Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
miTALOS v2: Analyzing Tissue Specific microRNA Function

MicroRNAs are involved in almost all biological processes and have emerged as regulators of signaling pathways. We show that miRNA target genes and pathway genes are not uniformly expressed across human tissues. To capture tissue specific effects, we developed a novel methodology for tissue specific pathway analysis of miRNAs. We incorporated the most recent and highest quality miRNA targeting data (TargetScan and StarBase), RNA-seq based gene expression data (EBI Expression Atlas) and multiple new pathway data sources to increase the biological relevance of the predicted miRNA-pathway associations. We identified new potential roles of miR-199a-3p, miR-199b-3p and the miR-200 family in hepatocellular carcinoma, involving the regulation of metastasis through MAPK and Wnt signaling. Also, an association of miR-571 and Notch signaling in liver fibrosis was proposed. To facilitate data update and future extensions of our tool, we developed a flexible database backend using the graph database neo4j. The new backend as well as the novel methodology were included in the updated miTALOS v2, a tool that provides insights into tissue specific miRNA regulation of biological pathways. miTALOS v2 is available at http://mips.helmholtz-muenchen.de/mitalos.
13.8A 3.3V-supply 120mW differential ADC driver amplifier in 0.18μm SiGe BiCMOS with 108dBc IM3 at 100MHz

Fully differential (operational) amplifiers (FDA) have become the preferred method of driving 1st and 2nd Nyquist zone signals into 100 to 500 Ms/s 12 to 16 bit ADCs. Previously the best performance (95dBc IM3 at 100MHz [1]) came from designs in dielectrically isolated (DI) Silicon Germanium complementary bipolar (CB) processes [2]. These have not been developed at the 0. 18μm geometry node, as the cost of shrinking these esoteric processes is not justified by the low volume markets they serve. Here 108dBc IM3 at 100MHz is obtained using a 0. 18μm SiGe NPN-only RF BiCMOS. NPN-heavy circuits and a feedforward nested Miller architecture achieve this at 3.3V supply voltage and 36mA total supply current.
Amiloride-Sensitive Sodium Channels on the Parietal Human Peritoneum: Evidence by Ussing-Type Chamber Experiments

The mesothelium is part of the peritoneal water and ion transport barrier essential for peritoneal dialysis (PD) treatment and has a central role in the pathogenesis of peritoneal fibrosis and ultrafiltration failure observed in many PD patients. We investigated the effect of amiloride on the transmesothelial electrical resistance (RTM) of isolated parietal human peritoneum. Intact sheets were obtained from seven patients (three men, four women; mean age, 64 ± 8 years). Fourteen peritoneal planar sheets were transferred to the laboratory in oxygenated Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate solution at 4°C within 30 minutes after removal and mounted in an Ussing-type chamber. Amiloride (10−3 mol/L) added apically (n = 8) caused a rapid rise of the RTM to 24.15 ± 0.76 &OHgr;H cm2 and a subsequent value persistence (p < 0.05); added basolaterally (n = 6), it increased the RTM to 22.66 ± 0.59 &OHgr;H cm2 within 1 minute, which persisted throughout the experiment. RTM was measured before and serially for 30 minutes after addition of amiloride. Control RTM was 20.29 ± 0.86 &OHgr;H cm2. These results indicate a rapid inhibitory effect of amiloride on the ionic permeability of parietal human peritoneum. The increase in the RTM observed after addition of amiloride clearly indicates the existence of amiloride-sensitive sodium channels on the human parietal peritoneal membrane, which may play some role in the ultrafiltration process and sodium removal during PD.
In vitro cytotoxicity of SiO 2 or ZnO nanoparticles with different sizes and surface charges on U 373 Mg human glioblastoma cells

License. The full terms of the License are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. Permissions beyond the scope of the License are administered by Dove Medical Press Limited. Information on how to request permission may be found at: http://www.dovepress. com/permissions.php International Journal of Nanomedicine 2014:9 (Suppl 2) 235–241 International Journal of Nanomedicine Dovepress
The Diagnosis of Iron Deficiency in Pregnancy

Iron saturation of serum transferrin (Fe/ TIBC) has been found useful in assessing the iron status of women in the nonpregnant slate. Sixty-two pregnant anemic patients with various Fe/TIBC ratios were studied with respect to their response to iron therapy. Patients with Fe/TIBC below 20% responded to iron with a significant mean increase in hemoglobin and a restitution of the mean Fe/TIBC to above 20%, while patients with Fe/TIBC above 20% showed no mean increment in their hemoglobin after comparable treatment. In patients with Fe/TIBC below 20%, the TIBC showed a variable but predictable response to successful therapy dependent on pretreatment values in that posttreatment values tended toward 400 µg/100 ml. The Findings support the concept that the Fe/TIBC ratio is as useful a test for evaluating iron deficiency in the pregnant as in the nonpregnant state.
Matrix-specific p21-activated kinase activation regulates vascular permeability in atherogenesis

Elevated permeability of the endothelium is thought to be crucial in atherogenesis because it allows circulating lipoproteins to access subendothelial monocytes. Both local hemodynamics and cytokines may govern endothelial permeability in atherosclerotic plaque. We recently found that p21-activated kinase (PAK) regulates endothelial permeability. We now report that onset of fluid flow, atherogenic flow profiles, oxidized LDL, and proatherosclerotic cytokines all stimulate PAK phosphorylation and recruitment to cell–cell junctions. Activation of PAK is higher in cells plated on fibronectin (FN) compared to basement membrane proteins in all cases. In vivo, PAK is activated in atherosclerosis-prone regions of arteries and correlates with FN in the subendothelium. Inhibiting PAK in vivo reduces permeability in atherosclerosis-prone regions. Matrix-specific PAK activation therefore mediates elevated vascular permeability in atherogenesis.
Application of THDM switching strategy on line voltage THD of multilevel inverters

Cascade Multilevel Inverter (CMI) is widely used in family of Multilevel inverters. THD Minimization (THDM) switching strategy is a well-known strategy which is applied to reduce amount of whole voltage harmonics. Two methods based on Approximate and Integrating methods have been proposed in literature to calculate line voltage THD of multilevel inverter with stepped waveform. In this paper, THDM strategy is applied to the both methods for a 5-level inverter with non-equal DC sources as a case study. It is shown that using both methods results in a same condition. Simulation results performed in MATLAB software are offered.
ON THE INERTIAL/TURBULENT RANGE IN FULLY HYDRODYNAMIC LUBRICATION

Summary: This contribution deals with a self-consistent description of time-mean turbulent lubricant flow, i.e. flow through a wedge-shaped gap confined by counter-sliding solid surfaces. The methods adopted are matched asymptotic expansions, where the slenderness or aspect ratio of the gap and the accordingly defined Reynolds number represent the perturbation parameters. As a remarkable result, a load-bearing capacity as a consequence of the resultant pressure distribution can only be maintained for fully developed turbulent flow provided its asymptotic structure flow differs distinctly to that known from other turbulent internal flows as pipe/channel flows or classical turbulent boundary layers. The basic analysis is carried out without resorting to a specific Reynolds shear stress closure. However, the resulting requirements for asymptotically correct turbulence models are discussed. The theoretical study is accompanied by a numerical study of the boundary layer equations governing the fully turbulent core flow. Finally, the impact of cavitation, a phenomenon highly relevant in lubrication theory, on the novel flow structure is addressed. 1 ROUTE TO TURBULENCE: STARTING AT CLASSICAL LUBRICATION THEORY
A Learning-Based Framework Incorporating Domain Knowledge for Performance Modeling

Energy efficiency has become the critical factor of computing performance in platforms from embedded devices, portable electronics to servers in datacenters. Power density and peak power demands increase in each generation of microprocessors, which directly lead to a higher operating temperature that exceeds the cooling capability available on current multi-core systems. These physical constraints seriously hinder the development of the next-generation computing platform. In this thesis, we propose Gray-Box computing, the methodology of a learning-based framework that incorporates the prior domain knowledge to quantitatively model every aspect of a multi-core system, including performance, power consumption and operating temperature. Experimental results show that the learned model achieves more than 96% accuracy, compared to actual industrial measurements or full-system simulations. By exploiting the learned model, the proposed GrayBox computing has enabled a wide variety of applications − from simulation speedup to multi-constrained optimization with respect to performance, energy efficiency and reliability for a multi-core system. Gray-Box computing has also been extended to model the performance−specifically, the job inter-arrivals−of a datacenter, which is in the scale of tens of thousands of cores. Experimental results are poised to demonstrate the strength of Gray-Box computing. Future work will focus on applying Gray-Box computing to model the usage dynamics of datacenters.
Towards shape-based visual object categorization for humanoid robots

Humanoid robots should be able to grasp and handle objects in the environment, even if the objects are seen for the first time. A plausible solution to this problem is to categorize these objects into existing classes with associated actions and functional knowledge. So far, efforts on visual object categorization using humanoid robots have either been focused on appearance-based methods or have been restricted to object recognition without generalization capabilities. In this work, a shape model-based approach using stereo vision and machine learning for object categorization is introduced. The state-of-the-art features for shape matching and shape retrieval were evaluated and selectively transfered into the visual categorization. Visual sensing from different vantage points allows the reconstruction of 3D mesh models of the objects found in the scene by exploiting knowledge about the environment for model-based segmentation and registration. These reconstructed 3D mesh models were used for shape feature extraction for categorization and provide sufficient information for grasping and manipulation. Finally, the visual categorization was successfully performed with a variety of features and classifiers allowing proper categorization of unknown objects even when object appearance and shape substantially differ from the training set. Experimental evaluation with the humanoid robot ARMAR-IIIa is presented.
A comparison of the defective granulopoiesis in childhood cyclic neutropenia and in severe congenital neutropenia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Cyclic neutropenia (CyN) in childhood and severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) are congenital disorders that cause chronic neutropenia. Mutations in the neutrophil elastase gene, ELA2, have been reported in patients with CyN and in those with SCN. We examined granulopoietic defects in CyN patients with those in SCN patients. DESIGN AND METHODS Three patients with CyN and four with SCN were enrolled in this study. Bone marrow cells were enriched based on the expression of CD34, Kit, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor (G-CSFR). The purified cells were assayed for colony formation, proliferation, and mRNA expression of granular enzymes. RESULTS All patients showed heterozygous mutations of ELA2. Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated no differences in the frequency of CD34, Kit, and G-CSFR expression between CyN patients and normal subjects. Significant differences in granulocyte/macrophage (GM)-colony formation of CD34(+)/Kit(+) cells were observed among CyN patients, SCN patients, and normal subjects in response to hematopoietic factors. Impaired granulopoiesis was found in both CD34(+)/Kit(+)/G-CSFR(+) and CD34(+)/Kit(+)/G-CSFR- cells in patients with CyN, whereas this impairment was observed only in CD34(+)/Kit(+)/G-CSFR(+) cells in SCN patients, as previously reported. The mRNA expression of granular enzymes in myeloid precursors and the transcription levels during myeloid cell differentiation in CyN patients were comparable to those in normal subjects, in contrast to the abnormal transcription of granular enzymes in SCN patients. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the underlying granulopoietic abnormalities differ between CyN and SCN, and emphasize the presence of additional genetic pathophysiology specific to each disease.
Effects of Eicosapentaenoic Acid Supplementation on Lipid and Lipoprotein Profile in Hypertriglyceridemic Subjects with Different Proliferator-activated Receptor Alpha Genotypes

Background: We determined the blood lipid-lowering effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on hypertriglyceridemic subjects with Leu162/Val in exon 5 and G/C in intron7 polymorphism of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα)genotypes that, to our knowledge, have not been previously studied. Methods: A total of 170 hypertriglyceridemic subjects were enrolled and genotyped for Ala54Thr, Leu162Val, and intron7 polymorphism by the use of a polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism method. After determination of their genotypes, the first 23 eligible subjects who were found as Ala54 carriers and the first 23 eligible Thr54 carriers were enrolled in the study and stratified for PPARα genotypes. Participants took 2 g of pure EPA daily for 8 weeks. Fasting blood lipid and lipoprotein profiles were determined and changes from baseline were measured. Results: We observed significant difference between EPA supplementation and Leu162 and Val162, Interon 7 (GG and GC) carriers (P < 0.001). We did not observe significant associations between the PPARα L162V single nucleotide polymorphism and multiple lipid and lipoprotein measures. Although EPA consumption lowered lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in Leu162 and Val162 carriers and Interon 7 CC and GC carriers, these differences between the studied groups were not statistically significant. Conclusions: EPA consumption has a lipid-lowering effect in hypertriglyceridemic subjects in both Leu162 and Val162 carriers. But there was no significant interaction between EPA supplementation and PPARα genotypes. Thus, genetic variation within the PPARα Leu162/Val cannot modulate the association of EPA intakes with lipid and lipoprotein profile. However, we must note that the sample size in this study was small.
Using prospective clinical surveillance to identify adverse events in hospital

Background To improve patient safety, organisations must systematically measure avoidable harms. Clinical surveillance—consisting of prospective case finding and peer review—could improve identification of adverse events (AEs), preventable AEs and potential AEs. The authors sought to describe and compare findings of clinical surveillance on four clinical services in an academic hospital. Methods Clinical surveillance was performed by a nurse observer who monitored patients for prespecified clinical events and collected standard information about each event. A multidisciplinary, peer-review committee rated causation for each event. Events were subsequently classified in terms of severity and type. Results The authors monitored 1406 patients during their admission to four hospital services: Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care (n=226), Intensive Care (n=211), General Internal Medicine (n=453) and Obstetrics (n=516). The authors detected 245 AEs during 9300 patient days of observation (2.6 AEs per 100 patient days). 88 AEs (33%) were preventable. The proportion of patients experiencing at least one AE, preventable AE or potential AE was 13.7%, 6.1% and 5.3%, respectively. AE risk varied between services, ranging from 1.4% of Obstetrics to 11% of Internal Medicine and Intensive Care patients experiencing at least one preventable AE. The proportion of patients experiencing AEs resulting in permanent disability or death varied between services: ranging from 0.2% on Obstetrics to 4.9% on Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care. No services shared the most frequent AE type. Conclusions Using clinical surveillance, the authors identified a high risk of AE and significant variation in AE risks and subtypes between services. These findings suggest that institutions will need to evaluate service-specific safety problems to set priorities and design improvement strategies.
Observations of personal meaning sources for Israeli age cohorts

Using the Sources of Meaning Profile (SOMP), an instrument developed to measure the sources of personal, present meaning in one's life, this descriptive study looks at what 296 Israelis aged 18-91 consider to be the most and least important sources of meaning in their lives. Respondents, irrespective of age, viewed personal relationships, enduring values and ideals and meeting basic needs as being among the most important sources of meaning in their lives. Though the importance of religious activities tended to increase, albeit insignificantly, with age this source of meaning was ranked among the lowest in importance by all age groups. No one age group emerged as deriving significantly more total meaning from the sources examined than did other age groups. The author did not find evidence of the egocentric self-preoccupation, with satisfaction of basic needs, which are the hallmarks of interiority theory. There was evidence of an increasing philosophic and humanistic life orientation in the later years, a.
Spectroscopy of SN 1987A at 0.9–2.4 μm: days 1348–3158

We present near-infrared spectroscopic observations of SN 1987A covering the period 1358 to 3158 d post explosion. This is the first time that IR spectra of a supernova have been obtained to such late epochs. The spectra comprise emission from both the ejecta and the bright, ring-shaped circumstellar medium (CSM). The most prominent CSM emission lines are recombination lines of H i and He i, and forbidden lines of [S iii] and [Fe ii]. The ejecta spectra include allowed lines of H i, He i and Na i and forbidden lines of [Si i], [Fe i], [Fe ii] and possibly [S i]. The intensity ratios and widths of the H i ejecta lines are consistent with a low-temperature Case B recombination spectrum arising from non-thermal ionization/excitation in an extended, adiabatically-cooled H envelope, as predicted by several authors. The slow decline of the ejecta forbidden lines, especially those of [Si i], indicates that pure non-thermal excitation was taking place, driven increasingly by the decay of 44Ti. The ejecta iron exhibits particularly high velocities (4000–4500 km s-1), supporting scenarios where fast radioactive nickel is created and ejected just after the core bounce. In addition, the ejecta lines continue to exhibit blueshifts with values ∼−200 to −800 km s−1 to at least day 2000. These blueshifts, which first appeared around day 600, probably indicate that very dense concentrations of dust persist in the ejecta, although an alternative explanation of asymmetry in the excitation conditions is not ruled out.
Using artificial intelligence to forecast monthly rainfall under present and future climates for the Bowen Basin, Queensland, Australia

There is a need for more skilful medium-term rainfall forecasts for the Bowen Basin, a key coal-mining region in Queensland, Australia. Prolonged heavy rainfall during the 2010–2011 summer was not forecasted and it severely affected industry operations. Official forecasts are currently based on general circulation models (GCMs) and indicate there will be change in the timing and strength of the rainfall in the Bowen Basin with climate change. A more skilful medium-term rainfall forecast for the present climate can be achieved through the use of artificial neural networks (ANNs). ANN can be used to generate monthly forecasts 3 months in advance. These forecasts can be improved through a weighted linear combination of forecasts. Principal component analysis prior to inputting data does not improve the forecast. An ANN can provide an independent method of GCM validation under future climates with results in reasonable agreement with the averaged values from the GCM ensembles: suggesting a decline in summer rainfall and an increase in winter rainfall at Nebo, a locality in the Bowen Basin, under the 3°C warmer scenario. This represents a smoothing of the annual variability in rainfall for the locality of Nebo rather than more climatic extremes with global warming.
Morphological changes during dendritic cell maturation correlate with cofilin activation and translocation to the cell membrane

Upon activation, tissue residing immature dendritic cells (DC) start to migrate towards the draining lymph node and mature into efficient antigen‐presenting cells. During maturation DC loose their capacity to endocytose antigens, change their surface expression of adhesion molecules, chemokine receptors, and costimulatory molecules, and change morphology. We employed 2D‐PAGE and mass spectrometry to identify additional differentially expressed proteins in immature and mature DC. Human monocyte‐derived DC were matured with LPS and protein expression profiles were compared before andafter maturation. One of the proteins differentially expressed between immature and mature DC was identified as the actin‐binding protein cofilin. We show here that cofilin is dephosphorylated in response to several maturation stimuli (i.e. CD40 ligand, LPS or a combination of TNF‐α and prostaglandin E2). Moreover, dephosphorylated cofilin translocated towards the plasmamembrane during maturation. Importantly, this correlated with an increase in filamentous actin and the appearance of veils, suggesting a role for cofilin in cytoskeletal rearrangements during maturation.
Special education teachers under stress: evidence from a Greek national study

The present study examines the sources of job stress in a national sample of 373 Greek special education teachers, using a self‐report questionnaire assessing job stress, its perceived sources, and its demographic and professional characteristics. Although the participants in general considered their job moderately stressful, they felt stressed by issues concerning the special needs child, such as the child's progress, safety, and social development. More than half of the teachers indicated that teaching children with autism poses major stress to them, followed by teaching students with behavioural and emotional difficulties. Regression analysis showed that the implementation of the special educational curriculum was the most important predictor of job stress, followed by the social and academic progress of children. The implications of these findings for in‐service and pre‐service teacher preparation, support, and awareness‐raising regarding job stress are discussed.