Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantitative comparison of permanent magnet linear machines for ropeless elevator

This paper presents a quantitative comparison of three topologies of double-sided long-stator type permanent magnet linear machines (PMLMs) as possible candidates for the ropeless elevator propulsion system. First, the parameters of each PMLM topology are designed using the same criteria. Then the finite element method (FEM) is employed to evaluate the performance of each topology. Specifically, the translator mass, propulsion forces, detent forces, and no-load EMFs are analyzed and compared. The quantitative comparison results show that the Halbach array PMLM configuration is preferable for the ropeless elevator application because of its small detent force as well as low total mass.
An outer membrane channel protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis with exotoxin activity

Significance The mechanisms that enable Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, to resist drug treatment and survive the immune response are poorly understood. In this study we discovered that M. tuberculosis produces the protein channel protein with necrosis-inducing toxin (CpnT), which forms a channel in the outer membrane and releases a toxic domain into the extracellular milieu. This toxin has no similarity to known bacterial toxins and kills eukaryotic cells by necrosis, suggesting that it is required for escape of M. tuberculosis from macrophages and for dissemination. The channel domain of CpnT is used for uptake of nutrients across the outer membrane. Taken together, CpnT is a protein with functions in two fundamental processes in M. tuberculosis physiology: nutrient acquisition and control of host cell death. The ability to control the timing and mode of host cell death plays a pivotal role in microbial infections. Many bacteria use toxins to kill host cells and evade immune responses. Such toxins are unknown in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Virulent M. tuberculosis strains induce necrotic cell death in macrophages by an obscure molecular mechanism. Here we show that the M. tuberculosis protein Rv3903c (channel protein with necrosis-inducing toxin, CpnT) consists of an N-terminal channel domain that is used for uptake of nutrients across the outer membrane and a secreted toxic C-terminal domain. Infection experiments revealed that CpnT is required for survival and cytotoxicity of M. tuberculosis in macrophages. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the C-terminal domain of CpnT causes necrotic cell death in eukaryotic cells. Thus, CpnT has a dual function in uptake of nutrients and induction of host cell death by M. tuberculosis.
Intravascular contrast agent T2* relaxivity in brain tissue

Dynamic susceptibility‐weighted contrast‐enhanced (DSC) MRI perfusion measurements depend on estimating intravascular contrast agent (CA) concentrations (C) from signal intensity changes in T2* ‐weighted images after bolus injection. Generally, linearity is assumed between relaxation and C, but previous studies have shown that compartmentalization of CA and secondary magnetic field perturbations generate deviations from linearity. Physical phantoms using bulk blood have been used to empirically determine the relationship between relaxation rate and C in large vessels. However, the relaxivity of CA in the microvasculature is not easily measured since constructing appropriate phantoms is difficult. Instead, theoretical relaxivity models have been developed. In this study, we empirically tested a non‐linear expression based on static dephasing regime (SDR) and linear approximation. Signal‐time curves in white (WM) and grey matter (GM) were converted to concentration time curves (CTCs) using both expressions. Parameters for both linear and non‐linear formulations were adjusted to give a best agreement between cerebral blood volumes (CBV) calculated from WM and arterial CTCs in a group of normal subjects scanned at 3T. Optimized parameters were used to calculate blood volume in WM and GM in healthy subjects scanned at 3T and in meningioma patients scanned at 1.5T. Results from this study showed that a non‐linear SDR formulation gave an acceptable functional form for tissue relaxivity, giving reliable CBV estimates at different field strengths and echo times. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
How an Export Boom Affects Unemployment

Does trade affect the equilibrium rate of unemployment? To theoretically examine this question, we incorporate firm-union bargaining considerations into a model with a booming external sector and a stagnating manufacturing sector. In the model, a sustained improvement in the terms of trade lowers unemployment. To empirically investigate the predicted determinants of the unemployment rate, we use data for Australia, a country whose prosperity has always depended on the value of its exports. We find strong evidence that higher export prices, capital accumulation in tradeable goods industries and a lower unemployment benefit replacement rate each reduce the equilibrium unemployment rate.
The JAK2V617 mutation induces constitutive activation and agonist hypersensitivity in basophils from patients with polycythemia vera

The JAK2 (V617F) mutation is found in almost all patients with polycythemia vera and an important fraction of patients with essential thrombocythemia and primary myelofibrosis. This study shows that basophil counts are increased in JAK2 (V617F)-positive patients, and that the basophils contain an increased number of granules. See related article on page 1484. Background The JAK2V617F mutation has been associated with constitutive and enhanced activation of neutrophils, while no information is available concerning other leukocyte subtypes. Design and Methods We evaluated correlations between JAK2V617F mutation and the count of circulating basophils, the number of activated CD63+ basophils, their response in vitro to agonists as well as the effects of a JAK2 inhibitor. Results We found that basophil count was increased in patients with JAK2V617F -positive myeloproliferative neoplasms, particularly in those with polycythemia vera, and was correlated with the V617F burden. The burden of V617F allele was similar in neutrophils and basophils from patients with polycythemia vera, while total JAK2 mRNA content was remarkably greater in the basophils; however, the content of JAK2 protein in basophils was not increased. The number of CD63+ basophils was higher in patients with polycythemia vera than in healthy subjects or patients with essential thrombocythemia or primary myelofibrosis and was correlated with the V617F burden. Ultrastructurally, basophils from patients with polycythemia vera contained an increased number of granules, most of which were empty suggesting cell degranulation in vivo. Ex vivo experiments revealed that basophils from patients with polycythemia vera were hypersensitive to the priming effect of interleukin-3 and to f-MLP-induced activation; pre-treatment with a JAK2 inhibitor reduced polycythemia vera basophil activation. Finally, we found that the number of circulating CD63+ basophils was significantly greater in patients suffering from aquagenic pruritus, who also showed a higher V617F allele burden. Conclusions These data indicate that the number of constitutively activated and hypersensitive circulating basophils is increased in polycythemia vera, underscoring a role of JAK2V617F in these cells’ abnormal function and, putatively, in the pathogenesis of pruritus.
Ontology engineering using volunteer labor

We describe an approach designed to reduce the costs of ontology development through the use of untrained, volunteer knowledge engineers. Results are provided from an experiment in which volunteers were asked to judge the correctness of automatically inferred subsumption relationships in the biomedical domain. The experiment indicated that volunteers can be recruited fairly easily but that their attention is difficult to hold, that most do not understand the subsumption relationship without training, and that incorporating learned estimates of trust into voting systems is beneficial to aggregate performance.
D1 Receptor Modulation of Hippocampal–Prefrontal Cortical Circuits Integrating Spatial Memory with Executive Functions in the Rat

Dopamine (DA) within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays an important role in modulating the short-term retention of information during working memory tasks. In contrast, little is known about the role of DA in modulating other executive aspects of working memory such as the use of short-term memory to guide action. The present study examined the effects of D1 and D2 receptor blockade in the PFC on foraging by rats on a radial arm maze under two task conditions: (1) a delayed task in which spatial information acquired during a training phase was used 30 min later to guide prospective responses, and (2) a nondelayed task that was identical to the test phase of the delayed task but lacked a training phase, thereby depriving rats of previous information about the location of food on the maze. In experiment 1, microinjections of the D1 antagonist SCH-23390 (0.05, 0.5, or 5 μg/μl), but not the D2anatagonist sulpiride (0.05, 0.5, or 5 μg/μl), into the prelimbic region of the PFC before the test phase disrupted performance of the delayed task without affecting response latencies. In contrast, neither drug affected performance of the nondelayed task. In the present study, we also investigated the role of D1 receptors in modulating activity in hippocampal–PFC circuits during delayed responding. Unilateral injections of SCH-23390 into the PFC in the hemisphere contralateral to a microinjection of lidocaine into the hippocampus severely disrupted performance of the delayed task. Thus, the ability to use previously acquired spatial information to guide responding 30 min later on a radial arm maze requires D1 receptor activation in the PFC and D1 receptor modulation of hippocampal inputs to the PFC. These data suggest that D1receptors in the PFC are involved in working memory processes other than just the short-term active retention of information and also provide direct evidence for DA modulation of limbic–PFC circuits during behavior.
Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci for mountain mullet (Agonostomus monticola)

We report on the isolation of 15 polymorphic microsatellite loci from mountain mullet (Agonostomus monticola). In the two populations sampled, loci exhibited two to 21 alleles and observed heterozygosity values ranged from 0.222 to 1.000. All loci conformed to Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium expectations, and none exhibited linkage disequilibrium. Although A. monticola is an important subsistence fishery in parts of its range, little is known about its ecology and many populations appear to be experiencing declines. These microsatellite loci should prove useful in the study of population structure of A. monticola and aid in other potential conservation efforts such as the management of hatchery broodstock.
Studies of a Murine Monoclonal Antibody Directed against DARC: Reappraisal of Its Specificity

Duffy Antigen Receptor for Chemokines (DARC) plays multiple roles in human health as a blood group antigen, a receptor for chemokines and the only known receptor for Plasmodium vivax merozoites. It is the target of the murine anti-Fy6 monoclonal antibody 2C3 which binds to the first extracellular domain (ECD1), but exact nature of the recognized epitope was a subject of contradictory reports. Here, using a set of complex experiments which include expression of DARC with amino acid substitutions within the Fy6 epitope in E. coli and K562 cells, ELISA, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and flow cytometry, we have resolved discrepancies between previously published reports and show that the basic epitope recognized by 2C3 antibody is 22FEDVW26, with 22F and 26W being the most important residues. In addition, we demonstrated that 30Y plays an auxiliary role in binding, particularly when the residue is sulfated. The STD-NMR studies performed using 2C3-derived Fab and synthetic peptide corroborated most of these results, and together with the molecular modelling suggested that 25V is not involved in direct interactions with the antibody, but determines folding of the epitope backbone.
Measuring Student Engagement in a Flipped Athletic Training Classroom

Context: Active learning describes any instructional approach that fosters student engagement in the content and is believed to promote critical thinking more fully than do traditional lecture formats. Objective: Investigate student engagement, specifically professional relevance and peer interaction, with active learning techniques used in a flipped classroom format. Design: An exploratory study utilizing both quantitative and qualitative survey instruments. Setting: Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education–accredited undergraduate entry-level athletic training program. Patients or Other Participants: Seventeen students (11 females, 6 males) of at least sophomore level, enrolled in the lower extremity orthopaedic assessment course in the athletic training program. Main Outcome Measure(s): A mixed-method analysis was used. Quantitative questionnaires were analyzed with comparisons of medians and the Friedman test for nonparametric analysis. Qualitative questionnaires were coded using ded.
Novel Dual Endothelin Receptor Antagonist Macitentan Reverses Severe Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Rats

Abstract: The efficacy of endothelin (ET) receptor antagonist bosentan in patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remains limited, partly because its higher doses for potential blockade of ET receptors have never been tested due to liver dysfunction. We hypothesized that rigorous blockade of ET receptors using the novel dual ET receptor antagonist macitentan would be effective in treating severe PAH without major side effects in a preclinical model appropriately representing the human disorder. In normal rats, 30 mg·kg−1·d−1 of macitentan completely abolished big ET-1–induced increases in right ventricle (RV) systolic pressure. Adult male rats were injected with SU5416, a vascular endothelial growth factor blocker, and exposed to hypoxia for 3 weeks and then to normoxia for an additional 5 weeks (total 8 weeks). In intrapulmonary arterial rings isolated from rats with severe PAH, macitentan concentration dependently inhibited ET-1–induced contraction. Long-term treatment with macitentan (30 mg·kg−1·d−1, from week 3 to 8) reversed the high RV systolic pressure with preserved cardiac output. Development of RV hypertrophy, luminal occlusive lesions and medial wall thickening were also significantly improved without increasing serum levels of liver enzymes by macitentan. In conclusion, efficacious blockade of ET receptors with macitentan would reverse severe PAH without major adverse effects.
Nitric oxide, inducible nitric oxide synthase and inflammation in veterinary medicine

Abstract Inflammation is a process consisting of a complex of cytological and chemical reactions which occur in and around affected blood vessels and adjacent tissues in response to an injury caused by a physical, chemical or biological insult. Much work has been performed in the past several years investigating inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS, EC 1.14.13.39) and nitric oxide in inflammation. This has resulted in a rapid increase in knowledge about iNOS and nitric oxide. Nitric oxide formation from inducible NOS is regulated by numerous inflammatory mediators, often with contradictory effects, depending upon the type and duration of the inflammatory insult. Equine medicine appears to have benefited the most from the increased interest in this small, inflammatory mediator. Most of the information on nitric oxide in traditional veterinary species has been produced using models or naturally occurring inflammatory diseases of this species.
Discursive control and power in virtual meetings

Ways of communicating effectively in spoken English, using technology, in a virtual globalized context have received little attention from applied linguists. The role of language in synchronous computer-mediated discourse (CMD) used in virtual teamwork is now emerging as a key area of research concern in business management and information technology disciplines. This article uses linguistic frameworks, most particularly critical discourse analysis (CDA) and systemic functional linguistics (SFL), in particular appraisal analysis, to demonstrate how interpersonal meanings may create dominance, power and solidarity within a sample of a virtual team management meetings. Focusing on one manager case study, we investigate how language is used, consciously or unconsciously, to dominate and close down discussion with his colleagues. We first present the key findings from a turn-taking analysis and then present, through the application of appraisal analysis, how this manager opens or contracts the space available for others to participate. By revealing how power and control unfold through this analysis, the findings may lead to an enhanced self-awareness among all members in virtual teams and reveal how language plays a crucial role in engaging members during a meeting, or in this case, disengaging them.
UNIVERSAL OUTPUT-FEEDBACK SISO CONTROLLER

Abstract A universal single-input-single-output (SISO) controller is proposed which is based on higher-order sliding modes and requires output measurements only. The uncertain SISO dynamic system to be controlled is required to have a permanent known-in-advance relative degree. Its exact mathematical model is not needed. The proposed controller provides for exact finite-time-convergent output tracking with exact output measurements, otherwise the tracking accuracy is proportional to the magnitude of the measurement noise. The control may be made arbitrarily smooth, thereby removing the chattering effect.
The Antecedents of Opinion Leadership Indicators in Social Networks

Opinion leaders can be defined as those who exert an unequal amount of influence on the decision of others. Two approaches for identifying opinion leadership have been i) to explicitly ask people to identify the personal sources from which they would accept advice and analyze the reasons behind such behavior, and ii) to identify the social relations between users in the social network in which the opinion leaders are embedded, and analyze the opinion leadership qualities based on the structural characteristics. However, there is very little research that really integrates the two approaches. This paper develops a theoretical framework of opinion leadership by integrating the structural and the personal indicators. We propose that, in addition to the personal characteristics of opinion leaders such as expertise and benevolence, there are structural characteristics of the social network to which they belong, which further impacts opinion leadership. These structural characteristics may stem from direct ties between users that emanates from the position of the opinion leader within the network (degree centrality), or indirect ties resulting from contacts established outside of the immediate network. Such indirect ties relate to the relationships between networks (betweenness centrality). We conducted a survey to test the research model and plan to use structural equation model to analyze the data. The results will have implications for theory and practice in the arena of opinion leadership.
Aldosterone Synthase Inhibitor Ameliorates Angiotensin II–Induced Organ Damage

Background—Aldosterone and angiotensin (Ang) II both may cause organ damage. Circulating aldosterone is produced in the adrenals; however, local cardiac synthesis has been reported. Aldosterone concentrations depend on the activity of aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2). We tested the hypothesis that reducing aldosterone by inhibiting CYP11B2 or by adrenalectomy (ADX) may ameliorate organ damage. Furthermore, we investigated how much local cardiac aldosterone originates from the adrenal gland. Methods and Results—We investigated the effect of the CYP11B2 inhibitor FAD286, losartan, and the consequences of ADX in transgenic rats overexpressing both the human renin and angiotensinogen genes (dTGR). dTGR-ADX received dexamethasone and 1% salt. Dexamethasone-treated dTGR-salt served as a control group in the ADX protocol. Untreated dTGR developed hypertension and cardiac and renal damage and had a 40% mortality rate (5/13) at 7 weeks. FAD286 reduced mortality to 10% (1/10) and ameliorated cardiac hypertrophy, albuminuria, cell infiltration, and matrix deposition in the heart and kidney. FAD286 had no effect on blood pressure at weeks 5 and 6 but slightly reduced blood pressure at week7 (177±6 mm Hg in dTGR+FAD286 and 200±5 mm Hg in dTGR). Losartan normalized blood pressure during the entire study. Circulating and cardiac aldosterone levels were reduced in FAD286 or losartan-treated dTGR. ADX combined with dexamethasone and salt treatment decreased circulating and cardiac aldosterone to barely detectable levels. At week 7, ADX-dTGR-dexamethasone-salt had a 22% mortality rate compared with 73% in dTGR-dexamethasone-salt. Both groups were similarly hypertensive (190±9 and 187±4 mm Hg). In contrast, cardiac hypertrophy index, albuminuria, cell infiltration, and matrix deposition were significantly reduced after ADX (P<0.05). Conclusions—Aldosterone plays a key role in the pathogenesis of Ang II–induced organ damage. Both FAD286 and ADX reduced circulating and cardiac aldosterone levels. The present results show that aldosterone produced in the adrenals is the main source of cardiac aldosterone.
Pulmonary embolism: CT signs and cardiac biomarkers for predicting right ventricular dysfunction

The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate the accuracy of quantitative cardiac computed tomography (CT) parameters and two cardiac biomarkers (N-terminal-pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) and troponin I), alone and in combination, for predicting right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) in patients with acute pulmonary embolism. 557 consecutive patients with suspected pulmonary embolism underwent pulmonary CT angiography. Patients with pulmonary embolism also underwent echocardiography and NT-pro-BNP/troponin I serum level measurements. Three different CT measurements were obtained (right ventricular (RV)/left ventricular (LV)axial, RV/LV4-CH and RV/LVvolume). CT measurements and NT-pro-BNP/troponin I serum levels were correlated with RVD at echocardiography. 77 patients with RVD showed significantly higher RV/LV ratios and NT-pro-BNP/troponin I levels compared to those without RVD (RV/LVaxial 1.68±0.84 versus 1.00±0.21; RV/LV4-CH 1.52±0.45 versus 1.01±0.21; RV/LVvolume 1.97±0.53 versus 1.07±0.52; serum NT-pro-BNP 6,372±2,319 versus 1,032±1,559 ng·L−1; troponin I 0.18±0.41 versus 0.06±0.18 g·L−1). The area under the curve for the detection of RVD of RV/LVaxial, RV/LV4-CH, RV/LVvolume, NT-pro-BNP and troponin I were 0.84, 0.87, 0.93, 0.83 and 0.70 respectively. The combination of biomarkers and RV/LVvolume increased the AUC to 0.95 (RV/LVvolume with NT-pro-BNP) and 0.93 (RV/LVvolume with troponin I). RV/LVvolume is the most accurate CT parameter for identifying patients with RVD. A combination of RV/LVvolume with NT-pro-BNP or troponin I measurements improves the diagnostic accuracy of either test alone.