Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design and mechanical performance analysis of relief valve with permanent magnet spring

To solve the problems of helical compression spring which is easy to fail in using in relief valve, a direct-acting relief valve with permanent magnet spring is designed. The magnetic charge method and finite element models (FEM) are adopted to calculate the magnetic force and design the magnetic spring. The nonlinear model of air gap-magnetic force is established to reveal the impact of different configurations and air gap adjustments on magnetic field distribution. The static and dynamic performances of the relief valve are analyzed by mathematical models and simulations. The results show that the designed valve can meet the technical specification of aerospace servo system. All of these provide an evidence for the study of magnetic components applying in hydraulic system.
Analyzing ligand depletion in a saturation equilibrium binding experiment

I present a proposal for a laboratory practice to generate and analyze data from a saturation equilibrium binding experiment addressed to advanced undergraduate students. [3H]Quinuclidinyl benzilate is a nonselective muscarinic ligand with very high affinity and very low nonspecific binding to brain membranes, which contain a high density of muscarinic receptors. These features allow the instructor to devote especial emphasis to evaluate ligand depletion, and therefore, stress the subtle but fundamental difference between total (added) ligand and free ligand concentration at equilibrium.
Controllability of the Space Semi-Discrete Approximation for the Beam Equation

Abstract The aim of this work is to study of the numerical approximation of the controls for the hinged beam equation. A consequence of the numerical spurious high frequencies is the lack of the uniform controllability property of the semi-discrete model for the beam equation, in the classical setting. We solve this deficiency by adding a vanishing numerical viscosity term, which will damp out these high frequencies. An approximation algorithm based on the conjugate gradient method and some numerical experiments are presented.
Building Detection With Decision Fusion

A novel decision fusion approach to building detection problem in VHR optical satellite images is proposed. The method combines the detection results of multiple classifiers under a hierarchical architecture, called Fuzzy Stacked Generalization (FSG). After an initial segmentation and pre-processing step, a large variety of color, texture and shape features are extracted from each segment. Then, the segments, represented in K different feature spaces are classified by K different base-layer classifiers of the FSG architecture. The class membership values of the segments, which represent the decisions of different base-layer classifiers in a decision space, are aggregated to form a fusion space which is then fed to a meta-layer classifier of the FSG to label the vectors in the fusion space. The paper presents the performance results of the proposed decision fusion model by a comparison with the state of the art machine learning algorithms. The results show that fusing the decisions of multiple classifiers improves the performance, when they are ensembled under the suggested hierarchical learning architecture.
Fibronectin Splicing Variants in Human Intervertebral Disc and Association With Disc Degeneration

Study Design. In this study, normal intervertebral disc (IVD) tissues and degenerative human IVD tissues were compared for presence of fibronectin (FN) mRNA splice variants and for FN fragments (FN-f). Objective. To further understand FN RNA splice forms and protein fragments in disc degeneration. Summary of Background Data. FN splice variants play important roles in regulating cell-matrix and matrix-matrix interactions in skeletogenesis and skeletal function in limbs and other sites. However, presence and possible roles of FN splice variants and fragments in human IVD have not been determined. Methods. Normal infant and adult IVD tissues were obtained from organ donors, and degenerative human IVD tissues were obtained from patients undergoing spinal surgeries. FN splice patterns were assessed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Relative expression levels were semiquantified by densitometry. FN and its fragments were studied by Western blot analysis. Results. Both the EDB+ and EDB− splice variants were present in normal and degenerative IVD tissues. The EDB+ to EDB− ratio was highest in moderately degenerative tissue. The EDA+ domain was only expressed in infant but not adult tissue. Variable-region (V) splice forms were present in all tissues studied. A splice form with the entire V-region, the 15th type III domain, and 10th type I domain adjacent to the 3′end of V region omitted (referred to as [V+III-15+I-10]−, also known as [V+C]− splice form) was present at higher levels in adult than in infant samples. FN-f were also detected in degenerating tissue, but not in normal IVD tissue samples. Conclusion. The data indicate that higher levels of EDB+ isoform and FN-f are associated with IVD degeneration. This shift in alternative splicing may reflect an attempt of tissue repair and remodeling. Novel information gathered in this study will lead to a better understanding of pathologic processes associated with disc malfunction and degeneration.
Toward a reliable PWM-based light-emitting diode visual stimulus for improved SSVEP response with minimal visual fatigue

Steady-state visual evoked response (SSVEP) is widely used in visual-based diagnosis and applications such as brain–computer interfacing due to its high information transfer rate and the capability to activate commands through simple gaze control. However, one major impediment in using flashing visual stimulus to obtain SSVEP is eye fatigue that prevents continued long-term use preventing practical deployment. This combined with the difficulty in establishing precise pulse-width modulation (PWM) that results in poorer accuracy warrants the development of appropriate approach to solve these issues. Various studies have suggested the usage of high frequencies of visual stimulus to reduce the visual fatigue for the user but this results in poor response performance. Here, the authors study the use of extremely high duty-cycles in the stimulus in the hope of solving these constraints. Electroencephalogram data was recorded with PWM duty-cycles of 50–95% generated by a precise custom-made light-emitting diode hardware and tested ten subjects responded that increasing duty-cycles had less visual strain for all the frequency values and the SSVEP exhibited a subject-independent peak response for duty-cycle of 85%. This could pave the way for increased usage of SSVEP for practical applications.
Comparison of microsatellites and amplified fragment length polymorphism markers for parentage analysis

This study compares the properties of dominant markers, such as amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs), with those of codominant multiallelic markers, such as microsatellites, in reconstructing parentage. These two types of markers were used to search for both parents of an individual without prior knowledge of their relationships, by calculating likelihood ratios based on genotypic data, including mistyping. Experimental data on 89 oak trees genotyped for six microsatellite markers and 159 polymorphic AFLP loci were used as a starting point for simulations and tests. Both sets of markers produced high exclusion probabilities, and among dominant markers those with dominant allele frequencies in the range 0.1–0.4 were more informative. Such codominant and dominant markers can be used to construct powerful statistical tests to decide whether a genotyped individual (or two individuals) can be considered as the true parent (or parent pair). Gene flow from outside the study stand (GFO), inferred from parentage analysis with microsatellites, overestimated the true GFO, whereas with AFLPs it was underestimated. As expected, dominant markers are less efficient than codominant markers for achieving this, but can still be used with good confidence, especially when loci are deliberately selected according to their allele frequencies.
Interleukin 21 prevents antigen-induced IgE production by inhibiting germ line Cε transcription of IL-4–stimulated B cells

Interleukin 21 (IL-21) has recently been identified as a multifunctional cytokine that induces the proliferation of T cells and B cells and differentiation of natural killer cells. To determine whether IL-21 regulates IL-4–mediated immune responses, we examined the effect of IL-21 on antigen-specific IgE production in mice. We also examined the effect of IL-21 on IL-4–induced IgE production from B cells and antigen-induced T-helper 2 (Th2) cell differentiation. The in vivo injection of IL-21 prevented antigen-specific IgE but not IgG2a production on immunization. IL-21 did not affect Th2 cell differentiation or IL-4 production from CD4+ T cells but directly inhibited IL-4–induced IgE production from B cells at single-cell levels. Moreover, IL-21 inhibited IL-4–induced germ line Ce transcription in B cells without the inhibition of signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (Stat6) activation. Taken together, these results indicate that IL-21 down-regulates IgE production from IL-4–stimulated B cells through the inhibition of germ line Ce transcription and thus suggest that IL-21 may be useful for the treatment of IgE-dependent allergic diseases.
Correction: SP-A Preserves Airway Homeostasis during Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infection in Mice

Ledford, J. G. , H. Goto, E. N. Potts, S. Degan, H. W. Chu, D. R. Voelker, M. E. Sunday, G. J. Cianciolo, W. M. Foster, M. Kraft, and J. R. Wright. 2009. SP-A preserves airway homeostasis during Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in mice. J. Immunol. 182: [7818–7827][1]. We have recently become aware
Nasolabial Musculocutaneous Flap in Reconstruction of Oral Defects

Modern day understanding of the microcirculation of musculocutaneous flaps has initiated this reconsideration of the nasolabial flap with the context of modern flap physiology and nomenclature. Surgical incorporation of the circumoral and facial muscles within the skin of the overlying nasolabial groove constitute a musculocutaneous flap based upon the underlying facial vessels. This thick musculocutaneous flap provides an extremely reliable vascularity for reconstruction of the floor of the mouth and oral sphincter in a one‐stage procedure. The donor nasolabial flap is easily accessible in the same surgical field and may be obtained with minimal donor area morbidity. Cosmetic and functional impairment are minimal. Anterior tongue mobility for articulation is preserved. Eleven nasolabial flaps for oral reconstruction following burn reconstruction as well as resections for carcinomas of the labial and oral areas are presented.
Variation in rapid sequence induction techniques: current practice in Wales

A questionnaire survey examining rapid sequence induction techniques was sent to all anaesthetists in Wales. The questionnaire presented five common clinical scenarios: emergency appendicectomy; elective knee arthroscopy with a symptomatic hiatus hernia; elective knee arthroscopy with an asymptomatic hiatus hernia; elective Caesarean section; and emergency laparotomy for bowel obstruction. Completed surveys were received from 421 anaesthetists, a 68% response rate. Rapid sequence induction was chosen by 398/400 respondents (100%) for bowel obstruction, 392/399 (98%) for Caesarean section, 388/408 (95%) for appendicectomy, 328/395 (83%) for symptomatic hiatus hernia but only 98/399 (25%) for asymptomatic hiatus hernia (p < 0.001). Trainees were more likely to use a rapid sequence induction technique than consultants and staff grades for the appendicectomy (p = 0.025), symptomatic hiatus hernia (p = 0.004) and asymptomatic hiatus hernia (p = 0.001) scenarios and were also more likely to use a thiopental–suxamethonium combination for rapid sequence induction (p < 0.001).
Strength changes in the normal quadriceps femoris muscle as a result of electrical stimulation.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an electronic muscle stimulator in strengthening normal quadriceps femoris muscle without the assistance of simultaneous isometric muscle contraction. The sample consisted of 58 subjects who were randomly divided into three independent groups. One group (n = 19) served as controls; one group (n = 20) underwent daily stimulation of the right quadriceps femoris muscle using a specified protocol; and one group (n = 19) underwent isometric strengthening of the quadriceps femoris muscle using a specified protocol. The mechanical force of isometric quadriceps femoris muscle contraction was recorded weekly for the three groups, and the initial and final values were subjected to an analysis of covariance. The electrical-stimulation and isometric-exercise groups had statistically significant increases in quadriceps femoris muscle torque when compared with the nonexercised controls (p less than .001). The data supported the use of this electronic stimulator as an appropriate device for strengthening skeletal muscle without voluntary effort.
Correlation-based Gene Selection and Classification Using Taguchi-BPSO

Summary Background: Microarray data with reference to gene expression profiles have provided some valuable results related to a variety of problems, and contributed to advances in clinical medicine. Microarray data characteristically have a high dimension and small sample size, which makes it difficult for a general classification method to obtain correct data for classification. However, not every gene is potentially relevant for distinguishing the sample class. Thus, in order to analyze gene expression profiles correctly, feature (gene) selection is crucial for the classification process, and an effective gene extraction method is necessary for eliminating irrelevant genes and decreasing the classification error rate. Objective: The purpose of gene expression analysis is to discriminate between classes of samples, and to predict the relative importance of each gene for sample classification. Method: In this paper, correlation-based feature selection (CFS) and Taguchi-binary particle swarm optimization (TBPSO) were combined into a hybrid method, and the K-nearest neighbor (K-NN) with leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) method served as a classifier for ten gene expression profiles. Results: Experimental results show that this hybrid method effectively simplifies feature selection by reducing the number of features needed. The classification error rate obtained by the proposed method had the lowest classification error rate for all of the ten gene expression data set problems tested. For six of the gene expression profile data sets a classification error rate of zero could be reached. Conclusion: The introduced method outperformed five other methods from the literature in terms of classification error rate. It could thus constitute a valuable tool for gene expression analysis in future studies.
Development and Validation of a Nested-PCR-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis Method for Taxonomic Characterization of Bifidobacterial Communities

ABSTRACT The taxonomic characterization of a bacterial community is difficult to combine with the monitoring of its temporal changes. None of the currently available identification techniques are able to visualize a “complete” community, whereas techniques designed for analyzing bacterial ecosystems generally display limited or labor-intensive identification potential. This paper describes the optimization and validation of a nested-PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) approach for the species-specific analysis of bifidobacterial communities from any ecosystem. The method comprises a Bifidobacterium-specific PCR step, followed by purification of the amplicons that serve as template DNA in a second PCR step that amplifies the V3 and V6-V8 regions of the 16S rRNA gene. A mix of both amplicons is analyzed on a DGGE gel, after which the band positions are compared with a previously constructed database of reference strains. The method was validated through the analysis of four artificial mixtures, mimicking the possible bifidobacterial microbiota of the human and chicken intestine, a rumen, and the environment, and of two fecal samples. Except for the species Bifidobacterium coryneforme and B. indicum, all currently known bifidobacteria originating from various ecosystems can be identified in a highly reproducible manner. Because no further cloning and sequencing of the DGGE bands is necessary, this nested-PCR-DGGE technique can be completed within a 24-h span, allowing the species-specific monitoring of temporal changes in the bifidobacterial community.
Hypofibronectinaemia and severity of sickle cell anaemia in Nigeria

Plasma fibronectin levels in sickle cell anaemia and apparently healthy Nigerians were investigated to determine any correlation with disease severity. A cheaper in‐house plasma fibronectin assay was also developed that could be adapted for use in Africa and elsewhere. Plasma fibronectin assay was concurrently carried out using the newly developed inhibition enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a commercial competitive binding ELISA. The in‐house assay compared favourably with that of the commercial kit. The mean plasma fibronectin levels in sickle cell anaemia subjects were significantly lower than that of control subjects (P < 0·001). Plasma fibronectin concentration could therefore be useful in assessing the severity of sickle cell anaemia.
A single-center dose-comparison study of botulinum neurotoxin type A in females with upper facial rhytids: assessing patients' perception of treatment outcomes.

BACKGROUND Few studies evaluate patient-reported outcomes (PROs). OBJECTIVES To assess the PROs of treatment with botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNTA) in upper facial lines; to evaluate two new PRO instruments. METHODS Prospective, randomized, double-blind study of 32 U, 64 U, or 96 U BoNTA divided among 16 sites. Measurements included the Facial Line Outcomes (FLO-11) Questionnaire version 1.0 and the Self-Perception of Age (SPA) measure version 2.0. RESULTS Sixty females, mean age 42 +/- 8.7 years, were enrolled. Significant improvements (P<0.01) in mean FLO-11 scores occurred by week 2 for all groups and remained significant through week 16 for all groups except the 32-U group. Approximately 45-60% of the patients reported looking younger by a mean of 3.6-5.8 years. CONCLUSION BoNTA treatment resulted in desired relaxed and younger appearance, as measured by the FLO-11 Questionnaire and the SPA measure.
The ubiquitin‐mediated proteolytic pathway: Mode of action and clinical implications

Proteolysis via the ubiquitin system plays important roles in a variety of basic cellular processes. Among these are regulation of cell cycle and division, modulation of the immune and inflammatory responses, and development and differentiation. In all cases studied, these complex processes are mediated via degradation or processing of a single or a subset of specific proteins. Ubiquitin‐mediated degradation of a protein involves two discrete and successive steps: (1) conjugation of multiple moieties of ubiquitin to the protein, and (2) degradation of the conjugated protein by the 26S proteasome complex with the release of free and reutilizable ubiquitin. In a few cases, it has been reported that ubiquitination targets membrane‐anchored proteins to degradation in the lysosome/vacuole. An important yet largely unresolved problem involves the mechanisms that endow the system with the high degree specificity and selectivity toward its many substrates. These are determined by a large family of ubiquitin‐protein ligases that recognize different primary and/or secondary/post‐translational motifs in the different substrates and by a wide array of modifying enzymes, such as protein kinases, and ancillary proteins, such as molecular chaperones, that render them susceptible for recognition by the ligases via modification or association with protein substrates. With the broad spectrum of protein substrates and the complex enzymatic machinery involved in targeting them, it is not surprising that the system was recently implicated in the pathogenesis of several important diseases. In addition, genetic studies in animals underscore the role of the system in normal development. We briefly review the enzymatic cascade involved in ubiquitin‐mediated degradation, describe some of the structural motifs identified by the conjugating machinery, and summarize recent developments in the involvement of the system in the pathogenesis of selected disease states. J. Cell. Biochem. Suppl. 34:40–51, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE Original Studies Prevalence of Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease in Patients Undergoing Lung Transplantation: Case Series and Review of the Literature

Background: Coronary angiography is commonly performed prior to lung transplantation, but its utility is unproven. Methods: We conducted a single-center retrospective analysis of consecutive patients referred for coronary angiography as part of a pre-operative evaluation for lung transplantation and reviewed the literature for prior series. Results: A total of 89 patients, 48 men and 41 women were included. Obstructive ( 70% stenosis) CAD was present in 9 (10%), non-obstructive (<70% stenosis) CAD in 24 (27%), and no angiographic evidence of CAD in 56 (63%) patients. We found 13 previously published series in the literature, in which a total of 1998 patients underwent coronary angiography pre-lung transplant. Together with our 89 patients, obstructive CAD was found in 11%. Conclusions: In conclusion, given the low prevalence of obstructive CAD in patients referred for lung transplantation, the inherent risk of angiography, and unproven benefit of detection of obstructive CAD, the utility of routine coronary angiography in this population requires validation in prospective studies. VC 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Modification of position‐effect variegation by competition for binding to Drosophila satellites

white‐mottled (wm4) position‐effect variegation (PEV) arises by translocation of the white gene near the pericentric AT‐rich 1.688 g/cm3 satellite III (SATIII) repeats of the X chromosome of Drosophila. The natural and artificial A•T‐hook proteins D1 and MATH20 modify wm4 PEV in opposite ways. D1 binds SATIII repeats and enhances PEV, presumably via a recruitment of protein partners, whereas MATH20 suppresses it. We show that D1 and MATH20 compete for binding to identical sites of SATIII repeats in vitro and that conditional MATH20 expression results in a displacement of D1 from pericentric heterochromatin in vivo. In the presence of intermediate levels of MATH20, we show that this displacement becomes selective for SATIII repeats. These results strongly suggest that the suppression of wm4 PEV by MATH20 is due to a displacement of D1 from its preferred binding sites and provide additional support for a direct role of D1 in the assembly of AT‐rich heterochromatin.
Evidence, expertise, and patient preference in speech-language pathology

A consideration of evidence-based practice has led many to debate the nature of evidence. Rejecting the idea that randomized controlled trials should be the only legitimate source of evidence, writers have argued that other types of research and knowledge should be considered legitimate sources of evidence. This paper suggests that one should draw on systematic research, including qualitative research, for evidence, and that other types of knowledge such as craft and practice knowledge are part of the profession's expertise. This paper argues that evidence and expertise are both required for evidence-based practice to occur. Finally, a consideration of patients' values and expectations is explored as a third component of evidence-based practice. The paper argues that all three components are necessary for evidence-based practice.