Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Respiratory function measurements in infants and children

Most children above the age of 7–8 yrs can perform the full range of tests available for older individuals, using similar protocols to those described elsewhere in this Monograph. By contrast, assessments in young children and infants have generally been restricted to specialised research establishments, due to the lack of suitable equipment and the complexity of undertaking such measurements. The realisation that insults to the developing lung may have life-long effects and that much of the burden of respiratory disease in childhood and later life has its origins in infancy and early childhood has emphasised the need to develop and standardise sensitive methods of assessing respiratory function in infants and young children [1, 2]. During the past few years there have been concentrated efforts to improve the feasibility of assessing lung function in preschool children. With specially trained operators and a suitable environment, many pulmonary function tests (PFTs) now appear to be feasible in at least 50% of 3-yr-old children and in the majority of children aged w4 yrs. The aims of this chapter are to provide an overview of: . the differences in assessing lung function in infants and preschool children compared with older cooperative subjects; . which tests are feasible in infants and young children; . the limitations of applying these tests; and . the problems associated with interpreting results in this age group. Throughout this chapter, the focus will be on the most widely used pulmonary function tests for this age group. For simplicity, the term "infant PFTs" will refer to measurements in sleeping infants and young children (agedv2 yrs), whereas "preschool" will apply to those tests used in awake young children (aged 3–6 yrs).
Influence of extracellular K+ or Mg2+ on the stages of the antifungal effects of amphotericin B and filipin

The macrolide heptaene amphotericin B (AmB) induced concentration-dependent effects on Saccharomyces cerevisiae which were separable into two distinct stages. At low concentrations the drug inhibited the growth of the yeast and reversible changed cell permeability to Na+ and K+. At high levels it was lethal. The intracellular K+ concentration of cells with reversible damage (stage I) could be increased by addition of K+ to the medium, but cells irreversibly damaged (stage II) were not able to retain K+. The addition of K+ to the medium did not influence the growth-inhibitory or killing action of AmB. Addition of Mg2+ to cultures increased S. cerevisiae resistance to the killing effects of AmB. At low concentrations of AmB, growth inhibition was also decreased by extracellular Mg2+, but at higher concentration of AmB, growth inhibition was increased, probably because the prevention by Mg2+ of the lethal effect allowed expression of the inhibitory effect in a greater range. Simultaneous addition of K+ and Mg2+ markedly decreased both the inhibitory and lethal action of AmB at all concentrations. Filipin, a pentaene macrolide, had only lethal effects, which were unaffected when K+ was added to the medium but were diminished when medium was supplemented with Mg2+.
Health Insurance and Job Mobility: The Effects of Public Policy on Job-Lock

The authors study a policy of limited insurance portability that has been adopted by a number of states and the federal government over the past 20 years. They find that these “continuation of coverage” mandates, which grant individuals the right to continue purchasing health insurance through their former employers for a specified period after leaving their jobs, are associated with a significant increase in the job mobility of prime age male workers. This finding suggests that “job-lock”—lack of mobility out of Jobs that offer health insurance—arises in large part from short-run concerns over portability rather than from long-run problems.
Layer-based disparity adjustment in stereoscopic 3D media

We present a method to adjust the disparity of stereoscopic 3D (S3D) images non-uniformly to improve viewing comfort or to allow artistic license with depth after capture. Using disparity maps, our method decomposes the input S3D image into layers where adjustments are performed. Since adjusting the disparity potentially introduces holes where previously occluded regions become visible, we also present a disparity-aware inpainting method to fill these holes. We test our method using raytraced S3D images with ground truth disparity maps to demonstrate that our method produces close-to-ideal results. Finally, we discuss how we used our method to adjust the disparity of several S3D photos used in the WWI documentary "Soldiers' Stories".
[Suppression of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation on in vitro maturation, fertilization and developmental competence of oocytes].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the roles of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) capacity in oocyte maturation, fertilization and embryo development. METHODS Carbonyl cyanide p- (tri-fluromethoxy) phenyl-hydrazone (FCCP), a metabolic inhibitor of mitochondria, was introduced into culture medium. The integrity of spindle and chromosome alignment, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and rates of maturation, germinal vesicle breakdown, fertilization and blastulation were assessed in vitro. RESULTS Significant decreases were detected in the percentages of oocytes with nuclear maturation, normal spindle formation and chromosome alignment, ROS levels and capable for blastocyst formation between oocytes treated with FCCP and non-treated (control group), 55.8%, 37.9%, 0.67 and 57.9% (FCCP 10 nmol/L group), 47.3%,34.7%, 0.59 and 41.8% (FCCP 100 nmol/L group) versus 62.9%, 61.9%,0.94 and 68.3% (control group) respectively, P<0.05. However, No significant differences were found in the rates of GVBD and fertilization in oocytes from the FCCP treated and the control. CONCLUSION Inhibition of mitochondrial metabolic capacity resulted in decreased the percentages of oocytes with nuclear maturation, normal spindle formation and chromosome alignment, ROS levels and capable for blastocyst formation. But the treatment of FCCP did not affect the rate of fertilization.
An examination of the role of Geneva and Zurich housing in Swiss institutional portfolios

Swiss intitutional investors hold approximately 19% of their wealth in property, and the bulk of the allocation to property is housing. The financial reasons which are often given to motivate this investment strategy are twofold. Firstly, property returns are hypothesised to be lowly correlated with the returns on stocks and bonds, and the inclusion of property in portfolios fo financial assets should lead to diversification benefits. Secondly, property is viewed as acting as an effective hedge against inflation. The aim of this paper is to empirically investiagte these two assumptions on the basis of hedonic price indices for Geneva and Zurich apartment buildings.
An Investigation on the Effect of Real Exchange Rate Movements on OECD Bilateral Exports

The reaction of exports to real exchange rate movements can differ according to the nature of the destination country. We derive and estimate a gravity equation for 20 OECD exporting countries and 52 developed and developing importing countries. We test how trade costs dampen the effect of real exchange rate movements on bilateral exports, and show that the elasticity on the real exchange rate is reduced when (i) the destination country has a low quality of institutions, (ii) this country is more distant, and (iii) the efficiency of customs is low in both the importing and exporting countries. These results are highly consistent with the existence of an hysteresis effect of real exchange rate movements on trade, as suggested by Baldwin and Krugman (1989). JEL Classification: F10, F32, D73
Tenosynovitis Caused by a Novel Nontuberculous Mycobacterium Species Initially Misidentified as a Member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex

ABSTRACT We present a case of tenosynovitis caused by a novel, slowly growing, nonchromogenic, nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM). Originally misidentified as Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, the NTM cross-reacts with the M. tuberculosis complex nucleic acid hybridization probe, a M. tuberculosis gamma interferon release assay, and is closely related to M. tuberculosis by 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
Voltage-Dependent Effects of Volatile Anesthetics on Cardiac Sodium Current

Cardiac dysrhythmias during inhaled anesthesia are well documented and may, in part, involve depression of the fast inward Na+ current (INa) during the action potential upstroke.In this study, we examined the effects of halothane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane at clinically relevant concentrations on INa in single ventricular myocytes isolated enzymatically from adult guinea pig hearts. INa was recorded using standard whole-cell configuration of the patch clamp technique. Halothane at 0.6 mM and 1.2 mM produced significant (P < 0.05) depressions of peak INa of 12.3% +/- 1.8% and 24.4% +/- 4.1% (mean +/- SEM, n = 12), respectively. Isoflurane (0.5 mM, n = 12; 1.0 mM, n = 15) and sevoflurane (0.6 mM, n = 14; 1.2 mM, n = 12) were less potent than halothane, decreasing peak INa by 4.8% +/- 1.1% and 11.4% +/- 1.4% (isoflurane) and 3.0% +/- 0.7% and 10.7% +/- 3.9% (sevoflurane). The depressant effects on INa were reversible in all cases. For all anesthetics tested, the degree of block increased at more depolarizing potentials. Anesthetics induced significant shifts in the steady-state inactivation and activation of the channel toward more hyperpolarizing potentials. The present findings indicate that volatile anesthetics at clinical concentrations decrease the cardiac INa in a dose- and voltage-dependent manner. At approximately equianesthetic concentrations, the decrease of INa caused by halothane was twice that observed with isoflurane or sevoflurane. (Anesth Analg 1997;84:285-93)
Identification and isolation of non-polar compounds from the chloroform extract of Scutellaria ramosissima

In the present study, chloroform extract obtained from aerial parts of Scutellaria ramosissima was phytochemically investigated. A non-polar fraction was obtained from the chloroform extract and the chemical composition of this fraction was identified by GC–MS. The major components of the non-polar fraction of S. ramosissima were determined as heneicosane (12.18%), palmitic acid (11.79%), acetovanillone (6.28%), 5,6-dihydroxy-7,8-dimethoxyflavone (31.87%), (9Z)-octadecenoic (oleic) acid (8.21%), stigmasterol (2.68%), β-sitosterol (2.65%) and 5,2′-dihydroxy-6,7,8,6′-tetramethoxyflavone (2.13%). In addition, 5,6-dihydroxy-7,8-dimethoxyflavone was isolated from the same fraction by PTLC.
Public Infrastructure Investments, Productivity and Welfare in Fixed Geographic Areas

Measures of the value of public investments are critical inputs into the policy process, and aggregate production and cost functions have become the dominant methods of evaluating these benefits. This paper examines the limitations of these approaches in light of applied production and spatial equilibrium theories. A spatial general equilibrium model of an economy with nontraded, localized public goods like infrastructure is proposed, and a method for identifying the role of public capital in firm production and household preferences is derived. Empirical evidence from a sample of large U.S. cities suggests that while public capital provides significant productivity and consumption benefits, an ambitious program of locally funded infrastructure provision would likely generate negative net benefits for these cities.
High-Level Abstractions for Low-Level Programming

High-Level Abstractions for Low-Level Programming Iavor Sotirov Diatchki Ph.D., OGI School of Science & Engineering at Oregon Health & Science University May 2007 Thesis Advisor: Dr. Mark P. Jones Computers are ubiquitous in modern society. They come in all shapes and sizes: from standard household appliances and personal computers, to safety and security critical applications such as vehicle navigation and control systems, bank ATMs, defense applications, and medical devices. Modern programming languages offer many features that help developers to increase their productivity and to produce more reliable and flexible systems. It is therefore somewhat surprising that the programs that control many computers are written in older, less robust languages, or even in a lower-level assembly language. This situation is the result of many factors, some entirely non-technical. However, at least in part, the problem has to do with genuine difficulties in matching the results and focus of programming language research to the challenges and context of developing systems software. This dissertation shows how to extend a modern statically-typed functional programming language with features that make it suitable for solving problems that are common in systems programming. Of particular interest is the problem of manipulating data with rigid representation requirements in a safe manner. Typically, the constraints on the representation of the data are imposed by an external specification such as an operating system binary interface or the datasheet for a hardware device. The design provides support for two classes of datatypes whose representation is under programmer control. The first class consists of datatypes that are stored in bit fields and accessed as part of a single machine word. Standard examples can be found in operating system APIs, in the control register formats that are used by device drivers, in multimedia and compres-
Active load sharing technique for on-line efficiency optimization in DC microgrids

Recently, DC power distribution is gaining more and more importance over its AC counterpart achieving increased efficiency, greater flexibility, reduced volumes and capital cost. In this paper, a 24-120-325V two-level DC distribution system for home appliances, each including three parallel DC-DC converters, is modeled. An active load sharing technique is proposed for the on-line optimization of the global efficiency of the DC distribution network. The algorithm aims at the instantaneous efficiency optimization of the whole DC network, based on the on-line load current sampling. A Look Up Table, is created to store the real efficiencies of the converters taking into account components tolerances. A MATLAB/Simulink model of the DC distribution network has been set up and a Genetic Algorithm has been employed for the global efficiency optimization. Simulation results are shown to validate the proposed solution.
The significance of post-translational removal of α-DG-N in early stage endometrial cancer development

Endometrial cancer is one of the most common gynecological malignancies affecting post-menopausal women, yet the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Dystroglycan (DG) is a large glycoprotein, consisting of α- and β-subunits that are non-covalently associated with each other. Modifications to α-DG have been linked to a variety of cancers, where the N-terminus of α-DG (α-DG-N) is post-translationally removed by a furin-like enzyme. However, the functional significance of α-DG-N removal is unknown. Our previous studies have established that the α-DG cleavage enzyme furin is significantly up-regulated in endometrial cancer. This study aimed to investigate the importance of α-DG-N removal in post-menopausal endometrial cancer. We demonstrated that α-DG-N removal predominantly occurred in early stage endometrial cancer tissues, and that the cleaved α-DG-N was significantly elevated in the uterine lavage of early grade endometrial cancer patients. Furthermore, α-DG-N removal significantly decreased the tight junction integrity and polarity of the endometrial epithelial cells, promoting the loss of polarity markers scribble and atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) and reducing the trans-epithelial electrical resistance. The removal of α-DG-N also sensitized the cells for estrogen-dependent proliferation. These results strongly suggest that α-DG-N removal plays an important role in early stage development of endometrial cancer, and that the elevated levels of α-DG-N in uterine fluid may provide a biomarker for early detection of endometrial cancer.
The Relationship of Novel Plasma Proteins in the Early Neonatal Period With Retinopathy of Prematurity

Purpose Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a vision-threatening disease associated with abnormal retinal vascular development. Proteins from the insulin-like growth factor pathway are related to ROP. However, there is a paucity of research on the role of other proteins in ROP. The aim of this study was to identify plasma proteins related to clinically significant ROP. Methods We measured 1121 plasma proteins in the early neonatal period in infants at risk for ROP using an aptamer-based proteomic technology. The primary aim of the study was to compare plasma protein concentrations in infants who did (n = 12) and did not (n = 23) subsequently develop clinically significant ROP using logistic regression. As a secondary aim, we examined patterns in the proteins across categories of clinically significant, low-grade, and no ROP groups. Results Lower levels of 16 proteins were associated with an increased risk of clinically significant ROP. In this group, superoxide dismutase (Mn), mitochondrial (MnSOD), and chordin-like protein 1 (CRDL1) were highly ranked. Other proteins in this group included: C-C motif chemokine 14 (HCC-1), prolactin, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP-7), and eotaxin. Higher levels of 12 proteins were associated with a higher risk for ROP. Fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF-19) was the top-ranked protein target followed by hepatocyte growth factor-like protein (MSP), luteinizing hormone (LH), cystatin M, plasminogen, and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9). We also noted different patterns in the trend of concentrations of proteins across the clinically significant, low-grade, and no ROP groups. Conclusions We discovered plasma proteins with novel associations with clinically significant ROP (MnSOD, CRDL1, PCSK9), proteins with links to established ROP signaling pathways (IGFBP-7), and proteins such as MnSOD that may be a target for future therapeutic interventions.
Bmcc1s, a Novel Brain-Isoform of Bmcc1, Affects Cell Morphology by Regulating MAP6/STOP Functions

The BCH (BNIP2 and Cdc42GAP Homology) domain-containing protein Bmcc1/Prune2 is highly enriched in the brain and is involved in the regulation of cytoskeleton dynamics and cell survival. However, the molecular mechanisms accounting for these functions are poorly defined. Here, we have identified Bmcc1s, a novel isoform of Bmcc1 predominantly expressed in the mouse brain. In primary cultures of astrocytes and neurons, Bmcc1s localized on intermediate filaments and microtubules and interacted directly with MAP6/STOP, a microtubule-binding protein responsible for microtubule cold stability. Bmcc1s overexpression inhibited MAP6-induced microtubule cold stability by displacing MAP6 away from microtubules. It also resulted in the formation of membrane protrusions for which MAP6 was a necessary cofactor of Bmcc1s. This study identifies Bmcc1s as a new MAP6 interacting protein able to modulate MAP6-induced microtubule cold stability. Moreover, it illustrates a novel mechanism by which Bmcc1 regulates cell morphology.
Structural Differences and Macroeconomic Adjustment to Oil Price Increases in a Three-Country Model

In this paper a three-country model based on intertemporal maximizing behavior is constructed in order to analyze the effects of oil price increases on welfare levels and trade balance positions. The model can also be used to assess the effects of oil price increases on the world interest rate, on the final goods terms of trade between oil importers (what is sometimes called the real exchange rate), and on output, investment and savings levels, oil imports, wages, and consumption at each date. The analysis highlights the role of structural asymmetries between oil importers in accounting for differences in trade balance responses. A number of structural differences are isolated in turn in order to determine their influence on the final goods terms of trade, which is the key factor in affecting relative trade balance positions.
Interchange of functional domains switches enzyme specificity: construction of a chimeric pneumococcal‐clostridial cell wall lytic enzyme

Bacterial autolysins are endogenous enzymes that specifically cleave covalent bonds in the cell wall. These enzymes show both substrate and bond specificities. The former is related to their interaction with the insoluble substrate whereas the latter determine their site of action. The bond specificity allows their classification as muramidases (lysozymes), glucosaminldases, amidases, and endopeptidases. To demonstrate that the autolysin (LYC muramidase) of Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC824 presents a domainal organization, a chimeric gene (clc) containing the regions coding for the catalytic domain of the LYC muramidase and the choline‐binding domain of the pneumococcal phage CPL1 muramidase has been constructed by in vitro recombination of the corresponding gene fragments. This chimeric construction codes for a choline‐binding protein (CLC) that has been purified using affinity chromatography on DEAE‐cellulose. Several biochemical tests demonstrate that this rearrangement of domains has generated an enzyme with a choline‐dependent muramidase activity on pneumococcal cell walls. Since the parental LYC muramidase was cholineindependent and unable to degrade pneumococcal cell walls, the formation of this active chimeric enzyme by exchanging protein domains between two enzymes that specifically hydrolyse cell walls of bacteria belonging to different genera shows that a switch on substrate specificity has been achieved. The chimeric CLC muramidase behaved as an autolytic enzyme when it was adsorbed onto a live autolysin‐defective mutant of Streptococcus pneumoniae. The construction described here provides experimental support for the theory of modular evolution which assumes that novel proteins have evolved by the assembly of preexisting polypeptide units.
Tumor hypoxia, the physiological link between Trousseau's syndrome (carcinoma-induced coagulopathy) and metastasis.

Trousseau first reported over 100 years ago that cancer patients have an increased incidence of coagulopathies [(1)][1] . Since Trousseau published his findings, thromboembolic disorders have been documented at elevated frequencies in patients with a wide variety of tumors such as lung, pancreas,
China's second‐tier cities as exhibition destinations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the exhibition industry in China and to report on an exploratory study of 306 exhibitors and visitors to a trade exhibition in Guangzhou, China, which examined decision‐making factors that influence the visitors and exhibitors in exhibition‐participation.Design/methodology/approach – The research took a quantitative approach by conducting a survey at the Guangzhou International Beauty & Cosmetic Import‐Export Expo in late March 2008. A total of 306 valid responses were obtained. Descriptive analysis and factor analysis were conducted using SPSS 12.0. Findings – Study findings indicate five categories of factors that influence exhibition‐participation. Promising second‐tier cities as exhibition destinations are also identified and discussed.Originality/value – A contribution of the study is exploring whether participants attach importance to destination attributes when they consider attending an exhibition. It also investigated, for the first .