Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of homocysteine on calcium mobilization and platelet function in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus induces a characteristic platelet hyperactivity that might be due to several factors including oxidative stress and abnormal intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis. Hyperhomocysteinaemia is considered a risk factor in the development of thrombosis although its effect on platelet function and the mechanisms involved are still poorly understood. Here we show that homocysteine (Hcy) induce a concentration‐dependent increase in endogenous production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which was significantly greater in platelets from diabetic patients than in controls. Platelet treatment with Hcy resulted in Ca2+ release from the dense tubular system and the acidic stores. Ca2+ mobilisation‐induced by Hcy consisted in two components, an initial slow increase in intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and a rapid and marked increase in [Ca2+]i, the second leading to the activation of platelet aggregation. As well as ROS generation, Ca2+ mobilization and platelet aggregation were significantly greater in platelets from diabetic donors than in controls, which indicate that platelets from diabetic donors are more sensitive to Hcy. These findings, together with the hyperhomocysteinaemia reported in diabetic patients, strongly suggest that Hcy might be considered a risk factor in the development of cardiovascular complications associated to type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Vaccines Targeting Tumor Blood Vessel Antigens Promote CD8+ T Cell-Dependent Tumor Eradication or Dormancy in HLA-A2 Transgenic Mice

We have recently shown that effective cytokine gene therapy of solid tumors in HLA-A2 transgenic (HHD) mice lacking murine MHC class I molecule expression results in the generation of HLA-A2–restricted CD8+ T effector cells selectively recognizing tumor blood vessel-associated pericytes and/or vascular endothelial cells. Using an HHD model in which HLA-A2neg tumor (MC38 colon carcinoma or B16 melanoma) cells are not recognized by the CD8+ T cell repertoire, we now show that vaccines on the basis of tumor-associated blood vessel Ags (TBVA) elicit protective Tc1-dependent immunity capable of mediating tumor regression or extending overall survival. Vaccine efficacy was not observed if (HLA-A2neg) wild-type C57BL/6 mice were instead used as recipient animals. In the HHD model, effective vaccination resulted in profound infiltration of tumor lesions by CD8+ (but not CD4+) T cells, in a coordinate reduction of CD31+ blood vessels in the tumor microenvironment, and in the “spreading” of CD8+ T cell responses to alternate TBVA that were not intrinsic to the vaccine. Protective Tc1-mediated immunity was durable and directly recognized pericytes and/or vascular endothelial cells flow-sorted from tumor tissue but not from tumor-uninvolved normal kidneys harvested from these same animals. Strikingly, the depletion of CD8+, but not CD4+, T cells at late time points after effective therapy frequently resulted in the recurrence of disease at the site of the regressed primary lesion. This suggests that the vaccine-induced anti-TBVA T cell repertoire can mediate the clinically preferred outcomes of either effectively eradicating tumors or policing a state of (occult) tumor dormancy.
Adaptive noncoherent linear minimum ISI equalization for MDPSK and MDAPSK signals

A novel noncoherent linear equalization scheme is introduced and analyzed. In contrast to previously proposed noncoherent equalization schemes, the proposed scheme is not only applicable for M-ary differential phase-shift keying (MDPSK) but also for M-ary differential amplitude/phase-shift keying (MDAPSK). The novel scheme minimizes the variance of intersymbol interference (ISI) in the equalizer output signal. The optimum equalizer coefficients may be calculated directly from an eigenvalue problem. For an efficient recursive adaptation of the equalizer coefficients, a modified least-mean-square (LMS) and a modified recursive least-squares (RLS) algorithm are proposed. It is shown that the corresponding cost function has no spurious local minima that ensures global convergence of the adaptive algorithms. Simulations confirm the good performance of the proposed noncoherent equalization scheme and its robustness against frequency offset.
Approximate Computation of DFT without Performing Any Multiplications: Applications to Radar Signal Processing

In many practical problems it is not necessary to compute the DFT in a perfect manner including some radar problems. In this article a new multiplication free algorithm for approximate computation of the DFT is introduced. All multiplications $(a\times b)$ in DFT are replaced by an operator which computes $sign(a\times b)(|a|+|b|)$. The new transform is especially useful when the signal processing algorithm requires correlations. Ambiguity function in radar signal processing requires high number of multiplications to compute the correlations. This new additive operator is used to decrease the number of multiplications. Simulation examples involving passive radars are presented.
Ethnic differences in adolescent smoking prevalence in California: are multi-ethnic youth at higher risk?

OBJECTIVE Although ethnic differences in adolescent smoking have been well documented, smoking among multi-ethnic adolescents has received little research attention. This study examined smoking prevalence and tobacco related psychosocial risk factors among multi-ethnic adolescents in California, as compared with white, African American, Asian American, and Hispanic adolescents. DESIGN This study used a cross sectional design. Data were obtained from the independent evaluation of the California Tobacco Control, Prevention, and Education Program. SETTING Students completed a paper-and-pencil survey in their classrooms. SUBJECTS Data were collected from a stratified random sample of 5072 eighth grade students (age 13–14 years) in California during the 1996-97 school year. The data were weighted by school enrollment in analyses to make the estimates representative of the population of California students attending public schools. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Outcome variables included self reported smoking prevalence, susceptibility to smoking, access to tobacco, and related attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours. Ethnicity was assessed with a self reported, “check all that apply” question. RESULTS Results indicated that multi-ethnic adolescents were at higher risk than single-ethnic adolescents on several variables, including 30 day cigarette smoking prevalence, lifetime smokeless tobacco use, buying cigarettes, receiving cigarette offers, and expected friends' reaction if the respondent smoked. For several other variables (lifetime cigarette smoking prevalence, susceptibility to smoking, and number of friends who smoked), Hispanic adolescents were at higher risk than all other ethnic groups including multi-ethnic adolescents. Although susceptibility to smoking was highest among Hispanics, multi-ethnic adolescents scored significantly higher on susceptibility than the three other single-ethnic groups. CONCLUSIONS Multi-ethnic adolescents may be at increased risk for smoking and may have easier access to cigarettes. Culturally targeted smoking prevention interventions for adolescents should address the unique social challenges faced by multi-ethnic adolescents that may increase their risk for smoking.
Almanah 2013.: zatajivanje srca Almanac 2013: heart failure

Nacionalni registar zatajivanja srca predstavlja vaaean izvor informacija o zbrinjavanju akutnog zatajivanja srca (ZS) u Engleskoj i Walesu. Posljednje izvjeπEe1 navodi neπto viπe od 37.000 hospitalizacija. Kao i u prethodnom, manje od polovice bolesnika lijeEeni su na kardioloπkim odjelima i imali su bolji ishod; polovica je upuEena na daljnje kontrole kardiologu πto je rezultiralo boljim ishodom. Inovacija registra je analiza podataka na bolniEkoj razini. Neumjesno bi bilo odabrati imena, no uoEljiva je promjenjiva uEestalost primjene osnovnih varijabli poput ehokardiografije, dostupnost kardiologa u zbrinjavanju bolesnika i uEestalost propisivanja razliEitih lijekova. Istraaeivanja pokazuju da su tijekom dugotrajnog praEenja bolesnika od strane specijalista za ZS, ukljuEujuEi i medicinske sestre specijalizirane za ZS, pacijenti bili adekvatnije lijeEeni odgovarajuEim lijekovima u odgovarajuEoj dozi te imaju niaeu stopu re/hospitalizacije i bolju prognozu 2 . Prema
High-intensity running in English FA Premier League soccer matches

Abstract The aims of this study were to (1) determine the activity profiles of a large sample of English FA Premier League soccer players and (2) examine high-intensity running during elite-standard soccer matches for players in various playing positions. Twenty-eight English FA Premier League games were analysed during the 2005–2006 competitive season (n = 370), using a multi-camera computerised tracking system. During a typical match, wide midfielders (3138 m, s = 565) covered a greater distance in high-intensity running than central midfielders (2825 m, s = 473, P = 0.04), full-backs (2605 m, s = 387, P < 0.01), attackers (2341 m, s = 575, P < 0.01), and central defenders (1834 m, s = 256, P < 0.01). In the last 15 min of a game, high-intensity running distance was ∼20% less than in the first 15-min period for wide midfielders (467 m, s = 104 vs. 589 m, s = 134, P < 0.01), central midfielders (429 m, s = 106 vs. 534 m, s = 99, P < 0.01), full-backs (389 m, s = 95 vs. 481 m, s = 114, P < 0.01), attackers (348 m, s = 105 vs. 438 m, s = 129, P < 0.01), and central defenders (276 m, s = 93 vs. 344 m, s = 80, P < 0.01). There was a similar distance deficit for high-intensity running with (148 m, s = 78 vs. 193 m, s = 96, P < 0.01) and without ball possession (229 m, s = 85 vs. 278 m, s = 97, P < 0.01) between the last 15-min and first 15-min period of the game. Mean recovery time between very high-intensity running bouts was 72 s (s = 28), with a 28% longer recovery time during the last 15 min than the first 15 min of the game (83 s, s = 26 vs. 65 s, s = 20, P < 0.01). The decline in high-intensity running immediately after the most intense 5-min period was more evident in attackers (216 m, s = 50 vs. 113 m, s = 47, P < 0.01) and central defenders (182 m, s = 26 vs. 96 m, s = 39, P < 0.01). The results suggest that high-intensity running with and without ball possession is reduced during various phases of elite-standard soccer matches and the activity profiles and fatigue patterns vary among playing positions. The current findings provide valuable information about the high-intensity running patterns of a large sample of elite-standard soccer players, which could be useful in the development and prescription of specific training regimes.
Fetal cardiac scanning today

The ability to examine the structure of the fetal heart in real‐time started over 30 years ago now. The field has seen very great advances since then, both in terms of technical improvements in ultrasound equipment and in dissemination of operator skills. A great deal has been learnt about normal cardiac function in the human fetus throughout gestation and how it is affected by pathologies of pregnancy. There is increasing recognition of abnormal heart structure during routine obstetric scanning, allowing referral for specialist diagnosis and counselling. It is now possible to make accurate diagnosis of cardiac malformations as early as 12 weeks of gestation. Early diagnosis of a major cardiac malformation in the fetus can provide the parents with a comprehensive prognosis, enabling them to make the most informed choice about the management of the pregnancy. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Spiders of medical importance in the Asia–Pacific: Atracotoxin, latrotoxin and related spider neurotoxins

1. The spiders of medical importance in the Asia–Pacific region include widow (family Theridiidae) and Australian funnel‐web spiders (subfamily Atracinae). In addition, cupboard (family Theridiidae) and Australian mouse spiders (family Actinopodidae) may contain neurotoxins responsible for serious systemic envenomation. Fortunately, there appears to be extensive cross‐reactivity of species‐specific widow spider antivenom within the family Theridiidae. Moreover, Sydney funnel‐web antivenom has been shown to be effective in the treatment of mouse spider envenomation.
Synthesis, Characterization and Properties of a Physically and Chemically Gelling Polymer System Using Poly(NIPAAm-co-HEMA-acrylate) and Poly(NIPAAm-co-cysteamine)

The aim of this work was to develop a simultaneous physically and chemically gelling system using NIPAAm co-polymers. The in situ polymer gel was obtained by synthesizing poly(NIPAAm-co-HEMAacrylate) and poly(NIPAAm-co-cysteamine) through free radical polymerization and further nucleophilic substitution. The purpose of the dual gelation is that physical gelation would take place at higher temperatures as the NIPAAm chains associate, while chemical gelation would occur through a Michael-type addition reaction, resulting in a cross-link forming through a nucleophilic attack of the thiolate on the acrylate. The structure of each co-polymer was then verified using 1H-NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy. The corresponding lower critical solution temperature and phase transition behavior of each co-polymer was analyzed through cloud point and DSC, while mechanical properties were investigated through rheology. Swelling behavior was also monitored at different temperatures. The resulting polymer system demonstrated properties compatible with physiological conditions, forming a gel at pH 7.4 and at temperatures near body temperature. The hydrogel also showed reduced viscoelastic flow at low frequency stress, and increased strength than purely physical or chemical gels. Swelling behavior was determined to be temperature-dependent; however, no difference was observed in swelling percent beyond 48 h. Having the ability to alter these co-polymers through various synthesis parameters and techniques, this hydrogel can potentially be used as an injectable, waterborne gelling material for biomedical applications such as endovascular embolization.
Careless responses in survey data and the validity of a screening instrument

Careless responding was studied in the context of a large-scale survey-based study (Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort; n = 5024) wherein the Chapman Infrequency Scale (CIS) was used as the validity scale. Careless responding was infrequent in comparison to earlier studies that used students as subjects. Logistic regression analyses showed that the odds ratio for careless responding was 2.1 (95% confidence interval: 0.9–5.0) for respondents with a psychiatric diagnosis relative to healthy respondents. Male sex and lack of secondary education were other factors that correlated positively with CIS score. It is concluded that the common procedure of excluding careless respondents from final samples may affect the results of survey-based studies that target psychiatric patients. It is suggested that cutoff scores for exclusion should be flexible and chosen in line with the demographic and health characteristics of the sample.
Transforming Growth Factor-β Requires Its Target Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 for Cytostatic Activity*

The cytokine transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) has strong antiproliferative activity in most normal cells but contributes to tumor progression in the later stages of oncogenesis. It is not fully understood which TGFβ target genes are causally involved in mediating its cytostatic activity. We report here that suppression of the TGFβ target gene encoding plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) by RNA interference leads to escape from the cytostatic activity of TGFβ both in human keratinocytes (HaCaTs) and primary mouse embryo fibroblasts. Consistent with this, PAI-1 knock-out mouse embryo fibroblasts are also resistant to TGFβ growth arrest. Conversely, we show that ectopic expression of PAI-1 in proliferating HaCaT cells induces a growth arrest. PAI-1 knockdown does not interfere with canonical TGFβ signaling as judged by SMAD phosphorylation and induction of bona fide TGFβ target genes. Instead, knockdown of PAI-1 results in sustained activation of protein kinase B. Significantly, we find that constitutive protein kinase B activity leads to evasion of the growth-inhibitory action of TGFβ. Our data are consistent with a model in which induction of PAI-1 by TGFβ is critical for the induction of proliferation arrest.
Formal Proof—The Four- Color Theorem

The Tale of a Brainteaser Francis Guthrie certainly did it, when he coined his innocent little coloring puzzle in 1852. He managed to embarrass successively his mathematician brother, his brother’s professor, Augustus de Morgan, and all of de Morgan’s visitors, who couldn’t solve it; the Royal Society, who only realized ten years later that Alfred Kempe’s 1879 solution was wrong; and the three following generations of mathematicians who couldn’t fix it [19]. Even Appel and Haken’s 1976 triumph [2] had a hint of defeat: they’d had a computer do the proof for them! Perhaps the mathematical controversy around the proof died down with their book [3] and with the elegant 1995 revision [13] by Robertson, Saunders, Seymour, and Thomas. However something was still amiss: both proofs combined a textual argument, which could reasonably be checked by inspection, with computer code that could not. Worse, the empirical evidence provided by running code several times with the same input is weak, as it is blind to the most common cause of “computer” error: programmer error. For some thirty years, computer science has been working out a solution to this problem: formal program proofs. The idea is to write code that describes not only what the machine should do, but also why it should be doing it—a formal proof of correctness. The validity of the proof is an objective mathematical fact that can be checked by a different program, whose own validity can be ascertained empirically because it does run on many inputs. The main technical difficulty is that formal proofs are very difficult to produce,
Joinings of three-interval exchange transformations

We show that among three-interval exchange transformations there exists a dichotomy: T has minimal self-joinings whenever the associated subshift is linearly recurrent, and is rigid otherwise. We also build a family of simple rigid three-interval exchange transformations, which is a step towards an old question of Veech, and a family of rigid three-interval exchange transformations, which includes Katok's rank-one map.
Eryptosis, a Window to Systemic Disease

Similar to apoptosis of nucleated cells, suicidal erythrocyte death or eryptosis is characterized by cell shrinkage, membrane blebbing and membrane phospholipid scrambling with phosphatidylserine exposure at the cell surface. Signaling of eryptosis involves formation of prostaglandin E2 with subsequent activation of cation channels and Ca2+-entry and/or release of platelet activating factor (PAF) with subsequent activation of sphingomyelinase and formation of ceramide. Ca2+ and ceramide stimulate cell membrane scrambling. Ca2+ further activates Ca2+-sensitive K+-channels leading to cellular KCl loss and cell shrinkage and stimulates the protease calpain resulting in degradation of the cytoskeleton. Injuries triggering eryptosis may similarly compromise survival of nucleated cells. The case is made that analysis of enhanced eryptosis may direct to the pathophysiology of systemic disease. Examples presented include drug side effects, sepsis, haemolytic uremic syndrome, Wilson´s disease, phosphate depletion and a rare condition caused by a mutation in GLUT1 turning the carrier into a cation channel.
Floating Textures

We present a novel multi‐view, projective texture mapping technique. While previous multi‐view texturing approaches lead to blurring and ghosting artefacts if 3D geometry and/or camera calibration are imprecise, we propose a texturing algorithm that warps (“floats”) projected textures during run‐time to preserve crisp, detailed texture appearance. Our GPU implementation achieves interactive to real‐time frame rates. The method is very generally applicable and can be used in combination with many image‐based rendering methods or projective texturing applications. By using Floating Textures in conjunction with, e.g., visual hull rendering, light field rendering, or free‐viewpoint video, improved rendering results are obtained from fewer input images, less accurately calibrated cameras, and coarser 3D geometry proxies.
Crystal‐Storing Histiocytosis Associated with Lymphoplasmacytic Neoplasms: Report of Three Cases Mimicking Adult Rhabdomyoma

Massive crystal deposition is rare in lymphoplasmacytic (LPc) or plasma cell neoplasms. We report three cases in which the accumulation of crystals in histocytes closely reproduced the histologic features of adult rhabdomyoma. The patients, all female, aged 18, 77, and 78 years, presented with tumor of cervical lymph nodes (two cases) or the otolaryngic mucosa (two cases). In addition, two patients had monoclonal serum or urine immunoglobulin (fgM-k-1, unknown-1), and one had renal and bone marrow involvement on biopsy. This last patient died of acute renal failure at 5 months, another was alive without disease at 8 years, and the remaining one was lost to followup. Lymph nodes, mucosae, and kidney showed a neoplastic LPc infiltrate masked by sheets of large benign histiocytes containing sheaves of crystals. Paraffinsection immunohistochemistry demonstrated monoclonal staining of the LPc cells in all cases (fgM-k-2, IgA-k-1) and of the crystals (IgM-K) in one case. In all patients, the crystal-containing cells were positive for KP-1 (CD68), but not for desmin, muscle-specific action, or myoglobin. These findings suggest that, in any case of adult rhabdomyoma in which the histologic findings are not typical, a crystal-storing histiocytosis should be ruled out: recognition of the atypical LPc component and the histiocytic immunophenotype of the crystal-storing cells will help prevent a serious misdiagnosis.
Sparse spectral analysis of atrial fibrillation electrograms

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common heart disorder. One of the most prominent hypothesis about its initiation and maintenance considers multiple uncoordinated activation foci inside the atrium. However, the implicit assumption behind all the signal processing techniques used for AF, such as dominant frequency and organization analysis, is the existence of a single regular component in the observed signals. In this paper we take into account the existence of multiple foci, performing a spectral analysis to detect their number and frequencies. In order to obtain a cleaner signal on which the spectral analysis can be performed, we introduce sparsity-aware learning techniques to infer the spike trains corresponding to the activations. The good performance of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated both on synthetic and real data.