Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolism of rat granular pneumocytes isolated in primary culture.

Granular pneumocytes (GP) were isolated by trysinization of minced rat lungs followed by short-term primary culture. The yield from the lungs of one rat was approximately 3.5 X 10(6) GP representing 25 micrograms DNA and 0.5 mg protein. Depending on the method to remove cells from attachment to plastic, the purity was 82--92% GP of which > 90% excluded erythrosin B. Resting O2 consumption (37 degrees C) of cells was 202 +/- 29 (mean +/- SE, n = 3) nmol.h-1. (10(6) cells)-1 with a 2.5 times increase in the presence of an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation. ATP content of resting pneumocytes was 4.1 +/- 0.18 nmol. (10(6) cells)-1 and was markedly depressed by the "uncoupling" agent. During incubation with [U-14C]glucose, production of metabolites in nmol.h-1. (10(6) cells)-1 was lactate 58.0 +/- 7.9, pyruvate 25.8 +/- 3.2, and 14CO2 56.4 +/- 2.1, and glucose utilization was 104 +/- 38.5. Sonicated GP had higher activities of both lactate and succinate dehydrogenases compared with alveolar macrophages. Alkaline phosphatase activity was localized predominantly to GP, whereas macrophages contained predominantly acid phosphatase. The intracellular water space for granular pneumocytes was 0.55 +/- 0.05 ml. (10(6) cells)-1 and was 71% greater for alveolar macrophage. The presence of active glycolytic and oxidative pathways and appropriate responses to metabolic inhibitors and substrates suggest the presence of intact cell membranes and the retention of metabolic control mechanisms in this isolated lung epithelial cell preparation.
Blasting away a dwarf galaxy: the ‘tail’ of ESO 324-G024

We present Australia Telescope Compact Array radio data of the dwarf irregular galaxy ESO 324-G024 which is seen in projection against the giant, northern lobe of the radio galaxy Centaurus A (Cen A, NGC 5128). The distorted morphology and kinematics of ESO 324-G024, as observed in the 21 cm spectral line emission of neutral hydrogen, indicate disruptions by external forces. We investigate whether tidal interactions and/or ram pressure stripping are responsible for the formation of the HI tail stretching to the northeast of ESO 324-G024 with the latter being most probable. Furthermore, we closely analyze the sub-structure of Cen A's polarized radio lobes to ascertain whether ESO 324-G024 is located in front, within or behind the northern lobe. Our multi-wavelength, multi-component approach allows us to determine that ESO 324-G024 is most likely behind the northern radio lobe of Cen A. This result helps to constrain the orientation of the lobe, which is likely inclined to our line of sight by approximately 60 degrees if NGC 5128 and ESO 324-G024 are at the same distance.
Modafinil to treat fatigue in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: An open label pilot study

An open label trial of modafinil was conducted to determine whether it would be tolerated and effective in treating fatigue for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Fifteen patients with ALS were treated for two weeks with either 200 mg or 400 mg of modafinil. Reported side effects of the medication were mild and included diarrhea, headache, nervousness, and insomnia. Side effects did not result in any study dropouts. Following treatment, mean scores on the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) decreased from 51.3 (SD 9.2) to 42.8 (SD 10.2). On the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), mean scores decreased from 8.2 (SD 2.0) to 4.5 (SD 2.4). Reductions in both the FSS and the ESS were significant at p < 0.001. Mean scores on the self-report version of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM-SR) increased from 115.2 (SD 5.6) to 118.1 (SD 5.4), with p < 0.01. This pilot study suggests that modafinil is well-tolerated and may reduce symptoms of fatigue in ALS. Further blinded, controlled studies of modafinil in larger numbers of ALS patients are warranted.
The impact of early cystic fibrosis diagnosis on pulmonary function in children.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the impact of early diagnosis on pulmonary function in a large cohort of children with cystic fibrosis (CF). STUDY DESIGN CF cases identified from the CF Foundation National Patient Registry and diagnosed between 1982 and 1990 were categorized as: early asymptomatic diagnosis (EAD; n = 157), early symptomatic diagnosis (ESD; n = 227), later asymptomatic diagnosis (LAD; n = 161), and later symptomatic diagnosis (LSD; n = 3080). Early CF diagnosis was diagnosis before 6 weeks of age; later diagnosis was diagnosis at 6 weeks to 36 months of age, inclusive. Asymptomatic diagnosis included diagnosis by either family history, genotype, prenatally, or neonatally. Pulmonary function was measured as percentage of predicted forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1)). RESULTS There were no overall differences in pulmonary function among the 4 diagnostic groups. However, EAD cases born more recently (1987 or later) had a higher mean FEV(1) throughout the study, compared with the remaining diagnostic groups. For this later birth cohort, Cox regression analysis for those diagnosed later and/or symptomatically, demonstrated a 2-fold increase in risk (P =.06) for having moderate-to-severe pulmonary function (FEV(1) <70%) at ages 6 to 10 years, compared with EAD cases. CONCLUSIONS Children diagnosed with CF early, asymptomatically and more recently may have better pulmonary function throughout early childhood, probably as a result of improved CF treatments in recent years.
The effects of cervical application of inhibitors of inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-1, and cyclooxygenase-2 on delivery in rats.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of cervical application of nonselective and selective inhibitors of nitric oxide synthases--N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, L-N-iminoethyl-lysine, and aminoguanidine--as well as inhibitors of cyclooxygenases--indomethacin, and nimesulide--on timing of delivery and fetal death and disease in pregnant rats. STUDY DESIGN In a series of experimental protocols, timed-pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats (length of pregnancy, 22 days) were randomly allocated to daily cervical applications of (1) 0.04 mg (n = 6), 0.4 mg (n = 6), 4 mg (n = 6), or 40 mg (n = 6) L-N-iminoethyl-lysine or vehicle (n = 12) on days 19 to 22 of pregnancy; (2) 50 mg aminoguanidine (n = 6), 150 mg aminoguanidine (n = 6), or vehicle (n = 10) on days 19 to 22 of pregnancy; (3) 3 mg indomethacin (n = 6) or vehicle (n = 6) on days 19 to 22 of pregnancy; (4) 12.5 mg/kg nimesulide (n = 8), 25 mg/kg nimesulide (n = 8), 50 mg/kg nimesulide (n = 12), or vehicle (n = 12) on days 19 to 22 of pregnancy and 50 mg/kg nimesulide (n = 23) or vehicle (n = 23) on days 14 to 22 of pregnancy; (5) 50 mg/kg nimesulide (n = 10), 50 mg aminoguanidine plus 50 mg/kg nimesulide (n = 10), 50 mg aminoguanidine (n = 10), or vehicle (n = 10) on days 14 to 22 of pregnancy. The following variables were evaluated: proportion of animals that were delivered on day 23, time to delivery of the first pup (midnight on day 22 was considered to be 0 hour), number of stillborn pups, and average pup weight of each litter. RESULTS Unlike L-N-iminoethyl-lysine, aminoguanidine, and indomethacin, 50 mg/kg nimesulide applied on the cervix daily for 8 days significantly increased the proportion of animals that were delivered on day 23 (18 of 23 versus 7 of 23; P =.003) and the time to delivery of the first pup by a mean of 10.8 hours (P <.001). Shorter treatment with nimesulide for 4 days increased only the time to delivery of the first pup at the 25-mg/kg dosage (P =.008). Simultaneous application of aminoguanidine and nimesulide significantly (P =.008) prolonged pregnancy to a degree similar to nimesulide alone. The experiment with N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester was aborted because of severe maternal side effects. Unlike pups in the L-N-iminoethyl-lysine, aminoguanidine, and nimesulide groups, significantly more pups in the indomethacin group died in utero compared with the control group (36.1% versus 3.1%; P <.001), and the surviving pups had lower birth weights (P <.001). CONCLUSIONS In an animal model, nimesulide was effective in delaying the onset of labor, was well tolerated during pregnancy, and affected cervical ripening directly independent of progesterone withdrawal. Conversely, cervical application of nitric oxide synthase and nonselective cyclooxygenase inhibitors do not extend the duration of pregnancy in the dosages studied, and some are associated with significant adverse effects in the mothers and fetuses.
Embryonal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery treating severe acute pancreatitis complicated by abdominal compartment syndrome.

BACKGROUND/AIMS This study aims to estimate the value of embryonal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (ENOTES) as a treatment for severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) complicated by abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS). METHODOLOGY The patients who were randomized into ENOTES group and surgery group underwent ENOTES and laparotomy, respectively. The Efficacy and complications of these two treatments were compared. RESULTS Enterocinesia was observed earlier in patients of ENOTES group than that of surgery group. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score of patients in ENOTES group was superior to that of surgery group on the 1st, 3rd and 5th day after treatment (P < 0.05). The cure rate was 96.87% in ENOTES group, which was statistically different from 78.12% in surgery group (P < 0.05). Significant differences in complications and mortality were observed between two groups (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION Compared with surgical abdominal decompression, ENOTES and flexible endoscope therapy is a more effective and minimal invasive surgery with less complications.
A comparative evaluation of several algorithms for phase aberration correction

A common framework is presented to classify several phase correction techniques. A subset of these techniques are evaluated through simulations which utilize 2-D phase aberration profiles measured in the breast. The techniques are compared based on their ability to reduce phase errors, stability, and sensitivity to noise and missing elements in the transducer array. Significant differences are observed in these measures of performance when the size and location of the aperture area used to generate a phase reference signal are varied. Techniques that utilize a small correction reference region are more susceptible to noise and missing elements than techniques which use larger reference regions. The algorithms encounter problems in 2-D phase correction when making the transition from one row to the next, due to the low interelement correlation at the transition points. It is shown that the magnitude of the interelement correlation is the key parameter governing phase correction performance. <<ETX>>
Side population cells expressing ABCG2 in human adult dental pulp tissue.

AIM To investigate the presence of side population (SP) cells by the Hoechst exclusion method in human adult dental pulp tissue. METHODOLOGY Human adult dental pulp-derived cells were generated from third molar teeth. The cells were stained with Hoechst 33342 and sorted into SP cells or non-SP cells [main population (MP) cells]. Both cell types were compared with cell growth and RT-PCR analyses. RESULTS SP cells that express ABCG2, Nestin, Notch-1 and alpha-smooth muscle actin were found at frequencies ranging from 0.67% to 1.02%. This SP profile disappeared in the presence of verapamil. These SP cells expressed dentine sialophosphoprotein and dentine matrix protein-1 when cultured in osteogenic medium. CONCLUSION Human adult dental pulp tissue contains SP cells that differentiate into odontoblast-like cells.
Design of an asynchronous brain-computer interface for control of a virtual Avatar

Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) enables the human to control external devices by measuring brain activities. Among the various BCI paradigms, motor imagery (MI) is the natural one to accomplish the objectives of BCI. The asynchronous mode enables the user to perform the MI in a self-paced manner. In this study, we propose a design of the asynchronous BCI based on MI for control of a virtual avatar in BCI game. Filter bank common spatial pattern (FBCSP) is applied in proposed system to discriminate correctly and detect rapidly the user's different intention based on EEG analysis in real-time. In conclusion, we expect that our system would improve the performance of MI-based asynchronous BCI system.
Textured Image Demoiréing via Signal Decomposition and Guided Filtering

Moiré artifacts are generally caused by the interference between the overlap of the sensor’s sampling grid and high-frequency (nearly) periodic textures, and heavily affect the image quality. However, it is difficult to effectively remove moiré artifacts from textured images as the structure of moiré patterns is similar to that of textures in some sense. In this paper, we propose a novel textured image demoiréing method by signal decomposition and guided filtering. Given a textured image with moiré artifacts, we first remove moiré artifacts in the green (G) channel using the proposed low-rank and sparse matrix decomposition model. This model regularizes the texture layer by the low-rank prior in spatial domain and the moiré layer by sparse representation in frequency domain. An alternating direction method under the augmented Lagrangian multiplier framework is used to solve the matrix decomposition model. Then, since the red (R) and blue (B) channels are more heavily polluted by moiré artifacts than the G channel, we propose to remove moiré artifacts in its R and B channels via guided filtering by the obtained texture layer of the G channel. Experimental results demonstrate that our method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods for both synthetic and real images.
The Thin Gap Chambers Database Preparations for ATLAS

Thin gap chambers (TGCs) are used for the muon trigger system in the forward region of the LHC experiment ATLAS. The TGCs are expected to provide a trigger signal within 25 ns of the bunch spacing. An extensive system test of the ATLAS muon spectrometer has been performed in the H8 beam line at the CERN SPS, during the last few years. A relational database was used for storing the conditions of the tests as well as the configuration of the system. This database has provided the detector control system with the information needed for configuration of the front end electronics. The database is used to assist the online operation and maintenance. The same database is used to store the nonevent condition and configuration parameters needed later for the offline reconstruction software. A larger scale of the database has been produced to support the whole TGC system. It integrates all the production, QA tests and assembly information. A 1/12th model of the whole TGC system is currently in use for testing the performance of this database in configuring and tracking the condition of the system. A prototype of the database was first implemented during the H8 test beams. This paper describes the database structure, its interface to other systems and its operational performance
A New Multilayer Nonhydrostatic Formulation for Surface Water Waves

ABSTRACT Wang, G. ; Liang, Q. ; Zheng, J., and Wan, P., 2019. A new multilayer nonhydrostatic formulation for surface water waves. Journal of Coastal Research, 35(3), 693–710. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. This work presents a new multilayer nonhydrostatic formulation for surface water waves. The new governing equations define velocities and pressure at an arbitrary location of a vertical layer and only contain spatial derivatives of maximum second order. Stoke-type Fourier and shoaling analyses are carried out to scrutinize the mathematical properties of the new formulation, subsequently optimizing the representative interface and the location to define variables in each layer to improve model accuracy. Following the analysis, the one-layer model exhibits accurate linear and nonlinear characteristics up to kd = π, demonstrating similar solution accuracy to the existing second-order Boussinesq-type models. The two-layer model with optimized coefficients can maintain its linear and nonlinear accuracy up to kd = 4π, which boasts of better solution accuracy a larger application range than most existing fourth-order Boussinesq model and two-layer Boussinesq models. The three-layer model presents accurate linear and nonlinear characteristics up to kd = 10π, effectively removing any shallow water limitation. The current multilayer nonhydrostatic water wave model does not predefine the vertical flow structures, and more accurate vertical velocity distributions can be obtained by considering the velocity profiles in coefficient optimization.
Zinc-induced Decrease of the Thermal Stability and Regeneration of Rhodopsin*

Zinc is present at high concentrations in the photoreceptor cells of the retina where it has been proposed to play a role in the visual phototransduction process. In order to obtain more information about this role, the study of the effect of zinc on several properties of the visual photoreceptor rhodopsin has been investigated. A specific effect of Zn2+ on the thermal stability of rhodopsin, obtained from bovine retinas and solubilized in dodecyl maltoside detergent, in the dark is reported. The thermal stability of rhodopsin in its ground state (dark state) is clearly reduced with increasing Zn2+ concentrations (0–50 μmZn2+). The thermal bleaching process is accelerated in the presence of Zn2+ with k rate constants, at 55 °C, of 0.028 ± 0.002 min−1 (0 μmZn2+) and 0.056 ± 0.003 min−1 (50 μm Zn2+), corresponding tot 1 2 values of 24.4 ± 1.6 min and 11.8 ± 0.1 min, respectively. Thermodynamic parameters derived from Arrhenius plots show a significant E a increase at 50 μm Zn2+ for the process, with ΔG ‡ decrease and increase in ΔH ‡ and ΔS ‡ possibly reflecting conformational rearrangements and reordering of water molecules. The stability of the metarhodopsin II intermediate is also decreased and changes in the metarhodopsin II decay pathway are also detected. The extent of rhodopsin regeneration in vitro is also reduced by zinc. These effects, specific for zinc, are also seen for rhodopsin in native disc membranes, and may be relevant to the suggested role of Zn2+ in normal and pathological retinal function.
Biomarkers for tissue engineering of the tendon-bone interface

The tendon-bone interface (enthesis) is a highly sophisticated biomaterial junction that allows stress transfer between mechanically dissimilar materials. The enthesis encounters very high mechanical demands and the regenerative capacity is very low resulting in high rupture recurrence rates after surgery. Tissue engineering offers the potential to recover the functional integrity of entheses. However, recent enthesis tissue engineering approaches have been limited by the lack of knowledge about the cells present at this interface. Here we investigated the cellular differentiation of enthesis cells and compared the cellular pattern of enthesis cells to tendon and cartilage cells in a next generation sequencing transcriptome study. We integrated the transcriptome data with proteome data of a previous study to identify biomarkers of enthesis cell differentiation. Transcriptomics detected 34468 transcripts in total in enthesis, tendon, and cartilage. Transcriptome comparisons revealed 3980 differentially regulated candidates for enthesis and tendon, 395 for enthesis and cartilage, and 946 for cartilage and tendon. An asymmetric distribution of enriched genes was observed in enthesis and cartilage transcriptome comparison suggesting that enthesis cells are more chondrocyte-like than tenocyte-like. Integrative analysis of transcriptome and proteome data identified ten enthesis biomarkers and six tendon biomarkers. The observed gene expression characteristics and differentiation markers shed light into the nature of the cells present at the enthesis. The presented markers will foster enthesis tissue engineering approaches by setting a bench-mark for differentiation of seeded cells towards a physiologically relevant phenotype.
Continuous Performance Test (CPT) of College Students With ADHD, Psychiatric Disorders, Cognitive Deficits, or No Diagnosis

Objective/Method: The Conner’s Continuous Performance Test (CPT) was administered to four groups of adult college students who self-referred for comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation and received either no diagnosis (n = 30) or a diagnosis of ADHD (n = 26), a psychiatric disorder (n = 17), or various cognitive deficits (n = 22). Results: The groups did not differ with respect to age, sex, race, or IQ. Although the ADHD group made more CPT errors of omission, had longer response times, and showed greater variability in responding than the other three groups, these differences did not reach statistical significance when analyzed parametrically using standard scores. But when the pattern of scores across the groups was analyzed nonparametrically, significant and interpretable results emerged. Conclusion: The CPT reliably differentiated between individuals with ADHD and both normal college students and individuals with psychiatric diagnoses but not persons with learning/cognitive disorders.
Mutations in the Leucine Zipper-Like Motif of the Human Parainfluenza Virus 3 Fusion Protein Impair Fusion Activity

Objective: To investigate the effect of the leucine zipper-like motif between HRA and HRB of the human parainfluenza virus 3 fusion protein on fusion activity. Methods: Site-directed mutagenesis was utilized to substitute the heptadic residues at 257, 264, 271, 278, 285, 292, and 299 in this motif with alanine. Additionally, 3 middle heptadic leucine residues at 271, 278, and 285 were replaced with alanine singly or in combination. A vaccinia virus-T7 RNA polymerase transient expression system was employed to express the wild-type or mutated fusion (F) proteins. Three different types of membrane fusion assays were performed to analyze the fusogenic activity, fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis was executed to examine the cell surface expression level, and a coimmunoprecipitation assay was conducted to probe the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN)-F interaction at the cell surface. Results: All of the substitutions in this motif exhibited diminished or even lost fusion activity in all stages of fusion, although they all had no effect on cell surface expression. In the coimmunoprecipitation assay, all mutants resulted in decreased detection of the HN-F complexes compared with that of the wild-type F protein. Conclusions: This motif has an important influence on fusion activity, and its integrality is indispensable for membrane fusion.