Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pro‐apoptotic activity of N‐myc in activation‐induced cell death of microglia

Brain microglial cells are thought to undergo apoptosis following the exposure to inflammatory stimuli such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and IFNγ, which is considered as an autoregulatory mechanism to control their own activation state. Here, we report that N‐myc constitutes a novel apoptotic pathway of LPS/IFNγ‐activated microglia. The expression of N‐myc was synergistically enhanced by LPS and IFNγ in microglia. Tetracycline‐based conditional expression of N‐myc sensitized microglia to nitric oxide (NO)‐induced apoptosis. Knockdown of N‐myc expression using small interfering RNA (siRNA) attenuated LPS/IFNγ‐induced microglial apoptosis. An increase in N‐myc expression, however, did not affect microglial production of NO or TNFα. The synergistic effect of LPS/IFNγ on the microglial N‐myc induction was mediated through Janus kinase (JAK)/STAT1 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 1) pathway. Taken together, LPS/IFNγ‐induced N‐myc participated in the activation‐induced cell death of microglia by sensitizing the cells to NO‐induced apoptosis; however, N‐myc did not influence the processes of inflammatory activation of microglia.
Inhibition of v-src-induced transformation by a GTPase-activating protein

Previous work has shown that microinjection into cells of antibodies against p21ras blocks transformation by src, suggesting that oncogenic transformation by pp60v-src is dependent on p21ras. The activity of p21ras itself is regulated by its cyclic association with GDP-GTP, where p21ras-GTP is the active form and p21ras-GDP is the inactive form. A GTPase-activating protein (GAP) mediates the inactivation of p21ras by facilitating the conversion of the active p21ras-GTP to the inactive p21ras-GDP. This predicts that overexpression of GAP would inactivate p21ras and block transformation of cells by src. In this paper, we confirm this prediction. We report that overexpression of GAP in NIH 3T3 cells blocks transformation by pp60v-src but not by v-ras. Susceptibility to transformation by v-src is restored when GAP expression is lowered to levels comparable to that in control cells. These results support the suggestion that p21ras plays a central role in the signalling pathway used by pp60v-src.
Anticoagulants Versus Antiplatelet Therapy for Preventing Stroke in Patients With Nonrheumatic Atrial Fibrillation and a History of Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack

BACKGROUND People with nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation who have had a transient ischemic attack or minor ischemic stroke are at risk of recurrent stroke. OBJECTIVES The objective of this review was to compare the effect of anticoagulants with antiplatelet therapy, for secondary prevention, in people with nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation and previous cerebral ischaemia. SEARCH STRATEGY The reviewer searched the Cochrane Stroke Group trials register and contacted trialists. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised trials comparing oral anticoagulants with aspirin in patients with non-rheumatic atrial fibrillation and a previous transient ischaemic attack or minor ischaemic stroke. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS One reviewer extracted the data. MAIN RESULTS One trial was included, involving 455 patients. They received either anticoagulants (International Normalised Ratio 2.5 to 4.0), or 300 milligrams of aspirin per day. People joined the trial within three months of transient ischaemic attack or minor stroke. The mean follow-up was 2.3 years. Anticoagulant therapy approximately halved the odds of serious vascular events (odds ratio 0.55, 95% confidence interval 0.36 to 0. 83). This equates to preventing an extra 50 vascular events per year for every 1000 patients treated. Anticoagulant therapy decreased the odds of recurrent stroke by two-thirds (odds ratio 0.35, 95% confidence interval 0.22 to 0.59). This translates to preventing an extra 60 strokes for every 1000 patients treated per year. Major extracranial bleeds occurred more often in patients given anticoagulants (odds ratio 4.65, 95% confidence interval 1.66 to 12.99). The absolute difference was 2.8% versus 0.9% bleeds per year. None of the patients on anticoagulants and one on aspirin had an intracerebral bleed. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS The evidence from one trial suggests that anticoagulant therapy can benefit people with nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation and recent cerebral ischaemia. Aspirin may be a useful alternative if there is a contraindication to anticoagulant therapy. The risk of adverse events appears to be higher with anticoagulant therapy than aspirin.
Hybrid Nanostructures: Organic Interconnections and Device Applications

Silicon technology is rapidly progressing toward device sizes in the range of 10 nm. The evolution rate of silicon technology in next decades will require the use of new materials and processes to develop revolutionary CMOS devices. Organic nanostructures onto semiconductors or metals may provide interesting solutions to address the technological issues of nanoscale devices. In particular, technologies and devices based on organic nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes, semiconductor or metallic nanoparticles, DNA-templated nanowires may supply solutions for on-chip interconnections. The aim of this work is to present recent results on hybrid nanostructures based on gold nanoparticles stabilized by organic coating. Particular emphasis is devoted to the problem of the interconnections at the nanoscale. The resulting hybrid devices are suitable to develop single electron transistors and memories
The Impact of Entrepreneurship Programs on Minorities

We document the impact of an entrepreneurship training program on startup activity of minorities (females and non-Caucasians). We compare entrepreneurial activity between applicants who are accepted into the program with applicants who are program finalists but not accepted. We find that the effect of the program is small for minorities in the short run. However, the effect of the program is more pronounced for minorities' likelihood of longer run startup activity, whereas the effect on non-minorities is small and statistically insignificant. We suggest that such programs are most effective for individuals that may otherwise have limited access to entrepreneurial opportunities.
Application of wavelet multi-scale analysis in gravitational survey

Wavelet multi-scale analysis is widely used in data processing of geophysics. It is able to help geophysicists to solve a lot of difficult problems in gravitational and magnetic survey. Its theoretical basis is illustrated at first. Multi-scale analysis and Mallat algorithm are introduced as follows. Three gravity models are designed and its wavelet multi-scale analysis results are discussed. Conclusions are made finally.
GIANT CELL TUMOR OF BONE CAMPANACCI GRADE II TREATED BY CURETTAGE-GRAFT AND SHORT IMMOBILISATION BY POP. A CASE REPORT AND LITERATURE REVIEW.

The authors present a case of extensive biopsy proven giant cell tumour of the distal femur in a 27 years-old man revealed by a trauma. He was treated by classic curettage-graft and additional simple cast immobilization instead of internal fixation to prevent the collapse of the fragile affected condyle after curettage. The functional outcome of the knee is satisfactory after one year of follow-up. The POP cast could be an affordable and safe alternative to internal fixation in the treatment of GCT with high risk of fracture in limited conditions of practice in Africa.
Mebutamate as a hypnotic: Clinical trial and statistical considerations

Mebutamate, an antihypertensive drug, has been reported to have hypnotic efficacy. We evaluated, by a questionnaire method, its efficacy in a geriatric, insomniac nursing home population. Two doses of mebutamate, 300 and 600 mg, were compared to 100 and 150 mg of secobarbital sodium and placebo, all administered randomly as identical tablets. Three cycles of test drugs were given and each nightly dose was alternated with the patient's own usual sleeping pill. Twenty‐two patients completed at least two consecutive cycles of the trial; 15 completed all three. A sleep index computed from “usual” sleeping pill nights and subjected to principal component analysis constituted the primary statistical evaluation. Supporting analyses used composite categories of questions called hypnotic power, global evaluation, and freedom from hangover. Mebutamate performed well and had little toxicity. In hypnotic power and global evaluation the mean effect of mebutamate, 600 mg and 300 mg, bracketed that of secobarbital, 150 mg. Statistical significance over placebo was reached for the higher doses of each active drug and the lower dose of mebutamate. No differences in freedom from hangover were noted.
Hypolipidemic Effect of Extracts from Abelmoschus esculentus L. (Malvaceae) on Tyloxapol-Induced Hyperlipidemia in Mice

Background: Abelmoschus esculentus L. (Malvaceae) has been used for a long time as a daily food in many countries because of its nourishing components. Extracts from A. esculentus are known to ameliorate not only hyperglycemia but also hyperlipidemia in diabetic mice induced by alloxan and streptozocin. However, its hypolipidemic activity has not yet been clearly studied. Objective: Hypolipidemic activity of the extracts from total plant by dichloromethan (AE1) and methanol (AE2), and from fruit by dichloromethane (AE3) and methanol (AE4) was studied and compared to that of simvastatin (Zocor ® ). Methods: Hyperlipidemia in mice was induced by single intra-peritoneal injection of 300 mg/kg of tyloxapol. Studied extracts were orally administered at dose equivalent to 30 g of dry extract/kg immediately after tyloxapol injection. Results: Cholesterol levels decreased 56.45%, 55.65%, 41.13%, 40.50% and 53.63%, respectively in groups orally administered AE1, AE2, AE3, AE4 and simvastatin as compared to the tyloxapol injected group. Triglyceride levels in treated groups had no significant difference as compared to simvastatin group except the AE4 treated group. Conclusion: A. esculentus could lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in hyperlipidemic mice. ©All right reserved.
Multi-criteria upper-body human motion adaptation

Computer-aided simulation of human motion has enabled the integration of human factors in the evaluation of product, process and workplace designs. Realistic human motion simulation can be generated on the basis of existing captured motion. The objective of this work is the development of a new approach for adapting a given motion of a digital human model to new anthropometrics and environment constraints. In order to achieve this objective an algorithm, based on multi-criteria decision making, has been conceptualized and implemented. The proposed algorithm is based on the evaluation of randomly generated human postures, with a number of criteria suitable for preserving desirable qualities of the initial motion while the new constraints are being satisfied. The multi-criteria human motion adaptation (MCMA) algorithm is tested in a pilot case that investigates the opening of a car door from the driver's seated position. The evaluation demonstrates the prediction capabilities of the algorithm, when anthropometrics and environment parameters are modified. The algorithm generates accurate and realistic human motions that can be used in computer-aided design for ergonomics.
Analysis of Coplanar Intermediate Coil Structures in Inductive Power Transfer Systems

Intermediate couplers have been shown to increase the coupling from primary to secondary pads in inductive power transfer (IPT) systems. This paper investigates embedding a coplanar intermediate coupler coil with the primary coil inside the primary pad to boost the coupling to the secondary pad and improve the efficiency of the system. Several coil designs are simulated and a mathematical model is developed to evaluate the efficiency of parallel-parallel and series-series tuned systems. As shown a coplanar, independently tuned intermediate coupler coil improves the efficiency of a series-series-tuned system since it reduces source losses. However, there appears to be no benefit to having an intermediate coupler with a parallel-parallel-tuned system. Furthermore, boosts in coupling are a result of adding extra current carrying windings to the primary pad and simulations show that operating the system as a traditional two coil IPT system may be simpler and more effective based on tuning topology. An experimental system was constructed to validate the simulations.
Double line frequency ripple cancelling for single-phase quasi-Z-source inverter

Double line frequency ripple (2ω ripple) power inherently exists in single phase dc-ac or ac-dc pulse width modulation converters because of instantaneous power unbalance between the dc and ac side. In order to achieve stable operation and maintain a high maximum power point tracking (MPPT) efficiency, traditional single-phase quasi-Z-source inverter (QZSI) for photovoltaic application uses large electrolytic dc capacitors in the impedance network to suppress this 2ω ripple. This paper proposed an active power decoupling method to cancel the 2ω ripple in both the input and impedance network. By adding another phase leg, an ac capacitor and a high frequency inductor in series, the second ac power path is developed to absorb the power pulsating at twice the line frequency. With selected capacitance and closed-loop control for the voltage on the added ac capacitor, the 2ω ripple would be eliminated with the minimum costs. The other ac output of the QZSI would not be influenced because the original two phase legs (the original H-bridge) maintains the same operation. The merits of the presented method includes 1) reduced device size by replacing bulky dc capacitor to small ac capacitor; 2) ripple free input to achieve high MPPT efficiency. Theoretical analysis, control strategy, simulation and experimental results are provided to demonstrate and verify the method.
Proteomics in the liver of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) to elucidate the cellular response induced by the intake of maslinic acid

Maslinic acid (MA) is a pentacyclic triterpene used as a feed additive to stimulate growth, protein‐turnover rates, and hyperplasia in fish. To further our understanding of cellular mechanisms underlying the action of MA, we have used 2‐DE coupled with MS to identify proteins differentially expressed in the livers of juvenile gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) grown under fish‐farm conditions and fed with a 100 mg/kg MA‐enriched diet (MA100). After the comparison of the protein profiles from MA100 fed fish and from control, 49 protein spots were found to be altered in abundance (≥2‐fold). Analysis by MALDI‐TOF/TOF allowed the unambiguous identification of 29 spots, corresponding to 19 different proteins. These proteins were: phosphoglucomutase, phosphoglucose isomerase, S‐adenosyl methionine‐dependent methyltransferase class I, aldehyde dehydrogenase, catalase, 6‐phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase, 4‐hydroxyphenylpyruvic dioxygenase, methylmalonate‐semialdehyde dehydrogenase, lysozyme, urate oxidase, elongation factor 2, 60 kDa heat‐shock protein, 58 kDa glucose‐regulated protein, cytokeratin E7, type‐II keratin, intermediate filament proteins, 17‐β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 4, and kinase suppressor of Ras1. Western blot analysis of kinase suppressor of Ras1, glucose 6‐phosphate dehydrogenase, elongation factor 2, 60 kDa heat‐shock protein, and catalase supported the proteome evidence. Based on the changes found in the protein‐expression levels of these proteins, we proposed a cellular‐signalling pathway to explain the hepatic‐cell response to the intake of a diet containing MA.
Energy transfer on rotating shafts using pm-printed winding machine

The application of an energy transmission system to a rotating shaft by using a counter-weighted-free-wheeled-rotor permanent magnet synchronous machine is analyzed in this paper. This solution avoids slip rings and can generate a power amount which can be significantly higher if compared to other contact-less solutions. The guidelines for the design of such a machine are discussed by considering the maximization of the power transmission. To this purpose, an analytical model of the conversion system including generator, diode bridge rectifier and dc-dc converter is formulated. The results of a case study concerning the application of the system to a rotating shaft are presented and discussed.
In‐Hospital Mortality After Acute Myocardial Infarction

In order to determine if the risk factors contributing to mortality from acute myocardial infarction (MI) during the period of coronary care unit (CCU) observation are different from those in patients dying in the hospital after CCU discharge, the hospital records of 172 acute MI patients seen over an 18-month period were reviewed. Of the 32 deaths from acute MI, 25% occurred suddenly outside the CCU. The risk factors identified in the 32 deaths were (1) anterior MI, (2) previous MI, (3) cardiac failure, (4) significant ventricular arrhythmia, (5) intraventricular conduction defects, and (6) murmur suggestive of papillary muscle dysfunction. These same risk factors were found to be far more frequent in the patients dying suddenly outside the CCU.
Dopamine characteristics in rat genotypes with distinct susceptibility to epileptic activity: apomorphine‐induced stereotyped gnawing and novelty/amphetamine‐induced locomotor stimulation

Rat genotypes differ in their susceptibility to spontaneously occurring spike‐wave discharges and in their dopaminergic properties. In a previous study, it was found that spike‐wave discharge incidence decreased in the following order in four rat genotypes during baseline and following injection with the dopamine antagonist haloperidol: apomorphine‐susceptible (APO‐SUS) > WAG/Rij > apomorphine‐unsusceptible (APO‐UNSUS) and ACI rats. The question in the present study was to what extent certain dopaminergic properties are pathognomonic for epileptic rats. Therefore, behavioral responses were assessed in order to investigate the dopaminergic properties in the four rat genotypes. Apomorphine‐induced gnawing data imply that the dopamine activity of the nigrostriatal system in the WAG/Rij rats is higher than in APO‐SUS but lower than in the ACI and APO‐UNSUS rats. Furthermore, in previous studies APO‐SUS have been shown to have a higher novelty/amphetamine‐induced locomotion, indicative of a higher dopamine reactivity of the mesolimbic system as compared to APO‐UNSUS rats. Results from the present study showed that WAG/Rij rats have a higher locomotor responsiveness to novelty/amphetamine, indicating a higher dopamine reactivity of the mesolimbic system in comparison to the ACI rats. It is suggested that the functional dopaminergic mesolimbic dominance is an important factor in the susceptibility to show spontaneously occurring spike‐wave discharges.
A 5GHz CMOS monolithic fractional-N frequency synthesizer

A 5GHz monolithic fractional-N frequency synthesizer is implemented in 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS technology. In this frequency synthesizer, the center frequency of VCO is twice that of the required LO frequency and the quadrature LO is generated through a divide-by-2 circuit. A 3-b third-order /spl Delta//spl Sigma/ modulator is employed to randomize the division ratio and the phase noise performance is improved. Simulation result shows that the phase noise of the whole frequency synthesizer is less than -125dBc/Hz (3MHz) and the settling time is 25/spl mu/s. Having a frequency resolution of 8Hz, the frequency synthesizer meets the specifications of WLAN 802.11b/g and Bluetooth. The chip area is 1 mm /spl times/1.2mm and the current consumption is 30mA under a supply voltage of 1.8V.
A clinical method of quantitative gait analysis. Suggestion from the field.

Quantitative methods of gait analysis are needed for documenting patient progress and for doing clinical research. Abnormal measures of velocity, step length, step width, stride length, and cadence have been shown to be important indicators of gait dysfunction.1–4 Improvements in function are paralleled by improvements in these measures. Sophisticated electronic methods are the simplest and most accurate methods of gait analysis; however, they are not usually available to the clinician. These methods are expensive2 and are found in only a few locomotion laboratories.5 This paper describes a clinical method of quantitative gait analysis, different from the clinical methods that have been described in the literature,2,6 that can be used in any clinical setting. This method can be used to quantify stride length, step length, step width, cadence, and velocity of walking, and it requires less equipment and may be simpler to use than other clinical methods. …
Nonlinear programming advances in mathematical programming with complementarity constraints

Given a suitably parameterised family of equilibrium models and a higher level criterion by which to measure an equilibrium state, mathematical programs with equilibrium constraints (MPECs) provide a framework for selecting good or even optimal parameters. An example is toll design in traffic networks, which attempts to reduce total travel time by choosing which arcs to toll and what toll levels to impose. Here, a Wardrop equilibrium describes the traffic response to each toll design. Communication networks also have a deep literature on equilibrium flows that suggest some MPECs. We focus on mathematical programs with complementarity constraints (MPCCs), a subclass of MPECs for which the lower level equilibrium system can be formulated as a complementarity problem. An MPCC can be immediately written as a nonlinear program (NLP) but, regrettably, the constraints of the latter lack some stability properties that are considered essential in analysing and solving NLPs. A related issue is that MPECs and MPCCs are generally nonconvex, which is a consequence of the upper level objective clashing with users’ objectives in the lower level equilibrium program. While global optimisation of MPECs and MPCCs is in a state of infancy, the last decade of research has paved the way for finding local solutions of MPCCs via standard NLP techniques if not off-theshelf NLP software. We give a selective review of these advances. Special attention is paid to Lagrangian techniques which have become essential in describing what “stationary” means for MPCCs, and how to solve MPCCs computationally.
CAESAR : Context-Awareness Enabled and Summary-Attentive Reader

Comprehending meaning from natural language is the primary objective of Natural Language Processing(NLP), and text comprehension definitely is the cornerstone for achieving this objective upon which all other problems like chat bots, language translation and others can be modeled in some way or the other. In this report, we first present a brief analysis of some of the state of the art(SOTA) solutions for the problem of Reading Comprehension using the recently published Stanford Question Answering Dataset (SQuAD) [1]. Next we detail our implementation of two of these models: Match LSTM [2] and Dynamic Coattention Networks [3]. We also describe our attempts of using the recently developed attention mechanism constructs, sequence to sequence learning(seq2seq) [4]. Our best trained model reached close to matching the results obtained by these advanced solutions. Finally, we describe our novel attempt of employing a summary attentive reader which tries to make the training process efficient yet retaining the same scores.