Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional Living Trileaflet Heart Valves Grown In Vitro

Background—Previous tissue engineering approaches to create heart valves have been limited by the structural immaturity and mechanical properties of the valve constructs. This study used an in vitro pulse duplicator system to provide a biomimetic environment during tissue formation to yield more mature implantable heart valves derived from autologous tissue. Methods and Results—Trileaflet heart valves were fabricated from novel bioabsorbable polymers and sequentially seeded with autologous ovine myofibroblasts and endothelial cells. The constructs were grown for 14 days in a pulse duplicator in vitro system under gradually increasing flow and pressure conditions. By use of cardiopulmonary bypass the native pulmonary leaflets were resected, and the valve constructs were implanted into 6 lambs (weight 19±2.8 kg). All animals had uneventful postoperative courses, and the valves were explanted at 1 day and at 4, 6, 8, 16, and 20 weeks. Echocardiography demonstrated mobile functioning leaflets without stenosis, thrombus, or aneurysm up to 20 weeks. Histology (16 and 20 weeks) showed uniform layered cuspal tissue with endothelium. Environmental scanning electron microscopy revealed a confluent smooth valvular surface. Mechanical properties were comparable to those of native tissue at 20 weeks. Complete degradation of the polymers occurred by 8 weeks. Extracellular matrix content (collagen, glycosaminoglycans, and elastin) and DNA content increased to levels of native tissue and higher at 20 weeks. Conclusions—This study demonstrates in vitro generation of implantable complete living heart valves based on a biomimetic flow culture system. These autologous tissue-engineered valves functioned up to 5 months and resembled normal heart valves in microstructure, mechanical properties, and extracellular matrix formation.
A Generic Model of Execution for Synthesizing Domain-Specific Models

OF THE DISSERTATION A GENERIC MODEL OF EXECUTION FOR SYNTHESIZING DOMAIN-SPECIFIC MODELS by Mark Allison Florida International University, 2014 Miami, Florida Professor Peter J. Clarke, Major Professor Software engineering researchers are challenged to provide increasingly more powerful levels of abstractions to address the rising complexity inherent in software solutions. One new development paradigm that places models as abstraction at the forefront of the development process is Model-Driven Software Development (MDSD). MDSD considers models as first class artifacts, extending the capability for engineers to use concepts from the problem domain of discourse to specify apropos solutions. A key component in MDSD is domain-specific modeling languages (DSMLs) which are languages with focused expressiveness, targeting a specific taxonomy of problems. The de facto approach used is to first transform DSML models to an intermediate artifact in a HLL e.g., Java or C++, then execute that resulting code. Our research group has developed a class of DSMLs, referred to as interpreted DSMLs (i-DSMLs), where models are directly interpreted by a specialized execution engine with semantics based on model changes at runtime. This execution engine uses a layered architecture and is referred to as a domain-specific virtual machine (DSVM). As the domain-specific model being executed descends the layers of the DSVM the semantic gap between the user-defined model and the services being provided by the underlying infrastructure is closed. The focus of this research is the synthesis engine, the layer in the DSVM which transforms i-DSML models into executable scripts for the next lower layer to process.
Occurrence and dominance of six Pacific Northwest conifer species

Questions: Can probability of occurrence and dominance be accurately estimated for six important conifer species with varying range sizes? Does range size impact the accuracy of species probability of occurrence models? Is species predicted probability of occurrence significantly related to observed dominance? Location: Pacific Northwest region, North America (601–401N, 1401–1101W). Methods: This study develops near range-wide predictive distribution maps for six important conifer species (Pseudotsuga menziesii, Tsuga heterophylla, Pinus contorta, Thuja plicata, Larix occidentalis, and Picea glauca) using forest inventory data collected across the United States and Canada. Species model accuracies are compared with range size using a rank scoring system. A suite of climate and topographic predictor variables are used to investigate environmental constraints that limit species range and quantify relationships between species predicted probability of occurrence and dominance at both plot and landscape scales. Results: Evaluation statistics revealed significant and accurate probability of occurrence models were developed for all six species. Based on ranked evaluation statistics, Tsuga heterophylla had highest overall model accuracy (statistic rank score 5 5) and Pinus contorta the lowest (statistic rank score 5 17). Across species, ranked evaluation statistics also revealed a pattern of decreasing model accuracy with increasing range size. At plot level, correlations between dominance and probability of occurrence were weakly positive for all species with only half of the species having statistically significant correlations. Pseudotsuga menziesii had the highest correlation (r 5 0.36, Po0.001) and Thuja plicata lowest (r 5 0.038, P 5 0.799). At the 50-km scale, correlations between dominance and probability of occurrence improved for all species except Pinus contorta. Pseudotsuga menziesii displayed the highest correlation (r 5 0.68, Po0.001) and Thuja plicata the lowest (r 5 0.07, P40.709). Conclusions: Species probability of occurrence model accuracy decreased with increasing range size. The strength and significance of correlations between probability of occurrence and dominance varied considerably by species and across spatial scales. Apart from Pseudotsuga menziesii and L. occidentalis, the results suggest that probability of occurrence is not a consistently reliable surrogate for species dominance in Pacific Northwest forests. We demonstrate how the degree of correlation between species occurrence and dominance can be used as an indicator of how well predictions of occurrence characterize the optimal niche of a species.
A study on measure of Semantic Relatedness efficiency in multimedia domain

Wide usage of internet in modern era calls for brand new data and knowledge management system compatible with the dynamic content of the Web. Identifying content resembling similar characteristics is of great importance in organizing and managing data and knowledge. A common but simple way to identify related items is using Measure of Semantic Relatedness (MSR) algorithms. Most of these algorithms are tuned in various ways to suffice a particular requirement. This study investigates the efficiency of these functions in the domain of multimedia.
Detection of hepatitis G virus RNA in patients with hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and non‐A‐E hepatitis by RT‐PCR using multiple primer sets

Hepatitis G virus(HGV)/GB virus C(GBV‐C) is a newly identified virus associated with human hepatitis. The preliminary prevalence studies of HGV infection in Japan were entirely based on the detection of HGV RNA by RT‐PCR. However, the selection of the different primer sets in such assay may influence sensitivity of the test because of the extensive genetic heterogeneity of HGV, and influence the estimation of the prevalence of HGV. To address this potential problem, we designed two primer sets from well conserved domains in the 5′NC and NS5 regions of HGV genome, and tested them together with the NS3‐derived primer set in RT‐PCR for their ability to detect HGV RNA in serial dilution of synthetic viral RNA templates. Subsequently, we used these three primer sets to detect HGV RNA in the sera of 371 Japanese patients with hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and non‐A‐E hepatitis. The results indicated that the primer set derived from the 5′NC region appeared to be most effective in detecting HGV RNA. The results also showed that only two out of the 126 patients (1.6%) with non‐A‐E hepatitis were positive for HGV RNA although the RNA were detected more frequently in patients with hepatitis B (2/38; 5.3%) and hepatitis C (17/207; 8.2%), suggesting that HGV is not a common causative agent for non‐A‐E hepatitis in Japan. J. Med. Virol. 52:385–390, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Antiproliferative effects of antiestrogens and inhibitors of growth factor receptor signaling on endometrial cancer cells.

AIM In patients with advanced estrogen-dependent type I endometrial cancer (EC), pharmacological treatment with progestins or antiestrogens is recommended, but primary and secondary resistance are common. The aim of our study was to investigate single-agent and dual-agent therapeutic strategies in estrogen receptor-positive human EC cells. MATERIAL AND METHODS Human EC cells Ishikawa and HEC1A were cultivated under estrogen-reduced conditions and exposed to 4-hydroxytamoxifen (OHT), fulvestrant, gefitinib, everolimus, and the AKT inhibitor perifosine. Effects of drugs were analyzed by proliferation and apoptosis assays. Additionally, we analyzed expression of aromatase, phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), AKT and pAKT and G protein-coupled receptor 30 (GPR30). RESULTS Neither OHT nor fulvestrant inhibited cell growth, nor did they induce apoptosis. Gefitinib, everolimus and perifosine inhibited proliferation in all cell lines. Only perifosine induced apoptosis. In PTEN-positive HEC1A cells, combined treatment of gefitinib plus OHT showed increased antiproliferative effects. In Ishikawa cells, combined treatment of everolimus plus gefitinib had synergistic antiproliferative effects. The most effective single-agent treatment and the only drug that induced apoptosis was perifosine. Activation of AKT had no predictive value for the effects perifosine. Due to mutation of PTEN, activated AKT was highly expressed in Ishikawa cells and scarcely detectable in HEC1A cells. CONCLUSION Under estrogen-reduced conditions, growth of ER-positive EC cells can be reduced by inhibitors of AKT, mTOR and the erbB pathway, whereas antiestrogens have no effects. In PTEN-positive HEC1A cells, the absence of estradiol probably restores OHT-induced ER-mediated repression of nuclear co-activators and increases susceptibility to inhibitors of the erbB pathway. In PTEN-negative Ishikawa cells, OHT in combination with any drug had no effects, but inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway by everolimus in combination with gefitinib showed synergistic effects.
Enhanced production of protease by Pseudoalteromonas arctica PAMC 21717 via statistical optimization of mineral components and fed-batch fermentation

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to statistically optimize the mineral components of the nutritional medium required for enhancing the production of a cold-active extracellular serine-type protease, W-Pro21717, by the Antarctic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas arctica PAMC 21717. Skim milk was identified as the major efficient inducer. Among the 12 components included in the unoptimized medium, skim milk, NaCl, Na2SO4, Fe(C6H5O7) (ferric citrate), and KCl were determined, by the Plackett–Burman and Box–Behnken design, to have a major effect on W-Pro21717 production. Fed-batch fermentation (5 L scale) using the mineral-optimized medium supplemented with concentrated skim milk (critical medium component) resulted in a W-Pro21717 activity of 53.4 U/L, a 15-fold increment in production over that obtained using unoptimized flask culture conditions. These findings could be applied to scale up the production of cold-active protease.
Terpinen‐4‐ol: mechanisms of relaxation on rabbit duodenum

The effect of terpinen‐4‐ol was studied on rabbit duodenum in‐vitro. Terpinen‐4‐ol induced relaxation of the basal tonus (IC50 170.2 (95% confidence interval, 175–204) μm) with a maximal relaxant response of 180.4 ± 3.9% (n = 6) of the contraction induced by 60 mm [K+]. The maximal relaxation induced in control conditions was not affected (P>0.05) by pretreatment of the tissues with phentolamine (50 μm) or propranolol (10 μm), Ng nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester (L‐NAME; 1 mm), 1H‐(1,2,4)‐oxadiazolo[4,3‐a]quinoxalin‐1‐one (ODQ; 100 μm), hexamethonium (1 mm), tetrodotoxin (1 μm), the mixture charybdotoxin‐apamin (1 μm), glibenclamide (10 μm), 4‐aminopyridine (10 μm) or tetraethylammonium (100 μm). In addition, terpinen‐4‐ol completely relaxed tissues precontracted with 60 mm [K+] solutions (IC50 325.9 (245.1–433.1) μm) and also blocked (IC50 154.7 (117.7–191.7) μm) the phasic component of this contraction. At a concentration of 195 and 650 μm it reduced by 41.3 ± 3.4% and 75.4 ± 3.1%, respectively the maximal contractile response to Ca2+ in depolarized duodenum. Terpinen‐4‐ol completely blocked the component of carbachol‐induced contraction, which was resistent to nifedipine (100 μm) pretreatment or to a Ca2+‐free solution. These data show that terpinen‐4‐ol relaxes intestinal smooth muscle and suggest that this effect is myogenic in nature and depends on calcium antagonism.
Prospective memory, everyday cognitive failure and central executive function in recreational users of Ecstasy

Chronic use of MDMA (3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine), or Ecstasy, is believed to lead to impaired psychological performance, including well‐documented decrements in laboratory and field tests of retrospective memory. Less is known about the impact of Ecstasy on aspects of ‘everyday’ memory, despite obvious concerns about such effects. The three studies reported here focused on the impact of chronic Ecstasy use on prospective memory (PM), associated central executive function and other aspects of day‐to‐day cognition. In study 1 46 regular Ecstasy users were compared with 46 Ecstasy‐free controls using the Prospective Memory Questionnaire (PMQ). Ecstasy users reported significantly more errors in PM (remembering to do something in the future); these findings persisted after controlling for other drug use and the number of strategies used to aid memory. No difference was found between representative subgroups on the Lies Scale of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. In study 2 a different group of 30 regular Ecstasy users and 37 Ecstasy‐free controls was assessed on the PMQ and on a central executive task comprising verbal fluency measures. The results confirmed the significant impairments in long‐ and short‐term PM and revealed corresponding impairments in verbal fluency. In study 3 15 Ecstasy users, 15 cannabis users and 15 non‐drug users were assessed using the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire, which requires participants to provide ratings of the frequency of various day‐to‐day cognitive slips. The results indicate that the Ecstasy users did not perceive their general cognitive performance to be worse than that of controls. Taken together, these results suggest that Ecstasy users have impaired PM that cannot be explained by an increased propensity to exaggerate cognitive failures. These may be attributable, in part, to central executive deficits that are due to frontal lobe damage associated with Ecstasy use. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bound states in optical absorption of semiconductor quantum wells containing a two-dimensional electron Gas

The dependence of the optical absorption spectrum of a semiconductor quantum well on two-dimensional electron concentration n(e) is studied using CdTe samples. The trion peak (X-) seen at low n(e) evolves smoothly into the Fermi edge singularity at high n(e). The exciton peak (X) moves off to high energy, weakens, and disappears. The X,X- splitting is linear in n(e) and closely equal to the Fermi energy plus the trion binding energy. For Cd0.998Mn0. 002Te quantum wells in a magnetic field, the X,X- splitting reflects unequal Fermi energies for M = +/-1/2 electrons. The data are explained by Hawrylak's theory of the many-body optical response including spin effects.
Human parvovirus 4 prevalence among HTLV‐1/2 infected individuals in Brazil

Human parvovirus 4 (PARV4), a Tetraparvovirus, has been largely found in HIV, HBV, or HCV infected individuals. However, there is no data for the PARV4 occurrence in Human T‐lymphotropic virus (HTLV‐1/2) infected individuals, despite similar transmission routes. Here, PARV4 viremia was evaluated in 130 HTLV infected patients under care of a Brazilian HTLV outpatient clinic. PARV4 viremia was detected in 6.2% of the HTLV‐1 infected patients. Most PARV4 positives showed no evidence for parenterally transmitted infections. It is suggested that in Brazil, transmission routes of PARV4 are more complex than in Europe and North America and resemble those in Africa. J. Med. Virol. 89:748–752, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Microorganisms and Drug Sensitivity Patterns in Urinary Tract Infections

Objective: To determine the microorganisms and their drug sensitivity patterns in children with urinary tract infection. Setting: Department of Pediatrics, Federal Government Services Hospital (FGSH), Islamabad. Duration: 8 th April 2009 to 7 th October 2009. Sample size: 57 cases with positive urine culture Study design: Cross sectional study. Data collection: Patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria with positive urine cultures presenting from 08-4-2009 to 07-10-2009 were included in the study after taking informed consent. 57 patients had positive urine cultures. Data analysis: Results were analyzed by SPSS version 10.0. Results: Of the 57 cases of urinary tract infections studied, the most common microorganism isolated was Escherichia coli 41 (71.9%) followed by Klebsiella 7(12.3%), Proteus 5(8.8%), Pseudomonas 2(3.5%), Staphylococcus aureus 1(1.8%) and Candida albicans 1(1.8%). The microorganisms were most resistant to Ampicillin 37(90%), Trimethoprim sulphamethoxazole 35(85.4%). The most sensitive drugs were Gentacyn 35(85.4%) and Nitrofurantoin 34(82.9%). Conclusion: The understanding and awareness of the resistance patterns of the uropathogens in our region is essential in order to provide the best and most effective antibiotic regimen to our patients.
Formulation and optimization of nano-sized ethosomes for enhanced transdermal delivery of cromolyn sodium

Aim: The current study was aimed to investigate the feasibility of transdermal delivery of cromolyn sodium using a novel lipid vesicular carrier, ethosomes. Materials And Methods: Ethosomes of cromolyn sodium was prepared, optimized, and characterized for vesicle shape, vesicle size and size distribution, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, in vitro drug release, in vitro skin permeation, in vitro skin deposition and vesicle stability. Histological examination of porcine ear skin treated with optimized ethosomal formulation was performed to study the change of skin morphologies. Results: The optimized cromolyn sodium ethosomes showed reasonable entrapment efficiency (49.88±1.84%), optimum nanometric size range (133.8 ± 7.5 nm), and high zeta potential (-69.82 ± 1.2 mV). In vitro drug release studies of optimized ethosomal formulation through cellophane membrane showed an enhanced and sustained delivery of drug compared to conventional liposomes, hydroethanolic, (45% v/v) and phosphate buffer saline PBS pH 7.4 drug solutions. The optimized ethosomal formulation showed significantly-enhanced transdermal flux (18.49 ± 0.08 mg/cm2/h) across porcine ear skin as compared to liposome (1.80 ± 0.12 mg/cm2/h), hydroethanolic drug solution (4.45 ± 0.71 mg/cm2/h), and PBS pH 7.4 drug solution (1.18 ± 0.35 mg/cm2/h). Moreover, ethosomal formulation showed better skin drug deposition (10.28 ± 0.67%) and shortest lag time (0.11 ± 0.09 h) for cromolyn sodium. Conclusion: Our significant results suggest that ethosomes can be a promising tool for transdermal delivery of cromolyn sodium.
Reliability and validity of a dual-probe personal computer-based muscle viewer for measuring the pennation angle of the medial gastrocnemius muscle in patients who have had a stroke

Abstract Background A dual-probe personal computer-based muscle viewer (DPC-BMW) is advantageous in that it is relatively lightweight and easy to apply. Objective To investigate the reliability and validity of the DPC-BMW in comparison with those of a portable ultrasonography (P-US) device for measuring the pennation angle of the medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle at rest and during contraction. Methods Twenty-four patients who had a stroke (18 men and 6 women) participated in this study. Using the DPC-BMW and P-US device, the pennation angle of the MG muscle on the affected side was randomly measured. Two examiners randomly obtained the images of all the participants in two separate test sessions, 7 days apart. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), confidence interval, standard error of measurement, Bland-Altman plot, and Pearson correlation coefficient were used to estimate their reliability and validity. Results The ICC for the intrarater reliability of the MG muscle pennation angle measured using the DPC-BMW was > 0.916, indicating excellent reliability, and that for the interrater reliability ranged from 0.964 to 0.994. The P-US device also exhibited good reliability. A high correlation was found between the measurements of MG muscle pennation angle obtained using the DPC-BMW and that obtained using the P-US device (p < 0.01). Conclusion The DPC-BMW can provide clear images for accurate measurements, including measurements using dual probes. It has the advantage of rehabilitative US imaging for individuals who have had a stroke. More research studies are needed to evaluate the usefulness of the DPC-BMW in rehabilitation.
Axl Is a Potential Cancer Prognostic Marker for the Migration and Invasion of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND The Axl receptor tyrosine kinase has been demonstrated to be elevated and activated in many human cancers including liver, lung, breast, and pancreatic cancer. Its high expression has been considered as a cancer biomarker for predicting poor prognosis and increased invasiveness/metastasis. OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to investigate the clinical significance of Axl in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and its role in cell migration and invasion. MATERIAL AND METHODS We detected Axl expression in 86 collected NPC tissues and 20 collected normal nasopharyngeal epithelial tissues using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemical staining. Axl was knocked down by a specific shRNA in NPC cell lines, 5-8F and 6-10B. Transwell assays were used to determine NPC cell migration and invasion. RESULTS The expressions of Axl mRNA and protein in NPC tissues were significantly higher than those in normal nasopharyngeal epithelial tissues (p < 0.05, respectively). The positive expression of Axl was significantly correlated with distant metastasis and high TNM stage in NPC (p < 0.05, respectively). Furthermore, Axl positive expression was correlated with a worse overall survival of NPC patients (p < 0.05). Multivariate Cox repression analysis indicated that Axl was an independent factor for predicting overall survival of NPC patients (p < 0.05). In vitro studies found that Axl knockdown significantly reduced the number of migrated and invaded 5-8F and 6-10B cells (p < 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS The positive expression of Axl is correlated with the poor clinicopathological features in NPC. Furthermore, Axl is an independent prognostic marker for predicting overall survival of NPC patients. Functionally, Axl may facilitate tumour progression by promoting NPC cell migration and invasion.