Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of soluble and insoluble gastric fluid components in the pathogenesis of obliterative bronchiolitis in rat lung allografts

Repetitive gastric fluid aspirations have been shown to lead to obliterans bronchiolitis (OB), but the component or components of gastric fluid that are responsible are unknown. This study investigates the role of particulates and, separately, soluble material in gastric fluid during the development of OB. Whole gastric fluid (WGF) was collected from male Fischer 344 (F344) rats and separated by centrifugation into particle reduced gastric fluid (PRGF) and particulate components resuspended in normal saline (PNS). Orthotopic left lung transplants from male Wistar–Kyoto rats into F344 rats were performed using a modification of the nonsuture external cuff technique with prolonged cold ischemia. Rats were subjected to weekly aspiration of 0.5 ml/kg of WGF (n = 9), PRGF (n = 10), PNS (n = 9), or normal saline (control, NS; n = 9) for 8 weeks following transplantation. Lung allografts treated with WGF, PRGF, or PNS developed a significantly greater percentage of OB‐like lesions compared with the control. No statistical difference was observed when comparing the fibrosis grades or the percentage of OB lesions of WGF, PRGF, and PNS groups, suggesting that both soluble and insoluble components of gastric fluid can promote the development of aspiration‐induced OB and fibrosis in lung allografts.
Gender-sensitive and youth-friendly physiotherapy: Steps toward a stress management intervention for girls and young women

ABSTRACT This article describes and evaluates initial steps of a gender-sensitive, youth-friendly group intervention model designed for teenage girls and young women who experience stress-related or psychosomatic problems. Fifty-four young women (16–25 years of age) participated in a gender-sensitive physiotherapy stress management course at a youth health center. Inclusion criteria were self-defined stress-related problems and a wish to participate in the group intervention. Measurements of aspects of body perception, self-image, multiple somatic problems, and mental health symptom areas were assessed both before and after intervention with the Body Perception Questionnaire ad modum Schiöler, social analysis of social behavior, and Adult Self-Report scale. Significant positive changes were found in aspects of body perception, self-image, and mental health and somatic symptoms. The changes were most significant in lower internalization of anxiety and depression symptoms. Symptoms such as headaches and sleeping problems decreased. Participants were more satisfied with their bodies and more able to listen to body signals. Among cognitive issues, significant change occurred in thought problems, but not in attention problems. The intervention model needs further evaluation in controlled trials, but is promising and should be developed further in other physiotherapy settings and subgroups of young people.
Metabolomic Analysis Identifies Synergistic Role of Hormones Biosynthesis and Phenylpropenoid Pathways during Fusarium Wilt Resistance in Tomato Plants

Fungal wilt diseases are among the most destructive pathogens attacking crop plants globally. Host resistance is considered a key for Fusarium wilt management. Some resistant plant varieties have been screened, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here detailed metabolomic analysis was performed of resistant and susceptible tomato varieties in response to Fusarium wilt infection. A total of 73 metabolites were identified in the resistant and susceptible tomato plant samples. Functional categorization of these differentially produced metabolites indicated extensive re-modulations in plant physiology. Perception of F. oxysporum caused activation of signaling pathways and over production of some precursor molecules in different carbon cycles. These precursor metabolites were mainly channeled into hormones biosynthesis, phenylpropenoid and alkaloid biosynthesis pathways. This all together produced significantly higher quantities of different defense factors such as phenolics, terpenoids and alkaloids in resistant tomato variety upon pathogen attack. This up-regulation of defense-related metabolism contributed to resistance against Fusarium wilt disease in tomato plants. These results improve our understanding about underlying mechanisms and identify metabolites and pathways related to specific resistance mechanisms. Current study suggests that, in contrast to previous knowledge, there exists a synergistic effect between hormone biosynthesis and phenylpropenoid pathway in resistance reaction against Fusarium wilt disease. This knowledge can help to improve the durability of resistance against Fusarium wilt disease. © 2017 Friends Science Publishers
Analysis of hemodialysis-associated hypoglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes using a continuous glucose monitoring system.

BACKGROUND Adequate glycemic control is important for patients with end-stage renal disease on maintenance hemodialysis (HD). Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems are reported as a useful method for glucose monitoring in patients under maintenance HD. The object of this study was to describe glucose profiles and hypoglycemia associated with HD in diabetes patients using a CGM system. METHODS We recruited nine medically stable patients with type 2 diabetes under maintenance HD. CGMS System Gold (Medtronic MiniMed, Northridge, CA) was applied to the subjects for 144 h. During the period, HD using glucose-containing dialysate was performed every other day. Various glucose profiles were calculated from the CGM readings and compared between the day on and the day off dialysis. RESULTS Mean ± SD for age, duration of diabetes, and hemoglobin A1c were 67 ± 9 years, 24 ± 9 years, and 8.6 ± 1.2%, respectively. Hemoglobin A1c was correlated with mean glucose (ρ = 0.780, P < 0.05) and with area under the curve for glucose above 180 mg/dL (ρ = 0.797, P<0.05). Although there was no difference for mean amplitude of glycemic excursion between the day on and off HD, hypoglycemia occurred predominantly with day on HD. In the subjects who maintained antidiabetes agents with day on HD, glucose levels decreased with initiation of HD, causing significantly lower glucose levels compared to those during the equivalent time of the following day without HD. CONCLUSIONS According to the CGM system, glucose variability was not affected by HD. However, in spite of glucose-containing dialysate, HD seemed to increase the risk of hypoglycemia.
Sub-three optical cycle 3.9-um pulses through hollow-core-waveguide compression

We present compression of 22-mJ, 90-fs mid-infrared pulses centered at 3.9 μm down to a duration 33 fs via spectral broadening in a noble-gas-filled capillary and subsequent dispersion compensation in bulk. Large 1-mm core diameter of 3-meter long capillary assures over 60% throughput and allows avoiding of unwanted ionization.
Climate Modeling for Scientists and Engineers

Climate modeling and simulation teach us about past, present, and future conditions of life on earth and help us understand observations about the changing atmosphere and ocean and terrestrial ecology. Focusing on high-end modeling and simulation of earth's climate, Climate Modeling for Scientists and Engineers presents observations about the general circulations of the earth and the partial differential equations used to model the dynamics of weather and climate and covers numerical methods for geophysical flows in more detail than many other texts. It also discusses parallel algorithms and the role of high-performance computing used in the simulation of weather and climate and provides supplemental lectures and MATLAB exercises on an associated Web page. Audience: This book is intended for graduate students in science and engineering. It is also useful for a broad spectrum of computational science and engineering researchers, especially those who want a brief introduction to the methods and capabilities of climate models and those who use climate model results in their investigations. Information on numerical methods used to solve the equations of motion and climate simulations using parallel algorithms on high-performance computers challenges researchers who aim to improve the prediction of climate on decadal to century time scales.
An analytical methodology for assessment of smart monitoring impact on future electric power distribution system reliability

Smart grid is referred to a modernized power grid which can mitigate fault detection and allow self-healing of the system without the intervention of operators. This article proposes an innovative analytical formulation using Markov method to evaluate electric power distribution system reliability in smart grids, which incorporates the impact of smart monitoring on the overall system reliability. An accurate reliability model of the main network components and the communication infrastructure have been also considered in the methodology. The proposed approach was applied to a well-known test bed Roy Billinton Test System and various reliability case studies with monitoring provision and monitoring deficiency are analyzed. This article involves the developing possibilities of communication technologies and next-generation control systems of the entire smart network based on the real-time monitoring and modern control system to achieve a reliable, economical, safe, and high efficiency of electricity. The implementations indicate that using an appropriate set of the smart grid monitoring devices for power system components can virtually influence all the reliability indices although the amount of improvement varies between techniques. The proposed approach determined that smart monitoring for which components of the electric power distribution systems are tailored and deduce to major economical benefits. The described approach also reveals which reliability indices drastically influenced using monitoring. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 21: 99-113, 2015
Phytoplankton across Tropical and Subtropical Regions of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans

We examine the large-scale distribution patterns of the nano- and microphytoplankton collected from 145 oceanic stations, at 3 m depth, the 20% light level and the depth of the subsurface chlorophyll maximum, during the Malaspina-2010 Expedition (December 2010-July 2011), which covered 15 biogeographical provinces across the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, between 35°N and 40°S. In general, the water column was stratified, the surface layers were nutrient-poor and the nano- and microplankton (hereafter phytoplankton, for simplicity, although it included also heterotrophic protists) community was dominated by dinoflagellates, other flagellates and coccolithophores, while the contribution of diatoms was only important in zones with shallow nutriclines such as the equatorial upwelling regions. We applied a principal component analysis to the correlation matrix among the abundances (after logarithmic transform) of the 76 most frequent taxa to synthesize the information contained in the phytoplankton data set. The main trends of variability identified consisted of: 1) A contrast between the community composition of the upper and the lower parts of the euphotic zone, expressed respectively by positive or negative scores of the first principal component, which was positively correlated with taxa such as the dinoflagellates Oxytoxum minutum and Scrippsiella spp. , and the coccolithophores Discosphaera tubifera and Syracosphaera pulchra (HOL and HET), and negatively correlated with taxa like Ophiaster hydroideus (coccolithophore) and several diatoms, 2) a general abundance gradient between phytoplankton-rich regions with high abundances of dinoflagellate, coccolithophore and ciliate taxa, and phytoplankton-poor regions (second principal component), 3) differences in dominant phytoplankton and ciliate taxa among the Atlantic, the Indian and the Pacific oceans (third principal component) and 4) the occurrence of a diatom-dominated assemblage (the fourth principal component assemblage), including several pennate taxa, Planktoniella sol, Hemiaulus hauckii and Pseudo-nitzschia spp. , in the divergence regions. Our findings indicate that consistent assemblages of co-occurring phytoplankton taxa can be identified and that their distribution is best explained by a combination in different degrees of both environmental and historical influences.
Improving the User-Centredness of E-Government Projects

An important challenge for e-Government service providers is to increase service uptake among citizens. Improved user-centredness of e-Government development projects may be an important key to increased service uptake. In the present study, 51 representatives of the domain of Norwegian e-Government service development provided their views on how the user-centredness of future development projects may be improved. The findings indicate that significant improvements in user-centredness of e-Government projects may be achieved through adherence to basic principles of user-centred design (UCD). The most frequently suggested recommendations made by the e-Government development representatives were to (1) clearly define and analyse users and stakeholders, (2) anchor the user-centred approach in the management and project team, and (3) involve user in the development process. The findings are discussed in regard to the organisational UCD maturity levels they may reflect.
Biological effects of RF/ MW radiations on human

In this article, the biological effects of RF and MW radiations (3 kHz–300 GHz) are discussed with emphasis on potential hazards. Most of the modern communication equipment occupies the range 1-40 GHz. A person is supposed to expose near the locations of radio, television transmitters, mobile base stations and wireless networks. This paper investigates the possible effects on human health of exposure to RF / MW radiations. The suggestions / rules framed by different international organizations are briefly sketched in this article.
The case of the missing NO– hemoglobin: Spectral changes suggestive of heme redox reactions reflect changes in NO– heme geometry

When low levels of gaseous nitric oxide (NO) are equilibrated with deoxygenated Hb, all NO added can be accounted for in terms of hexacoordinate and pentacoordinate forms of NO–Hb, despite recent reports on NO disappearance from heme groups to form nitroxyl anions or S-nitrosated Hb at low ratios of NO to Hb. We demonstrate that a fraction of the spectral signature of fully nitrosylated (largely hexacoordinate) Hb disappears as the pentacoordinate state forms and reappears when pentacoordinate NO–Hb is reconverted to the hexacoordinate condition. We show that the spectral changes associated with these reversible shifts in NO– heme geometry can be remarkably well approximated as variations in the contributions from fully nitrosylated Hb and oxidized Hb (MetHb). As a result, increases in the level of pentacoordinate NO–Hb that occur at low NO to Hb ratios can be misinterpreted as increases in MetHb levels associated with NO-dependent heme oxidation. Conversely, any decrease in levels of pentacoordinate NO–Hb can be misinterpreted as a disappearance of MetHb associated with NO-dependent heme reduction. Transitions between pentacoordinate and hexacoordinate forms of NO–Hb with spectral changes suggestive of changes in levels of heme-bound NO are sensitive to the protein's quaternary conformation and can be brought about by alterations in anion levels or the degree of heme saturation with either O2 or NO.
[Early detection and intervention of hearing impairment in Cuba: outcome after 20 years].

INTRODUCTION Infant hearing loss is a highly prevalent disorder which untreated can severely disrupt normal brain development. As a result there is a significant delay in language acquisition as well as many cognitive and emotional problems in the child. Over the last decades important advances have occurred in the available technology for early detection and assessment of hearing impairment. Therefore many countries worldwide have become aware of the need for hearing screening programs. The optimal protocols depending on the local conditions of health care as well as the availability of technological and human resources. AIM To summarize the results obtained over the last 20 years by an ongoing hearing screening protocol. DEVELOPMENT Data on the coverage program, sensitivity and specificity, age of identification of hearing losses, diagnostic and intervention stages will be summarized and discussed. Also the long terms effects of early detection on the child cognitive and language development are analyzed. Finally, the possible role of a new technique based on the recording of multiple auditory steady state potentials with Cuban equipment (AUDIX system) was evaluated within this context. CONCLUSIONS The Cuban targeting multiple high risk hearing screening program is a useful alternative to early detection of hearing losses. The average detection age of hearing loss was 10 months during the period of optimal functioning. Cognitive, emotional and linguistic development are improved by early detection and intervention. The multiple auditory steady state responses can provide valuable audiometric information within a screening context.
Detection of Hypervascular Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Multidetector-Row CT: Single Arterial-Phase Imaging With Computer-Assisted Automatic Bolus-Tracking Technique Compared With Double Arterial-Phase Imaging

Purpose: To compare single arterial-phase (SAP) computed tomography (CT) imaging with bolus tracking (BT) with double arterial-phase (DAP) CT imaging for detecting hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma. Materials and Methods: The DAP images were obtained at 25 (DAP-early) and 40 seconds (DAP-late) after the start of contrast material injection. All patients underwent SAP-BT imaging where images were obtained 10 seconds after the CT attenuation value of the aorta reached the threshold value of 120 Hounsfield unit (HU) in 29 (group 120-HU), 160 HU in 30 (group 160-HU), and 200 HU in 32 patients (group 200-HU). Attenuation conspicuity with SAP-BT technique was compared with that with DAP technique using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Attenuation conspicuity and mean scan delays with SAP-BT images obtained with different threshold values were compared using analysis of variance. The sensitivities were compared using McNemar and Fisher exact tests. Results: Within all groups, mean attenuation conspicuity with SAP-BT and DAP-late was significantly higher than that with DAP-early. Regarding SAP-BT, mean attenuation conspicuity in group 200-HU (42 ± 18 HU) was significantly higher than those in groups 120-HU (23 ± 11 HU) and 160-HU (25 ± 11 HU). Mean scan delays for SAP-BT were 24.2 seconds in group-120 HU, 26.8 seconds in group-160 HU, and 31.1 seconds in group-200 HU (P < 0.001). The mean sensitivity with SAP-BT technique in group 200-HU (92.7%) was significantly higher than those in groups 120-HU (72.4%) and 160-HU (71.1%). Conclusions: Single arterial-phase CT scanning with bolus tracking can be effectively used to detect hepatocellular carcinoma when a threshold value of 200 HU is used.
Channel Estimation for Large Antenna Systems

The advantage of large antenna systems relies on the acquisition of the channel state information at the base station, which is difficult for frequency-division-multiplexing systems, as the pilot overhead increases linearly with the antenna number. In this paper, we utilize the sparse and clustering characteristics of multipath channels to solve this problem. We decompose channel estimation into three low-complexity low-overhead parts: the estimation of delay, active bins and (complex) amplitudes of clusters of propagation paths. In each part, efficient pilot transmission and channel estimation are designed to leverage the features of the parameter to be estimated. Compared with the conventional minimum-mean-square-error channel estimator, the proposed technique significantly reduces the pilot overhead. Compared with compressive sensing based techniques that exploit only the channel sparsity but not the clustering distribution of paths, it achieves better performance with a much lower complexity.
An exploratory study of contrast agents for soft tissue visualization by means of high resolution X‐ray computed tomography imaging

High resolution X‐ray computed tomography (CT), or microCT, is a promising and already widely used technique in various scientific fields. Also for histological purposes it has great potential. Although microCT has proven to be a valuable technique for the imaging of bone structures, the visualization of soft tissue structures is still an important challenge due to their low inherent X‐ray contrast. One way to achieve contrast enhancement is to make use of contrast agents. However, contrary to light and electron microscopy, knowledge about contrast agents and staining procedures is limited for X‐ray CT. The purpose of this paper is to identify useful X‐ray contrast agents for soft tissue visualization, which can be applied in a simple way and are also suited for samples larger than (1 cm)3. And 28 chemical substances have been investigated. All chemicals were applied in the form of concentrated aqueous solutions in which the samples were immersed. First, strips of green Bacon were stained to evaluate contrast enhancement between muscle and adipose tissue. Furthermore it was also tested whether the contrast agents remained fixed in the tissue after staining by re‐immersing them in water. Based on the results, 12 contrast agents were selected for further testing on postmortem mice hind legs, containing a variety of different tissues, including muscle, fat, bone, cartilage and tendons. It was evaluated whether the contrast agents allowed a clearer distinction between the different soft tissue structures present. Finally also penetration depth was measured. And 26 chemicals resulted in contrast enhancement between muscle and adipose tissue in the Bacon strips. Mercury(II)chloride (HgCl2), phosphotungstic acid (PTA), phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) and ammonium orthomolybdate ((NH4)2MoO4) remained fixed after re‐immersion in water. The penetration tests showed that potassium iodide (KI) and sodium tungstate can be most efficiently used for large samples of the order of several tens of cm3. PMA, PTA, HgCl2 and also to a lesser extent Na2WO4 and (NH4)2MoO4 allowed a clearer distinction between the different soft tissue structures present.
The review of aeration and reoxygenation behavioral characteristics for spillway discharge

Aeration and reoxygenation is the significant source of the dissolved oxygen for spillway discharge. Due to the strong turbulence, large numbers of bubbles are entrained into the water, which causes the supersaturation of dissolved gas concentration and leads to bubble disease of fish. Firstly, the theory of the aeration and reoxygenation for spillway discharge is analyzed base on the mass transfer theory of water-air interface and the bubble interface. Secondly, the convection and diffusion equation of dissolved oxygen and the method of parameter selection are discussed. Finally, the progress and shortage of the present study are analyzed.
Comparison of no-load and load core losses for a wide range of nominal power induction motors

This paper presents a comparison of no-load and load losses for six different nominal power induction motors ranging from 3 kW to 280 kW. For loss calculations, field-circuit and analytical methods are used. The results show a significant increase in core losses concomitant with motor load increases. Additionally, analytical methods were employed to calculate the curves of core losses versus load power.