Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of acute stent thrombosis under high-shear flow conditions by a nitric oxide donor, DMHD/NO. An ex vivo porcine arteriovenous shunt study.

BACKGROUND Coronary stenting is limited by subacute thrombosis, especially in smaller-diameter vessels, in which shear rates are high. The objective of the present study was to determine whether local delivery of a new type of NO donor, the NO adduct of N,N'-dimethylhexanediamine (DMHD/NO), inhibits acute stent thrombosis (ST) at high-shear flow. METHODS AND RESULTS Effects of local infusion of DMHD/NO; intravenous aspirin, and heparin on ST were evaluated in an ex vivo porcine AV shunt model. Nitinol stents (2 mum in diameter, n = 120) were placed in a tubular chamber and perfused with blood from pigs (n = 13) at a shear rate of 2100s-1 for 20 minutes. ST was quantified by measurement of dry thrombus weight(TW). Effects on platelet aggregation (PA), blood pressure, bleeding time, and activated clotting time (ACT) were also examined. There was a dose-dependent inhibition of ST and PA by DMHD/NO. TW was reduced by 95% (1 +/- 2 versus 16 +/- 4 mg control, mean +/- SD, P < .001), and PA was reduced by 75% (4 +/- 3 versus 14 +/- 9 omega/min control, P < .05) at the highest dose of 10 mumol/L. DMHD/NO had no effects on bleeding time, ACT, or blood pressure. In contrast, aspirin (10 mg/kg), despite inhibiting PA, had no effects on TW (12 +/- 5 versus 16 +/- 8 mg control, P = .3). Heparin (200 U/kg) reduced TW by 33% (14 +/- 4 versus 21 +/- 3 mg control, P < .05) and prolonged ACT. CONCLUSIONS Local delivery of DMHD/NO produced a 15-fold inhibition of acute ST at high-shear flow without producing adverse systemic hemostatic or hemodynamic effects. Thus, treatment with DMHD/NO may be an effective strategy for prevention of stent thrombosis.
Inductive Logic Programming: Techniques and Applications

Part 1 Empirical inductive logic programming: introduction empirical ILP systems - an overview LINUS - using attribute-value learners in an ILP framework experiments in learning relations with LINUS ILP as search for program clauses. Part 2 Learning relations from imperfect data: handling imperfect data in ILP using heuristics to handle noise in ILP mFOIL - extending noise-handling in FOIL experiments in learning relations from noisy examples. Part 3 Applications of inductive logic programming: learning rules for early diagnosis of rheumatic diseases finite element mesh design an overview of selected ILP applications.
Exposure of children to second-hand smoke in cars

Objective: To investigate exposure of children to second hand smoke (SHS) in cars under real life smoking and realistic driving conditions. Methods: PM2.5 concentrations (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter below 2.5μm) were monitored as a marker for SHS in 21 car journeys using the TSI portable photometer SidePakTM. Five participants (includ ing one non-smoker) volunteered to drive their own cars and were asked to make no changes to their normal smoking behaviour. A child-sized doll was positioned in a child car seat on the back seat of each car. Monitoring took place under different traffic conditions and different ventilation conditions. Results: Geometric mean (GM) PM2.5 concentrations during smoking journeys (65μgm) exceeded the proposed WHO 24-hour guideline concentration for outdoor air pollution (25μgm) and were 10 times higher than those found during non-smoking journeys (6.8μgm). GM PM2.5 concentrations on journeys with low ventilation were 139μgm, whereas for journeys with high ventilation the GM PM2.5 concentration was 32. 5μgm . Conclusions: Smoking in cars produces concentrations of PM2.5 that could be classified as unhealthy, even when windows are open or ventilation is on. Based on these findings, measures to prevent smoking in cars, particularly when children are present, should be explored.
Hybrid Real-time Zero-day Malware Analysis and Reporting System

To understand completely the malicious intents of a zero-day malware there is really no automated way. There is no single best approach for malware analysis so it demands to combine existing static, dynamic and manual malware analysis techniques in a single unit. In this paper a hybrid real-time analysis and reporting system is presented. The proposed system integrates various malware analysis tools and utilities in a component-based architecture. The system automatically provides detail result about zero-day malware’s behavior. The ultimate goal of this analysis and reporting is to gain a quick and brief understanding of the malicious activity performed by a zero-day malware while minimizing the time frame between the detection of zero-day attack and generation of a security solution. The results are paramount valuable for a malware analyst to perform zero-day malware detection and containment.
Introducing Critical Appraisal to studies of animal models investigating novel therapies in sepsis.

OBJECTIVES To discuss theoretical and practical aspects relating to the design of animal studies investigating the efficacy of novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of sepsis, and to make explicit the process whereby these studies can be evaluated for the purpose of designing clinical trials in humans. DATA SOURCES Relevant articles from the pertinent literature were reviewed. STUDY SELECTION Studies relevant to an evidence-based assessment of clinical studies on therapeutic efficacy, and studies relevant to the design of animal models of sepsis were selected. DATA EXTRACTION Concepts relevant to an evidence-based assessment of the animal literature were extracted. DATA SYNTHESIS Articles were reviewed and an evidence-based framework for the assessment of animal studies was developed. In this process, we discuss the steps that are necessary to assess the internal validity of an individual study and review topics relevant to the application of animal data to the design of clinical trials. CONCLUSIONS The success of clinical trials of sepsis therapies is predicated on the generation and interpretation of sound preclinical data. In this review, we have attempted to outline an evidence-based approach to the assessment of preclinical animal studies evaluating novel therapeutic interventions in sepsis.
Effects of Image Fusion Methods on Sugarcane Classification with Landsat-8 Imagery

The culture of sugarcane has great importance in the brazilian agribusiness. Remote sensing images have been tradicionally used on manual mapping of sugarcane fields. Manual classification is a laborious and time-consuming task, especially given the size of the territory, and it is still necessary to assess the quality of the maps. Image fusion can improve the identification and mapping of surface features. The computational data mining methodology demonstrates high potential for application in areas related to crop mapping and several classification techniques can be used. Most studies on fusion of remote sensing images have focused on the analysis of spectral and spatial quality of the products obtained by different algorithms, however, once classification is applied on these products, it is important to analyze the impact of fusion in the classification. In the literature there are few studies on this topic, especially considering the Landsat-8. In this context, we evaluated five pansharpening methods Intensity-Hue-Saturation (IHS), Principal Components (PC), Gran-Schmidt (GS), Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) and DWT+IHS for the classification of sugarcane fields in a Landsat-8 image (bands 4, 5 and 6). The Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm was used to perform a target detection of sugarcane, using a binary classification. The samples used were selected based on a field survey realized on the study area. According to the Universal Image Quality Index (UIQI) and the Spatial Relative Dimensionless Global Error in Synthesis (SERGAS), the best fusion technique was the DWT+IHS. However, considering the effects on classification, the GS fusion showed better results than other methods.
Production of infectious RNA transcripts from Sindbis virus cDNA clones: mapping of lethal mutations, rescue of a temperature-sensitive marker, and in vitro mutagenesis to generate defined mutants

We constructed full-length cDNA clones of Sindbis virus that can be transcribed in vitro by SP6 RNA polymerase to produce infectious genome-length transcripts. Viruses produced from in vitro transcripts are identical to Sindbis virus and show strain-specific phenotypes reflecting the source of RNA used for cDNA synthesis. The cDNA clones were used to confirm the mapping of the causal mutation of ts2 to the capsid protein. A general strategy for mapping Sindbis virus mutations is described and was used to identify two lethal mutations in an original full-length construct which did not produce infectious transcripts. An XbaI linker was inserted in the cDNA clone near the transcriptional start of the subgenomic mRNA; the resulting virus retains the XbaI recognition sequence, thus providing formal evidence that viruses are derived from in vitro transcripts of cDNA clones. The potential applications of the cDNA clones are discussed.
The bi‐specific CD3 × NCAM antibody: a model to preactivate T cells prior to tumour cell lysis

To target the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM, CD56) on neuroblastoma by T cell‐based immunotherapy we have generated a bi‐specific CD3 × NCAM antibody (OE‐1). This antibody can be used to redirect T cells to NCAM+ cells. Expectedly, the antibody binds specifically to NCAM+ neuroblastoma cells and CD3+ T cells. OE‐1 induces T cell activation, expansion and effector function in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)‐derived CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. T cell activation was shown to depend on the presence of normal natural killer (NK) cells in the culture. Interestingly, while PBMC‐ derived T cells were activated by OE‐1, NK cells were almost completely depleted, suggesting that T cells activated by OE‐1 deleted the NK cells. Activated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells differentiate into a larger CCR7+ central memory and a smaller CCR7– effector memory cell population. Most importantly, preactivated T cells were highly cytotoxic for neuroblastoma cells. In eight of 11 experiments tumour‐directed cytotoxicity was enhanced when NK cells were present during preactivation with OE‐1. These data strongly support a bi‐phasic therapeutic concept of primarily stimulating T cells with the bi‐specific antibody in the presence of normal NCAM+ cells to induce T cell activation, migratory capacity and finally tumour cell lysis.
(2R)-[(4-Biphenylylsulfonyl)amino]-N-hydroxy-3-phenylpropionamide (BiPS), a Matrix Metalloprotease Inhibitor, Is a Novel and Potent Activator of Hypoxia-Inducible Factors

Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) are unstable heterodimeric transcription factors and decisive elements for the transcriptional regulation of genes important in the adaptation to low-oxygen conditions. Hypoxia is the ubiquitous inducer of HIFs, stabilizing the α-subunit and permitting the formation of a functional HIF complex. Here, we identify (2R)-[(4-biphenylylsulfonyl)amino]-N-hydroxy-3-phenylpropionamide (BiPS), a commercially available metalloprotease-2 and -9 inhibitor, as a rapid and potent inducer of HIFs. We show that in different cell lines, BiPS induces the HIF-α subunit by inhibiting its degradation through stabilization of its labile oxygen-dependent degradation domain. This is achieved through the inhibition of HIF-1α hydroxylation. The HIF-1 complex, formed after BiPS treatment, is capable of DNA binding and activation of HIF target genes, including the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor. Because novel HIF activators have generated considerable interest in the possible treatment of different ischemic diseases, we believe that BiPS and derivative molecules could have strong therapeutic potential.
Neutral theory and community ecology

I review the mathematical and biological aspects of Hubbell’s (2001) neutral theory of species abundance for ecological communities, and clarify its historical connections with closely related approaches in population genetics. A selective overview of the empirical evidence for and against this theory is provided, with a special emphasis on tropical plant communities. The neutral theory predicts many of the basic patterns of biodiversity, confirming its heuristic power. The strict assumption of equivalence that defines neutrality, equivalence among individuals, finds little empirical support in general. However, a weaker assumption holds for stable communities, the equivalence of average fitness among species. One reason for the surprising success of the neutral theory is that all the theories of species coexistence satisfying the fitness equivalence assumption, including many theories of niche differentiation, generate exactly the same patterns as the neutral theory. Hubbell’s neutral theory represents an important synthesis and a much needed demonstration of the pivotal role of intraspecific variability in ecology. Further improvements should lead to an explicit linking to niche-based processes. This research programme will depend crucially on forthcoming theoretical and empirical achievements.
The testis-specific proteasome subunit Prosα6T of D. melanogaster is required for individualization and nuclear maturation during spermatogenesis

Most regulated proteolysis in eukaryotes is carried out by the 26S proteasome. This large, multisubunit complex comprises a catalytic core particle (20S proteasome) and a regulatory particle (19S regulator) capping each end. In Drosophila, about a third of the 32 proteasome subunits are found to have testis-specific isoforms, encoded by paralogous genes. Here, we characterize in detail the spermatogenic expression of the core particle subunit Prosα6 (Pros35) and its testis-specific isoform Prosα6T. Using GFP-tagged transgenes, it is shown that whereas the Prosα6 subunit is expressed in early stages of spermatogenesis, gradually fading away following meiosis, the testis-specific Prosα6T becomes prominent in spermatid nuclei and cytoplasm after meiosis, and persists in mature sperm. In addition, these subunits are found in numerous `speckles' near individualization complexes, similar to the previously described expression pattern of the caspase Dronc (Nedd2-like caspase), suggesting a link to the apoptosis pathway. We also studied the phenotypes of a loss-of-function mutant of Prosα6T generated by targeted homologous recombination. Homozygous males are sterile and show spermatogenic defects in sperm individualization and nuclear maturation, consistent with the expression pattern of Prosα6T. The results demonstrate a functional role of testis-specific proteasomes during Drosophila spermatogenesis.
Variability analysis of composite materials for stress relief in cable accessories

This paper introduces an evolutionary approach to the variability analysis of nonlinear systems. The algorithm shows some advantages with respect to classical stochastic approaches and, in particular, with respect to Monte Carlo-based methods. First, it allows a significant reduction of the underestimation error that affects any nondeterministic approach; in other words, it guarantees a considerable saving of simulation time. Moreover, the technique ensures a higher reliability in pursuing the true range of variation of the system performance of interest. The method has been applied to a practical problem of great interest: the variability analysis of a stress control tube made of a composite material used for electric stress relief in cable accessories. The cable termination has been modeled by means of a lumped nonlinear circuit. The proposed technique also provides reliable results whenever large parameter variations need to be taken into account and/or nonlinear functions of varying parameters are considered. Simulation results prove it to be of great support for the designer in cable termination dimensioning and in composite material selection.
Systems of Algebraic Equations with Bad Reduction

This article proposes a new method for finding certain solutions of systems of algebraic equations, a method successfully applied to huge systems where general methods usually fail. We usep-adic approximation, and combine a trivial but effective method for solving systems modulopthat takes advantage of a smallpwith a new lifting scheme able to cope with bad reduction, this being a frequent phenomenon with small primes. The method works particularly good for solutions of small (or at least bounded) algebraic degree. Such solutions are interesting in Constructive Galois Theory where they yield polynomials with a prescribed Galois Group.
Ciprofloxacin Is Actively Transported across Bronchial Lung Epithelial Cells Using a Calu-3 Air Interface Cell Model

ABSTRACT Ciprofloxacin is a well-established broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone antibiotic that penetrates well into the lung tissues; still, the mechanisms of its transepithelial transport are unknown. The contributions of specific transporters, including multidrug efflux transporters, organic cation transporters, and organic anion-transporting polypeptide transporters, to the uptake of ciprofloxacin were investigated in vitro using an air interface bronchial epithelial model. Our results demonstrate that ciprofloxacin is subject to predominantly active influx and a slight efflux component.
A mobile e-learning environment for developing countries: the Bangladesh Virtual Interactive Classroom

This paper reports a project working to improve distance education in Bangladesh by means of a low-cost, large-scale interactive learning environment using video, mobile phones, SMS-based tools administered in a learning management system, and innovative pedagogy based on the student-centered learning model. The paper addresses the question of how to use existing mobile telephony technical infrastructure to create interactive learning environments which can reach a majority of the population, be able to include thousands of students, and be sustainable from a resource perspective. This question includes challenges relating to pedagogy and teaching methods, technical tools for learning and communication, and institutional arrangements. The paper addresses these challenges by the illustrative case of the Bangladesh Virtual Interactive Classroom testing the tools and ideas in course at Bangladesh Open University. We find that our tools are feasible and usable but also that sustainability requires meeting organizational and social challenges. Peter Wolcott is the accepting Associate Editor for this article.
Automatic image segmentation of old topographic maps and floor plans

There are several kinds of information that can be achieved in ancient documents. In general, image processing research on this subject works with images of letters or documents. Topographic maps and floor plans are also an important source of information about history. In this paper, we introduce a new algorithm for image segmentation of ancient maps and floor plans. It aims to remove most part of non textual elements leaving just the text. This allows further automatic identification of the map or plan through automatic character recognition techniques. The proposed method uses a new edge detection algorithm, thresholding and connected component analysis. The results are analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively by comparison with other technique.
Transgenic Expression of Polyomavirus Middle T Antigen in the Mouse Prostate Gives Rise to Carcinoma

ABSTRACT The middle T (MT) antigen of polyomavirus has provided fundamental insights into the regulation of mammalian cell growth in vitro and important animal models for the analysis of tumor induction. The mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-MT model of breast cancer has been important for probing the cellular signaling pathways in mammary tumorigenesis. MT itself has no intrinsic enzymatic activity but, rather, transforms by binding to and activating key intracellular signaling molecules, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) being the best studied of these. Thus, MT mimics a constitutively activated receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK). Our recent work suggests that MT signaling, like that of RTKs, is often quite dependent on cellular context in vitro. Here, we examine contextual effects on signaling in animal models as well. In this study, we generated transgenic mice in which MT is expressed in the mouse prostate under the control of an (ARR)2-Probasin promoter. All male transgenic mice displayed mouse prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (mPIN) in the ventral and dorsal/lateral prostate as early as 8 weeks of age. Notably, during the course of tumor development over time, invasive cancer, reactive stroma, and infiltration of inflammatory cells were seen. Transcriptional profiling analyses show regulation of multiple pathways, with marked upregulation of both the NF-κB and inflammatory pathways. Comparison of expression profiles of our MT prostate model with those from an MMTV-MT breast model (23) shows both tissue-specific and tissue-independent MT effects. The signature of genes regulated by MT in a tissue-independent manner may have prognostic value.
Feature precedence graphs as an approach for the forming operations planning of integral sheet metal parts

Feature precedence graphs are well-known models to describe products for process planning purposes. In this paper, we propose a process planning approach for integral sheet metal parts with higher order bifurcations. Those products are produced in a continuous manufacturing process by applying the new manufacturing technologies of linear flow splitting and linear bend splitting in combination with roll forming. We introduce new form-features, operation features, and forming features to represent integral sheet metal parts of higher order bifurcations from a design and manufacturing perspective on different levels of detail. The resulting feature precedence graphs are acyclic directed graphs. Thus, topological sorting algorithms can be applied to generate feasible sequences in the model.
Genetic and Epigenetic Changes in p21 and p21B Do Not Correlate with Resistance to Doxorubicin or Mitomycin and 5-Fluorouracil in Locally Advanced Breast Cancer

Purpose: The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 acts as a main executor of p53-induced growth arrest. Recently, a second transcript, p21B, was found to code for a protein expressing proapoptotic activity. We investigated p21 and p21B for mutations and epigenetic silencing in locally advanced breast cancers treated with doxorubicin or 5-fluorouracil/mitomycin and correlated our findings with treatment response and TP53 status. Experimental Design: We used reverse transcription-PCR to analyze p21/p21B mutation status in 73 breast cancer samples. The p21 promoter region was sequenced and analyzed for hypermethylations by methylation-specific PCR. In addition, a selection of patients were analyzed for mutations in the p21B promoter. Results: The p21 gene was neither mutated nor silenced by promoter hypermethylation in any of the tumors examined. One patient harbored a novel p21 splice variant in addition to the wild-type transcript. We observed two base substitutions in the p21 transcript, C93A and G251A, each affecting six patients (8.2%). The G251A variant had not been reported previously. In 12 patients (16.4%), we observed a novel base substitution, T35C, in p21B. All three base substitutions were observed in lymphocyte DNA and therefore considered polymorphisms. The polymorphisms did not correlate with p21 staining index, treatment response to doxorubicin or 5-fluorouracil/mitomycin, or TP53 status. Conclusions: Our findings do not suggest that genetic or epigenetic disturbances in p21 or p21B cause resistance to doxorubicin or mitomycin/5-fluorouracil in breast cancer. Future studies should assess potential associations between these novel polymorphisms and breast cancer risk.