Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A quantitative account of the activation steps involved in phototransduction in amphibian photoreceptors.

1. We have undertaken a theoretical analysis of the steps contributing to the phototransduction cascade in vertebrate photoreceptors. We have explicitly considered only the activation steps, i.e. we have not dealt with the inactivation reactions. 2. From the theoretical analysis we conclude that a single photoisomerization leads to activation of the phosphodiesterase (PDE) with a time course which approximates a delayed ramp; the delay is contributed by several short first‐order delay stages. 3. We derive a method for extracting the time course of PDE activation from the measured electrical response, and we apply this method to recordings of the photoresponse from salamander rods. The results confirm the prediction that the time course of PDE activation is a delayed ramp, with slope proportional to light intensity; the initial delay is about 10‐20 ms. 4. We derive approximate analytical solutions for the electrical response of the photoreceptor to light, both for bright flashes (isotropic conditions) and for single photons (involving longitudinal diffusion of cyclic GMP in the outer segment). The response to a brief flash is predicted to follow a delayed Gaussian function of time, i.e. after an initial short delay the response should begin rising in proportion to t2. Further, the response‐intensity relation is predicted to obey an exponential saturation. 5. These predictions are compared with experiment, and it is shown that the rising phase of the flash response is accurately described over a very wide range of intensities. We conclude that the model provides a comprehensive description of the activation steps of phototransduction at a molecular level.
IS1245 Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Typing of Mycobacterium avium Isolates: Proposal for Standardization

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium avium has become a major human pathogen, primarily due to the emergence of the AIDS epidemic. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) typing, using insertion sequence IS1245 as a probe, provides a powerful tool in the molecular epidemiology of M. avium-related infections and will facilitate well-founded studies into the sources of M. avium infections in animal and environmental reservoirs. The standardization of this technique allows computerization of IS1245 RFLP patterns for comparison on a local level and the establishment of M. avium DNA fingerprint databases for interlaboratory comparison. Moreover, by combining international DNA typing results of M. avium complex isolates from a broad spectrum of sources, long-lasting questions on the epidemiology of this major agent of mycobacterial infections will be answered.
Role of soil rhizobacteria in phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soils

Heavy metal pollution of soil is a significant environmental problem and has its negative impact on human health and agriculture. Rhizosphere, as an important interface of soil and plant, plays a significant role in phytoremediation of contaminated soil by heavy metals, in which, microbial populations are known to affect heavy metal mobility and availability to the plant through release of chelating agents, acidification, phosphate solubilization and redox changes, and therefore, have potential to enhance phytoremediation processes. Phytoremediation strategies with appropriate heavy metal-adapted rhizobacteria have received more and more attention. This article paper reviews some recent advances in effect and significance of rhizobacteria in phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soils. There is also a need to improve our understanding of the mechanisms involved in the transfer and mobilization of heavy metals by rhizobacteria and to conduct research on the selection of microbial isolates from rhizosphere of plants growing on heavy metal contaminated soils for specific restoration programmes.
Psoriasis vulgaris – a sterile antibacterial skin reaction mediated by cross‐reactive T cells? An immunological view of the pathophysiology of psoriasis

The understanding of the pathogenesis of psoriasis vulgaris has advanced significantly since the therapeutic efficacy of immunosuppressive drugs has drawn attention to the role of immune mechanisms in psoriasis manifestation. Today, the results of many experimental studies provide evidence that psoriasis is largely a T‐cell mediated disorder. It may result from antigen‐specific activation of T cells in the skin of genetically predisposed individuals. These T cells apparently have a particular functional differentiation and promote the psoriatic skin changes by secreting a certain set of cytokines. Based on the fact that streptococcal throat infections are a trigger of guttate psoriasis, the putative psoriatic antigens are assumed to be in keratinocyte proteins that share structural homologies with streptococcal proteins and thus induce cross‐reactive responses of antibacterial T cells against skin components. Together with the particular phenotype of psoriatic skin lesions these findings suggest that psoriasis represents a sterile antibacterial tissue reaction, which is mediated by streptococci‐specific T cells that cross‐react against epidermal autoantigens.
Owners on Both Sides of the Deal: Mergers and Acquisitions and Overlapping Institutional Ownership

Using a corporate governance lens, this study considers owners with a stake in both the acquiring and the target firms in the context of mergers and acquisitions. A possible agency problem arises with regard to monitoring implications as managers may be able to take advantage of compromised monitoring because overlapping owners may focus on the aggregate value for both the acquiring and the target firms and nonoverlapping owners may be interested only in the acquirer's side of the deal. The results suggest that when more owners overlap in their ownership of both the acquiring and target firms, the acquiring firms are more likely to experience decreased shareholder value through merger and acquisition deals. This effect, however, can be constrained by stronger board control.
Adenoviral gene transfer of SERCA2a improves left-ventricular function in aortic-banded rats in transition to heart failure.

In human and experimental models of heart failure, sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) ATPase (SERCA2a) activity is decreased, resulting in abnormal calcium handling. The disturbances in calcium metabolism have been shown to contribute significantly to the contractile dysfunction observed in heart failure. We investigated whether increasing SERCA2a expression can improve ventricular function in an animal model of heart failure obtained by creating ascending aortic constriction in rats. After 19-23 wk of banding during the transition from compensated hypertrophy to heart failure (documented by >25% decrease in fractional shortening), rats were randomized to receive either an adenovirus carrying the SERCA2a gene (Ad.SERCA2a, n = 13) or beta-galactosidase (Ad.betagal, n = 14) by using a catheter-based technique. The failing hearts infected with Ad. betagal were characterized by a significant decrease in SERCA2a expression and a decrease in SERCA2a activity compared with nonfailing sham-operated rats (n = 11). In addition, these failing hearts had reduced left-ventricular systolic pressure, maximal rate of left-ventricular pressure rise and decline (+dP/dt, -dP/dt), and rate of isovolumic relaxation (tau). Overexpression of SERCA2a restored both SERCA2a expression and ATPase activity to nonfailing levels. Furthermore, rats infected with Ad.SERCA2a had significant improvement in left-ventricular systolic pressure, +dP/dt, -dP/dt, and rate of isovolumic relaxation (tau) normalizing them back to levels comparable to sham-operated rats. In this study, we show that in an animal model of heart failure where SERCA2a protein levels and activity are decreased and severe contractile dysfunction is present, overexpression of SERCA2a in vivo restores both systolic and diastolic function to normal levels.
Convergent Validity of the Early Childhood Behavior Problem Screening Scale

This study examined the convergent validity of the parent and teacher versions of the Early Childhood Behavior Problem Screening Scale (ECBPSS) with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Caregiver-Teacher Report Form (C-TRF), respectively. Data were collected on a sample of preschool and kindergarten students (n = 149) from two medium-sized cities in the Midwest. Analyses of both the parent and teacher versions of the ECBPSS were correlated with the corresponding Internalizing, Externalizing, and Total Problem scale scores of the CBCL and the C-TRF. The present findings and future research directions and limitations are discussed.
Multi-Step Dyna Planning for Policy Evaluation and Control

We extend Dyna planning architecture for policy evaluation and control in two significant aspects. First, we introduce a multi-step Dyna planning that projects the simulated state/feature many steps into the future. Our multi-step Dyna is based on a multi-step model, which we call the {\em $\lambda$-model}. The $\lambda$-model interpolates between the one-step model and an infinite-step model, and can be learned efficiently online. Second, we use for Dyna control a dynamic multi-step model that is able to predict the results of a sequence of greedy actions and track the optimal policy in the long run. Experimental results show that Dyna using the multi-step model evaluates a policy faster than using single-step models; Dyna control algorithms using the dynamic tracking model are much faster than model-free algorithms; further, multi-step Dyna control algorithms enable the policy and value function to converge much faster to their optima than single-step Dyna algorithms.
Evaluation of a chemiluminescent immunoassay, the HemosIL AcuStar D–Dimer, in outpatients with clinically suspected deep venous thrombosis

Sir, Measurement of plasma D–Dimer concentration is a commonly used and well–documented tool in the diagnostic strategy for patients with suspected deep venous thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE), together with imaging tests and the pretest clinical probability (PTP) [1, 2]. The purpose of our study was to retrospectively evaluate the clinical performance of a fully automated, quantitative chemiluminescent immunoassay, the HemosIL AcuStar D–Dimer [results expressed in Fibrinogen Equivalent Units (FEU); Instrumentation Laboratory, Bedford, MA, USA], in outpatients with suspected DVT. Its accuracy in the exclusion of DVT was compared with the performance of an automated latex–enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay, the HemosIL D–Dimer HS [Instrumentation Laboratory; results expressed in D–Dimer Units (DDU)]. Technical and analytical characteristics of the two D–Dimer assays have already been described by other authors [3, 4]; furthermore, previous studies demonstrated the clinical accuracy of the HemosIL D–Dimer HS in the exclusion of DVT and PE [5–8]. Consecutive outpatients with suspected DVT were evaluated at the emergency room of our Clinic. PTP was defined at the time of presentation on the basis of the Wells score for DVT as likely (if >1) or unlikely (if ≤1) [9]. The evaluation of the PTP was included in a clinical algorithm for the diagnosis of DVT, together with the measure of D–Dimer levels by the local routine assay (STA Liatest D–Di, cut–off = 500 lg/L FEU; Diagnostica Stago, Asni eres–sur–Seine, France) and the execution of compression ultrasonography imaging (CUS), as described elsewhere [10]. Patients were excluded in the presence of the following criteria: previous venous thromboembolic event, suspected DVT of the upper limbs, stable symptoms lasting more than 15 days, pregnancy, prophylactic or therapeutic anticoagulant treatment already underway at presentation, patients not
Clustering Stable Instances of Euclidean k-means

The Euclidean k-means problem is arguably the most widely-studied clustering problem in machine learning. While the k-means objective is NP-hard in the worst-case, practitioners have enjoyed remarkable success in applying heuristics like Lloyd's algorithm for this problem. To address this disconnect, we study the following question: what properties of real-world instances will enable us to design efficient algorithms and prove guarantees for finding the optimal clustering? We consider a natural notion called additive perturbation stability that we believe captures many practical instances. Stable instances have unique optimal k-means solutions that do not change even when each point is perturbed a little (in Euclidean distance). This captures the property that the k-means optimal solution should be tolerant to measurement errors and uncertainty in the points. We design efficient algorithms that provably recover the optimal clustering for instances that are additive perturbation stable. When the instance has some additional separation, we show an efficient algorithm with provable guarantees that is also robust to outliers. We complement these results by studying the amount of stability in real datasets and demonstrating that our algorithm performs well on these benchmark datasets.
Sex Hormones and Tumor Promotion in Liver

Abstract Epidemiological and experimental data strongly support a causal relationship between exposure to excessive levels of estrogens and the development of cancer in various tissues. In this paper, we have presented background information that shows a correlation between the prolonged use of oral contraceptives and the development of liver cancer. The clinical data supported the hypothesis that the estrogenic components of oral contraceptives were promoters of hepatocarcinogenesis, and the experimental evidence in support of this hypothesis and bearing on the mechanisms involved are also reviewed. The effects of estrogens on liver neoplasia and growth are: (i) synthetic steroidal estrogens are potent promoters of hepatocarcinogenesis in female rats; (ii) these estrogens stimulate liver growth at doses that are not hepatotoxic; (iii) the mechanisms by which the estrogens stimulate liver growth are indirect and include the enhancement of a serum/plasma growth factor, co-mitogenic effects which result in enhanced responsiveness of cultured hepatocytes to epidermal growth factor and decreased sensitivity of hepatocytes to growth inhibition by transforming growth factor-β (iv) the co-mitogenic effects of synthetic estrogens extend to endogenous estrogens and natural product estrogens; and (v) the co-mitogenic effects of estrogens for epidermal growth factor are associated with increased epidermal growth factor receptor protein levels caused by an increase in the half-life of the receptor protein. The synthetic estrogens also have weak “complete” carcinogenic activity in rat liver and strong complete carcinogenic activity in Syrian hamster kidney and Armenian hamster liver. Evidence from the literature is presented in support of a hypothesis that this process may involve indirect genotoxicity mediated through redox cycling and the formation of hydroxylated DNA bases. This process, together with the potent promoting activity of these estrogenic chemicals, may account for their complete carcinogenicity.
Correlation between TNFa in gingival crevicular fluid and body mass index in obese subjects

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI kg/m[Formula: See Text]), the inflammatory mediator tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) from 32 obese subjects aged between 13 and 24 years. Gingival inflammation (GBI %), pathological pocket depths, and alveolar bone loss diagnosed on radiographs were recorded. The GCF was collected from six sites per subject using periopaper, and the volume was determined using Peritron 8000. The levels of TNFα and IL-8 were determined using ELISA kits. Within the whole group, there was no significant relationship between BMI and the variables age, GBI %, number of periodontal pockets, smoking, and the levels of TNFα or IL-8. In subjects with BMI ≥40, however, there was a statistically significant correlation (r=0.74, P<0.01) between the level of TNFα in GCF and BMI. The correlation coefficient between BMI and TNFα in subjects with BMI ≥40 differed significantly (P<0.05) compared to that between subjects with BMI <40. The level of TNFα in GCF was positively correlated (P<0.05) with BMI in subjects with no periodontal pathological pocket. No significant correlation was found between the level of IL-8 and BMI. The results indicate that BMI positively correlates with TNFα in GCF in the group of young subjects with BMI ≥40 as well as in the subjects with no pathological periodontal pocket (≥4 mm) and that TNFα in GCF may be affected by the obese condition through a systemic effect.
Molecularly cloned simian immunodeficiency virus SIVagm3 is highly divergent from other SIVagm isolates and is biologically active in vitro and in vivo

Simian immunodeficiency viruses have been isolated from African green monkeys originating from Ethiopia. A molecular clone, termed SIVagm3, was found to be highly divergent from SIVagmTYO-1 in terms of its restriction map and partial nucleotide sequence. A premature stop codon present in the transmembrane protein of SIVagm TYO-1 was absent in SIVagm3. SIVagm3 was biologically active in vitro and in vivo and displayed characteristics reminiscent of the wild-type virus. Biological activity was demonstrated by seroconversion of juvenile African green monkeys and Macaca nemestrina after inoculation. In contrast to antibody reactivity mainly directed against env proteins in naturally infected African green monkeys. African green monkeys and M. nemestrina infected with the cloned virus showed antibody reactivity directed against all major proteins as demonstrated by immunoblot analysis. The availability of a biologically fully competent molecular clone of SIVagm allows us now to address various pertinent questions in an animal model system which should help to understand features of human immunodeficiency virus infection in human beings.
A level set based method for calculating flux densities in two-phase flows

In many two-phase (liquid/gas) flows encountered in industrial applications, for example, liquid atomizers, boilers and spray systems, fluid properties such as density and viscosity vary by several orders of magnitude across fluid interfaces. This discontinuity in fluid properties is a great challenge in modeling such flows. In particular, at large density ratios (≥ 500), non-physical deformations can appear on the interface if the advection of momentum is not properly modeled. To further explain this, we consider a finite-volume flow solver with staggered arrangement of variables: the scalars (e.g., pressure or volume fraction) are defined at the center of each numerical cell, and the velocities are on the faces. In this staggered arrangement, the mass and momentum control volumes are offset by half of the cell size. In a two-phase flow, this arrangement can lead to an inconsistent advection of mass and momentum, as illustrated by the following 1-D example. In Fig. 1, mass control volumes are confined by solid lines (cells i and i + 1); the momentum control volume is shown by dashed lines (cell i+1/2). Initially, cell i contains equal volumes of fluids A (gray) and B (white); cell i + 1 contains only B. At a time step, as fluid A enters the momentum control volume, the same volume of fluid B must leave cell i+1/2; fluids are incompressible. The net momentum per volume, which will be simply referred to as momentum for ease of presentation, transferred into the momentum control volume at this time step is then ρAui − ρBui+1. During this transfer, the density of cell i+1/2 changes from ρB to FρA +(1−F )ρB, where F is the volume fraction of cell i + 1/2 occupied by fluid A following advection. Hence, F = 1 in a cell fully occupied by fluid A, F = 0 in a cell filled with fluid B, and 0 < F < 1 in a cell containing a portion of the interface. The traditional approach to approximating the density of momentum fluxes in staggered models is to use densities of mass control volumes. So, for the configuration of Fig. 1, the incoming momentum is calculated as ρiui instead of ρAui, where
The Augsburg consensus

SUMMARY The techniques of lymphatic mapping and sentinellymphadenectomy have been increasingly popular inthe 8 years since their introduction. 1 The techniqueswere initially developed for the management of pa-tients with cutaneous melanoma, but are now widelyapplied in breast carcinoma and are under investiga-tion in the management of other forms of cancer.Despite this wide enthusiasm there is little unanimityregarding the exact details of the technical steps thatare required for successful application of the ap-proach, and published guidelines remain few. Withthis in mind, a conference on sentinel lymphadenec-tomy in cutaneous malignancies was held in Augs-burg, Germany, in March 1999, following which agroup of individuals who had extensive experiencewith the approach convened a committee of expertsand was charged with developing a consensus on thetechniques necessary for the optimum application of theapproach. This article is the result of these deliberationsand provides detailed and practicable recommendationson patient selection, preoperative and intraoperative lo-calization of the SLNs, pathologic assessment of theSLNs, and the correct disposition of lymph node tissuesfor diagnostic and investigative purposes.
Interventional radiologic procedures in liver transplantation

Postoperative biliary and vascular complications contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality in liver transplantation. Interventional radiologists are an integral part of the multidisciplinary team necessary for optimizing the management of these complications. During a 15-year period, 39 cadaveric and 25 living related liver transplantations were performed at the Chang Gung Memorial hospital, Taiwan. Of 64 liver transplant recipients, 9 (3 adult and 6 pediatric) underwent 13 interventional radiological procedures for the treatment of biliary sludge-casts (n = 2), bile duct occlusion or stenosis (n = 2), hepatic veins thrombosis (n = 1), hepatic veins stenosis (n = 1), portal vein stenosis with splenorenal shunting (n = 1), biloma (n = 1), and infected fluid collection or ascites (n = 4). Antegrade or retrograde interventional approach was used to successfully treat all biliary complications, and all percutaneous drainage procedures were effective in the control of intra-abdominal fluid collections. Portal vein stenosis was treated by balloon dilatation, and the associated splenorenal shunt was closed by metallic coil embolization via transhepatic catheterization of the portal vein. Hepatic vein stenosis was effectively treated by balloon dilatation and expandable metallic stent deployment via transfemoral and jugular venous approaches, respectively. Hepatic vein thrombosis was only partially lysed by transvenous streptokinase administration, and surgical thrombectomy was needed to achieve complete recanalization. The total success rate of the interventional procedures was 92 % with no procedure-related complications. The overall survival rate in this series is 89 %, and all patients who underwent living related liver transplantation maintain to date a 100 % survival rate. We can conclude that interventional radiological procedures are very useful for managing biliary and vascular complications after liver transplantation. These techniques provide a cure in most situations, thus obviating the need for further surgical intervention or re-transplantation.