Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ERYTHROPOIETIN ATTENUATES THE TISSUE INJURY ASSOCIATED WITH HEMORRHAGIC SHOCK AND MYOCARDIAL ISCHEMIA

Here we investigate the effects of erythropoietin (EPO) on the tissue/organ injury caused by hemorrhagic shock (HS), endotoxic shock, and regional myocardial ischemia and reperfusion in anesthetized rats. Male Wistar rats were anesthetized with thiopental sodium (85 mg/kg i.p.) and subjected to hemorrhagic shock (HS; i.e., mean arterial blood pressure reduced to 45 mmHg for 90 min, followed by resuscitation with shed blood for 4 h), endotoxemia (for 6 h), or left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion (25 min) and reperfusion (2 h). HS and endotoxemia resulted in renal dysfunction and liver injury. Administration of EPO (300 IU/kg i.v., n = 10) before resuscitation abolished the renal dysfunction and liver injury in hemorrhagic, but not endotoxic, shock. HS also resulted in significant increases in the kidney of the activities of caspases 3, 8, and 9. This increase in caspase activity was not seen in HS rats treated with EPO. In cultured human proximal tubule cells, EPO concentration-dependently reduced the cell death and increase in caspase-3 activity caused by either ATP depletion (simulated ischemia) or hydrogen peroxide (oxidative stress). In the heart, administration of EPO (300 IU/kg i.v., n = 10) before reperfusion also caused a significant reduction in infarct size. In cultured rat cardiac myoblasts (H9C2 cells), EPO also reduced the increase in DNA fragmentation caused by either serum deprivation (simulated ischemia) or hydrogen peroxide (oxidative stress). We propose that the acute administration of EPO on reperfusion and/or resuscitation will reduce the tissue injury caused by ischemia-reperfusion of the heart (and other organs) and hemorrhagic shock.
LEARNING AND VERIFYING SAFETY CONSTRAINTS FOR PLANNERS IN A KNOWLEDGE‐IMPOVERISHED SYSTEM

We present a Bayesian approach to learning flexible safety constraints and subsequently verifying whether plans satisfy these constraints. Our approach, called the Safety Constraint Learner/Checker (SCLC), infers safety constraints from a single expert demonstration trace and minimal background knowledge, and applies these constraints to the solutions proposed by multiple planning agents in an integrated and heterogeneous ensemble. The SCLC calculates how much to blame plan fragments (partial solutions) generated by the individual planning agents. This information is used when composing these fragments into a final overall plan. In particular, fragments whose safety violations exceed a threshold are rejected. This facilitates the generation of safe plans. We have integrated the SCLC within the Generalized Integrated Learning Architecture, which was designed for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)’s Integrated Learning (IL) program. The main goal of the IL program is to promote the development and success of sophisticated systems that learn to solve challenging real‐world problems based on a simple demonstration by a human expert and exiguous domain knowledge. We present experimental results showing the advantages of the SCLC on two multiagent problem‐solving tasks that were benchmark applications in DARPA’s IL program.
Isolated unilateral absence of pulmonary artery in adulthood: a clinical analysis of 65 cases from a case series and systematic review.

Background Isolated unilateral absence of pulmonary artery (UAPA) in adulthood is a rare congenital anomaly. Although some case reports exist, the clinical symptomatology, lung parenchymal features, collateral circulation and therapeutic approaches in adult patients with isolated UAPA remain unknown. The objectives of this study are to investigate the clinical characteristics, elucidate the correlation between clinical symptomatology and radiology, and summarize treatment of adult patients with isolated UAPA. Methods Cases of adult patients with isolated UAPA who had been diagnosed at our hospital and identified from PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science from 1990 to 2016 were analyzed. Results Hemoptysis was present in 41.5% of patients, exertional dyspnea in 41.5%, and recurrent respiratory infection in 35.4%. Lung parenchymal abnormalities were found on chest computed tomography (CT) scan, including bronchiectasis, which occurred in 30.2% of the patients, interstitial changes in 14.0%, and multiple bullae in 14.0% of the patients. Exertional dyspnea was more frequent in patients with pulmonary hypertension than in those without pulmonary hypertension (P<0.001). Recurrent respiratory infection were more frequent in patients with bronchiectasis than in those without bronchiectasis (P<0.001). Hypertrophic bronchial, phrenic, internal thoracic and intercostal arteries were found in 71.9%, 46.9%, 43.8%, and 43.8% of the patients, respectively. Pneumonectomy reduced hemoptysis in seven cases. Oral phosphodiesterase inhibitors or endothelin receptor antagonist improved exertional dyspnea in three cases with pulmonary hypertension. Conclusions Clinicians should be aware of undiagnosed cases of isolated UAPA in adults with unexplained hemoptysis or exertional dyspnea. Early recognition and management of isolated UAPA in adult patients are crucial to avoid the devastating effect of massive hemoptysis or severe pulmonary hypertension (PHT) in the long term.
Context-Dependent Effects of L Domains and Ubiquitination on Viral Budding

ABSTRACT Many enveloped viruses encode late assembly domains, or L domains, that facilitate virion egress. PTAP-type L domains act by recruiting the ESCRT-I (endosomal sorting complex required for transport I) component Tsg101, and YPXL/LXXLF-type L domains recruit AIP-1/ALIX, both of which are class E vacuolar protein sorting (VPS) factors, normally required for the generation of vesicles within endosomes. The binding cofactors for PPXY-type L domains have not been unambiguously resolved but may include Nedd4-like ubiquitin ligases. Largely because they act as autonomous binding sites for host factors, L domains are generally transferable and active in a context-independent manner. Ebola virus matrix protein (EbVP40) contains two overlapping L-domain motifs within the sequence ILPTAPPEYMEA. Here, we show that both motifs are required for efficient EbVP40 budding. However, upon transplantation into two different retroviral contexts, the relative contributions of the PTAP and PPEY motifs differ markedly. In a murine leukemia virus carrying the EbVP40 sequence, both motifs contributed to overall L domain activity, and budding proceeded in a partly Tsg101-independent manner. Conversely, when transplanted into the context of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), EbVP40 L-domain activity was entirely due to a PTAP-Tsg101 interaction. In fact, a number of PPXY-type L domains were inactive in the context of HIV-1. Surprisingly, PTAP and YPXL-type L domains that simulated HIV-1 budding reduced the amount of ubiquitin conjugated to Gag, while inactive PPXY-type L domains increased Gag ubiquitination. These observations suggest that active L domains recruit deubiquitinating enzymes as a consequence of class E VPS factor recruitment. Moreover, context-dependent L-domain function may reflect distinct requirements for host functions during the morphogenesis of different viral particles or the underlying presence of additional, as yet undiscovered L domains.
Effects of cyclooxygenase‐2 inhibitor on glucagon‐induced delayed gastric emptying and gastric dysrhythmia in dogs

Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) inhibitor (celecoxib) on delayed gastric emptying and gastric dysrhythmia induced by glucagon. The study was performed in six healthy female dogs implanted with four pairs of gastric serosal electrodes, and a duodenal fistula for the assessment of gastric emptying. Each dog was studied in three randomized sessions: control, glucagon and COX‐2 inhibitor (celecoxib). Gastric emptying was assessed every 15 min via a duodenal cannula by calculating the amount of collected phenol red which mixed with the test meal and gastric slow waves were recorded at the same time. We found that: (i) glucagon significantly and substantially decreased gastric emptying of liquids (P < 0.001, anova), increased blood glucose (BG) levels, and induced gastric dysrhythmias. The delayed gastric emptying was correlated with the BG level (R = −0.77, P < 0.001) and (ii) celecoxib improved glucagon‐induced delayed gastric emptying at 30, 45, 60 and 75 min after feeding. Celecoxib did not blocked dysrhythmic action of glucagon (P > 0.05, anova). In conclusion, glucagon induces delayed gastric emptying partially via COX‐2‐derived prostaglandins. However, COX‐2‐derived prostaglandins are not involved in glucagon‐evoked gastric dysrhythemia. Selective COX‐2 inhibitors may provide a possible therapeutic option for diabetic gastroparesis.
A Hierarchical Split-Based Approach for Parametric Thresholding of SAR Images: Flood Inundation as a Test Case

Parametric thresholding algorithms applied to synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery typically require the estimation of two distribution functions, i.e., one representing the target class and one its background. They are eventually used for selecting the threshold that allows binarizing the image in an optimal way. In this context, one of the main difficulties in parameterizing these functions originates from the fact that the target class often represents only a small fraction of the image. Under such circumstances, the histogram of the image values is often not obviously bimodal and it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to accurately parameterize distribution functions. Here we introduce a hierarchical split-based approach that searches for tiles of variable size allowing the parameterization of the distributions of two classes. The method is integrated into a flood-mapping algorithm in order to evaluate its capacity for parameterizing distribution functions attributed to floodwater and changes caused by floods. We analyzed a data set acquired during a flood event along the Severn River (U.K.) in 2007. It is composed of moderate (ENVISAT-WS) and high (TerraSAR-X)-resolution SAR images. The obtained classification accuracies as well as the similarity of performance levels to a benchmark obtained with an established method based on the manual selection of tiles indicate the validity of the new method.
Switch of Intravitreal Therapy for Macular Edema Secondary to Retinal Vein Occlusion from Anti-VEGF to Dexamethasone Implant and Vice Versa

Purpose To evaluate the anatomical and functional outcome of intravitreal dexamethasone implant for macular edema secondary to central (C) or branch (B) retinal vein occlusion (RVO) in patients with persistent macular edema (ME) refractory to intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment compared to treatment naïve patients and to dexamethasone-refractory eyes switched to anti-VEGF. Methods Retrospective, observational study including 30 eyes previously treated with anti-VEGF (8 CRVO, 22 BRVO, mean age 69 ± 10 yrs), compared to 11 treatment naïve eyes (6 CRVO, 5 BRVO, 73 ± 11 yrs) and compared to dexamethasone nonresponders (2 CRVO, 4 BRVO, 69 ± 12). Outcome parameters were change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central foveal thickness (CFT) measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Results Mean BCVA improvement after switch to dexamethasone implant was 4 letters (p = 0.08), and treatment naïve eyes gained 10 letters (p = 0.66), while we noted no change in eyes after switch to anti-VEGF (p = 0.74). Median CFT decrease was most pronounced in treatment naïve patients (−437 μm, p = 0.002) compared to anti-VEGF refractory eyes (−170 μm, p = 0.003) and dexamethasone-refractory eyes (−157, p = 0.31). Conclusions Dexamethasone significantly reduced ME secondary to RVO refractory to anti-VEGF. Functional gain was limited compared to treatment naïve eyes, probably due to worse BCVA and CFT at baseline in treatment naïve eyes.
Cytomegalovirus viremia, disease, and impact on relapse in T-cell replete peripheral blood haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation with post-transplant cyclophosphamide

There are multiple recent publications demonstrating an association between the development of post-transplant cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and a reduced incidence of relapse in patients who receive allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). [1][1]–[3][2] This was demonstrated in
Students’ Perspectives on Pathways to University Readiness and Adjustment

The transition from high school to post-secondary education is often difficult for students. The literature examining factors that foster a successful transition generally focuses on previous academic achievement and/or individual differences that enable students to navigate the culture of university. Through interviews with first year university students ( N =19), the present study conceptualizes student readiness as a match/mismatch between an individual’s attributes and the requisites of the academic and social milieus of university. This phenomenological investigation situates the development of a work ethic as central to a successful transition to university and contributes to the limited research conducted concerning the pathways that optimize student readiness.
Studies in Plant Metabolism. VI. Effect of 2,4-D on the Metabolism of Aspartic Acid and Glutamic Acid in the Bean Plant.

In studying the effect of 2,4-D treatment on the chemical composition of bean plants, Sell et al (7) reported that the stem of 2,4-D treated plants contained almost twice as much crude protein as do stems of control plants. Later, Weller et al (9) found that 2,4-D treatment caused a slight decrease in crude leaf protein while the crude root protein remained approximately the same. The amino acid composition in the crude protein from 2,4-D treated stems were different from those of the control plants. A small difference was noted in the leaf and root proteins. These data suggested to the authors that a change had occurred in the character of the protein. Using potato tubers, Payne et al (5) found that 2,4-D caused an increase in free glutamic acid and a decrease in eleven amino acids including aspartic acid. The decrease was explained as an increased catabolism of the free amino acids. In a preliminary investigation on the effects of 2,4-D 2,4,5-T and indoleacetic acid treatment, we have found that the amounts of total aspartic and glutamic acids decreased in both the stems and roots of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T treated plants, with the greatest change occurring in the stems. Two possible explanations may be given: 1) the 2,4-D treatment might inhibit the synthesis of these amino acids or 2) this treatment nmight increase the rate of oxidation of the amino acids. In order to clarify this point, the present investigation, using carbon 14 as a tracer to study the rates of synthesis of both glutamic acid and aspartic acid in 2,4-D treated and control plants was carried out.
ADAMTS13 activity and the presence of acquired inhibitors in human immunodeficiency virus–related thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the pathophysiology of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐related thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). It is generally assumed that acquired ADAMTS13 deficiency is due to the presence of autoantibody inhibitors, but limited data are available regarding ADAMTS13 activity and inhibitors in such patients.
Differential correlates of autobiographical memory specificity to affective and self-discrepant cues

According to the CaRFAX model (Williams et al., 2007), several processes may result in overgeneral autobiographical memory. The present study examined whether the type of cue used in the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) is important for illuminating relationships between autobiographical memory specificity and variables pertinent to the Functional Avoidance (FA) and Capture and Rumination (CaR) aspects of the model. Sixty-one women varying in their experience of a potentially traumatic event and previous depression completed two versions of the AMT: one containing affective cues and the other containing cues representing idiosyncratic self-discrepancies. Consistent with the FA hypothesis, avoidance of the potentially traumatic event was associated with fewer specific memories on the affective, but not the self-discrepant AMT. Furthermore, in line with the CaR hypothesis, performance on the self-discrepant, but not the affective AMT was related to ruminative self-reflection in women reporting previous depression, even after controlling for current depression and education levels. Together the results suggest that varying cue type may increase the sensitivity of the AMT, depending on the aspect of the CaRFAX model of overgeneral memory that is to be addressed.
Development of a Paediatric Head Model for the Computational Analysis of Head Impact Interactions

Head injury in childhood is a common cause of death or permanent disability from injury. However, despite its frequency and significance, there is little understanding of how a child’s head responds during injurious loading. Whilst Infant Post Mortem Human Subject (PMHS) experimentation is a logical approach to understand injury biomechanics, it is the authors’ opinion that a lack of subject availability is hindering potential progress. Computer modelling adds great value when considering adult populations; however, its potential remains largely untapped for infant surrogates. The complexities of child growth and development, which result in age dependent changes in anatomy, geometry and physical response characteristics, present new challenges for computational simulation. Further geometric challenges are presented by the intricate infant cranial bones, which are separated by sutures and fontanelles and demonstrate a visible fibre orientation. This study presents an FE model of a newborn infant’s head, developed from high-resolution computer tomography scans, informed by published tissue material properties. To mimic the fibre orientation of immature cranial bone, anisotropic properties were applied to the FE cranial bone model, with elastic moduli representing the bone response both parallel and perpendicular to the fibre orientation. Biofiedility of the computational model was confirmed by global validation against published PMHS data, by replicating experimental impact tests with a series of computational simulations, in terms of head kinematic responses. Numerical results confirm that the FE head model’s mechanical response is in favourable agreement with the PMHS drop test results. Keywords—Finite element analysis, impact simulation, infant head trauma, material properties, post mortem human subjects.
COVER CROPS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION

Cover crops are important components of sustainable agricultural systems. They increase surface residue and aid in the reduction of soil erosion. They improve the structure and water-holding capacity of the soil and thus increase the effectiveness of applied N fertilizer. Legume cover crops such as hairy vetch and crimson clover fix nitrogen and contribute to the nitrogen requirements of subsequent crops. Cover crops can also suppress weeds, provide suitable habitat for beneficial predator insects, and act as non-host crops for nematodes and other pests in crop rotations. This paper reviews the agronomic and economic literature on using cover crops in sustainable food production and reports on past and present research on cover crops and sustainable agriculture at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Maryland. Previous studies suggested that the profitability of cover crops is primarily the result of enhanced crop yields rather than reduced input costs. The experiments at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center on fresh-market tomato production showed that tomatoes grown with hairy vetch mulch were higher yielding and more profitable than those grown with black polyethylene and no mulch system. Previous studies of cover crops in grain production indicated that legume cover crops such as hairy vetch and crimson clover are more profitable than grass cover crops such as rye or wheat because of the ability of legumes to contribute N to the following crop. A comparative analysis of four reduced-tillage corn based cropping systems at the Sustainable Agricultural Demonstration site showed that the cover crop system with corn following hairy vetch produced the largest average gross margin, followed by the conventional no-tillage system, a manure-based system, and a crown vetch living mulch system. The EPIC model to simulate the long-term economic and environmental impacts of incorporating cover crops into grain production systems in mid-Atlantic states was used. Results based on 60 simulation years indicated that there are tradeoffs between the competing objectives of increased profitability, lower soil erosion, and reduced nutrient and pesticide hazards to surface and groundwater supplies. A corn/soybean two-year rotation was found to be the most profitable, while the cover crop system and the manure system were found to be the most environmentally sound.
Measured Velocity Boundary Layers in Turbulent Convection.

Direct measurements of the velocity boundary layer in turbulent convection have been carried out using a novel light scattering technique. The experiment reveals that the velocity profile yhszd as a function of the distance z from the lower surface of a convection cell has an invariant form yhszd › ymfszydyd over varying Rayleigh numbers (Ra). It is found that the scaling velocity ym, the viscous boundary layer thickness dy, and the shear rate g all obey power laws of Ra, i.e., ym , Ra 0.5 , dy , Ra 20.16 , and g , Ra 0.66 . [S0031-9007(96)00765-X]
Do patients profit from physostigmine in recovery from desflurane anaesthesia?

Background: Physostigmine is the drug of choice in the central anticholinergic syndrome, but has also been used in post‐operative mental derangement secondary to sedatives and volatile anaesthetics. The aim of this double‐blind, randomized, prospective study was to determine whether physostigmine alters recovery after desflurane anaesthesia.
Nicotinic and PDGF‐receptor function are essential for nicotine‐stimulated mitogenesis in human vascular smooth muscle cells

Cigarette smoking is implicated in the formation of occlusive vascular diseases. Nicotine's role in this process is incompletely understood. Nicotine's effect on human aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (HaVSMC) and the role of the nicotinic receptor (nAChR), platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF), and the PDGF‐receptor (PDGF‐R) in this response were studied. Nicotine's mitogenic effect was characterized by three methods: thymidine incorporation, a viability/proliferation assay based on metabolic conversion of tetrazolium salt to formazan dye and cell counting. Nicotine administration (10−6 M) stimulated cell cycle entry marked by increased DNA synthesis, PCNA and cyclin D1 production, and increased cell division. Nicotinic receptor blockade with d‐tubocurarine, a nicotinic AchR blocker, decreased nicotine‐induced DNA synthesis, and cell division (0.33 ± 0.04, 0.77 ± 0.31‐fold decrease, respectively). Nicotine increased cellular PDGF‐BB transcript levels and protein release (ELISA: 1.6 ± 0.5‐fold increase) but not PDGF‐AA or PDGF–AB release. Nicotine increased PDGFβ‐receptor protein content. PDGF inactivation with anti‐PDGF antibody abolished nicotine‐induced DNA synthesis (1.9 ± 0.08‐fold decrease). PDGF‐R blockade with the PDGF‐R antagonist tyrphostin AG 1295 decreased nicotine‐induced DNA synthesis and cell division (0.25 ± 0.01, 0.44 ± 0.2‐fold decrease, respectively). PDGF‐R blockade reversed nicotine‐stimulated increases in PDGF release, PDGF‐BB transcripts, and PDGF‐receptor levels (0.68 ± 0.34; 0.46 ± 0.01; 0.28 ± 0.01‐fold decrease, respectively). In conclusion, nicotine‐mediated activation of nAChRs increases PDGF‐BB transcription and protein production as well as PDGF β‐receptor levels. PDGF‐BB/PDGF‐R interaction is vital in nicotine's mitogenic actions on human aortic smooth muscle cells. J. Cell. Biochem. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.