Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of the role of GADD153 in the control of apoptosis in NS0 myeloma cells.

Apoptosis can limit the maximum production of recombinant protein expression from cultured mammalian cells. This article focuses on the links between nutrient deprivation, ER perturbation, the regulation of (growth arrest and DNA damage inducible gene 153) GADD153 expression and apoptosis. During batch culture, decreases in glucose and glutamine correlated with an increase in apoptotic cells. This event was paralleled by a simultaneous increase in GADD153 expression. The expression of GADD153 in batch culture was suppressed by the addition of nutrients and with fed-batch culture the onset of apoptosis was delayed but not completely prevented. In defined stress conditions, glucose deprivation had the greatest effect on cell death when compared to glutamine deprivation or the addition of tunicamycin (an inhibitor of glycosylation), added to generate endoplasmic reticulum stress. However, the contribution of apoptosis to overall cell death (as judged by morphology) was smaller in conditions of glucose deprivation than in glutamine deprivation or tunicamycin treatment. Transient activation of GADD153 expression was found to occur in response to all stresses and occurred prior to detection of the onset of cell death. These results imply that GADD153 expression is either a trigger for apoptosis or offers a valid indicator of the likelihood of cell death arising from stresses of relevance to the bioreactor environment.
Integration of a 3D-TOF camera into an autonomous, mobile robot system

3D imaging systems can provide valuable information for autonomous robot navigation. Still the most significant challenge in robot navigation is to have knowledge of 3D dynamic information about the object of interest in the environment. Time-of-Flight (TOF) sensors have recently become available at reasonable prices and offer the possibility to deliver the dynamic object information required for robot navigation. In comparison to stereo vision systems and laser range scanners they combine the advantages of active sensors providing accurate distance measurements and camera-based systems recording a 2D matrix at a high frame rate. This paper focuses on the integration of a TOF sensor into an autonomous, mobile robot system. Experimental results show that the TOF sensor is more suited for robot navigation than the existing laser range system.
Hippocampal volumetrics in treatment‐resistant depression and schizophrenia: The devil's in De‐Tail

Studies of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and schizophrenia (SCH) have revealed reduced hippocampal volumes, but findings have been inconsistent due to sample and measurement differences. The current study sought to measure this structure in a large sample of MDD, SCH, and healthy subjects, using a strict measurement protocol, to elucidate morphological‐specific volumetric differences. Patients with treatment‐resistant MDD (N = 182) and treatment‐resistant SCH with auditory‐verbal hallucinations (N = 52), and healthy controls (N = 76) underwent psychiatric assessments and brain MRI. The findings indicate that (1) MDD and SCH patients have reduced total hippocampal volume which was marked in the tails (more so in patients with MDD), (2) region of interest estimation protocols and sample characteristics may help explain volumetric differences between previous SCH studies. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., Inc.
Two invasive populations of the dry rot fungus Serpula lacrymans show divergent population genetic structures

The dry rot fungus Serpula lacrymans is a devastating basidiomycete occurring in wooden constructions in temperate regions worldwide. In this study, we compare the genetic structures of two invasive populations from Europe and Japan. Microsatellite data from 14 loci and DNA sequences from four loci demonstrated that the two populations were highly differentiated. Significant isolation by distance effect was observed in Europe and Japan. Higher genetic variation was observed within the Japanese population than within the European population, corresponding with the observed higher richness of vegetative compatibility types in Japan, indicating that there has been a higher level of gene flow from the Asian source populations to Japan than to Europe. The European population is genetically more homogenous with only six detected vegetative compatibility types. Various tests indicate that both the European and the Japanese populations have gone through population bottlenecks prior to population expansion. No identical multi‐locus genotypes were observed within Japan and very few within Europe, indicating limited clonal dispersal. Deviations from Hardy Weinberg expectations were observed both in Europe and Japan and heterozygote excess were observed at several loci, especially in Europe. Possible explanations for this pattern are discussed.
Maximum likelihood estimation of cerebral blood flow in dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI

For quantification of cerebral blood flow (CBF) using dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging (DSC‐MRI), knowledge of the tissue response function is necessary. To obtain this, the tissue contrast passage measurement must be corrected for the arterial input. This study proposes an iterative maximum likelihood expectation maximization (ML‐EM) algorithm for this correction, which takes into account the noise in T2‐ or T*2‐weighted image sequences. The ML‐EM algorithm does not assume a priori knowledge of the shape of the response function; it automatically corrects for arrival time offsets and inherently yields positive response values. The results on synthetic image sequences are presented, for which the recovered flow values and the response functions are in good agreement with their expectation values. The method is illustrated by calculating the gray and white matter flow in a clinical example. Magn Reson Med 41:343–350, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Interleukin-10 inhibits ischemic and cisplatin-induced acute renal injury.

BACKGROUND Acute renal failure (ARF) is caused by ischemic and nephrotoxic insults acting alone or in combination. Anti-inflammatory agents have been shown to decrease renal ischemia-reperfusion and cisplatin-induced injury and leukocyte infiltration. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a potent anti-inflammatory cytokine that inhibits inflammatory and cytotoxic pathways implicated in acute renal injury. Therefore, we sought to determine if IL-10 inhibits acute renal injury. METHODS The effects of IL-10 were studied in mice following cisplatin administration and bilateral renal ischemia-reperfusion, in a rat model of renal transplantation, and in cultured mouse cortical tubule cells. RESULTS IL-10 significantly decreased renal injury following cisplatin administration and following renal ischemia/reperfusion. Delay of IL-10 treatment for one hour after cisplatin also significantly inhibited renal damage. IL-10 and alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) increased recovery following transplantation of a kidney subjected to warm ischemia. To explore the mechanism of action of IL-10, its effects were measured on mediators of leukocyte trafficking and inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS-II). IL-10 inhibited cisplatin and ischemia-induced increases in mRNA for tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and NOS-II. IL-10 also inhibited staining for markers of apoptosis and cell cycle activity following cisplatin administration, and nitric oxide production in cultured mouse cortical tubules. CONCLUSIONS IL-10 protects against renal ischemic and cisplatin-induced injury. IL-10 may act, in part, by inhibiting the maladaptive activation of genes that cause leukocyte activation and adhesion, and induction of iNOS.
A Genetic Analysis of Chloroplast Division and Expansion in Arabidopsis thaliana

A nuclear recessive mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana, arc5, has been isolated in which there is no significant increase in chloroplast number during leaf mesophyll cell expansion and in which there are only 13 chloroplasts per mesophyll cell compared with 121 in wild-type cells. Mature arc5 chloroplasts in fully expanded mesophyll cells are 6-fold larger than in wild-type cells. A large proportion of arc5 chloroplasts also show some degree of central constriction, suggesting that the mutation has prevented the completion of the chloroplast division process. To examine the interaction of arc loci, a double mutant was constructed between arc1, a mutant possessing many small chloroplasts, and arc5. A second double mutant was also constructed between arc3, a previously discovered mutant also possessing few large chloroplasts per cell, and arc1. Analysis of these double mutants shows that chloroplast number per mesophyll cell is greater when arc5 and arc3 mutations are expressed in the arc1 background than when expressed alone. The cell-specific nature of arc mutants was also analyzed. The phenotypic traits characteristic of arc3 and arc5 are a reduction in chloroplast number and an increase in chloroplast size in mesophyll cells: these changes are also observed in reduced form in the epidermal and guard cell chloroplasts of arc3 and arc5 plants. Analysis of parenchyma sheath cell chloroplasts suggests that in leaves of arc1 plants the normal developmental distinction between mesophyll and parenchyma sheath chloroplasts is perturbed. The relevance of these findings to the analysis of the control of chloroplast division in mesophyll cells is discussed.
DNA Markers Indicate Low Genetic Diversity and High Genetic Divergence in the Landlocked Freshwater Goby, Rhinogobius sp. YB, in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan

Abstract Genetic diversity and genetic divergence were investigated in the landlocked goby Rhinogobius sp. YB by analysis of seven microsatellite DNA loci and the mtDNA control region sequence, and were compared with those of the closely related amphidromous species Rhinogobius sp. DA. Samples of Rhinogobius sp. YB and Rhinogobius sp. DA were collected from seven and four rivers, respectively. All pairwise Fst tests based on microsatellite DNA showed significant genetic differences, except for one pair of populations of Rhinogobius sp. DA (P<0.00064, α=78). The average Nei's genetic distance was 0.616 in Rhinogobius sp. YB and 0.394 in Rhinogobius sp. DA. Forty-two haplotypes were detected in both species, and almost all Rhinogobius sp. YB populations included different haplotypes. The means of allelic richness, Ho, and He in Rhinogobius sp. YB (2.057, 0.149, and 0.156, respectively) were significantly lower than in Rhinogobius sp. DA (4.868, 0.366, and 0.403, respectively; P<0.05). The high genetic divergence and low genetic diversity in Rhinogobius sp. YB may have resulted from repeated colonizations of rivers by different founders. Efforts to conserve genetic resources should take these evolutionarily significant units (ESU) of Rhinogobius sp. YB into account. The genetic markers used in this study provide simple and highly informative indicators for Rhinogobius sp. YB population management.
Transfer of a branch of the anterior interosseus nerve to the motor branch of the median nerve and ulnar nerve.

OBJECTIVE To explore the applied microsurgical anatomy of the intrinsic hand muscles and related nerves after nerve injuries in the wrist region and to report the results of new technique for the restoration of motor functions of the injured nerves. METHODS Seven fresh forearm amputation specimens were employed for studying the anatomical and microsurgical characteristics of the relevant tissues. Transfer of the pronator quadratus branch of the anterior interosseous nerve (PBAN) to the recurrent branch of the median nerve (RBMN) and the deep branch of the ulnar nerve (DBUN) to restore the functions of the intrinsic hand muscles was performed on 20 patients from April 1979 to January 1994. Fourteen patients were followed up for 3-9 years with an average of 5 years and 8 months. RESULTS The RBMN, DBUN and PBAN had approximately the same lengths of diameter and similar amounts of fascicles and nerve fibers so that after nerve transfer, the possibilities of misdirected connections were greatly reduced. In the latest follow-up, normal muscle strength was regained in 3 patients, grade VI strength in 6, grade III strength in 3 and grade II strength in 2. CONCLUSION This new technique is able to restore the intrinsic hand muscular functions after median or ulnar nerve injuries in the wrist region or distal forearm.
Isolated limb perfusion with the tumor‐targeting human monoclonal antibody–cytokine fusion protein L19‐TNF plus melphalan and mild hyperthermia in patients with locally advanced extremity melanoma

L19‐TNF is a tumor‐targeting immunocytokine composed of the human L19 antibody binding to extra domain B (ED‐B) of fibronectin of newly formed blood vessels, and of human TNF. This exploratory trial evaluates safety and clinical activity of L19‐TNF plus melphalan‐containing isolated limb perfusion (ILP) in extremity melanoma patients.
In-Fiber Fabry–Perot Cavity Sensor for High-Temperature Applications

The fabrication, characterization and encapsulation of a fiber optic temperature sensor based upon a micro Fabry-Perot (F-P) cavity is presented. The F-P cavity is formed between a reflective in-fiber metallic splice and the air-fiber boundary at the end of the sensor. A change in temperature modifies the optical cavity length, and this is observed as a change in the reflected interference spectrum. The sensor has been demonstrated for high-temperature measurement up to 1100 °C. The stability of the sensor system is ~10 °C over a period exceeding 300 h at 1100 °C. Furthermore, a sealed capillary is used as a protective enclosure.
The effect of first-contact care with primary care clinicians on ambulatory health care expenditures.

BACKGROUND A study was undertaken to examine the relationship between first-contact care, an essential feature of primary care, and expenditures for frequent ambulatory episodes of care in a nationally representative sample. METHODS A nonconcurrent cohort study was conducted using data from the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey. Ambulatory claims data of respondents with an identified primary care source were used to develop 20,282 episodes of care for 24 preventive and acute illness conditions. The study examined the relationship of first-contact care, defined as the use of an identified primary care source for the first visit in an episode, and ambulatory episode-of-care expenditures. RESULTS Episodes that began with visits to an individual's primary care clinician, as opposed to other sources of care, were associated with reductions in expenditures of 53% overall ($63 vs 134, P<.001), 62% for acute illnesses ($62 vs $164, P<.001), and 20 for preventive care ($64 vs $80, P<.001). For 23 of the 24 health problems studied, first-contact care was associated with reductions in expenditures. Multivariate regression analyses that controlled for sociodemographic characteristics, health status, case-mix, length of the episode, and number of visits to the emergency room did not substantively alter these results. CONCLUSIONS First-contact care was associated with reductions in ambulatory episode-of-care expenditures of over 50% in a nationally representative sample. These findings suggest that systems of care may reduce ambulatory expenditures.
Spatial and temporal genetic structure of the planktonic Sagitta setosa (Chaetognatha) in European seas as revealed by mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers

Little is known about the spatial and temporal scales at which planktonic organisms are genetically structured. A previous study of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the holoplanktonic chaetognath Sagitta setosa revealed strong phylogeographic structuring suggesting that Northeast (NE) Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea populations are genetically disjunct. The present study used a higher sampling intensity and a combination of mitochondrial and four microsatellite markers to reveal population structuring between and within basins. Between basins, both marker sets indicated significant differentiation confirming earlier results that gene flow is probably absent between the respective S. setosa populations. At the within‐basin scale, we found no evidence of spatial or temporal structuring within the NE Atlantic. In the Mediterranean basin, both marker sets indicated significant structuring, but only the mtDNA data indicated a sharp genetic division between Adriatic and all other Mediterranean populations. Data were inconclusive about population structuring in the Black Sea. The levels of differentiation indicated by the two marker sets differed substantially, with far less pronounced structure detected by microsatellite than mtDNA data. This study also uncovered the presence of highly divergent mitochondrial lineages that were discordant with morphology, geography and nuclear DNA. We thus propose the hypothesis that highly divergent mitochondrial lineages may be present within interbreeding S. setosa populations.
If We Build It, Who Will Come?: Working-Age Adults With Chronic Health Care Needs and the Medical Home

Background:Currently, there is a call to implement and test the patient-centered medical home in adult populations, particularly among those with chronic conditions. However, the size, composition, and service use of the population who might require this coordinated care model need to be assessed, as does the way they are defined and identified. Objectives:Using nationally representative data from the 2002 to 2004 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, we provide a preliminary profile of the population of working-age adults with chronic health care needs (ACHCN), including those with chronic health conditions and disabilities. Results:ACHCN comprised the majority (52%) of the working-aged population. Relative to persons without chronic health care needs, they had significantly more service use, access problems, and 4 times more health care expenditures. Of the 2 disability groups within the larger population of ACHCN, those reporting need for help or supervision with activities of daily livings (ADLs) or instrumental ADLs (IADLs) had the highest rates/percentages of the following: mean chronic (3.5) and acute (4.4) conditions during the year, service use (all services), and access problems. The ADL/IADL-limited group reported annual medical expenditures totaling 100 billion dollars, more than what was spent on the entire working-age population without chronic health care needs. Conclusions:These data reveal the drawbacks of selecting the potential population targeted for a medical home on the basis of diagnosis alone. New measurement approaches on the basis of shared need for ongoing health and related services are required to bridge the division between disability and chronic health conditions.
Improved Head-Shoulder Human Contour Estimation through Clusters of Learned Shape Models

In this paper we propose a clustering-based learning approach to improve an existing model for human head-shoulder contour estimation. The contour estimation is guided by a learned head-shoulder shape model, initialized automatically by a face detector. A dataset with labeled data is used to create the head-shoulder shape model and to quantitatively analyze the results. In the proposed approach, geometric features are firstly extracted from the learning dataset. Then, the number of shape models to be learned is obtained by an unsupervised clustering algorithm. In the segmentation stage, different graphs with an omega-like shape are built around the detected face, related to each learned shape model. A path with maximal cost, related to each graph, defines a initial estimative of the head-shoulder contour. The final estimation is given by the path with maximum average energy. Experimental results indicate that the proposed technique outperformed the original model, which is based on a single shape model, learned in a more simple way. In addition, it achieved comparable accuracy to other state-of-the-art models.
A regulator-free 84dB DR audio-band ADC for compact digital microphones

A 20kHz audio-band ADC with a single power-supply pad is implemented for a digital electret microphone. The designed low-noise preamplifier not only relaxes the ADC design requirement but also provides an excellent interface for the electret capacitor. A low power 4th-order switched-capacitor (SC) ΣΔ modulator (ΣΔΜ) converts the analog signal into lb digital. Under the single power-supply pad, the switching noise effect on the signal quality is estimated via post simulations with simplified parasitic models. Performance degradation is minimized by time-domain noise isolation (TDNI) with sufficient time-spacing between the sampling edge and the output transition. A prototype ADC was implemented in a 0.18 μm CMOS process. It operates under a minimum supply voltage of 1.6 V with total current of 420 μΑ Operating at 2.56 MHz clock frequency, it achieves 84 dB dynamic range and a 64 dB peak signal-to-(noise + distortion) ratio. The measured power supply rejection at a 100 mVpp 217 Hz square wave is −72 dB without any supply regulation.
Comparison of Trough, 2-Hour, and Limited AUC Blood Sampling for Monitoring Cyclosporin (Neoral®) at Day 7 Post–Renal Transplantation and Incidence of Rejection in the First Month

The use of alternative strategies to the traditional pre-dose/trough (C0) blood sampling for cyclosporine (CsA) therapeutic drug monitoring has the potential to revolutionize analytical practices which have, in many centers, been established for some 20 years. While the C0 sample has previously been recommended, current attitudes are increasingly proposing alternatives for assessing CsA exposure, including various limited sampling strategies of the AUC (lssAUC) in the early postdose period, or alternative single-point nontrough samples, such as a 2-hour postdose sample (C2). The present study has reviewed a series of consecutive renal transplant recipients over 18 months where CsA was the primary immunosuppressant. The lssAUC performed at around day 7 posttransplantation included drawing blood at 0, 2, and 4 hours postdose, giving AUC(0–4). The aim of this study was to review the occurrence of acute biopsy-proven rejection in the first month and consider which of (simultaneously measured) C0, C2 or AUC(0–4) was a better early indicator of this adverse outcome. The result was best described by comparing the data from rejectors (n = 13) and nonrejectors (n = 42) for these 3 indices of CsA exposure (i.e., C0, C2 or AUC(0–4)). There was no evidence that C0 predicted the likelihood of such adverse clinical outcomes. In contrast, rejectors tended to have lower mean C2 CsA concentrations, and the incidence of rejection was 0.0 when C2 exceeded 1200 &mgr;g/L (n = 10). While the data are limited in the higher C2 CsA concentration range, it is nevertheless consistent with more recent recommendations suggesting that the CsA at C2 should target 1700 &mgr;g/L in this first month posttransplantation. As 64% of the patients were also receiving a CsA-sparing agent (diltiazem [DTZ]), the relationships were also investigated to determine whether any affect of concomitant DTZ therapy could be demonstrated. However, in this small sample, no significant affect of DTZ was seen.
Spherical stereo for the construction of immersive VR environment

By representing projection of a point at space on a spherical image, called spherical projection, the conventional stereo algorithm can be reformulated. This means that we can acquire the whole surrounding 3D structure of environments for the construction of immersive VR (virtual reality) environment by full view spherical images, called spherical stereo, instead of the conventional approach that uses a normal camera with a limited view to take multiple plane images, reconstructs parts of the environment structure from multiple image pairs, respectively, and finally fuses them as the whole surrounding 3D structure of environments. In this paper we give the concrete approach to realize this spherical stereo method and show the effectiveness of this method.