Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Co-Culture System with an Organotypic Lung Slice and an Immortal Alveolar Macrophage Cell Line to Quantify Silica-Induced Inflammation

There is growing evidence that amorphous silica nanoparticles cause toxic effects on lung cells in vivo as well as in vitro and induce inflammatory processes. The phagocytosis of silica by alveolar macrophages potentiates these effects. To understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of silica toxicity, we applied a co-culture system including the immortal alveolar epithelial mouse cell line E10 and the macrophage cell line AMJ2-C11. In parallel we exposed precision-cut lung slices (lacking any blood cells as well as residual alveolar macrophages) of wild type and P2rx7−/− mice with or without AMJ2-C11 cells to silica nanoparticles. Exposure of E10 cells as well as slices of wild type mice resulted in an increase of typical alveolar epithelial type 1 cell proteins like T1α, caveolin-1 and -2 and PKC-β1, whereas the co-culture with AMJ2-C11 showed mostly a slightly lesser increase of these proteins. In P2rx7−/− mice most of these proteins were slightly decreased. ELISA analysis of the supernatant of wild type and P2rx7−/− mice precision-cut lung slices showed decreased amounts of IL-6 and TNF-α when incubated with nano-silica. Our findings indicate that alveolar macrophages influence the early inflammation of the lung and also that cell damaging reagents e.g. silica have a smaller impact on P2rx7−/− mice than on wild type mice. The co-culture system with an organotypic lung slice is a useful tool to study the role of alveolar macrophages during lung injury at the organoid level.
Biological treatment of tailings solution at the Nickel Plate Mine

During the closure of the Homestake Nickel Plate Mine, located in south central British Columbia, there was a need to remove cyanide and other contaminants from water stored in the tailings impoundment prior to releasing the water to a nearby stream. Several water management and treatment alternatives were considered including land application, biological treatment, breakpoint chlorination, hydrogen peroxide, and the lnco SO 2 /Air process which was already in use at the mine. After extensive evaluations, the decision was made to use a combined aerobic and anaerobic biological treatment system for removal of residual cyanide, thiocyanate, ammonia, and nitrate, coupled with a High Density Sludge (HDS) process for removal of residual metals. The aerobic biological process utilized expertise and experience associated with the original biological treatment process still in use at the Homestake Gold Mine located in Lead, South Dakota, USA. The anaerobic biological process utilized experience developed through bench scale and pilot plant evaluations at the Nickel Plate mine. This paper will discuss the development and operation of the combined full scale biological treatment process. The discussion will include the decant or reclaim water characteristics, the basic process chemistry, the original bench and pilot plant evaluations, design considerations, effluent limitations, and an evaluation of the first year of full scale operation.
Essential Genes Predicted in the Genome of Rubrivivax gelatinosus

ABSTRACT Rubrivivax gelatinosus is a betaproteobacterium with impressive metabolic diversity. It is capable of phototrophy, chemotrophy, two different mechanisms of sugar metabolism, fermentation, and H2 gas production. To identify core essential genes, R. gelatinosus was subjected to saturating transposon mutagenesis and high-throughput sequencing (TnSeq) analysis using nutrient-rich, aerobic conditions. Results revealed that virtually no primary metabolic genes are essential to the organism and that genomic redundancy only explains a portion of the nonessentiality, but some biosynthetic pathways are still essential under nutrient-rich conditions. Different essentialities of different portions of the Pho regulatory pathway suggest that overexpression of the regulon is toxic and hint at a larger connection between phosphate regulation and cellular health. Lastly, various essentialities of different tRNAs hint at a more complex situation than would be expected for such a core process. These results expand upon research regarding cross-organism gene essentiality and further enrich the study of purple nonsulfur bacteria. IMPORTANCE Microbial genomic data are increasing at a tremendous rate, but physiological characterization of those data lags far behind. One mechanism of high-throughput physiological characterization is TnSeq, which uses high-volume transposon mutagenesis and high-throughput sequencing to identify all of the essential genes in a given organism's genome. Here TnSeq was used to identify essential genes in the metabolically versatile betaproteobacterium Rubrivivax gelatinosus. The results presented here add to the growing TnSeq field and also reveal important aspects of R. gelatinosus physiology, which are applicable to researchers working on metabolically flexible organisms.
Selecting patients for gastrectomy in metastatic esophago-gastric cancer: clinics and pathology are not enough.

AIM To evaluate the impact on overall survival (OS) of gastrectomy in asymptomatic metastatic esophago-gastric cancer. PATIENTS & METHODS Five hundred and thirteen patients were included. The role of surgery and other clinico-pathological factors was evaluated by univariate and Cox regression analyses. OS was the primary end point. RESULTS Multivariate analysis confirmed that gastrectomy was a predictor of longer OS (p < 0.001), as well as preserved performance status and benefit from first-line chemotherapy. None of the investigated clinico-pathological variables identified preferable candidates for surgery (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSION Palliative gastrectomy might play a role in asymptomatic metastatic esophago-gastric cancer patients with good performance status who received benefit from first-line chemotherapy. Future prospective trials integrating tumor biology among inclusion criteria may help defining the optimal candidates.
Sub-100 Femtosecond Pulse Generation by Kerr Lens Mode-locking in Ti: Al2O3

Ti:Al2O3 has the available bandwidth for directly generating very short tunable pulses at high average power. Passive modelocking techniques have been described in the literature [1], [2]. We report 800mW at sub-100fs (when pumped with 8W) and 2.1W output with 120fs pulsewidth (pumped with 14W).
New Ways of Thinking about Proteinuria and Progression of Renal Damage

The ‘Podocyte-Progression hypothesis’ [3–5] postulates that continuing, progressive podocyte damage or loss is central to the progression of proteinuric renal diseases. This mechanism of progression might also be extended to diseases in which podocyte damage is not the primary problem, but in which proteinuria occurs later, possibly in hyperfiltering glomeruli, for example. If we believe this, we might expect nephroprotective, proteinuria-lowering treatments to act not via haemodynamic or anti-fibrotic effects
Pneumonia After Inhalation Injury

We sought to evaluate the incidence, morbidity, and mortality of pneumonia among inhalation injury patients requiring admission to our burn unit. We undertook a retrospective study of 228 consecutive patients with inhalation injury who were admitted to the burn unit of a level one trauma center between 2001 and 2004. Of the remaining 117 patients with inhalation injury and requiring hospitalization for at least 48 hours, 32 (27%) developed pneumonia. The average patient with inhalation injury and pneumonia developed their infiltrate on day 6 ± 5 days and required 3 ± 4 burn operations. There was no difference seen in age, sex, or carboxyhemoglobin level between inhalation injury patients with and without pneumonia (P > .05). The inhalation injury patients that had an associated TBSA burn of at least 20% had a 60% (12/20) pneumonia rate, which was significantly higher then the 21% (20/97) pneumonia rate observed in patients with an association burn less then 20%. The overall mortality of patients with inhalation injury and pneumonia was 19% (6/32), double the mortality rate of 9% (8/85) found in patients with inhalation injury and no pneumonia. The average length of stay of inhalation injury patients with pneumonia was significantly longer (47 ± 44 days) then inhalation injury patients without pneumonia (26 ± 54 days; P < .05). The presence of pneumonia among inhalation injury patients significantly increased length of stay and doubled mortality rates. Admission carboxyhemoglobin levels, age, and sex had no relationship to the development of pneumonia. An increase in TBSA burn was associated with a higher pneumonia rate.
Non-classical monocytes predict progression of carotid artery bifurcation intima-media thickness in HIV-infected individuals on stable antiretroviral therapy

Background: Inflammation may contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD) among antiretrovirally suppressed HIV-infected individuals. We assessed relationships of monocyte, CD8 T-cell activation and plasma biomarkers to changes in carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT). Methods: Longitudinal study of HIV-infected subjects ≥40 years and on stable antiretroviral therapy (ART) ≥3 months. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were immunophenotyped by multiparameteric flow cytometry to quantify classical (CD14++CD16–), intermediate (CD14++CD16+), non-classical (CD14low/+CD16++) and transitional (CD14+CD16–) monocyte subsets and activated (CD38+HLA-DR+) CD8+ T-cells at baseline. Plasma biomarkers were assessed by multiplex Luminex assay. High-resolution B-mode ultrasounds of right carotid arteries were obtained. Changes in CIMT over two years at the right common carotid artery (CIMTCCA) and right bifurcation (CIMTBIF) were outcome variables. Results: We studied 50 subjects: 84% male, median age 49 (Q1, Q3; 46, 56) years, median CD4 count 461 (317, 578) cells/mm3, and with HIV RNA ≤ 50 copies/mL in 84%. Change in CIMTBIF correlated with log values of baseline absolute count of non-classical monocytes (r = 0.37, p = 0.020), and with MCP-1 (r = 0.42, p = 0.0024) and TNF-α (r = 0.30, p = 0.036) levels. In multivariable linear regression, only non-classical monocytes and MCP-1 predicted the change in CIMTBIF, independent of Framingham Risk Score and baseline CIMTBIF. No correlation was noted between CD8 T-cell activation and CIMTBIF change. Monocyte subsets, CD8 T-cell activation, and biomarker concentrations were not correlated with changes in CIMTCCA. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the role of non-classical monocytes and MCP-1 in the progression of CIMTBIF in HIV-infected individuals on stable ART independent of traditional cardio-metabolic risk factors.
Medical service use and usual care of common shoulder disorders in Korea: a cross-sectional study using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service National Patient Sample

Objectives This study examined National Health Insurance claims data to investigate the epidemiology of shoulder disorders in Korea. Detailed information on medical services and related costs was assessed by major shoulder disorder category. Design and setting The 2014 National Patient Sample dataset provided by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service was analysed. Among shoulder-related diagnosis codes, adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder (ACS), rotator cuff syndrome (RCS) and shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS) categories were of highest prevalence. Sociodemographic characteristics and medical service use, frequency and medical costs regarding common shoulder disorders were evaluated. Results The majority of patients with shoulder disorder received ambulatory care (97%). Total and per-patient expenses were highest in patients with RCS. The number of inpatients with RCS was more than twice that of the other two groups, and patients with RCS were more likely to receive surgical management compared with patients with ACS and SIS. Prevalence of shoulder disorders was highest among subjects in their 50s for all three groups. Primary care physicians treated 75.80% of patients with ACS, 56.99% of patients with RCS and 48.06% of patients with SIS, respectively, outlining the difference in medical institution usage patterns. In all three groups, the highest proportion of patients visited orthopaedic surgeons out of medical departments. In the ACS and SIS groups, cost of visits (consultations) took up the largest part of total expenses at 32.30% and 18.88%, respectively, while cost of procedure/surgery constituted the largest portion in patients with RCS (37.77%). The usage proportion of subcutaneous or intramuscular and intra-articular injections ranged between 20% and 30% for outpatients in all three groups. Conclusions Medical service use, frequency and cost distributions relating to major shoulder disorders in Korea were assessed using nationwide claims data. These findings are expected to aid policy-makers as well as researchers and practitioners as basic healthcare data.
A wideband I/Q RFD AC-based phase modulator

A fully integrated RFDAC based phase modulator in 40nm bulk CMOS is presented. To boost in-band linearity and the frequency range of operation, a harmonic rejection RFDAC architecture that suppresses the 3rd and 5th harmonics is proposed. The achieved frequency agility of the phase modulator is verified over a 0.6–2.5GHz range yielding EVM of −34.5dB and −36dB for an 18Mb/s and 75Mb/s GMSK signals, respectively. The power consumption of the proposed phase modulator is 33 mW at 2.4GHz
Localization of Superantigen Virulence Factors in Kidney Tissue of Animals With Staphylococcus aureus–Infected Burn Wounds

Gram-positive organisms are often found in association with burn wounds. A paucity of information exists regarding the accumulation and fate of virulence factors from these bacteria. The superantigenic exotoxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus are potent immunomodulating proteins and have also been described to localize in the kidney. The aim of this work was to demonstrate renal accumulation of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) and staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) in a methicillin-resistant S. aureus burn wound infection. Twelve Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to partial-thickness burns (2 × 2 cm) using an aluminum billet. On postburn day 1, the wounds were inoculated with a toxin-producing strain of methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Skin biopsies and serum were obtained on postburn days 3, 6, and 10 along with necropsies for three animals each day. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantify amounts of TSST-1 and SEB. Immunohistochemistry was used to localize SEB, TSST-1, and cleaved caspase-3 in renal tissue, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to assess erythropoietin and endothelin-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) in renal tissue. Baseline skin and plasma levels of TSST-1 and SEB were not detectable. Skin biopsy TSST-1 levels were detected on all postburn days and peaked at a mean value of 39.35 ng/ml on day 6; SEB was found in the skin and kidney only on postburn days 6 and 10. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of renal tissue for TSST-1 and SEB demonstrated significantly higher (P < .05) mean toxin concentrations on postburn day 10: 10.87 ng/ml for TSST-1 and 0.67 ng/ml for SEB. Immunohistochemistry of renal tissue demonstrated increased stain intensity for SEB, TSST-1, and cleaved caspase-3 over time. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction demonstrated decreased expression erythropoietin mRNA and increased expression of endothelin-1 mRNA relative to negative controls (P < .01). In a burn wound infection model that is nonlethal and lacks bacteremia, TSST-1 and SEB traverse cutaneous wounds and localize to the kidney. These potent virulence factors may contribute to the induction of apoptosis, and may alter homeostasis via renal pathophysiology.
Salt and pepper noise removal by using improved decision based algorithm

Noise removal in an image is important in image processing because noise can bring a great deal amount of problems such as degraded the quality image and loss of crucial information in image. Therefore, image filtering technique has been introduced to overcome the problems. One of the common noises in image is Salt and Pepper noise. A lot of studies have been conducted by researchers to remove this noise efficiently. However, most of the studies have difficulties in removing this noise especially at high density. Therefore, this research is conducted to improve image filtering technique and preserve the originality of the pixel. The proposed technique is developed based on Decision Based Algorithm and the performance is compared with Median Filter, Hybrid Median Filter, Adaptive Median Filter and Ben Filter. Three images are used which are the lead frame, fruit and baboon images and the metric of comparison is determined by using Mean Square Error method. The result of this study has shown that the proposed filter can remove Salt and Pepper noise efficiently at different density and restored the originality of the pixel.
Violence exposure and neural systems underlying working memory for emotional stimuli in youth

Abstract Violence exposure during childhood is common and associated with poor cognitive and academic functioning. However, little is known about how violence exposure influences cognitive processes that might contribute to these disparities, such as working memory, or their neural underpinnings, particularly for cognitive processes that occur in emotionally salient contexts. We address this gap in a sample of 54 participants aged 8 to 19 years (50% female), half with exposure to interpersonal violence. Participants completed a delayed match to sample task for emotional faces while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning. Violence-exposed youth performed worse than controls on happy and neutral, but not angry, trials. In whole-brain analysis, violence-exposed youth had reduced activation in the left middle frontal gyrus and right intraparietal sulcus during encoding and the left superior temporal sulcus and temporal–parietal junction during retrieval compared to control youth. Reduced activation in the left middle frontal gyrus during encoding and the left superior temporal sulcus during retrieval mediated the association between violence exposure and task performance. Violence exposure influences the frontoparietal network that supports working memory as well as regions involved in facial processing during working memory for emotional stimuli. Reduced neural recruitment in these regions may explain atypical patterns of cognitive processing seen among violence-exposed youth, particularly within emotional contexts.
Caterpillars lack a resident gut microbiome

Significance Microorganisms residing within animal tissues as symbionts can be critically important to many aspects of animal biology. For example, the microbiomes of many insects, such as aphids, honeybees, and termites, can provide nutrients, deter pathogens, and help digest food. We examined whether caterpillars also engage in intimate microbial partnerships. Across a broad diversity of caterpillar species, we found that microbes in the gut are extremely low-abundance and predominantly leaf-derived, suggesting their transient nature. Furthermore, suppressing bacteria in tobacco hornworms (Manduca sexta) had no detectable effect on caterpillar growth or survival. With caterpillars as a prominent—but possibly not unique—example of relative autonomy, the degree of reliance on microbes is an underappreciated yet likely important dimension of animal biodiversity. Many animals are inhabited by microbial symbionts that influence their hosts’ development, physiology, ecological interactions, and evolutionary diversification. However, firm evidence for the existence and functional importance of resident microbiomes in larval Lepidoptera (caterpillars) is lacking, despite the fact that these insects are enormously diverse, major agricultural pests, and dominant herbivores in many ecosystems. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and quantitative PCR, we characterized the gut microbiomes of wild leaf-feeding caterpillars in the United States and Costa Rica, representing 124 species from 15 families. Compared with other insects and vertebrates assayed using the same methods, the microbes that we detected in caterpillar guts were unusually low-density and variable among individuals. Furthermore, the abundance and composition of leaf-associated microbes were reflected in the feces of caterpillars consuming the same plants. Thus, microbes ingested with food are present (although possibly dead or dormant) in the caterpillar gut, but host-specific, resident symbionts are largely absent. To test whether transient microbes might still contribute to feeding and development, we conducted an experiment on field-collected caterpillars of the model species Manduca sexta. Antibiotic suppression of gut bacterial activity did not significantly affect caterpillar weight gain, development, or survival. The high pH, simple gut structure, and fast transit times that typify caterpillar digestive physiology may prevent microbial colonization. Moreover, host-encoded digestive and detoxification mechanisms likely render microbes unnecessary for caterpillar herbivory. Caterpillars illustrate the potential ecological and evolutionary benefits of independence from symbionts, a lifestyle that may be widespread among animals.
Pattern image significance for camera calibration

The image information from cameras can yield geometric information pertaining to three-dimensional objects by having camera parameters. Camera Calibration is a method for calculating the parameters of a pinhole camera model. Several methods used for camera calibration which are self-calibration, active vision, and known objects. Usually known object pattern uses calibration pattern such as chessboard. Furthermore, another important element is the number of image selection that also adheres better impact to overall of accuracy rate. Therefore, we categorize and explain each method in camera calibration in this paper. Finally, we show the significance of number of image and slope in camera calibration in several experimental result to justify our claim.
Acute Cholecystitis in Burn Patients

Acute cholecystitis is a complication in critical illnesses, including burns. The purpose of this report is to review one institution's experience with this complication during a 21-year time period. A computerized burn registry was used for data collection and analysis in this retrospective review. Twenty patients developed cholecystitis from a total burn admission population of 10,762 in this 21-year period (0.18%). Mean patient age was 43.5 years, and their mean burn size was 37.4% with a mean full-thickness burn size of 23% TBSA. Mean patient length of stay was 77.4 days. Sixteen of these patients were intubated and mechanically ventilated for a mean of 56 days. Total parental nutrition was required in 12 patients. The use of total parental nutrition steadily decreased over the length of the study, and early enteral tube feed use has become the norm. All but two patients were in the Burn Intensive Care Unit at the time of diagnosis. Men outnumbered women by three to one. Nine patients with positive sonograms were successfully managed without surgical intervention. Two of these patients also had positive hydroxy iminodiacetic acid scans. Surgically managed patients were treated with both open and laparoscopic cholecystectomy as well as cholecystostomy tube placement. Mortality was 25%. Acute cholecystitis remains a serious although relatively rare complication in burn patients. Patients often have an unreliable physical examination, several possible causes of fever, and abnormal laboratory results. A high index of suspicion and sound clinical judgment is required to manage this rare-but-challenging problem.