Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fentanyl Attenuates (cid:1) 1B -Adrenoceptor–Mediated Pulmonary Artery Contraction

The authors tested the hypothesis that the intravenous anesthetic fentanyl would attenuate the pulmonary vasoconstrictor response to (cid:1) 1 -adrenoceptor activation. They also investigated the (cid:1) 1 -adrenoceptor subtypes that could po-tentially mediate this effect of fentanyl. Methods: Endothelium-denuded canine pulmonary arterial rings were suspended for isometric tension recording. Dose– response curves for the (cid:1) 1 -adrenoceptor agonist phenylephrine were generated in the absence and presence of fentanyl. The effects of inhibiting (cid:1) 2 (rauwolscine), (cid:1) 1 (prazosin), (cid:1) 1A (5-methylurapidil), (cid:1) 1B (chloroethylclonidine), and (cid:1) 1D (BMY 7378) adrenoceptors on phenylephrine contraction were also investigated. Receptor “protection” studies were performed to investigate the speciﬁc role of (cid:1) 1B adrenoceptors in mediating fentanyl-induced changes in phenylephrine contraction. Fi-nally, competition binding studies were performed in rat-1 ﬁ- broblasts stably transfected with human (cid:1) 1 -adrenoceptor complementary DNAs corresponding to the (cid:1) 1A -, (cid:1) 1B -, or (cid:1) 1D - adrenoceptor subtypes to directly assess whether fentanyl can compete for the (cid:1) 1 -adrenoceptor activation pocket. Results: Fentanyl attenuated phenylephrine contraction in a dose-dependent fashion. Rauwolscine had no effect on phenylephrine contraction. Phenylephrine contraction was inhibited by prazosin and abolished by chloroethylclonidine but was relatively resistant to inhibition by 5-methylurapidil and BMY 7378. Pretreatment with fentanyl before exposure to chloroethylclonidine increased the maximal contractile response to phenylephrine compared to chloroethylclonidine pretreatment alone. Competition binding studies revealed that fentanyl binds to all three (cid:1) 1 -adrenoceptor subtypes, with a ﬁvefold greater afﬁnity for the (cid:1) 1B -adrenoceptor compared with the (cid:1) 1D -adrenoceptor subtype. Conclusion: Phenylephrine-induced contraction is primarily mediated by (cid:1) 1B -adrenoceptor activation in canine pulmonary artery. Fentanyl attenuates phenylephrine contraction by binding to (cid:1) 1B adrenoceptors.
Identiﬁcation of a Chlorobenzene Reductive Dehalogenase in Dehalococcoides sp. Strain CBDB1 (cid:1)

A chlorobenzene reductive dehalogenase of the anaerobic dehalorespiring bacterium Dehalococcoides sp. strain CBDB1 was identiﬁed. Due to poor biomass yields, standard protein isolation procedures were not applicable. Therefore, cell extracts from cultures grown on trichlorobenzenes were separated by native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and analyzed directly for chlorobenzene reductive dehalogenase activity within gel fragments. Activity was found in a single band, even though electrophoretic separation was performed under aerobic conditions. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS) and nano-liquid chromatography-MALDI MS analysis of silver-stained replicas of the active band on native polyacrylamide gels identiﬁed a protein product of the cbdbA84 gene, now called cbrA . The cbdbA84 gene is one of 32 reductive dehalogenase homologous genes present in the genome of strain CBDB1. The chlorobenzene reductive dehalogenase identiﬁed in our study represents a member of the family of corrinoid/iron-sulfur cluster-containing reductive dehalogenases. No orthologs of cbdbA84 were found in the completely sequenced genomes of Dehalococcoides sp. strains 195 and BAV1 nor among the genes ampliﬁed from Dehalococcoides sp.
COPD_A_247966 1831..1838

1Respiratory Medicine Department, University of Ioannina Medical School, Ioannina, Greece; 2National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK; 3Department of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Marburg, Germany; 4Department of Pulmonology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania; 5Novartis Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad, India; 6Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, NJ, USA; 7Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland; 8Respiratory Clinical Science Section, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations are difficult outcomes to measure in clinical trials. It would be valuable to be able to predict which patients are likely to benefit in terms of exacerbation prevention based on their early response in lung function and symptoms. Methods: This was a post-hoc analysis from the 52-week, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, non-inferiority FLAME trial. Early clinically important improvement (ECII) was defined as achievement of minimal clinically important difference in trough forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1; ≥100 mL increase) and one patient-reported outcome (PRO): either St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire for COPD (≥4-unit reduction; D1), or COPD assessment test (≥2-point reduction; D2) at Week 4 or 12. Results: Approximately 18–20% of patients achieved ECII at Week 4 or 12 postrandomization according to any of the two definitions. The rate of subsequent exacerbations was lower in patients who achieved ECII at Week 4 (D1: ratio of rates [95% CI], 0.85 [0.74 to 0.98]; D2, 0.88 [0.77 to 1.00]) or at Week 12 (D1, 0.85 [0.74 to 0.98]; D2, 0.86 [0.75 to 1.00]) versus patients not achieving ECII. Patients who achieved ECII experienced longer time-to-first exacerbation between Week 4 or 12 to end of study. More patients achieved ECII with indacaterol/glycopyrronium versus salmeterol/fluticasone according to both definitions at Week 4 (D1, odds ratio [95% CI], 1.69 [1.40 to 2.04]; D2, 1.61 [1.34 to 1.93]), and 12 (D1, 2.01 [1.66 to 2.44]; D2, 1.80 [1.48 to 2.18]). Conclusion: ECII is a novel composite endpoint, based on clinically relevant improvement in lung function and PROs in the early phase of treatment intervention that may predict subsequent exacerbation risk and may be used in clinical trials.
D OES R ISK A VERSION A CCELERATE O PTIMAL F OREST R OTATION UNDER U NCERTAINTY ?

We use a Wicksellian single rotation framework to analyze the impact of the intertemporally fluctuating and stochastic mean-reverting interest rate process on the optimal harvesting threshold and thereby the expected length of the rotation period, when forest value is also stochastic following geometric Brownian motion and landowners are risk-averse. We provide an explicit solution for the two-dimensional path-dependent rotation problem and demonstrate that higher interest rate volatility increases, while higher risk aversion decreases the optimal harvesting threshold. Moreover, under risk aversion increased forest value volatility decreases the optimal harvesting threshold, while it has no effect under risk neutrality. Numerical illustrations indicate that higher interest rate volatility will raise the expected rotation period at an increasing rate, while higher forest value volatility will decrease its sensitivity under risk aversion.
The role of diﬀusion on the interface thickness in a ventilated ﬁlling box

We examine the role of diﬀusivity, whether molecular or turbulent, on the steady-state stratiﬁcation in a ventilated ﬁlling box. The buoyancy-driven displacement ventilation model of Linden et al. ( J. Fluid Mech. , vol. 212, 1990, p. 309) predicts the formation of a two-layer stratiﬁcation when a single plume is introduced into an enclosure with vents at the top and bottom. The model assumes that diﬀusion plays no role in the development of the ambient buoyancy stratiﬁcation: diﬀusion is a slow process and the entrainment of ambient ﬂuid into the plume from the diﬀuse interface will act to thin the interface resulting in a near discontinuity of density between the upper and lower layers. This prediction has been corroborated by small-scale salt bath experiments; however, full-scale measurements in ventilated rooms and complementary numerical simulations suggest an interface that is not sharp but rather smeared out over a ﬁnite thickness. For a given plume buoyancy ﬂux, as the cross-sectional area of the enclosure increases the volume of ﬂuid that must be entrained by the plume to maintain a sharp interface also increases. Therefore the balance between the diﬀusive thickening of the interface and plume-driven thinning favours a thicker interface. Conversely, the interface thickness decreases with increasing source buoyancy ﬂux, although the dependence is relatively weak. Our analysis presents two models for predicting the interface thickness as a function of the enclosure height, base area, composite vent area, plume buoyancy ﬂux and buoyancy diﬀusivity. Model results are compared with interface thickness measurements based on previously reported data. Positive qualitative and quantitative agreement is observed.
Cryopreservation of specialised Chicken Lines using cultured primordial germ cells

Biosecurity and sustainability in poultry production requires reliable germplasm conservation. Germplasm conservation in poultry is more challenging in comparison to other livestock species. Embryo cryopreservation is not feasible for egg-laying animals, and chicken semen conservation has variable success for different chicken breeds. A potential solution is the cryopreservation of the committed diploid stem cell precursors to the gametes, the primordial germ cells ( PGCs ). Primordial germ cells are the lineage-restricted cells found at early embryonic stages in birds and form the sperm and eggs. We demonstrate here, using flocks of partially inbred, lower-fertility, major histocompatibility complex- ( MHC- ) restricted lines of chicken, that we can easily derive and cryopreserve a sufficient number of independent lines of male and female PGCs that would be sufficient to reconstitute a poultry breed. We demonstrate that germ-line transmission can be attained from these PGCs using a commercial layer line of chickens as a surrogate host. This research is a major step in developing and demonstrating that cryopreserved PGCs could be used for the biobanking of specialized flocks of birds used in research settings. The prospective application of this technology to poultry production will further increase sustainability to meet current and future production needs.
Patterns and Mechanisms of r-Lactam Resistance among Isolates of Escherichia coli from Hospitals in the United States

To study the national distribution of B-lactam resistance patterns and mechanisms among Escherichia coli organisms isolated in U.S. hospitals, 652 ampicillin-resistant (Am') or ampicillin-intermediate (Am') isolates were submitted to the Centers for Disease Control from March 1983 through July 1984 by nine hospitals participating in the National Nosocomial Infections Study. Among the isolates (most of which caused urinary tract infections), 78% were Amr and 22% were Am' by the interpretative criteria established by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. Resistance to carboxypenicillins ranged from 73 to 74%, and that to acylureidopenicillins ranged from 43 to 66%. A total of 26% of the isolates were resistant to cephalothin, and 4% were resistant to cefazolin. Resistance to cefoxitin was 1%, while resistances to cefuroxime and cefamandole were 2 and 7%, respectively. With the exception of cefsulodin (98% resistant) and cefoperazone (1% resistant), there was no resistance to newer cephalosporins or aztreonam. In general, only minor differences in the incidence of resistance to 1-lactam antibiotics were noted in hospital-acquired versus non-hospital-acquired isolates as well as among isolates from various regions of the United States. TEM ,B-lactamases were produced by 87% of the 237 Amr isolates examined. By our methods, OXA and chromosomal (type I) 1-lactamases were detected in 2 and 28 isolates, respectively, and plasmid-mediated extended-spectrum cephalosporinases were detected in none of the isolates. Disk substrate and clavulanic acid inhibition assays revealed that TEM ,B-lactamase conferred Amr and resistance to carboxypenicillins, acylureidopenicillins, cephalothin, cefamandole, cefsulodin, and cefoperazone. A total of 391 isolates were screened for plasmids, and 259 isolates were examined by DNA hybridization with a TEM probe. Among 462 plasmids probed, 129 plasmids, ranging from 4 to 140 megadaltons, harbored TEM sequences. Although ,B-lactam resistance in clinical isolates of E. coli is predominantly mediated by TEM 1-lactamase, the diverse spectrum of resistance appears to be related to additional strain-dependent factors.
Microwave-induced activation of additional active edge sites on the MoS surface for ₂ enhanced Hgᴼ capture. Applied Surface Science, 420

In recent years, significant effort has been made in the development of novel materials for the 14 removal of mercury from coal-derived flue gas. In this research, microwave irradiation was 15 adopted to induce the creation of additional active sites on the MoS 2 surface. The results showed 16 that Hg 0 capture efficiency of the adsorbent containing MoS 2 nanosheets being microwave treated 17 was as high as 97%, while the sample prepared via conventional method only showed an efficiency 18 of 94% in its first 180 min testing. After the adsorbent was treated by microwave irradiation for 3 19 more times, its mercury removal efficiency was still noticeably higher than that of the sample 20 prepared via conventional method. Characterization of surface structure of the MoS 2 containing 21 material together with DFT study further revealed that the (001) basal planes of MoS 2 crystal 22 structure were cracked into (100) edge planes (with an angle of approximately 75 degrees) under 23 microwave treatment, which subsequently resulted in the formation of additional active edge sites on the MoS 2 surface and led to the improved performance on Hg 0 capture.
Does nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 infection result in increased 30-day mortality? A multi-centre observational study to identify risk factors for worse outcomes in COVID-19 disease.

Objective We aimed to determine whether nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 infection has worse outcomes than community-acquired disease and to identify demographic, biochemical and investigational predictors for severe disease. predictors of LOS (p<0.05). In patients who did not attend critical care, male (HR=3.36, p<0.05) and high ACCI (HR=1.29, p<0.05) were predictors of mortality. Nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 infection is not associated with increased mortality compared with community acquired infection. ACCI score and male sex are predictors of poor outcomes. SMID is a predictor of LOS but not mortality. Our study demonstrates that nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 infection is not associated with a statistically significant increase in 30-day mortality compared with community acquired infection. Male sex, age and ACCI score are significant predictors of mortality in the whole cohort. A high degree of vigilance will be required by all members of the healthcare team to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 within hospitals. Nosocomial infection poses an important challenge to vulnerable hospital populations, and needs to be considered as the NHS attempts to resume elective activities, balancing the risks and benefits whilst the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Our study shows a relatively low risk of contracting COVID-19 infection in hospital with comparable outcomes to when the disease was contracted in the community. Further are essential to identify the mechanisms and to gain a greater understanding of how certain risk factors influence outcomes with COVID-19 disease order public health to shield at risk groups and
A closer look at weight loss interventions in primary care: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Weight loss observed in clinical trials has failed to translate into real world clinical settings. The aim of the current investigation was to quantify patient weight loss using various approaches tested in primary care and to unveil relevant contextual factors that could improve patient weight loss on a long-term basis. METHODS: This systematic review and meta-analysis was limited to randomized clinical trials conducted in people with overweight or obesity in a primary care setting where the intervention was administered by a primary care provider for at least 6 months. The major outcome was patient weight loss. All investigators identified studies and independently abstracted data using COVIDENCE systematic review software. RESULTS: The seven studies included 2,187 people with obesity who had weight-related comorbidities or risk factors. Strategies tested for patient weight loss included 1) anti-obesity medication, 2) the combination of anti-obesity medication, intensive lifestyle counseling and meal replacements, and 3) physician training to better counsel patients toward intensive lifestyle modification. Substantial heterogeneity in the outcomes was observed, as well as bias toward lack of published studies showing no effect. The random effect model estimated a treatment effect for the aggregate efficacy of primary care interventions -3.54 kg (95% CI: -5.61 kg to -1.47 kg). Interventions that included a medication component (alone or as part of a multipronged intervention) achieved a greater weight reduction by -2.94 kg (p<0.0001). In all interventions, efficacy declined with time (reduction in weight loss by 0.53 kg per six months, 95%CI: 0.04-1.0 kg, p-value=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Weight loss interventions administered by a primary care provider can lead to modest weight loss. Weight loss is approximately doubled if anti-obesity medication is part of the treatment strategy. Nevertheless, weight loss is attenuated over time and underscores the need for long-term treatment.
Genome-wide epistasis analysis in Parkinson's disease between populations with different genetic ancestry reveals significant variant-variant interactions

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have increased our understanding of Parkinson's disease (PD) genetics through the identification of common disease-associated variants. However, much of the heritability remains unaccounted for and we hypothesized that this could be partly explained by epistasis. Here, we developed a genome-wide non-exhaustive epistasis screening pipeline called Variant-variant interaction through variable thresholds (VARI3) and applied it to diverse PD GWAS cohorts. First, as a discovery cohort, we used 14 cohorts of European ancestry (14,671 cases and 17,667 controls) to identify candidate variant-variant interactions. Next, we replicated significant results in a cohort with a predominately Latino genetic ancestry (807 cases and 690 controls). We identified 14 significant epistatic signals in the discovery stage, with genes showing enrichment in PD-relevant ontologies and pathways. Next, we successfully replicated two of the 14 interactions, where the signals were located nearby SNCA and within MAPT and WNT3. Finally, we determined that the epistatic effect on PD of those variants was similar between populations. In brief, we identified several epistatic signals associated with PD and replicated associations despite differences in the genetic ancestry between cohorts. We also observed their biological relevance and effect on the phenotype using in silico analysis.
Universal Primer Set for Ampliﬁcation and Sequencing of HA 0 Cleavage Sites of All Inﬂuenza A Viruses (cid:1) †

Sequence analysis of the endoproteolytic cleavage site within the hemagglutinin (HA) precursor protein HA 0 is fundamental for studies of the molecular biology of inﬂuenza A viruses, in particular, for molecular pathotyping of subtype H5 and H7 isolates. A current problem for routine diagnostics is the emergence of new strains of the H5 or H7 subtype or even other subtypes which escape detection by commonly used reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) protocols. Here, the ﬁrst pan-HA (PanHA) RT-PCR assay targeting the HA 0 cleavage site of inﬂuenza A viruses of all 16 HA subtypes is reported. The assay was assessed in comparison to H5 and H7 subtype-speciﬁc RT-PCRs for the HA 0 cleavage site and a real-time RT-PCR detecting the M gene. A panel of 92 inﬂuenza A viruses was used for validation. Sequence data for inﬂuenza A viruses from 32 allantoic ﬂuid samples and 11 diagnostic swab samples of all 16 HA subtypes were generated by direct sequencing of the PanHA RT-PCR products. The results demonstrate that the new PanHA RT-PCR assay—followed by cycle sequencing—can complement existing methods and strengthen the reliability of inﬂuenza A virus diagnostics, allowing both molecular pathotyping (H5 and H7) and subtyping (non-H5 or The duplex real-time RT-PCR was performed a and a SuperScript III One- Step Taq DNA polymerase assay
Autofocus System and Evaluation Methodologies: A Literature Review

The autofocus (AF) system has gained popularity in over 40 years. Embedded in a camera, it can bring the best focused image to the viewer within a few seconds, which frees users from focusing manually. An AF system usually consists of a motor, a lens, and the processing and control units. Within years of development, the AF system has become mature in terms of both technology and market, and many fast and accurate AF systems have been introduced and widely installed in compact cameras and digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras. On the other hand, the market for thermal infrared cameras has been increasingly growing in recent years owing to their decreasing cost and wide use by both civilians and the military. The AF system in those cameras adopted similar but more complex mechanisms. This article serves as a literature review of the state of the art of the AF system in both visible light digital cameras and thermal infrared cameras.
WEB APPLICATION FOR VOICE OPERATED E-MAIL EXCHANGE

— E-mail, in this age, is the primary mode for passing on crucial information. Along with getting tech-savvy, we need to be the more user-friendly as well. This paper proposes an application that will compose the mails as you speak, send it to a valid e-mail address, read aloud the received e-mails; all of this voice enabled with minimal use of keystrokes. With the use of speech-to-text and text-to-speech synthesizers the voice input will be converted to text and vice-versa respectively. Javascript and PHP codes are used to facilitate the mailing module and integrate it with the speech synthesizer module. The user only needs to worry about speaking clearly and rest is taken care of, thus hugely advantageous for the disabled.
Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University Dense image correspondence under large appearance variations Dense image correspondence under large appearance variations

This paper addresses the difﬁcult problem of ﬁnding dense correspondence across images with large appearance variations. Our method uses multiple feature samples at each pixel to deal with the appearance variations based on our obser-vation that pre-deﬁned single feature sample provides poor results in nearest neighbor matching. We apply the idea in a ﬂow-based matching framework and utilize the best feature sample for each pixel to determine the ﬂow ﬁeld. We propose a novel energy function and use dual-layer loopy belief propagation to minimize it where the correspondence, the feature scale and rotation parameters are solved simultaneously. Our method is effective and produces generally better results.
Numerical techniques for microwave and millimeter-wave passive structures

The Finite Element Method (J. Davies). Integral Equation Technique (J. Mosig). Planar Circuit Analysis (K. Gupta & M. Abouzahra). Spectral Domain Approach (T. Uwaro & T. Itoh). The Method of Lines (R. Pregla & W. Pascher). The Waveguide Model for the Analysis of Microstrip Discontinuities (I. Wolff). The Transmission Line Matrix (TLM) Method (W. Hoefer). The Mode--Matching Method (Y. Shih). Generalized Scattering Matrix Technique (T. Itoh). Transverse Resonance Technique (R. Sorrentino). Index.