Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolic Profiles of Minimally Absorbed Orlistat in Obese/Overweight Volunteers

To determine the metabolic profile of minimally absorbed orlistat in obese/overweight patients, an open‐label, single‐dose study was performed in eight obese/overweight volunteers between 23 and 68 years of age. Each subject received a single oral dose of 360 mg orlistat containing approximately 400 μCi of 14C‐labeled orlistat. Serial blood samples were collected at specified times over 10 hours after administration of orlistat for determination of total radioactivity, unchanged orlistat, and major metabolites in the plasma. Urine samples were collected over 24 hours and analyzed to evaluate the urinary recovery of total radioactivity and the profile of orlistat metabolites in the urine. In addition, all fecal samples were collected and analyzed for total radioactivity. Urinary and fecal recovery of the administered dose of total radioactivity were 1.13 ± 0.50% (24‐hour data only) and 96.4 ± 18.1% (n = 7), respectively. Maximum observed concentration (Cmax) and time to Cmax (tmax) values of plasma total radioactivity were 150 ± 51 ng·eq/mL and 6.8 ± 1.5 hrs, respectively. All these parameters obtained in obese/overweight subjects were similar to those reported previously in healthy subjects. On the basis of the area under the concentration‐time curve from 0 to 10 hours (AUC0–10), two major metabolites comprise a total of ∼42% of the total radioactivity in plasma. The primary metabolite (M1) has a short half‐life (∼2 hours), whereas the secondary metabolite (M3) disappeared at a slower rate. No strikingly apparent difference in the urinary metabolic profile was observed between two gender groups. It is concluded that the disposition of orlistat appears to be similar between normal and obese/overweight subjects. Of the minimal fraction of the dose that was absorbed systemically, the presence of two major metabolites accounts for ∼42%.
Down‐regulation of ATBF1 is a major inactivating mechanism in hepatocellular carcinoma

Aims: α‐Fetoprotein (AFP) is frequently detected in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) and AT motif binding factor 1 (ATBF1) down‐regulates AFP gene expression in hepatic cells. The ATBF1 gene also inhibits cell growth and differentiation, and altered gene expression is associated with malignant transformation. The aim was to investigate the potential role of the ATBF1 gene in HCCs.
Malignant Melanoma and Other Types of Cancer Preceding Parkinson Disease

Background: A large follow-up study in Denmark showed a two-fold higher incidence of malignant melanoma in patients with Parkinson disease than in the general population. Using a population-based case–control approach, we investigated the prevalence of malignant melanoma, skin carcinoma, and other cancers before a first hospitalization or outpatient visit for Parkinson disease. Methods: We used the national Danish Hospital Register to identify 8090 patients with a primary diagnosis of Parkinson disease during the period of 1986–1998. Each case was matched with 4 population controls selected at random from among inhabitants alive at the date of first hospital contact with the patient. Incident cases of cancer since 1943 were ascertained by linkage to the Danish Cancer Registry, and the cancer histories of patients with Parkinson disease were compared with those of population controls. Results: We observed an increased prevalence of malignant melanoma and skin carcinoma prior to the first hospital contact for Parkinson disease, with overall odds ratios of 1.44 (95% confidence intervals = 1.03–2.01) and 1.26 (1.11–1.43), respectively. To the contrary, we observed a reduced prevalence of cancers at smoking-related sites in patients before their first hospital contact for Parkinson disease. Conclusions: Our finding of an increased prevalence of malignant melanoma and skin carcinoma before the diagnosis of Parkinson disease weakens the suggested hypothesis that these cancers are caused by the treatment of Parkinson disease. The finding of a decreased prevalence of smoking-related cancers preceding Parkinson disease is consistent with the well-known higher risk of Parkinson disease among nonsmokers.
Role of dendritic cells and Th2 lymphocytes in asthma: Lessons from eosinophilic airway inflammation in the mouse

Asthma is a chronic disorder of the airways characterized by variable airway narrowing, mucus hypersecretion, and infiltration of the airway wall with eosinophils. It is now believed that asthma is controlled by Th2 lymphocytes producing cytokines such as IL‐4, IL‐5, IL‐9, and IL‐13. Animal models of eosinophilic airway inflammation and airway hyperreactivity have been developed to study the contribution of cells or mediators in the pathogenesis of asthma. In this review, we discuss the role of antigen presenting cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, NK cells, and mast cells in the induction and maintenance of eosinophilic airway inflammation, mucus hypersecretion, and airway hyperreactivity. Microsc. Res. Tech. 53:256–272, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Detection of Approximal Caries with a New Laser Fluorescence Device

The laser device DIAGNOdent developed for the detection of occlusal caries has limited value on approximal surfaces. The aim of this study was to develop and to test a new laser fluorescence (LF) device for the detection of approximal caries. Light with a wavelength of 655 nm was transported to the approximal surface using two different sapphire fibre tips. Seventy-five teeth were selected from a pool of extracted permanent human molars, frozen at –20°C until use. Before being measured, they were defrosted, cleaned and calculus was removed with a scaler. The molars were set in blocks simulating the contact area of adults. Bitewing radiographs were obtained using Kodak Insight films. After two independent assessments with the new LF device, the teeth were histologically prepared, and assessed for caries extension. Using the laser, specificity values for D1 threshold (outer half of enamel), D2 threshold (inner half of enamel), D3 threshold (dentine) ranged between 0.81 and 0.93, sensitivity between 0.84 and 0.92 with no difference between the two tips. Bitewing radiography showed an inferior performance compared to LF (p < 0.05). Intraex aminer reproducibility was high (kappa >0.74). The new LF system might be a useful additional tool in detecting approximal caries. Because of its good reproducibility, it could be used to monitor caries regression or progression on approximal surfaces.
Development of full duplex intelligent communication system for deaf and dumb people

Sign language is the only essential communicating tools, for deaf and dumb people. To ensure an independent life for hearing impaired and mute people, the automatic interpretation of sign language is an extensive era of research. Using sign languages, deaf and mute people can communicate among themselves but they find it tough to face the outside world. The aim of the proposed system is to make a dual way communication system between deaf-dumb and normal people. The paper presents a vision based approach where continuous sequences of frames of dynamic hand gestures have been taken. Preprocessing, Segmentation, Feature Extraction and Classification these four are the main steps to recognize dynamic hand gestures of ISL words. After that, dual way communication is performed. In that, first the recognized gesture has converted into text message and voice format, so that normal person can understand it. Second, voice has converted into text message and its corresponding gesture, so that physically impaired humans can understand it. Hence, the proposed system can definitely breaks the barrier between deaf-dumb and normal people.
Do Option Prices Forecast Aggregate Stock Returns?

We show that the average difference between the implied volatilities of call and put options on individual equities, which we term the implied volatility spread (IVS), has strong predictive power for stock market returns at horizons between one and six months, with monthly in-sample and out-of-sample R-squares around 5%. Controlling for other common predictive variables increases the significance of IVS and lengthens the horizons at which it is significant. We further show that IVS forecasts future surprises in aggregate earnings and growth rates in GDP and aggregate dividends. We conclude that this predictability is likely driven by expectations of stock lending fees embedded in IVS and is inconsistent with explanations based on informed option trading, time-varying risk premia, or illiquidity.
Teachers’ pedagogical work in elementary classrooms: an inquiry-based approach to critical literacy across the curriculum

ABSTRACT This article is based on a yearlong qualitative, multiple case study that explored the pedagogy of elementary school teachers’ work through the combining of inquiry-based pedagogy and critical literacy. One case is shared where Zoe, a first-grade teacher, engages students and fosters learning in critical, inquiry-based ways. Two interviews, daily observations over the course of a school year, and student documentation were gathered. Findings indicate the classroom teacher used specific strategies and practices that combined traditional inquiry pedagogy for critical literacy development. These included: (1) Encouraging student dialogue of critical issues through purposeful text selection, (2) Connecting text to students’ lives through ongoing reflective practice, (3) Empowering student voice, (4) Use of open-ended questions to develop deeper connections, (5) Sharing multiple perspectives through knowledge building circles, (6) Use of misconceptions to guide the learning, and (7) Encouraging Advocacy. Through a narrative retell, the nuanced, descriptive, details and insight into how Zoe negotiated and connected inquiry to critical literacy are shared. The author also analyses and illustrates how Comber’s five categories of teachers’ work are experienced in the daily life of a classroom. The findings inform scholars and teacher educators of key teaching strategies for teachers’ work as they prepare future generations of elementary teachers.
Delays in starting morning operating lists: an analysis of more than 20,000 cases in 22 German hospitals.

INTRODUCTION Delays in the start of the first operation of the day often lead to conflicts among the involved physicians and nurses. Data on such delays have already been published for individual hospitals, but robust comparative data from a large number of institutions have not been available till now. METHODS The study is based on the operating room (OR) documentation of four surgical services (general surgery, trauma/orthopedic surgery, gynecology, and ear nose throat [ENT] surgery) in 22 German hospitals over a nine-month period. Three process points ("patient arrival in OR suite," "anesthesia ready," and "incision") were analyzed for the first operation of the day in each OR. RESULTS 21,357 operations in the first position were analyzed. The percentage of delays differed markedly for the three process points. The incision was delayed in more than 70% of the general surgical and trauma/orthopedic cases, but less often in gynecological (61 ± 24%) and ENT cases (42 ± 29%). The frequency of delays longer than 10 minutes was between 20% and 40%. The mean delay in delayed cases ranged from 14.1 ± 5.4 to 21.6 ± 8.2 minutes depending on the type of service and process point. CONCLUSION The processes for the first operation of the day are not optimally structured in the hospitals whose cases were analyzed in this study. Delayed starts were common.
Direct measurement of force generation by actin filament polymerization using an optical trap

Actin filament polymerization generates force for protrusion of the leading edge in motile cells. In protrusive structures, multiple actin filaments are arranged in cross-linked webs (as in lamellipodia or pseudopodia) or parallel bundles (as in filopodia). We have used an optical trap to directly measure the forces generated by elongation of a few parallel-growing actin filaments brought into apposition with a rigid barrier, mimicking the geometry of filopodial protrusion. We find that the growth of approximately eight actin parallel-growing filaments can be stalled by relatively small applied load forces on the order of 1 pN, consistent with the theoretical load required to stall the elongation of a single filament under our conditions. Indeed, large length fluctuations during the stall phase indicate that only the longest actin filament in the bundle is in contact with the barrier at any given time. These results suggest that force generation by small actin bundles is limited by a dynamic instability of single actin filaments, and therefore living cells must use actin-associated factors to suppress this instability to generate substantial forces by elongation of parallel bundles of actin filaments.
An Analysis of Complications of Brachial and Axillary Artery Punctures

To examine the complications of brachial and axillary artery punctures and the precautionary measures taken to lower their incidences. Retrospective analysis of 266 cases of brachial and axillary artery punctures was performed for angiography or angioplasty between January 2009 and December 2013 at the Department of Vascular Surgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University. Complications and their causes were assessed. Among all brachial artery punctures (n = 140), there were complications in 3.6 per cent of cases, including local hematoma in 1.4 per cent, pseudoaneurysm in 0.7 per cent, acute arterial thrombosis in 0.7 per cent, and median nerve injury in 0.7 per cent. Among all axillary artery punctures (n = 126), there were complications in 10.3 per cent of cases, including local hematoma in 4.8 per cent, pseudoaneurysm in 0.8 per cent, acute arterial thrombosis in 0.8 per cent, acute venous thrombosis in 0.8 per cent, and nerve injury in 3.2 per cent. The incidence of complications was significantly lower in brachial axillary artery puncture compared with axillary artery puncture (P < 0.05). The main factors associated with complications might be patient's vascular condition, perioperative medication, anatomical features of the artery, puncture site, successful rate of first-attempt puncture, and bandage strength. Incidence of complications of brachial and axillary artery punctures could be lowered by strengthening the choice of indications, improving the perioperative managements, being fully aware of the anatomical characteristics of the brachial and axillary arteries, and applying the standardized techniques of puncture and compression hemostasis.
Conditional Knock-out of Integrin-linked Kinase Demonstrates an Essential Role in Protein Kinase B/Akt Activation*

Protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) plays a pivotal role in signaling pathways downstream of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, regulating fundamental processes such as cell survival, cell proliferation, differentiation, and metabolism. PKB/Akt activation is regulated by phosphoinositide phospholipid-mediated plasma membrane anchoring and by phosphorylation on Thr-308 and Ser-473. Whereas the Thr-308 site is phosphorylated by PDK-1, the identity of the Ser-473 kinase has remained unclear and controversial. The integrin-linked kinase (ILK) is a potential regulator of phosphorylation of PKB/Akt on Ser-473. Utilizing double-stranded RNA interference (siRNA) as well as conditional knock-out of ILK using the Cre-Lox system, we now demonstrate that ILK is essential for the regulation of PKB/Akt activity. ILK knock-out had no effect on phosphorylation of PKB/Akt on Thr-308 but resulted in almost complete inhibition of phosphorylation on Ser-473 and significant inhibition of PKB/Akt activity, accompanied by significant stimulation of apoptosis. The inhibition of PKB/Akt Ser-473 phosphorylation was rescued by kinase-active ILK but not by a kinase-deficient mutant of ILK, suggesting a role for the kinase activity of ILK in the stimulation of PKB/Akt phosphorylation. ILK knock-out also resulted in the suppression of phosphorylation of GSK-3β on Ser-9 and cyclin D1 expression. These data establish ILK as an essential upstream regulator of PKB/Akt activation.
Retrieval of arbitrary 3D objects from robot observations

We have studied the problem of retrieval of arbitrary object instances from a large point cloud data set. The context is autonomous robots operating for long periods of time, weeks up to months and regularly saving point cloud data. The ever growing collection of data is stored in a way that allows ranking candidate examples of any query object, given in the form of a single view point cloud, without the need to access the original data. The top ranked ones can then be compared in a second phase using the point clouds themselves. Our method does not assume that the point clouds are segmented or that the objects to be queried are known ahead of time. This means that we are able to represent the entire environment but it also poses problems for retrieval. To overcome this our approach learns from each actual query to improve search results in terms of the ranking. This learning is automatic and based only on the queries. We demonstrate our system on data collected autonomously by a robot operating over 13 days in our building. Comparisons with other techniques and several variations of our method are shown.
Design for Balanced Engagement in Mixed Level Sports Teams

Most interactive sports-oriented products that are commercially available focus on individual athletes. The ones that focus on team sports rarely go beyond performance monitoring. Therefore, in this case study we focus on team dynamics in secondary school sports teams. These teams typically have to deal with unbalanced engagement due to skill level differences. This can impede the goals of these PE-classes; to raise young people's enthusiasm for a variety of sports and to teach them how to work together as a team. In this project we explore a design solution aimed at balancing engagement in these mixed level sports teams, through an intelligent system of connected light jerseys. The jerseys, iteratively developed through experiential prototypes that were used during secondary school basketball games, were able to measure ball possession and give feedback through a series of light stripes. In this paper we describe two iterations of this case study and our quantitative and qualitative findings of team engagement.
Multiple Heparan Sulfate Binding Site Engagements Are Required for the Infectious Entry of Human Papillomavirus Type 16

ABSTRACT Human papillomavirus (HPV) entry is accompanied by multiple receptor-induced conformational changes (CCs) affecting both the major and minor capsid proteins, L1 and L2. Interaction of heparan sulfate (HS) with L1 is essential for successful HPV16 entry. Recently, cocrystallization of HPV16 with heparin revealed four distinct binding sites. Here we characterize mutant HPV16 to delineate the role of engagement with HS binding sites during infectious internalization. Site 1 (Lys278, Lys361), which mediates primary binding, is sufficient to trigger an L2 CC, exposing the amino terminus. Site 2 (Lys54, Lys356) and site 3 (Asn57, Lys59, Lys442, Lys443) are engaged following primary attachment and are required for infectious entry. Site 2 mutant particles are efficiently internalized but fail to undergo an L1 CC on the cell surface and subsequent uncoating in the endocytic compartment. After initial attachment to the cell, site 3 mutants undergo L1 and L2 CCs and then accumulate on the extracellular matrix (ECM). We conclude that the induction of CCs following site 1 and site 2 interactions results in reduced affinity for the primary HS binding site(s) on the cell surface, which allows engagement with site 3. Taken together, our findings suggest that HS binding site engagement induces CCs that prepare the virus for downstream events, such as the exposure of secondary binding sites, CCs, transfer to the uptake receptor, and uncoating.
Microwave energy harvesting using rectangular micro-strip patch array antenna

The truck lines, which is an mounting of pipes, is automatically send in to a non-destructive testing technology (X-ray radiography or γ ray technology) that allows us to check and guarantee the quality of the new oil pipeline. Advanced techniques for this type of control are set to apply a robot Crawler inside the pipeline with a very advanced technology to help us to diagnose the pipelines very wall. However, during the inspection time, the robot Crawler encounters a problem of autonomy. We note for example: to detect the state of welding inside the pipeline, the inspection pipe robot must be equipped with a γ ray generator or any Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) sensor, resulting in this case in a rapid exhaustion of its battery, which will cause the robot to remain blocked inside the truck line. The first objective was to use the advantage of the pipeline considered as a circular waveguide. The second objective was to design arrays of rectangular patch micro-strip antennas could collect all the microwave energy propagated inside oil pipeline with RF-DC converter circuit a high efficiency.
Choroideremia research: Report and perspectives on the second international scientific symposium for choroideremia

ABSTRACT Purpose: To discuss progress in research on choroideremia (CHM) and related retinopathies with special emphasis on gene therapy approaches. Methods: Biomedical and clinical researchers from across the world as well as representatives of the social science research community were convened to the 2nd International Scientific Symposium for Choroideremia in Denver, Colorado in June 2014 to enhance our understanding of CHM and accelerate the translation of research to clinical application for the benefit of those affected by CHM. Results: Pre-clinical research using cell and animal models continues to further our understanding in the pathogenesis of CHM as well as to demonstrate proof-of-concept for gene transfer strategies. With the advent of modern imaging technology, better outcome measures are being defined for upcoming clinical trials. Results from the first gene therapy trial in CHM show promise, with sustained visual improvement over 6 months post-treatment. Current and next-generation gene transfer approaches may make targeted vector delivery possible in the future for CHM and other inherited retinal diseases. Conclusions: While no accepted therapies exist for CHM, promising approaches using viral-vectored gene therapy and cell therapies are entering clinical trials for eye diseases, with gene therapy trials underway for CHM.
Interference Impact on Coverage and Capacity for Low Power Wide Area IoT Networks

In this paper we analyze and discuss the coverage and capacity of Sigfox and LoRaWAN in a large scale urban environments covering 150 km$^2$ in Northern Denmark. First, the study measures and analyzes interference in the European 868 MHz license free industrial, scientific, and medical band, creating a model for the interference. The measured interference in downtown Aalborg has an occurrence rate of 22 % and a generalized extreme value distributed power level. Next, the study compares the coverage of the two Internet of Things network solutions using the existing Telenor cellular site grid both with and without interference from the measured external sources. The study concludes that without interference, both LoRaWAN and Sigfox provides very good indoor coverage of more than 99 %. Furthermore, Sigfox and LoRaWAN can provide uplink and downlink failure rates of less than 1 % for the 95 percentile of the devices for all cells without external interference. Adding the external interference results in an outdoor coverage of 90- 95 % and indoor coverage of 50-80 %. Finally, the uplink and downlink 95 percentile failure rate increases significantly to 50 % for LoRaWAN and exceeds 60 % for Sigfox.