Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of hyperglycemia-hyperinsulinemia on whole body and regional fatty acid metabolism

Sidossis, Labros S. , Bettina Mittendorfer, David Chinkes, Eric Walser, and Robert R. Wolfe. Effect of hyperglycemia-hyperinsulinemia on whole body and regional fatty acid metabolism. Am. J. Physiol. 276 (Endocrinol. Metab. 39): E427–E434, 1999. —The effects of combined hyperglycemia-hyperinsulinemia on whole body, splanchnic, and leg fatty acid metabolism were determined in five volunteers. Catheters were placed in a femoral artery and vein and a hepatic vein. U-13C-labeled fatty acids were infused, once in the basal state and, on a different occasion, during infusion of dextrose (clamp; arterial glucose 8.8 6 0.5 mmol/l). Lipids and heparin were infused together with the dextrose to maintain plasma fatty acid concentrations at basal levels. Fatty acid availability in plasma and fatty acid uptake across the splanchnic region and the leg were similar during the basal and clamp experiments. Dextrose infusion decreased fatty acid oxidation by 51.8% (whole body), 47.4% (splanchnic), and 64.3% (leg). Similarly, the percent fatty acid uptake oxidized decreased at the whole body level (53 to 29%), across the splanchnic region (30 to 13%), and in the leg (48 to 22%) during the clamp. We conclude that, in healthy men, combined hyperglycemia-hyperinsulinemia inhibits fatty acid oxidation to a similar extent at the whole body level, across the leg, and across the splanchnic region, even when fatty acid availability is constant.
Developing understanding: pre-service elementary teachers' changing conceptions of mathematics

This descriptive case study explores how a conceptual understanding of fractions develops in pre-service elementary teachers enrolled in a reform-based, remedial mathematics skills course set at a middle school level, during their final year of an education program in a small Canadian university. I compared the learning trajectory of these adults to that of children and then developed a landscape of (re)learning fraction concepts within a constructivist-oriented environment. Fourteen prospective teachers completed pre/posttest content exams and interviews that followed-up each of these test instruments, as well as two paired problem-solving interviews that used a modified think aloud protocol, and open ended questionnaires. All interviews were videotaped using two cameras, capturing both the participant(s) and a zoomed in view of their hands and written work. Data collection took place at four points in the school year between September and March, providing snapshots of the developmental progression of fraction understanding in the pre-service teachers over time. Analysis occurred at multiple layers: first with the individual preservice teachers, then with three clusters of participants grouped according to their mathematical abilities, and finally with the group as a whole. The theoretical framework utilized a constructivist view of learning and a particular landscape of learning that highlights strategies, big ideas, and models. The analysis revealed that the landscape of (re)learning fractions for adults is significantly different from that of children. Pre-service teachers moved from understanding fractions solely as procedures and worked to make sense of their fragmented knowledge around the intertwined concepts of fractions as relations, ratios, and operators. All participants demonstrated growth in their understanding of fractions; however, few participants developed a deep understanding of fractions as meaningful objects. The foundational concept of fractions as relations developed slowly over time and constrained the understanding of fractions as ratios and operators. Pre-service teachers experienced difficulties in understanding and identifying the appropriate referent unit, or fraction whole; this reflected the fragility of their understanding of fractions as relations. In order for preservice teachers to understand fractions as meaningful objects and to shift to multiplicative thinking, modeling is a necessary but insufficient means.
PROCALCITONIN AS A PREDICTOR OF SEVERE APPENDICITIS IN CHILDREN

INTRODUCTION: Procalcitonin is an amino acid peptide that can contribute in the diagnosis and management of severe bacterial infections because it reaches high concentrations in patients with severe bacterial infection, septicemia, or meningitis and decreases rapidly after appropriate antibiotic therapy. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of procalcitonin in 212 children with appendicitis and compare it with the standard diagnostic modalities, C-reactive protein, white blood cell count, and abdominal ultrasonography, in relation to the surgical and histologic findings of the appendix. METHODS: Prolactin levels were measured in 212 children with appendicitis, and the results were compared with standard diagnostic modalities such as C-reactive protein level, white blood cell count, and abdominal ultrasonography, which are useful aids for detecting severe appendicitis and/or perforation. RESULTS: A procalcitonin value of >0.5 ng/mL was indicative of perforation or gangrene with 73.4% sensitivity and 94.6% specificity, C-reactive protein level of >50 mg/L and white blood cell count of >104/μL are useful diagnostic aids for perforation, and abdominal ultrasonography had a sensitivity of 82.8% and a specificity of 91.2%. CONCLUSIONS: Procalcitonin seems to be a useful adjunct diagnostic tool for acute necrotizing appendicitis or perforation, and surgical exploration will probably be required in patients with procalcitonin values of >0.5 ng/mL.
Find dominant bins of a histogram by sparse representation

Bag of words (BoW) method has been widely used for image (feature) representation and gained great success for its simplicity but efficient power. However, due to the unsupervised clustering, visual words are equally treated for all classes and are not discriminative for classification. We found that only a few words are activated when samples from one class are sparsely represented over the visual words. Based on this observation, we propose an approach to find the dominant and useful bins in image histogram for each class with sparse representation technique. The resulted histogram with only dominant bins then becomes more discriminative for classification. Experiments on three widely used datasets demonstrate superior performance of the proposed approach over standard BoW method.
A method for the design of miniaturized suspended plate multiband antennas

This paper presents a method to design suspended plate multiband antennas with reduced size and enhanced performance. A periodic folding algorithm is applied over a thin conducting plate and the resultant antenna is fed by a coax probe through a thin dielectric substrate of low permittivity. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated with the design of a compact periodic suspended plate multiband antenna on 1-mm thick FR-4 substrate. The antenna comprises an additional vertical substrate itched to a non-radiating edge of the plate and two asymmetric shorting pins. Numerical results predict a 6-band resonance below −10 dB of reflection coefficient with all resonant frequencies spanned within the 1–6 GHz spectrum range. Numerical results also show that the sizes of the ground plane and the dielectric substrates have little effect on the performance of the antenna.
Regulation of metabolism by dietary carbohydrates in two lines of rainbow trout divergently selected for muscle fat content

SUMMARY Previous studies in two rainbow trout lines divergently selected for lean (L) or fat (F) muscle suggested that they differ in their ability to metabolise glucose. In this context, we investigated whether genetic selection for high muscle fat content led to a better capacity to metabolise dietary carbohydrates. Juvenile trout from the two lines were fed diets with or without gelatinised starch (17.1%) for 10 weeks, after which blood, liver, muscle and adipose tissues were sampled. Growth rate, feed efficiency and protein utilisation were lower in the F line than in the L line. In both lines, intake of carbohydrates was associated with a moderate post-prandial hyperglycaemia, a protein sparing effect, an enhancement of nutrient (TOR-S6) signalling cascade and a decrease of energy-sensing enzyme (AMPK). Gene expression of hepatic glycolytic enzymes was higher in the F line fed carbohydrates compared with the L line, but concurrently transcripts for the gluconeogenic enzymes was also higher in the F line, possibly impairing glucose homeostasis. However, the F line showed a higher gene expression of hepatic enzymes involved in lipogenesis and fatty acid bioconversion, in particular with an increased dietary carbohydrate intake. Enhanced lipogenic potential coupled with higher liver glycogen content in the F line suggests better glucose storage ability than the L line. Overall, the present study demonstrates the changes in hepatic intermediary metabolism resulting from genetic selection for high muscle fat content and dietary carbohydrate intake without, however, any interaction for an improved growth or glucose utilisation in the peripheral tissues.
The Effect of Employee Stock Ownership Plans on Corporate Profits

Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) recently have become popular as employee benefit plans. Arguments presented in their favor include increased productivity, lower employee turnover, and reduced costs of raising equity capital. Little empirical evidence has documented these purported benefits. Profits of similar firms with and without ESOPs are compared to identify differences which confirm or refute these claims. A univariate matched pair analysis and a multivariate multiple discriminate analysis provide results indicating firms with ESOPs have significantly lower profits than firms without ESOPs. Additional analyses indicate no difference in risk characteristics which might explain differences in profitability, and imply that costs of the plans outweigh financial benefit to the firm. According to a recent survey conducted by Bankers Trust, the number of firms with employee stock purchase plans has nearly doubled in recent years. In 1967 the survey indicated 128 corporations with stock purchase plans, while the 1977 survey listed 236 corporations with such plans [2]. Large firms like Sears and IBM are well known for their programs, but many small firms also have utilized these plans. Recent development has been in the establishment of tax-qualified plans called Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). An ESOP is defined as any tax-qualified, individual-account, deferredcompensation plan which invests a significant portion of its funds in employer stock. The plan may be a profit-sharing, stock-bonus, money-purchase pension plan, or some combination of the three. Employers contribute either cash or company stock into a trust and receive a tax deduction equal to the market value of the payment [9]. Louis Kelso, lawyer and lay-economist, has been most responsible for promoting these plans during the past 20 years [14, 15, 16]. He convinced Senator Russell B. Long to support the idea, and special benefits for ESOPs became part of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Long Amendment to the Tax Reduction Act of 1975. These laws allow tax breaks which make the establishment of ESOPs attractive to business organizations.
Sensor-less force esitimation based man-machine interaction optimization

In this paper, a method to improve the operating experience of master manipulator which is used to manipulate the slave manipulator is proposed. The general method to improve performance is compensating the gravity and friction of the manipulator. For the general method, not only the modeling of the gravity but also the identification of friction parameters imports errors. When the manipulator is moved by hand, force is also provided by hand. A long time operation wiU cause fatigue. The method proposed in this paper utilizes the sensor-less force estimation force control combining with the gravity modeling and friction identification. Then a compliance controller is designed to follow the motion of hand. Operator can move the master manipulator easily.
Shear-Dependent Capping of L-Selectin and P-Selectin Glycoprotein Ligand 1 by E-Selectin Signals Activation of High-Avidity β2-Integrin on Neutrophils1

Two adhesive events critical to efficient recruitment of neutrophils at vascular sites of inflammation are up-regulation of endothelial selectins that bind sialyl Lewisx ligands and activation of β2-integrins that support neutrophil arrest by binding ICAM-1. We have previously reported that neutrophils rolling on E-selectin are sufficient for signaling cell arrest through β2-integrin binding of ICAM-1 in a process dependent upon ligation of L-selectin and P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1 (PSGL-1). Unresolved are the spatial and temporal events that occur as E-selectin binds to human neutrophils and dynamically signals the transition from neutrophil rolling to arrest. Here we show that binding of E-selectin to sialyl Lewisx on L-selectin and PSGL-1 drives their colocalization into membrane caps at the trailing edge of neutrophils rolling on HUVECs and on an L-cell monolayer coexpressing E-selectin and ICAM-1. Likewise, binding of recombinant E-selectin to PMNs in suspension also elicited coclustering of L-selectin and PSGL-1 that was signaled via mitogen-activated protein kinase. Binding of recombinant E-selectin signaled activation of β2-integrin to high-avidity clusters and elicited efficient neutrophil capture of β2-integrin ligands in shear flow. Inhibition of p38 and p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase blocked the cocapping of L-selectin and PSGL-1 and the subsequent clustering of high-affinity β2-integrin. Taken together, the data suggest that E-selectin is unique among selectins in its capacity for clustering sialylated ligands and transducing signals leading to neutrophil arrest in shear flow.
Numerical Simulation of Gas-Liquid Bubbly Flows

Gas-liquid bubbly flows exist in many engineering processes. However, limitations in understanding prevent the optimal design and operation of multiphase equipment. The bubble size distribution is a key parameter in such flows as it governs the interfacial area and the rate of exchange of mass, momentum and energy between the phases. Evolution of the bubble population is to a large extent driven by the coalescence and breakup of bubbles. Due to the lack of experimental studies of these phenomena, accurate predictions from numerical models are of value in improving understanding, and for use in developing engineering models. The work described furthers our insight of and ability to predict bubbly flows by combining large eddy simulation and Lagrangian bubble tracking. Horizontal and vertical channel flows of water over a range of shear Reynolds numbers and air bubble diameters are considered. Coalescence and breakup are favoured in upflows, with high turbulence levels impacting bubble interaction. Coalescence is dominant at low turbulence levels, and increases with decreasing bubble size, whereas breakup is favoured at high turbulence levels. The breakup of air bubbles, under the flow conditions studied, is almost negligible. The simulations are therefore extended to bubbles of refrigerant R134a, with a considerably lower surface tension than air bubbles, with significant levels of breakup detected at high Reynolds numbers. The investigation is a novel contribution to the literature and provides a comprehensive study of next generation predictive techniques. The model developed can predict microbubble behaviour in turbulent flows up to the level of four-way coupling, where inter-bubble collisions, coalescence and breakup are accounted for. Its application extends existing knowledge of these flows, including the effect of bubbles on the carrier fluid. Overall, the tool developed and the understanding generated are of value to industry in allowing the design of more efficient flow processes.
Effect of Steroids on Nasal Inflammatory Cells and Cytokine Profile

Objectives: To assess the cellular and humoral effects of unilateral topical steroid application on the nasal mucosa of chronic sinusitis patients. Study Design: Cohort study with randomized grouping. Methods: Chronic sinusitis patients awaiting endonasal sinus surgery were randomly divided into a study group and a control group. All patients underwent allergy studies and categorized as allergic or nonallergic. Patients in the study group were exposed unilaterally to fluticasone propionate nasal spray, 100 μg/day for 4 to 6 weeks before the planned surgery. The control group was not exposed to steroids. At the time of surgery, anterior ethmoid mucosa specimens were obtained. The samples were immunostained for CD3, MBP, CD68, elastase, and tryptase. In situ hybridization was used for the detection of interleukin (IL)‐4, IL‐5, and interferon gamma (IFN‐γ) mRNA. The results were compared between the treated and untreated sides of exposed patients, as well as with non‐treated controls. Results: Twenty‐one patients consented to participate in the study. The number of CD3‐, MBP‐, and tryptase‐positive cells was significantly less in the treated and untreated sides of exposed patients, compared with unexposed controls. IL‐4 and IL‐5 mRNA were significantly downregulated in the treated side of allergic patients, as compared with nontreated patients. This effect could not be shown for IL‐4 in nonallergic patients. Conclusions: Topical steroid therapy had an anti‐inflammatory effect on both allergic and nonallergic chronic sinusitis patients. The unilateral application of the steroid spray affected the contralateral side as well.
Aetiology and pathogenesis of benign prostatic hyperplasia

Purpose of review Prostatic hyperplasia predominantly involves the stromal compartment of the gland and affects more than 70% of men of 70 years or older with or without obstructive symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia. A consensus view is emerging concerning the factors and control systems that modulate cell proliferation and connective tissue biology in the prostate. The purpose of this review is to discuss some of the recent work contributing to the latter in the context of the aetiology of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Recent findings Studies over the last 3-5 years have identified transforming growth factor β, fibroblast growth factor and insulin-like growth factor family members as key regulators of cell proliferation and extracellular matrix turnover with interrelated activities. Recently, oestrogens, adrenergic signalling and inflammatory processes have been shown to impact and potentially perturb the balance between the activities of the above factors. These agents are all subject to alteration with age and as such are candidates for potential triggers of the initiation of stromal hyperplasia. Summary The current model for the control and dysregulation of prostatic stromal growth is discussed in relation to the pathogenesis of benign prostatic hyperplasia and future directions for research.
Differentiating two- from three-dimensional mental rotation training effects

Block videogame training has consistently demonstrated transfer effects to mental rotation tasks, yet how variations in training influence performance with different stimuli remains unclear. In this study, participants took mental rotation assessments before and after a 3-week training programme based on 2D or 3D block videogames. Assessments varied in terms of dimensionality (2D or 3D) and stimulus type (polygon or body). Increases in videogame scores throughout training were correlated with mental rotation improvements. In particular, 2D training led to improvements in 2D tasks, whereas 3D training led to improvements in both 2D and 3D tasks. This effect did not depend on stimulus type, demonstrating that training can transfer to different stimuli of identical dimensionality. Interestingly, traditional gender differences in 3D mental rotation tasks vanished after 3D videogame training, highlighting the malleability of mental rotation ability given adequate training. These findings emphasize the influence of dimensionality in transfer effects and offer promising perspectives to reduce differences in mental rotation via designed training programmes.
Chlamydia-Infected Cells Continue To Undergo Mitosis and Resist Induction of Apoptosis

ABSTRACT Both anti- and proapoptotic activities have been reported to occur during chlamydial infection. To reconcile the apparent controversy, we compared host cell apoptotic responses to infection with 17 different chlamydial serovars and strains. None of the serovars caused any biologically significant apoptosis in the infected host cells. Host cells in chlamydia-infected cultures can continue to undergo DNA synthesis and mitosis. Chlamydia-infected cells are resistant to apoptosis induction, although the extent of the antiapoptotic ability varied between serovars. These observations have demonstrated that an anti- but not proapoptotic activity is the prevailing event in chlamydia-infected cultures.
A double-mode piezoelectric single-crystal ultrasonic micro-actuator

Ternary Pb(In<sub>1/2</sub>Nb<sub>1/2</sub>)O<sub>3</sub>-Pb(Mg<sub>1/3</sub>Nb<sub>2/3</sub>)O<sub>3</sub>-PbTiO<sub>3</sub> (PIN-PMN-PT) single crystals with higher coercive field (E<sub>C</sub> ~9 kV/cm) and higher ferroelectric-transition temperature (T<sub>R-T</sub> = 108°C) were grown, and correspondingly, a double-mode piezoelectric ultrasonic micro-actuator made of PIN-PMN-PT crystal brick (5 × 1.5 × 1.32 mm) and operated in the first longitudinal and the second bending modes was developed. The ferroelectric, dielectric, electromechanical, and resonance displacement properties of the micro-actuator were characterized for miniature linear piezo-motor applications. The longitudinal displacement of the actuator is ~0.11 μm (with an applied voltage of 5 V), which is comparable to that of a multilayer piezoelectric-ceramic actuator of the same size. This crystal micro-actuator was successfully used to drive a slider moving linearly.
Renal angiotensin-converting enzyme and blood pressure control

Purpose of reviewThis review presents novel findings regarding the renal angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and its role in blood pressure (BP) control. Recent findingsThe textbook flow diagram of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) shows the pulmonary endothelium as the main source of the ACE that converts angiotensin I to angiotensin II. However, ACE is made in large quantities by the kidneys, which raises the important question of what precisely is the function of renal ACE? Recent studies in gene-targeted mice indicates that renal ACE plays a dominant role in regulating the response of the kidney to experimental hypertension. In particular, renal ACE and locally generated angiotensin II affect the activity of several key sodium transporters and the induction of sodium and water retention resulting in the elevation of BP. SummaryNew experimental data link the renal ACE/angiotensin II pathway and the local regulation of sodium transport as key elements in the development of hypertension.