Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lipid peroxidation in human proteinuric disease.

BACKGROUND While metabolically generated oxidants are produced locally in experimental glomerular diseases, little is still known of their significance and the respective scavenger systems in human glomerular diseases. METHODS Here we studied kidneys from patients with congenital nephrotic syndrome of the Finnish type (CNF), a human model disease of isolated proteinuria. Expression of specific mRNAs for a major antioxidant system against lipoperoxidation [phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PHGPx)] and for mitochondrial proteins were studied in Northern blotting together with analysis of PHGPx in semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The respective proteins and lipoperoxide (LPO) adducts malonyldialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) were analyzed in immunohistochemistry. RESULTS PHGPx and the mitochondrially encoded subunits of cytochrome-c-oxidase were distinctly down-regulated within the glomeruli of CNF kidneys. These changes were confirmed in semiquantitative RT-PCR. Increases of lipoperoxidation products MDA and 4-HNE were constantly found in the glomeruli of CNF. In agreement with findings in CNF, similar results were obtained in biopsies from other human glomerular diseases. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that local mitochondrial damage initiates LPO, which then causes deposition of the cytotoxic LPO products in glomeruli, as seen especially in CNF kidneys. Together with down-regulation of the local antioxidant protection, these may be important pathophysiologic mechanisms in human glomerular disease.
The Inherent Dangers of Unidirectional Emotional Bonds between Humans and Social Robots

The early 21st century is witnessing a rapid advance in social robots. From vacuum cleaning robots (like the Roomba), to entertainment robots (like the Pleo), to robot pets (like KittyCat), to robot dolls (like Baby Alive), to therapy robots (like Paro), and many others, social robots are rapidly finding applications in households and elder care settings. In 2006, the number of service robots world-wide alone outnum-bered industrial robots by a factor of four and this gap is expected to widen to a factor of six by 2010, only fueled by ambitious goals like those of South Korea to put one robot into each household by the year 2013 or by the Japanese expectation that the robot industry will be worth ten times the present value in 2025 (Gates, 2007). From these expectations alone, it should be clear that social robots will soon become an integral part of human societies, very much like computers and the Internet in the last decade. In fact, using computer technology as an analogy, it seems likely that social robotics will follow a similar trajectory: once social robots have been fully embraced by societies, life without them will become inconceivable. As a consequence of this societal penetration, social robots will also enter our personal lives, and that fact alone requires us to reflect on what exactly happens in our interactions with these machines. For social robots are specifically designed for personal interactions that will involve human emotions and feelings: “A sociable robot is able to communicate and interact with us, understand and even relate to us, in a personal way. It is a robot that is socially intelligent in a human-like way. ” (Breazeal, 2002) And while social robots can have benefits for humans (e.g., health benefits as demonstrated with Paro (Shibata., 2005)), it is also possible that they could inflict harm, emotional harm, that is. And exactly herein lies the hitherto underestimated danger: the potential for humans’ emotional dependence on social robots. As we will see shortly, such emotional dependence on social robots is different from other human dependencies on technology (e.g., different both in kind and quality from depending on one’s cell phone, wrist watch, or PDA). To be able to understand the difference and the potential ramifications of building complex social robots that are freely deployed in human societies, we have to understand how social robots are different from other related technologies and how they, as a result, can affect humans at a very basic level.
Activity of Ventral Medial Thalamic Neurons during Absence Seizures and Modulation of Cortical Paroxysms by the Nigrothalamic Pathway

Absence seizures are characterized by bilaterally synchronous spike-and-wave discharges (SWDs) in the electroencephalogram, which reflect abnormal oscillations in corticothalamic networks. Although it was suggested that basal ganglia could modulate, via their feedback circuits to the cerebral cortex, the occurrence of SWDs, the cellular and network mechanisms underlying such a subcortical control of absence seizures remain unknown. The GABAergic projections from substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNR) to thalamocortical neurons of the ventral medial (VM) thalamic nucleus provide a potent network for the control of absence seizures by basal ganglia. The present in vivo study provides the first description of the activity of VM thalamic neurons during seizures in the genetic absence epilepsy rats from Strasbourg, a well established model of absence epilepsy. Cortical paroxysms were accompanied in VM thalamic neurons by rhythmic bursts of action potentials. Pharmacological blockade of excitatory inputs of nigrothalamic neurons led to a transient interruption of SWDs, correlated with a change in the activity of thalamic cells, which was increased in frequency and converted into a sustained arrhythmic firing pattern. Simultaneously, cortical neurons exhibited a decrease in their firing rate that was associated with an increase in membrane polarization and a decrease in input resistance. These new findings demonstrate that an inhibition of SNR neurons changes the activity of their thalamic targets, which in turn could affect cortical neurons excitability and, consequently, the generation of cortical epileptic discharges. Thus, the nigro-thalamo-cortical pathway may provide an on-line system control of absence seizures.
A tunable and sizable bandgap of a g-C3N4/graphene/g-C3N4 sandwich heterostructure: a van der Waals density functional study

The structural and electronic properties of a g-C3N4/graphene/g-C3N4 (g-C3N4/SLG/g-C3N4) sandwich heterostructure have been systematically investigated using density functional theory with van der Waals corrections. The results indicate that the band gap of the g-C3N4/SLG/g-C3N4 sandwich heterostructure can be opened to 106 meV without strain. Applying strain is a promising way to tune the electronic properties of a sandwich heterostructure. After applying uniaxial strain, the heterostructure can withstand larger tensile strain than compression strain without damaging the structure and the band gap is more easily increased by the X-direction strain. When the 5% X-direction strain is applied, the band gap could be opened to 525 meV and meanwhile maintain a high carrier mobility. These electronic properties may provide a potential application in nanodevices.
Fault diagnosis in non-isolated bidirectional half-bridge DC-DC converters

A new fault diagnostic method is presented in this paper for bidirectional half-bridge DC-DC converters. This algorithm uses only the converter control variables without requiring extra-sensors and its implementation requires only a minimum computational effort. Simulation results in a wind power system including supercapacitors and batteries have been used to validate the fault diagnostic method under different operating conditions.
Purification and Characterization of a 66-kDa Protein from Rabbit Reticulocyte Lysate Which Promotes the Recycling of Hsp 70*

We have purified to apparent homogeneity a 66-kDa protein from rabbit reticulocyte lysate which is associated with hsp 70. Our characterization of this 66-kDa protein demonstrates that its physiological role is to promote the recycling of hsp 70 by catalyzing the dissociation of hsp 70-bound ADP in exchange for ATP. We have therefore termed the 66-kDa protein RF-hsp 70, a recycling factor for hsp 70. RF-hsp 70 promotes stoichiometric binding of ATP to hsp 70, and it increases about 5-fold the rate of dissociation of hsp 70·ADP in the presence of ATP. This process represents adenine nucleotide exchange, since dissociation of ADP does not occur unless ATP is added; dATP, GTP, and ITP cannot substitute for ATP. The mechanism of action of RF-hsp 70 is to lower the KD of hsp 70 for ATP about 6-7-fold to a value that is close to the KD of hsp 70 for ADP. RF-hsp 70 also stimulates the ATPase activity of hsp 70, including the 42-kDa amino-terminal portion of hsp 70 generated by chymotrypsin, demonstrating that RF-hsp 70 interacts with that part of hsp 70 known to contain the ATP/ADP binding site. Confirming its recycling function, RF-hsp 70 stimulates about 7-10-fold the ability of hsp 70 to reactivate heat-denatured firefly luciferase. In addition, RF-hsp 70 acts catalytically to recycle hsp 70, since, at 0.2 times the molar concentration of hsp 70, RF-hsp 70 increases the rate of renaturation of luciferase by hsp 70 about 3-4-fold. The action of RF-hsp 70 is also partially species-specific since it is most effective with rabbit reticulocyte hsp 70, less effective with bovine brain hsp 70, even less effective with human hsp 70, and ineffective with broad bean hsp 70.
Swiftly Decreasing Cerebrospinal Fluid Cathelicidin Concentration Predicts Improved Outcome in Childhood Bacterial Meningitis

ABSTRACT We investigated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cathelicidin concentrations in childhood bacterial meningitis on admission and during antimicrobial treatment. CSF cathelicidin concentrations on admission correlated with CSF white cell counts and protein levels but not with bacterial etiology. A greater decrease in the concentration in response to treatment was associated with a better outcome. Since the CSF cathelicidin concentration reflects the degree of central nervous system (CNS) inflammation, it may be used as a novel biomarker in childhood bacterial meningitis. An early decrease during treatment likely signals more rapid mitigation of the disease process and thus a better outcome.
In-Labeled CD 34 Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells in a Rat Myocardial Infarction Model

Transplantation of progenitor cells (PCs) has been shown to improve neovascularization and left ventricular function after myocardial ischemia. The fate of transplanted PCs has been monitored by fluorescence labeling or by genetic modifications introducing reporter genes. However, these techniques are limited by the need to kill the experimental animal. The aim of this study was to radiolabel CD34 hematopoietic PCs (HPCs) with 111In-oxine and to evaluate the feasibility of this in vivo method for monitoring myocardial homing of transplanted cells in a rat myocardial infarction model. Methods: Human HPCs were isolated from mobilized peripheral blood and labeled with 111Inoxine. Labeled HPCs were injected into the cavity of the left ventricle in nude rats 24 h after induction of myocardial infarction (n 4) or sham operation (n 4). Scintigraphic images were acquired up to 96 h after HPC injection. After animals were killed, tissue samples of various organs were harvested to calculate tissue-specific activity and for immunostaining. Results: Labeling efficiency of HPCs was 32% 11%. According to trypan-blue staining, viability of radiolabeled HPCs was impaired by 30% after 48 and 96 h in comparison with unlabeled cells, whereas proliferation and differentiation of HPCs was nullified after 7 d, as assessed by colony-forming assays. After injection of HPCs, the specific activity ratio of heart to peripheral muscle tissue increased from 1.10 0.32 in sham-operated rats to 2.47 0.92 (P 0.020) in infarcted rats. However, the overall radioactivity detected in the heart was only about 1%. A transient high lung uptake of 17% 6% was observed within the first hour after infusion of HPCs. At 24 h after injection, the initial lung activity had shifted toward liver, kidneys, and spleen, resulting in an increase of radioactivity in these organs from 37% 6% to 57% 5%. Conclusion: Radiolabeling with 111In-oxine is a feasible in vivo method for monitoring transplanted HPCs in a rat myocardial infarction model. The potential to detect differences in myocardial homing between infarcted and normal hearts suggests that this method may provide a noninvasive imaging approach for clinical trials using transplanted HPCs in patients. Our findings, however, also demonstrated a negative effect of 111In-oxine on cellular function, which resulted in complete impairment of HPC proliferation and differentiation. For future trials in stem cell imaging with 111Inoxine, therefore, it will be mandatory to carefully check for radiation-induced cell damage.
Use of e-AIRS computing service on CFD education and research

e-AIRS, an abbreviation of 'e-Science Aerospace Integrated Research System', is a virtual organization designed to support the aerospace engineering processes on the e-Science environment. Through the collaborative work between aerospace researchers and computer scientists, e-AIRS web portal with the full services on aerodynamic research process is devised. Currently, e-AIRS supports CFD simulations, remote experimental service, and collaborative and integrative study between computation and experiment. Of these supports, CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) service is composed is of mesh generation, CFD analysis and result visualization, and enables users to conduct the full simulation process on the web. This characteristic makes e-AIRS to be a good system for both education and research. In this paper, details on e-AIRS computing service and, the use of this system to fluid dynamic lectures on universities and integrative launch vehicle simulation are to be described.
Synthesis of Platinum Rare Earth Alloy Catalysts for Fuel Cells

This PhD thesis presents the work performed on synthesising catalytically active platinum rare earth alloys for use in fuel cells. For fuel cells to become an integral part of the future transportation sector, the activity of platinum, the cathode catalyst of choice, has to be improved significantly. Alloying is a common way to improve the activity of platinum, however, true long term stability of the common alloys of platinum and late transition metals is unknown and could suffer from the low heat of formation. A group of alloys that are active and have strong heats of formation, possibly enabling enhanced long term stability, is those of platinum and the rare earth elements. These have shown six fold improvement over pure platinum, for bulk crystals, and an impressive mass activity of 3.6A mg−1 Pt for mass selected PtxGd nanoparticles, prepared by magnetron sputtering. However, these alloys have not yet been produced by a scalable method that allows for practical application. Herein methods for scalable synthesis of carbon supported platinum rare earth alloys are explored. Cathodic corrosion proved promising given further optimisation are done, however, high temperature reduction of rare earth precursors into commercial Pt/C was found to be the most promising method. The thermodynamics of the system was explored and the synthesis is found to be feasible at temperatures from 500 ◦C. The many alloy phases for platinum rare earth alloys, that are very closely related in structure, complicated the characterisation of the system. Through optimisation of the initial synthesis setup an active Pt-Y alloy catalyst was formed showing an increase in mass activity from 0.27 ± 0.07A mg−1 Pt to 0.41± 0.01A mg−1 Pt . This initial activity for a new group of catalysts, produced for the first time by a scalable method is very promising. However, further work into phase purity and alloying conditions is needed to fully realise the potential of this group of catalysts.
Strategies to direct vascularisation using mesoporous bioactive glass-based biomaterials for bone regeneration

Blood vessel formation, which encompasses sprouting of capillaries from pre-existing ones (angiogenesis) and the de novo assembly of endothelial progenitor cells to capillaries (vasculogenesis), is vital for biological processes such as organ development, tissue repair and regeneration, and wound healing. The biggest challenge in the regeneration of large bone defects remains the lack of adequate vascularisation within a scaffold/tissue construct to support cell viability and tissue growth. Thus, enhancing the angiogenic potential of biomaterial scaffolds after implantation is pivotal for the success of guided tissue regeneration. Bone is naturally a well vascularised tissue, therefore, for a bone substitute biomaterial to function, a vascular network within the scaffold is a prerequisite. Mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBG) have gained significant attention in the field of bone tissue engineering over the past decade due to their distinct structure and composition. While the ordered mesopores are too small for blood vessel ingrowth, mesopores can increase specific surface area, thus enhancing osteogenesis through controlled ion release and possibly angiogenesis by delivering pro-angiogenic drugs. Engineering the mesoporous structures is a prime example of applying nanotechnology to regenerative medicine. Large macro-pores can be incorporated into mesoporous glasses to produce a highly functional template for tissue regeneration. Various modification strategies for MBG scaffolds have been developed to stimulate angiogenesis, including the addition/delivery of inorganic ionic components, growth factors and drugs, manipulation of angiogenic growth factors such as fibroblast growth factor-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor, and mimicking hypoxic conditions. This review summarises the application of MBG-based biomaterials for bone regeneration with emphasis given to blood vessel formation.
The Research and Application of M/M/1/N Queuing Model with Variable Input Rates, Variable Service Rates and Impatient Customers

How to maintain the service speeds for the business to make the biggest profit is a problem worthy of study, which is discussed in this paper with the use of queuing theory. An M/M/1/N queuing model with variable input rates, variable service rates and impatient customers is established, and the following conclusions are drawn: the stationary distribution of the model, the relationship between the stationary distribution and the probability that there are n customers left in the system when a customer leaves (not including the customer who leaves himself), the busy period of the system, the average operating cycle, the loss probability for the customers not entering the system while they arriving at the system, the mean of the customers who leaves the system being for impatient, the loss probability for the customers not joining the queue due to the limited capacity of the system and many other indicators. This paper also indicates that the following conclusion is not correct: the more customers the business serve, the more profit they will get. At last, this paper points out the appropriate service speeds the business should keep to make the biggest profit. Keywords—variable input rates, impatient customer, variable service rates, profit maximization.
The Statistical Significance of the MUC-5 Results

The MUC-4 scores of recall, precision, and the F-measures are used to measure the performance of the participating systems. The differences in the scores between any two systems may be due to chance or may be due to a significant difference between the two systems. To rule out the possibility that the difference is due to chance, statistical hypothesis testing is used. The method of hypothesis testing used is a computationally-intensive method known as approximate randomization. The method and the statistical significance of the results for the two MUC-4 test sets, TST3 and TST4, will be discussed in this paper.
Towards a Sociability Theory of Computer Anxiety: An Interpersonal Circumplex Perspective

This study investigates the relationship between individual personality traits and computer anxiety. Much behavioral research on technology-adoption antecedents is focused on individual level variables such as attitudes, beliefs, and personality traits such as computer anxiety and personal innovativeness. However, findings of research linking personality traits to technology adoption have been inconsistent. Our research introduces the Interpersonal Circumplex Model as a means of identifying psychological dimensions and individual traits that may be the exogenous determinants of such variables as anxiety, innovativeness, attitudes and perceptions. In this study, we surveyed 88 healthcare practitioners at a large, mid-western healthcare provider preparing to expand its telemedicine network. The survey measured position on the Interpersonal Circumplex and computer anxiety. Individuals whose trait scores reflected relatively equal degrees of Dominance and Affiliation reported a higher degree of computer anxiety. Our research findings support the notion that individual trait differences affect the level of computer anxiety. This is additional evidence that the Interpersonal Circumplex has promise as integrative trait model for MIS behavioral research.
InformationSense

Deformable displays can provide two major benefits compared to rigid displays: Objects of different shapes and deformabilities, situated in our physical environment, can be equipped with deformable displays, and users can benefit from their pre-existing knowledge about the interaction with physical objects when interacting with deformable displays. In this article we present InformationSense, a large, highly deformable cloth display. The article contributes to two research areas in the context of deformable displays: It presents an approach for the tracking of large, highly deformable surfaces, and it presents one of the first UX analyses of cloth displays that will help with the design of future interaction techniques for this kind of display. The comparison of InformationSense with a rigid display interface unveiled the trade-off that while users are able to interact with InformationSense more naturally and significantly preferred InformationSense in terms of joy of use, they preferred the rigid display interfaces in terms of efficiency. This suggests that deformable displays are already suitable if high hedonic qualities are important but need to be enhanced with additional digital power if high pragmatic qualities are required.