Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
NELL1, NCF4, and FAM92B genes are not major susceptibility genes for Crohn's disease in canadian children and young adults

Background: Genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) and replication studies have shown conflicting associations between the NELL1, NCF4, and FAM92B genes and susceptibility for Crohn's disease (CD). We sought to examine whether these genes were associated with CD in Canadian children and young adults. Methods: A case‐control study was carried out at three pediatric gastroenterology clinics across Canada. Patients, ≤20 years at diagnosis, along with controls representative of the general population were selected. Study subjects were genotyped for 22 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the target genes. Allelic and haplotype associations were examined. Odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated. Results: In all, 566 CD cases and 602 controls were investigated. The mean (±SD) age of the patients was 12.3 (±3.3) years. Most patients were male (57.8%), of Caucasian ancestry (98.2%), and had ileocolonic disease location (48.8%). Barring nominal associations with one FAM92B SNP, none of the other 21 SNPs analyzed were associated with CD either at the allelic or haplotype level. Separate analysis for ileal CD (L1 plus L3) also did not reveal significant associations with any of the SNPs. Similarly, a pooled analysis using data from two recent studies did not demonstrate associations between the NCF4 (OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 0.91–1.32, P = 0.32) and FAM92B (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.95–1.17, P = 0.36) GWAS lead SNPs and ileal CD. Conclusions: GWAS‐reported associations in the NELL1, NCF4, and FAM92B genes could not be replicated in Canadian children and young adults. Further investigation in other populations will be required to confirm the presence/absence of associations, if any. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2012;)
Wie funktioniert eigentlich das Internet? - Empirische Untersuchung von Schülervorstellungen

Für viele Jugendliche ist das Internet ein wichtiger Teil ihres Lebens, doch bisher ist unerforscht, wie sie sich das Internet vorstellen und wie man diese Vorstellungen gewinnbringend für den Informatikunterricht einsetzen kann. Aus medienpädagogischen Studien und den Bildungsstandards Informatik der Gesellschaft für Informatik ergeben sich erste Hinweise auf die konkrete Nutzung des Internets durch Kinder und Jugendliche und auf eine mögliche Einbettung in den Informatikunterricht. Dieses Papier gibt einen Überblick über eine empirische, qualitative Untersuchung von Schülervorstellungen zur Funktionsweise des Internets. Dafür wurden Schülerinnen und Schüler der 7. und 8. Klasse mit einem Leitfaden gestützten Interview über EMail, Chat und Videostreaming befragt und mithilfe der qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse ausgewertet. Es zeigte sich, dass die Vorstellungen der Schüler von der wissenschaftlichen Sicht abweichen, es aber durchaus einige Modelle gibt, die in den Schülervorstellungen häufiger auftreten. Der Verlauf dieser Studie und einige prägnante Ergebnisse werden hier dargestellt.
Inflammatory mediators and growth factors in the spinal cord of G93A SOD1 rats

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating motor neuron disease. One mechanism involved in ALS pathology is neuroinflammation. Neuroinflammation is mediated by soluble pro-inflammatory molecules such as cytokines, prostaglandins and nitric oxide. Studies on transgenic mice demonstrated the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators in early stages of murine ALS. Recently a transgenic rat model became available. Since species differences in regard to cytokine expression have been reported in other disease models we set out to validate the neuroinflammatory hypothesis in the ALS-transgenic rat. We investigated the expression of inflammatory mediators and growth factors in the spinal cord by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. We found that several pro-inflammatory mediators are up-regulated at asymptomatic and end-stages, whereas VEGF, a neuroprotective factor was down-regulated.
Bayesian model averaging in meta-analysis: vitamin E supplementation and mortality

Context The strength and relevance of a meta-analysis depends on the validity of the statistical methods used. Of special importance is appropriately assessing different sources of variability. Many studies including meta-analyses have evaluated the efficacy and safety of vitamin E and have yielded varying results. Illuminating and resolving these disparities requires addressing study variability and model uncertainty. Objective To describe Bayesian meta-analysis methods for combining data from clinical trials, using recent studies that analyzed the relationship between vitamin E dose and all-cause mortality. Data Sources Studies used in a previously published meta-analysis appended by studies identified by a search of MEDLINE from August 2004 to December 2005 using the MeSH terms vitamin e and alpha tocopherol. Study Selection Inclusion criteria: men and nonpregnant women; use of vitamin E alone or in combination with other vitamins or minerals; random allocation of participants to either vitamin E or a placebo or other control group; intervention and follow-up duration greater than 1 year; 10 or more deaths. Data Extraction Independent data extraction by one author was reviewed and confirmed by a second author. Corresponding authors of the original publications were contacted when questions arose. Data Synthesis Data collection included the number of patients and deaths, percent men, use of other vitamins or minerals, mean age, and length of follow-up. We combined study results using Bayesian hierarchical model averaging. Analyses used Markov chain Monte Carlo computational techniques. Conclusions Vitamin E intake is unlikely to affect mortality regardless of dose. The Bayesian meta-analyses presented here are ideal for incorporating disparate sources of variability, including trial effect and model uncertainty. Clinical Trials 2009; 6: 28—41. http://ctj.sagepub. com
It Ain’t What You Do, It’s the Way that You Do It! Teaching Style Affects Children’s Motivation in Track and Field Lessons

The purpose of this study was to examine the motivational effects of two different teaching styles in one sport activity. One class of 24 girls was taught track and field for 10 weeks, each lesson being taught with either a direct (practice) or a differentiated (inclusion) teaching style. After each lesson the girls completed self-report measures of intrinsic motivation and goal involvement. On course completion, 8 girls were interviewed to assess their reactions to the course. ANOVA showed that students reporting higher levels of competence, autonomy, and task orientation had higher intrinsic motivation scores throughout the course. However, teaching style was also found to have an independent effect; the differentiated style was associated with higher levels of intrinsic motivation and task goal involvement and lower levels of work avoidance involvement. A differentiated teaching style can positively influence young girls’ reactions to a sports activity independently of perceptions of goal orientations,.
A 2.7 Volt CMOS Broadband Low Noise Amplifier

A full-CMOS broadband low-noise amplifier for application in a GSM receiver front-end is presented. The circuit employs a topology which does not require any tuning or trimming. The amplifier provides a forward gain of 24 dB between 0.9 GHz and 1 GHz, while the -3dB band ranges from 420 MHz to 1.2 GHz. The noise figure is less than 2.7 dB in the whole 300 MHz frequency band between 0.8 GHz and 1.1 GHz. Reverse isolation is better than 43.5 dB over the full measuring range. The prototype has been implemented in a 0 . 4 ~ CMOS technology and consumes 35 mW from a 2.7 Volt supply.
A 5-GHz CMOS double-quadrature receiver front-end with single-stage quadrature generator

A 5-GHz CMOS double-quadrature front-end receiver for wireless LAN application is proposed. In the receiver, a one-stage RLC phase shifter is used to generate quadrature RF signals. Implemented in 0.18 /spl mu/m CMOS technology, the receiver chip can achieve 50.6-dB image rejection with power dissipation of 22.4 mW at 1.8-V voltage supply.
Potent In Vitro Antiproliferative Synergism of Combinations of Ergosterol Biosynthesis Inhibitors against Leishmania amazonensis

ABSTRACT Leishmaniases comprise a spectrum of diseases caused by protozoan parasites of the Leishmania genus. Treatments available have limited safety and efficacy, high costs, and difficult administration. Thus, there is an urgent need for safer and more-effective therapies. Most trypanosomatids have an essential requirement for ergosterol and other 24-alkyl sterols, which are absent in mammalian cells. In previous studies, we showed that Leishmania amazonensis is highly susceptible to aryl-quinuclidines, such as E5700, which inhibit squalene synthase, and to the azoles itraconazole (ITZ) and posaconazole (POSA), which inhibit C-14α-demethylase. Herein, we investigated the antiproliferative, ultrastructural, and biochemical effects of combinations of E5700 with ITZ and POSA against L. amazonensis. Potent synergistic antiproliferative effects were observed against promastigotes, with fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) ratios of 0.0525 and 0.0162 for combinations of E5700 plus ITZ and of E5700 plus POSA, respectively. Against intracellular amastigotes, FIC values were 0.175 and 0.1125 for combinations of E5700 plus ITZ and E5700 plus POSA, respectively. Marked alterations of the ultrastructure of promastigotes treated with the combinations were observed, in particular mitochondrial swelling, which was consistent with a reduction of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential, and an increase in the production of reactive oxygen species. We also observed the presence of vacuoles similar to autophagosomes in close association with mitochondria and an increase in the number of lipid bodies. Both growth arrest and ultrastructural/biochemical alterations were strictly associated with the depletion of the 14-desmethyl endogenous sterol pool. These results suggest the possibility of a novel combination therapy for the treatment of leishmaniasis.
Psychiatric Assessment of Chronic Pain

The subject of pain used to be considered the province of the physiologist, physician, and surgeon. In a prominent medical textbook written over 20 years ago, pain was simply defined as “that sensory experience evoked by stimuli that injure” (Mountcastle, 1968). This explanation of tissue damage that generates nervous impulses along recognised pain pathways is appropriate for acute pains. But if pain persists beyond the normal time of healing, which is normally less than three months but can be as long as six months, the correspondence between extent of injury and pain sensation is much less precise.
Highly parallel computations of creep deformation in flip-chip interconnections

In order to enable the computation of creep deformation in a large number of interconnections in simulations of thermal cycling or assembly processes of flip chip devices, a submodeling approach was developed to distribute the stress and creep evaluation to independent solvers for individual (or small number of) interconnections and thus allow a high level of parallelization of the solving effort. The approach uses a first, coarser model of the complete assembly to compute the general system response to thermal and mechanical loads. Displacements calculated in this first model are fed into a large number of much more detailed models of the individual interconnections, in order to obtain local creep strains. The coarser model is iteratively updated using local creep values from the interconnection models to determine the complete time evolution of the system in the presence of interconnection creep deformation. The validity of the complete parallelized procedure is verified on simplified cases.
Combined fuzzy-logic wavelet-based fault classification technique for power system relaying

This paper presents a new approach to real-time fault classification in power transmission systems using fuzzy-logic-based multicriteria approach. Only the three line currents are utilized to detect fault types such as LG, LL, and LLG, and then to define the faulty line. An online wavelet-based preprocessor stage is used with data window of ten samples (based on 4.5-kHz sampling rate and 50-Hz power frequency). The multicriteria algorithm is developed based on fuzzy sets for the decision-making part of the scheme. Computer simulation has been conducted using EMTP programs. Results are shown and they indicate that this approach can be used as an effective tool for high-speed digital relaying, as the correct detection is achieved in less than half a cycle and that computational burden is much simpler than the recently postulated fault classification techniques.
Detection of Anti-Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi Immunoglobulin G by Flow Cytometry for Cure Assessment following Chemotherapeutic Treatment of American Visceral Leishmaniasis

ABSTRACT The residual serological reactivity observed in patients cured of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) represents the major factor underlying the low efficiency of most anti-Leishmania serological approaches to assess posttherapeutic cure in VL. Herein, we have described a detuned flow cytometry-based methodology to detect anti-live (FC-ALPA-immunoglobulin G [IgG]) and anti-fixed (FC-AFPA-IgG) L. chagasi promastigote IgG, along the titration curve (1:2,000 to 1:128,000), as a tool to assess late (12 months after treatment [12 mAT]) and early (2 and 6 mAT) posttherapeutic cure of pediatric American visceral leishmaniasis. Reactivities were reported as the percentage of positive fluorescent parasite (PPFP), using a PPFP of 50% as a cutoff to segregate positive and negative results. Our data demonstrated that both FC-ALPA-IgG at 1:4,000 and FC-ALPA-IgG at 1:32,000 are useful for late cure assessment in VL, with 100% specificity and outstanding likelihood ratio indices. Cure assessment at 6 mAT also showed promising performance indices, identifying 81% and 71.4% of the treated patients with negative results. However, new interpretation parameters were necessary to monitor cure at 2 mAT. We then introduced the differential PPFP (ΔPPFP) of 25% as a new cutoff for early cure assessment at specific serum dilutions to analyze IgG reactivity by FC-ALPA-IgG and FC-AFPA-IgG. Our data demonstrated that at 2 mAT, ΔPPFP was >25% in 60% and 57.1% of treated patients, whereas at 6 mAT, a ΔPPFP of >25% was observed in 100% and 95.2% of samples assayed by FC-ALPA-IgG and FC-AFPA-IgG, respectively. Together, our findings showed the potential of both FC-ALPA-IgG and FC-AFPA-IgG regarding their applicability to detect differential serological reactivity and further contribution to posttherapeutic cure assessment in VL.
Herpes simplex virus VP16 rescues viral mRNA from destruction by the virion host shutoff function.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) virions contain two regulatory proteins that facilitate the onset of the lytic cycle: VP16 activates transcription of the viral immediate‐early genes, and vhs triggers shutoff of host protein synthesis and accelerated turnover of cellular and viral mRNAs. VP16 and vhs form a complex in infected cells, raising the possibility of a regulatory link between them. Here we show that viral protein synthesis and mRNA levels undergo a severe decline at intermediate times after infection with a VP16 null mutant, culminating in virtually complete translational arrest. This phenotype was rescued by a transcriptionally incompetent derivative of VP16 that retains vhs binding activity, and was eliminated by inactivating the vhs gene. These results indicate that VP16 dampens vhs activity, allowing HSV mRNAs to persist in infected cells. Further evidence supporting this hypothesis came from the demonstration that a stably transfected cell line expressing VP16 was resistant to host shutoff induced by superinfecting HSV virions. Thus, in addition to its well known function as a transcriptional activator, VP16 stimulates viral gene expression at a post‐transcriptional level, by sparing viral mRNAs from degradation by one of the virus‐induced host shutoff mechanisms.
Ultrafast Online SPE-MS/MS Method for Quantification of 3 Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Human Plasma

Background: With an increasing number of cancer patients receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), therapeutic drug monitoring of these molecules is becoming more widespread today. It is mainly based on liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods with typical run times of several minutes. In an online solid phase extraction-MS/MS (SPE-MS/MS) system, the chromatography column is replaced with a reusable solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridge and the analysis time is shortened to less than half a minute. The aim of this study was to develop such a method and test the performance of this high-throughput system in the analysis of imatinib (IMA), nilotinib (NIL), and lapatinib (LAP) in human plasma. Methods: Samples were prepared by simple protein precipitation with methanol containing deuterated internal standards. After centrifugation, the supernatant was diluted 10 fold with a mixture of methanol and water (1:1). A C4 cartridge was used for SPE and the analytes were eluted by acetonitrile. All the analytes were measured within a wide calibration range (50–5000 ng/mL for nilotinib and imatinib, 100–10,000 ng/mL for lapatinib). The method was compared with the LC-MS/MS method by the analysis of 176 clinical samples. Results: Intraday and interday inaccuracies within 15% and a coefficient of variation less than 15% were achieved for all the TKIs that were measured. Even though the matrix effects were higher in comparison with LC-MS/MS methods, their effect on the performance of the method was eliminated by the usage of deuterated internal standards. The total run time of the new method was 29 seconds for one analysis and the results were fully comparable with LC-MS/MS. Conclusions: Routine clinical practice requiring high-throughput methods for therapeutic drug monitoring of TKIs may benefit from the online SPE-MS/MS method that provides fast, low-cost analysis, and results that are comparable with conventional methods.
Modeling and characterization of 0.35 μm CMOS coreless transformer for gate drivers

In this paper, a monolithic solution based on integrated coreless transformer (ICT) for galvanic isolation and power transfer application is demonstrated. First, the characterization of ICTs is investigated by a set of five devices with stacked topology but different geometrical parameters fabricated in a 0.35 μm H35B4M3 CMOS technology from AMS. Second, the behavior of these ICTs is also predicted by electromagnetic (EM) simulation in Ansoft HFSS and analyzed by their equivalent electrical model. The measured results have shown a peak of voltage gain of -3 dB with the design of 300 μm of diameter while charging with the input capacitance of 900 fF of the demodulated circuit. Finally, an integrated gate driver is also fabricated using the optimal design of ICT, achieving a compact area of 0.72 mm2 and offers 1.8 kV of isolation. The experimental results of this gate driver have validated the use of isolated signal and energy transfer by on-chip transformer for both high side and low side applications.
Atherosclerotic geometries exacerbate pathological thrombus formation poststenosis in a von Willebrand factor-dependent manner

Rupture of a vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque causes thrombus formation and precipitates cardiovascular diseases. In addition to the thrombogenic content of a plaque, also the hemodynamic microenvironment plays a major role in thrombus formation. How the altered hemodynamics around a plaque promote pathological thrombus formation is not well understood. In this study, we provide evidence that plaque geometries result in fluid mechanical conditions that promote platelet aggregation and thrombus formation by increased accumulation and activity of von Willebrand factor (vWF) at poststenotic sites. Resonant-scanning multiphoton microscopy revealed that in vivo arterial stenosis of a damaged carotid artery markedly increased platelet aggregate formation in the stenotic outlet region. Complementary in vitro studies using microfluidic stenotic chambers, designed to mimic the flow conditions in a stenotic artery, showed enhanced platelet aggregation in the stenotic outlet region at 60–80% channel occlusion over a range of input wall shear rates. The poststenotic thrombus formation was critically dependent on bloodborne vWF and autocrine platelet stimulation. In stenotic chambers containing endothelial cells, flow provoked increased endothelial vWF secretion in the stenotic outlet region, contributing to exacerbated platelet aggregation. Taken together, this study identifies a role for the shear-sensitive protein vWF in transducing hemodynamic forces that are present around a stenosis to a prothrombogenic microenvironment resulting in spatially confined and exacerbated platelet aggregation in the stenosis outlet region. The developed stenotic microfluidic chamber offers a realistic platform for in vitro evaluation of shear-dependent thrombus formation in the setting of atherosclerosis.
Evaluation of YeastIdent and Uni-Yeast-Tek yeast identification systems

The accuracy of the new API YeastIdent system and the Flow Laboratories Uni-Yeast-Tek identification kit with an expanded data base was evaluated in comparison to the API 20C yeast identification system by three laboratories. A total of 489 test isolates were used, biased toward yeasts commonly encountered in clinical specimens. Isolates not in a system's data base were not counted in the evaluation of that system. For isolates in their data base, YeastIdent was 55% accurate and Uni-Yeast-Tek was 40% accurate. By the manufacturer's criteria of reliable identification without additional tests, both systems failed to identify many common and uncommon species. The limited number of substrates and difficulties in assessing results obtained with 11 of the API YeastIdent substrates and apparent errors in the expanded Uni-Yeast-Tek data base appeared to be major factors limiting the accuracy of these systems.
Performance‐driven animation of hand‐drawn cartoon faces

We present a novel performance‐driven approach to animating cartoon faces starting from pure 2D drawings. A 3D approximate facial model automatically built from front and side view master frames of character drawings is introduced to enable the animated cartoon faces to be viewed from angles different from that in the input video. The expressive mappings are built by artificial neural network (ANN) trained from the examples of the real face in the video and the cartoon facial drawings in the facial expression graph for a specific character. The learned mapping model makes the resultant facial animation to properly get the desired expressiveness, instead of a mere reproduction of the facial actions in the input video sequence. Furthermore, the lit sphere, capturing the lighting in the painting artwork of faces, is utilized to color the cartoon faces in terms of the 3D approximate facial model, reinforcing the hand‐drawn appearance of the resulting facial animation. We made a series of comparative experiments to test the effectiveness of our method by recreating the facial expression in the commercial animation. The comparison results clearly demonstrate the superiority of our method not only in generating high quality cartoon‐style facial expressions, but also in speeding up the animation production of cartoon faces. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.