Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A potential role for insulin resistance in experimental pulmonary hypertension

Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension have increased prevalence of insulin resistance. We aimed to determine whether metabolic defects are associated with bone morphogenic protein receptor type 2 (Bmpr2) mutations in mice, and whether these may contribute to pulmonary vascular disease development. Metabolic phenotyping was performed on transgenic mice with inducible expression of Bmpr2 mutation, R899X. Phenotypic penetrance in Bmpr2R899X was assessed in a high-fat diet model of insulin resistance. Alterations in glucocorticoid responses were assessed in murine pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells and Bmpr2R899X mice treated with dexamethasone. Compared to controls, Bmpr2R899X mice showed increased weight gain and demonstrated insulin resistance as assessed by the homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (1.0±0.4 versus 2.2±1.8) and by fat accumulation in skeletal muscle and decreased oxygen consumption. Bmpr2R899X mice fed a high-fat diet had strong increases in pulmonary hypertension penetrance (seven out of 11 versus three out of 11). In cell culture and in vivo experiments, Bmpr2 mutation resulted in a combination of constitutive glucocorticoid receptor activation and insensitivity. Insulin resistance is present as an early feature of Bmpr2 mutation in mice. Exacerbated insulin resistance through high-fat diet worsened pulmonary phenotype, implying a possible causal role in disease. Impaired glucocorticoid responses may contribute to metabolic defects.
The role of organizational culture in the knowledge management process

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to focus on the enhancement of knowledge management (KM) performance and the relationship between organizational culture and KM process intention of individuals because of the diversity of organizational cultures (which include results-oriented, tightly controlled, job-oriented, closed system and professional-oriented cultures). Knowledge is a primary resource in organizations. If firms are able to effectively manage their knowledge resources, then a wide range of benefits can be reaped such as improved corporate efficiency, effectiveness, innovation and customer service. Design/methodology/approach – The survey methodology, which has the ability to enhance generalization of results (Dooley, 2001), was used to collect the data utilized in the testing of the research hypotheses. Findings – Results- and job-oriented cultures have positive effects on employee intention in the KM process (creation, storage, transfer and application), whereas a tightly controlled culture h.
Antiobesity action of ϵ-polylysine, a potent inhibitor of pancreatic lipase Published, JLR Papers in Press, May 24, 2006.

In vitro, ϵ-polylysine (EPL) strongly inhibited the hydrolysis of trioleoylglycerol emulsified with phosphatidylcholine (PC) and taurocholate by either pancreatic lipase or carboxylester lipase. The EPL concentration required for 50% inhibition of pancreatic lipase, 0.12 μM, was eight times lower than the concentration of orlistat required for the same effect. The 50% inhibition concentration by EPL was affected by emulsifier species: it was increased ∼150 times, 70 times, and 230 times on gum arabic, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidic acid emulsion, respectively, compared with PC emulsion. The 50% inhibition concentration by orlistat was little changed by emulsifier species. Gel-filtration experiments suggested that EPL did not bind strongly to pancreatic lipase, whereas orlistat did. To test the effect of EPL on obesity, mice were fed a high-fat diet containing 0.1, 0.2, or 0.4% EPL. EPL prevented the high-fat diet-induced increase in body weight and weight of the liver and visceral adipose tissues (epididymal and retroperitoneal). EPL also decreased plasma triacylglycerol and plasma cholesterol concentrations and liver triacylglycerol content after they had been increased by the high-fat diet. The fecal weights of mice were increased by the high-fat diet containing EPL compared with the high-fat diet alone. Fecal lipid was also increased by the diet containing EPL. These data clearly show that EPL has an antiobesity function in mice fed a high-fat diet that acts by inhibiting intestinal absorption of dietary fat.
Cutaneous amalgam tattoo in a dental professional: an unreported occupational argyria.

MADAM, Amalgam tattoo is the most common exogenous pigmentation of the oral mucosa; surprisingly, there are no reports of similar lesions on the skin. It is caused by traumatic implantation of amalgam fragments into the oral mucosa following dental treatment, particularly when amalgam fillings are removed with high-speed instruments. Amalgam tattoo occurs mostly in the gingiva and alveolar mucosa. Clinically it presents as an asymptomatic bluish to black macule, eventually observed by the patient or discovered during routine dental treatment. Histologically it shows brown to black aggregates of granules interspersed among collagen fibres and around blood vessels. Most cases show a slight inflammatory response, and eventually a foreign body granulomatous reaction is found. Cases of cutaneous localized argyria are uncommon, and are usually attributed to trauma, acupuncture, topical silver-based medication or use of pieces of jewellery such as earrings. We report a case of cutaneous amalgam tattoo caused by implantation of amalgam particles on the skin of the eyebrow of a dental surgeon. A 45-year-old female dental surgeon presented with a dark macule on the skin of the left eyebrow. She reported that it was probably associated with a traumatic lesion acquired 20 years previously when she was working as a dentist. The lesion was surgically removed, and histologically showed deposits of fine black granules among collagen fibres, involving the papillary and reticular dermis, surrounding cutaneous adnexa (hair follicles and sebaceous glands; Fig. 1a). The patient denied the use of acupuncture, topical silver-based medications or piercings. Considering the clinical history and histological picture, the diagnosis was of cutaneous amalgam tattoo. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of 5-lm unstained paraffin sections showed bright particles of about 1 lm long (Fig. 1c), and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX) revealed silver as major element and sulphur as the second component (Fig. 2a). For comparison of histological and SEM aspects, we used a typical case of oral amalgam tattoo, obtained from our files, including EDX (Figs 1b, d and 2b). Histological, SEM and EDX results of the oral lesion were similar to those of the skin lesion, supporting the initial diagnosis of cutaneous amalgam tattoo. To our knowledge there are no reports in the literature of cutaneous amalgam tattoo, which is surprising because amalgam fragments can easily reach the dental surgeon during clinical procedures, especially if there is a lack of complete
Software-Defined Industrial Internet of Things in the Context of Industry 4.0

In recent years, there have been great advances in industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and its related domains, such as industrial wireless networks (IWNs), big data, and cloud computing. These emerging technologies will bring great opportunities for promoting industrial upgrades and even allow the introduction of the fourth industrial revolution, namely, Industry 4.0. In the context of Industry 4.0, all kinds of intelligent equipment (e.g., industrial robots) supported by wired or wireless networks are widely adopted, and both real-time and delayed signals coexist. Therefore, based on the advancement of software-defined networks technology, we propose a new concept for industrial environments by introducing software-defined IIoT in order to make the network more flexible. In this paper, we analyze the IIoT architecture, including physical layer, IWNs, industrial cloud, and smart terminals, and describe the information interaction among different devices. Then, we propose a software-defined IIoT architecture to manage physical devices and provide an interface for information exchange. Subsequently, we discuss the prominent problems and possible solutions for software-defined IIoT. Finally, we select an intelligent manufacturing environment as an assessment test bed, and implement the basic experimental analysis. This paper will open a new research direction of IIoT and accelerate the implementation of Industry 4.0.
Trauma outcome improves following the advanced trauma life support program in a developing country.

Trauma outcome variables before and after the institution of the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) program were compared for the largest hospital in Trinidad and Tobago from July 1981 through December 1985 (pre-ATLS) and from January 1986 to June 1990 (post-ATLS). A total of 199 physicians were ATLS trained by June 1990. Outcome data were analyzed for all dead or severely injured patients (ISS > or = 16; n = 413 pre-ATLS and n = 400 post-ATLS). Trauma mortality decreased post-ATLS (134 of 400 vs. 279 of 413) throughout the hospital, including the ICU (13.6% post-ATLS ICU mortality vs. 55.2% pre-ATLS). The odds of dying from trauma increased with age (1.02 for each year), ISS score (1.24 for each ISS increment), and blunt injury, both pre-ATLS and post-ATLS. Post-ATLS mortality was associated with a higher ISS (31.6 vs. 28.8). Although there was a higher percentage of blunt injury pre-ATLS (84.0%) versus post-ATLS (68.3%), the mortality rates for both blunt and penetrating injuries were higher in the pre-ATLS group (19.7% pre-ATLS vs. 6.3% post-ATLS for penetrating and 76.6% pre-ATLS versus 46.2% post-ATLS for blunt). For each ISS category, mortality was greater in the pre-ATLS group (ISS > or = 24 pre-ATLS mortality 47.9% vs. 16.7% post-ATLS; ISS 25-40 pre-ATLS mortality 91.0% vs. 71.0% post-ATLS). The overall ratio of observed to expected mortality based on the MTOS data base was lower for the post-ATLS period (pre-ATLS ratio 3.16; post-ATLS ratio 1.94). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Monte Carlo Method Simulation for Two-Dimensional Heat Transfer in Homogenous Medium and Proposed Application to Quench Propagation Simulation

Performing quench propagation simulations of full size superconducting coils is a challenging problem due to complex coil structures and internal arrangements of superconducting wires. In addition, superconducting wires and cables themselves constitute complex three-dimensional arrangements comprised of superconductor, matrix, stabilizer, insulation, and other materials. Modeling quenches in complete coils is, therefore, a complex multiscale and multiphysics problem that is difficult to solve with conventional techniques like finite element or finite difference methods. Monte Carlo methods have been successfully used to simulate various multiscale and multiphysics problems, but to our knowledge have not been applied to quench propagation simulations. In the presented work, the application of the Monte Carlo method for quench propagation problems has been studied and first results are presented. A mesh free Monte Carlo method has been used that lends itself easily to parallelization.
Improving the Scheduler's Energy Saving Capability by Noting both Job and Resource Characteristics

Although the growth in the scale and complexity is the response of High Performance Computing (HPC) systems like computational grids to the ever-increasing demand for high processing capacity, it also makes these systems considerable energy consumers. In fact, high energy consumption is the new challenge in front of performance improvement of HPC systems and thus power management is now a necessity for them. One of the major components that can have a great role in the powersaving process is the scheduler. In this paper, a new power-aware scheduling algorithm is proposed by incorporating the characteristics of both job and resource into the job mapping and ordering, and frequency-setting decision steps. In addition to the analytical study, the proposed scheduler has been evaluated based on results obtained from experiments in different resources heterogeneity levels and workload conditions. The results show the greater capability of the proposed scheduling algorithm in comparison with other related approaches.
Curative Effects of Different Sequences of Vessel Interruption During the Completely Thoracoscopic Lobectomy on Early Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

OBJECTIVE To study the correlation between prognosis and different sequences of pulmonary artery and vein interruption during completely thoracoscopic lobectomy for early stage non-small cell lung cancer. METHODS Retrospective analysis of 334 cases underwent completely thoracoscopic lobectomy, which were identified as stage I~II non-small cell lung cancer by pathology. They were divided into three groups according to the order of vessel interruption: pulmonary vein first (Group V, n = 174), pulmonary artery first (Group A, n = 93), and artery-vein-artery group (Group M, n = 67). Their preoperative and operative conditions, and the postoperative survival, recurrence were compared. RESULTS Group A had less cases with history of smoking but more with history of pulmonary infection. The average bleeding amount during the operation in Group A is significantly less Group V, and Group M fell in between them. The duration of operation and postoperative complications were similar among the three groups. The types of tumor recurrence were also similar, which were mostly distant metastasis. There was no statistically significant difference in tumor-free survival and overall survival among the three groups. CONCLUSIONS For the treatment of stage I~II non-small cell lung cancer using completely thoracoscopic lobectomy, pulmonary artery interruption first can reduce the bleeding amount without affecting the operative difficulty and postoperative complications. The sequence of vessel interruption during lobectomy by thoracoscopic surgery would not affect tumor recurrence, metastasis and survival.
Prevention of osteopenia and dyslipidemia in rats after ovariectomy with combined aspirin and low-dose diethylstilbestrol.

OBJECTIVE To study whether effect of aspirin plus low-dose diethylstilbestrol is more effective and safer than high diethylstilbestrol dose alone on prevention of ovariectomy-induced osteopenia and dyslipidemia. METHODS Thirty-eight 4-month-old female SD rats were divided into baseline (BAS) group (n=6), sham operation group (n=8) and ovariectomy (OVX) group (n=24). The OVX group was further divided into vehicle treatment group (n=8), diethylstilbestrol (30 μg/kg•d) treatment group (OVX+D30 group, n=8), and aspirin (9 mg/kg•d) plus diethylstilbestrol (10 μg/kg•d) treatment group (OVX+A-D10 group, n=8). Their left tibiae were collected for the bone histomorphometric analysis in undecalcified sections. Left femurs were collected for the bone mineral density measurement. RESULTS The body weight and serum cholesterol were increased, while uterine weight and cancellous bone mass were decreased in OVX rats compared with the SHAM group. Cancellous bone mass was significantly increased, while body weight and bone resorption parameters were decreased in both A-D10 and D30 treatment group compared with OVX group. The rats treated with A-D10 showed significantly increased in bone formation parameters and decreased in serum triglyceride compared with the D30-treated rats. CONCLUSION Aspirin plus low-dose diethylstilbestrol can effectively prevent osteopenia by reducing bone resorption, and is thus a better treatment modality for preventing dyslipidemia than high-dose diethylstilbestrol alone.
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF SUSPENSION MANUAL WHEELCHAIRS

Throughout the course of daily activities, wheelchair users are subjected to a variety of whole-body vibrations that are suspected to cause rider discomfort and a number of harmful physiological effects. In efforts to improve comfort and prevent secondary injuries, manufacturers of manual wheelchairs have integrated suspension systems into their designs. The purpose of this research was to provide a thorough evaluation of currently available suspension manual wheelchairs and to determine the advantages, if any, of wheelchair suspension. The evaluation was composed of two sections: 1) a durability and cost analysis of three selected suspension manual wheelchairs; and 2) a pair of functional tests comparing suspension manual wheelchairs to standard folding- and rigid-frame models. The durability and cost analysis revealed that integrated suspension did not significantly improve wheelchair fatigue life; in fact, in some cases, the modifications reduced wheelchair integrity. In addition, their increased expense considerably lowered their value in relation to the other types of wheelchairs. Altogether, little evidence was found to suggest that suspension manual wheelchairs provide advantages in terms of durability or value over non-suspension, folding-frame wheelchairs. The second section evaluated the ability of suspension manual wheelchairs to reduce the transmission of vibrations to the rider during various height curb descents and while traversing a level, uneven surface. In addition, impact force was measured during curb descent trials and used in the comparison. The results suggest that while the suspension manual wheelchairs provided significant (p = .0002) reduction in seat accelerations over both types of standard wheelchairs, this was due to the superiority of one wheelchair, the Sunrise Medical Quickie XTR. Furthermore, few significant improvements were found in terms of impact force and vibration dose value, which was calculated from seat accelerations measured during uneven surface testing. Overall the results indicate that suspension manual wheelchairs are not suited to suppress the shock vibrations or repeated low-level vibrations transmitted by curb descents and uneven terrain, respectively. The results of this research should be used to develop a more adequate wheelchair suspension system, and more importantly, should be considered by clinicians and wheelchair users when selecting a wheelchair for everyday use.
Low-PIM termination design using a resistive termination

To provide a cost-effective low-PIM termination for impedance-matched PIM measurement systems, the design method of the termination using a high-PIM termination and linear attenuator is proposed. The validity of the concept is confirmed using a resistive termination and long semirigid cable as linear attenuator by experiment in 2GHz band. The result shows that a typical microwave resistive termination which has not been used in conventional PIM measurements is available as low-PIM termination using the proposed method. It is demonstrated that the method provides a cost-effective low-PIM termination.
Load-aware coordinated multipoint joint transmission in dense heterogeneous networks: Downlink coverage and throughput limits

In this paper, we propose a (cell) load-aware approach to performing the downlink coordinated multi-point joint transmission (JT-CoMP) scheme in a dense heterogeneous cellular network (HetNet) consisting M tiers of different kinds of base stations (BSs). Inspiring from the fact that there could exist a considerable number of the void BSs in a dense HetNet that are not associated by any users, this load-aware JT-CoMP scheme is able to coordinate the void BSs so as to enhance the downlink transmission of the non-void BSs. Using such a CoMP scheme, the fundamental upper and lower limits on the coverage and ergodic link throughput of a user with downlink MISO channel are accurately found in a low-complexity approximated form and they straightforwardly show that the load-aware JT-CoMP scheme has the capability of significantly increasing the coverage and ergodic link throughput of a user as long as the user intensity is not very much higher than the total intensity of the BSs. Numerical results validate the accuracy and correctness of the analytical results and demonstrate the huge gains of the coverage and the ergodic link throughput exploited by the proposed load-aware JT-CoMP scheme.
cAMP-Dependent Protein Kinase A (PKA)–Mediated c-Myc Degradation Is Dependent on the Relative Proportion of PKA-I and PKA-II Isozymes

The transcription factor c-Myc regulates numerous target genes that are important for multiple cellular processes such as cell growth and differentiation. It is commonly deregulated in leukemia. Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is characterized by a blockade of granulocytic differentiation at the promyelocyte stage. Despite the great success of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)–based therapy, which results in a clinical remission by inducing promyelocyte maturation, a significant number of patients relapse due to the development of ATRA resistance. A significant role has been ascribed to the cAMP/cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway in retinoid treatment since PKA activation is able to restore differentiation in some ATRA-resistant cells and eradicate leukemia-initiating cells in vivo. In this study, using NB4 APL cell variants resistant to ATRA-induced differentiation, we reveal distinct functional roles of the two PKA isozymes, PKA type I (PKA-I) and PKA-type II (PKA-II), on the steady-state level of c-Myc protein, providing a likely mechanism by which cAMP-elevating agents can restore differentiation in ATRA maturation–resistant APL cells. Therefore, both the inhibition of c-Myc activity and the PKA-I/PKA-II ratio should be taken into account if cAMP-based therapy is considered in the clinical management of APL.
Analogue versus digital for baseband beam steerable array used for LEO satellite applications

This paper presents an implementation of analogue baseband beam steering and its digital counterpart as an attempt to compare between both methods for LEO satellite applications. Both methods are explained, implemented and compared in terms of different aspects such as power consumption, space qualification, flexibility, and speed of steering for a 1×2 prototype.
Study of the interactions of ions in silicon: Transient processes and defect production

The thermal spike model which takes into account both ionization and nuclear energy loss processes of the projectile as distinct electronic and atomic heat sources is used to describe transient processes induced by ions in silicon. The time and space dependencies of the lattice and electron temperatures near the projectile trajectory are calculated. The contribution of the rise in temperature on defect formation and annealing is considered.
An Arabidopsis Glutathione Peroxidase Functions as Both a Redox Transducer and a Scavenger in Abscisic Acid and Drought Stress Responses[W]

We isolated two T-DNA insertion mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana GLUTATHIONE PEROXIDASE3 (ATGPX3) that exhibited a higher rate of water loss under drought stress, higher sensitivity to H2O2 treatment during seed germination and seedling development, and enhanced production of H2O2 in guard cells. By contrast, lines engineered to overexpress ATGPX3 were less sensitive to drought stress than the wild type and displayed less transpirational water loss, which resulted in higher leaf surface temperature. The atgpx3 mutation also disrupted abscisic acid (ABA) activation of calcium channels and the expression of ABA- and stress-responsive genes. ATGPX3 physically interacted with the 2C-type protein phosphatase ABA INSENSITIVE2 (ABI2) and, to a lesser extent, with ABI1. In addition, the redox states of both ATGPX3 and ABI2 were found to be regulated by H2O2. The phosphatase activity of ABI2, measured in vitro, was reduced approximately fivefold by the addition of oxidized ATGPX3. The reduced form of ABI2 was converted to the oxidized form by the addition of oxidized ATGPX3 in vitro, which might mediate ABA and oxidative signaling. These results suggest that ATGPX3 might play dual and distinctive roles in H2O2 homeostasis, acting as a general scavenger and specifically relaying the H2O2 signal as an oxidative signal transducer in ABA and drought stress signaling.