Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Conditional disruption of mouse HFE2 gene: Maintenance of systemic iron homeostasis requires hepatic but not skeletal muscle hemojuvelin

Mutations of the HFE2 gene are linked to juvenile hemochromatosis, a severe hereditary iron overload disease caused by chronic hyperabsorption of dietary iron. HFE2 encodes hemojuvelin (Hjv), a membrane‐associated bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) coreceptor that enhances expression of the liver‐derived iron regulatory hormone hepcidin. Hjv is primarily expressed in skeletal muscles and at lower levels in the heart and the liver. Moreover, a soluble Hjv form circulates in plasma and is thought to act as a decoy receptor, attenuating BMP signaling to hepcidin. To better understand the regulatory function of Hjv, we generated mice with tissue‐specific disruption of this protein in hepatocytes or in muscle cells. The hepatic ablation of Hjv resulted in iron overload, quantitatively comparable to that observed in ubiquitous Hjv−/− mice. Serum iron and ferritin levels, transferrin saturation, and liver iron content were significantly (P < 0.001) elevated in liver‐specific Hjv−/− mice. Hepatic Hjv mRNA was undetectable, whereas hepcidin expression was markedly suppressed (12.6‐fold; P < 0.001) and hepatic BMP6 mRNA up‐regulated (2.4‐fold; P < 0.01), as in ubiquitous Hjv−/− counterparts. By contrast, the muscle‐specific disruption of Hjv was not associated with iron overload or altered hepcidin expression, suggesting that muscle Hjv mRNA is dispensable for iron metabolism. Our data do not support any significant iron‐regulatory function of putative muscle‐derived soluble Hjv in mice, at least under physiological conditions. Conclusion: The hemochromatotic phenotype of liver‐specific Hjv−/− mice suggests that hepatic Hjv is necessary and sufficient to regulate hepcidin expression and control systemic iron homeostasis. (HEPATOLOGY 2011;)
Nurses’ commitment to respecting patient dignity

Background: Although respecting human dignity is a cornerstone of all nursing practices, industrialization has gradually decreased the attention paid to this subject in nursing care. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate nurses’ commitment to respecting patient dignity in hospitals of Isfahan, Iran. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in hospitals of Isfahan. Overall, 401 inpatients were selected by cluster sampling and then selected simple random sampling from different wards. Data were collected through a questionnaire containing the components of patient dignity, that is, patient-nurse relationships, privacy, and independence. All items were scored based on a five-point Likert scale. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests. P < 0.05 were considered significant in all analyses. Findings: Most patients (91%) scored their relationships with nurses as good. Moreover, 91.8% of the participants described privacy protection as moderate/good. Only 6.5% of the subjects rated it as excellent. The majority of the patients (84.4%) believed their independence was maintained. These subjects also approved of taking part in decision-making. Conclusion: According to our findings, nurses respected patient dignity to an acceptable level. However, the conditions were less favorable in public hospitals and emergency departments. Nursing authorities and policy makers are thus required to introduce appropriate measures to improve the existing conditions.
Chronic passive venous congestion drives hepatic fibrogenesis via sinusoidal thrombosis and mechanical forces

Chronic passive hepatic congestion (congestive hepatopathy) leads to hepatic fibrosis; however, the mechanisms involved in this process are not well understood. We developed a murine experimental model of congestive hepatopathy through partial ligation of the inferior vena cava (pIVCL). C57BL/6 and transgenic mice overexpressing tissue factor pathway inhibitor (SM22α‐TFPI) were subjected to pIVCL or sham. Liver and blood samples were collected and analyzed in immunohistochemical, morphometric, real‐time polymerase chain reaction, and western blot assays. Hepatic fibrosis and portal pressure were significantly increased after pIVCL concurrent with hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation. Liver stiffness, as assessed by magnetic resonance elastography, correlated with portal pressure and preceded fibrosis in our model. Hepatic sinusoidal thrombosis as evidenced by fibrin deposition was demonstrated both in mice after pIVCL as well as in humans with congestive hepatopathy. Warfarin treatment and TFPI overexpression both had a protective effect on fibrosis development and HSC activation after pIVCL. In vitro studies show that congestion stimulates HSC fibronectin (FN) fibril assembly through direct effects of thrombi as well as by virtue of mechanical strain. Pretreatment with either Mab13 or Cytochalasin‐D, to inhibit β‐integrin or actin polymerization, respectively, significantly reduced fibrin and stretch‐induced FN fibril assembly. Conclusion: Chronic hepatic congestion leads to sinusoidal thrombosis and strain, which in turn promote hepatic fibrosis. These studies mechanistically link congestive hepatopathy to hepatic fibrosis. (Hepatology 2015;61:648‐659)
The expression of MC4Rs in D1R neurons regulates food intake and locomotor sensitization to cocaine

While it is known that mice lacking melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) expression develop hyperphagia resulting in early‐onset obesity, the specific neural circuits that mediate this process remain unclear. Here, we report that selective restoration of MC4R expression within dopamine‐1 receptor‐expressing neurons [MC4R/dopamine 1 receptor (D1R) mice] partially blunts the severe obesity seen in MC4R‐null mice by decreasing meal size, but not meal frequency, in the dark cycle. We also report that both acute cocaine‐induced anorexia and the development of locomotor sensitization to repeated administration of cocaine are blunted in MC4R‐null mice and normalized in MC4R/D1R mice. Neuronal retrograde tracing identifies the lateral hypothalamic area as the primary target of MC4R‐expressing neurons in the nucleus accumbens. Biochemical studies in the ventral striatum show that phosphorylation of DARPP‐32Thr‐34 and GluR1Ser‐845 is diminished in MC4R‐null mice after chronic cocaine administration but rescued in MC4R/D1R mice. These findings highlight a physiological role of MC4R‐mediated signaling within D1R neurons in the long‐term regulation of energy balance and behavioral responses to cocaine.
Gum Arabic coated magnetic nanoparticles with affinity ligands specific for antibodies

A novel magnetic support based on gum Arabic (GA) coated iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) has been endowed with affinity properties towards immunoglobulin G (IgG) molecules. The success of the in situ triazine ligand synthesis was confirmed by fluorescence assays. Two synthetic ligands previously developed for binding to IgG, named as ligand 22/8 (artificial Protein A) and ligand 8/7 (artificial Protein L) were immobilized on to MNPs coated with GA (MNP_GA). The dimension of the particles core was not affected by the surface functionalization with GA and triazine ligands. The hydrodynamic diameters of the magnetic supports indicate that the coupling of GA leads to the formation of larger agglomerates of particles with about 1 µm, but the introduction of the triazine ligands leads to a decrease on MNPs size. The non‐functionalized MNP_GA bound 28 mg IgG/g, two times less than bare MNP (60 mg IgG/g). MNP_GA modified with ligand 22/8 bound 133 mg IgG/g support, twice higher than the value obtained for ligand 8/7 magnetic adsorbents (65 mg/g). Supports modified with ligand 22/8 were selected to study the adsorption and the elution of IgG. The adsorption of human IgG on this support followed a Langmuir behavior with a Qmáx of 344 mg IgG/g support and Ka of 1.5 × 105 M. The studies on different elution conditions indicated that although the 0.05 M citrate buffer (pH 3) presented good recovery yields (elution 64% of bound protein), there was occurrence of iron leaching at this acidic pH. Therefore, a potential alternative would be to elute bound protein with a 0.05 M glycine‐NaOH (pH 11) buffer. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Computational toolbox to calculate the dynamics of nanometer-size particles interacting with structured light beams

We study the effects of the optical forces acting on nanoparticles when they are illuminated with structured light. We developed a computational toolbox that calculates optical forces. The results allow us to obtain the trajectory described by the particles depending on their initial conditions and physical properties. As an example, we generate structured light beams by superimposing optical vortices. The resulting beam generates gradient, scattering and curl forces. We show the dynamics of dielectric and metallic nanoparticles. This work may stimulate further research on controlling nanometer-size particles using light beams with space-variant polarization.
PARAMETER IDENTIFICATION OF HAMMERSTEIN SYSTEMS WITH ASYMMETRIC DEAD{ZONES

The paper deals with the parameter identication of Hammerstein systems having piecewise-linear nonlinearities with asymmetric dead-zones. A new form of nonlinearity representation provides a special form of Hammerstein model. Parameter estimation is carried out iteratively with measured input and output data records and estimated internal variables. To demonstrate the feasibility of the identication method, illustrative examples are included. K e y w o r d s: nonlinear systems, Hammerstein model, identication, dead-zone
Almost perfect autocorrelation sequences

Almost perfect autocorrelation sequences are defined as complex periodic sequences such that all the out-of-phase autocorrelation coefficients are zero except one. The study is restricted to (-1,+1)-sequences. In this case, such sequences exist only if the period n is a multiple of 4. After setting up theoretical results, several sequences are constructed for every period n multiple of 4 in the range 8 >
Human Papillomavirus Type Distribution in Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia Grade 2/3 and Cervical Cancer in Portugal: A CLEOPATRE II Study

Objective Cervical cancer is the third most frequent cancer in women, worldwide and etiologically associated with infection by human papillomavirus (HPV). Following the results of the first epidemiologic population-based CLEOPATRE study in Portugal, it was important to understand the HPV type-specific distribution in women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grades 2 and 3 and invasive cervical cancer (ICC). Methods This was an observational, multicenter, cross-sectional study with retrospective data collection. Between January 2008 and May 2009, paraffin-embedded samples of histologically confirmed cases of CIN2, CIN3, and ICC were collected from the 5 regional health administrations in mainland Portugal. Eligible samples were sent to 2 central laboratories for histological reassessment and HPV genotyping. Prevalence estimates were calculated together with 95% confidence intervals. Results A total of 582 samples, 177 cases of CIN2, 341 of CIN3, and 64 of ICC, were included. The mean age of participants was 41.8 years (range, 20–88 years). The overall HPV prevalence was 97.9% with a higher prevalence of high-risk genotypes, particularly HPV 16. Multiple infections were observed in 11.2% of the cases. Human papillomavirus prevalence was 95.5% in CIN2, 99.4% in CIN3, and 96.9% in ICC. The 8 more frequent genotypes in order of decreasing frequency were HPV 16, 31, 58, 33, 51, 52, 18, and 35 in CIN2 and HPV 16, 31, 33, 58, 52, 35, 18, and 51 in CIN3. In ICC cases, the 12 detected HPV genotypes were HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 51, 52, 53, 56, 58, 59, and 73. However, HPV 53 and 73 were always associated to other high-risk genotypes. Human papillomavirus types 31, 51, 52, 56, and 59 were detected in 1 case each. Conclusions Human papillomavirus prevalence and patterns of type-specific HPV positivity were comparable with other studies. Current HPV vaccines should protect against HPV genotypes responsible for 77.4% of ICC in Portugal.
Homozygosity for a novel deletion downstream of the SHOX gene provides evidence for an additional long range regulatory region with a mild phenotypic effect

Léri–Weill dyschondrosteosis is caused by heterozygous mutations in SHOX or its flanking sequences, including whole or partial gene deletions, point mutations within the coding sequence, and deletions of downstream regulatory elements. The same mutations when biallelic cause the more severe Langer Mesomelic dysplasia. Here, we report on a consanguineous family with a novel deletion downstream of SHOX in which homozygously deleted individuals have a phenotype intermediate between Léri–Weill dyschondrosteosis and Langer Mesomelic dysplasia while heterozygously deleted individuals are mostly asymptomatic. The deleted region is distal to all previously described 3′ deletions, suggesting the presence of an additional regulatory element, deletions of which have a milder, variable phenotypic effect. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The effect of altering a single component of a rehabilitation programme on the functional recovery of stroke patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To evaluate the effect of altering a single component of a rehabilitation programme (e.g. adding bilateral practice alone) on functional recovery after stroke, defined using a measure of activity. Data sources: A search was conducted of Medline/Pubmed, CINAHL and Web of Science. Review methods: Two reviewers independently assessed eligibility. Randomized controlled trials were included if all participants received the same base intervention, and the experimental group experienced alteration of a single component of the training programme. This could be manipulation of an intrinsic component of training (e.g. intensity) or the addition of a discretionary component (e.g. augmented feedback). One reviewer extracted the data and another independently checked a subsample (20%). Quality was appraised according to the PEDro scale. Results: Thirty-six studies (n = 1724 participants) were included. These evaluated nine training components: mechanical degrees of freedom, intensity of practice, load, practice schedule, augmented feedback, bilateral movements, constraint of the unimpaired limb, mental practice and mirrored-visual feedback. Manipulation of the mechanical degrees of freedom of the trunk during reaching and the addition of mental practice during upper limb training were the only single components found to independently enhance recovery of function after stroke. Conclusion: This review provides limited evidence to support the supposition that altering a single component of a rehabilitation programme realises greater functional recovery for stroke survivors. Further investigations are required to determine the most effective single components of rehabilitation programmes, and the combinations that may enhance functional recovery.
Comparative Study of Multi-query Optimization Techniques using Shared Predicate-based for Big Data

Big data analytical systems, such as MapReduce, have become main issues for many enterprises and research groups. Currently, multi-query which translated into MapReduce jobs is submitted repeatedly with similar tasks. So, exploiting these similar tasks can offer possibilities to avoid repeated computations of MapReduce jobs. Therefore, many researches have addressed the sharing opportunity to optimize multiquery processing. Consequently, the main goal of this work is to study and compare comprehensively two existed sharing opportunity techniques using predicate-based filters; MRShare and relaxed MRShare. The comparative study has been performed over TPC-H benchmark and confirmed that the relaxed MRShare technique significantly outperforms the MRShare for shared data in terms of predicate-based filters among multi-query.
TEST OF REMOVAL OF IRON MINERALS FROM KAOLIN USING HGMS

Kaolin from Nagreg contains iron mineral particles approximately 0.58 % Fe that cause a grey color of the material . An effort to reduce iron content can be made by applying beneficiation test, using HGMS (High Gradient Magnetic Separator), so the kaolin may become white color and can reach the standard quality for paper industries. A HGMS beneficiation test was conducted at magnetic field strength of 5,000 Gauss. The experi- ments were carried out using variable flow rates of 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 and 3.5 liter per minute and slurry density of 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5 and 15 % solid. The results of experiments show that the optimum condition with flow rate of 2.5 liters/minute gave the quality of kaolin concentrate with iron content of 0.29 %Fe.
Fertility preservation in gynaecologic cancers

Due to substantial improvement in the diagnosis and treatment of gynaecologic cancers, a better understanding of patient care needs to be revised. We reviewed the literature related to fertility preservation strategies in gynaecological cancer and discussed current general management approaches. New technical modalities and patients’ own desire for motherhood should be integral and paramount in the clinical evaluation to significantly contribute to preserving fertility in those women diagnosed with gynaecologic cancers during the reproductive years.
An empirical assessment of the antecedents of electronic-business implementation and the resulting organizational performance

– The purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically test a unified framework that captures the antecedents of e-business implementation, that is; organizational factors which is decomposed into organizational capabilities (training availability, technical expertise, knowledge level), knowledge management capabilities (knowledge acquisition, application, and sharing), adhocracy culture, and top management support, e-business implementation, and organizational performance (efficiency, sales performance, customer satisfaction, relationship development). , – Data from a survey of 258 top managers in Saudi Arabian enterprises were collected to empirically test the proposed research model. Additionally, the statistical techniques employed included a confirmatory factor analysis to examine the reliability and validity of the measurement model, and structural equation modeling using AMOS is utilized to test the hypotheses. , – The findings of this study suggest that organizational factors influence e-business implementation. Moreover, e-business implementation affects organizational performance. , – This study did not investigate all organizational factors and knowledge management processes. Future research could assess the influence of additional factors such as technology and environment contexts on e-business implementation. , – Owners/managers considering e-business implementation would be best to focus on internal (organizational) factors and their interaction within and beyond the organization, rather than focussing exclusively on technological considerations. , – This study is significant for at least two reasons: it determines the key antecedents to successful business implementation based on organizational factors and it helps to understand the effects of e-business implementation on organizational performance.
The Long‐Term Outcome of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation in the Treatment for Patients with Chronic Pain: A Randomized, Placebo‐Controlled Trial

Background: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is an easy to use analgesic intervention. However, long‐term randomized placebo‐controlled studies with treatment periods of more than 3 months have not been executed to date. The aim of our study is to explore the long‐term (1 year) time course of the treatment effects of TENS compared to placebo (sham TENS).
Simulation of Cracks Development due to Rebar Corrosion in the Cement Paste Ring

- Corrosion of reinforced concrete structure causes cracks in the concrete, reduces the cross-section area of the reinforcement hence reduces the service life performances of the structures. The major cause of corrosion is a porous zone at the interface of rebar and concrete which is due to poor compaction, high porosity and high bleeding at the Interfacial Transition Zone (ITZ) of reinforcement and Concrete. The compaction of concrete via reinforcement i.e., Rebar shaking has proved to improve the compaction and to reduce porosity at ITZ because it increases bond and adhesion of rebar and concrete. In this technique of compaction the rebar is enveloped by fine particles i.e., it creates what can be characterized as Cement Paste Ring (CPR) around rebar. The concrete with CPR is being studied to see its suitability in protecting reinforcement from corrosion in Reinforced Concrete Structure. Cracks mechanism and behavior of concrete samples with CPR are compared with normal vibrated concrete samples (samples without CPR). A Pull-out test and a Hydraulic Concrete cracking machine were used to test the samples of different strengths and ages. Maturity Pull out tests show that cracks on the samples with CPR are less wide and the cracks pattern are disconnected as compared to normal vibrated samples of which its cracks are wider, and well-connected. The pull-out force is higher in samples with CPR than in normal vibrated samples. In the Hydraulic machine the samples with CPR showed more resistance in lateral pressure as compared to normal vibrated samples. Inner layer of samples with CPR formed a single continuous cracks which are vertically inside but diagonally outside. The normal vibrated samples displayed multiple vertical cracks inside and outside the samples. Micro-cracks were not visible (except by magnifiers) in samples with CPR but were clearly visible in normal vibrated samples. The cracks patterns, sizes, spacing as well as the bond strengths between rebar and concrete at ITZ have significance effect on the corrosion and crack mechanisms. From the experiments and analysis, the samples with CPR are promising to reduce corrosion on the reinforcement structure as compared to normal vibrated samples.
Trust Region Subproblem with a Fixed Number of Additional Linear Inequality Constraints has Polynomial Complexity

The trust region subproblem with a fixed number m additional linear inequality constraints, denoted by (Tm), have drawn much attention recently. The question as to whether Problem (Tm) is in Class P or Class NP remains open. So far, the only affirmative general result is that (T1) has an exact SOCP/SDP reformulation and thus is polynomially solvable. By adopting an early result of Mart´onez on local non-global minimum of the trust region subproblem, we can inductively reduce any instance in (Tm) to a sequence of trust region subproblems (T0). Although the total number of (T0) to be solved takes an exponential order of m, the reduction scheme still provides an argument that the class (Tm) has polynomial complexity for each fixed m. In contrast, we show by a simple example that, solving the class of extended trust region subproblems which contains more linear inequality constraints than the problem dimension; or the class of instances consisting of an arbitrarily number of linear constraints, namely S1=1 (Tm), is NP-hard. When m is small such as m = 1,2, our inductive algorithm should be more efficient than the SOCP/SDP reformulation since at most 2 or 5 subproblems of (T0), respectively, are to be handled. In the end of the paper, we improve a very recent dimension condition by Jeyakumar and Li under which (Tm) admits an exact SDP relaxation. Examples show that such an improvement can be strict indeed.