Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantitative surface scanning by Direct Analysis in Real Time mass spectrometry.

RATIONALE Only a few ambient ionization sources have been demonstrated to work quantitatively for surface scanning. A modification of the Direct Analysis in Real Time mass spectrometry (DART-MS) interface is needed to improve the precision during the scanning of a high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) plate or any other surface or planar substrate, especially for quantitation without an internal standard correction. METHODS The substrate movement relative to the ion source outlet and the mass spectrometer inlet was optimized to improve the desorption, ionization, and capture of analytes. The substrate carrier was mounted at an angled position, thus reducing collisions between the deflected gas stream and the inner transfer tube wall. A special transfer tube, whose edge was angled towards the substrate and allowed a narrow set-up of the ambient air gap, captured the deflected DART gas stream. RESULTS For the repeated DART-MS scanning along five identical deposited bands of butyl-4-hydroxybenzoate a mean precision of 2.7% was obtained. A signal decay of 62% was observed after five scans. After HPTLC of methyl-4-hydroxybenzoate and butyl-4-hydroxybenzoate, mean determination coefficients of 0.9937 and 0.9906 were obtained for five calibrations on five plates, respectively. The mean recovery of two control standards was 94% with a mean repeatability of 9% (%RSD, n = 5) obtained on five different plates. CONCLUSIONS The DART SVPA-3DS system remained compact and the access to the substrate was kept wide open despite the optimized scan lane (spatial resolution at full width at half maximum 0.8 mm, height 3 mm). The performance data showed that the quantitative surface scanning was improved as well as the desorption efficacy and detectability using this modified DART-MS interface.
A comparative analysis of two self-learning based strategies for fuzzy controller design

Two self-learning based methodologies for building the rule-base of a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) are presented in a comparative study. These methodologies aim to bring intelligent characteristics to controller design stage by simulating designer's actions as learning and adapting. An iterative learning algorithm, also called self-learning, is used to gather useful and trustful control data, which can be subsequently used to extract fuzzy rules. Both methods focus on the better use of data obtained by iterative self-learning algorithm. The methodologies have been proven reliable in different cases - practical applications and simulations. Although results are largely dependent on the actual implementation, satisfactory results were obtained without process identification or modeling. So far, no comparative studies were presented, as there are many parameters that may strongly influence the results. By intensively analyzing their reliability, both procedures can be further used on more complex or ill-defined processes.
Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Program, 1996-2004

The Fiscal Year 1996 Appropriations Act (Public Law 104-034) instructed the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to make funds available to units of general purpose local government under the LLEBG Program pursuant to H.R. 728. The grants were to be based on a jurisdiction’s number of Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) Part I violent crimes reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The LLEBG program provides funds to units of local government to reduce crime and improve public safety (see box on page 2). Each year since 1996 Congress has appropriated funds to continue the program.
The Macaque Sperm Actin Cytoskeleton Reorganizes in Response to Osmotic Stress and Contributes to Morphological Defects and Decreased Motility1

Abstract Sperm undergo extreme variations in temperature and osmolality during cryopreservation, resulting in cell damage that includes plasma membrane defects, changes in cell volume, decreased motility, and flagellar defects. However, the fundamental biologic mechanisms underlying these events are poorly understood. We investigated the effects of osmotic stress and cytochalasins b (CB) and d (CD), naturally occurring toxins that disrupt actin organization, on the actin cytoskeleton and motility of Rhesus macaque sperm (Macaca mulatta). Sperm were diluted in media of low, medium, or high osmolality, or medium-osmolality media containing CB or CD, were stained with phalloidin-fluorescein isothiocyanate, and were processed for microscopy. The majority of sperm incubated in medium-osmolality media exhibited postacrosomal stain, whereas the minority displayed banding patterns of F-actin stain in the head. High-osmolality media, as well as CB and CD incubation, resulted in reorganization of F-actin into bands of stain in the majority of sperm heads. Cytochalasin b treatment also resulted in curled and looped tails, a phenomenon of hyposmotic stress, and CB and CD caused significant, dose-dependent decreases in motility determined by computer-assisted sperm assessment. Rho A cell populations were determined using flow cytometry, and immunocytochemistry analysis demonstrated that Rho A localization was altered after osmotic stress. Together, our results support a mechanism in which reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton induced by osmotic stress and potentially mediated by a Rho A signaling pathway contributes to sublethal sperm flagellar and motility defects.
Use of doxycycline to decrease the growth rate of abdominal aortic aneurysms: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study.

OBJECTIVE Eradication of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and inhibition of elastolytic matrix metalloproteinases with doxycycline have been suggested to reduce the growth rates of small abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). We designed a study to investigate the efficacy of doxycycline in reducing the expansion of small AAAs. SUBJECTS AND METHODS This was a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study that was set in a university referral hospital. The study group consisted of 32 of 34 initially eligible patients who had an AAA diameter perpendicular to the aortic axis of 30 mm or more in size or a ratio of infrarenal to suprarenal aortic diameter of 1.2 or more and a diameter less than 55 mm. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either doxycycline (150 mg daily) or placebo during a 3-month period and underwent ultrasound surveillance during an 18-month period. Outcome measures included aneurysm expansion rates, the number of patients who had AAA rupture or repair, C pneumoniae antibody titers, and serum concentrations of C-reactive protein. RESULTS The aneurysm expansion rate in the doxycycline group was significantly lower than that in the placebo group during the 6- to 12-month (P = .01) and the 12- to 18-month periods (P =.01). Five patients (41%) in the placebo group and 1 patient (7%) in the doxycycline group had an overall expansion of the aneurysm of 5 mm or more during the 18-month follow-up. Among the placebo group patients, a higher expansion rate was observed in those with enhanced C pneumoniae immunoglobulin G antibody titers (> 128) than in those with lower titers (P = .03). Doxycycline treatment had no clear effect on antibody titers. However, at 6-month follow-up, C-reactive protein levels in the doxycycline group were significantly lower than the baseline levels (P = .01). CONCLUSIONS The results of this small pilot study suggest that doxycycline may favorably alter the outcome of patients with small AAA. However, because of the small size of this randomized study and of the potentially confounding effect of pretreatment risk factors, doxycycline-based treatment cannot be justified only on the ground of the current results. Because of the high prevalence of this disorder and its clinical, social, and economic relevance, a multicenter study should be performed to further investigate whether there is any place for medical treatment of small AAAs.
Dendro‐somatic distribution of calcium‐mediated electrogenesis in Purkinje cells from rat cerebellar slice cultures

1 The role of Ca2+ entry in determining the electrical properties of cerebellar Purkinje cell (PC) dendrites and somata was investigated in cerebellar slice cultures. Immunohistofluorescence demonstrated the presence of at least three distinct types of Ca2+ channel proteins in PCs: the α1A subunit (P/Q type Ca2+ channel), the α1G subunit (T type) and the α1E subunit (R type). 2 In PC dendrites, the response started in 66 % of cases with a slow depolarization (50 ± 15 ms) triggering one or two fast (∼1 ms) action potentials (APs). The slow depolarization was identified as a low‐threshold non‐P/Q Ca2+ AP initiated, most probably, in the dendrites. In 16 % of cases, this response propagated to the soma to elicit an initial burst of fast APs. 3 Somatic recordings revealed three modes of discharge. In mode 1, PCs display a single or a short burst of fast APs. In contrast, PCs fire repetitively in mode 2 and 3, with a sustained discharge of APs in mode 2, and bursts of APs in mode 3. Removal of external Ca2+ or bath applications of a membrane‐permeable Ca2+ chelator abolished repetitive firing. 4 Tetraethylammonium (TEA) prolonged dendritic and somatic fast APs by a depolarizing plateau sensitive to Cd2+ and to ω‐conotoxin MVII C or ω‐agatoxin TK. Therefore, the role of Ca2+ channels in determining somatic PC firing has been investigated. Cd2+ or P/Q type Ca2+ channel‐specific toxins reduced the duration of the discharge and occasionallyinduced the appearance of oscillations in the membrane potential associated with bursts of APs. 5 In summary, we demonstrate that Ca2+ entry through low‐voltage gated Ca2+ channels, not yet identified, underlies a dendritic AP rarelyeliciting a somatic burst of APs whereas Ca2+ entry through P/Q type Ca2+ channels allowed a repetitive firing mainly by inducing a Ca2+‐dependent hyperpolarization.
Real‐time optical coherence tomography coregistration with angiography in percutaneous coronary intervention–impact on physician decision‐making: The OPTICO‐integration study

Intracoronary optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging allows for high‐resolution characterization of coronary lesions. Difficulties in matching cross‐sectional OCT‐images with angiographic lesion localization may limit optimal clinical utilization. We sought to prospectively assess the impact of a novel system of real‐time OCT coregistration with angiography (ACR) on physician decision‐making during percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI).
Accuracy of Imaging the Menisci on an In-Office, Dedicated, Magnetic Resonance Imaging Extremity System*

Magnetic resonance imaging effectively defines and characterizes musculoskeletal pathologic lesions, par ticularly meniscal tears. Most studies comparing the efficacy of magnetic resonance imaging and arthro scopic evaluation have been performed on high-field (1.5-T) systems. The effectiveness of a low-field (0.2- T), dedicated, extremity magnetic resonance imaging device in diagnosing meniscal tears was studied pro spectively on 35 patients with knee symptoms who subsequently had arthroscopic evaluation. Magnetic resonance imaging examinations were performed be fore surgery and were read by an experienced radiol ogist who was blinded to the results of the arthroscopic evaluations. Specificity was 100% for both the medial and lateral menisci. Sensitivity was 86% for the medial menisci, 89% for the lateral menisci, and 87% for both. Accuracy was 91 % for the medial menisci, 97% for the lateral menisci, and 94% overall. The positive predic tive values were 100% for the medial menisci, 100% for the lateral menisci, and 100% for both. The nega tive predictive values were 81 % for the medial menisci, 96% for the lateral menisci, and 91 % for both. The low-field magnetic resonance imaging system provided specificity and sensitivity that were equal to or better than previous reports with high-field systems. In par ticular, this low-field system eliminated the problem of false-positive results that has been found in some stud ies using high-field systems.
Symptomatic type 1 protein C deficiency caused by a de novo Ser270Leu mutation in the catalytic domain

Heterozygosity for a C8524T transition in the protein C gene converting Ser270(TCG) to Leu(TTG) in the protease domain was identified in a family with venous thrombosis. The mutation was associated with parallel reduction in plasma levels of protein C anticoagulant activity and protein C antigen, which is consistent with a type 1 deficiency. Transient expression of mutant protein C cDNA in human kidney 293 cells and analysis of protein C antigen in culture media and cell lysates showed that the secretion of mutant protein compared with wild‐type protein was reduced by at least 97% while the intracellular content of mutant and wild‐type protein was similar. Northern blot analysis of total mRNA from transfected cells showed no reduction of the mutant protein C mRNA compared with wild‐type protein C mRNA. Collectively, these results indicate that the Ser270Leu mutation in the affected family caused the plasma protein C deficiency and are consistent with a disease mechanism that involves synthesis of mutant protein followed by intracellular degradation before its secretion into the extracellular space. The mutation was not present in the parents of the proband, suggesting a de novo mutation. Non‐paternity was excluded after the analysis of three intragenic protein C polymorphisms and six dinucleotide repeat allele sets located in five different chromosomes.
Development of 22 kV HTS Triaxial Superconducting Bus

When conventional power cables are replaced with superconducting ones, it is necessary to realize a large transmission capacity with a low heat-road from an economic standpoint. In this regard, the isolation power bus (IPB), which is used to connect a generator to a step-up transformer in power plants, is one of the potential candidates to achieve this. We have been developing a 22 kV class triaxial superconducting bus as an alternative to the IPB in which Y<sub>1</sub>Ba<sub>2</sub>Cu<sub>3</sub>O<sub>7−</sub><italic><sub>d</sub></italic> tapes are used, and we have already reported a basic design. In this study, we fabricated 22–3 kA class test cables and terminations to verify the design ansd investigate the properties of the system. A 7-m-long superconducting test cable was manufactured by using industrial winding machines and critical current <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX"> $I_{c}$</tex-math></inline-formula> values, and voltage withstand tests were performed. The <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$I_{{\rm{c}}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> value of each phase was 4 kA or more at 77 K, which was almost equal to the value of the design. In addition, the withstand voltage was higher than the ac withstand voltage of 50 kV and the lightning impulse of 125 kV. Furthermore, thermal loss to the cryogenic region from the cable and terminations was calculated, and the flow pattern and the pressure loss of liquid nitrogen in a 100-m-long cable were simulated by using a FLUENT simulation software. The cryogenic system could be designed based on the simulation. The termination design was the most difficult because heat insulation and dielectric insulation for a high voltage had to be realized. We tested various kinds of heat insulation techniques with several vacuum levels to develop an appropriate design.
Comparing the anterior nare bacterial community of two discrete human populations using Illumina amplicon sequencing.

The anterior nares are an important reservoir for opportunistic pathogens and commensal microorganisms. A barcoded Illumina paired-end sequencing method targeting the 16S ribosomal RNA V1-2 hypervariable region was developed to compare the bacterial diversity of the anterior nares across distinct human populations (volunteers from Germany vs a Babongo Pygmy tribe, Africa). Of the 251 phylotypes detected, 231 could be classified to the genus level and 109 to the species level, including the unambiguous identification of the ubiquitous Staphylococcus aureus and Moraxella catarrhalis. The global bacterial community of both adult populations revealed that they shared 85% of the phylotypes, suggesting that our global bacterial communities have likely been with us for thousands of years. Of the 34 phylotypes unique to the non-westernized population, most were related to members within the suborder Micrococcineae. There was an even more overwelming distinction between children and adults of the same population, suggesting a progression of a childhood community of high-diversity comprising species of Moraxellaceae and Streptococcaceae to an adult community of lower diversity comprising species of Propionibacteriaceae, Clostridiales Incertae Sedis XI, Corynebacteriaceae and Staphylococcaceae. Thus, age was a stronger factor for accounting for differing bacterial assemblages than the origin of the human population sampled.
Reductive and oxidative half-reactions of glutathione reductase from Escherichia coli.

Glutathione reductase catalyzes the reduction of glutathione disulfide by NADPH and has a redox active disulfide and an FAD cofactor in each monomer. In the reductive half-reaction, FAD is reduced by NADPH and electrons pass from the reduced flavin to the redox active disulfide. The oxidative half-reaction is dithiol-disulfide interchange between the enzyme dithiol and glutathione disulfide. We have investigated the reductive and oxidative half-reactions using wild-type glutathione reductase from Escherichia coli and in an altered form of the enzyme in which the active site acid-base catalyst, His439, has been changed to an alanine residue (H439A). H439A has 0.3% activity in the NADPH/GSSG assay. The replacement affects both the oxidative half-reaction, as expected, and the reductive half-reaction--specifically, the passage of electrons from reduced flavin to the disulfide. Reduction of H439A by NADPH allows direct observation of flavin reduction. The NADPH-FAD charge transfer complex is formed in the dead time. Reduction of FAD, at a limiting rate of 250 s-1, is observed as a decrease at 460 nm and an increase at 670 nm (FADH(-)-NADP+ charge transfer). Subsequent passage of electrons from FADH- to the disulfide (increase at 460 nm and a decrease at 670 nm) is very slow (6-7 s-1) and concentration independent in H439A. The monophasic oxidative half-reaction is very slow, as expected for reduced H439A. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A firm-level perspective on micro- and macro-level uncertainty; An analysis of business expectations and uncertainty from the UK Management and Expectations Survey

In the current climate, it is difficult to over-state the importance of improving our understanding of the economic impact of uncertainty. While it is widely accepted that uncertainty depresses economic activity, there is scarce quantitative evidence, particularly at the firm-level, to examine this relationship. This paper exploits a new data source on business-level expectations â€“ the Management and Expectations Survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in collaboration with the Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE) â€“ to give insight into British firmsâ€™ expectations and uncertainty concerning their turnover, expenditure, investment and employment growth for 2017 and 2018, as well as real UK GDP growth for 2018. Our results suggest that firmsâ€™ expectations of UK GDP growth for 2018 are more pessimistic, compared with recent trends and professional forecasters. We find that younger businesses and those with more structured management practices are more optimistic of their future turnover growth, while foreign-owned firms are more pessimistic than domestically-owned firms. We measure the uncertainty that businesses have around these expectations, and find that firms that are smaller, younger, domestically-owned, family- owned-and-family-managed and less productive display higher levels of uncertainty. We also identify a relationship between firmsâ€™ micro- and macro-economic expectations: firms that are more optimistic of future GDP growth are also more optimistic of their own future performance, and firms that are more uncertain of future GDP growth are also more uncertain of their own future performance. We establish a relationship between firmsâ€™ past experiences and their uncertainty for the future: firms that operate in industries with typically volatile growth are more uncertain of their future growth.
Identification of a common molecular pathway in hypertensive renal damage: comparison of rat and human gene expression profiles

Background: There is a common structural progression in hypertensive renal damage with early arterial damage and fibrosis in the juxtamedullary cortex. Method: The present investigation identifies a common pathway using three-gene expression profiles from hypertensive rat models: 60-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR), salt-loaded stroke-prone SHR (SHRSP), and the non-clipped kidney after 24 weeks of two-kidney, one-clip hypertension (2K1C). Kidney damage was scored using a specialized system. Gene-expression profiles were determined using microarrays and validated using a panel of 47 genes by quantitative real-time PCR. Results: All groups showed kidney damage (SHRs: 0.32 ± 0.09 vs. Wistar–Kyoto rats: 0.06 ± 0.03; 2K1C: 0.27 ± 0.13 vs. pooled controls: 0.01 ± 0.01; SHRSP: 1.13 ± 0.14 vs. WKY: 0.04 ± 0.03; all P < 0.05). A total of 1614 genes were changed in the SHR experiment, 1323 in the SHRSP, and 576 in the 2K1C. Eighty-eight genes were similarly regulated in all three models. Gene ontology enrichment analysis identified 59 ontologies that were enriched in all three datasets. These included over-representation to extracellular matrix, response to oxidative stress, and immune system processes. Out of the 88 in-common genes, 40 could be connected in a common pathway that was compared to two gene-expression profiles from human kidneys with histologically verified fibrosis to identify a highly significant number of in-common genes that were also represented in the common genetic pathway. Conclusion: There is a common pathway during the development of hypertensive kidney damage in rats irrespective of model. Interestingly, large parts of this common pathway are conserved in human kidney damage, which may indicate a broader importance in the development of chronic kidney disease.
Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery preparation: not an improvement over conventional diffusion-weighted imaging at 3T in acute ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Change in signal intensity due to acute ischemic stroke can be detected on diffusion-weighted (DW) images soon after symptom onset. Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) DW imaging suppresses signal intensity from water and has been suggested to be better than conventional DW imaging as a diagnostic imaging technique in acute stroke. We compared the signal intensity-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise-ratio (CNR) between ischemic and normal tissues by using these two sequences. METHODS Twenty stroke patients underwent imaging less than 6 hours after stroke onset by using both acquisition methods. The SNR of six regions of interest in normal brain and one region in ischemic brain were compared on both DW imaging and FLAIR DW imaging. We also compared CNR in normal and ischemic tissues. The calculated apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps from each acquisition technique were similarly assessed. RESULTS The SNR was significantly lower for FLAIR DW imaging than for DW imaging (P < .05). The CNR between normal and ischemic tissue was also lower on FLAIR DW imaging (P < .05). SNR and CNR of the ADC maps were significantly different (P < .05) for all tissues except the putamen and white matter (for SNR and CNR) and globus pallidus (for CNR only). CONCLUSION Ischemic tissue on FLAIR DW imaging was significantly less conspicuous than on DW imaging and potentially limits the clinical utility of this sequence.