Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bewertung von Präzision und Genauigkeit der digitalen Oberflächenphotogrammetrie mit dem DSP 400 System / Assessment of Precision and Accuracy of Digital Surface Photogrammetry with the DSP 400 System

Abstract Das Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es, die Präzision und Genauigkeit von fazialen, anthropometrischen Messungen mit Hilfe der digitalen 3-D Oberflächenphotogrammetrie mit dem DSP 400 System im Vergleich zur konventionellen 2-D Fotogrammetrie zu bewerten. Fünfzig Gipsmodelle von Säuglingen mit Lippen-Kiefer-Gaumenspalten wurden dazu aufgenommen und 21 anthropometrische Standardwerte bestimmt. Zur Bestimmung der Präzision wurden die Messungen an einer Stichprobe doppelt vorgenommen. Die Genauigkeit wurde durch direkte Vermessung des Originalmodells und Vergleich mit den 2-D und 3-D Bildvermessungen bestimmt. Die Präzision der digitalen Oberflächenphotogrammetrie war nahezu so hoch wie die der direkten Anthropometrie und deutlich höher als die Präzision der 2-D Fotogrammetrie. Die Messungen am 3-D Bild zeigten eine bessere Übereinstimmung mit den Modellmessungen als die Messwerte vom 2-D Foto. Die digitale 3-D Photogrammetrie mit dem DSP 400 System zeigt eine hinreichend hohe Präzision und Genauigkeit für kraniofaziale anthropometrische Untersuchungen. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the precision and accuracy of facial anthropometric measurements obtained through digital 3-D surface photogrammetry with the DSP 400 system in comparison to traditional 2-D photogrammetry. Fifty plaster casts of cleft infants were imaged and 21 standard anthropometric measurements were obtained. For precision assessment the measurements were performed twice in a subsample. Accuracy was determined by comparison of direct measurements and indirect 2-D and 3-D image measurements. Precision of digital surface photogrammetry was almost as good as direct anthropometry and clearly better than 2-D photogrammetry. Measurements derived from 3-D images showed better congruence to direct measurements than from 2-D photos. Digital surface photogrammetry with the DSP 400 system is sufficiently precise and accurate for craniofacial anthropometric examinations.
Effects of D-002 on aspirin-induced ulcers and neutrophil infiltration on the gastric mucosa

Introduction: the gastric mucosa is susceptible to the effects of aggressive factors, which are counterbalanced by mucosal defensive factors. Acid peptic diseases result from the imbalance between these aggressive and defensive factors. Aspirin-induced ulcer is a model of NSAIDs-induced damage in which neutrophil infiltration plays a key role. Objective: this paper investigates the protective effect of D-002 against aspirin-induced ulcers and associated neutrophil infiltration in the gastric mucosa. Methods: rats were randomized into six groups of 8 rats each. A negative vehicle control, and five aspirin (300 mg/kg)-treated groups: a positive control, orally treated with the vehicle, three with D-002 (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg, respectively) and other with 10 mg/kg Omeprazole. Five hours after induced damage the rats were sacrificed. The stomachs were removed and opened, and lesions examined macroscopically and microscopically. Ulcer indexes and neutrophil infiltration per ulcer areas were measured. Results: all positive, none negative, controls exhibited aspirin-induced ulcers. Oral treatment with D-002 (25-100 mg/kg) dose-dependently and significantly reduced aspirin-induced gastric lesions (37 to 75 %), the mean number of microscopic ulcers (40 to 72 %) and neutrophil infiltration (41.7 to 83.1 %) in the rat gastric mucosa. Conclusion: Oral treatment with D-002 (25-100 mg/kg) effectively protects against aspirin-induced ulcers and decreases the neutrophil infiltration in the gastric mucosa induced by aspirin ulceration.
Effect of Nucleoside and Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors of HIV on Endogenous Nucleotide Pools

Background Alterations in endogenous nucleotide pools as a result of HIV therapy with nucleoside and nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (N[t]RTIs) is a proposed mechanism for therapy-related adverse events and drug interactions resulting in treatment failure. In vitro studies were performed in order to understand the effect of N(t)RTIs on endogenous nucleotide pools. Methods The T-cell line CEM-CCRF was treated with control antimetabolites or the N(t)RTIs abacavir, didanosine, lamivudine, tenofovir (TFV) and zidovudine (AZT), either alone or in combination. The levels of natural 2′-deoxynucleoside triphosphates (dNTP) and ribonucleoside triphophosphates were determined by liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Results Antimetabolites altered nucleotide pools in a manner consistent with their known mechanisms of action. AZT was the only N(t)RTI that significantly altered dNTP pools. Incubation of 10 μM AZT, either alone or in combination with other N(t)RTIs, increased 2′-deoxyadenosine triphosphate, 2′-deoxyguanosine triphosphate and thymidine triphosphate levels by up to 1.44-fold the concentrations observed in untreated cells. At higher than pharmacological concentrations of AZT, evidence for inhibition of 2′-deoxycytidylate deaminase and enzymes involved in the salvage of thymidine was also observed. Phosphorylated metabolites of TFV are known to inhibit purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP). However, in contrast to a potent PNP inhibitor, TFV was unable to alter intracellular dNTP pools upon addition of exogenous 2′-deoxyguanosine. Conclusions N(t)RTIs have the potential to alter nucleotide pools; however, at the pharmacologically relevant concentrations, tested N(t)RTI or their combinations did not have an effect on nucleotide pools with the notable exception of AZT.
Acquisition of Host-Derived CD40L by HIV-1 In Vivo and Its Functional Consequences in the B-Cell Compartment

ABSTRACT Aberrant activation of the B-cell compartment and hypergammaglobulinemia were among the first recognized characteristics of HIV-1-infected patients in the early 1980s. It has been demonstrated previously that HIV-1 particles acquire the costimulatory molecule CD40L when budding from activated CD4+ T cells. In this paper, we confirmed first that CD40L-bearing virions are detected in the plasma from untreated HIV-1-infected individuals. To define the biological functions of virus-associated CD40L and fully characterize its influence on the activation state of B cells, we conducted a large-scale gene expression analysis using microarray technology on B cells isolated from human tonsillar tissue. Comparative analyses of gene expression profiles revealed that CD40L-bearing virions induce a highly similar response to the one observed in samples treated with a CD40 agonist, indicating that virions bearing CD40L can efficiently activate B cells. Among modulated genes, many cytokines/chemokines (CCL17, CCL22), surface molecules (CD23, CD80, ICAM-1), members of the TNF superfamily (FAS, A20, TNIP1, CD40, lymphotoxin alpha, lymphotoxin beta), transcription factors and associated proteins (NFKB1, NFKBIA, NFKBIE), second messengers involved in CD40 signaling (TRAF1, TRAF3, MAP2K1, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase), and the activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) were identified. Moreover, we show that soluble factors induced upon the exposure of B cells to CD40L-bearing virions can exert chemoattractant properties toward CD4+ T cells. We thus propose that a positive feedback loop involving CD40L-bearing HIV-1 particles issued from CD4+ T cells productively infected with HIV-1 play a role in the virus-induced dysfunction of humoral immunity by chronically activating B cells through sustained CD40 signaling.
Quantitative Ventilation/Perfusion Tomography: the Foremost Technique for Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis

The value of perfusion scintigraphy in the detection of pulmonary embolism (PE) was demonstrated as early as 1964 by Wagner et al. PE causes perfusion defects that conform to the anatomical distribution of the pulmonary vascular bed. Perfusion defects in acute PE are therefore of sub-segmental, segmental or lobar character. Ventilation is normally preserved in these areas and the observed wedge shaped mismatch between ventilation and perfusion is typical for PE. Planar ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy (V/P scan) was until the 1990s the method of choice for studying patients with suspected PE. However, the large Prospective Investigation of Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis (PIOPED I), showed a high number of non-diagnostic examinations (65%) with V/P scan and the probabilistic interpretation criteria were confusing to the clinicians (Gray et al., 1993; The PIOPED Investigators, 1990). Planar imaging has become obsolete, particularly when the issue is identification and quantification of focal or regional aberration of organ function. The advantage of three dimensional tomography over planar imaging for PE detection had already been shown in 1983 in a study on dogs (Osborne et al., 1983). Furthermore, Magnussen et al. (1999) used a computerized model of PE to highlight the advantage of SPECT over planar imaging in the assessment of the size and location of perfusion defects. Using a dual head camera, Palmer et al. (2001), developed a fast and efficient method for ventilation/perfusion tomography (V/P SPECT ) for clinical practice with total acquisition time of only 20 minutes. Moreover, they developed an algorithm to calculate the quotient between ventilation and perfusion and to present it as V/Pquotient images. This facilitated PE diagnosis and the quantification of PE extension, which led to the use of the term quantitative V/P SPECT. Using a porcine model, Bajc et al. validated V/P SPECT for diagnosis of PE and confirmed the superior value of tomography over planar imaging with excellent interobserver agreement of defects down to the sub-segmental level (Bajc et al., 2002b). The objective of this chapter is to acquaint readers with the latest methodological approach of V/P SPECT in the diagnosis of PE, in accordance with the new guidelines of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (Bajc et al., 2009a, b). In this chapter we also discuss the value of V/P SPECT in the follow up after acute PE and in the diagnosis of other cardiopulmonary diseases.
Short Sleep Duration by Occupation Group — 29 States, 2013–2014

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society have determined that adults require ≥7 hours of sleep per day to promote optimal health (1). Short sleep duration (<7 hours per day) has been linked to adverse health outcomes including cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, depression, and anxiety, as well as safety issues related to drowsy driving and injuries (1,2). Additional research has found that sleep duration varies by characteristics such as race, education, marital status, obesity, and cigarette smoking (3). Work-related factors such as job stress, work hours, shift work, and physically demanding work have been found to be associated with sleep duration and quality (4-6). All of these work factors vary by industry and occupation of employment, and the prevalence of short sleep duration has been shown to vary by broad industry and occupation category (7). To provide updated and more detailed information about which occupation groups have the highest prevalences of short sleep duration, CDC analyzed data from currently employed adults surveyed for the 2013 and 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) in 29 states. Among 22 major occupation groups, the highest prevalences of short sleep duration were among workers in the following five groups: Production (42.9%), Healthcare Support (40.1%), Healthcare Practitioners and Technical (40.0%), Food Preparation and Serving-Related (39.8%), and Protective Service (39.2%). The significant differences among occupation groups in the prevalence of short sleep duration suggest that work-related factors should be further evaluated as they might relate to sleep.
An EFQM excellence model for higher education quality assessment

The long-term advancement in the higher education sector, where the universities have to conduct their activities in a more business-like fashion requires a permanent strive for excellence. On the other hand, there is still no consensus on how best to assess and manage quality within higher education institutions. The present article discusses the adaptation of a quality model based on the European Framework for Quality Management (EFQM) for systematic measurement of quality in higher education sector.
Penicillin-Binding Protein 5 and Expression of Ampicillin Resistance in Enterococcus faecium

ABSTRACT We report a structural and transcriptional analysis of thepbp5 region of Enterococcus faecium C68.pbp5 exists within a larger operon that includes upstream open reading frames (ORFs) corresponding to previously reportedpsr (penicillin-binding protein synthesis repressor) andftsW (whose product is a transmembrane protein that interacts with PBP3 in Escherichia coli septum formation) genes. Hybridization of mRNA from C68, CV133, and four ampicillin-resistant CV133 mutants revealed four distinct transcripts from this region, consisting of (i) E. faecium ftsW(ftsWEfm) alone; (ii) psr andpbp5; (iii) pbp5 alone; and (iv)ftsWEfm, psr, and pbp5. Quantities of the different transcripts varied between strains and did not always correlate with quantities of PBP5 or levels of ampicillin resistance. Since the psr of C68 is presumably nonfunctional due to an insertion of an extra nucleotide in the codon for the 44th amino acid, the region extending from theftsWEfm promoter through the pbp5gene of C68 was cloned in E. coli to facilitate mutagenesis. The psr ORF was regenerated using site-directed mutagenesis and introduced into E. faeciumD344-SRF on conjugative shuttle vector pTCV-lac (pCWR558 [psr ORF interrupted]; pCWR583 [psr ORF intact]). Ampicillin MICs for both D344-SRF(pCWR558) and D344-SRF(pCWR583) were 64 μg/ml. Quantities of pbp5transcript and protein were similar in strains containing either construct regardless of whether they were grown in the presence or absence of ampicillin, arguing against a role for PSR as a repressor ofpbp5 transcription. However, quantities of psrtranscript were increased in D344-SRF(pCWR583) compared to D344-SRF(pCWR558), especially after growth in ampicillin; suggesting that PSR acts in some manner to activate its own transcription.
Rapid Identification of Yersinia enterocolitica in Blood by the 5′ Nuclease PCR Assay

ABSTRACT Yersinia enterocolitica accounts for 50% of the clinical sepsis episodes caused by the transfusion of contaminated red blood cells. A 5′ nuclease TaqMan PCR assay was developed to detectY. enterocolitica in blood. Primers and a probe based on the nucleotide sequence of the 16S rRNA gene from Y. enterocolitica were designed. Whole-blood samples were spiked with various numbers of Y. enterocolitica cells, and total chromosomal DNA was extracted. When the TaqMan PCR assay was performed, as few as six bacteria spiked in 200 μl of blood could be detected. The assay was specific and did not detect other Yersiniaspecies. The TaqMan assay is easy to perform, takes 2 h, and has the potential for use in the rapid detection of Y. enterocolitica contamination in stored blood units.
Effects of isoflurane-induced anaesthesia on cognitive performance in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease: A randomised trial in transgenic APP23 mice

BACKGROUND Results from in-vitro experiments suggest that inhalational anaesthetics may have a detrimental effect on the course and incidence of Alzheimer's disease. However, case–control studies in humans show no negative impact of anaesthetics on the course of Alzheimer's disease. OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that 2 h of general anaesthesia with 1 MAC isoflurane changes learning abilities of young and old transgenic Alzheimer's mice (APP23 mice). DESIGN Randomised controlled double-blinded study in mice. SETTING Animal laboratory and operating theatre in the Klinik für Anästhesiologie, Technische Universität München, Germany ANIMALS Ninety-six male mice divided in four groups: young (4 months) APP23 mice and corresponding wild-type mice; old (14 to 16 months) APP23 and corresponding wild-type mice. INTERVENTION Mice were either anaesthetised for 2 h with 1 MAC isoflurane or sham-anaesthetised (‘isoflurane’ or ‘control’). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Learning and locomotor activity during the following 8 days using the modified Hole Board Test for mice. Results are median (interquartile range) and median difference (95% confidence interval). RESULTS Young mice, [1.0 (1.3)] as assessed by the number of omission errors, learned better than old [1.8 (1.8); age: P = 0.004, median difference 0.5 (0.2 to 1.0)]. Anaesthetised animals [0.8 (1.5)] learned better than controls [1.6 (1.7); anaesthesia: P = 0.010, median difference 0.5 (0.1 to 0.9)]. This was accompanied by higher locomotor activity in young compared to old mice as assessed by number of line crossings per minute [10 (5) min−1 vs. 7 (3) min−1, P < 0.001, median difference 3 (2 to 4) min−1]. Anaesthesia and genotype Alzheimer's disease had no impact on locomotor activity. CONCLUSION Isoflurane may have protective, rather than detrimental, effects on cognition in Alzheimer's disease.
Effects of Low-Dose Recombinant Human Brain Natriuretic Peptide on Anterior Myocardial Infarction Complicated by Cardiogenic Shock

Introduction The mortality due to cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is high even in patients with early revascularization. Infusion of low dose recombinant human brain natriuretic peptide (rhBNP) at the time of AMI is well tolerated and could improve cardiac function. Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the hemodynamic effects of rhBNP in AMI patients revascularized by emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) who developed cardiogenic shock. Methods A total of 48 patients with acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) complicated by cardiogenic shock and whose hemodynamic status was improved following emergency PCI were enrolled. Patients were randomly assigned to rhBNP (n=25) and control (n=23) groups. In addition to standard therapy, study group individuals received rhBNP by continuous infusion at 0.005 µg kg−1 min−1 for 72 hours. Results Baseline characteristics, medications, and peak of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) were similar between both groups. rhBNP treatment resulted in consistently improved pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) compared to the control group. Respectively, 7 and 9 patients died in experimental and control groups. No drug-related serious adverse events occurred in either group. Conclusion When added to standard care in stable patients with cardiogenic shock complicating anterior STEMI, low dose rhBNP improves PCWP and is well tolerated.
Embryo development, oocyte morphology, and kinetics of meiotic maturation in bovine oocytes exposed to 6‐dimethylaminopurine prior to in vitro maturation

The developmental competence of bovine follicular oocytes that had been meiotically arrested with the phosphokinase inhibitor 6‐dimethylaminopurine (6‐DMAP) was studied. After 24 h in vitro culture with 2 mM 6‐DMAP, 85 ± 12% of the oocytes were at the germinal vesicle stage compared to 97 ± 3% at the start of culture (P > 0.05). After release of the 6‐DMAP inhibition, followed by 24 h IVM, 82 ± 18% were at MII stage, compared with 93 ± 7% in the control group (P > 0.05). The 6‐DMAP oocytes displayed a much higher frequency of abnormal MII configurations than the control oocytes (67% vs 23%; P < 0.0001). In addition spontaneous oocyte activation was more frequent than among control oocytes (5% vs 0.3%; P 0.0006). After IVF of 6‐DMAP oocytes, normal fertilization was lower (76 ± 8% vs 89 ± 7%; P < 0.01), oocyte activation higher (11 ± 5% vs 2 ± 2%; P < 0.01), and polyspermy slightly but not significantly higher (8 ± 7% vs 4 ± 4%; P > 0.05), compared with the control group. Cleavage was lower (61 ± 13% vs 81 ± 6%; P < 0.001), as well as day 8 blastocyst formation (17 ± 7% vs 36 ± 8%; P < 0.001). The MII kinetics was different for 6‐DMAP and control oocytes. Maximum MII levels were reached at 22 h IVM in both groups, but 50% MII was reached at 17 h in 6‐DMAP oocytes, compared to 20 h in control oocytes. Ultrastructure of MII oocytes was similar in the two groups, but in 6‐DMAP oocytes the ooplasmic vesicle pattern at GV was at a more advanced stage than in control oocytes. In conclusion, 6‐DMAP exposure of GV oocytes prior to IVM induce asynchronous cytoplasmic maturation, leading to aberrant MII kinetics. Thus, at the time of insemination a smaller cohort of oocytes will be at the optimal stage for normal fertilization and subsequent blastocyst development. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 50:334–344, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Preparing Elementary Teachers as Global Citizenship Educators

As a social studies teacher educator, I conducted action research to inform my practice and contribute to the emerging discussion of preparing teachers for global citizenship education. Building on the literature on global citizenship and teacher education, I developed, taught, and reflected on an elementary social studies methods course that aimed to assist elementary teacher candidates to develop the concepts, approaches, and confidence to become global citizenship educators. Based on analysis of multiple data sources and my reflections, I discuss the possibilities and limitations of a single-course approach to teacher education in the context of globalization.
Fifty Years with the Hamilton Scales for Anxiety and Depression

From the moment Max Hamilton started his psychiatric education, he considered psychometrics to be a scientific discipline on a par with biochemistry or pharmacology in clinical research. His clinimetric skills were in operation in the 1950s when randomised clinical trials were established as the method for the evaluation of the clinical effects of psychotropic drugs. Inspired by Eysenck, Hamilton took the long route around factor analysis in order to qualify his scales for anxiety (HAM-A) and depression (HAM-D) as scientific tools. From the moment when, 50 years ago, Hamilton published his first placebo-controlled trial with an experimental anti-anxiety drug, he realized the dialectic problem in using the total score on HAM-A as a sufficient statistic for the measurement of outcome. This dialectic problem has been investigated for more than 50 years with different types of factor analyses without success. Using modern psychometric methods, the solution to this problem is a simple matter of reallocating the Hamilton scale items according to the scientific hypothesis under examination. Hamilton’s original intention, to measure the global burden of the symptoms experienced by the patients with affective disorders, is in agreement with the DSM-IV and ICD-10 classification systems. Scale reliability and obtainment of valid information from patients and their relatives were the most important clinimetric innovations to be developed by Hamilton. Max Hamilton therefore belongs to the very exclusive family of eminent physicians celebrated by this journal with a tribute.
Small-area and low-energy K-best MIMO detector using relaxed tree expansion and early forwarding

This paper proposes a new K-best detection method that can realize a small-area and low-energy MIMO detector. To reduce the complexity required in K-best operations, tree expansion is relaxed by early evicting inferior children. Additionally, an efficient pipeline scheduling called early forwarding is proposed to reduce the overall processing latency and the number registers. A 4×4 16-QAM MIMO detector integrating four K-best detection units is implemented to demonstrate the proposed method. In a 0.18-μm CMOS technology, the entire detector occupies 1.9 mm2 and shows a throughput of 584 Mbps. The energy consumption is 443 pJ per bit at 1.8 V.