Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Systemic bioavailability and potency of high-dose inhaled corticosteroids: a comparison of four inhaler devices and three drugs in healthy adult volunteers.

OBJECTIVES To compare the systemic bioavailability (assessed by cortisol suppression) of high-dose budesonide when given by four inhaler devices and orally. Also studied are the relative systemic potencies of three inhaled steroids (budesonide, fluticasone propionate, and beclomethasone dipropionate) when given by metered-dose inhaler (MDI) with a large volume spacer. DESIGN Double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS Sixteen healthy, steroid-naive adult volunteers. METHODS On separate occasions, each subjects took 4 mg of budesonide through the following devices: MDI alone, MDI with 750-mL. spacer, dry-powder inhaler and nebulizer; 4 mg of budesonide was also taken orally to assess the effects of GI absorption. For the drug comparison, each subject took 4 mg of budesonide, fluticasone, and beclomethasone, and 2 mg of budesonide and fluticasone by MDI and spacer. RESULTS Greatest percent suppression (95% confidence interval) of 9:00 AM cortisol with budesonide was observed with MDI alone (73% [57 to 90]) and turbohaler (72% [58 to 86]) compared with MDI spacer (42% [22 to 64]) and oral administration (14% [+6- to -34]). Nebulized budesonide produced an insignificant rise in 9:00 AM cortisol level. The most suppressive drug (given by MDI spacer) was fluticasone at 4 mg (86% [82 to 91]) and at 2 mg (72% [59 to 85]). The least suppressive drug was budesonide at 4 mg (43% [22 to 64]) and at 2 mg (25% [3 to 47]). The effects of 4 mg of beclomethasone were intermediate (66% [49 to 82%]). CONCLUSIONS The choice of delivery device for administration of budesonide can lead to important differences in systemic bioavailability. Fluticasone has greater systemic potency than budesonide or beclomethasone when given at microgram equivalent dosage. The systemic potency ratio of fluticasone propionate to budesonide in normal human volunteers in the present study is similar to the therapeutic potency ratio of the drug in asthmatic patients (approximately 2:1).
Inhibition of connective tissue growth factor/CCN2 expression in human dermal fibroblasts by interleukin‐1α and β

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) is a matricellular protein induced by transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β and intimately involved with tissue repair and overexpressed in various fibrotic conditions. We previously showed that keratinocytes in vitro downregulate TGF‐β‐induced expression of CTGF in fibroblasts by an interleukin (IL)‐1 α‐dependent mechanism. Here, we investigated further the mechanisms of this downregulation by both IL‐1α and β. Human dermal fibroblasts and NIH 3T3 cells were treated with IL‐1α or β in presence or absence of TGF‐β1. IL‐1 suppressed basal and TGF‐β‐induced CTGF mRNA and protein expression. IL‐1α and β inhibited TGF‐β‐stimulated CTGF promoter activity, and the activity of a synthetic minimal promoter containing Smad 3‐binding CAGA elements. Furthermore, IL‐1α and β inhibited TGF‐β‐stimulated Smad 3 phosphorylation, possibly linked to an observed increase in Smad 7 mRNA expression. In addition, RNA interference suggested that TGF‐β activated kinase1 (TAK1) is necessary for IL‐1 inhibition of TGF‐β‐stimulated CTGF expression. These results add to the understanding of how the expression of CTGF in human dermal fibroblasts is regulated, which in turn may have implications for the pathogenesis of fibrotic conditions involving the skin. J. Cell. Biochem. 110: 1226–1233, 2010. Published 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Synthesis of the antenna array pattern accomplishing the tapered minor lobe distributions

This paper presents the synthesis of the array antenna pattern accomplishing the tapered minor lobes for the applications of radar and low noise systems. Some orthogonal polynomials, viz. Legendre and the second kind Tschebyscheff polynomials are used to synthesize the array antenna pattern and compared with the conventional discretized one parameter Taylor method. These tapered minor lobe array patterns are also comparatively demonstrated together with the array pattern yielding the uniform minor robe, i.e. the first kind Tschebyscheff array. The array characteristics for various side lobe levels such as radiation pattern, half-power beamwidth, first-null beamwidth, directivity, the nearest to the furthest minor lobe ratio, and beam efficiency are illustrated. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are summarized.
Improved Accuracy of Myocardial Perfusion SPECT for the Detection of Coronary Artery Disease Using a Support Vector Machine Algorithm

We aimed to improve the diagnostic accuracy of automatic myocardial perfusion SPECT (MPS) interpretation analysis for the prediction of coronary artery disease (CAD) by integrating several quantitative perfusion and functional variables for noncorrected (NC) data by Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm, a computer method for machine learning. Methods: Rest–stress gated 99mTc MPS NC studies (n = 957) from 623 consecutive patients with correlating invasive coronary angiography and 334 with a low likelihood of CAD (<5%) were assessed. Stenosis ≥50% in left main or ≥70% in all other vessels was considered abnormal. Total perfusion deficit (TPD) was computed automatically. In addition, ischemic changes (ISCHs) and ejection fraction changes (EFCs) between stress and rest were derived by quantitative software. The SVM was trained using a group of 125 patients (25 with low-likelihood, 25 with 0-vessel, 25 with 1-vessel, 25 with 2-vessel, and 25 with 3-vessel CAD) with the above quantitative variables and second-order polynomial fitting. The remaining patients (n = 832) were categorized using probability estimates, with CAD defined as a probability estimate ≥ 0.50. The diagnostic accuracy of SVM was also compared with visual segmental scoring by 2 experienced readers. Results: The sensitivity of SVM (84%) was significantly better than ISCH (75%, P < 0.05) and EFC (31%, P < 0.05). The specificity of SVM (88%) was significantly better than TPD (78%, P < 0.05) and EFC (77%, P < 0.05). The diagnostic accuracy of SVM (86%) was significantly better than TPD (81%), ISCH (81%), or EFC (46%) (P < 0.05 for all). The receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) area under the curve for SVM (0.92) was significantly better than TPD (0.90), ISCH (0.87), and EFC (0.64) (P < 0.001 for all). The diagnostic accuracy of SVM was comparable to the overall accuracy of both visual readers (86% vs. 84%, P = NS). The ROC area under the curve for SVM (0.92) was significantly better than that of both visual readers (0.87 and 0.88, P < 0.03). Conclusion: Computational integration of quantitative perfusion and functional variables using the SVM approach significantly improves the diagnostic accuracy of MPS and can significantly outperform visual assessment based on ROC analysis.
The DVE changes distal epiblast fate from definitive endoderm to neurectoderm by antagonizing nodal signaling

To assess the function of the distal visceral endoderm (DVE) of embryonic day 5.5 (E5.5) embryos, we established a system to directly ablate the DVE and observe the consequences after culture. When the DVE was successfully ablated, such embryos (DVE‐ablated embryos) showed deregulated expression of Nodal and Wnt3 and ectopically formed the primitive streak at the proximal portion of the embryo. The DVE and anterior visceral endoderm (AVE) are implicated in the development of neurectoderm. We found that the distal epiblast of E5.5 embryo rotates anteriorly by the beginning of gastrulation. These cells remained to be anteriorly located during gastrulation and contributed to the ectoderm in the anterior side of the embryo. This indicates that the distal epiblast of E5.5 embryo becomes neurectoderm in normal development. In DVE‐ablated embryos, the distal epiblast did not show any movement during culture and was abnormally fated to early definitive endoderm lineage. The data suggest that down‐regulation of Nodal signaling in the distal epiblast of E5.5 embryo may be an initial step of neural development. Developmental Dynamics 236:1602–1610, 2007. Published 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Immunologic analyses of bovine bone treated with a novel tissue sterilization process

Abstract: Background: This study evaluates the efficacy of removal of xeno‐antigens from bovine bone using a patented BioCleanse® process for decellularization of allograft tissues for clinical implantation. BioCleanse® deploys a combination of chemicals and several high pressure rinses to achieve standardized sterility assurance levels. This method produces sterile grafts without reducing allograft bone biomechanical properties and effectively removes cells, lipids, and other sources of antigenic material from human allografts for clinical use.
A System Architecture for Knowledge Exchange in the Industrial Domain

Exchange and documentation of knowledge is vital in the industrial environment. The access to knowledge of colleagues can be essential for fulfilling several tasks. Just as well, workers can make experiences that are valuable for others. Within the project AmbiWise a collaboration system including adaptive and multimodal user interfaces for mobile interaction is developed to make knowledge easier accessible in companies. This paper presents the conception and implementation of the developed system architecture.
Customer‐centric service quality management for SK Telecom's mobile packet service

The research objective of our work is to improve the current quality management system by understanding the service quality that customers perceive. Also, the study aims to enhance work efficiency through the end‐to‐end quality of service (QoS) analysis from the user's terminal to the service server, eliminating the overlaps of QoS degradation analyses involving the wireless network, core network, and platform network. Against this backdrop, this paper intends to identify the elements of quality degradation in mobile packet service perceived at subscriber level and to propose a method that implements customer‐centric service quality management. To this end, we have assessed the packet services available from SK Telecom and came up with a methodology that derives service availability as a uniform indicator for subscriber‐perceived service quality according to the characteristics of different kinds of packet services. Also, using an embodied system, we performed an analysis on the correlation between service availability, which is a subscriber‐perceived quality indicator as monitored by commercial networks, and the actual measurement data. It was confirmed that we could have an end‐to‐end service quality management system that is more service‐oriented and customer‐centric than the current system‐oriented quality monitoring practices. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Intelligent backstepping sliding-mode control using recurrent interval type 2 fuzzy neural networks for a ball robot with a four-motor inverse-mouse ball drive

This paper presents an intelligent adaptive backstepping sliding-mode control using recurrent interval type 2 fuzzy neural networks (RIT2FNN) for motion control of a ball robot with a four-motor inverse mouse-ball driving mechanism actuated by four independent brushless motors simultaneously. The RIT2FNN is used to on-line learning the uncertain part during the controller synthesis. An adaptive backstepping sliding-mode control together with RIT2FNN is proposed to accomplish robust self-balancing, position control and trajectory tracking of the robot in the presence of mass variations, viscous and Coulomb frictions. Computer simulations are conducted for illustration of the effectiveness of the proposed control method.
A stable multi-level partitioning algorithm using adaptive connectivity threshold

This work presents a new efficient and stable multi-level partitioning algorithm for VLSI circuit design. As the most previous multi-level partitioning algorithms force experimental constraints on the process of hierarchy construction, the stability of their performance goes down. We minimize the use of experimental constraints and propose a new method for constructing partition hierarchy. The proposed method clusters the cells with the connection status of the circuit. In addition, we indicate the weakness of previous algorithms where they used a uniform method for choice of cells during the improvement. To solve the problem, we propose a new IIP (iterative improvement partitioning) technique that selects the method to choose cells according to the improvement status. The experimental result on ACM/SIGDA benchmark circuits show improvement up to 2-56% in minimum cutsize over previous algorithm and our technique outperforms hMetis by 2-9% in minimum cutsize.
Didaktisches Handeln. Die Beziehung zwischen Lerntheorien und Didaktischem Design

Behaviorismus, Kognitivismus und Konstruktivismus gelten als die drei grosen Lerntheorien, haben sich stets weiterentwickelt (durch soziale, biologische und konnektivistische „Auslaufer“) und beeinflussen sowohl das Forschen in der Wissenschaft als auch das Denken und Handeln in der Praxis des (technologiegestutzten) Lehrens und Lernens. Trotzdem haben Lerntheorien keine direkte handlungspraktische Relevanz, wenn es darum geht, didaktische Entscheidungen zu treffen. Verfahrensregeln zur Erarbeitung von vor allem technologiegestutzten Lehr-Lernangeboten, wie sie z.B. das Instructional-System-Design anbietet, scheinen dagegen genau diese, den Lerntheorien fehlende, handlungspraktische Relevanz zu haben, erweisen sich aber letztlich als zu starr und der Komplexitat didaktischer Herausforderungen nicht gewachsen. Didaktisches Design versucht, Lehrenden Leitlinien fur die Gestaltung didaktischer Szenarien an die Hand zu geben, die dem besonderen Verhaltnis zwischen Lehren und Lernen gerecht werden. Zu diesen Leitlinien gehoren unter anderem Lehrzieltaxonomien und Heuristiken zur Inhaltsauswahl, aber auch Verfahrensvorschlage, die sich an der Logik didaktischen Handelns orientieren. Didaktisches Design ist eine Entwurfsdisziplin und will als solche das didaktische Handeln der Lehrenden durch Gestaltungsmasnahmen im Vorfeld des Unterrichtens unterstutzen. Dafur greift sie auf lerntheoretische und didaktische Erkenntnisse zuruck, ohne davon auszugehen, dass sich didaktische Szenarien stets regelhaft gestalten und Unterricht in allen Aspekten planen lassen.
Life story: constructing a memoir writing service

The 'Life Story' service for writing and publishing memoirs was iteratively constructed with the aim of offering a domain for senior citizens for writing short, personal recollections and a lower threshold for entering the social media. To confirm that the needs and requirements of the forthcoming users -- in this case elderly citizens -- were well understood, potential users participated in the process from the beginning. This occurred through user evaluation studies aimed at understanding how users perceive and experience the service. Users were expected to provide design information for constructing the 'Life Story' application. The first focus-group study concentrated on ordinary senior citizens, the method for studying their expectations being the semi-structured focus group interview. The aim of the second user study was to evaluate the first version of the application. Here the study focused on critical users: members of a memoir-writing group.
Salivary Gland Thrombostasin Isoforms Differentially Regulate Blood Uptake of Horn Flies Fed on New Zealand White Rabbits

ABSTRACT Thrombostasin (TS) is a previously characterized anticlotting protein with multiple isoforms found in the saliva of horn flies. In this report, the effect of TS isoforms on blood feeding was assessed using individual flies that carried corresponding ts allelles. Laboratory studies of horn fly blood feeding were conducted using colony-reared flies fed on New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits. After timed 20-min feeding periods, each fly was characterized for gender, blood volume uptake, and ts genotype. The results showed that mean blood volumes obtained by individual flies were not related to fly gender but were correlated to the ts genotype(s) carried by each fly. A fly having one or both fe alleles coding for the TS9 isoform took less blood than those possessing one or both fe alleles coding for the TS10 isoform. These results confirm the significant role that TS plays in horn fly feeding and highlight the differential impact of TS protein isoforms that vary by as few as three amino acids.
CREB is activated by UVC through a p38/HOG‐1‐dependent protein kinase

Changes in environmental conditions such as the addition of growth factors or irradiation of cells in culture first affect immediate response genes. We have shown previously that short wavelength UV irradiation (UVC) elicits massive activation of several growth factor receptor‐dependent pathways. At the level of the immediate response gene c‐fos, these pathways activate the transcription factor complex serum response factor (SRF)–p62TCF which mediates part of the UV‐induced transcriptional response. These studies have, however, suggested that more that one pathway is required for full UV responsiveness of c‐fos. Using appropriate promoter mutations and dominant‐negative cAMP response element (CRE)‐binding protein (CREB), we now find that UVC‐induced transcriptional activation depends also on the CRE at position −60 of the c‐fos promoter and on the functionality of a CREB. Upon UV irradiation, CREB and ATF‐1 are phosphorylated at serines 133 and 63, respectively, preceded by and dependent on activation of p38/RK/HOG‐1 and of a p38/RK/HOG‐1‐dependent p108 CREB kinase. Although p90RSK1 and MAPKAP kinase 2 are also activated by UV, p90RSK1 does not, at least not decisively, participate in this signalling pathway to CREB and ATF‐1 as it is not p38/RK/HOG‐1 dependent, and CREB is a poor substrate for MAPKAP kinase 2 in vitro. On the basis of resistance to the growth factor receptor inhibitor suramin and of several types of cross‐refractoriness experiments, the UVC‐induced CREB/ATF‐1 phosphorylation represents an as yet unrecognized route of UVC‐induced signal transduction, independent of suramin‐inhibitable growth factor receptors and different from the Erk 1,2–p62TCF pathway.
Estimation of Vegetation Cover Using Digital Photography in a Regional Survey of Central Mexico

The methods for measuring vegetation cover in Mexican forest surveys are subjective and imprecise. The objectives of this research were to compare the sampling designs used to measure the vegetation cover and estimate the over and understory cover in different land uses, using digital photography. The study was carried out in 754 circular sampling sites in central Mexico. Four spatial sampling designs were evaluated in three spatial distribution patterns of the trees. The sampling designs with photographic captures in diagonal form had lower values of mean absolute error (MAE < 0.12) and less variation in random and grouped patterns. The Carbon and Biomass Sampling Plot (CBSP) design was chosen due to its smaller error in the different spatial tree patterns. The image processing was performed using threshold segmentation techniques and was automated through an application developed in the Python language. The two proposed methods to estimate vegetation cover through digital photographs were robust and replicable in all sampling plots with different land uses and different illumination conditions. The automation of the process avoided human estimation errors and ensured the reproducibility of the results. This method is working for regional surveys and could be used in national surveys due to its functionality.
Enteric nervous system development in avian and zebra fi sh models

Our current understanding of the developmental biology of the enteric nervous system (ENS) and the genesis of ENS diseases is founded almost entirely on studies using model systems. Although genetic studies in the mouse have been at the forefront of this field over the last 20 years or so, historically it was the easy accessibility of the chick embryo for experimental manipulations that allowed the first descriptions of the neural crest origins of the ENS in the 1950s. More recently, studies in the chick and other non-mammalian model systems, notably zebrafish, have continued to advance our understanding of the basic biology of ENS development, with each animal model providing unique experimental advantages. Here we review the basic biology of ENS development in chick and zebrafish, highlighting conserved and unique features, and emphasising novel contributions to our general understanding of ENS development due to technical or biological features. & 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
The msh2 Gene ofSchizosaccharomyces pombe Is Involved in Mismatch Repair, Mating-Type Switching, and Meiotic Chromosome Organization

ABSTRACT We have identified in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe a MutS homolog that shows highest homology to the Msh2 subgroup. msh2 disruption gives rise to increased mitotic mutation rates and increased levels of postmeiotic segregation of genetic markers. In bandshift assays performed with msh2Δ cell extracts, a general mismatch-binding activity is absent. By complementation assays, we showed that S. pombe msh2 is allelic with the previously identified swi8 andmut3 genes, which are involved in mating-type switching. The swi8-137 mutant has a mutation in the msh2gene which causes a truncated Msh2 peptide lacking a putative DNA-binding domain. Cytological analysis revealed that during meiotic prophase of msh2-defective cells, chromosomal structures were frequently formed; such structures are rarely found in the wild type. Our data show that besides having a function in mismatch repair,S. pombe msh2 is required for correct termination of copy synthesis during mating-type switching as well as for proper organization of chromosomes during meiosis.
Impaired Jump Landing After Exercise in Recreational and in High-Performance Athletes

Abstract Kuni, B, Cárdenas-Montemayor, E, Bangert, Y, Rupp, R, Ales, J, Friedmann-Bette, B, and Schmitt, H. Impaired jump landing after exercise in recreational and in high-performance athletes. J Strength Cond Res 28(8): 2306–2313, 2014—The risk of sustaining injuries increases with fatigue. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of fatigue on dynamic postural control in jump landing and stabilization (ST) in athletes of different levels. In all, 18 high-performance ball sports athletes and 24 recreationally active subjects performed a jump test (JT) before and at 1, 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes after a 30-minute treadmill run at the individual anaerobic threshold. An overhead ball switch hit during a forward jump triggered indicator lamps on either side of a force plate. After landing on the plate, ST on 1 leg (no light cue) or a second jump sideways (toward a light cue) was required. The ST force integral index was calculated for the ST trials. Dynamic postural control was significantly impaired in jump landing and ST in the first minute after the run: mean difference ± SD: 0.25 ± 0.48 m·s−1 (95% confidence interval: 0.10–0.40 m·s−1, p = 0.043; analysis of variance). No significant group differences were found. Under fatigued conditions, dynamic postural control in jump landing was impaired in an unexpected ST task. Not only recreational but also high-performance athletes were affected. Ball sports athletes could add a training exercise to their workout, which alternates between periods of high effort and neuromuscular training. Resistance to fatigue effects should be checked on a regular basis using JTs.