Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis of equine endometritis

Introduction Diagnosis of infertility problems in the mare by sampling of material from the uterus was first described more than 85 years ago in Kentucky, USA and Germany (1,2). Uterine disease, primarily endometritis, is still one of the major causes for infertility in the mare and a substantial problem in the modern breeding industry (3). Uterine samples have mainly been used to diagnose infertility problems and endometritis by bacterial culture (4,5), cytology (6,5), and histology (7). The finding of polymorph nuclear cells (PMN ́s) in a sample demonstrates the presence of endometrial inflammation, but without identification of the cause, it often is not possible to propose an optimal treatment protocol (4). A more differentiated diagnosis of both inflammatory and degenerative causes for endometritis and endometriosis can be obtained by a histological examination of an endometrial biopsy (7). The severity of the endometrial inflammation and degeneration found is correlated to the chance of the uterus to support an established pregnancy to term (7). Originally material from the uterus for bacteriological and cytological examination was proposed collected through a vaginal speculum using a sterile cotton swab (1,2,4). In recent years however, alternatives to the guarded swab for collection of material from the equine endometrium have been proposed, and the sensitivity and specificity of these diagnostic tests have been evaluated and compared with established techniques (9,10). These methods include bacteriology and cytology obtained from double guarded swabs, cytological brushes, endometrial biopsies and endometrial flushings with sterile 0.9 % saline solution.
Normalizing NADPH Oxidase Contributes to Attenuating Diabetic Nephropathy by the Dual Endothelin Receptor Antagonist CPU0213 in Rats

Background/Aims: NADPH oxidase(NOX) is the main source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in diabetic nephropathy (DN). Activation of NOX could be mediated via endothelin A (ETAR) and B receptors (ETBR) of the endothelin (ET) system. Thus, CPU0213, a dual ET receptor antagonist, was expected to attenuate DN by suppressing NOX. Methods: Diabetes was produced in male Sprague-Dawley rats 8 weeks after a single injection of streptozotocin (STZ), and treatment with CPU0213 was initiated in the last 4 weeks. Rat mesangial cells (MCs) were incubated with 30 mM glucose for 48 h supplemented with CPU0213 or the NOX inhibitors apocynin and diphenyleneiodonium. Results: After 8 weeks of hyperglycemia, abnormal renal function was associated with oxidative stress and an increased renal weight index in STZ-treated rats. Additionally, upregulation of NOX subunits and the ET system was found in diabetic rats and MCs treated with 30 mM glucose and suppressed by CPU0213 or NOX inhibitors. Except for blood glucose, CPU0213 markedly suppressed these abnormalities in DN. Conclusion: Upregulation of NOX is associated with upregulation of the ET pathway in the pathology of DN. The dual ET receptor antagonist (ETAR and ETBR) CPU0213 effectively normalized renal function in DN by suppressing NOX.
Ribonucleic acid nucleotidyl transferase induced in chick fibroblasts after infection with an influenza virus.

Summary A RNA-dependent RNA-nucleotidyl transferase (RNA-polymerase) has been demonstrated in chick fibroblasts infected with fowl plague virus. This enzyme was not found in uninfected cells. It needed Mg2+-ions and all four nucleoside triphosphates for its activity. Pretreatment with RNase or addition of RNase prevented the incorporation of [3H]GTP into acid insoluble material. DNase had no effect. The enzyme's activity was only slightly inhibited by actinomycin or proflavine. The incorporation of [3H]GTP could be stimulated by RNA isolated from rat liver microsomes. It was strongly inhibited by small doses of polyvinyl sulphate or dextran sulphate, and by larger amounts of DNA and protamine sulphate. The enzyme was found in the microsomal and—at a lower activity—in the nuclear fraction of infected cells. In vivo enzymic activity could not be detected until 1 hr after infection; it then increased steadily with increasing time. The rate of synthesis, however, resembled that of viral RNA synthesis. The appearance of the enzyme could be inhibited by actinomycin, actidione, or p-fluorophenylalanine. If actinomycin was added 2 hr after infection to the cells, viral RNA synthesis ceased completely at 6 hr after infection, in spite of the fact that large amounts of RNA polymerase could be then detected after homogenization.
BPConvNet for compressed sensing recovery in bioimaging

Iterative reconstruction methods have become the standard approach to solving inverse problems in imaging including denoising [1], [2], [3], deconvolution [4], and interpolation [5]. With the appearance of compressed sensing [6], our theoretical understanding of these approaches evolved further with remarkable outcomes [7], [8]. These advances have been particularly influential in the field of biomedical imaging, e.g., in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) [9] and X-ray computed tomography (CT) [10]. A more recent trend is deep learning [11], which has arisen as a promising framework providing state-of-the-art performance for image classification [12] and segmentation [13], regression-type neural networks [14], [15], [16]. In this paper, we explore the relationship between CNNs and iterative optimization methods for one specific class of inverse problems: those where the normal operator associated with the forward model is a convolution. Based on this connection, we propose a method for solving these inverse problems by combining a fast, approximate solver with a CNN. We demonstrate the approach on low-view CT reconstruction and accelerated MRI using residual learning [16] and multilevel learning [13].
Model-Based Analysis of Arabidopsis Leaf Epidermal Cells Reveals Distinct Division and Expansion Patterns for Pavement and Guard Cells1[W][OA]

To efficiently capture sunlight for photosynthesis, leaves typically develop into a flat and thin structure. This development is driven by cell division and expansion, but the individual contribution of these processes is currently unknown, mainly because of the experimental difficulties to disentangle them in a developing organ, due to their tight interconnection. To circumvent this problem, we built a mathematic model that describes the possible division patterns and expansion rates for individual epidermal cells. This model was used to fit experimental data on cell numbers and sizes obtained over time intervals of 1 d throughout the development of the first leaf pair of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). The parameters were obtained by a derivative-free optimization method that minimizes the differences between the predicted and experimentally observed cell size distributions. The model allowed us to calculate probabilities for a cell to divide into guard or pavement cells, the maximum size at which it can divide, and its average cell division and expansion rates at each point during the leaf developmental process. Surprisingly, average cell cycle duration remained constant throughout leaf development, whereas no evidence for a maximum cell size threshold for cell division of pavement cells was found. Furthermore, the model predicted that neighboring cells of different sizes within the epidermis expand at distinctly different relative rates, which could be verified by direct observations. We conclude that cell division seems to occur independently from the status of cell expansion, whereas the cell cycle might act as a timer rather than as a size-regulated machinery.
Size-dependent leaf area ratio in plant twigs: implication for leaf size optimization.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Although many hypotheses have been proposed to explain variation in leaf size, the mechanism underlying the variation remains not fully understood. To help understand leaf size variation, the cost/benefit of twig size was analysed, since, according to Corner's rule, twig size is positively correlated with the size of appendages the twig bears. METHODS An extensive survey of twig functional traits, including twig (current-year shoots including one stem and few leaves) and leaf size (individual leaf area and mass), was conducted for 234 species from four broadleaved forests. The scaling relationship between twig mass and leaf area was determined using standardized major axis regression and phylogenetic independent comparative analyses. KEY RESULTS Leaf area was found to scale positively and allometrically with both stem and twig mass (stem mass plus leaf mass) with slopes significantly smaller than 1.0, independent of life form and habitat type. Thus, the leaf area ratio (the ratio of total leaf area to stem or twig mass) decreases with increasing twig size. Moreover, the leaf area ratio correlated negatively with individual leaf mass. The results of phylogenetic independent comparativeanalyses were consistent with the correlations. Based on the above results, a simple model for twig size optimization was constructed, from which it is postulated that large leaf size-twig size may be favoured when leaf photosynthetic capacity is high and/or when leaf life span and/or stem longevity are long. The model's predictions are consistent with leaf size variation among habitats, in which leaf size tends to be small in poor habitats with a low primary productivity. The model also explains large variations in leaf size within habitats for which leaf longevity and stem longevity serve as important determinants. CONCLUSIONS The diminishing returns in the scaling of total leaf area with twig size can be explained in terms of a very simple model on twig siz
[Use of home blood pressure devices in France in 2004].

OBJECTIVE To estimate the number of devices for home blood pressure measurements in the French population in 2004 and to evaluate the use of these apparatus. METHODS The French League Against Hypertension Survey 2004 (FLAHS-2004) was performed cross-sectionally on 3707 subjects, part of a sample of 5476 subjects selected as being representative of the French metropolitan population for age (35 years and above), gender, socioeconomic status, and place of living. Subjects who declare to take an antihypertensive medication were classified as treated hypertensive patients. A questionnaire evaluating the condition of use of HBP device was given. RESULTS In 2004, 24% of the French population above the age of 35 years was treated for hypertension, corresponding to an estimate of 7.5 million of subjects. 25% of treated hypertensives and 12% of untreated subjects had a tensiometer. A total of 4 millions of BP devices are owned in the general population with 43% by treated hypertensive patients. 67% of BP devices are wrist cuff. Medical doctors recommended home blood pressure monitoring in only 12% of subjects. CONCLUSION In 2004, the number of subjects treated for hypertension is 1/4 of the general population over the age of 35 years in France. In this group of subjects, 1/4 possessed a tensiometer but in only 10% medical doctor recommended the use of home blood pressure monitoring.
Predicting BOLD signal changes as a function of blood volume fraction and resolution

The appropriate choice of resolution in fMRI remains an open question. To address this issue, we simulate the signal change between activated and resting states as a function of blood volume fraction (λ). From these results, the relative contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) from the resting to the activated state can be calculated as a function of resolution. We consider different vessel orientations and note that, in most cases, the most efficient scanning procedure is for low resolution imaging. To overcome this limitation, a T1 enhancing contrast agent is proposed to increase the signal from the blood and, hence, the intravascular contribution to the BOLD effect. We show that this effect dramatically increases both the signal changes and the efficiency of high‐resolution imaging and should lead to much better visualization and localization of parenchymal changes. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Novel stilbenes from Artocarpus nanchuanensis

Four new stilbene derivatives, hypargystilbenes B-E (1–4), together with seven known compounds (5–11), were isolated from the stems of Artocarpus nanchuanensis S.S. Chang. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral data. Hypargystilbene B, hypargystilbene D, and hypargystilbene E exhibited protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B inhibitory effects with corresponding IC50 values of 3.23, 37.31, and 2.53 nM.
Bacterial Molecular Pathogenesis Roles of quorum sensing molecules from Rhizobium etli RT 1 in bacterial motility and biofilm formation

Strain RT1 was isolated from root nodules of Lens culinaris (a lentil) and characterized as Rhizobium etli (a Gram-negative soil-borne bacterium) by 16S rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The signaling molecules produced by R. etli (RT1) were detected and identified by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The most abundant and biologically active N-acyl homoserine lactone molecules (3-oxo-C8-HSL and 3-OH-C14-HSL) were detected in the ethyl acetate extract of RT1. The biological role of 3oxo-C8-HSL was evaluated in RT1. Bacterial motility and biofilm formation were affected or modified on increasing concentrations of 3-oxo-C8-HSL. Results confirmed the existence of cell communication in RT1 mediated by 3-oxo-C8-HSL, and positive correlations were found among quorum sensing, motility and biofilm formation in RT1. © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Carvedilol Versus Metoprolol in the Acute Phase of Myocardial Infarction:

Beta‐adrenergic blockers provide significant cardioprotection during acute ischemia and reperfusion. To further explore the effects of additional alpha‐1‐adrenoceptor blockade on autonomic modulation in acute myocardial infarction (AMI), carvedilol was compared with metoprolol in the setting of primary percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). In a prospective study, 100 consecutive patients (61.1 ± 11 years; 23 females) undergoing primary PCI for AMI were randomly assigned to metoprolol 200 mg/day vs carvedilol 25 mg/day. The first oral dose of study drug was administered upon hospital admission, and a 24‐hour ambulatory electrocardiogram was recorded. A total of 40 recordings of patients assigned to metoprolol and 39 of patients assigned to carvedilol were eligible for analysis of heart rate turbulence. Turbulence onset (TO), turbulence slope (TS), and turbulence timing were measured after ventricular premature beats (VPBs). The mean value of the 10 preceding RR intervals (mean RR) before VPBs was also measured. There were no significant differences in mean age, gender distributions, TIMI perfusion grades, left ventricular ejection fraction, site and size of infarction, duration of ischemia, and mean 24‐hour heart rate between the two groups. Though the mean RR were not significantly different (metoprolol 863.1 ± 157 ms; carvedilol 839.6 ± 151 ms), there was a trend toward lower values of TO in the carvedilol group (−0.015 ± 0.016 vs −0.012 ± 0.023%; P = NS) and significantly higher values for TS in the metoprolol group (6.96 ± 5.8 vs 5.6 ± 4.22; P < 0.05). Turbulence timing was similar in both groups (metoprolol 5.8 ± 2.4 vs carvedilol 6.1 ± 2.1). In patients undergoing direct PCI for AMI, treatment with carvedilol, in contrast to metoprolol, was associated with a higher early acceleration and a lower deceleration of heart rate after VPBs, indicating differing effects on baroreceptor response due to additional alpha‐1‐adrenoceptor blockade. These data offer new insights into effects of a broader antiadrenergic therapy on autonomic reflexes in the acute phase of AMI.
A Cloud Robot System Accessing Learned Grasps from Dexterity Network 1 . 0 and Berkeley Robotics and Automation as a Service ( Brass )

Robotics and Automation as a Service (RAaaS), the robotics-equivalent of Software as a Service (SaaS), can serve as an important component in a cloud robotics framework by avoiding complex software installation and maintenance, reducing application development time, and facilitating sharing of data. However, RAaaS may introduce network latency and security issues. This paper describes an implemented RAaaS system architecture and reports on physical grasping experiments. The system uses Berkeley RAaaS Software (Brass) to remotely host an instance of Dex-Net 1.0, a robust graspplanning system that samples grasps on 3D object meshes and computes stochastic robustness metrics for each grasp. The system links a local ABB YuMi human-safe robot with Brass via a cross-border, secure, and low-latency network provided by Cloudminds, Inc. We study grasp performance under this architecture by programming the YuMi to grasp and lift a set of non-standard, asymmetric chess pieces. Results suggest that the RAaaS system can provide significant improvements in grasp robustness with reasonable mean network latency times of 30ms and 200ms for servers 500 and 6000 miles away from the robot, respectively.
Formation of malonaldehyde from phospholipid arachidonate during microsomal lipid peroxidation.

The thiobarbituric acid reacting material produced during enzymatic microsomal lipid peroxidation has been identified as malonaldehyde. The malonaldehyde was condensed with urea to form 2-hydroxy-pyrimidine, which was identified by its ultraviolet spectrum, chromato-graphic properties, and mass spectrum. Incubations with phosphatidyl choline labelled with tritiated arachidonate yielded 2-hydroxy-pyrimidine with a specific activity nearly equal to that of the phospholipid arachidonate. Incubations with tritiated arachidonic acid yielded 2-hydroxy-pyrimidine with a specific activity nearly 2 orders of magnitude less than that of free arachidonic acid. Therefore, phospholipid arachidonate has been established as the major source of the malonaldehyde produced during microsomal lipid peroxidation.
Statistical methods for HIV dynamic studies in AIDS clinical trials

Studies of HIV dynamics in AIDS research are very important for understanding pathogenesis of HIV infection and for assessing the potency of antiviral therapies. Since the viral dynamic results from clinical data were first published by Ho et al. and Wei et al., the study of HIV-1 dynamics in vivo has drawn a great attention from AIDS clinicians and researchers. Although the important findings from HIV dynamic studies have been published in many prestigious scientific journals, statistical methods for estimating viral dynamic parameters have not been paid enough attention by HIV dynamic investigators. The estimation methods in many viral dynamic studies are very crude and inefficient. In this paper, we review the statistical methods and mathematical models for HIV dynamic data analysis developed in recent years. We also address some practical issues and share our experiences in the design and analysis of viral dynamic studies. Some principles and guidelines for the design and analysis of viral dynamic studies are provided. The methodologies reviewed in this paper are also applicable to studies of other viruses such as hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus. We also pose some challenging statistical problems in this area in order to stimulate further study by the statistical research community.
Performance analysis of various single channel speech enhancement algorithms for automatic speech recognition

This paper analyzes the performance of various single channel speech enhancement systems when they are applied to automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems as a preprocessor. Until now the researches on speech enhancement algorithms have focused on improving the perceptual quality of speech signal. However, it has not been verified yet whether the improvements of the perceptual quality also increase the speech recognition rate. By investigating several enhancement modules designed for improving the perceptual quality, we analyze the relationship between a speech recognizer and speech enhancement systems. Simulation results show that the decision-directed method and speech absence probability (SAP) estimation proposed for improving perceptual quality influence adverse effects to the speech recognition performance.
Survivorship analysis of cementless total hip arthroplasty in younger patients.

To The Editor: In regard to “Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head Treated with Cementless Total Hip Arthroplasty” (82-A: 1408-13, Oct. 2000), by Hartley et al., it has been well established in the literature that total hip replacement as a treatment for osteonecrosis of the hip has not been as successful as it has for other diagnoses, even within the same age-group …
The Association between Pathological Gambling and Attempted Suicide: Findings from a National Survey in Canada

Objective: To examine the association between pathological gambling (PG) and attempted suicide in a nationally representative sample of Canadians. Methods: Data came from the Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 1.2, conducted in 2002, in which 36 984 subjects, aged 15 years or older, were interviewed. Logistic regression was performed with attempted suicide (in the past year) as the dependent variable. The independent variables were PG, major depression, alcohol dependence, drug dependence, and mental health care (in the past year), as well as a range of sociodemographic variables. Survey weights and bootstrap methods were used to account for the complex survey design. Results: In the final logistic regression model, which included terms for PG, major depression, alcohol dependence, and mental health care, as well as age, sex, education, and income, the odds ratio for PG and attempted suicide was 3.43 (95% confidence interval, 1.37 to 8.60). Conclusions: PG (in the past year) and attempted suicide (in the past year) are associated in a nationally representative sample of Canadians. However, it is not possible to say from these data whether this represents a causal relation.
Power generation and nitrogen removal of landfill leachate using microbial fuel cell technology

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology has been practised in the treatment of landfill leachate. However, it is a big challenge for the usage of MFCs to treat landfill leachate with high ammonium conTENT. The purpose of this study was to design and test two MFC reactors, i.e. an ammonium oxidation/MFC reactor and an MFC/Anammox reactor for the treatment of landfill leachate with high ammonium conTENT in terms of power generation and nitrogen removal. Using the ammonium oxidation/MFC reactor, the landfill leachate collected from Leon County Landfill of Northwest Florida generated a power density of 8 mW/m2 together with 92% of nitrogen removal. For the MFC/Anammox reactor, a power density of 12 mW/m2 was achieved with 94% of nitrogen removal. Compared with the ammonium oxidation/MFC reactor, 50% more energy was generated because in the MFC/Anammox Reactor, nitrite served as the electron acceptor; while in the Ammonium Oxidation/MFC reactor, nitrate served as the electron acceptor. In this research, power generation was also found to be directly linked to the microbial species that were involved in organic decomposition, i.e. the greater the microbial concentration, the more the power generated.