Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
T Cells Infiltrating from the Systemic Circulation Proliferate in the Endolymphatic Sac

It has been reported that autoimmune mechanisms are involved in the development of inner ear disorders such as Meniere's disease and steroid-responsive sensorineural hearing loss. In the present study, using an animal model for graft-versus-host disease, we investigated the immune regulatory mechanism in the endolymphatic sac and demonstrated that donor T cells injected into the systemic circulation of recipients infiltrate and proliferate in the perisaccular region. These findings suggest that immunocompetent cells are supplied from the systemic circulation through blood-labyrinth and blood-endolymph barriers into the endolymphatic sac, and that the endolymphatic sac allows these cells to proliferate locally as a local immune defense. It therefore seems likely that the endolymphatic sac plays a crucial role in not only graft-versus-host disease but also autoimmune inner ear disorders.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: A Test for Health Diplomacy

Against the background of stalled negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO), there has been a proliferation of bilateral and regional trade agreements. Most of these contain provisions which go beyond existing WTO agreements in the protection of intellectual property (IP), and raise concerns about the ability of low and middle-income countries to provide affordable drugs for their populations. An extreme case is the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), now under negotiation among eleven countries. Competing interests within and among countries, evolving alliances and economic ties, and external factors present a challenge for health diplomacy at the intersection of health and trade. With the emergence of new economic power centres, low and middle-income countries have wider choice for trade partnerships and do not have to accept agreements that are incompatible with their policy objectives. The situation calls for a more sophisticated and inclusive style of health diplomacy than we have seen up to now. Here we will review the background and contents of the TPPA, and then examine choices facing Thailand as it considers joining TPPA negotiations. The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: A Test For Health Diplomacy
TÜRKİYE DE AİLEDEN BİRİ OLSAYDI: MALİYE POLİTİKASININ SEÇİLMİŞ AVRUPA BİRLİĞİ ÜYESİ ÜLKELERDE VE TÜRKİYE’DE EKONOMİK BÜYÜME ÜZERİNDEKİ ETKİLERİ

Bu arastirma cesitli maliye politikasi araclarinin ekonomik performans uzerindeki etkilerini tespit etmeyi amaclamaktadir. Calismada secilmis Avrupa Birligi uyesi ulkeler ve PIIGS olarak da adlandirilan borc krizi yasayan ulkelerin yani sira genisletilmis modelde Turkiye de yer almaktadir. Panel veri analizinin cesitli yontemleriyle yapilan ampirik sinamalar cercevesinde ekonomik buyumeyi etkileyen ana degiskenlerin vergiler, sosyal guvenlik harcamalari ve kamu tuketim harcamalari oldugu sonucuna ulasilmistir
Social capital in Croatia: measurement and regional distribution

By using partial least squares path modeling, this paper develops a complex index of social capital, selects Croatia as the case for testing and validating the index, and investigates the regional distribution of social capital. The social capital index is defined as a complex hierarchical structured construct of third-order with social trust, participation, and civism as its core dimensions. The main results indicate that civism is the most important cause of social capital followed by active participation and social trust. As far as the regional distribution of social capital is concerned, there are statistically significant differences across the Croatian regions. Although the lowest or below the national average level of social capital and its dimensions can be mostly found in the least developed regions (with the exception of the capital), the highest level of social capital and its particular dimensions is not achieved in the most developed regions.
Stabilization of an autonomous underwater vehicle relative to the sea bottom by means of the stereoscopic images processing

The algorithms of autonomous underwater vehicle /AUV/ motion detection and near the bottom stabilization based on stereoscopic images processing are considered in the paper. The approach is based on detection of the same objects on the consecutive frames and their joint displacement calculation. Some results of the real underwater image processing and considered algorithms operation onboard of small sized AUV during the pool trials are supplemented.
Temporal behavior of the plasma current distribution in the ASDEX tokamak during lower-hybrid current drive.

Measurements of the time evolution of the current-density distribution in ASDEX show that lower-hybrid current drive leads to broader profiles, whereby q increases from qapprox. 1 in the plasma central region. Simultaneously, the electron temperature is observed to peak, thus demonstrating that the lower-hybrid--driven current distribution is decoupled from the classical conductivity profile.
The influence of metal species for surface plasmon resonance of nanodisc array on GaSb

The Au, Ag, and Al-SiO2-GaSb film sandwiched structure were modeling in the software of FDTD Solutions. The optical properties of this structure were investigated by FDTD method, and the simulation results give transmission, reflection, and absorption spectra for this structure. Compare the absorption spectra among the Au, Ag, and Al nanodisc array samples, we found that the surface plasmon resonance is related to the metal species.
DeltaA/DeltaD Regulate Multiple and Temporally Distinct Phases of Notch Signaling during Dopaminergic Neurogenesis in Zebrafish

Dopaminergic neurons develop at distinct anatomical sites to form some of the major neuromodulatory systems in the vertebrate brain. Despite their relevance in neurodegenerative diseases and the interests in reconstitutive therapies from stem cells, mechanisms of the neurogenic switch from precursor populations to dopaminergic neurons are not well understood. Here, we investigated neurogenesis of different dopaminergic and noradrenergic neuron populations in the zebrafish embryo. Birth-dating analysis by EdU (5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine) incorporation revealed temporal dynamics of catecholaminergic neurogenesis. Analysis of Notch signaling mutants and stage-specific pharmacological inhibition of Notch processing revealed that dopaminergic neurons form by temporally distinct mechanisms: dopaminergic neurons of the posterior tuberculum derive directly from neural plate cells during primary neurogenesis, whereas other dopaminergic groups form in continuous or wavelike neurogenesis phases from proliferating precursor pools. Systematic analysis of Notch ligands revealed that the two zebrafish co-orthologs of mammalian Delta1, DeltaA and DeltaD, control the neurogenic switch of all early developing dopaminergic neurons in a partially redundant manner. DeltaA/D may also be involved in maintenance of dopaminergic precursor pools, as olig2 expression in ventral diencephalic dopaminergic precursors is affected in dla/dld mutants. DeltaA/D act upstream of sim1a and otpa during dopaminergic specification. However, despite the fact that both dopaminergic and corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons derive from sim1a- and otpa-expressing precursors, DeltaA/D does not act as a lineage switch between these two neuronal types. Rather, DeltaA/D limits the size of the sim1a- and otpa-expressing precursor pool from which dopaminergic neurons differentiate.
A low voltage, energy efficient supply boosted SAR ADC for biomedical applications

This paper presents a new technique called supply boosting for designing low voltage, low power mixed signal circuits. An energy efficient supply boosted (SB) successive approximation register (SAR) type analog-to-digital converter (ADC), targeted for biomedical applications is designed in a high-Vth CMOS process. Supply boosting technique improves the input common mode range and minimum operation voltage even when threshold voltages are on the order of the supply voltage. A 10-bit supply boosted SAR ADC was designed in a standard 0. 5µm, 5V, 2P3M, CMOS process in which threshold voltages of NMOS and PMOS devices are +0.8V and −0.9V, respectively. Simulation results show that the SB-SAR ADC achieves effective number of bits (ENOB) of 9.5, power consumption of 12µW with sampling rate of 100KS/s on 1.2Volt supply. The proposed ADC achieves a FoM of 166.3fJ/conv-step.
Jejunal Dopamine and Na+,K+-ATPase Activity in Nephrotic Syndrome

Background: The occurrence of complementary functions in sodium transport between the intestine and the kidney was suggested to occur when the renal function is immature or compromised and jejunal dopamine has been implicated in this renal-intestinal cross-talk. The jejunal sodium transport was not previously evaluated in the nephrotic syndrome. Methods: We examined the jejunal Na+,K+-ATPase activity and the role of dopamine in puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN) and HgCl2-induced nephrotic syndrome rat models. Results: In both nephrotic syndrome rat models, the jejunal Na+,K+-ATPase activity was reduced during greatest sodium retention and ascites accumulation (PAN nephrosis, day 7; HgCl2 nephrosis, day 14), whereas during enhanced sodium excretion and ascites mobilization the jejunal Na+,K+-ATPase activity was increased in HgCl2 nephrosis (day 21) and was similar to controls in PAN nephrosis (day 14). In both PAN- and HgCl2-induced nephrosis, the jejunal aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) activity, the enzyme responsible for the synthesis of jejunal dopamine, did not differ from controls. In addition, the jejunal Na+,K+-ATPase activity was not sensitive to inhibition by dopamine (1 µM) in both experimental groups throughout the study. Conclusions: In the nephrotic syndrome the jejunal Na+,K+-ATPase activity may respond in a compensatory way to changes in extracellular volume, through dopamine-independent mechanisms.
Greater Effect of Diabetes on LDL size in Women Than in Men

OBJECTIVE Coronary heart disease (CHD) is increased two- to fourfold in subjects with NIDDM compared with normoglycemic subjects. This excess risk is only partially explained by conventional risk factors. We studied the effect of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) on the size of low-density lipoproteins (LDL). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We examined the effect of NIDDM on LDL size and subclass pattern B (LDL size < 253.5 Å) in 95 diabetic subjects and 371 nondiabetic subjects from the San Antonio Heart Study, a population-based study of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. RESULTS LDL size (Å) was significantly lower in diabetic subjects (men: 252.2 ± 1.8; women: 254.7 ± 1.3) than in nondiabetic subjects (men: 256.1 ± 0.8; women: 259.7 ± 0.7) (P = 0.007). After the use of analysis of covariance to adjust for triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL size was still significantly lower in diabetic women than in nondiabetic women. In men, however, diabetes was no longer significantly associated with LDL size after similar adjustments. Fasting glucose was more strongly correlated with LDL size in women (r = −0.30) than in men (r = −0.18). CONCLUSIONS We conclude that LDL size is significantly lower in diabetic subjects of both sexes than in nondiabetic subjects, but that diabetic dyslipidemia accounts for the association in diabetic men. The stronger association between LDL size and diabetes in women than in men may partially explain the greater relative risk of CHD observed in women with NIDDM in some studies.
A new time reversal method with extended source locating capability

Time reversal (TR) techniques have been introduced for many applications in acoustics, seismology, medical imaging, electromagnetics, and so on. One of the applications is source locating in a time-invariant environment. By performing the TR process, temporal and spatial focusing occurs at the original source location and consequently the source locations are identified. In this paper, we propose a new TR method which allows the location identifications of narrow-band sources and moving sources which have not been considered. The proposed method is built on the conventional time-reversal method and therefore retains the simplicity and robustness of the conventional TR technique. Numerical examples are given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Protective effect of caspase inhibition on compression‐induced muscle damage

Non‐technical summary A pressure ulcer, also known as a pressure sore, bedsore or decubitus ulcer, results from localized ulcerated tissue breakdown caused by sustained, unrelieved mechanical pressure in the body–support interface such as with a bed, wheelchair and orthoses/prostheses. Pressure ulcers are common in the wheelchair bound or bedridden frail elderly patients with neuromuscular disorder and orthoses/prostheses clients. Pressure ulcers represent a significant health problem as they impose a heavy burden on sufferers, with negative psychological, physical, social and financial consequences. Most importantly, there are currently no effective therapies for preventing and treating pressure ulcers. In the present study, our data demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of caspase is effective in alleviating muscle damage induced by prolonged moderate compression. These findings suggest that regimens targeting caspase/apoptosis inhibition might be of use to prevent or treat pressure ulcers.
A Randomized Controlled Comparison of Flushing Protocols in Home Care Patients With Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters

Introduction/Significance/Population: Research has failed to demonstrate an optimal flushing solution or frequency for central catheters. In a 2002 study of 50 000 home care patients, catheter dysfunction with loss of patency was the most common complication and occurred in 29% of the peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) tracked. With the advent of the Affordable Care Act and the promise of expanded home care services, this study offers evidence as to a preferred flushing protocol to prevent catheter patency complications for home infusion patients with PICCs. Methods: This prospective, randomized, 1-way, single-blinded posttest with control group study was performed to compare 3 commonly used flushing protocols in home infusion patients with PICCs. The independent variable was the flushing protocol, and dependent variables included the development of patency-related complications and other significant issues such as sluggishness, occlusion, missed medication doses, catheter replacement, additional nursing visits, and the use of alteplase (Cathflo Activase). Data Analysis/Results: Each of the study groups had patients who experienced 1 or more patency-related complications. Additional factors that may affect catheter function, including patient age, gender, diagnosis, therapy type, frequency of catheter use, catheter brand/size/number of lumens, concomitant use of anticoagulant medications, and whether PICCs were used for routine lab testing, were analyzed, and no statistical significance was determined. Catheter dwell time (catheter days) was statistically significant (p = .003, confidence interval = 95%; assuming equal variance) and confirmed the assumption that the longer a home care patient's catheter was in place, the more complications occurred. There were no cases of heparin allergy, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, or line infection. Discussion/Conclusion/Recommendations for Practice: The data provide some evidence to support the elimination of heparin flushing in home care patients with PICCs, although data in the saline-only group that related to additional registered nurse visits to assess PICC patency and the use of alteplase (Cathflo Activase) were trending toward significance because this group experienced a higher incidence of these complications than both the heparin groups. These findings should not be translated to home care patients with cancer or pregnancy diagnoses because these populations were excluded from this study. More studies of this topic area should be initiated. Please see video abstract, Supplemental Digital Content 1, for more information (http://links.lww.com/JIN/A3).
Sensorless control of PMSM fed by a matrix converter

The paper presents the results of studies for the sensorless drive with a permanent magnet synchronous motor, which is supplied by the matrix converter, and for comparison, is supplied by the voltage source inverter. For accurate simulation, inverter models using the SimPowerSystems library of Matlab/Simulink environment have been prepared.
Parallel analysis method for a power electronic system by circuit partitioning

This paper proposes a new parallel circuit simulation method which divides the whole circuit into subcircuits by applying an explicit integration formula to selected energy storage elements such as inductors and/or capacitors. Specifically, the forward Euler (FE) formula is applied to selected series inductors and parallel capacitors. Then an implicit formula such as the backward Euler (BE) formula is applied for stable numerical integration, and the optimum step size is selected for each subcircuit. This paper describes first the principle of the proposed method, then the processes by which it is applied. Then it describes a parallel method which utilizes thread processing techniques based on OpenMP application program interfaces with multicore CPU and shared-memory system to reduce its processing time. As application examples, this paper includes analysis of an AC-DC converter, and a series-connected circuit of a three-phase converter and a modified hysteresis controlled PWM single-phase and three-phase inverters. Its efficiency is proven by the effect of reducing circuit sizes and parallel processing.
Screening for depression in African American and Caucasian older women

Objective: To assess the performance of a two-choice (yes/no), 10-item shortened form of the CES-D in both African American (AA) and Caucasian (CA) older women. The CES-D is a widely used screening instrument, but its use has been questioned for routine screening because of its length and the complexity of its four-choice format. There is also little data available about its suitability low-income AA respondents. Method: Telephone screening for depression followed by in-home diagnostic interviews were conducted in a community sample of 256 CA and 186AA low-income older women who ranged in age from 64 to 94 years. Standard receiver operator curves were plotted to determine the sensitivities and specificities of the screening instrument at different cut-scores against a criterion of SCID-based diagnoses of current major depressive episode (CMDE). Results: Sensitivity and specificity of the 10-item scale and an even shorter 5-item version was slightly higher for AA than for CA women. While both short forms produced significant numbers of false positives against a criterion of CMDE, many of the women identified by the screen did have significant depressive symptomatology. Significantly, fewer AA women received a diagnosis of CMDE primarily because they did not show diminution of functioning associated with their depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Short, easy to administer forms of the CES-D can provide useful information in working with older patients. Clinicians should be aware of ethnic differences in symptom expression and levels of functional impairment that are likely to occur in follow-up medical and psychiatric exams.
Tunable load MIMO with quantized loads

In this paper, we study the application of precoding schemes on practical electronically steerable parasitic array radiators (ESPARs), where quantized load impedances are considered for each antenna element. The presence of quantization in the loads results in a performance loss for practical ESPARs. To alleviate the performance loss, we propose to approximate the ideal current vector with convex optimization, where it is further shown that the optimality is achieved by optimizing the feeding voltages only. Specifically, we obtain the closed-form expression when single-fed ESPARs are assumed. Numerical results show that the proposed quantization-robust scheme can achieve a significant performance gain over ESPARs with quantized loads.
Alcohol Consumption Promotes Diethylnitrosamine-Induced Hepatocarcinogenesis in Male Mice through Activation of the Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway

Although alcohol effects within the liver have been extensively studied, the complex mechanisms by which alcohol causes liver cancer are not well understood. It has been suggested that ethanol (EtOH) metabolism promotes tumor growth by increasing hepatocyte proliferation. In this study, we developed a mouse model of tumor promotion by chronic EtOH consumption in which EtOH feeding began 46 days after injection of the chemical carcinogen diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and continued for 16 weeks. With a final EtOH concentration of 28% of total calories, we observed a significant increase in the total number of preneoplastic foci and liver tumors per mouse in the EtOH+DEN group compared with corresponding pair-fed (PF)+DEN and chow+DEN control groups. We also observed a 4-fold increase in hepatocyte proliferation (P < 0.05) and increased cytoplasmic staining of active-β-catenin in nontumor liver sections from EtOH+DEN mice compared with PF+DEN controls. In a rat model of alcohol-induced liver disease, we found increased hepatocyte proliferation (P < 0.05); depletion of retinol and retinoic acid stores (P < 0.05); increased expression of cytosolic and nuclear expression of β-catenin (P < 0.05) and phosphorylated-glycogen synthase kinase 3β (p-GSK3β), P < 0.05; significant upregulation in Wnt7a mRNA expression; and increased expression of several β-catenin targets, including, glutamine synthetase (GS), cyclin D1, Wnt1 inducible signaling pathways protein (WISP1), and matrix metalloproteinase-7(MMP7), P < 0.05. These data suggest that chronic EtOH consumption activates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways to increase hepatocyte proliferation, thus promoting tumorigenesis following an initiating insult to the liver. Cancer Prev Res; 7(7); 675–85. ©2014 AACR.
The Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study: topical medication delays or prevents primary open-angle glaucoma in African American individuals.

BACKGROUND The prevalence of glaucoma is higher in African American individuals than in white individuals. OBJECTIVE To report the safety and efficacy of topical ocular hypotensive medication in delaying or preventing the onset of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) among African American participants in the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study. METHODS Eligibility criteria included age between 40 and 80 years, intraocular pressure between 24 and 32 mm Hg in one eye and between 21 and 32 mm Hg in the other eye, and no evidence of glaucomatous structural or functional damage by standard clinical measures. Participants were randomized to either the observation group or medication group. Of the 1636 participants randomized, 408 were self-identified as African American. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE The primary outcome was the development of reproducible visual field abnormality and/or reproducible optic disc deterioration attributed to POAG. RESULTS Among African American participants, 17 (8.4%) of 203 in the medication group developed POAG during the study (median follow-up, 78 months) compared with 33 (16.1%) of 205 participants in the observation group (hazard ratio, 0.50; 95% confidence interval, 0.28-0.90; P =.02). CONCLUSION Topical ocular hypotensive therapy is effective in delaying or preventing the onset of POAG in African American individuals who have ocular hypertension.