Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Heterotopic heart transplantation: 13-year experience at the Methodist Hospital of the Baylor Medical College].

UNLABELLED In order to evaluate our experience in heterotopic cardiac transplantation, we conducted a retrospective analysis of the clinical files of patients who underwent this procedure. RESULTS A total of 405 heart transplants were performed in our institution. In 24 (5.9%), the grafts were placed heterotopically. In group I (12 patients), the indication was irreversible pulmonary hypertension and in group II (remaining 12 patients), it was marginal grafts or size mismatch. Both groups demonstrated similar demographics and the survival rate was slightly better in group I. Nine patients from group I demonstrated an early reduction in pulmonary pressures which normalized in one year. CONCLUSIONS The heterotopic heart supports the function of the native ventricles. In 9 patients, the heterotopic heart enables the reversal of a state of pulmonary hypertension previously thought to be irreversible. This finding supports the use of pulmonary vaso-dilators on a chronic basis or the use of a left ventricular assist device pre-transplant with the intention of normalizing pulmonary pressures and allowing the patients to become candidates for orthotopic cardiac transplantation and thereby avoiding the necessity of heterotopic cardiac transplantation.
A Fibrin Patch‐Based Enhanced Delivery of Human Embryonic Stem Cell‐Derived Vascular Cell Transplantation in a Porcine Model of Postinfarction Left Ventricular Remodeling

It is unknown how to use human embryonic stem cell (hESC) to effectively treat hearts with postinfarction left ventricular (LV) remodeling. Using a porcine model of postinfarction LV remodeling, this study examined the functional improvement of enhanced delivery of combined transplantation of hESC‐derived endothelial cells (ECs) and hESC‐derived smooth muscle cells (SMCs) with a fibrin three‐dimensional (3D) porous scaffold biomatrix. To facilitate tracking the transplanted cells, the hESCs were genetically modified to stably express green fluorescent protein and luciferase (GFP/Luc). Myocardial infarction (MI) was created by ligating the first diagonal coronary artery for 60 minutes followed by reperfusion. Two million each of GFP/Luc hESC‐derived ECs and SMCs were seeded in the 3D porous biomatrix patch and applied to the region of ischemia/reperfusion for cell group (MI+P+C, n = 6), whereas biomatrix without cell (MI+P, n = 5), or saline only (MI, n = 5) were applied to control group hearts with same coronary artery ligation. Functional outcome (1 and 4 weeks follow‐up) of stem cell transplantation was assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. The transplantation of hESC‐derived vascular cells resulted in significant LV functional improvement. Significant engraftment of hESC‐derived cells was confirmed by both in vivo and ex vivo bioluminescent imaging. The mechanism underlying the functional beneficial effects of cardiac progenitor transplantation is attributed to the increased neovascularization. These findings demonstrate a promising therapeutic potential of using these hESC‐derived vascular cell types and the mode of patch delivery. STEM CELLS 2011;29:367–375
Termite colony ontogeny: a long-term assessment of reproductive lifespan, caste ratios and colony size in Reticulitermes flavipes (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Abstract Thirty Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) colonies established by alates collected from two separate field sites were raised in the laboratory for eight years. Twenty-one of the colonies were founded by alates from one field source and nine from another, providing demographic data from two unrelated parental lineages. Colony totals ranged from 3620 to 11641 individuals, with no significant difference in size between lineages. Soldier caste proportion of the colony total and mean wet weights for workers, soldiers and kings were significantly different between the two lineages. This suggests that at least a portion of the variability observed in caste ratios and body size may be heritable. One founding reproductive had died in five of the colonies (17%); none lost both parents. The queenless colonies contained exclusively female replacement reproductives (neotenics); the kingless colony contained a female-skewed mixture of male and female neotenics. All the nests that lost a founding parent contained significantly more pre-alate nymphs than the nests with both a king and a queen. Comparisons with published reports of ontogenetic patterns in other termites and social insects are discussed.
Enhanced Light Trapping in a-Si:H/μc-Si:H Tandem Solar Cells via Nanopatterning Top Absorber and Embedding Wavelength-Selective Intermediate Reflectors

Output photocurrent of a-Si:H/μc-Si:H tandem solar cells is usually determined by the unsatisfactory absorption of a-Si:H layer restricted by its thin thickness required by the very limited carrier diffusion length and low absorption coefficient at wavelengths over 550 nm. In this paper, we present a new configuration to enhance the light-trapping performance and the output photocurrent of a-Si:H/μc-Si:H tandem solar cells via the nanopatterning a-Si:H layer and embedding wavelength-selective intermediate reflector layer (WSIRL) between the top and bottom cells. Our simulations indicate that absorption and photocurrent of the tandem cells in the proposed scheme exhibit a significant and wide-angle enhancement compared with the planar cases with or without WSIRL and the nanopatterned case without WSIRL. An ultimate photocurrent density, which is obtained under normally incident AM1.5G solar irradiation and ideal internal quantum efficiency, is 37.56% higher than that of the planar counterpart with a normal ZnO intermediate reflector. Moreover, the attenuation ratio of the output photocurrent in the proposed configuration is only 2.95% when the incident angle alters from 0° to 60°.
The cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity and polyphenolic content of some herbal teas

The total antioxidant capacity of the aqueous extracts of some endemic herbs—prepared as infusions by steeping these herbs in hot water—was assayed with bis(neocuproine)copper(II) chloride, also known as the cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) reagent, which was easily accessible, rapid, stable and responsive to both hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidants. The highest antioxidant capacities of some herbal teas available in the Turkish market were observed for scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis), sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum), green tea (Camellia sinensis) and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), in this order (1.63, 1.18, 1.07, and 0.99 mmol trolox equivalent (TR)/g, respectively). For infusions prepared from ready-to-use tea bags, the CUPRAC values were highest for Ceylon blended ordinary tea (4.41), green tea with lemon (1.61), English breakfast ordinary tea (1.26) and green tea (0.94), all of which were manufactured types of C. sinensis. Following the strongest antioxidant herbs with capacities close to or slightly exceeding 1.0 mmol TR/g, sage, thyme, coriander, coltsfoot, blackberry and immortelle (Helichrysum) exhibited capacities around 0.5 mmol TR/g. The correlation of the Folin total phenolic content of herbal teas with their CUPRAC and ABTS (2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt) total antioxidant capacities gave linear curves with correlation coefficients of 0.966 and 0.936, respectively, showing that the CUPRAC assay results better correlated with total phenolic content of herbal teas. Absorbance versus concentration data at different dilutions and upon standard additions of model antioxidant compounds (trolox and quercetin) to herbal tea infusions showed that the absorbances (at 450 nm of the CUPRAC method) due to different antioxidant compounds in herbal tea infusions were additive; that is, the tested antioxidants did not chemically interact to cause apparent deviations from Beer's law.
Mémoires partagées d’alignements sous-phrastiques bilingues

Cette these s'inscrit dans le cadre du traitement automatique du langage naturel, et traite plus precisement de l'alignement sous-phrastique bilingue classiquement lie a la traduction automatique statistique. Les travaux exposes s'en distinguent en proposant un fonctionnement evolutif a base d'exemples initialise par des annotateurs non-experts via une interface adaptee. L'approche est principalement motivee par la recherche d'une expressivite comparable a celle observee dans les alignements manuels. Une partie importante de ce travail consiste a definir un cadre formel sous-tendant une architecture originale a base d'exemples alignes. Plusieurs memoires d'alignements ont ete constituees en tirant parti d'informations provenant d'analyseurs syntaxiques automatiques, en placant les prerequis technologiques a un niveau raisonnablement peu eleve. Deux nouvelles methodes d'alignement sont comparees a des references connues via des mesures d'accord classiques, et trois distances transformationnelles sont introduites.
Effects of Series Elasticity on the Human Knee Extension Torque-Angle Relationship in Vivo

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of series elasticity on the torque-angle relationship of the knee extensors in vivo. Forty-two men volunteered to take part in the present study. The participants performed maximal voluntary isometric contractions at eight knee-joint angles (40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110°). The elongation of the tendon and aponeurosis of the vastus lateralis muscle was directly measured by ultrasonography, while the participants performed ramp isometric knee extensions to the voluntary maximum at 80° of knee angle. There was no significant difference in the torque value between 50° and 100°, although there was variation in the shape of the “torque-angle” relationship. The variability in the torqueangle curve was not affected by the activation level of agonist and antagonist muscles and the moment arm length. The ratio of torque at 100° compared to that at 50° was significantly (r2 = 18–23%) correlated to the maximal elongation and strain (to initial length) of the tendon structures. These results suggest that increased compliance of tendon structures of the knee extensors may contribute to variations in the torque-angle curves of the knee extensors.
Cardioblast-intrinsic Tinman activity controls proper diversification and differentiation of myocardial cells in Drosophila

The NK homeobox gene tinman (tin) is required for the specification of the cardiac, visceral muscle and somatic muscle progenitors in the early dorsal mesoderm of Drosophila. Like its vertebrate counterpart Nkx2.5, the expression of tin is maintained in cardiac cells during cardiac maturation and differentiation; however, owing to the complete lack of a dorsal vessel in tin mutant embryos, the function of tin in these cells has not been defined. Here we show that myocardial cells and dorsal vessels can form even though they lack Tin, and that viable adults can develop, as long as Tin is provided in the embryonic precardiac mesoderm. However, embryos in which tin expression is specifically missing from cardial cells show severe disruptions in the normal diversification of the myocardial cells, and adults exhibit severe defects in cardiac remodeling and function. Our study reveals that the normal expression and activity of Tin in four of the six bilateral cardioblasts within each hemisegment of the heart allows these cells to adopt a cell fate as `working' myocardium, as opposed to a fate as inflow tract (ostial) cells. This function of tin involves the repression of Dorsocross (Doc) T-box genes and, hence, the restriction of Doc to the Tin-negative cells that will form ostia. We conclude that tin has a crucial role within myocardial cells that is required for the proper diversification, differentiation, and post-embryonic maturation of cardiomyocytes, and we present a pathway involving regulatory interactions among seven-up, midline, tinman and Dorsocross that establishes these developmental events upon myocardial cell specification.
Analysis and design architecture Beat me Integrated System

BeatME Intergrated System is system integration between Real Time Server (RTS) and BeatME Online. This system supports enjoying music activity and also distributing musical creation. Design BeatME Integrated System based on six primary needs of music. They need to listen music, sing songs, play instruments, compose music, music game and distribute musical creation. The functional system is designed based on that primary needs. Requirement of listening music is divided into four function, i.e. display and search songs, songs that recommended by system for users, playlist on web sites and mobile devices. Function media player for the lyrics is made to provide requirement of singing. Requirement of playing music instrument are divided into four function i.e Real Time Server, Client Real Time Server and chat room. Function website game is made to provide requirement of music game. Requirement of composing music are divided into three function i.e compose by humming, compose by keyboard and partiture reader. Function upload and download musical creation is made to provide requirement of distribution musical creation. Implementation of functional listening music is search engine system, recommended system, website and mobile playlist. Implementation of functional singing is play lyric system. Implementation of functional collaboration playing music instrument is chat room system and Real Time Server recording system. Implementation functional music game is game that called BePay game. Implementation functional of compose music is humming system that called BeCome Human application, compose by keyboard that called Become Part Of Me application, and partiture reader that called BeAdmire application. Implementation functional distribution musical works is channel system. Implementation this system is capable of performing the integration between BeatME online and Real Time Server BeatME and this system can comply the functional request.
Early Anesthetic Preconditioning in Mixed Cortical Neuronal-Glial Cell Cultures Subjected to Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation: The Role of Adenosine Triphosphate Dependent Potassium Channels and Reactive Oxygen Species in Sevoflurane-Induced Neuroprotection

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study, on mixed cortical neuronal-glial cell cultures subjected to transient oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) was: i) to compare the neuroprotection afforded by sevoflurane added either before (preconditioning) or during (direct neuroprotection) the OGD and ii) to explore the possible involvement of adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in the mechanism of the early preconditioning effect of sevoflurane. METHODS: Mature mixed cortical neuronal-glial cell cultures were exposed to 90-min OGD in an anaerobic chamber followed by reoxygenation. Sevoflurane (0.03–3.4 mM) was randomly administered for 90 min and discontinued 60 min before OGD (early preconditioning) or during the 90-min OGD (direct neuroprotection). Cell death was quantified 24 h after the OGD by lactate dehydrogenase release into the bathing medium. Intracellular ROS generation was assessed at the end of sevoflurane preconditioning using 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescin diacetate. RESULTS: Sevoflurane preconditioning elicited a potent threshold-dependent neuroprotective effect at concentrations higher than 0.07 mM and sevoflurane added during OGD elicited a dose dependent neuroprotective effect. Blockers of KATP channels (glibenclamide 0.3 &mgr;M and 5 hydroxydecanoic acid 50 &mgr;M), or ROS-scavengers (N-2-mercaptopropionyl glycine 100 &mgr;M and N-acetylcysteine 50 &mgr;M), although they did not affect cell viability, counteracted the neuroprotection produced by early sevoflurane preconditioning. Sevoflurane exposure during preconditioning induced a significant increase in ROS levels which was prevented by both ROS scavengers and blockers of KATP channels. CONCLUSION: Early sevoflurane preconditioning induced a threshold-dependent protection of mixed cortical neuronal-glial cell cultures against OGD by mechanisms that seem to involve opening KATP channels, thereby leading to generation of ROS.
Distribution of first person shooter online multiplayer games

This paper uses data captured during our online game trials to answer some fundamental questions regarding game distribution for online, first person shooter games. First person shooter games are popular, generate large amounts of traffic and have stringent delay requirements. They offer both great opportunities and great challenges to games distributors. We deal with three key issues in this paper. The first is tolerable network latency. This is addressed through identifying the limits to latency that customers will accept. The second is jitter. We show that jitter is highly correlated with latency and so managing latency effectively manages jitter. Finally, we provide a simple model of game traffic that will enable game distributors to estimate the networking requirements for their deployment.
Symmetrical model based SLAM [M-SLAM] for a quick map-search

The mobile robot which accomplishes a work in explored region does not know location information of surroundings. Traditionally, simultaneous localization and mapping(SLAM) algorithms solve the localization and mapping problem in explored regions. Among the several SLAM algorithms, the EKF (Extended Kalman Filter) based SLAM is the scheme most widely used. The EKF is the optimal sensor fusion method which has been used for a long time. The odometric error caused by an encoder can be compensated by an EKF, which fuses different types of sensor data with weights proportional to the uncertainty of each sensor. In many cases the EKF based SLAM requires artificially installed features, which causes difficulty in actual implementation. Moreover, the computational complexity involved in an EKF increases as the number of features increases. And SLAM is a weak point of long operation time. Therefore, this paper presents a symmetrical model based SLAM algorithm (called M-SLAM).
A Short-Form C-Type Lectin from Amphioxus Acts as a Direct Microbial Killing Protein via Interaction with Peptidoglycan and Glucan1

To investigate the evolution and immune function of C-type lectin in amphioxus, the primitive representative of the chordate phylum, we identified three C-type lectins consisting solely of a carbohydrate recognition domain and N-terminal signal peptide and found that they had distinct express patterns in special tissues and immune response to stimulations analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. We characterized the biochemical and biological properties of AmphiCTL1, which was dramatically up-regulated in amphioxus challenged with Staphylococcus aureus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and zymosan. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that the localization of AmphiCTL1 protein was exclusively detected in the inner folding tissues of the hepatic diverticulum. Recombinant AmphiCTL1 was characterized as a typical Ca2+-dependent carbohydrate-binding protein possessing hemagglutinating activity, preferentially bound to all examined four Gram-positive bacteria and two yeast strains, but had little binding activity toward four Gram-negative bacteria we tested. It aggregated S. aureus and S. cerevisiae in a Ca2+-dependent manner and specifically bound to insoluble peptidoglycan and glucan, but not to LPS, lipoteichoic acid, and mannan. Calcium increased the intensity of the interaction between AmphiCTL1 and those components, but was not essential. This lectin directly killed S. aureus and S. cerevisiae in a Ca2+-independent fashion, and its binding to microorganism cell wall polysaccharides such as peptidoglycan and glucan preceded microbial killing activity. These findings suggested that AmphiCTL1 acted as a direct microbial killing C-type lectin through binding microbial targets via interaction with peptidoglycan and glucan. Thus, AmphiCTL1 may be an evolutionarily primitive form of antimicrobial protein involved in lectin-mediated innate immunity.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is associated with lung cancer mortality in a prospective study of never smokers.

RATIONALE Several studies have suggested that previous lung disease may increase the risk of lung cancer. It is important to clarify the association between previous lung disease and lung cancer risk in the general population. OBJECTIVES The association between self-reported physician-diagnosed chronic bronchitis and emphysema and lung cancer mortality was examined in a U.S. prospective study of 448,600 lifelong nonsmokers who were cancer-free at baseline. METHODS During the 20-year follow-up period from 1982 to 2002, 1,759 lung cancer deaths occurred. Cox proportional hazards models were used to obtain adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for lung cancer mortality associated with chronic bronchitis and emphysema as well as for both of these diseases together. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Lung cancer mortality was significantly associated with both emphysema (HR, 1.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06, 2.59) and with the combined endpoint of emphysema and chronic bronchitis (HR, 2.44; 95% CI, 1.22, 4.90) in analyses that combined men and women. No association was observed with chronic bronchitis alone (HR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.72, 1.28) in the overall analysis, although the association was stronger in men (HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 0.95, 2.66) than women (HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.58, 1.16; p for interaction, 0.04). The association between emphysema and lung cancer was stronger in analyses that excluded early years of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS This large prospective study strengthens the evidence that increased lung cancer risk is associated with nonmalignant pulmonary conditions, especially emphysema, even in lifelong nonsmokers.
High‐dose acyclovir prophylaxis reduces cytomegalovirus disease in liver transplant patients

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is still a major pathogen in liver transplantation (LTX). The clinical efficacy of prophylactic high‐dose acyclovir therapy (800 mg qid) was assessed for the prevention of CMV infection and disease in liver recipients. Fifty‐five patients were enrolled in a prospective, randomised, double‐blind and placebo‐controlled trial; 28 on acyclovir vs. 27 on placebo. The therapy was given for 12 weeks. The patients were followed for 24 weeks.
Inverse Correlations Between Symptom Scores and Spiritual Well-Being Among African American Patients With First-Episode Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

Spirituality, religiosity, and spiritual/religious well-being are relatively understudied in the context of severe mental illnesses. Nonetheless, individuals dealing with such disorders, including schizophrenia, often make use of spirituality and religious affiliation as coping resources. In this preliminary study, we examined correlations between psychopathology severity and spiritual well-being among first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorder patients. The sample consisted of 18 African American patients hospitalized on an inpatient psychiatric unit in a large, urban, public hospital. After confirmation of diagnosis with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders, symptom severity was rated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, and self-reported spiritual well-being was evaluated with the Spiritual Well-Being Scale. Spearman correlations revealed that negative symptom scores were inversely correlated with religious well-being scores (ρ = –.614; p = 0.007), and that general psychopathology symptom scores were inversely correlated with existential well-being scores (ρ = –.539; p = 0.021). These preliminary findings indicate that negative symptoms and general psychopathology symptoms may have a detrimental effect on religious and existential well-being in patients with a first episode of a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder, or that religious and existential well-being may have an effect on symptomatology.