Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhanced absorption of millimeter wave energy in murine subcutaneous blood vessels

The aim of the present study was to determine millimeter wave (MMW) absorption by blood vessels traversing the subcutaneous fat layer of murine skin. Most calculations were performed using the finite‐difference time‐domain (FDTD) technique. We used two types of models: (1) a rectangular block of multilayer tissue with blood vessels traversing the fat layer and (2) cylindrical models with circular and elliptical cross‐sections simulating the real geometry of murine limbs. We found that the specific absorption rate (SAR) in blood vessels normally traversing the fat layer achieved its maximal value at the parallel orientation of the E‐field to the vessel axis. At 42 GHz exposure, the maximal SAR in small blood vessels could be more than 30 times greater than that in the skin. The SAR increased with decreasing the blood vessel diameter and increasing the fat thickness. The SAR decreased with increasing the exposure frequency. When the cylindrical or elliptical models of murine limbs were exposed to plane MMW, the greatest absorption of MMW energy occurred in blood vessels located on the lateral areas of the limb model. At these areas the maximal SAR values were comparable with or were greater than the maximal SAR on the front surface of the skin. Enhanced absorption of MMW energy by blood vessels traversing the fat layer may play a primary role in initiating MMW effects on blood cells and vasodilatation of cutaneous blood vessels. Bioelectromagnetics 32:423–433, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
New approaches to the treatment of nephropathy in diabetes

Introduction: In individuals with diabetes, the presence and severity of kidney disease adversely affects their well-being, significantly contributes to burden of morbidity and increases their risk of a premature death. The efficiency of current management strategies for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy, even in optimal combination, is partial, at best. There remains an unmet need for additional renoprotective interventions in patients with diabetes. Areas covered: This review presents a comprehensive summary of some of the ‘new contenders’ for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy that have been tested or are being tested in randomised clinical trials in patients with diabetes with a predefined renal endpoint, but are not currently indicated for renoprotective therapy. Many of these drugs have been in clinical use for other indications, or initially developed for other purposes. Expert opinion: Although substantial progress has been made towards understanding the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy, at present there are no new drugs that provide the solutions we want for our patients. Even when used in combination with standard medical care, current data indicate that renal complications are at best only modestly reduced, at the expense of additional pill burden and exposure to off-target effects. Given the ever-growing burden of diabetic kidney disease, there is a substantial opportunity for better and more targeted (‘smarter’) therapeutic interventions in this context.
Dual applicator thermal ablation at 2.45 GHz: a numerical comparison and experiments on synchronous versus asynchronous and switched-mode feeding

Abstract Purpose: This paper compares the results obtained with numerical simulations and ex vivo experiments involving a dual applicator microwave thermal ablation system operating at a 2.45 GHz frequency, both in synchronous and asynchronous modes. Our purpose was to demonstrate that at this frequency an asynchronous or switched-mode system performs essentially as well as the synchronous one, in spite of the prevailing belief that coherence would assure better thermal (TH) synergy. Numerical analysis: The calculations of temperature fields were based on the Pennes bioheat equation, taking into account the effects of blood perfusion by means of a full-wave 3D simulator that allows numerical electromagnetic (EM) and TH analyses. Materials and methods: Experiments were done using a 100 W microwave (MW) power generator and a fast switched-mode sequential ‘active’ power splitter. By adding a further passive power splitter we arranged a test bed for an accurate experimental comparison of synchronous versus switched-mode TH ablations. Results: The experimental ablation zones produced by a dual applicator array on ex vivo swine tissue corresponded well with the simulated ones, confirming that the simplifications assumed in the full-wave analysis were compatible with the aim of our work. Conclusions: Numerical simulations and experiments show that at a 2.45 GHz industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) frequency, synchronous, asynchronous and switched-mode multi-probe systems are substantially equivalent in terms of ablative performance. Moreover, the switched-mode solution offers simpler operation along with lesser sensitivity to the placement of applicators in the tissue.
Metronidazole is bactericidal to dormant cells of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Very abrupt exposure to anaerobic conditions has a lethal effect on actively growing cultures of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, incubation under conditions in which oxygen is depleted gradually causes M. tuberculosis to shift down from active replication to dormancy. The dormant bacilli are resistant to the bactericidal effects of anaerobiosis and also exhibit partial or complete resistance to the bactericidal effects of isoniazid and rifampin. On the other hand, metronidazole, a drug specific for anaerobes, kills dormant tubercle bacilli under anaerobic conditions, but it has no effect on actively growing aerobic cultures. The lethal effect of metronidazole under anaerobic conditions is enhanced by rifampin. The possible implications of these findings on the phenomenon of latency in tuberculosis are discussed.
Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathies: Diagnostic Approach

Abstract: Mitochondrial diseases have extremely heterogeneous clinical presentations due to the ubiquitous nature of mitochondria and the dual genetic control of the respiratory chain. Thus, mitochondrial disorders can be multisystemic (mitochondrial encephalomyopathies) or confined to a single tissue, and they can be sporadic or transmitted by mendelian or maternal inheritance. Mendelian disorders are usually inherited as autosomal recessive traits, tend to present earlier in life, and usually “breed true” in each family. By contrast, mitochondrial DNA‐related diseases usually start later and vary in their presentation within members of the same family. Precise diagnosis is often a challenge; we go through the traditional steps of the diagnostic process, trying to highlight clues to mitochondrial dysfunction in the family history, physical and neurological examinations, routine and special laboratory tests, and histo‐chemical and biochemical results of the muscle biopsy. The ultimate goal is to reach, whenever possible, a definitive molecular diagnosis, which permits rational genetic counseling and a prenatal diagnosis.
Immune selection and genetic sequence variation in core and envelope regions of hepatitis C virus

How Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) causes persistent infection is unknown. One hypothesis is that HCV evades the host immune response through mutation in immune epitopes. We have investigated mutations in the HCV genome to see if they cluster within immune epitopes; and we have studied the effect of antibody deficiency on mutation rates. We studied patients with chronic hepatitis C, 3 with antibody deficiency and 3 with normal immunity. Regions of the core and envelope genes of HCV, encoding cytotoxic (CTL), and B cell epitopes were sequenced at 2 time points, 2 years apart. The diversity of quasispecies increased with time. The HCV genetic mutation rate was higher than previously predicted. The cryptic nucleotide mutation rate in core was similar to that observed in envelope, suggesting that the error rate of the HCV RNA polymerase is similar in both regions. In contrast, the coding mutation rate was decreased in core and increased in envelope. No genetic mutation was seen in any of the core CTL epitopes despite detectable cellular responses. All patients had mutations within a previously described envelope CTL epitope but did not exhibit immune responses to either index or mutated peptides. There was no difference in mutation rates in any cellular or humoral epitopes between patients with antibody deficiency and normal immunity. Thus we have found no evidence that mutations were selected by T‐lymphocytes or antibodies. These findings implicate alternative virus‐host interactions in the selection of HCV mutations.
The Topographic Organization of Retinal Ganglion Cell Density and Spatial Resolving Power in an Unusual Arboreal and Slow-Moving Strepsirhine Primate, the Potto (Perodicticus potto)

The potto (Perodicticus potto) is an arboreal strepsirhine found in the rainforests of central Africa. In contrast to most primates, the potto shows slow-moving locomotion over the upper surface of branches, where it forages for exudates and crawling invertebrates with its head held very close to the substrate. Here, we asked whether the retina of the potto displays topographic specializations in neuronal density that correlate with its unusual lifestyle. Using stereology and retinal wholemounts, we measured the total number and topographic distribution of retinal ganglion cells (total and presumed parasol), as well as estimating the upper limits of the spatial resolution of the potto eye. We estimated ∼210,000 retinal ganglion cells, of which ∼7% (∼14,000) comprise presumed parasol ganglion cells. The topographic distribution of both total and parasol ganglion cells reveals a concentric centroperipheral organization with a nasoventral asymmetry. Combined with the upwardly shifted orbits of the potto, this nasoventral increase in parasol ganglion cell density enhances contrast sensitivity and motion detection skywards, which potentially assists with the detection of predators in the high canopy. The central area of the potto occurs ∼2.5 mm temporal to the optic disc and contains a maximum ganglion cell density of ∼4,300 cells/mm2. We found no anatomical evidence of a fovea within this region. Using maximum ganglion cell density and eye size (∼14 mm), we estimated upper limits of spatial resolving power between 4.1 and 4.4 cycles/degree. Despite their reported reliance on olfaction to detect exudates, this level of spatial resolution potentially assists pottos with foraging for small invertebrates and in the detection of predators.
Luminescence Spectroscopical Properties of Plagioclase Particles from the Hayabusa Sample Return Mission: An Implication for Study of Space Weathering Processes in the Asteroid Itokawa

Abstract We report a systematic spectroscopical investigation of three plagioclase particles (RB-QD04-0022, RA-QD02-0025-01, and RA-QD02-0025-02) returned by the Hayabusa spacecraft from the asteroid Itokawa, by means of scanning electron microscopy, cathodoluminescence microscopy/spectroscopy, and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The cathodoluminescence properties are used to evaluate the crystallization effects and the degree of space weathering processes, especially the shock-wave history of Itokawa. They provide new insights regarding spectral changes of asteroidal bodies due to space weathering processes. The cathodoluminescence spectra of the plagioclase particles from Itokawa show a defect-related broad band centered at around 450 nm, with a shoulder peak at 425 nm in the blue region, but there are no Mn- or Fe-related emission peaks. The absence of these crystal field-related activators indicates that the plagioclase was formed during thermal metamorphism at subsolidus temperature and extreme low oxygen fugacity. Luminescence characteristics of the selected samples do not show any signatures of the shock-induced microstructures or amorphization, indicating that these plagioclase samples suffered no (or low-shock pressure regime) shock metamorphism. Cathodoluminescence can play a key role as a powerful tool to determine mineralogy of fine-grained astromaterials.
Monitoring dynamic changes in free Ca2+ concentration in the endoplasmic reticulum of intact cells.

Direct monitoring of the free Ca2+ concentration in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is an important but still unsolved experimental problem. We have shown that a Ca(2+)‐sensitive photoprotein, aequorin, can be addressed to defined subcellular compartments by adding the appropriate targeting sequences. By engineering a new aequorin chimera with reduced Ca2+ affinity, retained in the ER lumen via interaction of its N‐terminus with the endogenous resident protein BiP, we show here that, after emptying the ER, Ca2+ is rapidly re‐accumulated up to concentrations of > 100 microM, thus consuming most of the reporter photoprotein. An estimate of the steady‐state Ca2+ concentration was obtained using Sr2+, a well‐known Ca2+ surrogate which elicits a significantly slower rate of aequorin consumption. Under conditions in which the rate and extent of Sr2+ accumulation in the ER closely mimick those of Ca2+, the steady‐state mean lumenal Sr2+ concentration ([Sr2+]er) was approximately 2 mM. Receptor stimulation causes, in a few seconds, a 3‐fold decrease of the [Sr2+]er, whereas specific inhibition of the ER Ca2+ ATPase leads to an approximately 10‐fold drop in a few minutes.
A Rule-Based Verification and Control Framework in Atlas Trigger-DAQ

In order to meet the requirements of ATLAS experiment data taking, the Trigger-DAQ (TDAQ) system is composed of O(10000) of applications running on more than 2600 computers in a network. With such a system size, software and hardware failures are quite frequent. To minimize system downtime, the Trigger-DAQ control system shall include advance verification and diagnostics facilities. The operator shall use tests and expertise of the TDAQ and detectors developers in order to diagnose and recover from errors, if possible automatically. The TDAQ control system is built as a distributed tree of controllers, where the behavior of each controller is defined in a rule-based language allowing easy customization. The control system also includes a verification framework which allows users to develop and configure tests for any component in the system with different levels of complexity. It can be used as a stand-alone test facility for a small detector installation, as part of the general TDAQ initialization procedure, and for diagnosing problems which may occur during run time. The system is currently being used in TDAQ commissioning at the ATLAS experimental zone and by subdetectors for stand-alone verification of the detector hardware before it is finally installed.
Wayang Tavip (Creative Process and Educational Efforts on Rahvayana's Play: Aku

Since a long time ago, wayang have been a medium of propaganda, education, and entertainment for the community through the stories they display. One of the popular stories performed in puppet performances is the Ramayana's epic which has now been transformed in a number of modern Indonesian literature, as in Sujiwo Tejo's Rahvayana novel which places Rahwana as the protagonist's main character. Wayang Tavip is a contemporary puppet art from Bandung that shows the story of Rahvayana. This study aims to understand the creative process in making Wayang Tavip using descriptivequalitative methods which are analyzed using the theory of creativity. The results of the study showed that plastic waste was chosen as a working medium as an effort to innovate and educate on environmental problems. Wayang Tavip always inserts social criticism that occurs in the community for each character. Cases of corruption and contemporary society's behavior which are increasingly deviating from Islam and eastern norms are common topics discussed in Rahvayana's play. The conclusion is: innovations in the media work and the selection of characters and stories in the Wayang Tavip are an alternative solution that is quite effective in increasing the interest of the younger generation towards puppet arts and instilling environmental
The endoscopically controlled osteotome sinus floor elevation: a preliminary prospective study.

PURPOSE It was the aim of the present prospective study to quantify the gain in height of implant sites by endoscopically controlled osteotome sinus floor elevations (ECOSFE) with simultaneous implant placement and to report the number of sinus membrane perforations. MATERIALS AND METHODS From October 1999 to December 2000, of 92 sinus floor elevations, 18 were carried out endoscopically controlled with an osteotome technique. As augmentation material, beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) or autogenous bone was used; 22 implants were placed. RESULTS The residual height of the alveolar crest in the posterior maxilla was 6.8 +/- 1.6 mm on average. The implant lengths ranged from 10 to 16 mm (mean implant length 12.2 +/- 1.4 mm). They were significantly larger than the residual height of the alveolar crests (P < .0005). Elevation of the sinus floor with an osteotome had to be supported by conventional sinus floor elevation instruments after a mean elevation of 3.0 +/- 0.8 mm to prevent perforation of the sinus membrane. However, 1 perforation occurred, which was repaired with a periosteal patch. At stage 2 surgery, 2 implants were removed because of mobility. Endoscopic control revealed one case in which beta-TCP could be found within the sinus; another case showed areas of polypoid mucosa on the sinus floor. DISCUSSION With the ECOSFE, perforations of the sinus membrane can be visualized; however, they cannot be avoided. Although this technique is less invasive than the lateral window technique, it cannot be recommended as a standard procedure in the posterior maxilla because of the large amount of additional equipment needed and the technically demanding procedure. CONCLUSION The use of the ECOSFE should be confined to scientific trials.
Antigonadal effects of two novel melatonin analogues in adult Djungarian hamsters

Abstract: This study examined the effects of two novel melatonin analogues in adult Djungarian hamsters housed under long photoperiod (LD 16:8). Daily injection (10 μg, s.c.) of either melatonin, 5‐methoxy N‐butanoyltryptamine (bMT), or 5‐methyl N‐butanoyltryptamine (5‐MebT) 3 hr before lights off for 8 weeks led to a significant decrease in paired testis weight compared to vehicle‐injected controls. The reduction in testis weight was of similar magnitude with melatonin and bMT, but 5‐MebT was not as effective. The affinity of the analogues was determined in competition experiments using chicken brain membranes and 2‐[125I]iodomelatonin (2‐[125I]aMT). Replacing the N‐acetyl side‐chain of melatonin with an N‐butanoyl group increased affinity for the chicken brain 2‐[125I]aMT binding site, but exchanging the 5‐methoxy group of melatonin for a 5‐methyl group reduced affinity. These studies show that these analogues not only inhibit 2‐[125I]aMT binding in vitro but also mimic melatonin's antigonadal activity in vivo.
Optimal Cell-to-Cell Balancing Topology Design for Serially Connected Lithium-Ion Battery Packs

A battery pack can see energy imbalance among its cells resulting from cell-to-cell variation in capacity, internal resistance, and other parameters. Its successful and safe operation thus necessitates dynamic energy equalizing to adjust each cell's state-of-charge to the same level. The cell equalizing system for a serially connected battery pack is modeled as a multiagent system here. A consensus-based state-of-charge equalizing algorithm is proposed with its convergence proved through theoretical analysis. Following this development, an interesting and important problem is investigated: how to add extra individual cell equalizers or edges to the original cell equalizing system's topology to maximally accelerate the equalizing process. It is found that the balancing time depends on the algebraic connectivity of the topology graph, which is measured by the second smallest eigenvalue of the graph's Laplacian matrix. Then, a combinatorial 0-1 optimization problem is formulated and addressed to optimally choose added edges that lead to the maximum increase in the algebraic connectivity. The proposed results are validated through simulation and experiments, which demonstrate that the balancing time can be significantly reduced by just adding one optimal individual cell equalizer to the original cell equalizing system.
Spatial Regulation of lag-2 Transcription During Vulval Precursor Cell Fate Patterning in Caenorhabditis eleganslag-2

lag-2 encodes a ligand for LIN-12/Notch and is a component of the lateral signal that activates LIN-12/Notch during Caenorhabditis elegans vulval precursor cell (VPC) fate patterning. lag-2 is specifically transcribed in one VPC, named P6.p, in response to activation of EGFR/Ras/MAPK by the inductive signal that initiates vulval development. Here, we show that a critical molecular event linking inductive and lateral signaling is the relief of VPC-wide lag-2 repression in P6.p. We find that the lag-2 promoter contains an element, VPCrep, which mediates repression in all VPCs when the inductive signal is absent, and another promoter element, VPCact, which is required for activation when repression is relieved by the inductive signal. We show that repression through VPCrep is mediated by the Elk1 ortholog LIN-1, and that the level and subcellular accumulation of a functional LIN-1::GFP protein is similar in all six VPCs before and after vulval induction, suggesting that relief of LIN-1–mediated repression in P6.p is likely due to the known MAPK-dependent phosphorylation of LIN-1. We also provide evidence that the factor(s) acting through VPCact is present in all VPCs but is not modulated by the inductive signal, and that transcription of lag-2 requires the Hth/Meis ortholog UNC-62 and the Mediator complex component SUR-2. Relief of repression of lag-2 in P6.p offers a plausible mechanistic basis for spatial restriction of lag-2 in generating the precise spatial pattern of VPC fates.
Estimation of in vivo capillary or venous blood glucose concentration from analysis on stored venous blood or its plasma and use in quality control of near-patient glucose tests

Glucose concentrations were determined in capillary and venous blood and in venous plasma from 100 consecutive patients referred to an oral glucose tolerance test. The capillary blood was immediately transferred to a haemolysing and glucose stabilizing solution and frozen within 4 h. Venous blood was drawn in heparin-sodium fluoride tubes and stored for 0, 4 or 24 h at 4 or 20 C. Aliquots of the venous blood were then treated in the same way as the capillary blood. The primary tubes were centrifuged, and aliquots of the plasma were stabilized, as described. All specimens from the same sampling event were analysed in the same analytical series on EBIO compact. Deming linear regression equations y=a + bx were calculated to estimate the glucose concentration in one specimen from that in a differently treated specimen e.g.: B(cB;fPt)--Glucose (0h) = 0.61+0.897*P(vB;fPt)--Glucose (24h, 20 ° C), n=100, SD B(vB) - Glucose (0 h)= 0.53+ 0.897*P (vB)--Glucose (24 h, 20 ° C), n=196, SD y|x =0.26 mmol/L. The non-analytical part of the standard deviation of the ratio between the near-patient test result and its predicted value was 0.038 for both of the above predictions. In conclusion, the analytical (including sampling) variation of near-patient tests of glucose can be assessed by laboratory analysis on mailed, heparin-fluoride stabilized venous blood or on plasma samples made from the mailed blood.