Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of potassium channels in cerebral blood vessels.

BACKGROUND Hyperpolarization of vascular muscle in response to activation of potassium channels is a major mechanism of vasodilatation. In cerebral blood vessels, four different potassium channels have been described: ATP-sensitive potassium channels, calcium-activated potassium channels, delayed rectifier potassium channels, and inward rectifier potassium channels. SUMMARY OF REVIEW Activation of ATP-sensitive and calcium activated potassium channels appears to play a major role in relaxation of cerebral arteries and arterioles in response to diverse stimuli, including receptor-mediated agonists, intracellular second messengers, and hypoxia. Both calcium-activated and delayed rectifier potassium channels may contribute to a negative feedback system that regulates tone in large cerebral arteries. The influence of ATP-sensitive and calcium-activated potassium channels is altered in disease states such as hypertension, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. CONCLUSIONS Activation of potassium channels is a major mechanism of cerebral vasodilatation. Alteration of activity of potassium channels and impairment of vasodilatation may contribute to the development or maintenance of cerebral ischemia or vasospasm.
Schlauschleimer in Reichsautobahnen: Slime mould imitates motorway network in Germany

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop experimental laboratory biological techniques for approximation of principle transport networks, optimizing transport links, and developing optimal solutions to current transport problems. It also aims to study how slime mould of Physarum polycephalum approximate autobahn networks in Germany. Design/methodology/approach – The paper considers the 21 most populous urban areas in Germany. It represents these areas with source of nutrients placed in the positions of slime mould growing substrate corresponding to the areas. At the beginning of each experiment slime mould is inoculated in the Berlin area. Slime mould exhibits foraging behavior and spans sources of nutrients (which represent urban areas) with a network of protoplasmic tubes (which approximate vehicular transport networks). The study analyzes structure of transport networks developed by slime mould and compares it with families of known proximity graphs. It also imitates slime‐mould response to simulated disaster by placing sources of chemo‐repellents in the positions of nuclear power plants. Findings – It is found that the plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum develops a minimal approximation of a transport network spanning urban areas. Physarum‐developed network matches autobahn network very well. The high degree of similarity is preserved even when we place high‐demand constraints on repeatability of links in the experiments. Physarum approximates almost all major transport links. In response to a sudden disaster, gradually spreading from its epicenter, the Physarum transport networks react by abandoning transport links affected by disaster zone, enhancement of those unaffected directly by the disaster, massive sprouting from the epicenter, and increase of scouting activity in the regions distant to the epicenter of the disaster. Originality/value – Experimental methods and computer analysis techniques presented in the paper lay a foundation of novel biological laboratory approaches to imitation and prognostication of socio‐economical developments.
Scaling Concolic Testing for the Environment-Intensive Program

SUMMARY Dynamic analysis is frail and insu ﬃ cient to ﬁnd hidden paths in environment-intensive program. By analyzing a broad spectrum of di ﬀ erent concolic testing systems, we conclude that a number of them cannot handle programs that interact with the environment or require a complete working model. This paper addresses this problem by automatically identifying and modifying outputs of the data input interface function(DIIF). The approach is based on ﬁne-grained taint analysis for detecting and updating the data that interacts with the environment to generate a new set of inputs to execute hidden paths. Moreover, we developed a prototype and conducted extensive experiments using a set of complex and environmentally intensive programs. Finally, the result demonstrates that our approach could identify the DIIF precisely and discover hidden path obviously. key words: concolic testing, symbolic execution, taint analysis, environment-intensive
Associations of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 with cognitive symptoms of depression: 12-year follow-up of the Whitehall II study

Background A lack of longitudinal studies has made it difficult to establish the direction of associations between circulating concentrations of low-grade chronic inflammatory markers, such as C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, and cognitive symptoms of depression. The present study sought to assess whether C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 predict cognitive symptoms of depression or whether these symptoms predict inflammatory markers. Method In a prospective occupational cohort study of British white-collar civil servants (the Whitehall II study), serum C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and cognitive symptoms of depression were measured at baseline in 1991–1993 and at follow-up in 2002–2004, an average follow-up of 11.8 years. Symptoms of depression were measured with four items describing cognitive symptoms of depression from the General Health Questionnaire. The number of participants varied between 3339 and 3070 (mean age 50 years, 30% women) depending on the analysis. Results Baseline C-reactive protein (β=0.046, p=0.004) and interleukin-6 (β=0.046, p=0.005) predicted cognitive symptoms of depression at follow-up, while baseline symptoms of depression did not predict inflammatory markers at follow-up. After full adjustment for sociodemographic, behavioural and biological risk factors, health conditions, medication use and baseline cognitive systems of depression, baseline C-reactive protein (β=0.038, p=0.036) and interleukin-6 (β=0.041, p=0.018) remained predictive of cognitive symptoms of depression at follow-up. Conclusions These findings suggest that inflammation precedes depression at least with regard to the cognitive symptoms of depression.
Fibroblast stimulation in schistosomiasis. II. Functional and biochemical characteristics of egg granuloma-derived fibroblast-stimulating factor.

The pathogenetic mechanisms that underlie hepatic fibrosis in schistosomiasis are unknown, but may be under the regulation of molecules secreted by the hepatic granulomas that encase the helminth eggs. Previous studies in mice demonstrated that isolated Schistosoma mansoni egg granulomas can elaborate in vitro substances that stimulate fibroblast proliferation and collagen synthesis. The present study provides the initial characterization of the granuloma-derived factor(s). Serum-free cell culture supernatants from isolated granulomas contained activity that stimulated the uptake of (3H)-thymidine by quiescent human dermal fibroblasts. This activity was present in fractions (Sephadex G-200 chromatography) with estimated m.w. of 30,000 to 40,000. Activity eluted with linear salt gradients from ion exchange columns (DEAE Sephadex) with 0.4 to 0.7 and 1.5 to 1.8 M NaCl (pH 8.4). Activity was present in fractions with approximate pI of 6 to 6.5 and 4, prepared by flat-bed isoelectrofocusing of crude supernatant in granular gel. Activity that stimulated thymocyte proliferation in an interleukin 1 (IL 1) assay was present in crude granuloma supernatants as well as in the partially purified fractions that contained fibroblast-stimulating activity. We conclude that the granuloma-derived fibroblast-stimulating factor has biologic activity similar to IL 1 but on the basis of m.w. and pI determination is distinct from IL 1.
Gene expression profile in human trabecular meshwork from patients with primary open-angle glaucoma.

PURPOSE To identify the specific genes in human trabecular meshwork (TM) related to POAG. METHODS Primary open-angle glaucoma TM specimens were obtained from routine trabeculectomy surgery. Nonglaucomatous control TM specimens were dissected from donor eyes using the same approach as a standard trabeculectomy. All cases were screened for myocilin (MYOC) mutations. Total RNA was extracted, labeled, and hybridized to Illumina HumanWG-6 BeadChips. Expression data were normalized and analyzed using the R package limma in Bioconductor. Pathway analyses were performed using DAVID Bioinformatics Resources. RESULTS Our study included surgical TM specimens from 15 cases and 13 controls. One case was identified with a heterozygous Q368X MYOC mutation. If TMs were available from both eyes in an individual, the expression data were combined for analysis. The following three comparisons were performed for differential analyses: (1) MYOC POAG case versus 14 non-MYOC POAG cases, (2) MYOC POAG case versus 13 controls, and (3) 14 non-MYOC POAG cases versus 13 controls. Limited by one MYOC case in comparisons 1 and 2, expression changes were reported comparing the fold changes but without P values. Comparison 3 identified 483 genes, including 36 components of TM exosomes. Gene ontology analysis identified several enriched functional clusters, including cell adhesion, extracellular matrix, and secretion. CONCLUSIONS This is the largest TM expression study of POAG cases and controls performed to date and represents the first report of TM expression in a patient having POAG with a Q368X MYOC mutation. Our data suggest the potential role of endocytic and exosome pathways in the pathogenesis of POAG.
Long-term effects of imidapril on calcium and potassium currents in rabbit left ventricular hypertrophic myocytes.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the long-term effects of imidapril (IMI) on action potential and calcium and potassium currents in rabbit left ventricular hypertrophic myocytes. METHODS Rabbits were randomly divided into three groups: IMI-treated, hypertrophic and sham-operated control groups. Cardiac hypertrophy was induced in hypertrophy group by partial ligation of the abdominal aorta. In the IMI-treated group, the rabbits were administered IMI (1.5 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) for 8 weeks after surgery. In the sham-operated control group, the animals underwent an abdominal laparotomy without further procedure. Whole-cell patch clamp technique was used to record ionic currents. RESULTS Membrane capacitance was larger in hypertrophic cells than in sham-operated cells or IMI-treated cells. Action potential duration was lengthened in hypertrophic cells and was remarkably shortened by IMI. The density of ICa, L was reduced from 12.8 +/- 0.7 pA/pF in the sham-operated cells, to 7.7 +/- 0.8 pA/pF in hypertrophic cells, while it resembled the control cells after IMI treatment (11.9 +/- 1.0 pA/pF). After IMI treatment, the density of I(Ks,tail) was enhanced from 2.5 +/- 0.1 pA/pF in hypertrophic cells to 4.7 +/- 0.6 pA/pF (n = 7, P < 0.01), which was similar to the sham-operated cells. The densities of Ito and IK1 were significantly increased in IMI-treated cells, from 3.8 +/- 0.4 pA/pF and 3.7 +/- 0.5 pA/pF in the hypertrophic cells to 6.4 +/- 0.8 pA/pF and 6.5 +/- 0.3 pA/pF, respectively, but the IKr densities were not different in the three groups. CONCLUSION IMI could reverse the increase in membrane capacitance in hypertrophic cells, shorten action potential duration, and increase the densities of ICa, L, IKs, Ito and IK1 in hypertrophic cells.
KB Video Retrieval at TRECVID 2011

This paper describes KB Video Retrieval's participation in TRECVID 2011. We submitted 4 runs in the automatic Known-Item Search (KIS) task. Our KIS system uses a base text only search for runs KBVR_1_KIS2011 and KBVR_2_KIS2011. Runs KBVR_3_KIS2011 and KBVR_4_KIS2011 extend the text search with pseudo-relevance feedback and semantic concept re-ranking.
DC blocking capacitor design and optimization for high speed signalling

A full wave modelling approach based on authors' previous work is improved to model DC blocking capacitor. By correlating to the measurement data, it is shown that the modelling approach is accurate. A methodology of developing equivalent capacitor model for signal integrity simulation is proposed to improve simulation efficiency. In order to mitigate the impact from DC blocking capacitor, voiding is studied to find optimal voiding scheme. Full link PCIE Gen 3 simulations is performed as an example to demonstrate design optimization for AC coupling high-speed links and some rules of thumb are derived based on the study.
Histochemical And Immunohistochemical Studies on The Effect Of Melatonin On Experimental Atherosclerosis In The Aorta of Rabbit

Treatment of atherosclerosis or its prevention still represents one of the difficult challenges to modern medicine. Free radical peroxidation of LDL has been proposed to have a primary effect on the onset of diet-induced atherosclerosis. Melatonin has been shown to be potentially effective in prevention of some disorders in which free radical processes are involved. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible protective effects of melatonin on high cholesterol fed animal arteries. Assessment of the atherosclerosis associated foam cells, intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) was performed by histochemical and immuno-histochemical methods. Thirty adult male New Zealand rabbits were divided into three groups, ten animals each. Group-A served as control, group B&C were fed 1% cholesterol-rich diet for 6 weeks. Animals of group-C were drenched, at night, 510 ml saline solution containing 4.2 mg/kg/day melatonin. Frozen sections from the thoracic aorta were prepared for histochemical demonstration of peroxidase & acid phosphatase enzyme activities, and immuno histochemical display of ICAM-1 & VCAM-1. The enzyme activity and adhesion molecule expression were measured by computerized image analysis. Accumulation of peroxidase & acid phosphatase-rich foam cells was microscopically evident in the sub-endothelium of group-B arteries only. Enzyme activity and expression of ICAM-1 were significantly (p <0.0001) higher in group-B than group-C which was also higher than control, while VCAM-1 expression was significantly (p≤ 0.013) higher in group-B than control which was higher (p<0.00001) than group-C. In conclusion, the results indicate that melatonin could potentially be beneficial in prevention of the food induced atherosclerotic lesions.
Rosuvastatin Attenuates Ang II—Mediated Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophy via Inhibition of LOX-1

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, also known as statins, have been shown to reduce cardiac remodeling. Angiotensin II (Ang II) type 1 receptor (AT1R) and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) via its lectin-like ox-LDL receptor (LOX-1) are major stimuli for cardiomyocyte growth. We postulated that rosuvastatin, a potent HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, may reduce Ang II—mediated cardiomyocyte growth via AT1R and LOX-1 inhibition. HL-1 adult mouse cardiomyocytes were incubated overnight in serum-free medium, and then treated with rosuvastatin, the AT1R inhibitor losartan or anti-LOX-1 antibody for 3 hours. The cells were then stimulated with Ang II. We measured cardiomyocyte growth, and associated intracellular redox signals using reverse transcription— polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and real-time quantitative PCR. Losartan and anti-LOX-1 antibody markedly attenuated Ang II—mediated oxidant stress, and the expression of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase (p40pho x and gp91 phox subunits) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). Rosuvastatin attenuated the Ang II—mediated upregulation of both subunits of NAPDH oxidase as well as NF-κB. Rosuvastatin also reduced Ang II—mediated upregulation of AT1R and LOX-1. In other experiments, LOX-1 was upregulated in cardiomyocytes by transfection with pCI-neo/LOX-1, which also enhanced the expression AT1R messenger RNA (mRNA), and rosuvastatin pretreatment reduced the expression of both LOX-1 and AT1R in this system. Thus, rosuvastatin attenuates Ang II—mediated cardiomyocyte growth by inhibiting LOX-1 and AT1R expression and suppressing the heightened intracellular redox state.
Long-term outcomes after resection of Stage IV cavoatrial tumour extension using deep hypothermic circulatory arrest.

OBJECTIVES Renal neoplasms frequently expand into renal veins and inferior vena cava from the early stages of the disease. In this study, we set out to define the long-term outcomes of patients with Stage IV tumorous cavoatrial extension, undergoing radical nephrectomy with excision of cavoatrial extension in deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA). METHODS Thirty-five patients with Stage IV cavoatrial extension of renal cell carcinoma underwent radical nephrectomy combined with en bloc excision of cavoatrial tumour-thrombus extension, performed in DHCA. The preoperative staging of the tumour and assessment of the intravascular position of the tumour were performed using standard imaging techniques, including computed tomography angiography, magnetic resonance imaging and echocardiography. Patient data were collected in the patient data bank and analysed retrospectively. RESULTS In this study cohort, we demonstrate acceptable long-term results (the mean overall survival of 4.9 ± 1.0 years and the 5-year survival rate of 40%) and outline several clear predictors for postoperative long-term survival of the patients. Preoperative evidence of remote tumour metastases and tumourous lymph node involvement conversely predicts inferior postoperative survival. However, a high local postoperative tumour recurrence rate does not limit patient survival in this group. CONCLUSIONS The data provide evidence for perioperative safety and acceptable long-term results of radical nephrectomy with excision of cavoatrial extension in DHCA in patients with Stage IV cavoatrial extension of renal neoplasm. Thus, this radical surgical procedure can provide effective long-term palliation in the absence of evident metastatic disease.
Antibiotic susceptibility and microbial analysis of Enterobacteriaceae from wastewater and sediments from abattoirs in Makurdi , Benue State ,

Article Type: Full Length Research Article In Nigeria, the operation of many abattoirs is unregulated. Waste from these abattoirs therefore portend serious hazard to public health. To ascertain this, wastewater and sediment samples from four abattoirs in Makurdi, Benue State were investigated for antibiotic susceptibility and microbial analysis using the dilution pour plate method on Salmonella-shigella Agar (SSA) and MacConkey Agar for isolation of Enterobacteriaceae. While their antibiotic susceptibility pattern was studied using the method of National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCSLS). The result obtained show that mean values of bacterial count ranged from 2.00×10 6 – 1.37×10 8 cfu/ml for wastewater samples and 1.09×10 7 – 8.66×10 7 cfu/ml for sediment samples. The following genera of Enterobacteriaceae; Escherichia, Klebsiella, Shigella and Salmonella were isolated. Out of the 106 isolates obtained, 31(29.25%) were Escherichia spp. , 28(26.42%) Salmonella spp. , 25(23.58 %) Shigella spp. , and 22(20.75%) Klebsiella spp. All isolated Salmonella spp. were completely resistant to ceftazidime, and ceftriazone while Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. , were completely resistance to ertapenem, ceftazidime, and ceftriazone. Imipenem was the most potent antibiotic as all bacteria isolates were highly susceptible to it. The results obtained show that pathogenic species such as Salmonella and Shiegella were present in significant numbers in the abattoir wastewater and sediment with varying degree of resistance to antibiotic tested. Therefore, there is need for treating abattoir waste before discharge. ©2017 BluePen Journals Ltd. All rights reserved
Two-level modeling

Experience on a large banking application has highlighted expressive weaknesses in the standard (concrete) syntax of UML, resulting in models that are under-constrained. It transpires, however, that the abstract syntax meta-model underlying UML is inherently more expressive that the concrete syntax layered on top of it. By directly reaching into, exploiting and, where necessary extending the meta-model we are able to constrain fully our domain models. Furthermore, since different fragments of a given model require different levels of expressive power, we are able to utilize a blend of concrete and extended abstract syntaxes to achieve a compact yet rich form of modeling. Finally, enhancing the concrete syntax of the modeling language, allowing the association of new concrete graphical icons with our abstract syntax extensions, facilitates the expression of models in an even more compact, readable, and intuitive form.
Experimental evaluation of nonlinear adaptive controllers

Attractive methods for learning the dynamics and improving the control of robot manipulators during movements have been proposed for more than 10 years, but they still await applications. This article investigates practical issues for the implementation of these methods, Two nonlinear adaptive controllers, selected for their simplicity and efficiency, are tested on 2-DOF and 3-DOF manipulators. The experimental results show that the adaptive feedforward controller (AFFC) is well suited for learning the parameters of the dynamic equation, even in the presence of friction and noise. The control performance along the learning trajectory and other test trajectories are also better than when measured parameters are used. However, when the task consists of driving a repeated trajectory, the adaptive lookup table MEMory is simpler to implement. It also provides a robust and stable control, and results in even better performance.
Lateral Ventricle Volume Asymmetry Predicts Midline Shift in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.

Midline shift following severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) detected on computed tomography (CT) scans is an established predictor of poor outcome. We hypothesized that lateral ventricular volume (LVV) asymmetry is an earlier sign of developing asymmetric intracranial pathology than midline shift. This retrospective analysis was performed on data from 84 adults with blunt sTBI requiring a ventriculostomy who presented to a Level I trauma center. Seventy-six patients underwent serial CTs within 3 h and an average of three scans within the first 10 d of sTBI. Left and right LVVs were quantified by computer-assisted manual volumetric measurements. LVV ratios (LVR) were determined on the admission CT to evaluate ventricular asymmetry. The relationship between the admission LVR value and subsequent midline shift development was tested using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, and odds ratio (OR) and relative risk tests. Sixty patients had no >5 mm midline shift on the initial admission scan. Of these, 15 patients developed it subsequently (16 patients already had >5 mm midline shift on admission scans). For >5 mm midline shift development, admission LVR of >1.67 was shown to have a sensitivity of 73.3% and a specificity of 73.3% (area under the curve=0.782; p<0.0001). LVR of >1.67 as exposure yielded an OR of 7.56 (p<0.01), and a risk ratio of 4.42 (p<0.01) for midline shift development as unfavorable outcome. We propose that LVR captures LVV asymmetry and is not only related to, but also predicts the development of midline shift already at admission CT examination. Lateral ventricles may have a higher "compliance" than midline structures to developing asymmetric brain pathology. LVR analysis is simple, rapidly accomplished and may allow earlier interventions to attenuate midline shift and potentially improve ultimate outcomes.