Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of surrogate markers of inflammation and Rome criteria to distinguish organic from nonorganic intestinal disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Differentiating symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) from those of organic intestinal disease is a familiar problem for physicians. The aim of this study was to assess the sensitivity, specificity, and odds ratios (ORs) of fecal calprotectin, small intestinal permeability, Rome I criteria, and laboratory markers of inflammation (erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ESR], C-reactive protein [CRP], blood count) in distinguishing organic from nonorganic intestinal disease. METHODS A total of 602 new referrals to a gastroenterology clinic who had symptoms suggestive of IBS or organic intestinal disease were studied for these parameters. All patients underwent invasive imaging (barium/endoscopic examination) and other investigations as appropriate, with physicians blinded to the results of fecal calprotectin and intestinal permeability. RESULTS A total of 263 patients were diagnosed with organic disease and 339 with IBS. At 10 mg/L, the sensitivity and specificity of calprotectin for organic disease were 89% and 79%, respectively, and that of intestinal permeability for small intestinal disease were 63% and 87%, respectively. Sensitivity of positive Rome criteria for IBS was 85% with a specificity of 71%. An abnormal calprotectin test had an OR for disease of 27.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 17.6-43.7; P < 0.0001) compared with ORs of 4.2 (95% CI, 2.9-6.1; P < 0.0001) and 3.2 (95% CI, 2.2-4.6; P < 0.0001) for elevated CRP and ESR values. An abnormal permeability test gave an OR of 8.9 (95% CI, 5.8-14.0; P < 0.0001) for small intestinal disease. The OR for IBS with positive Rome criteria was 13.3 (95% CI, 8.9-20.0). CONCLUSIONS Fecal calprotectin, intestinal permeability, and positive Rome I criteria provide a safe and noninvasive means of helping differentiate between patients with organic and nonorganic intestinal disease.
Optimal Global Threshold Estimation Using Statistical Change Point Detection

Aim of this paper is reformulation of global image thresholding problem as a well-founded statistical method known as change-point detection (CPD) problem. Our proposed CPD thresholding algorithm does not assume any prior statistical distribution of background and object grey levels. Further, this method is less influenced by an outlier due to our judicious derivation of a robust criterion function depending on Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence measure. Experimental result shows efficacy of proposed method compared to other popular methods available for global image thresholding. In this paper we also propose a performance criterion for comparison of thresholding algorithms. This performance criteria does not depend on any ground truth image. We have used this performance criterion to compare the results of proposed thresholding algorithm with most cited global thresholding algorithms in the literature.
Dysfunctional MreB inhibits chromosome segregation in Escherichia coli

The mechanism of prokaryotic chromosome segregation is not known. MreB, an actin homolog, is a shape‐determining factor in rod‐shaped prokaryotic cells. Using immunofluorescence microscopy we found that MreB of Escherichia coli formed helical filaments located beneath the cell surface. Flow cytometric and cytological analyses indicated that MreB‐depleted cells segregated their chromosomes in pairs, consistent with chromosome cohesion. Overexpression of wild‐type MreB inhibited cell division but did not perturb chromosome segregation. Overexpression of mutant forms of MreB inhibited cell division, caused abnormal MreB filament morphology and induced severe localization defects of the nucleoid and of the oriC and terC chromosomal regions. The chromosomal terminus regions appeared cohered in both MreB‐depleted cells and in cells overexpressing mutant forms of MreB. Our observations indicate that MreB filaments participate in directional chromosome movement and segregation.
sas1, an Arabidopsis Mutant Overaccumulating Sodium in the Shoot, Shows Deficiency in the Control of the Root Radial Transport of Sodium

A recessive mutation of Arabidopsis designated sas1 (for sodium overaccumulation in shoot) that was mapped to the bottom of chromosome III resulted in a two- to sevenfold overaccumulation of Na+ in shoots compared with wild-type plants. sas1 is a pleiotropic mutation that also caused severe growth reduction. The impact of NaCl stress on growth was similar for sas1 and wild-type plants; however, with regard to survival, sas1 plants displayed increased sensitivity to NaCl and LiCl treatments compared with wild-type plants. sas1 mutants overaccumulated Na+ and its toxic structural analog Li+, but not K+, Mg2+, or Ca2+. Sodium accumulated preferentially over K+ in a similar manner for sas1 and wild-type plants. Sodium overaccumulation occurred in all of the aerial organs of intact sas1 plants but not in roots. Sodium-treated leaf fragments or calli displayed similar Na+ accumulation levels for sas1 and wild-type tissues. This suggested that the sas1 mutation impaired Na+ long-distance transport from roots to shoots. The transpiration stream was similar in sas1 and wild-type plants, whereas the Na+ concentration in the xylem sap of sas1 plants was 5.5-fold higher than that of wild-type plants. These results suggest that the sas1 mutation disrupts control of the radial transport of Na+ from the soil solution to the xylem vessels.
Influence of extra- and intra-oral application of CPP-ACP and fluoride on re-hardening of eroded enamel

Abstract Objectives. This in-situ study aimed to investigate the potential of casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) crème and fluoride mouth rinse to re-harden erosively softened enamel and to evaluate the influence of an intra-oral or extra-oral application. Methods. Ten volunteers performed five experimental series. Per series, four bovine enamel samples were extra-orally softened by immersion in Sprite light® (2 min) and subsequently worn intra-orally for 5 min in intra-oral appliances. Thereafter, samples were treated (3 min) with either 250 ppm AmF/SnF2 solution (Meridol) (series 1 and 3) or CPP-ACP crème (Tooth Mousse) (series 2 and 4). Application of the substances was performed extra-orally (series 1 and 2) or intra-orally (series 3 and 4). Untreated specimens served as control (series 5). The appliances were worn for 4 h afterwards. Knoop microhardness (KHN) measurement was performed at baseline, after softening and after completing of the respective run. Data were statistically analyzed by ANOVA and Bonferroni/Dunn post-hoc test. Results. No significant difference in baseline microhardness was observed, while immersion in Sprite light reduced the microhardness significantly. Significant re-hardening after intra-oral exposure occurred in all series, but baseline microhardness was not achieved. Microhardness in series 2 was significantly higher than that in series 1 and 5. No significant differences in KHN were detected between series 3, 4 and 5. The re-hardening ΔKHN (final microhardness – microhardness after erosion) was not significant different in all five series. Conclusion. Intra-oral application of CPP-ACP crème or fluoride solution provides no benefit regarding re-hardening of erosively softened enamel.
Mortality in rheumatoid arthritis: have we made an impact in 4 decades?

OBJECTIVE To evaluate trends in survival among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) over the past 4 decades. METHODS Three population based prevalence cohorts of all Rochester, Minnesota, residents age > or =35 years with RA (1987 American College of Rheumatology criteria) on January 1, 1965, January 1, 1975, and January 1, 1985; and an incidence cohort of all new cases of RA occurring in the same population between January 1, 1955 and January 1, 1985, were followed longitudinally through their entire medical records (including all inpatient and outpatient care by any provider) until death or migration from the county. Mortality was described using the Kaplan-Meier method and the influence of age, sex, rheumatoid factor (RF) positivity, and comorbidity (using the Charlson Comorbidity Index) on mortality was analyzed using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS Mortality was statistically significantly worse than expected for each of the cohorts (overall p<0.0001). A trend toward increased mortality in the 1975 and 1985 prevalence cohorts compared to the 1965 prevalence cohort was present, even after adjusting for significant predictors of mortality (age, RF positivity, and comorbidity). Survival for the general population of Rochester residents of similar age and sex improved in 1975 compared to 1965, and in 1985 compared to 1975. CONCLUSION The excess mortality associated with RA has not changed in 4 decades. Moreover, people with RA have not enjoyed the same improvements in survival experienced by their non-RA peers. More attention should be paid to mortality as an outcome measure in RA.
Radical innovation, market orientation, and risk-taking in Chinese new ventures: an exploratory study

Market orientation and innovation are important for economic growth. We examine market orientation, innovation radicalness, and propensity towards risk–taking in the unique context of China's transitional economy. Analysis of 235 responses from Chinese new ventures, created during the past eight years, suggests that innovation radicalness is affected by both responsive and proactive market orientation. Propensity towards risk–taking also positively affects innovation radicalness. Our results on responsive market orientation are counter to findings in Western contexts. Implications of the findings are useful to improve our understanding of innovation and entrepreneurship in transitional economies, particularly in the Chinese context.
Genetic mapping of the phoR regulator gene of alkaline phosphatase in Escherichia coli.

SUMMARY: Genetic mapping of the structural phoA and the linked regulatory phoR genes for alkaline phosphatase synthesis in Escherichia coli was carried out by conjugation. Distal markers were selected and the segregation of proximal markers was determined. The gene order lac-phoA-phoR-tsx is proposed.
Barriers to screening: the theory of reasoned action applied to mammography use in a military beneficiary population.

BACKGROUND Mammography practices of women eligible for military health care are not known. METHODS A questionnaire was mailed to a stratified sample of 500 military beneficiary women. The hypothesis was that this group would not differ from the general population in regular mammography use (31%) and that the theory of reasoned action (TRA) is significantly associated with intent to obtain a mammogram. RESULTS Only 12.8% of these women had regular mammography according to current recommendations. High participation is associated with breast cancer risk factors, income, education, perceived risk of breast cancer, and a doctor's recommendation. The expanded model of the TRA regression is significantly associated with intent. CONCLUSIONS Regular use of mammography among military beneficiaries is lower than rates in the non-military population. Providers need to stress regular use and address scheduling problems and patient beliefs about mammography. The TRA is a useful model for screening behavior.
A Miniaturized FBG Accelerometer Based on a Thin Polyurethane Shell

A miniaturized fiber bragg grating accelerometer based on a thin polyurethane shell is designed and tested. The FBG accelerometer is based on spring-mass structure. The elastic body is a thin polyurethane cylindrical shell. By inserting the mass into the inner of the shell, the accelerometer axial size is reduced by half compared with traditional ones in which masses are exposed outside. The theoretical performance limit of the miniaturized accelerometer is discussed. Test results show the miniaturized accelerometer has similar sensing performance as the traditional one. Size of the miniaturized accelerometer is Φ23 mm × 17 mm, sensitivity over the flat frequency response zone is 54 pm/g, and resonant frequency is 480 Hz. Furthermore, orthogonal crosstalk of the miniaturized accelerometer is -17.75 dB which is 3 dB lower than the traditional one. Thus, this miniaturized design can reduce both size and orthogonal crosstalk of accelerometers based on elastic shells. This miniaturized structure can also be used in other fiber optic accelerometers based on shells.
Organellar calcium signalling mechanisms in Drosophila epithelial function

SUMMARY Calcium signalling and calcium homeostasis are essential for life. Studies of calcium signalling thus constitute a major proportion of research in the life sciences, although the majority of these studies are based in cell lines or isolated cells. Epithelial cells and tissues are essential in the regulation of critical physiological processes, including fluid transport; and so the modulation of such processes in vivo by cell-specific calcium signalling is thus of interest. In this review, we describe the approaches to measuring intracellular calcium in the genetically tractable fluid-transporting tissue, the Drosophila Malpighian tubule by targeting cell-specific protein-based calcium reporters to defined regions, cells and intracellular compartments of the intact Malpighian tubule. We also discuss recent findings on the roles of plasma membrane and intracellular calcium channels; and on organellar stores – including mitochondria, Golgi and peroxisomes – in Malpighian tubule function.
Constitutive expression of pMMO by Methylocystis strain SB2 when grown on multi-carbon substrates: implications for biodegradation of chlorinated ethenes.

The particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) in Methylocystis strain SB2 was found to be constitutively expressed in the absence of methane when the strain was grown on either acetate or ethanol. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse transcription-PCR showed that the expression of pmoA decreased by one to two orders of magnitude when grown on acetate as compared with growth of strain SB2 on methane. The capability of strain SB2 to degrade a mixture of chlorinated ethenes in the absence of methane was examined to verify the presence and activity of pMMO under acetate-growth conditions as well determine the effectiveness of such conditions for bioremediation. It was found that when strain SB2 was grown on acetate and exposed to 40 µM each of trichloroethylene (TCE), trans-dichloroethylene (t-DCE) and vinyl chloride (VC), approximately 30% of VC and t-DCE was degraded but no appreciable TCE removal was measured after 216 h of incubation. The ability to degrade VC and t-DCE was lost when acetylene was added, confirming that pMMO was responsible for the degradation of these chlorinated ethenes by Methylocystis strain SB2 when the strain was grown on acetate.
5-V Buck Converter Using 3.3-V Standard CMOS Process With Adaptive Power Transistor Driver Increasing Efficiency and Maximum Load Capacity

A high-voltage-tolerant buck converter with a novel adaptive power transistor driver is proposed in this paper. In order to minimize the RON of the cascode power transistor, the proposed scheme uses optimized and separated driving voltages for bias of the pMOS and nMOS power transistors. This increases not only the conversion efficiency, but also the maximum allowable load current for the transistor driver with small layout size, when compared to the buck converter with the earlier scheme. The measurements show that when the supply voltage is 2.5 V and the load current is 150 mA, the efficiency of the buck converter with the earlier scheme is 82%, whereas the efficiency of the buck converter with the proposed scheme is 92%, showing a maximum improvement of 10%. The designed buck converter uses the 0.35- μm-thick gate oxide CMOS process, and at 2.5-5 V of voltage, can supply up to 380 mA of load current. The total chip size is 2.7 mm2.
Multiple Kernel Sphere with Large Margin for Novelty Detection

Novelty detection methods have been frequently applied in medical diagnosis, fault detection, network security and the discovery of new species. Among them, Support Vector Data Description (SVDD) has received considerable attention for its comprehensivedescription ability which covers the target data. Additionally, the Multiple Kernel Learning (MKL) technique has been extensively applied in machine learning methods; e.g. the SVM classifiers, dimensionality reduction techniques, etc. In this paper, we focus on the application of the MKL method on novelty detection (ND) and propose the new method of Multiple Kernel Sphere with Larger Margin (MKSLM) for novelty detection. In the presented method, the volume of the sphere is minimized while the margin between the surface of the sphere and the outliers are maximized to obtain a sphere with minimum size. An algorithm is also developed to solve the optimization problem. Experimental results over various real data sets have validated the superiority of the proposed methods
Leaving the land: an exploratory study of retirement for a small group of Australian men.

INTRODUCTION Retirement from paid work is a major life change for men and women. It has been suggested that, for men, self-identity is more strongly associated with paid work than is generally the case for women. If this is so, then the retirement transition for men, in which not only the behaviours of a lifetime but also the sense of self must be substantially recast, is of particular interest for the challenges it can present to their wellbeing. Research into male retirement has concentrated on the experiences of urban dwellers. Little is known of the retirement experiences of rural men and particularly of those who, after a life of farming and of close affiliation with the land, have moved from their farms in retirement. Thus, this qualitative study aimed to explore the retirement experiences of a small group of rural men who, in retirement, have left the land. METHODS Using a phenomenological approach, data were gathered via semi-structured interviews with seven men: all retired farmers from the New England area of New South Wales, Australia. All men had left their farms between 1.5 and 7.0 years prior to commencement of the study. All were married and living with their spouses, some of whom were present during the interviews. Data were analysed inductively to identify themes which characterise aspects of their retirement experiences. RESULTS Three themes were identified addressing: (1) the meaning and significance of the land to these men, and the associated challenges in adjusting to retired life; (2) the significance of spouses, families and social contacts to the retirement experience; and (3) the role of hobbies or interests other than farming in making the transition to retirement. Farming and living on the land had been important to all of the men, some of whom found making a gradual transition from full-time farming aided their adjustment to retirement. Spouses played an important role in the decision to retire and most of the men reported that they accepted retirement for the sake of their spouses. Those men who developed alternative hobbies or interests prior to, or post-retirement, and who maintained or developed social networks, reported satisfaction with the retirement experience. CONCLUSIONS The findings from this study reflect those from the literature regarding the importance for men of social interactions and having a sense of purpose in life after retirement. The results are similar to those for retired men in urban settings. However, the particular ramifications of retirement for rural men with a strong attachment to the land need to be considered for their potential health implications: an issue for further research.
Ab initio potential for solids.

A total-energy theory for a solid is presented. It is based on density-functional theory and consists of a succession of approximations. At the most accurate level, the theory consists of a systematic derivation of an ansatz for the electron density which is best suited for the Harris functional. At the most approximate level, the theory is equivalent to the usual effective-medium theory. At all levels of approximation, every term in the total-energy expression is calculated ab initio, that is, without any fitting to experiment or to other calculations. Every step in the approximation procedure can thus be tested independently
Five methods to calibrate overlapping surveillance cameras 1

Calibration of surveillance cameras requires using appropriate methods to handle different limitations, such as large distortion of the camera lenses, because of a wide field of view. Another limitation is blur in the image which can decrease the sharpness because of fixed focus lenses. To deal with these limitations a fully automatic calibration method from Svoboda is compared with a specialized technique for internal calibration and with a method for external calibration. The former is the Matlab Calibration Toolbox which uses a planar checkerboard pattern as a calibration object. The latter calculates the external camera parameters with a-priori knowledge of the internal parameters. Finally Svoboda’s method is compared to another method which estimates the rotation of cameras with the use of an inertial sensor. Through experimental evaluation it will be shown that the specialized methods for internal and external calibration will outperform the fully automatic calibration method from Svoboda, both in terms of accuracy and robustness under the stated limitations. has been funded by the Vienna Science and Technology Fund (WWTF) through project ICT08-030.
Cross-layer design of distributed routing and dynamic spectrum access in cognitive radio ad hoc networks

Throughput maximisation is a key challenge in cognitive radio ad hoc networks (CRAHNs). To achieve this objective, this paper proposes a novel cross-layer design aims to maximise the network throughput by performing the interactions by jointing distributed routing, relay selection, dynamic spectrum access and multi-hop MAC protocol optimisation scheme. In this framework, adjacent second users exchange access policies with neighbours, and according to policy gradient, each local second user adjusts its own access policy till the system of networks obtains an optimum joint access policy. Also, the proposed scheme considers the presence of the collisions and dynamic sensing errors. Simulation results show that not onlydoes it avoid frequent collision of both the primary and secondary users, but also improve throughout the spectrum efficiency of the network.
Gel‐entrapment of perfluorocarbons: A fluorine‐19 NMR spectroscopic method for monitoring oxygen concentration in cell perfusion systems

Oxygenation is a major determinant of the physiological state of cultured cells. 19F NMR can be used to determine the oxygen concentration available to cells immobilized in a gel matrix by measuring the relaxation rate (1/T1) of perfluorocarbons (PFC) incorporated into the gel matrix. In calcium alginate gel beads without cells the relaxation rate (1/T1) of the trifluoromethyl group of perfluorotripropylamine (FTPA) varies linearly with oxygen concentration, with a slope of 1.26 ± 0.15 × 10−3 s−1μM−1 and an intercept of 0.50 ± 0.04 s−1. During perfusion with medium equilibrated with 95%/5% O2/CO2, changes in PFC T1s indicate that the average oxygen concentration was reduced from 894 ± 102 μM in the absence of cells to 476 ± 65 μM and 475 ± 50 μM in the presence of 0.7 × 108 EMT6/Ro and RIF‐1 murine tumor cells per milliliter of gel, respectively. The presence of 0.2 μl of FTPA/ml of gel had no effect on the energy status of the cells as indicated by 31P NMR spectra.