Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of ERRα Aggravates Sepsis-Induced Acute Lung Injury in Rats via Provoking Inflammation and Oxidative Stress

Inflammation and oxidative stress are critical pathologies that contribute to sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI). This study investigated the regulatory role of estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERRα) in an experimental model of sepsis-induced ALI. In vivo, a cecal ligation and puncture- (CLP-) induced ALI model was established in anesthetized rats. Animals were then randomly assigned to receive an intraperitoneal injection of vehicle or ERRα inverse agonist (XCT-790, 2.5 mg/kg). Administration of XCT-790 significantly aggravated a sepsis-induced increase in pathological damage of lung tissues, lung endothelial permeability, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in lung tissues, production of serum inflammatory factors, and inflammatory cell accumulation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. In addition, XCT-790 treatment exacerbated a CLP-induced decrease in lung superoxide dismutase and an increase in lung malondialdehyde levels. In vitro, the exposure of rat pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) resulted in increased endothelial permeability and reduced expression of tight junction protein ZO-1, Occludin, JAM-A, and adherens junction protein VE-cadherin, which were further deteriorated by knockdown of ERRα. In addition, LPS-triggered inflammatory factor production and increase in the expression of phosphorylated IκBα and NF-κB p65 were also exacerbated by silencing ERRα gene. Meanwhile, knockdown of ERRα dramatically promoted LPS-activated mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production and LPS-induced downregulation of Sirt3 protein levels in rat PMVECs. Taken together, our present study provides evidences that ERRα functions as a novel negative modulator of sepsis-induced ALI in rats. The underlying mechanisms responsible for ERRα-elicited effects are largely dependent on the regulation of inflammatory response and oxidative stress.
The Effect of Globalization On Foreign Trade and Investment in Eurasian Countries

Globalization includes a comprehensive transformation in technological, economic, politic and scientific fields and it's largest impact has been on developing countries is acceleration of liberalization of foreign trade and investment. Regarding foreign trade and investment is vital for economic growth of developing countries such as Eurasian countries which are lack of capital to support their growth, the effects of globalization come into prominence. In this study how the globalization movements have affected trade and investment structure of the region is assessed. The data is collected from KOF Swiss Economic Institute, World Bank and UNCTAD. The results have shown that although trade and investment relations with the rest of the world, they are still limited within the region and stronger economic integrations are necessary to develop them. JEL codes: F02, F13, F21
Revisiting Mobile Advertising Threats with MAdLife

Online advertising is one of the primary funding sources for various of content, services, and applications on both web and mobile platforms. Mobile in-app advertising reuses many existing web technologies under the same ad-serving model (i.e., users - publishers - ad networks - advertisers). Nevertheless, mobile in-app advertising is different from the traditional web advertising in many aspects. For example, malicious app developers can generate fraudulent ad clicks in an automated fashion, but malicious web publishers have to launch click fraud with bots. In spite of using the same underlying web infrastructure, advertising threats behave differently on the two platforms. Existing works have studied separately click fraud and malvertising in the mobile setting. However, it is unknown if there exists a relationship between these two dominant threats. In this paper, we present an ad collection framework – MAdLife – on Android to capture all the in-app ad traffic generated during an ad's entire lifespan. MAdLife allows us to revisit both threats in a fine-grained manner and study the relationship between them. It further enables the exploration of other threats related to ad landing pages. We analyzed 5.7K Android apps crawled from the Google Play Store, and collected 83K ads and their landing pages using MAdLife. Similar to traditional web ads, 58K ads landed on web pages. We discovered 37 click-fraud apps, and found that 1.49% of the 58K ads were malicious. We also revealed a strong correlation between fraudulent apps and malicious ads. Specifically, 15.44% of malicious ads originated from the fraudulent apps. Conversely, 18.36% of the ads served in the fraudulent apps were malicious, while only 1.28% were malicious in the rest apps. This suggests that users of fraudulent apps are much more (14x) likely to encounter malicious ads. Additionally, we discovered that 243 popular JavaScript snippets embedded by over 10% of the landing pages were malicious. Finally, we conducted the first analysis on inappropriate mobile in-app ads.
Focused critical care echocardiography: training for pediatricians and pediatric intensivists in an intensive care unit

Introduction: Focused critical care echocardiography (FCCE) has become a necessary competency for physicians working in pediatric intensive care units. Objective: To asses a theoretical and practical training program designed to explore skills acquisition for obtaining views and some echocardiographic measurements suggested for FCCE. Materials and methods: A 26-hour long theoretical and practical training for pediatricians and pediatric intensivists under the guidance of a pediatric cardiologist. The program included qualitative analysis of the variables pertaining to basic echocardiographic windows, and quantitative analysis of FCCE. Results: There were significant differences between having prior echocardiography knowledge, associated with a higher score in the 4-chamber apical window (mean: 9.0; standard deviation [SD]: 1.02; P = 0.021), and better correlation with the pediatric cardiologist regarding left ventricular function measurements (mean: 92.02; SD: 6.3; P = 0.036). Conclusion: The program was useful for basic level training in FCCE with an optimal level of acquisition of the main echocardiographic windows and some echocardiographic measurements. Introducción: La ecocardiografía, enfocada al cuidado crítico, se ha convertido hoy en día en una competencia necesaria del médico que labora en las unidades de cuidado intensivo pediátrico. Objetivo: Evaluar un programa de entrenamiento teórico y práctico, diseñado para explorar la adquisición de habilidades en la obtención de imágenes y algunas medidas ecocardiográficas sugeridas para la ecocardiografía enfocada al cuidado crítico. Materiales y métodos: Se realizó un entrenamiento teórico-práctico, de 26 horas de duración, por médicos pediatras y pediatras intensivistas, bajo la tutoría de un cardiólogo pediatra. El programa incluyó análisis cualitativos de las variables pertenecientes a las ventanas básicas y cuantitativos de la ecocardiografía enfocada al cuidado crítico. Resultados: Las diferencias significativas se presentaron entre tener conocimientos previos en ecocardiografía, que se asoció a un mejor puntaje en la ventana apical cuatro cámaras (media: 9,0 DE: 1,02 P = 0,021), y mejor correlación con el cardiólogo pediatra en la medición de la funcionalidad del ventrículo izquierdo (media:92,2 DE:6,3 P = 0,036). Conclusiones: Este programa de entrenamiento fue útil para el entrenamiento en nivel básico de la ecocardiografía enfocada al cuidado crítico, con un nivel óptimo en la adquisición de las principales ventanas ecocardiográficas, y para la toma de algunas medidas ecocardiográficas.
Value at Risk: GARCH vs. Stochastic Volatility Models: Empirical Study

The thesis compares GARCH volatility models and Stochastic Volatility (SV) models with Student’s t distributed errors and its empirical forecasting performance of Value at Risk on five stock price indices: S&P, NASDAQ Composite, CAC, DAX and FTSE. It introduces in details the problem of SV models Maximum Likelihood examinations and suggests the newly developed approach of Efficient Importance Sampling (EIS). EIS is a procedure that provides an accurate Monte Carlo evaluation of likelihood function which depends upon high-dimensional numerical integrals. Comparison analysis is divided into in-sample and out-of-sample forecasting performance and evaluated using standard statistical probability backtestig methods as conditional and unconditional coverage. Based on empirical analysis thesis shows that SV models can perform at least as good as GARCH models if not superior in forecasting volatility and parametric VaR. JEL Classification F12, C22, C52, C53, G15
Accuracy assessment of continuous glucose monitoring by frequent venous blood collection in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Objective To assess the accuracy of continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) in type 2 diabetic patients by frequent venous blood collection. Methods A total of 11 patients with type 2 diabetes treated from August to October 2010 were enrolled in this study. The Medtronic GOLD™ CGMS was used to monitor the continuous changes of the blood glucose levels for 3 successive days in all subjects, meanwhile the fingertip blood glucose was tested at least 4 times each day for calibration. The venous blood of the subjects was randomly collected every 15 min per hour for 7 successive hours on one day when the subjects wore the sensor, and was tested using the YSI 2300 STAT Plus™ glucose&lactate analyzer. The accuracy was comprehensively evaluated by using statistical methods including the rate of agreement between the sensor readings and the paired YSI values within ±20% and ±30% of deviations, the error grid analysis, absolute relative difference (ARD), Bland-Altman analysis and trend analysis. Correlation analysis of two variables was done with Pearson correlation analysis. Results A total of 319 paired YSI-sensor values were collected from the 11 patients. Total 88.4% of the sensor readings (95%CI: 0.84–0.92) were within ±20% of the YSI values, and 96.9% within ±30% of the YSI values. Clarke error grid analyses showed that the ratios of the YSI-sensor values in region A to region B were 88% and 12%; Consensus error grid analyses showed that the ratios of the YSI-sensor values in region A to region B were 96.2% and 3.8%; Continuous error grid analyses showed that the ratios of the YSI-sensor values in region of accurate reading, benign errors, erroneous reading were 94.4%, 2.8%, 2.8%, respectively. The mean ARD for all subjects was 10.5% and the median ARD was 8.4%. The Bland-Altman analysis detected the mean blood glucose level of 0.47 mmol/L (95%CI: -1.90-3.01 mmol/L). Trend analysis revealed that 82.5% of the difference of the rates of change between the YSI values and sensor readings occurred within the range of 0.06 mmol·L-1·min-1, and only 1.7% of the absolute differences of the paired values were more than 0.17 mmol·L-1·min-1. Conclusions The CGMS has high accuracy both in monitoring the blood glucose at a specific time and reflecting the trend of changes of the blood glucose level. However, actual clinical manifestations should be taken into account for diagnosis of hypoglycemia. Key words: Diabetes mellitus, type 2; Continuous glucose monitoring; Error grid analysis; Accuracy
MRI strain-based validation of patient-specific computational models of human hearts—building a target for in silico studies of surgical procedures

Computational modeling is an integral part of the design and analysis in many engineering fields (e.g., mechanical, civil, etc.) for the past several decades. However, it is only very recently that computational modeling is applied to biomedical areas, one of which is cardiology. Compared to other biomedical areas, computational cardiac modeling is still at its infancy primarily due to (i) the complexity of the system itself (multi-scale, multi-physics) and (ii) the difficulty in performing precise experiments to investigate mechanisms and validate models. To address the former issue, the model is typically constructed so that the validity of its prediction is balanced against its simplicity. On the other hand, the latter issue is continuingly addressed by new evolving experimental technologies, such as modern imaging tools (e.g., MRI) that can measure deformation in vivo and most importantly, non-invasively. In this presentation, we propose to review our generic cardiac computational modeling process applied to normal humans. Specifically, we show 1) how computational models can be directly constructed from MRI, 2) how inverse FE modeling was used to personalize each model, and 3) how each model was validated using MRI-based measurements. Following [1] and [2,3], we use an incompressible transversely isotropic Fung's law for the passive behavior (with 1/3 stiffness in cross-fiber direction compared to fiber direction), and a time-varying elastance law for active contraction (also with 1/3 contractility in cross-fiber direction compared to fiber direction). After the patient-specific anatomy has been extracted from MRI data, we optimize the scaling parameters of the passive and active constitutive laws for every normal ventricular pressure to match the volumes measured through MRI. We then validate the calibrated models by comparing FE-predicted and MRI-measured strains—the error in circumferential strain is typically ca. 10%. Finally, we compute the range of normal fiber stresses associated to normal ventricular pressures. The data presented here are derived from five normal human models. We believe this data will serve as a target for any computational study of a cardiac surgical procedure. REFERENCES [1] J. M. Guccione, A. D. McCulloch, and L. K. Waldman, “Passive material properties of intact ventricular myocardium determined from a cylindrical model,” J. Biomech. Eng., vol. 113, no. 1, pp. 42–55, Feb. 1991. [2] J. M. Guccione and A. D. McCulloch, “Mechanics of Active Contraction in Cardiac Muscle: Part I—Constitutive Relations for Fiber Stress that describe Deactivation,” J. Biomech. Eng., vol. 115, no. 1, pp. 72–81, Feb. 1993. [3] J. M. Guccione, L. K. Waldman, and A. D. McCulloch, “Mechanics of Active Contraction in Cardiac Muscle: Part II—Cylindrical Models of the Systolic Left Ventricle,” J. Biomech. Eng., vol. 115, no. 1, pp. 82–90, 1993.
Functional association between female sperm storage organs and male sperm removal organs in calopterygid damselflies

Female damselflies in the family Calopterygidae have two sperm storage organs: a spherical bursa copulatrix and a tubular spermatheca. Male flies have a peculiar aedeagus with a recurved head with which to remove bursal sperm, and lateral spiny processes to remove spermathecal sperm. The lateral processes differ among species and populations in terms of their width relative to the spermathecal duct: the narrower processes are physically able to access spermathecal sperm, while the wider ones are not. In the present study, sperm storage patterns and aedeagal structures were compared between two calopterygid species with different spermathecal structures –Calopteryx cornelia and Mnais pruinosa– with respect to not only sperm quantity (number) but also sperm quality (viability), by using a recently developed method based on live/dead dual fluorescence. Calopteryx cornelia is a typical spermathecal sperm remover. In this species, viability was similar between bursal and spermathecal sperm. In contrast, in M. pruinosa, the spermatheca was much smaller than the bursa and often contained no sperm. Even when the spermatheca of this species did contain sperm, a high percentage of it was dead. Although the spermatheca of M. pruinosa has such atrophic tendencies, males have nevertheless developed long and spiny lateral processes similar to those of C. cornelia, suggesting the processes have functions other than spermathecal sperm removal. They possibly function as stoppers or guides for manipulating the aedeagal head to remove the sperm mass from the bursa.
Proteomic analysis of oxymatrine-induced changes in lung fibroblasts

Oxymatrine, one kind of alkaloids extracted from Sophora flavescens Ait, has been demonstrated to attenuate bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis. The mechanisms of this action are poorly known. This study aimed to use proteomics to provide new insights into the mechanisms of the pharmacological effects. Proteins from murine lung fibroblasts exposed to oxymatrine were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis. Differentially expressed proteins were identified using mass spectrometry. A two-dimensional cell migration assay was used to study the effects of oxymatrine on fibroblast migration activity. Among these detectable protein spots on the 2-DE gel 9 protein, spots were signiﬁcantly altered in oxymatrine treated cells. 5 proteins were successfully identiﬁed. All were down-regulated by oxymatrine. Mass spectrometer analysis indicated that one of these proteins is a metabolic enzyme, while others are related to cytoskeleton or involved in cellular transcription and translation. The attenuated expressions of mRNA and protein of the cytoskeleton-related protein, HSP27, were confirmed by Western blotting and RT-PCR analysis. Besides these, the migration activity of fibroblast was reduced by oxymatrine. It is suggested that regulation of HSP27 expression by oxymatrine is associated with its inhibitory effects on motility of lung fibroblasts, which contributes to the protective action of this drug against lung fibrosis. Key words: Oxymatrine, fibroblasts, proteomics, heat shock protein 27, motility.
SARS-CoV-2 serosurvey in health care workers of the Veneto Region

Abstract Objectives The ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) poses formidable challenges to all health care systems. Serological assays may be used for improving disease management when appropriately applied, for investigating the antibody responses mounted against SARS-CoV-2 infection and for assessing its real prevalence. Although testing the whole population is impractical, well-designed serosurveys in selected subpopulations in specific risk groups may provide valuable information. We evaluated the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in health care workers (HCW) who underwent molecular testing with reverse transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) in the main hospitals of the Veneto Region of Italy by measuring specific antibodies (Abs). Methods Both immunoglobulin (Ig)M and IgG antibodies against SARS-Cov-2 S-antigen and N-protein were measured using a validated chemiluminescent analytical system (CLIA) called Maglumi™ 2000 Plus (New Industries Biomedical Engineering Co., Ltd [Snibe], Shenzhen, China). Results A total of 8,285 HCW were tested. SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies (IgM, IgG or both) were detectable in 378 cases (4.6%, 95% CI 4.1–5.0%). Seroconversion was observed in 4.4% of women vs. 5.0% of men, but this difference was not significant. Although detectable antibodies were found in all HCW who developed severe COVID-19 infection (100%), lower seropositivity was found in mild disease (83%) and the lowest prevalence (58%) was observed in asymptomatic subjects. Conclusions Seroprevalence surveys are of utmost importance for understanding the rate of population that has already developed antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. The present study defined precisely the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in a cohort of HCW in the Veneto Region, with its prevalence (4.6%) reflecting a relatively low circulation. Symptomatic individuals or those hospitalized for medical care were 100% antibody positive, whilst Abs were only detectable in 58% of asymptomatic carriers.
Feeding dairy cows to minimize nitrogen excretion.

Dairy cows utilize feed crude protein (CP; N x 6.25) with much greater efficiently than other ruminant livestock but still excrete about 2 to 3 times more N in manure than in milk. This contributes to increased costs of milk production and to environmental N pollution. The function of dietary CP is to supply the cow with metabolizable protein (MP) as absorbed amino acids (AA), but any extra dietary CP that does not contribute to absorbed AA that are used in production will be largely lost in the urine. Urinary N is the most polluting form of excretory N because much of it is lost as atmospheric ammonia or into surface and ground water. We conducted a number of trials testing various levels of CP in diets formulated from typical Midwest feeds. Generally, there were no increases in yields of milk, fat-corrected milk, or protein with more than 16.5% dietary CP. In one trial, reducing CP to 15.6%, but adding rumen undegraded protein (RUP) as heated soybean meal (SBM), did not support production equal to 16.6% CP. However, fish meal, especially low soluble fish meal, and canola meal were found to be more effective sources of RUP than SBM or cottonseed meal. Supplementing rumen-protected methionine has also been shown to be effective for allowing some reduction in dietary CP without losing milk yield. Frequent sampling and analysis of feed ingredients is very important for tracking the CP contents of the actual diet fed. Monitoring milk urea can also be used to assess both dietary CP and urinary N excretion in lactating cows. The NRC (2001) protein feeding model is useful for predicting production responses to alterations in dietary protein and should be used regularly. Hay-crop silages are the most degradable source of dietary CP. Where possible, replacing alfalfa silage with alfalfa hay will improve CP efficiency and reduce N excretion. Reducing grain particle size increases ruminal starch digestion and increases microbial protein formation, so long as ruminal pH is not depressed. The NRC (2001) model can also be used to match rumen-degraded protein with carbohydrate fermentation. Future research developments will allow even lower dietary CP levels to be fed, thus reducing N excretion, without loss of animal productivity.
Impact of Restrictions on Parental Presence in Neonatal Intensive Care Units Related to COVID-19

Objectives: To determine the relationship between the emergence of COVID-19 and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) family presence as well as how NICU design affects these changes. Study Design: A cross-sectional survey from April 21 to 30, 2020. We queried sites regarding NICU demographics, NICU restrictions on parental presence, and changes in ancillary staff availability. Results: Globally, 277 facilities responded to the survey. NICU policies preserving 24/7 parental presence decreased (83% to 53%, p<0.001) and of preserving full parental participation in rounds fell (71% to 32%, p<0.001). Single family room design NICUs best preserved 24/7 parental presence after the emergence of COVID-19 (single family room 65%, hybrid-design 57%, open bay design 45%, p=.018). In all, 120 (43%) NICUs reported reductions in therapy services, lactation medicine, and/or social work support. Conclusions: Hospital restrictions have significantly limited parental presence for NICU admitted infants, although single family room design may attenuate this effect.