Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adipose triglyceride lipase regulates basal lipolysis and lipid droplet size in adipocytes

In adipocytes, lipid droplet (LD) size reflects a balance of triglyceride synthesis (lipogenesis) and hydrolysis (lipolysis). Perilipin A (Peri A) is the most abundant phosphoprotein on the surface of adipocyte LDs and has a crucial role in lipid storage and lipolysis. Adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) and hormone‐sensitive lipase (HSL) are the major rate‐determining enzymes for lipolysis in adipocytes. Each of these proteins (Peri A, ATGL, and HSL) has been demonstrated to regulate lipid storage and release in the adipocyte. However, in the absence of protein kinase A (PKA) stimulation (basal state), the lipases (ATGL and HSL) are located mainly in the cytoplasm, and their contribution to basal rates of lipolysis and influence on LD size are poorly understood. In this study, we utilize an adenoviral system to knockdown or overexpress ATGL and HSL in an engineered model system of adipocytes in the presence or absence of Peri A. We are able to demonstrate in our experimental model system that in the basal state, LD size, triglyceride storage, and fatty acid release are mainly influenced by the expression of ATGL. These results demonstrate for the first time the relative contributions of ATGL, HSL, and Peri A on determination of LD size in the absence of PKA stimulation. J. Cell. Biochem. 105: 1430–1436, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Incidence of Sepsis and Mortality With Prior Exposure of HMG-COA Reductase Inhibitors in a Surgical Intensive Care Population

ABSTRACT The anti-inflammatory properties of hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) may reduce the risk of developing sepsis in surgical intensive care patients and improve outcomes in those who do become septic. The objective of this study was to assess whether surgical intensive care unit (SICU) patients with prior exposure to HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors had a lower incidence of developing sepsis and improved outcomes. A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Patient demographic data, statin use, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores, vasopressor requirements, ventilator days, length of SICU stay, and mortality in septic patients were collected. Incidence of development of sepsis was determined using systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria. Patients were grouped into cohorts based on whether they met the sepsis criteria and if they had previously received statins. Cohorts of patients who did and did not become septic with prior statin exposure were compared and an odds ratio was calculated to determine a protective effect. The setting was a SICU. The study comprised of 455 SICU patients and had no interventions. Among the 455 SICU patients, 427 patients were included for the final results. Patients receiving statins verses not receiving statins were similar in demographics. Previous statin exposure had a protective effect in the development of sepsis (9.77% on statins vs. 33.6% without statins; odds ratio 0.203, confidence interval 0.118–0.351). Of those patients who developed sepsis, there was a statistically significant decrease in 28-day mortality in patients with prior statin exposure (P = 0.0341). No statistical difference was noted in length of stay, vasopressor requirements, or days on mechanical ventilation. Prior exposure to statins may have a protective effect on the development of sepsis and decrease mortality in critically ill surgical patients.
Endometrial receptivity: Clinical assessment in relation to fertility, infertility, and antifertility

Fertility in humans and other mammalian species depends absolutely on synchronous events that render the developing blastocyst and the receiving uterus competent for implantation. Endometrial receptivity is defined as the period during which the endometrial epithelium acquires functional, but transient, ovarian steroid‐dependent status supportive to blastocyst acceptance and implantation. Once inside the uterus, the blastocyst is surrounded by an intact luminal epithelium, which is considered to act as barrier to its attachment, except for this short period of high endometrial receptivity to blastocyst signal(s). Its transport and permeability properties, in conjunction with cellular action of the endometrium and the embryo, have been suggested to influence creation and maintenance of informational and nutritional status of uterine luminal milieu. This period, also termed as the ‘window of implantation,’ is limited to days 20–24 of menstrual cycle in humans. However, establishment of endometrial receptivity is still a biological mystery that remains unsolved despite marked advances in our understanding of endometrial physiology following extensive research associated with its development and function. This review deals with various structural, biochemical, and molecular events in the endometrium coordinated within the implantation window that constitute essential elements in the repertoire that signifies endometrial receptivity and is aimed to achieve a better understanding of its relationship to fertility, infertility, and for the development of targeted antifertility agents for human use and welfare. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
An integrated approach to simulating behavioural processes: A case study of the lock-in of consumption patterns

Lock-in denotes a phenomenon of monopolistic dominating technologies or consumer goods in a certain market. These lock-ins cannot be explained by superior characteristics of the good or technology. Previous studies mainly used probabilistic models to study lock-in effects. In this paper an integrated conceptual model of consumer behaviour is used to identify relevant processes of lock-in dynamics of consumption patterns. An agent-based model is developed to simulate consumats, artificial consumers, who are confronted with two similar products. We found two types of lock-in, namely, a spatial lock-in and a global level lock-in. The spatial lock-in related to the spatial patterns that occur in consumption patterns and relates to the satisfaction of the need for identity. The global lock-in relates to price effects and occurs only if individual preferences are not significantly weighted in the cognitive processing.
Flexural Strength of Temporary Restorative Materials Stored in Different Solutions

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different solutions on the flexural strength of one methacrylate-based resin and three bis-acryl resin provisional materials using an in vitro model test system. Methods: The specimens (25 × 2 × 2 mm) were prepared from interim materials and stored for 14 days at 37°C in different solutions (coffee, burn, cola) and distilled water (control group). A standard three-point bending test was conducted on the specimens with an Instron universal testing machine at crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. Data were analyzed using the one-way analysis of variance and Tukey HSD multiple comprasion tests. Results: The methacry-late-based resin (Takilon) showed the least fracture strength (61.6 - 85.6 MPa). One of the bis-acryl resins (Protemp 4-3M ESPE) showed the highest fracture strength (112 - 128 MPa). Conclusions: All bis-acryl resin composite materials exhibited high fracture strength over the traditional methyl methacrylate resin throughout the 14 day time interval of investigation. The different solutions have not statistically significant effect on the flexure strength values on four temporary materials.
Scaling Trends for Picojoule-per-Bit WDM Photonic Interconnects in CMOS SOI and FinFET Processes

This paper presents a link analysis for optical interconnects based on CMOS scaling toward FinFET devices. An on-chip wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) link is modeled assuming silicon photonic ring modulators, WDM multiplexers and demultiplexers, and photodetectors. A high-speed CMOS transceiver is designed and evaluated using 28-nm FD-SOI and 14-nm FinFET processes. Compared to 28-nm FD-SOI, the 14-nm FinFET offers higher intrinsic gain and allows for 50% higher transconductance per drain current suggesting more energy-efficient circuit design. Cosimulation of the photonic and electronic devices demonstrates an optimum energy efficiency of ~ 2 pJ/b at 25 Gb/s for a bit-error rate of 10-12 including laser and ring tuning power.
An Examination of the Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, 11th Version in a Sample of Chinese Adolescents

The current study examined the psychometric properties of the Chinese translation of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale 11th version in a sample of adolescents from Hunan province, mainland China. During an initial assessment, 396 secondary school students (Grades 10–12) completed the scale and self-report measures assessing problem behaviors and alcohol use. The scale was re-administered 1 mo. later. Analysis gave Cronbach alpha of . 80 and test-retest reliability of . 70. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a model containing six first-order factors and two second-order factors best fit the data. Girls reported higher Total scores than boys as well as higher scores on the motor impulsiveness, self-control, and cognitive instability sub-scales. Scores were associated in the predicted direction with a wide variety of self-reported problem behaviors including alcohol use, gambling, and academic misconduct. Current findings indicate that the translated scale is a promising tool with some further development for assessing impulsiveness with Chinese adolescents.
Novel Browning Inhibitor Formulation for Fresh‐cut Apples

: Development of a browning inhibitor for fresh-cut apples that would not support human pathogen survival was investigated. Granny Smith and Fuji wedges were treated with acidic or neutral browning inhibitors with and without addition of sodium hexametaphosphate. Wedges in modified atmosphere packaging pouches were observed for browning during storage at 4 °C and 10 °C. A pH 2.9 dip containing ascorbic acid, citric acid, and sodium hexametaphosphate suppressed browning for at least 3 wk at 4 °C, whereas formulations without hexametaphosphate failed within 1 wk. These results demonstrate that browning in fresh-cut apples can be controlled with a formulation unlikely to support human pathogen survival or growth.
Adjunctive effect of photodynamic therapy to scaling and root planing in the treatment of chronic periodontitis.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for scaling and root planing (SRP) in the treatment of chronic periodontitis. BACKGROUND DATA PDT has become a potential treatment of infectious diseases with the development of laser medicine. However, there are very limited data from clinical trials to evaluate the effect of PDT in the treatment of periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifty-eight patients with chronic periodontitis were included and divided into three groups. They were treated with SRP alone, SRP followed by one PDT, or SRP followed by two PDT treatments. PDT was performed at sites with a probing depth (PD) ≥5 mm by using Periowave(TM) therapy. Periodontal values of bleeding on probing (BOP), PD, and clinic attachment loss (CAL) were examined at baseline, 6 wk after treatment, and 12 wk after treatment. RESULTS Compared with the baseline, sites with baseline PD ≥5 mm in all three groups showed significant reductions of PD, CAL, and BOP at 6 and 12 wk after treatment. Although there were no differences between the three groups for PD and CAL in all three examinations, the presence of BOP sites at 12 wk, but not 6 wk, after SRP treatment significantly decreased in groups with PDT in comparison with SRP alone. CONCLUSION PDT may serve as an adjunctive therapy to SRP treatment in periodontal pockets with PD ≥5 mm to reduce the presence of bleeding in these lesions.
Front-end isolated quasi-Z-source DC-DC converter modules in series for photovoltaic high-voltage DC applications

A quasi-Z-source modular cascaded converter (qZS-MCC) is proposed for high-voltage (HV) dc integration of photovoltaic (PV) power. The qZS-MCC comprises front-end isolated qZS half-bridge (HB) dc-dc converter submodules (SMs) in series. By the qZS-HB handling PV voltage and power variations, a unified duty cycle is applicable for the front-end isolation converter of all SMs. Resultantly, the proposed system improves the quasi-Z-source cascaded multilevel inverter and the modular multilevel converter based PV counterparts in terms of no double-line-frequency pulsating power so as to low qZS impedance, HV dc collection of PV power thus to reduce conversion stages for dc transmission, and overcoming the limit of series-output voltage with simple galvanic isolation. Operating principle and power loss evaluation of the qZS-MCC are presented. Parameter design guidelines and simulation are addressed based on a 60-kW SM; experimental results are carried out on a downscaled prototype as a proof-of-concept, demonstrating the validity of the proposed system.
The prevalence of burnout syndrome in Polish anaesthesiologists.

BACKGROUND Burnout syndrome is a psychological response to chronic work-related stress characterized by low enthusiasm towards the job, high psychological exhaustion, indolence and guilt. Being a medical doctor, both in Poland and in other countries, is one of the most stressful occupations and anaesthesiology is considered one of the most stressful specializations, which justify carrying out of the study on Polish anaesthesiologists. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of burnout syndrome in Polish anaesthesiologists METHODS Non-randomized cross-sectional study was carried out and data were gathered through a self-administrated questionnaire. The sample consisted of 373 Polish anaesthesiologists, 57.6% were women and 42.4% were men. A 66% response rate was achieved. The Burnout Syndrome was measured by the Spanish Burnout Inventory. RESULTS The prevalence burnout risk was almost 70%. The percentage of participants who indicated very high levels of burnout was 18%; 5.9% of whom fell into profile 2 considered to be clinical. The instrument applied was reliable with Cronbach's alphas exceeding 0.70. CONCLUSIONS The sample is characterized by high burnout risk with 5.9% of clinical cases. Participation in prevention programs is recommended.
Viable deletion mutant of human papovavirus BK that induces insulinomas in hamsters

A plaque morphology mutant (pm-522) of human papovavirus BK, which was rescued from a human papovavirus BK-induced hamster pineocytoma, was characterized and compared with a cloned wild-type virus (wt-501). Mutant pm-522 formed turbid plaques and grew more slowly than wt-501 in human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells. The immunofluorescence assay revealed that more HEK cells underwent abortive infection with pm-522 than with wt-501. Whereas wt-501 induced brain tumors and osteosarcomas, but no insulinomas, in hamsters, pm-522 induced brain tumors and insulinomas. The DNA of pm-522 was found by electrophoresis and electron microscopy to have a deletion (85 +/- 15 base pairs) and an insertion (40 +/- 10 base pairs) between map coordinates 0.708 and 0.725 from the endonuclease EcoRI cleavage site. These results demonstrate the presence of a viable deletion human papovarivus BK mutant capable of inducing insulinomas in hamsters.
General analysis tool for reflectarray antennas in dualreflector configurations

This paper presents a general modular technique to analyse different types of dual-reflector configurations, where the main, the sub, or both reflectors can be a flat or a curved reflectarray. The technique has been applied to two particular cases: a parabolic reflectarray with a flat sub-reflectarray, which was previously designed to produce a South American coverage; and a dual-reflectarray designed to produce a focused beam at 94GHz deflected by 5 degrees respect to the antenna boresight. The results show a satisfactory agreement with previous reported data and validate the analysis technique in two particular cases.
Assessing the Performance of Freestanding Hospitals

Freestanding hospitals are becoming less common as more hospitals are joining or establishing relationships with multihospital systems. These associations are driven by factors, such as unrelenting competition in local markets, aging physical plants, increasing labor costs, and higher physician fees, that place a high demand on financial assets. Despite these factors, many freestanding hospitals continue to do well financially, showing increases in total profit margins and total cash flow margins. This article examines which market, management, financial, and mission factors are associated with freestanding hospitals with consistently positive cash flows, relative to those without consistently positive cash flows. The study sample consisted of freestanding, nonfederal, short-term, acute care general hospitals with more than 50 beds and three years of annual cash flow data. Data were taken from the annual surveys of the American Hospital Association, the cost reports of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Area Resource File of the Health Resources and Services Administration. The data were analyzed using logistic regression to identify those factors associated with a consistently positive cash flow. Freestanding hospitals with positive cash flows were found to have a greater market share and to be located in markets with a higher number of physicians and fewer acute care beds; to have fewer unoccupied beds, higher net revenues, greater liquidity, and less debt on hand; and to treat fewer Medicare patients than those without a positive cash flow. The findings suggest that these hospitals are located in resource-rich environments and that they have strong management teams.
Regulating the New Information Intermediaries as Gatekeepers of Information Diversity

Search engines, social networks and app-stores are often referred to as gatekeepers to diverse information access. But what is the evidence to substantiate these gatekeeper concerns, and to what extent are existing regulatory solutions to control gatekeeper control suitable at all to address new diversity concerns? This contribution maps the different gatekeeper concerns about media diversity as evidenced in existing research. Before the background of network gate keeping theory it critically analyses some of the currently discussed regulatory approaches and develops the contours of a more user-centric approach towards approaching gatekeeper control and media diversity.This multi-disciplinary paper ﬁnds that when looking at search engines, social networks and app stores, many concerns about the inﬂuence of the new information intermediaries on media diversity have not so much their source in the control over critical resources or access to information, as the traditional gatekeepers do. Instead, the real bottleneck is access to the user, and the way the relationship between social network, search engine or app platforms and users is given form. Based on this observation, the paper concludes that regulatory initiatives in this area would need to pay more attention to the dynamic relationship between gatekeeper and gated, and makes concrete suggestions to this end.
Microtubule associated protein (MAP1B) is present in cultured oligodendrocytes and co‐localizes with tubulin

Differentiation of Oligodendrocytes is accompanied by the extension of processes and the assembly of the myelin membrane. It is likely that the cytoskeleton plays an important role in this process in terms of changes in cell shape, transport of myelin components, and organization of the myelin membrane. Oligodendrocytes contain microtubules (MT) which associate with other components of the cytoskeleton, and microtubule associated proteins (MAPs) may mediate some of these interactions. In this study we haves shown the presence of MAP1B in Oligodendrocytes grown in primary glial cultures by double‐label im‐munofluorescence using antibodies to galactocerebro‐side (GC) and MAP1B. The staining of the cultures showed that GC‐positive Oligodendrocytes were also stained with MAP1B antibodies. However, MAP 1B stain was limited to ceil bodies and processes, whereas GC stain was also seen in flattened membrane sheets and punctate staining in processes. MAP1B staining was also compared with that of myelin proteolipid (PLP), myelin basic protein (MBP) and beta‐tubulin in secondary glial cultures that were enriched for Oligodendrocytes. The results showed a typical staining of cell bodies and membranous profiles using PLP antibodies, and the staining of cell bodies and flattened regions of membranous sheets by MBP antibodies. In contrast, both polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies to MAP1B showed a uniform diffuse staining of cell bodies, major processes, and fine interconnected processes. Double‐labeling of the cells showed that MAP1B was co‐localized with tubulin, but was not present in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)‐positive astrocytes. Western and Northern blot analyses of primary glial cultures showed that MAP1B had a molecular mass of 320 kDa and a mRNA of 10 kb. These values are identical to those previously reported for brain MA1MB (Safaei and Fischer, 1989) and demonstrate the presence of MAP1B in oligodendrocytes.
Urological complications and their impact on survival after kidney transplantation from deceased cardiac death donors

Urological complications after kidney transplantation may result in significant morbidity and mortality. However, the incidence of such complications after deceased cardiac death (DCD) donor kidney transplantation and their effect on survival is unknown. Purpose of this study was to estimate the incidence of urological complications after DCD kidney transplantation, and to estimate their impact on survival. Patient records of all 76 DCD kidney transplantations in the period 1997–2004 were reviewed for (urological) complications during the initial hospitalization until 30 days after discharge, and graft survival until the last hospital visit. Urological complications occurred in 32 patients (42.1%), with leakage and/or obstruction occurring in seven patients (9.2%). The latter seems to be comparable with the incidence reported in the literature for deceased heart‐beating (DHB) transplantations (range 2.5–10%). Overall graft survival was 92% at 1 year and 88% at 3 years, comparable to the rates reported in the literature for kidneys from DHB donors, and was not affected by urological complications (χ2 = 0.27, P = 0.61). Only a first warm‐ischaemia time of 30 min or more reduced graft survival (χ2 = 4.38, P < 0.05). We conclude that urological complications occur frequently after DCD kidney transplantation, but do not influence graft survival. The only risk factor for reduced graft survival in DCD transplant recipients was the first warm‐ischaemia time.