Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevention of Diabetic Vascular Dysfunction by Guanidines: Inhibition of Nitric Oxide Synthase Versus Advanced Glycation End-Product Formation

This study was undertaken to compare the ability of two guanidine compounds (aminoguanidine and methylguanidine), with different in vitro effects on NO synthase activity and AGE formation, to inhibit diabetic vascular dysfunction developing early after the onset of diabetes. In rats with STZ-induced diabetes of 5-wk duration, regional vascular [125I]albumin permeation was increased about two- to threefold in ocular tissues, sciatic nerve, and aorta; in general, both guanidine compounds normalized albumin permeation in diabetic rats without affecting it in controls. Methylguanidine was only ∼7% as effective as aminoguanidine as an inhibitor of AGE formation from L-lysine and G6P; both compounds were poor inhibitors of AR. Methylguanidine was ∼1–5% as potent as aminoguanidine and L-NMMA as an inhibitor of the cytokine- and endotoxin-inducible isoform of NO synthase. In contrast, the potency of methylguanidine as an inhibitor of the constitutive isoform of NO synthase was comparable to that of aminoguanidine, and both guanidine compounds were much less effective than L-NMMA. These observations suggest a role for a relative or absolute increase in NO production in the pathogenesis of early diabetic vascular dysfunction and raise the possibility that inhibition of diabetic vascular functional changes by aminoguanidine may reflect inhibition of NO synthase activity rather than, or in addition to, prevention of AGE formation.
Structure/attribute computation of similarities between nodes of a RDF graph with application to linked data clustering

Similarity estimation between interconnected objects appears in many real-world applications and many domain-related measures have been proposed. This work proposes a new perspective on specifying the similarity between resources in linked data, and in general for vertices of a directed and attributed graph. More precisely, it is based on the combination of structural properties of a graph and attribute/value of its vertices. We compute similarities between any pair of nodes using an extension of Jaccard measure, which has the nice property of increasing when the number of matching attribute/value of those resources increase. Highly similar vertices are treated as one single node in the next step which is called a CGraph. Nodes of a CGraph represent highly similar resources in the first step and links between resources are generalized to links between clusters. We propose an extension of the structural algorithm, i.e. CRank to merge highly similar nodes in the next step. The suggested model is evaluated in a clustering procedure on our standard dataset where class label of each resource is estimated and compared with the ground-truth class label. Experimental results show that our model outperforms other clustering algorithms in terms of precision and recall rate.
It takes a global village to teach global software engineering: A Mongolian-German team-teaching project

Many computer science students will one day work on global software development projects. Learning to combine theoretical methods of software engineering with real-world soft skills in order to successfully work together in teams across national, cultural and language borders presents unique challenges for students. In this paper, we explore the significant challenges to teaching global software engineering. As an empirical case study, we look at the difficulties involved in applying agile requirements engineering methods to a joint Mongolian-German team-teaching project.
A review of attenuation correction techniques for tissue fluorescence

Fluorescence intensity measurements have the potential to facilitate the diagnoses of many pathological conditions. However, accurate interpretation of the measurements is complicated by the distorting effects of tissue scattering and absorption. Consequently, different techniques have been developed to attempt to compensate for these effects. This paper reviews currently available correction techniques with emphasis on clinical application and consideration given to the intrinsic accuracy and limitations of each technique.
A Potent Telomerase Inhibitor Identified by Exploiting the Disease-oriented Screening Program with COMPARE Analysis 1

To facilitate the search for candidate telomerase inhibitors, we exploited the database of the disease-oriented screening program (DOS) available in our facility by using COMPARE analysis. In primary and arbitrary screening, we were able to identify the alkaloid berberine as a moderate inhibitor with 50% inhibition at ;35 mM. Using this alkaloid as a seed compound in COMPARE resulted in the identification of other berberine-like compounds and mitochondria-accumulating agents as highly related to berberine. Among these compounds, MKT077, a rhodacyanine derivative currently under Phase I clinical trials, showed a potent inhibitory effect with 50% inhibition at ;5 mM. With MKT077 as an upgraded seed for a new round of COMPARE analysis, we identified rhodacyanine FJ5002, a close derivative of MKT077, as the most potent telomerase inhibitor with 50% inhibition at ;2 mM. Long-term cultivation of U937, a human leukemia cell line, with subacute concentrations of FJ5002 resulted in population-doubling dependent changes characterized by progressive telomere erosion (from ;10 to ;4.0 kb), increased chromosome abnormalities, and senescence/crisis-like features. These results indicated that FJ5002 is a genuine and effective antitelomerase agent.
Recovery of sensory function after surgical decompression in carpal tunnel syndrome

The function of thick and thin sensory nerve fibers after surgical decompression in carpal tunnel syndrome were evaluated using quantitative sensory testing (QST). The thin nerve fibers were studied using tests for thermal thresholds, and the thick myelinated fibers by vibrametry. The tests were performed before surgery and at 6 weeks, 4 and 10 months after surgery. The improvement of function in thin nerve fibers came within 6 weeks (P=0.001). The improvement of function in thick myelinated fibers continued to improve until 4 months after the operation (P=0.0001). This difference in the time course of the recovery indicates that the thick myelinated nerve fibers were more affected than the thin nerve fibers. The function of both type sensory nerve fibers did also improve in the fifth finger (P=0.05). The function in thin nerve fibers worsened somewhat between 6 weeks and 4 months after surgery, possibly due to postoperative scar tissue.
Silicon-Organic Hybrid Electro-Optical Devices

Organic materials combined with strongly guiding silicon waveguides open the route to highly efficient electro-optical devices. Modulators based on the so-called silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) platform have only recently shown frequency responses up to 100 GHz, high-speed operation beyond 112 Gbit/s with fJ/bit power consumption. In this paper, we review the SOH platform and discuss important devices such as Mach-Zehnder and IQ-modulators based on the linear electro-optic effect. We further show liquid-crystal phase-shifters with a voltage-length product as low as VπL = 0.06 V·mm and sub-μW power consumption as required for slow optical switching or tuning optical filters and devices.
Emerging targets for antimalarial drugs

The absence of an effective vaccine against malaria and the ability of the parasite to develop resistance to known antimalarial drugs makes it mandatory to unravel newer drug targets with a view to developing newer pharmacophores. While conventional targets such as the purine, pyrimidine and folate pathways are still being investigated in the light of newer knowledge, a new opportunity has emerged from an understanding of certain unique features of the parasite biology. These include the food vacuole, haemoglobin catabolism, haeme biosynthesis, apicoplasts and their metabolism as well as macromolecular transactions, import of host proteins, parasite induced alterations in the red cell surface and transport phenomena. This review seeks to emphasise the new and emerging targets, while giving a brief account of the targets that have already been exploited.
Children's Conception of the Social and Moral Dilemmas Associated with Drug Use

An abstract of the thesis of Nancy Lynn Thayer for the Master of Science in Psychology, presented August 11, 1994. Title: Children's Conceptions of the Social and Moral Dilemmas Associated with Drug Use. The use and abuse of drugs among adolescents and adults has prompted a renewed national concern about drug abuse. Educational programs have attempted to provided factual information and create negative attitudes about drug use so that students will decide not to use drugs. Studies have revealed, however, that the drug programs have not been effective in reducing drug use. The present research addresses two primary questions: 1) Are there developmental differences in young persons' perceptions of social and moral dilemmas associated with drug use? and 2) Are gender and race associated with social and moral reasoning about drug use? Semi-structured interviewers were conducted with 32 fourth and 32 eleventh grade students. The interview posed two vignettes about drug-related behavior, including helping behavior. In addition, the interview probed respondents' conceptions of the problems associated with drug use and of the treatment that users and dealers should receive. Content analysis produced 40 codes which reached the reliability criterion of 60 percent agreement. The Kappas ranged from . 57 to . 91 (m = .66). Chi square tests were conducted, using the variables of race, sex and the thematic categories associated with each question.
An approach for estimating mode shape for participation of inter-area oscillation mode

This paper presents a novel approach for estimating mode shape for participation (MSFP) among areas or main power plants involving inter-area oscillation (IAO) mode, by analyzing power deviation (ΔP) signals. The case study has been carried out on a planning case in East China Power Grid (ECPG). The results indicate that the proposed algorithm is effective, and imply its potential applicability in Wide Area Measurement System (WAMS) of bulk power grid as well.
[Construction and functional studies of uropathogenic E. coli strains with ompT gene knockout].

OBJECTIVE To explore the role of ompT gene in uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) CFT073 strain in urinary tract infection (UTI). METHODS An ompT deletion mutant (COTD) was generated by λ Red recombineering in the UPEC CFT073 strain, which was characterized by PCR and sequencing. C57B/L6 mouse models of acute UTI with the mutant and wild-type strains were established to compare the colonization abilities of the two strains in the bladder. The adhesion of CFT073 mutant to human unthelial 5637 cells was also investigated in vitro. RESULTS PCR and DNA sequencing confirmed the loss of ompT gene in the mutant COTD. The in vitro adhesion rate of the mutant strain COTD to 5637 cells was (6.7±2.2)%, significantly lower than that of (8.3±1.9)% of the wild-type strain (P<0.05). In the murine models of acute UTI, the mutant strain showed a mean colonization number of about (17±8)×10⁴ cfu, which was significantly lower than that of (7∓2)×10⁵ cfu of the wide-type CFT073 strain (P<0.05). CONCLUSION OmpT gene can be involved in the colonization of UPEC in the bladder tissue and plays an important role in the pathogenesis of UPEC-induced UTI.
Hair Loss and Defective T- and B-Cell Function in Mice Lacking ORAI1

ABSTRACT ORAI1 is a pore subunit of the store-operated Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channel. To examine the physiological consequences of ORAI1 deficiency, we generated mice with targeted disruption of the Orai1 gene. The results of immunohistochemical analysis showed that ORAI1 is expressed in lymphocytes, skin, and muscle of wild-type mice and is not expressed in Orai1−/− mice. Orai1−/− mice with the inbred C57BL/6 background showed perinatal lethality, which was overcome by crossing them to outbred ICR mice. Orai1−/− mice were small in size, with eyelid irritation and sporadic hair loss resembling the cyclical alopecia observed in mice with keratinocyte-specific deletion of the Cnb1 gene. T and B cells developed normally in Orai1−/− mice, but B cells showed a substantial decrease in Ca2+ influx and cell proliferation in response to B-cell receptor stimulation. Naïve and differentiated Orai1−/− T cells showed substantial reductions in store-operated Ca2+ entry, CRAC currents, and cytokine production. These features are consistent with the severe combined immunodeficiency and mild extraimmunological symptoms observed in a patient with a missense mutation in human ORAI1 and distinguish the ORAI1-null mice described here from a previously reported Orai1 gene-trap mutant mouse which may be a hypomorph rather than a true null.
Effect of hyperthermia on premature intracellular trypsinogen activation in the exocrine pancreas.

Hyperthermia, raising the body temperature from normal to above 40 degrees C, has been shown to prevent pancreatitis in an experimental animal model of the disease, but the underlying cellular mechanisms of this protection remain unknown. We induced controlled hyperthermia in either laboratory rats and isolated pancreatic acini or, alternatively, raised the temperature of pancreatic homogenates in vitro from 37 to 41 degrees C. In vitro controlled hyperthermia of up to 41 degrees C increased the autoactivation-induced and enterokinase-induced trypsinogen activation as well as free trypsin activity. Conversely, in whole animal studies and in living acinar cells hyperthermia reduced or abolished premature intracellular trypsinogen activation in a time- and temperature-dependent manner and this protective effect was independent of either de novo protein synthesis, interference with acinar cell signal transduction, or confirmational changes in pancreatic trypsinogen. We conclude that hyperthermia, in a manner that is independent of the synthesis of pancreatic chaperone or heat shock proteins, can directly abolish the earliest initiating event involved in the onset of pancreatitis, namely the premature and intracellular activation of digestive zymogens.
Resolving conflict creatively: Evaluating the developmental effects of a school-based violence prevention program in neighborhood and classroom context

This study evaluated the short-term impact of a school-based violence prevention initiative on developmental processes thought to place children at risk for future aggression and violence and examined the influence of classroom and neighborhood contexts on the effectiveness of the violence prevention initiative. Two waves of developmental data (fall and spring) were analyzed from the 1st year of the evaluation of the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program (RCCP), which includes 5053 children from grades two to six from 11 elementary schools in New York City. Three distinct profiles of exposure to the intervention were derived from Management Information System (MIS) data on between classroom differences in teacher Training and Coaching in RCCP, Classroom Instruction in RCCP, and percentages of students who are Peer Mediators. Developmental processes that place children at risk were found to increase over the course of the school year. Children whose teachers had a moderate amount of training and coaching from RCCP and who taught many lessons showed significantly slower growth in aggression-related processes, and less of a decrease in competence-related processes, compared to children whose teachers taught few or no lessons. Contrary to expectation, children whose teachers had a higher level of training and coaching in the RCCP but taught few lessons showed significantly faster growth over time in aggressive cognitions and behaviors. The impact of the intervention on children's social cognitions (but not on their interpersonal behaviors) varied by context. Specifically the positive effect of High Lessons was dampened for children in high-risk classrooms and neighborhoods. Implications for future research on developmental psychopathology in context and for the design of preventive interventions are discussed.
Costs of treatment of Swiss patients with HIV on antiretroviral therapy in hospital-based and general practice-based care: a prospective cohort study

Abstract Some ambulant people with HIV are cared for primarily by their general practitioner and some in an outpatient clinic. Costs and patterns of care in these settings were studied in 65 such patients based in Zürich, from a limited societal perspective (excluding patient costs) based on medical resource use. Antiretroviral therapy (ART), other medications and patient variables were collected prospectively, and non-medication resources (professional time and investigations) and treatment history data were collected from medical records and by record linkage to the Swiss HIV Cohort Study database. Cost differences between the settings were estimated using multiple regression, controlling for differences in case-mix. ART comprised 80% of the total cost, non-medication costs 15% and non-ART medications 5%. Total costs were higher in the outpatient clinic (estimated additional cost after controlling for case-mix = 3489 Swiss Francs per year at 1999 prices, 95% confidence interval 742 to 6236, p=0.017). The difference was accounted for by higher ART costs in the outpatient clinic, not through a tendency to use more expensive drugs or higher doses but rather through the use of more drugs concurrently. Differences in ART prescribing patterns between the doctors in the outpatient clinic and the general practitioners were considerable and appear worthy of further investigation.
Goldstrike 1: CoinTerra's First-Generation Cryptocurrency Mining Processor for Bitcoin

There is an intense technological race underway to build the highest-performance and lowest-power custom Bitcoin mining appliances using custom ASIC processors. This article describes the architecture and implementation details of CoinTerra's first-generation Bitcoin mining processor, Goldstrike 1, and how this processor is used to design a complete Bitcoin mining machine called Terraminer IV. Because of high power density in the Bitcoin mining processor, delivering power and cooling the die posed enormous challenges. This article describes some of the solutions adopted to overcome these challenges.
Effect of protein restriction diet on renal function and metabolic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of a low protein diet (LPD) on renal function and metabolic control in three sub-groups of patients with type 2 diabetes those with or without nephropathy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A randomized clinical trial was conducted on 60 patients with type 2 diabetes in primary care -19 with normoalbuminuria, 22 with microalbuminuria, and 19 with macroalbuminuria-. All patients experienced a screening phase during the 3 months, and were designated according to percentages of daily caloric intake (e.g., carbohydrates 50%, fat 30%, and 20% of protein). After this period, they were randomly assigned to receive either LPD (0.6-0.8 g/kg per day) or normal protein diet (NPD) (1.0-1.2 g/kg per day) for a period of 4 months. Twenty nine patients received LPD and 31 received NPD. Primary endpoints included measures of renal function (UAER, serum creatinine and GFR) and glycemic control (fasting glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c). RESULTS Renal function improved among patients with macroalbuminuria who received LPD: UAER decreased (1,280.7 +/- 1,139.7 to 444.4 +/- 329.8 mg/24 h; p < 0.05) and GFR increased (56.3 +/- 29.0-74.2 +/- 40.4 ml/min; p < 0.05). In normoalbuminuric and microalbuminuric patients, there were no significant changes in UAER or GFR after either diet. HbA1c decreased significantly among microalbuminuric patients on both diets (LPD, 8.2 +/- 1.6-7.2 +/- 1.8%; p < 0.05; NPD, 8.8 +/- 1.9-7.1 +/- 0.8%; p < 0.05) and among macroalbuminuric patients who received NPD (8.1 +/- 1.8-6.9 +/- 1.6%; p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS A moderated protein restriction diet improved the renal function in patients with type diabetes 2 and macroalbuminuria.
Miniature cardiopulmonary bypass — the Hammersmith experience

The decision to embark on a miniature cardiopulmonary bypass programme requires careful planning. The objective of this paper is to present our experience and initial findings for consideration by our multidisciplinary peers, who may wish to implement this technology at their own hospitals. The paper reviews the evolution of our programme over the first 150 clinical cases and our current position on the advantages and disadvantages of miniature cardiopulmonary bypass. Perfusion (2007) 22, 161—166.
Novel symptomatology and changing epidemiology of domoic acid toxicosis in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus): an increasing risk to marine mammal health

Harmful algal blooms are increasing worldwide, including those of Pseudo-nitzschia spp. producing domoic acid off the California coast. This neurotoxin was first shown to cause mortality of marine mammals in 1998. A decade of monitoring California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) health since then has indicated that changes in the symptomatology and epidemiology of domoic acid toxicosis in this species are associated with the increase in toxigenic blooms. Two separate clinical syndromes now exist: acute domoic acid toxicosis as has been previously documented, and a second novel neurological syndrome characterized by epilepsy described here associated with chronic consequences of previous sub-lethal exposure to the toxin. This study indicates that domoic acid causes chronic damage to California sea lions and that these health effects are increasing.
Ensuring Community Participation During Program Planning: Lessons Learned During the Development of a HIV/STI Program for Young Sexual and Gender Minorities.

HIV/STI incidence has shifted to a younger demographic, comprised disproportionately of gay and bisexual men, transgender women, and people of color. Recognizing the importance of community organizing and participatory engagement during the intervention planning process, we describe the steps taken to engage diverse constituents (e.g., youth and practitioners) during the development of a structural-level HIV/STI prevention and care initiative for young sexual and gender minorities in Southeast Michigan. Our multi-sector coalition (MFierce; Michigan Forward in Enhancing Research and Community Equity) utilized a series of community dialogues to identify, refine, and select programmatic strategies with the greatest potential. Evaluation data (N = 173) from the community dialogues highlighted constituents' overall satisfaction with our elicitation process. Using a case study format, we describe our community dialogue approach, illustrate how these dialogues strengthened our program development, and provide recommendations that may be used in future community-based program planning efforts.