Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of power densities, continuous and pulse frequencies, and number of sessions of low-level laser therapy on intact rat brain.

OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible short- and long-term adverse neurological effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) given at different power densities, frequencies, and modalities on the intact rat brain. BACKGROUND DATA LLLT has been shown to modulate biological processes depending on power density, wavelength, and frequency. To date, few well-controlled safety studies on LLLT are available. METHODS One hundred and eighteen rats were used in the study. Diode laser (808 nm, wavelength) was used to deliver power densities of 7.5, 75, and 750 mW/cm2 transcranially to the brain cortex of mature rats, in either continuous wave (CW) or pulse (Pu) modes. Multiple doses of 7.5 mW/cm2 were also applied. Standard neurological examination of the rats was performed during the follow-up periods after laser irradiation. Histology was performed at light and electron microscopy levels. RESULTS Both the scores from standard neurological tests and the histopathological examination indicated that there was no long-term difference between laser-treated and control groups up to 70 days post-treatment. The only rats showing an adverse neurological effect were those in the 750 mW/cm2 (about 100-fold optimal dose), CW mode group. In Pu mode, there was much less heating, and no tissue damage was noted. CONCLUSION Long-term safety tests lasting 30 and 70 days at optimal 10x and 100x doses, as well as at multiple doses at the same power densities, indicate that the tested laser energy doses are safe under this treatment regime. Neurological deficits and histopathological damage to 750 mW/cm2 CW laser irradiation are attributed to thermal damage and not due to tissue-photon interactions.
Small signal modelling of novel InGaAs/InAlAs/InP pHEMT for high frequency applications

HEMT is a GaAs based field effect transistor that retains higher cutoff frequency compared to silicon based transistors. Alternatively, pHEMT enhance the performance of the HEMT in term of leakage, current conduction and the cutoff frequency of the device. The heterostructure of pHEMT improve the performance two-dimension electron gas (2DEG) in the channel layer. With these, pHEMT is believed could be perfectly used in the most of the high frequency application. In this project, small signal models of InGaAs/InAlAs/InP pHEMT with 7 extrinsic parameters and 8 intrinsic parameters are modelled.
Stability indicating quantitative RP-HPLC method development and validation for simultaneous determination of metformin hydrochloride and saxagliptin in bulk and combined tablet dosage form

A simple and precise stability indicating RP-HPLC m ethod was developed and validated for the simultane ous determination of Metformin Hydrochloride and Saxagl iptin in pure drug and combined tablet dosage form. Chromatography was carried out on Hypersil ODS C18 (250x4.6mm, 5μ particle size) analytical column usi ng a mobile phase of Phosphate buffer (KH 2PO4) adjusted to pH 5.0 with dilute orthophosphoric ac id, acetonitrile and methanol in the ratio of 25:50:25 % v/v/v at a flo w rate of 1.0 ml/min. The analyte was monitored usi ng PDA detector at 211 nm. The retention time was found to be 2.246 min and 4.516 min for Metformin Hydrochloride and Saxagliptin respectively. Linearity was observed in the concentration range of 125-750 μg/ml and 1.257. 5 μg/ml for both Metformin Hydrochloride and Saxagliptin wi th correlation coefficient of 0.999 respectively. T he mean % recoveries obtained for Metformin Hydrochloride and Saxagliptin were found to be 99.62-99.93% and 99.6 699.80% respectively. Stress testing which covered a ci hydrolysis, base hydrolysis, peroxide, photolyt ic (UV light), neutral and thermal degradation was performed to pr ve the specificity of the proposed method and degr adation was achieved. The developed method has been statist ically validated according to ICH guide lines and f ound to be simple, precise and accurate with the prescribed va lues. Thus the proposed RP-HPLC method was successf ully applied for the stability indicating simultaneous e stimation of Metformin Hydrochloride and Saxaglipti n in routine quality control analysis in bulk and marketed formu lations.
The intervening removable affinity tag (iRAT) production system facilitates Fv antibody fragment‐mediated crystallography

Fv antibody fragments have been used as co‐crystallization partners in structural biology, particularly in membrane protein crystallography. However, there are inherent technical issues associated with the large‐scale production of soluble, functional Fv fragments through conventional methods in various expression systems. To circumvent these problems, we developed a new method, in which a single synthetic polyprotein consisting of a variable light (VL) domain, an intervening removable affinity tag (iRAT), and a variable heavy (VH) domain is expressed by a Gram‐positive bacterial secretion system. This method ensures stoichiometric expression of VL and VH from the monocistronic construct followed by proper folding and assembly of the two variable domains. The iRAT segment can be removed by a site‐specific protease during the purification process to yield tag‐free Fv fragments suitable for crystallization trials. In vitro refolding step is not required to obtain correctly folded Fv fragments. As a proof of concept, we tested the iRAT‐based production of multiple Fv fragments, including a crystallization chaperone for a mammalian membrane protein as well as FDA‐approved therapeutic antibodies. The resulting Fv fragments were functionally active and crystallized in complex with the target proteins. The iRAT system is a reliable, rapid and broadly applicable means of producing milligram quantities of Fv fragments for structural and biochemical studies.
Training nursing staff in airway management for resuscitation

The place of the larvngeal mask in emergency airway management by nonanaesthetists has yet to be established. We have compared the tidal volume achieved by nurses during hand ventilation using standard resuscitation equipment with a facemask, with or without a Guedel airway, and following placement of a laryngeal mask in the same patients. The tidal volumes measured while using the laryngeal mask were significantly greater (p < 0.01) than those measured during facemask ventilation.
The role of parenteral nutrition in surgical care.

Introduction SURGICAL PATIENTS DURING periods of intensive care are usually unable to eat normally for long periods. Nutritional needs are often overlooked as attention is paid to other urgent requirements, and weight loss is inevitable as body fat and lean body mass are utilized as sources of energy. The 400 calories usually provided by two litres of a 5%10 glucose solution are totally inadequate for the metabolic demands of ill patients. Starvation should never be regarded as inevitable and every effort should be made to prevent nutritional problems developing. The alimentary route must always be the first choice in nutritional support. The assistance of a dietitian and the skilful use of protein supplements and palatable carbohydrate solutions can be most valuable. However, there are many situations where the oral route cannot be used to provide the total requirements and either total or supplementary intravenous feeding is necessary. The concept of parenteral feeding is by no means new. Hodder', writing in The Practitioner in 1873, described the intravenous infusion of milk in patients suffering from cholera. Milk and camphor oil were also injected subcutaneously as sources of calories in emaciated patients by Wentzel and Parco in 18962. These early attempts were singularly unsuccessful. Japanese workers around 1920 prepared fat emulsions for intravenous use, but these preparations were toxic and it was many years later before stable and safe emulsions became available. Henriques and Anderson3 carried out the first successful intravenous feeding in experimental animals using goat muscle digested with pancreatic extract combined with glucose, sodium, and potassium. This mixture maintained animals in a positive nitrogen balance for 16 days, but it was not until 1939 that the first amino acid solutions were used successfully in man. It is now possible to provide all the daily requirements of fat, protein, and carbohydrate by the intravenous route and maintain the nutritional state of patients for months at a time. The salient features of the preparations currently available will be presented. The practical problems associated with parenteral dietetics and the value as well as the limitations of parenteral nutrition in surgical patients will be discussed.
Effects of motion on blur discrimination

Blur-discrimination thresholds for moving, Gaussian-blurred edges were measured. Our results show that motion produces equivalent spatial blur. The velocity dependence of this blur is linear, and its extent can be predicted by a temporal impulse response with a standard deviation of ∼5 ms in normal room light. This blur is most likely to result from cameralike summation and not from the use of larger spatial filters for moving than for stationary objects. As a function of reference blur, blur-discrimination thresholds approach asymptotically a Weber’s-law relation. Motion-deblurring models are discussed in view of our findings, and an alternative model for temporal integration is proposed.
Expression of high‐ and low‐affinity receptors for C3a on the human mast cell line, HMC‐1

The proteolytic cleavage product of complement component 3, (C3a), like C4a and C5a, is a potent anaphylatoxin and induces the production of inflammatory mediators in phagocytes. Notably, mast cells respond to C3a with the release of vasoactive substances, including histamine. We have examined the function and receptor binding of C3a in a human leukemic mast cell line, HMC‐1. Similar to chemoattractant agonists in leukocytes, C3a induced rapid cytosolic free calcium concentration increases in HMC‐1 cells. EGTA did not diminish this response, indicating that mobilizable Ca2+ was from intracellular stores. Receptors for C3a in HMC‐1 cells couple in part to Bordetella pertussis toxin‐sensitive G‐proteins and, therefore, appear to belong to the family of serpentine receptors that require G‐proteins for signal transduction. HMC‐1 cells express two types of C3a receptors, C3aR1 and C3aR2, that were shown to bind 125I‐C3a with high‐(Kd1 = 2.1–4.8 nM) or low‐affinity (Kd2 = 30–150 nM), and both receptors are expressed at high level: 3 × 105–6 × 105 C3aR1/cell and 5 × 105–2.3 × 106 C3aR2/cell. Results from cross‐linking experiments with 125I‐C3a fully agree with the presence of two different classes of C3a receptors in HMC‐1 cells. Two membrane proteins with apparent molecular masses of 54–61 kDa (p57) and 86–107 kDa (p97) could be covalently modified with 125I‐C3a, and this cross‐linking was inhibited with an excess of unlabeled C3a. Many of the known agonists for leukocytes including 13 chemokines (IL‐8, NAP‐2, GROα, ENA‐78, IP10, PF4, MCP‐1, 2 and 3, RANTES, MIP‐1α, MIP‐1β and 1309), three neuropeptides (neuropeptide Y, somatostatin and calcitonin), as well as C5a, did not activate HMC‐1 cells, indicating that C3a is one of a few protein ligands for which this cell line expresses specific receptors. The apparent selectivity for C3a and the abundant expression of C3a receptors make the HMC‐1 cell line an excellent choice for the cloning of the receptor genes.
Use of the leeds assessment of neuropathic symptoms and signs questionnaire in patients with fibromyalgia.

OBJECTIVE Neuropathic pain syndrome is characterized by chronic, stimulus-independent pain sensation accompanied by hyperalgesia/allodynia and paresthesia. Fibromyalgia (FM) syndrome displays such features. The Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS) Pain Scale is an instrument developed and validated to recognize neuropathic pain and set it apart from nociceptive pain. METHODS This study assessed the responses of patients with FM versus patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to the LANSS Pain Scale questionnaire. Twenty patients with FM and 20 patients with RA answered the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire and LANSS Pain Scale questions related to the following neuropathic sensory disturbance domains: dysesthetic, autonomic, evoked, paroxysmal, and thermal. RESULTS Pain severity was similar in both groups according to visual analog scale values (5.3 +/- 3.0 for FM v 5.4 +/- 3.1 for RA). There were sharp differences between FM and RA groups in the percentage of affirmative responses to 4 of 5 sensory disturbance questions: dysesthetic (95 v 30), evoked (95 v 35), paroxysmal (90 v 15), and thermal (90 v 20); P <. 0001 for each comparison. CONCLUSIONS The high prevalence of associated sensory disturbances supports the notion that FM is a neuropathic pain syndrome. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The LANSS Pain Scale items may become a useful, easily applied bedside test to differentiate FM pain from the nociceptive pain present in RA and in similar arthritic illnesses.
A Multi-Bit Incremental ADC Based on Successive Approximation for Low Noise and High Resolution Column-Parallel Readout Circuits

This paper proposes a multi-bit incremental analog-to-digital converter (ADC) based on successive approximation (SA) for column-parallel readout circuits. The proposed ADC suppresses the random noise and enhances the resolution by embedding the conventional SA ADC with an integrator and decimation filter. In addition, the operating speed is increased through the two-step operations of coarse conversion with the proposed ADC and fine conversion with the embedded SA ADC. A residue fitting method is adopted to adjust the residue voltage to the fine conversion range after the coarse conversion. The proposed ADC with 12-bit resolution was fabricated using a 0.13 μm CMOS image sensor process with a pixel array that has an image format of 648 × 488 and a pixel size of 5.6 μm×5.6 μm. The measured results show a random noise of 108 μV, a dynamic range of 60.9 dB, a differential nonlinearity of +1.02/-0.34 least significant bit (LSB), and an integral nonlinearity of +0.64/-0.54 LSB.
Screening mechanisms at polar oxide heterointerfaces

The interfaces of polar oxide heterostructures can display electronic properties unique from the oxides they border, as they require screening from either internal or external sources of charge. The screening mechanism depends on a variety of factors, including the band structure at the interface, the presence of point defects or adsorbates, whether or not the oxide is ferroelectric, and whether or not an external field is applied. In this review, we discuss both theoretical and experimental aspects of different screening mechanisms, giving special emphasis to ways in which the mechanism can be altered to provide novel or tunable functionalities. We begin with a theoretical introduction to the problem and highlight recent progress in understanding the impact of point defects on polar interfaces. Different case studies are then discussed, for both the high thickness regime, where interfaces must be screened and each interface can be considered separately, and the low thickness regime, where the degree and nature of screening can be manipulated and the interfaces are close enough to interact. We end with a brief outlook toward new developments in this rapidly progressing field.
Structure of C-terminal Tandem BRCT Repeats of Rtt107 Protein Reveals Critical Role in Interaction with Phosphorylated Histone H2A during DNA Damage Repair*

Background: Rtt107 can be recruited to chromatin during the DNA damage response. Results: Structures of C-terminal Rtt107 alone and in a complex with γH2A were determined. Conclusion: Mutagenesis studies indicated that the phosphorylation-dependent interaction between Rtt107 and γH2A is important for the function of Rtt107. Significance: Our work provides a structural basis for understanding the molecular mechanism of the recruitment of Rtt107 to chromatin. Rtt107 (regulator of Ty1 transposition 107; Esc4) is a DNA repair protein from Saccharomyces cerevisiae that can restore stalled replication forks following DNA damage. There are six BRCT (BRCA1 C-terminal) domains in Rtt107 that act as binding sites for other recruited proteins during DNA repair. Several Rtt107 binding partners have been identified, including Slx4, Rtt101, Rad55, and the Smc5/6 (structural maintenance of chromosome) protein complex. Rtt107 can reportedly be recruited to chromatin in the presence of Rtt101 and Rtt109 upon DNA damage, but the chromatin-binding site of Rtt107 has not been identified. Here, we report our investigation of the interaction between phosphorylated histone H2A (γH2A) and the C-terminal tandem BRCT repeats (BRCT5-BRCT6) of Rtt107. The crystal structures of BRCT5-BRCT6 alone and in a complex with γH2A reveal the molecular basis of the Rtt107-γH2A interaction. We used in vitro mutagenesis and a fluorescence polarization assay to confirm the location of the Rtt107 motif that is crucial for this interaction. In addition, these assays indicated that this interaction requires the phosphorylation of H2A. An in vivo phenotypic analysis in yeast demonstrated the critical role of BRCT5-BRCT6 and its interaction with γH2A during the DNA damage response. Our results shed new light on the molecular mechanism by which Rtt107 is recruited to chromatin in response to stalled DNA replication forks.
Observation of a cavitation cloud in tissue using correlation between ultrafast ultrasound images

The local application of ultrasound is known to improve drug intake by tumors. Cavitating bubbles are one of the contributing effects. A setup in which two ultrasound transducers are placed confocally is used to generate cavitation in ex vivo tissue. As the transducers emit a series of short excitation bursts, the evolution of the cavitation activity is monitored using an ultrafast ultrasound imaging system. The frame rate of the system is several thousands of images per second, which provides several tens of images between consecutive excitation bursts. Using the correlation between consecutive images for speckle tracking, a decorrelation of the imaging signal appears due to the creation, fast movement, and dissolution of the bubbles in the cavitation cloud. By analyzing this area of decorrelation, the cavitation cloud can be localized and the spatial extent of the cavitation activity characterized.
Novel parameter for the diagnosis of distal middle cerebral artery stenosis with transcranial Doppler sonography

Transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) is commonly used for the diagnosis of middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis. However, TCD indices to predict distal MCA (M2) stenosis have not yet been established. We compared TCD and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) to validate a new index for the diagnosis of M2 stenosis.
Murine mammary tumor virus structural protein interactions: formation of oligomeric complexes with cleavable cross-linking agents

Murine mammary tumor virus protein interactions in the intact virion structure were studied with the use of the cleavable cross-linking reagents dithiobis(succinimidyl propionate) and methyl 4-mercaptobutyrimidate hydrochloride. Cross-linked oligomeric complexes of murine mammary tumor virus proteins were analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Among the complexes most consistently formed were a heterodimer of the two glycoproteins gp36 and gp52, the homodimer of gp36, and the homotrimer of gp52. A very prominent oligomer formed at higher concentrations of dithiobis(succinimidyl propionate) was a complex of about 230,000 molecular weight, made up of three molecules each of gp36 and gp52. A number of lines of evidence, including electron microscopic analysis, suggest that the 230,000-molecular-weight complex actually represents the murine mammary tumor virus spike structure. Of the murine mammary tumor virus core proteins, p14 forms homooligomers most readily. Upon cross-linking with methyl 4-mercaptobutyrimidate hydrochloride a small amount of what seems to be a heterodimer made up of the N-terminal gag protein p10 and the hydrophobic membrane glycoprotein gp36 can be observed.
Preparation and Properties of Environmentally Friendly Water Treatment Material

A new kind of water treatment composite was prepared by melt blend for diesel oil and chromium (VI) absorption, Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) was the matrix, calcinatory Fe2O3 and anion exchange resin were the fillers. This composite can suspend in water-oil contact. The results showed that the diesel oil absorbencies were step-down and chromium (VI) absorbencies increased continuously as anion exchange resin loadings from 1% to 7%. The composite can adsorb diesel oil and chromium (VI) simultaneously. The optimized proportion of calcinatory Fe2O3 and anion exchange resin in composite was 17/3. This composite was a low cost and convenient new material for waste water treatment.
Modèle a contrario pour la mise en correspondance robuste sous contraintes épipolaires et photométriques

La mise en correspondance de points d'interet entre deux vues est une des etapes cles en vision par ordinateur, en particulier dans l'analyse de la structure et du mouvement. Apres l'extraction de points d'interet, deux etapes sont generalement mises en oeuvre : la mise en correspondance de ceux-ci en gardant les "meilleurs appariements" selon une mesure de ressemblance photometrique adaptee, puis la selection des appariements coherents avec la geometrie induite par le mouvement de la camera. La presence de motifs repetes, ou des forts changements de point de vue peuvent generer de nombreux appariements aberrants. Nous presentons une methode a contrario etendant celle de Moisan et Stival, qui regroupe ces deux etapes. L'approche proposee ne necessite pas de parametre critique et permet un gain significatif en nombre d'appariements obtenus et en precision, en particulier en presence de motifs repetes ou de forts changements des points de vue.
A critical review of the history and current status of positive psychology

Positive psychology is emerging as an alternative to negative psychology. The positive approach seeks to highlight intrapersonal and interpersonal resources in order to favour the optimum development of people, groups, organisations and societies. This tradition has a long history in Western and Eastern philosophical and anthropological thought. Therefore, it is not a novelty or original and so can and should be criticised. This study concludes that positive psychology is not necessary or essential for healthy or reasonable psychology, as its proposals have long been widely known.
Information system linking a medical school with practitioners and hospitals.

A recently established medical information network uses computers and telephone lines to link rural Georgia medical practitioners, Georgia hospitals, and the Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) in Macon, Georgia. This network, the Georgia Interactive Network for Medical Information (GaIN), provides a service and educational support system for its members. The GaIN model embodies many of the educational and information management principles endorsed by two reports by the Association of American Medical Colleges: the 1984 report of the Project Panel on the General Professional Education of the Physician and a 1982 project report called "Academic Information in the Academic Health Sciences Center. " The design, services, utilization patterns, and results of the GaIN project and implications for the network's future are described. Use of the GaIN has made MUSM students more at ease with computers, has connected MUSM with remote teaching sites and rural practices, and has served as a catalyst for Georgia physicians' investigation of computer applications to support health care delivery in the state.