Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Tai Chi exercise on blood pressure and plasma levels of nitric oxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide in real-world patients with essential hypertension

Abstract Objective was to investigate the effects of Tai Chi exercise on nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) levels, and blood pressure (BP) in patients with essential hypertension (EH). EH patients were assigned to the Tai Chi exercise group (HTC, n = 24), and hypertension group (HP, n = 16) by patients’ willingness. Healthy volunteers matched for age and gender were recruited as control (NP, n = 16). HTC group performed Tai Chi (60 min/d, 6 d/week) for 12 weeks. Measurements (blood glucose, cholesterol, NO, CO, H2S and BP) were obtained at week 0, 6, and 12. SBP, MAP, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels decreased, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels increased by week 12 in the HTC group (all p < 0.05 versus baseline). Plasma NO, CO, and H2S levels in the HTC group were increased after 12 weeks (all p < 0.05 versus baseline). SBP, DBP and MAP levels were significantly lower in the HTC than in the HP group (all p < 0.05). However, no changes were observed in the HP and NP groups. Correlations were observed between changes in SBP and changes in NO, CO and H2S (r = −0.45, −0.51 and −0.46, respectively, all p < 0.05), and between changes in MAP and changes in NO, CO and H2S (r = −0.36, −0.45 and −0.42, respectively, all p < 0.05). In conclusion, Tai Chi exercise seems to have beneficial effects on BP and gaseous signaling molecules in EH patients. However, further investigation is required to understand the exact mechanisms underlying these observations, and to confirm these results in a larger cohort.
Education and Hypnosis for Treatment of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (FGIDs) in Pediatrics

FGIDs in children and adolescents (ROME III classification) have a significant impact on the daily functioning and quality of life. Often it is the pain that is one of the main contributors to the burden of functional dyspepsia, functional abdominal pain (syndrome), and irritable bowel syndrome. Current knowledge confirms that a number of integrated networks at cortical and subcortical sites are responsible for the experience of pain. From the work of Mayer and Tillisch (2011), mainly based on structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography, it has become clear that abdominal pain syndromes are disorders of the bi-directional mind–brain–gut interactions. In this multi-factorial bio-psycho-social model we recognize the importance of neurobiological processes in the mind–brain–gut interactions, leading to alterations in motility, sensation, and immune functions. Medical treatment often offers little or no relief. Until now pharmaceutical research has not succeeded in developing safe new drugs with an effect on the brain–gut axis. More recent published research shows the rationale for the use of medical hypnosis in FGID. In this article the author will illustrate her specific approach in a pediatric gastroenterology clinic with children and adolescents with FGIDs. Being a pediatric gastroenterologist, the author emphasizes the importance of a clear diagnosis, explains the rationale for educating the patient and his or her parents on the multi-factorial bio-psycho-social model and the concepts of chronic pain, discusses the specific settings and pitfalls for hypnosis treatment in children, and last but not least, provides some examples of hypnotic sessions used with FGIDs.
Team Collaboration: A Case Study of an Early Intervention Team

The study described in this article sought to examine the workings of an interdisciplinary team as a research entity and as a service provider. There were two levels of analysis in the study: the process of collaborating on the research and the results of the research observation of an interdisciplinary team in a clinical setting. An interdisciplinary research team studied the interaction of a single clinical team over a 6-month period working with one child in a hospital-based early intervention program. The data were collected through intensive interviews, direct observations of the family and team members, and selected videotaping of team meetings. Qualitative data analysis methods were used, and five themes emerged: who takes the lead, the classroom as a way station, we like our freedom but. , who is giving and who is taking advice, and communication comes in few forms.
Involvement of minor structural proteins in recombination of polyoma virus DNA.

We have previously observed that a polyoma-mouse chimeric DNA molecule (RmI) in which the murine DNA insert is flanked by directly repeated viral sequences is effectively converted into unit-length polyoma DNA upon transfection of permissive mouse cells. This intramolecular recombination event appears to be dependent on VmP1, a protein encoded by RmI which includes the 328 N-terminal amino acids of polyoma VP1, and nine amino acids of murine origin carrying the C-terminus of the protein. We report here that introducing mutations into the VP2/VP3 coding sequence reduces the ability of RmI to generate polyoma DNA, even though the same mutations seem to exert little or no effect on the ability of polyoma DNA to either replicate or accumulate inside transfected cells. A mutation affecting VP2 alone being as effective as one that affects both VP2 and VP3, VP2 appears to be playing a critical role in recombination.
Dynamic Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access resource management for downlink interference avoidance in two‐tier networks

In two‐tier networks, which consist of macrocells and femtocells, femtocells can offload the traffic from macrocells thereby improving indoor signal coverage. However, the dynamic deployment feature of femtocells may result in signal interference due to limited frequency spectrum. The tradeoff between broad signal coverage and increased signal interference deserves further exploration for practical network operation. In this paper, dynamic frequency resource management is proposed to avoid both co‐tier and cross‐tier Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access downlink interference and increase frequency channel utilization under co‐channel deployment. A graph‐based non‐conflict group discovery algorithm is proposed to discover the disjoint interference‐free groups among femtocells in order to avoid the co‐tier interference. A macrocell uses the femtocell gateway for frequency resource allocation among femtocells to avoid cross‐tier interference. We formulate the optimized frequency resource assignment as a fractional knapsack problem and solve the problem by using a greedy method. The simulation results show that the average data transfer rate can be increased from 21% to 60%, whereas idle rate and blocking rate are decreased in the range of 15% ∽22% and 60% ∽82% , respectively, as compared with conventional graph coloring and graph‐based dynamic frequency reuse schemes. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mean-field theory for the t-J model.

We present a new mean-field theory for the /ital t/-/ital J/ model using a representation in which singly occupied sites or spins are represented by bosons and empty sites or holes by fermions. We obtain a phase diagram which includes ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic, spiral (with the pitch inversely proportional to the density of holes), and disordered spin-liquid phases, with a clear separation of charge and spin excitations. We comment on the conditions for obtaining superconductivity in the model.
Apical Membrane Antigen 1, a Major Malaria Vaccine Candidate, Mediates the Close Attachment of Invasive Merozoites to Host Red Blood Cells

ABSTRACT Apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA-1) of Plasmodium merozoites is established as a candidate molecule for inclusion in a human malaria vaccine and is strongly conserved in the genus. We have investigated its function in merozoite invasion by incubating Plasmodium knowlesi merozoites with red cells in the presence of a previously described rat monoclonal antibody (MAb R31C2) raised against an invasion-inhibitory epitope of P. knowlesi AMA-1 and then fixing the material for ultrastructural analysis. We have found that the random, initial, long-range (12 nm) contact between merozoites and red cells occurs normally in the presence of the antibody, showing that AMA-1 plays no part in this stage of attachment. Instead, inhibited merozoites fail to reorientate, so they do not bring their apices to bear on the red cell surface and do not make close junctional apical contact. We conclude that AMA-1 may be directly responsible for reorientation or that the molecule may initiate the junctional contact, which is then presumably dependent on Duffy binding proteins for its completion.
40 frames/sec 16×16 temperature probe array using 90nm 1V CMOS for on-line thermal monitoring on VLSI chip

This paper presents a 16times16 temperature probe array using 90 nm IV CMOS, which shows plusmn1.4degC error for 40 ~ 110degC temperature range and achieves a temperature distribution measurement at 40 frames/sec. This array is designed and developed for an operating frequency and supply voltage feedback system corresponding to temperature of each block on a VLSI chip. The continuous thermal monitoring is performed by using accurate four-transistor temperature probe circuits with an error amplifier and two PMOS current sources.
Local host competition in the evolution of virulence

The evolution of parasite life histories should usually have correlated effects on host survivorship and/or reproductive success. For example, parasites that reproduce more rapidly might be expected to cause greater reductions in host fitness. Important theoretical advances have recently been made on virulence evolution, but the results are not always consistent. Here I compare two models [ Q. Rev. Biol.71 (1996) 37 ; Q. Rev. Biol.75 (2000) 261 ] on the evolution of virulence that get qualitatively different results with respect to the effects of coinfection. I also construct a third model that attempts to connect these two formulations. The results suggest that parasite growth rates should increase as local host competition increases, unless relatedness is at equilibrium. In addition, the qualitative effect of adding coinfections on parasite growth rates depends critically on how the number of coinfections affects transmission success.
FK506 and rapamycin neuroprotect erection and involve different immunophilins in a rat model of cavernous nerve injury.

INTRODUCTION Immunophilin ligands function by binding to receptor proteins such as FK506 binding proteins (FKBPs). FKBPs are studied for their roles in neuroprotection. AIM Compare the effect of FK506 (FK) and rapamycin (RAP) on erectile function (EF) recovery and FKBP expressions in penis and major pelvic ganglion (MPG) after cavernous nerve (CN) injury. METHODS Adult male rats were divided into four groups: sham surgery (CN exposure only) + vehicle; bilateral CN injury (BCNI; bilateral crush, 3 minutes with hemostat clamp) + vehicle; BCNI + FK (5 mg/kg/day, 5 days, sc); and BCNI + RAP (2 mg/kg/day, 5 days, sc). At both 24 hours (Day 1) or 1 week (Day 7) after BCNI, EF was assessed by intracavernosal pressure measurement and FKBPs 12, 38, 52, and 65 expressions were evaluated by Western blot analysis in collected penises and MPGs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES EF and change in protein expressions of FKBPs in the rat penis and MPG after BCNI with and without immunophilin ligand treatment. RESULTS Both FK- and RAP-treated rats had preserved EF compared with vehicle-treated rats after BCNI. FKBPs changed variably following injury and treatment. In particular, in the penis at Day 1, FKBP 38 expression was decreased after BCNI and both FK and RAP attenuated this decrease. In MPG at Day 1, FKBP 38 expression was also decreased after BCNI and FK attenuated the decrease, while at Day 7, FKBP 38 expression was still decreased and RAP attenuated the decrease. Also, in the penis at Day 1, FKBP 65 expression decreased after BCNI and FK attenuated the decrease. In the MPG, FKBP 65 expression increased at both Days 1 and 7 with FK treatment. CONCLUSIONS Improved EF after BCNI, as shown with RAP, further suggests a role of immunophilin ligands as a protective therapy of CN injury associated erectile dysfunction. Our findings also suggest that select FKBPs, such as FKBP 38 and FKBP 65, may mediate these effects.
African Swine Fever Virus Proteinase Is Essential for Core Maturation and Infectivity

ABSTRACT African swine fever virus (ASFV) encodes two polyprotein precursors named pp220 and pp62 that are sequentially processed during viral infection, giving rise to six major structural proteins. These reside at the core shell, a matrix domain located between the endoplasmic reticulum-derived inner envelope and the DNA-containing nucleoid. Proteolytic processing of the polyprotein precursors is catalyzed by the viral proteinase pS273R, a cysteine proteinase that shares sequence similarity with the SUMO1-processing peptidases. We describe here the construction and characterization of an ASFV recombinant, vS273Ri, that inducibly expresses the ASFV proteinase. Using vS273Ri, we show that repression of proteinase expression inhibits polyprotein processing and strongly impairs infective virus production. Electron microscopic examination of vS273Ri-infected cells showed that inhibition of proteolytic processing leads to the assembly of defective icosahedral particles containing a noncentered electron-dense nucleoid surrounded by an abnormal core shell of irregular thickness. The analysis of purified extracellular defective particles revealed that they contain the unprocessed pp220 and pp62 precursors, as well as the major DNA-binding nucleoid proteins p10 and pA104R. Altogether, these results indicate that the proteolytic processing of the polyproteins is not required for their incorporation into the assembling particles nor for the incorporation of the DNA-containing nucleoid. Instead, the ASFV proteinase is involved in a late maturational step that is essential for proper core assembly and infectivity.
Induction of Human Osteoprogenitor Chemotaxis, Proliferation, Differentiation, and Bone Formation by Osteoblast Stimulating Factor‐1/Pleiotrophin: Osteoconductive Biomimetic Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

The process of bone growth, regeneration, and remodeling is mediated, in part, by the immediate cell‐matrix environment. Osteoblast stimulating factor‐1 (OSF‐1), more commonly known as pleiotrophin (PTN), is an extracellular matrix‐associated protein, present in matrices, which act as targets for the deposition of new bone. However, the actions of PTN on human bone progenitor cells remain unknown. We examined the effects of PTN on primary human bone marrow stromal cells chemotaxis, differentiation, and colony formation (colony forming unit‐fibroblastic) in vitro, and in particular, growth and differentiation on three‐dimensional biodegradable porous scaffolds adsorbed with PTN in vivo. Primary human bone marrow cells were cultured on tissue culture plastic or poly(DL‐lactic acid‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA; 75:25) porous scaffolds with or without addition of recombinant human PTN (1 pg‐50 ng/ml) in basal and osteogenic conditions. Negligible cellular growth was observed on PLGA scaffold alone, generated using a super‐critical fluid mixing method. PTN (50 μg/ml) was chemotactic to human osteoprogenitors and stimulated total colony formation, alkaline phosphatase‐positive colony formation, and alkaline phosphatase‐specific activity at concentrations as low as 10 pg/ml compared with control cultures. The effects were time‐dependent. On three‐dimensional scaffolds adsorbed with PTN, alkaline phosphatase activity, type I collagen formation, and synthesis of cbfa‐1, osteocalcin, and PTN were observed by immunocytochemistry and PTN expression by in situ hybridization. PTN‐adsorbed constructs showed morphologic evidence of new bone matrix and cartilage formation after subcutaneous implantation as well as within diffusion chambers implanted into athymic mice. In summary, PTN has the ability to promote adhesion, migration, expansion, and differentiation of human osteoprogenitor cells, and these results indicate the potential to develop protocols for de novo bone formation for skeletal repair that exploit cell‐matrix interactions.
Health-Related Quality of Life for Extremely Low Birth Weight Adolescents in Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands

OBJECTIVE. The goal was to compare health-related quality of life of 12- to 16-year-old adolescents born at an extremely low birth weight in regional cohorts from Ontario (Canada), Bavaria (Germany), and the Netherlands. METHODS. Patients were extremely low birth weight survivors from Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands. Health-related quality of life was assessed with Health Utilities Index 3. Missing data were substituted by proxy reports. Differences in mean Health Utilities Index 3 scores were tested by using analysis of variance. Differences in the numbers of children with affected attributes were tested by using logistic regression analyses. RESULTS. Survival rates were similar; response rates varied between 71% and 90%. Significant differences in health-related quality of life were found between the cohorts, with Dutch children scoring highest on Health Utilities Index 3 and German children scoring lowest, independent of birth weight, gestational age, and cerebral palsy. Differences in mean utility scores were mainly attributable to differences in the cognition health attribute. Most of the results were corroborated by logistic regression analyses. CONCLUSIONS. There were significant differences between the 3 cohorts in health-related quality of life, not related to differences in birth weight, gestational age, or cerebral palsy. Survival and response rates alone cannot explain these differences.
NO stack: A SDN-based framework for future cellular networks

Mobile traffic is growing exponentially and various kinds of traffic are emerging. It is hard to support new communication mechanisms in current cellular networks due to their inflexibility. And since link capacities are fairly close to the Shannon limit, further improvements seem to be expensive and will provide limited gains. As a result, people are working on redesigning cellular networks with the introduction of new technologies to meet these radical demands. Software Defined Networking (SDN) is an emerging technology and shows great success in wired IP networks. In this paper, we propose NO Stack (short for “Not Only Stack”), which is a SDN-based framework for future cellular networks. By adapting the SDN principles into cellular networks, NO Stack is abstracted into three layers: infrastructure layer, control layer and application layer. Three key technologies are introduced in NO Stack: C/U Plane separation, GNV (Global Network View), User Flow & Flow Table. The design principles for each technology are given based on a careful comparison between cellular networks and wired IP networks.We push down the vertically stacked protocol stack and encapsulate protocol layers as horizontally chained modules, which can be orchestrated by Network OS flexibly. Control plane is decoupled from user plane and redesigned carefully. A globally indexed, distributively stored and locally accessed GNV is first introduced in NO Stack. User Flow & Flow Table are described in details considering the characteristics of cellular networks. We believe NO Stack is sustainable, flexible, programmable and thus a promising framework for future cellular networks.
Vers la construction d'une bibliothèque en-ligne de grammaires linguistiques

Les grammaires locales sont un moyen simple et efficace de reperer et d'analyser des contraintes syntaxiques locales dans des textes. L'explosion de leur nombre et leur eparpillement geographique nous pousse a implanter un outil de gestion : une bibliotheque en-ligne de grammaires locales. Apres avoir decrit leur formalisme, nous faisons un large etat des lieux de l'utilisation des grammaires locales dans le cadre du reseau informel de laboratoires europeens RELEX. Nous insistons principalement sur les travaux realises sur le francais. Enfin, nous decrivons brievement notre systeme de gestion de grammaires locales.
The Endocannabinoid 2-Arachidonoyl-Glycerol Controls Odor Sensitivity in Larvae of Xenopus laevis

Cannabinoids modulate the activity of many neuronal cells, among them sensory neurons in the olfactory epithelium. Here we show that the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG) is synthesized in both olfactory receptor neurons and glia-like sustentacular cells in larval Xenopus laevis. Its production in the latter depends on the hunger state of the animal. The essential effect of 2-AG in olfactory receptor neurons is the control of odorant detection thresholds via cannabinoid CB1 receptor activation. Hunger renders olfactory neurons more sensitive. Endocannabinoid modulation in the nose may therefore substantially influence food-seeking behavior.
Incidence and risk factors of relapses in idiopathic autoimmune hemolytic anemia.

BACKGROUND Patients with idiopathic autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) of warm antibody type usually respond to corticosteroid therapy. However a proportion of patients will have disease relapse after steroid-induced remission. OBJECTIVE To assess the incidence and the possible risk factors of the relapse in a cohort of patients with idiopathic AIHA. MATERIAL AND METHOD We conducted a retrospective and prospective study of 34 idiopathic AIHA patients regularly followed at the Division of Hematology during January 1973 to December 2006. The medical records were reviewed for active hemolytic events and relapses, episodes of infections, pattern of corticosteroids administration and tapering. Types and subtypes of autoantibodies were studied by column agglutination test (the "gel test"). RESULTS One patient with cold agglutinin disease was excluded, leaving a total of 33 patients (24 with warm type, 9 with mixed warm and cold type AIHA) in the study. The incidence of relapse was 1.157 episodes/person/year. The mean duration of relapse after remission was 23 months. Episodes of recurrent hemolysis were more frequent when corticosteroid administration was tapered from high to low dose (10 mg/day of prednisolone) within two months compared with a longer than two-month tapering (38 vs. 11 episodes; p < 0.01). In addition patients receiving continuing low dose of corticosteroids (< or = 10 mg/day of prednisolone) for > 6 months had lower incidence of relapse and longer duration of remission than those with discontinuing the medication within 6 months (0.443 vs. 1.911 episodes/person/year, p < 0.01; 37.4 vs. 10.6 months, p < 0.01). Episodes of recurrent hemolysis were more frequently observed in patients with events of infection than those without infections (mean 7.69 vs. 2.81, p = 0.032). Types and subtypes of autoantibodies did not seem to influence relapse in AIHA. CONCLUSION Short duration of maintenance and rapid tapering of corticosteroids and infections are possible risk factors of relapses/recurrent hemolysis in idiopathic AIHA.