Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Wavelet-based deconvolution of ultrasonic signals in nondestructive evaluation

In this paper, the inverse problem of reconstructing reflectivity function of a medium is examined within a blind deconvolution framework. The ultrasound pulse is estimated using higher-order statistics, and Wiener filter is used to obtain the ultrasonic reflectivity function through wavelet-based models. A new approach to the parameter estimation of the inverse filtering step is proposed in the nondestructive evaluation field, which is based on the theory of Fourier-Wavelet regularized deconvolution (ForWaRD). This new approach can be viewed as a solution to the open problem of adaptation of the ForWaRD framework to perform the convolution kernel estimation and deconvolution interdependently. The results indicate stable solutions of the estimated pulse and an improvement in the radio-frequency (RF) signal taking into account its signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and axial resolution. Simulations and experiments showed that the proposed approach can provide robust and optimal estimates of the reflectivity function.
The protective effect of tadalafil on IMA (ischemia modified albumin) levels in experimental renal ischemia-reperfusion injury.

INTRODUCTION To investigate the effect of the tadalafil in experimental renal I/R injury and to evaluate these changes with IMA (nonspesific early biomarker of ischemia), NO and MDA levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty four female Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups (n=8): Group I, sham; Group II, 60 min I/R; Group III, 60 min I/R plus tadalafil. Tadalafil was administered via an orogastric tube (10 mg/kg) 24 h prior to the procedure. After ischemia of the left kidney and 1 h of reperfusion, blood samples were obtained, and the kidney was removed. RESULTS Statistically significant histopathologic changes were exist between groups, with the most severe injury was determined in group II in comparison to the others (X(2)=21,803, P=0.000). Also mean serum IMA levels were higher in group II, but not statistically significant (19.83±7.81 U/ml, 22.26±7.14 U/ml and 19.82±7.77 U/ml, P=0.613). In addition, NO values were lower in I/R groups (P=0.049). There were no differences among the groups in terms of MDA. CONCLUSIONS IMA may be used as a nonselective biomarker for IR injury before the occurrence of necrosis. Decreased IMA levels may indicate the nephroprotective effect of tadalafil in renal IR injury.
Enhancement of Antiviral Activity of Collectin Trimers through Cross-Linking and Mutagenesis of the Carbohydrate Recognition Domain

Surfactant protein D (SP-D) plays important roles in innate defense against respiratory viruses [including influenza A viruses (IAVs)]. Truncated trimers composed of its neck and carbohydrate recognition domains (NCRDs) bind various ligands; however, they have minimal inhibitory activity for IAV. We have sought to find ways to increase the antiviral activity of collectin NCRDs. Cross-linking of the SP-D NCRD with nonblocking monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) markedly potentiates antiviral activity. In the present report, we demonstrate that F(ab’)2 [but not F(ab’)1] fragments of a cross-linking mAb have similar effects. Hence, cross-linking activity, but not the Fc domain of the mAb, is needed for increased antiviral activity. In contrast, the Fc domain of the mAb was important for increasing viral uptake or respiratory burst responses of human neutrophils. Our NCRD constructs contain an S protein binding site. Herein, we show that a multivalent S protein complex caused cross-linking and also increased the antiviral activity of NCRDs. NCRDs of conglutinin and CL43 had greater intrinsic antiviral activity than those of SP-D or mannose-binding lectin. Based on motifs found in these serum collectins, we have constructed mutant versions of the human SP-D NCRD that have increased antiviral activity. These mutant NCRDs also had potentiated activity after cross-linking with F(ab’)2 fragments or S protein complexes. Hence, the antiviral activity of NCRDs can be increased by 2 distinct, complementary strategies, namely cross-linking of NCRDs through various means and mutagenesis of CRD residues to increase viral binding. These findings may be relevant for antiviral therapy.
Life Change Events and Mental Illness: An Overview

Abstract The use of recent life change measurement in the lives of persons developing mental disorders parallels the measurement of risk factors by epidemiologists to understand disease distribution. Examples are given of these parallels, along with critical commentary on methodological issues in life changes research. The principal studies documenting the association of recent life change and depression, schizophrenia, and neurosis are reviewed. Recent life changes appear to be an important element in explaining illness onset. Future advances in the area of life change and illness await the development of reliable and valid measures of an individual's stress tolerance characteristics, such as social support systems, psychological defenses, coping capabilities, and illness behavior tendencies.
Towards a mutation-based automatic framework for evaluating code clone detection tools

In the last decade, a great many code clone detection tools have been proposed. Such a large number of tools calls for a quantitative comparison, and there have been several attempts to empirically evaluate and compare many of the state-of-the-art tools. However, a recent study shows that there are several factors that could influence the the validity of the results of such comparisons. In order to overcome the effects of such factors (at least in part), in this student poster paper we outline a mutation-based controlled frame-work for evaluating clone detection tools using edit-based mutation operators that model cloning actions. While the framework is not yet completely implemented and as yet we do not have experimental data, we anticipate that such a framework will provide a useful contribution to the community by providing a more solid objective foundation for tool evaluation.
Paradigm man vs. the bricoleur: bricolage as an alternative vision of agency in ideational change

The status of ideational explanations in political science has been strengthened by the argument that institutionalized ideas structure actors’ identification of their interests as well as the interests of their political adversaries. Despite its utility, the focus on the institutionalization of ideas has had the unfortunate consequence that actors are often, implicitly or explicitly, believed to internalize ideas, making it difficult to understand how actors are able to change their ideas and institutions. Drawing on cultural sociology and ideational theory, the paper introduces the ‘bricoleur’ as an alternative vision of agency. It is argued, first, that actors cannot cognitively internalize highly structured symbolic systems, and ideas are thus ‘outside the minds of actors’. Second, using the cognitive schemas at their disposal, actors construct strategies of action based on pre-constructed ideational and political institutions. Third, actors must work actively and creatively with the ideas and institutions they use, because the structure within which actors work does not determine their response to new circumstances. Fourth, as a vast number of ideational studies have shown, actors face a complex array of challenges in getting their ideas to the top of the policy agenda, which makes it all the more important to act pragmatically, putting ideas together that may not be logically compatible but rather answer political and cultural logics. In sum, agency often takes the form of bricolage, where bits and pieces of the existing ideational and institutional legacy are put together in new forms leading to significant political transformation.
Different working and living conditions and their associations with persistent neck/shoulder and/or low back disorders

Objectives: To investigate whether different combinations of working and living conditions are associated with the risk for persistent neck/shoulder and/or low back disorders. The underlying purpose of this contextual approach was to identify target groups for primary/secondary prevention. Methods: In a baseline study, 11 groups with different working and living conditions were identified by cluster analysis. In this study, these 11 groups were followed up by a postal questionnaire 5 years after baseline (response rate 82%, n = 1095). Results: Five of the groups—the onerous human services job, the free agent, the family burden, the mentally stretched and the physically strained groups—had an increased risk for persistent disorders (OR 2.38–2.70). Four of these groups had rather sex-specific working and living conditions. Conclusions: The results support the hypothesis that different combinations of working and living conditions may increase the risk for persistent neck/shoulder and/or low back disorders to different degrees. Sex-specific working and living conditions increased the risk for women as well as for men, irrespective of whether the conditions were specific to women or men.
Pharmacodynamic evaluation of a reference and a generic toltrazuril preparation in broilers experimentally infected with Eimeria tenella or E. acervulina

Abstract 1. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects on pigmentation, faecal oocyst output, immune responsiveness and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation following treatment with either the reference toltrazuril (Baycox) or a generic preparation (gen-TTZ), during an experimental Eimeria tenella (Et) or E. acervulina (Ea) infection of 210 Ross broiler chickens. 2. Results showed a significant difference on the anticoccidial efficacy 6 d after treating infected animals with Baycox (Et: 99.69% and Ea: 99.52%) or gen-TTZ (Et:85.71% and Ea 81.81%). 3. Gen-TTZ-treated animals were less strongly carotenoid-pigmented than Baycox-treated broilers. Mean plasma carotenoid concentrations were significantly higher in groups treated with Baycox than in broilers given gen-TTZ. 4. Treatment of animals with Baycox led to a significant decrease in ability of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells to produce ROS in contrast to gen-TTZ-treated groups. Baycox, but not generic toltrazuril, increased IL-10 and decreased tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) concentrations in chickens infected with E. tenella and E. acervulina. 5. It is suggested that differences in anticoccidial efficacy may be observed when using a generic toltrazuril product. Hence, in addition to plasma profiles of drugs, standardised clinical control tests may be necessary for generic formulations, particularly if other parameters are important to achieve a better control of coccidiosis.
Interaction of Selective Amino Acid Residues of KCa Channels with Carbon Monoxide

The activation of big-conductance KCa channels in vascular smooth muscle cells by carbon monoxide (CO) has been demonstrated previously. One specific target of CO on KCa channel proteins is the histidine residue. The roles of other amino acid residues on the functionality of KCa channels, as well as their reactions to CO, have been unclear. In the present study, the cell-free single channel recording technique was used to investigate the chemical modification of KCa channels by CO and other chemical agents. The modification of negatively charged carboxyl groups and the ε-amino group of lysine did not affect the open probability, but decreased single-channel conductance of KCa channels. When sulfhydryl groups of cysteine were modified with N-ethylmaleimide, the open probability of KCa channels was decreased, but single-channel conductance was not affected. None of the above chemical modifications affected the CO-induced increase in the open probability of KCa channels. However, N-ethylmaleimide treatment reduced the stimulatory effect of nitric oxide (NO) on KCa channels. Finally, pretreatment of smooth muscle cells with NO abolished the effects of subsequently applied CO on KCa channel proteins. Our study demonstrates that CO and NO acted on different amino acid residues of KCa channel proteins. The interaction of CO and NO determines the functional status of KCa channels in vascular smooth muscle cells
Integration testing of object‐oriented components using finite state machines

In object‐oriented terms, one of the goals of integration testing is to ensure that messages from objects in one class or component are sent and received in the proper order and have the intended effect on the state of the objects that receive the messages. This research extends an existing single‐class testing technique to integration testing of multiple classes. The single‐class technique models the behaviour of a single class as a finite state machine, transforms the representation into a data flow graph that explicitly identifies the definitions and uses of each state variable of the class, and then applies conventional data flow testing to produce test case specifications that can be used to test the class. This paper extends those ideas to inter‐class testing by developing flow graphs, finding paths between pairs of definitions and uses, detecting some infeasible paths and automatically generating tests for an arbitrary number of classes and components. It introduces flexible representations for message sending and receiving among objects and allows concurrency among any or all classes and components. Data flow graphs are stored in a relational database and database queries are used to gather def‐use information. This approach is conceptually simple, mathematically precise, quite powerful and general enough to be used for traditional data flow analysis. This testing approach relies on finite state machines, database modelling and processing techniques and algorithms for analysis and traversal of directed graphs. The paper presents empirical results of the approach applied to an automotive system. This work was prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties and is, therefore, a work of the U.S. Government and not subject to copyright. Published in 2006 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adenylate cyclase from synchronized neuroblastoma cells: responsiveness to prostaglandin E1, adenosine, and dopamine during the cell cycle.

Neuroblastoma cells were synchronized by a combined isoleucine plus glutamine starvation. Adenylate cyclase activity [ATP pyrophosphate-lyase (cyclizing), EC 4.6. 1.1] was measured under basal conditions and in the presence of dopamine, adenosine and prostaglandin (PG) E1. A clear dissociation occurred between the respective evolution patterns of basal and agonist-stimulated adenylate cyclase activities. The magnitudes of the enzyme response to PGE1, adenosine, and dopamine also exhibited different evolution patterns during the cell cycle. Evolution of adenylate cyclase responsiveness to PGE1 during the cell cycle exhibited striking similarities with the intracellular 3':5'-cyclic AMP changes observed elsewhere. Use of theophylline and fluphenazine as specific inhibitors of adenosine and dopamine, respectively, made it possible to demonstrate that adenosine, dopamine, and PGE1 stimulated adenylate cyclase through independent receptor sites. Furthermore, whatever the stage of the cell cycle, responses to these three agonists were not additive, indicating that the receptors of adenosine, dopamine, and PGE1 control the same adenylate cyclase moieties. The data suggest that adenylate cyclase cell content and enzyme responsiveness to specific agonists can be independently controlled.
Pre/perinatal stress and its impact on typical and atypical offspring development: Commenting on DiPietro, Schneider, O’Connor and Glover

focuses on offspring development in nonhuman primates. The interpretation each author gives of the results of the research in this field seems to be legitimated within the chosen framework. Apparently this does not mean that there are no conflicting interpretations. In humans, the past 25 years have in general shown empirical evidence for an association between maternal stress, anxiety and depression during pregnancy and offspring behavioural, brain behaviour and physiological outcome measures. While direct evidence for an interplay with genetic factors has been shown for a little while in animals,
Sex matters

In July this year, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) released preliminary results of a clinical trial investigating the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in post‐menopausal women. The publication proved to be a bombshell, particularly as the NIH terminated the study and urged all participating women to stop taking the drugs. Just over 5 years into the 8.5‐year study, the data collected by the NIH's Women's Health Initiative (WHI) showed that post‐menopausal women taking combination HRT—estrogen and progesterone—had an increased risk of breast cancer, stroke and heart disease compared with those taking a placebo. Since numerous conditions, including heart disease, stroke and osteoporosis, manifest themselves post‐menopause, it had always been assumed that estrogen is responsible for the maintenance of women's health; the NIH study overturned this long‐held belief. ‘Without any hard data it seemed that women taking HRT had fewer health problems,’ said Marietta Anthony, Director of Women's Health Research in the Department of Pharmacology at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC. But even more broadly, the HRT study highlights the fact that, until recently, research into women's health—not just the effects of hormones in post‐menopausal women—has been largely overlooked. Women's health differences is a relatively new concept, which posits that there are biological differences between men and women that extend beyond their reproductive systems. Created in 1991, the WHI was the first and largest study of the chronic diseases that often affect women—cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, osteoporosis and depression—in the context of their overall health. Indeed, until the mid‐1990s, most diseases were studied only, or primarily, in men, and the male model of a condition was the gold standard, in spite of centuries of circumstantial evidence that some diseases manifested themselves differently in each sex. It is not only the major threats to health that need …
Reconstruction ab initio de voies métaboliques - Formalisation et approches combinatoires

La reconstruction des voies metaboliques d un organisme est une tâche importante en biologie et plusieurs approches ont deja ete proposees pour assister ce travail mais il y a un besoin pour des approches plus exploratoires. La premiere partie de cette these s'interesse a la reconstruction ab initio de voies metaboliques. Cela consiste a retrouver au sein du reseau de l'ensemble des reactions chimiques decrites pour un organisme vivant, un sous reseau connectant au moins deux composes. Nous proposons une nouvelle formulation de ce probleme qui considere les reactions comme des transferts d'atomes entre composes chimiques. Une voie metabolique est ainsi associee a un transfert d'atomes entre deux composes. Le probleme de la reconstruction est alors de rechercher la succession de reactions maximisant le nombre d atomes transferes entre ces deux composes. Ce probleme est exprime comme la recherche d'une composition d'injections partielles dont la taille de l'image est maximale. La complexite de ce probleme a ete etudiee et un algorithme le resolvant est presente. La seconde partie presente la formalisation d'un probleme de comparaison de graphes. Le cas particulier traite dans cette these concerne la comparaison d'un reseau de reactions avec l'organisation spatiale des genes sur le genome. Cette comparaison permet l'identification de voies metaboliques codees en operons dans les genomes bacteriens.
Fully Electronic $E$-Band Personnel Imager of 2 m $^2$ Aperture Based on a Multistatic Architecture

The demand on advanced personnel screening systems led to the development of several active and passive imagers. Among them, active multistatic imaging ensures high image quality and allows fully electronic screening. An active E-band imager is presented in this paper, which measures in real-time and delivers images of 30-dB dynamic range. Imaging of humans is achieved by optimizing the acquisition time using a dedicated digital signal processing solution. This paper introduces the system hardware, the calibration procedure, and several measurement results demonstrating high quality imaging capabilities.
Fast and efficient determination of arginine, symmetric dimethylarginine, and asymmetric dimethylarginine in biological fluids by hydrophilic-interaction liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry.

BACKGROUND Nitric oxide is synthesized from the amino acid Arg by the enzyme endothelial nitric oxide synthase, which is competitively inhibited by the arginine metabolite asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA). In this way, increased concentrations of ADMA lead to reduced nitric oxide production associated with a range of cardiac diseases. Research in this field requires the measurement of Arg and of ADMA and its closely related substance, symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA). METHODS We quantified Arg, ADMA, and SDMA in human plasma, human urine, and cell culture supernatant by HPLC-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. Sample preparation required only protein precipitation. Separation was by liquid chromatography on a 150 x 3 mm silica column with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of water-acetonitrile-trifluoroacetic acid-propionic acid (10:90:0.025:1 by volume). The chromatographic run time was 7 min. RESULTS The chromatograms were interference-free in all matrices. In the low-concentration quality-control samples, the interassay CVs in plasma were 4.7% for Arg, 7.7% for ADMA, and 4.9% for SDMA. Similar values were obtained in urine and cell culture supernatants. The calibration functions were linear and covered the ranges of healthy and pathologic samples. CONCLUSION The new method requires neither derivatization nor complete chromatographic separation between ADMA and SDMA for quantification of the 3 metabolites, has calibration functions that are independent of the sample matrix, and provides measured concentrations that agree with those reported in the literature.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE FAMILY HISTORY OF HYPERTENSION ON THE BLOOD PRESSURE AND CATECHOLAMINE RESPONSES TO A 6 HOUR ADRENALINE INFUSION

1. The effects of 6 h infusions of adrenaline (INF‐A) or dextrose (INF‐D) and of post‐infusion cold pressor test (CPT) were compared in normal subjects, with (FH +) and without (FH ‐) a family history of hypertension.