural protectionism in advanced industrialized nations. This article presents new evidence from a survey experiment in Japan conducted during the recent global recession (December 2008) that accounts for this puzzle. Using randomly assigned visual stimuli, the experiment activates respondents' identification with either producer or consumer interests and proceeds to ask attitudinal questions regarding food imports. The results suggest that consumer priming has no reductive or additive effects on the respondents' support for liberalizing food imports. Surprisingly, producer priming increases respondents' opposition to food import, particularly among those who fear future job insecurity. We further disentangle the puzzling finding that consumers think like producers on the issue of food import along two mechanisms: “sympathy” for farmers and “projection” of their own job insecurity. The results lend strong support to the projection hypothesis.
The impact of foam rolling on explosive strength and excitability of the motor neuron pool

Abstract: To assess acute performance-related effects of foam rolling, this study investigated the immediate effects of a standard foam rolling protocol on explosive strength of the plantarflexors and alpha motor neuron excitability in the soleus. Explosive strength was measured via vertical jump height (JUMP) and the Reactive Strength Index (RSI) obtained from a single leg drop jump. Alpha motor neuron excitability was measured by H reflex amplitude as H wave to M wave ratio (HM) obtained from the soleus muscle. JUMP and RSI measures were analyzed from nineteen subjects (12 male, 7 female) HM data were analyzed from 15 subjects (9 male, 6 female). Subjects attended one day of practice and instruction for the single leg drop jump and one day for data collection. One leg was randomly assigned to be the test leg (FL) and the other as the control (NL). The reported dominant leg and gender were also recorded for each subject. Subjects performed two single leg drop jumps per leg from a box height of 30 cm and then 10 soleus H reflexes were obtained. The intervention, which followed standard professional guidelines, consisted of 2.5 min of foam rolling for the FL and rest for the
Brain State Effects on Layer 4 of the Awake Visual Cortex

Awake mammals can switch between alert and nonalert brain states hundreds of times per day. Here, we study the effects of alertness on two cell classes in layer 4 of primary visual cortex of awake rabbits: presumptive excitatory “simple” cells and presumptive fast-spike inhibitory neurons (suspected inhibitory interneurons). We show that in both cell classes, alertness increases the strength and greatly enhances the reliability of visual responses. In simple cells, alertness also increases the temporal frequency bandwidth, but preserves contrast sensitivity, orientation tuning, and selectivity for direction and spatial frequency. Finally, alertness selectively suppresses the simple cell responses to high-contrast stimuli and stimuli moving orthogonal to the preferred direction, effectively enhancing mid-contrast borders. Using a population coding model, we show that these effects of alertness in simple cells—enhanced reliability, higher gain, and increased suppression in orthogonal orientation—could play a major role at increasing the speed of cortical feature detection.
Infection in systemic lupus erythematosus, similarities, and differences with lupus flare

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with diverse manifestations, and its pathogenesis is unclear and complicated. Infection and SLE are similar in that they both cause inf lammatory reactions in the immune system; however, one functions to protect the body, whereas the other is activated to damage the body. Infection is known as one of the common trigger factors for SLE; there are a number of reports on infectious agents that provoke autoimmune response. Several viruses, bacteria, and protozoa were revealed to cause immune dysfunction by molecular mimicry, epitope spreading, and bystander activation. In contrast, certain pathogens were revealed to protect from immune dysregulation. Infection can be threatening to patients with SLE who have a compromised immune system, and it is regarded as one of the common causes of mortality in SLE. A clinical distinction between infection and lupus f lare up is required when patients with SLE present fevers. With a close-up assessment of symptoms and physical examination, C-reactive protein and disease activity markers play a major role in differentiating the different disease conditions. Vaccination is necessary because protection against infection is important in patients with SLE.
A separation theorem for periodic sharing information patterns in decentralized control

Optimal decentralized control of a discrete-time stochastic system is considered under a periodic sharing information pattern. In this scenario, controllers share information with one-step delay every K time steps. The periodic sharing pattern is a generalization of the previously studied one-step delay sharing pattern, which is known to possess a nonclassical separation property. It is proven that the periodic sharing pattern has an analogous separation property.
Comfort properties of functional three-dimensional knitted spacer fabrics for home-textile applications

The effect of thermal properties on the three-dimensional knitted spacer fabrics made from functional fibers (i.e. Outlast®, Coolmax®) with different fiber compositions was studied. The spacer fabrics were specifically designed for mattress ticking applications. Samples were manufactured with two fabric tightness and knit designs, and four Outlast® fiber compositions. Thermal conductivity, thermal resistance, thermal absorptivity, thermal diffusivity, and relative water vapor permeability were considered as thermal comfort properties. Alambeta and Permetest devices were used for the measurement of thermal properties. Fabric design was the leading criteria on the thermal resistance and water vapor permeability, while fiber compositions became more important on the thermal absorptivity. The contribution of Outlast® fiber on the thermoregulatory efficiency of spacer fabrics was analyzed using a differential scanning colorimeter. The thermoregulatory effect of Outlast® fiber was slightly observed in the 33% Outlast® fiber composition. Water vapor permeability of open-skin samples was higher than the closed-skin samples, which was due to the holed/meshed structure of the open-skin structure for the same fiber content and fabric construction. Statistical analysis was also performed and confirmed the contribution of each factor, including their interactions. In particular, the interaction became more significant than the main factors for thermal diffusion behavior of samples.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in the Pediatric Patient: The Experience of the Israel Naval Medical Institute

The pediatric patient is to be found in hyperbaric facilities throughout the world, receiving hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy for both life-threatening and chronic diseases. Objective. To review the experience accumulated at the Israel Naval Medical Institute in the treatment of pediatric patients. Design. A retrospective analysis and review of all records of patients younger than age 18 years. Results. Between 1980 and 1997, 139 pediatric patients age 2 months to 18 years (mean, 7.7 years) received HBO treatment at the Israel Naval Medical Institute. Of the children, 111 (79%) suffered from acute carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning; 13 (9.2%) were treated after crush injury, traumatic ischemia, or compartment syndrome; 4 (2.8%) had clostridial myonecrosis; 1 (0.7%) had necrotizing fasciitis; 5 (3.6%) had refractory osteomyelitis; 2 (1.4%) had suffered massive air embolism; 2 (1.4%) had purpura fulminans; and 1 (0.7%) suffered from decompression sickness. Outcome, judged by neurologic sequelae, mortality, and extent of soft tissue loss and limb amputation, was favorable in 129 patients (93%). Two patients (1.4%) died, 1 as a result of CO poisoning and the other, gas gangrene; 2 of the patients in the CO group (1.4%) remained with neurologic sequelae, and 6 patients in the acute traumatic ischemia group (4.3%) underwent limb amputation. Conclusions. We had a favorable experience with 129 of a total 139 pediatric patients treated at our facility for the indications listed. A basic knowledge of HBO therapy is needed to refer the pediatric patient for treatment when indicated. The needs of the pediatric patient, especially the critically ill, require specific skills and equipment inside the hyperbaric chamber. Close collaboration between the pediatrician and the hyperbaric medicine physician is essential to ensure adequate care for infants and children.