Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CDC44: a putative nucleotide-binding protein required for cell cycle progression that has homology to subunits of replication factor C

To investigate the means by which a cell regulates the progression of the mitotic cell cycle, we characterized cdc44, a mutation that causes Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells to arrest before mitosis. CDC44 encodes a 96-kDa basic protein with significant homology to a human protein that binds DNA (PO-GA) and to three subunits of human replication factor C (also called activator 1). The hypothesis that Cdc44p is involved in DNA metabolism is supported by the observations that (i) levels of mitotic recombination suggest elevated rates of DNA damage in cdc44 mutants and (ii) the cell cycle arrest observed in cdc44 mutants is alleviated by the DNA damage checkpoint mutations rad9, mec1, and mec2. The predicted amino acid sequence of Cdc44p contains GTPase consensus sites, and mutations in these regions cause a conditional cell cycle arrest. Taken together, these observations suggest that the essential CDC44 gene may encode the large subunit of yeast replication factor C.
High Resolution Mapping of the Binding Site on Human IgG1 for FcγRI, FcγRII, FcγRIII, and FcRn and Design of IgG1 Variants with Improved Binding to the FcγR*

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) Fc receptors play a critical role in linking IgG antibody-mediated immune responses with cellular effector functions. A high resolution map of the binding site on human IgG1 for human FcγRI, FcγRIIA, FcγRIIB, FcγRIIIA, and FcRn receptors has been determined. A common set of IgG1 residues is involved in binding to all FcγR; FcγRII and FcγRIII also utilize residues outside this common set. In addition to residues which, when altered, abrogated binding to one or more of the receptors, several residues were found that improved binding only to specific receptors or simultaneously improved binding to one type of receptor and reduced binding to another type. Select IgG1 variants with improved binding to FcγRIIIA exhibited up to 100% enhancement in antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity using human effector cells; these variants included changes at residues not found at the binding interface in the IgG/FcγRIIIA co-crystal structure (Sondermann, P., Huber, R., Oosthuizen, V., and Jacob, U. (2000)Nature 406, 267–273). These engineered antibodies may have important implications for improving antibody therapeutic efficacy.
Quantifying Western blots: Pitfalls of densitometry

Although Western blots are frequently quantified, densitometry is not documented and appears to be based merely on traditions and guesswork. Confirming previous experience, none of 100 randomly selected and systematically scanned most recent papers provided sufficient information on how Western blot results were translated into statistical values. The importance of such information, however, becomes evident from our correlations of plasma erythropoietin values of various mammals determined using RIA and Western blot densitometry. Different common densitometry procedures applied to the identical Western blot revealed p‐values of these correlations ranging from 0.000013 to 0.76 reflecting the necessity of a scientifically sound basis for densitometry of Western blots. At present, the current lack of any definitions in densitometry opens the door to uncontrollable acquisition of any desired p‐value. Here we provide data that define what should be considered, what avoided and what documented when quantifying Western blots.
Insulin increases blood volume in human skeletal muscle: studies using [15O]CO and positron emission tomography.

High insulin concentrations increase blood flow in the leg, but it is unknown whether this effect is associated with a change in muscle blood volume. In the present study, we used positron emission tomography combined with inhalation of [15O]carbon monoxide to quantitate the effect of insulin on skeletal muscle blood volume in humans. The reproducibility of the method was determined from two consecutive measurements performed in the basal state in five normal subjects. The coefficient of variation of the repeated measurements was 3.0 +/- 1.8%. In 14 normal subjects [age 35 +/- 3 yr, body mass index 24.9 +/- 1.3 (SE) kg/m2], skeletal muscle blood volume was determined in the femoral region in the basal state and during euglycemic hyperinsulinemia (serum insulin 3,200 +/- 190 pmol/l). The mean muscle blood volume was 3.3 +/- 0.1 ml/0.1 kg muscle in the basal state. Insulin increased muscle blood volume by 9 +/- 2% to 3.6 +/- 0.2 ml/0.1 kg muscle (P < 0.01). The rate of whole body glucose uptake was 53 +/- 6 mumol.kg-1.min-1 and correlated with muscle blood volume during insulin stimulation (r = 0.65, P < 0.02). We conclude that high insulin concentrations exert a true vasodilatory effect in human skeletal muscle.
Mechanisms of impaired mitochondrial energy metabolism in acute and chronic neurodegenerative disorders

Altered mitochondrial energy metabolism contributes to the pathophysiology of acute brain injury caused by ischemia, trauma, and neurotoxins and by chronic neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. Although much evidence supports that the electron transport chain dysfunction in these metabolic abnormalities has both genetic and intracellular environmental causes, alternative mechanisms are being explored. These include direct, reversible inhibition of cytochrome oxidase by nitric oxide, release of mitochondrial cytochrome c, oxidative inhibition of mitochondrial matrix dehydrogenases and adenine nucleotide transport, the availability of NAD for dehydrogenase reactions, respiratory uncoupling by activities such as that of the permeability transition pore, and altered mitochondrial structure and intracellular trafficking. This review focuses on the catabolism of neuronal NAD and the release of neuronal mitochondrial NAD as important contributors to metabolic dysfunction. In addition, the relationship between apoptotic signaling cascades and disruption of mitochondrial energy metabolism is considered in light of the fine balance between apoptotic and necrotic neural cell death. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
[The German Cartilage Registry (KnorpelRegister DGOU) for evaluation of surgical treatment for cartilage defects: experience after six months including first demographic data].

The German Cartilage Registry (KnorpelRegister DGOU) has been introduced in October 2013 and aims on the evaluation of patients who underwent cartilage repair for symptomatic cartilage defects. It represents a nation-wide cohort study which has been introduced by the working group "Tissue Regeneration" of the Germany Society of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology and is technically based upon a web-based remote data entry (RDE) system. The present article describes first experiences with the registry including patient and treatment characteristics. Between October 2013 and April 2014, a total of 230 patients who had undergone surgical cartilage repair for symptomatic full-thickness cartilage defects of the knee has been included in the German Cartilage Registry from 23 cartilage repair centres. Mean age was 37.11 years (SD 13.61) and mean defect size was 3.68 cm(2) (SD 0.23). Since the introduction of the KnorpelRegister DGOU the total number of registered patients has increased steadily up to the most recent figure of 72 patients within one month. Patients were treated mainly according to the recommended therapies. The highest percentage in therapy is represented by the bone marrow stimulation techniques (55.02 %) as well as by the autologous chondrocyte transplantation (34.92 %). Unlike the patient collective in the majority of prospective randomised controlled trials, the patient population within the registry shows a high proportion of patients with accompanying pathologies, with an age of more than 50 years at the time of treatment and with unfavourably assessed accompanying pathologies such as an affection of the opposite cartilage surface or a previously resected meniscus. In summary, the technical platform and forms of documentation of the KnorpelRegister DGOU have proved to be very promising within the first six months. Unlike data from other clinical trials, the previous analysis of the patients' data and therapies reflects successfully the actual medical care situation of patients with cartilage defects of the knee joint. This analysis also provides new information on subgroups of patients that have not yet been recorded in the scientific literature. This will be part of the first analysis of clinical treatment data. An expansion of the KnorpelRegister DGOU to patients with cartilage defects of the ankle and hip joints is already decided upon and initialised.
Bringing Order to the Chaos: Developing a Matching Process for Minimally Invasive and Gastrointestinal Postgraduate Fellowships

Background:Since 1993, there has been an increase in the number of postgraduate fellowships in minimally invasive and gastrointestinal (GI) surgery; from 9 in 1993 to more than 80 in 2004. Early on, there was no supervision or accreditation of these fellowships, and they varied widely in content, structure, and quality. This was widely recognized as being a bad situation for fellow applicants and reflected poorly on the specialties of minimally invasive (MI) and GI surgery. In an effort to bring order to this chaotic situation, the Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship Council (MISFC) was founded in 1997. Method:In 2003, the MISFC was incorporated with 77 founding member programs. The goal of the MISFC was to develop guidelines for high-quality fellowship training, to provide a forum for the directors of MI and GI fellowships to exchange ideas, formulate training curricula; to establish uniform application and selection dates; and to create an equitable computerized match system for applicants. Results:In 2004, the MISFC has increased to 95 members representing 154 postgraduate fellowship positions. The majority of these positions are primarily laparoscopic in focus, but other aspects of GI surgery including bariatric, general GI, flexible endoscopy, and hepatopancreatobiliary are also represented. Uniform application and selection dates were agreed on in 2001; and in 2003, the Council established a computerized Match, administered by the National Resident Match Program, which was used for the 2004 fellowship selection. A total of 113 positions were open for the match. A total of 248 applicants formally applied to MISFC programs and 130 participated in the match. Ninety-nine positions matched on the December 10th match day, and the remaining 14 programs successfully filled on the following scramble day. Seventeen applicants did not match to a program. Post match polling of program directors and applicants documented a high degree of compliance, usability, and satisfaction with the process. Conclusion:The MISFC has been successful at realizing its goals of bringing order to the past chaos of the MIS and GI fellowship situation. Its current iteration, the Fellowship Council, is in the process of introducing an accreditation process to further ensure the highest quality of postgraduate training in the fields of GI and endoscopic surgery.
Design criteria for a mechatronic handle for measuring visco-elastic properties of the human arm

The experimental investigation of the visco-elastic properties of the human arm has important implications in neuroscience, robotics and neuro-rehabilitation of the upper limb. In neuroscience it allows studying the mechanisms used by the central nervous system in implementing low-level strategies for motion control; in robotics it can provide useful information for the formulation of control strategies for human-robot interaction, by taking inspiration from the biological behavior; in neuro-rehabilitation it may be a useful tool for quantitatively assessing the recovery of motor functions during motor therapy. Few mechatronic instruments exist allowing the direct measurement of visco-elastic properties of the human arm. None of them are intended to be portable and stand-alone devices, and also to be properly interfaced with existing robots as end effectors. This paper is concerned with the design of a novel mechatronic handle intended to be a portable device for the measurement of human arm visco-elastic properties. The design specifications take into account also the possibility of adapting the device to existing robots for rehabilitation motor therapy. In particular, the investigation of existing literature, both in robotics and in neuroscience, together with numerical simulations, led to the selection of the most useful technical specifications for such devices. A preliminary design of the handle is also presented and discussed.
An Overview of Massive MIMO Research at the University of Bristol

Massive MIMO has rapidly gained popularity as a technology crucial to the capacity advances required for 5G wireless systems. Since its theoretical conception six years ago, research activity has grown exponentially, and there is now a developing industrial interest to commercialise the technology. For this to happen effectively, we believe it is crucial that further pragmatic research is conducted with a view to establish how reality differs from theoretical ideals. This paper presents an overview of the massive MIMO research activities occurring within the Communication Systems & Networks Group at the University of Bristol centred around our 128-antenna real-time testbed, which has been developed through the BIO programmable city initiative in collaboration with NI and Lund University. Through recent preliminary trials, we achieved a world first spectral efficiency of 79.4 bits/s/Hz, and subsequently demonstrated that this could be increased to 145.6 bits/s/Hz. We provide a summary of this work here along with some of our ongoing research directions such as large-scale array wave-front analysis, optimised power control and localisation techniques.
Role of noninvasive ventilation in acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome: a proportion meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND The role of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in the management of acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is controversial. OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy of NIV in patients with ALI/ARDS, using a meta-analytic technique. METHODS We searched the PubMed and Embase databases for relevant studies published between 1995 and 2009, and included studies that reported endotracheal intubation rate and/or mortality in patients with ALI/ARDS treated with NIV. We calculated the proportions and 95% CIs to assess the outcomes in the individual studies and pooled the results with a random effects model. RESULTS Our search yielded 13 eligible studies (540 patients). The intubation rate ranged from 30% to 86%, and the pooled intubation rate was 48% (95% CI 39-58%). The mortality rate ranged from 15% to 71%, and the pooled mortality rate was 35% (95% CI 26-45%). There was significant statistical heterogeneity (assessed via the I(2) test and Cochran Q statistic) in both intubation rate and mortality. There was no evidence of publication bias. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest an almost 50% NIV failure rate in patients with ALI/ARDS, so NIV should be cautiously used in patients with ALI/ARDS. There is a need for a uniform NIV protocol for patients with ALI/ARDS.
Molecular analysis of relapse vs re-infection in HIV-positive patients suffering from recurrent Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea.

Recurrence is a major complication of Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea, especially in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive patients, and it is important to distinguish between relapse and re-infection in recurrent episodes. The aim of our study was to analyse C. difficile isolates obtained from HIV-positive patients with recurrent diarrhoea in order to distinguish between relapse and re-infection. This analysis was based on the study of DNA similarities among isolates obtained from different episodes within each patient. Relapses occurred in 64% of patients, 32% suffered re-infections and a combination of relapse plus re-infection was seen in 4%. DNA typing methods can be useful tools to characterize recurrent episodes of C. difficile associated disease.
Extending Vehicular CAN Fieldbuses With Delay-Tolerant Networks

In this paper, we propose and evaluate the possibility of extending vehicular controller-area network (CAN) fieldbuses with delay-tolerant networks (DTNs) based on the multihop car2car (C2C)-or vehicle2vehicle-paradigm. Previous research has focused on single-hop wireless communications, which are inadequate in many real-life scenarios [1]. We demonstrate that efficient network layers, such as DTNs, are necessary to overcome those limitations. As a proof of concept, we present a working prototype of a system that extends the standard diagnostics interface of a CAN bus.
Nitrogen source and the retrograde signalling pathway affect detection, not generation, of the [URE3] prion

[URE3] is an infectious (prion) inactive amyloid form of Ure2p, a regulator of nitrogen catabolism. [URE3] clones are selected on NH4+, using their derepressed expression of DAL5 to allow uptake of ureidosuccinate (USA). We previously reported that mks1Δ prevents generation of [URE3] and others reported that glutamate in the medium or the elevated glutamate in mks1Δ strains blocks [URE3] generation. We show here that elevated glutamate does not block [URE3] generation, but that neither does mks1Δ. Rather, a post‐transcriptional effect on DAL5 of mks1Δ through the retrograde regulation pathway prevents detection of [URE3] prion‐containing colonies. Moreover, the presence of both ammonia and glutamate blocks USA uptake in a known [URE3] strain, so that detection of the prion is prevented, rather than its generation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Swedish language Person-centred Climate Questionnaire - patient version: construction and psychometric evaluation.

AIM This paper is a report of a study to construct and evaluate psychometric properties of the Swedish language patient version Person-centred Climate Questionnaire. BACKGROUND Person-centred care is widely described as a preferred model of care as it uses the individual person's perspective as point of departure. However, the concept is elusive and lacks definition and a means of measurement. METHOD A preliminary item pool generated from qualitative studies was distributed to a sample of hospital patients (n = 544) and subjected to item analysis and reduction using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The psychometrical properties of the final questionnaire were evaluated using statistical estimates of validity and reliability. RESULTS The final 17-item questionnaire consists of three factors explaining 65.1% of the total variance in data, and shows satisfactory goodness-of-fit in confirmative factor analyses. The factors were labelled safety, everydayness and hospitality. Content and construct validity was estimated as satisfactory by Delphi assessment, factor and item analysis. Cronbach's alpha was satisfactory for the total scale (0.93), and also for the three subscales: safety 0.94, everydayness 0.82 and generosity 0.64. CONCLUSION The Person-centred Climate Questionnaire is a valid and reliable contribution for assessing to what extent the climate of hospital environments is person-centred. The instrument enables descriptions and comparisons of environments, exploration of correlates between person-centredness and patient outcomes and/or measure results of various interventions.
Determination of single and repeated red cell volumes by the indicator dilution method using carbon monoxide as the indicator.

The use of radioactive isotopes limits clinical applications of blood volume measurement in the ICU. We measured red cell volumes with carbon monoxide-labeled RBC in six dogs and five human volunteers. The measured values obtained on the dogs were compared with the simultaneous measurements with the 51Cr method; the ratio of the carbon monoxide to 51Cr values ranged from 0.86 to 1.17, and the mean ratio was 1.0 +/- 0.1 (SD), r = . 93. We infer from these results that the carbon monoxide method has several advantages over the 51Cr method: a) the short labeling time (about 1 min), b) rapidly decreasing background levels of carbon monoxide with FIO2 1.0, and c) repeatability at intervals of several hours.
Control of grid connected DC-coupled hybrid microgrid

This article presents a Control Strategy for Grid connected DC-coupled hybrid Microgrid. The Microgrid consists of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC), Photovoltaic System, Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) based on Lead-Acid Battery Technology, along with AC Load and DC Load. The BESS is charged and discharged with a constant current, based on operational constraints of Lead-Acid Batteries. The Voltage of DC Bus is controlled by bidirectional Voltage-sourced Converter. The Control Scheme is tested by variations in DC Load, AC Load and Solar Insolation. Moreover, the rules for operation of PEMFC and BESS in a Grid connected Microgrid, having Time of Use Energy Tariff, are devised and Control Strategy is tested accordingly. All simulations are carried out in MATLAB/SIMULINK environment.
Comparison of the analgesic efficacy of hydromorphone and oxymorphone in dogs and cats: a randomized blinded study.

OBJECTIVE To determine if oxymorphone and hydromorphone are equally efficacious as analgesics in both dogs and cats and to determine the side-effects of each drug in painful animals. STUDY DESIGN Randomized, blinded, clinical trial. ANIMALS 151 animals (28 cats and 123 dogs) admitted to the intensive care unit requiring mu opioid agonist treatment for a variety of painful procedures. METHODS Animals were randomized into two groups and received either hydromorphone or oxymorphone as their primary mu agonist agent. All staff and clinicians were blinded as to which drug was administered. Pain scores, side-effects, dose and duration were recorded for each drug dose administered. The study groups were not revealed until the study had been completed and the ensuing manuscript written. Implementation of reversal and rescue protocols were dependent on pain scores and the judgment of the primary clinician. RESULTS The groups did not significantly differ at randomization or in the number of study drug doses. There were no statistical differences between the dose of drug or the time between each dose, indicating that potency and efficacy was not different between the two drugs. Significantly more animals that received hydromorphone vomited, but there were no other statistical differences in adverse events, or in requirement for rescue or reversal protocols. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Hydromorphone is significantly less expensive than oxymorphone and the results of this trial indicate that the two drugs have a similar clinical value. Both oxymorphone and hydromorphone can be used as primary mu agonist therapy in veterinary patients.
Loss-oriented asymmetrical PWM technique for high-frequency impedance source converters

The paper presents four asymmetrical pulse width modulation techniques for three-phase impedance source converters operating at high switching frequencies. The concept behind all proposed methods is to introduce single-phase shoot-trough states and reduce commutation currents of fast-switching SiC MOSFETs. All techniques are explained and verified by means of Saber simulations and laboratory experiments. Advantages and negative aspects, such as increased on-state losses, are discussed in reference to state-of-the-art techniques. Performed measurements at 100kHz/6kVA model of the quasi-Z-source inverter show that in selected operation areas new techniques lead to slightly improved efficiency without loss of input and output currents quality.