Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Augmentation of renal response by magnesium lithospermate B.

Magnesium lithospermate B and adenine were given simultaneously to rats p.o. in order to investigate their renal effects. In rats given magnesium lithospermate B at a dose of 5 mg/kg body weight/day for 12 or 24 days, glomerular filtration rate, renal plasma flow and renal blood flow were increased significantly. A significant increase in renal function parameters was also found in rats given 10 mg of magnesium lithospermate B. Urinary excretion of prostaglandin E2 was increased by administration of magnesium lithospermate B, while those of 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha and thromboxane B2 were unaffected at a dose of 5 mg or 10 mg/kg body weight/day for 12 or 24 days. The activity of kallikrein in urine increased markedly and significantly in rats given 5 or 10 mg of magnesium lithospermate B for 12 or 24 days. From these results, it seems that magnesium lithospermate B increases renal function by improving the renal circulatory state through activation of kallikrein and promotion of prostaglandin E2 production.
Protein Kinase C Phosphorylation of Syntaxin 4 in Thrombin-activated Human Platelets*

We postulated that the syntaxins, because of their key role in SNARE complex formation and exocytosis, could be important targets for signaling by intracellular kinases involved in secretion. We found that syntaxin 4 was phosphorylated in human platelets treated with a physiologic agent that induces secretion (thrombin) but not when they were treated with an agent that prevents secretion (prostacyclin). Syntaxin 4 phosphorylation was blocked by inhibitors of activated protein kinase C (PKC), and, in parallel assays, PKC inhibitors also blocked secretion from thrombin-activated platelets. In platelets, cellular activation by thrombin or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate decreased the binding of syntaxin 4 with SNAP-23, another platelet t-SNARE. Phosphatase inhibitors increased syntaxin 4 phosphorylation and further decreased syntaxin 4-SNAP-23 binding induced by cell activation. Conversely, a PKC inhibitor blocked syntaxin 4 phosphorylation and returned binding of syntaxin 4-SNAP-23 to that seen in nonstimulated platelets. In vitro, PKC directly phosphorylated platelet syntaxin 4 and recombinant syntaxin 4. PKC phosphorylation in vitro inhibited (71 ± 8%) the binding of syntaxin 4 to SNAP-23. These results provide evidence that extracellular activation can be coupled through intracellular PKC signaling so as to modulate SNARE protein interactions involved in platelet exocytosis.
Pulmonary inflammatory mediators after sevoflurane and thiopentone anaesthesia in pigs

Background: Volatile anaesthetics have been shown to affect the release of pulmonary inflammatory mediators and exacerbate pulmonary injury after experimental aspiration. Thus, in theory, volatile anaesthetics may worsen inflammatory pulmonary injury and disease. We have previously described that no significant changes in alveolar ultrastructure are seen after sevoflurane anaesthesia. However, this does not exclude any possible physiological alterations. The aim of our study was to evaluate pulmonary inflammatory mediators in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) after sevoflurane and thiopentone anaesthesia in pigs with intact lungs.
Histopathological examination in evaluation of long-term results after osteocartilaginous transplantation.

OBJECTIVE To assess long-term outcomes of osteocartilaginous transplantation for non-degenerative lesions of hyaline articular cartilage in the knee, by performing minibiopsies from the transplanted area and examining them histopathologically. PATIENTS AND METHODS Forty-four patients with post-traumatic cartilage injuries of the bearing surfaces of the knee were enrolled in a prospective study, that included treatment with autologous osteocartilaginous grafts at the level of the lesion, "second look" arthroscopy and targeted minibiopsies at one year and five years postoperatively (six minibiopsies per patient). The collected tissue fragments were examined by optic microscopy. In order to integrate the histopathological findings in the clinical context, the function of the knee was also quantified by calculation of the International Cartilage Repair Society Score preoperatively, at one year and at five years postoperatively. RESULTS Five years post-transplant the outcomes for 36 patients were available. One year post-transplant, the histopathological examination revealed the presence of hyaline cartilage in 165 of the 216 (76.39%) tissue samples collected and fibrocartilage in 51 (23.61%) respectively. Five years after surgery, the proportions of these findings were 159/216 (73.61%) for hyaline cartilage and 57/216 (26.39%) for fibrocartilage. The difference was not statistically significant (p>0.1). The evolution of the ICRS clinical score was from 38.57±3.42 preoperatively to 80.31±3.85 (p<0.0001) after one year and to 81.35±4.57, respectively at five years after surgery. CONCLUSIONS Autologous osteocartilaginous transplantation brings hyaline articular cartilage at the level of the injured area. Approximately three quarters of the surface lesion remains covered by high quality hyaline cartilage that maintains its macroscopic structure and architecture for a long period of time.
Mechanical behavior of sheets prepared from sugar beet cellulose microfibrils

The mechanical behavior of films cast from sugar beet cellulose microfibrils was investigated through tensile tests. The obtaining of these microfibrils by chemical and mechanical treatments from the raw beet pulp is described. Depending on their purification level, individualization state, and moisture content, differences in tensile modulus are observed. It is found that pectins act as a binder between the cellulose microfibrils, which tends to increase the Young's modulus in dry atmosphere and to decrease it in moist conditions. The extraction of the cellulose microfibrils from the sugar beet cell wall and the obtainment of microfibril suspensions with partial individualization of the microfibrils by a mechanical treatment lead to the formation of a network of cellulose microfibrils within the film, which in turn increases the tensile modulus. Furthermore, the effect of the remaining pectins is compared with the effect of pectins previously removed and added to completely purified cellulosic microfibrils. As expected, once removed and so partly degraded, those pectins have nearly no influence on the mechanical properties. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 64: 1185–1194, 1997
Temporal Expression of Respiratory Genes in an Enrichment Culture Containing Dehalococcoides ethenogenes

ABSTRACT Multiple reductive dehalogenase (RDase), hydrogenase (H2ase), and other respiration-associated (RA) oxidoreductase genes have been identified in cultured representatives of Dehalococcoides. Although their products are likely to play key roles in the environmentally important process of reductive dechlorination, very little information is available about their regulation and specific functions. Here we show increased expression and temporal variability in the expression of five RDase genes and in the expression of genes for a putative formate dehydrogenase (Fdh) and two H2ases, including a periplasmic [Ni/Fe] H2ase (Hup) and a cytoplasmic [Fe] H2ase (Vhu). mRNA transcripts extracted from tetrachloroethene-dechlorinating mixed cultures corresponding to Fdh, the H2ase Hup, and the RDase targets TceA and DET0162 were expressed most highly, with average levels 34 (± 7.5)-, 23 (± 6.7)-, 16 (± 3.3)-, and 13 (± 3.3)-fold higher, respectively, than that for RNA polymerase (RpoB). H2ase and RA transcripts reached their respective expression maxima within the first 2 h after feeding. RDase transcripts, however, were most highly expressed after 3 h and exhibited greater temporal variability than other transcripts. Comparison with D. ethenogenes strain 195 pure culture expression levels indicated that RDase DET1545 was more highly expressed in mixed cultures, where, on average, its transcript level was sixfold higher than that of RpoB. While the specific functions of several of these gene products remain elusive, the high expression levels and temporal variability reported here suggest that these groups of enzymes are metabolically important for the respiration of chlorinated ethenes in mixed cultures containing Dehalococcoides.
Simulation of the Internet of Things

This paper presents main concepts and issues concerned with the simulation of Internet of Things (IoT). The heterogeneity of possible scenarios, arising from the massive deployment of an enormous amount of sensors and devices, imposes the use of sophisticated modeling and simulation techniques. In fact, the simulation of IoT introduces several issues from both quantitative and qualitative aspects. We discuss novel simulation techniques to enhance scalability and to permit the real-time execution of massively populated IoT environments (e.g., large-scale smart cities). In particular, we claim that agent-based, adaptive Parallel and Distributed Simulation (PADS) approaches are needed, together with multi-level simulation, which provide means to perform highly detailed simulations, on demand. We present a use case concerned with the simulation of smart territories.
A review on cloud security threats and solutions

Enterprises subscribe the cloud services since they reduce the initial investments on constructing data centres, hiring skilled IT employees within their business to the pay as you go expenses of cloud services. In addition to this it helps to escape from the confines of application upgrading and expense on maintenance of data centres. As the demand of cloud is increasing the threats for the cloud and users are also increasing. This paper discusses various threats and approaches that are used in cloud security.
Development of vehicle drivetrain and its components - solutions for CO2 reduction

The paper reviews new drivetrain concepts including plug-in full hybrid, mild hybrid designed for 48 V and zero emission vehicles like battery electric vehicle. The presented drivetrain concepts should lead to reduction of CO2 emission what is one of the most important goals of future transportation. Comparison between parallel and series hybrid drivetrain is specially delivered. The series hybrid drivetrain could be efficient alternative to parallel one. Such drivetrain concept, where electric drivetrain can be separated from power unit, can be adapted for fuel cell vehicle or battery electric vehicle. Mild hybrid solutions for 48V due to optimised costs should have more importance in the near future.
UML Modeling of Generic Agent Database Approach under Distributed Computing Environment

Due to presence of high speed bandwidth network called as National Knowledge Network (NKN) environment, the communication between the two computer systems by message passing and data transmission techniques have improved significantly. The existence of heterogeneous network environment has different configuration supporting network. In such type of networks, the process execution depends upon several factors related with the hardware like cpu speed, clock rate, memory size, etc. and software events like execution scenario of processes based on software programming and database approach results in a best optimum performance of the network. One of such kind of approach has been proposed by the authors and a model has been designed for the general process execution concept through distributed database agent supported in distributed computing environment to obtain optimum process execution. This approach has been designed by considering two phases; one phase based on the client node and other is based on controller system. The model has been created by the use of well known Unified Modeling Language (UML) and UML class, sequence and activity diagrams are designed. General Terms Generic System, Distributed Approach
A Multichannel Approach to Ngerprint Classiication

Fingerprint classiication can provide an important indexing mechanism in a nger-print database. An accurate and consistent classiication can greatly reduce ngerprint matching time for large databases. In this paper, we present a ngerprint classiication algorithm which is able to achieve an accuracy better than previously reported in the literature. We classify ngerprints into ve categories: whorl, right loop, left loop, arch, and tented arch. The algorithm separates the number of ridges present in four directions (0 , 45 , 90 , and 135) by ltering the central part of a ngerprint with a bank of Gabor lters. This information is quantized to generate a FingerCode which is used for classiication. Our classiication is based on a two-stage classiier which uses a K-nearest neighbor classiier in the rst stage and a set of neural networks in the second stage. The classiier is tested on 4; 000 images in the NIST-4 database. For the ve-class problem, classiication accuracy of 90% is achieved. For the four-class problem (arch and tented arch combined into one class), we are able to achieve a classiication accuracy of 94:8%. By incorporating a reject option, the classiication accuracy can be increased to 96% for the ve-class classiication and to 97:8% for the four-class classiication when 30:8% of the images are rejected.
Web Information Credibility: From Web 1.0 to Web 2.0

Web has been one of the major information sources in people’s daily life. However, a majority of Web information are regarded as incredible, as most Web information are not well evaluated before they are posted online. This eventually has a substantial impact on Web information utilization. For example, faked Web information will lead to wrong decision in business areas. In addition, the development of Web 2.0 makes people more convenient in producing and spreading information on the Web, which even worsens the information credibility problem on the Web. Thus, in this paper we review the current advances in the researches on Web information credibility, including related systems and methods for Web 1.0 information as well as existing studies on microblog information credibility. Finally, we propose a future research framework focusing on microblog information credibility.
Frequency of oral cancers among cancers in Sudanese patients (2009-2016)

ألمقدمه: يعتبر السرطان السبب الثاني المؤدي للوفاه عالميا. في إحصائية عام 2000 أعتبر السرطان السبب الثالث للموت بعد الملاريا والالتهاب الرئوي الفيروسي في السودان. أجريت العديد من الدراسات الوصفيه الوبائيه في السودان أظهرت نسبه عالية لانتشار سرطان الفم بينما أظهرت دراسات أخرى نسبة أقل. لذلك كان لابد من إجراء دراسات مستمره لتحديد نسبة سرطان الفم وأنواعه في السودان. أجريت الدراسة لتحديد نسبة سرطان الفم من مجموع سرطانات الجسم وكذلك لتحديد أكثر أنواع سرطان الفم شيوعا وعلاقتها بالعمر والجنس و السنة وموقع السرطان. منهجية ألبحث: تعتبر هذه الدراسة دراسة وصفية مستعرضه وبائية متعددة المراكز حيث تم استخراج المعلومات من مختبرات التشريح المرضي الرئيسية و مستشفى العلاج بالذرة في ولاية الخرطوم في الفتره بين 2009 و 2016. وقد شملت المعلومات الاسم، العمر، الجنس، السنة، نوع السرطان، و موقع السرطان. ألنتائج: تم الحصول على 55571 حالة سرطان في كل أنحاء الجسم، منها 1857 كانت سرطانات الفم ونسبتها 3.34% من جميع السرطانات، وجاءت سرطانات الفم في المرتبة السابعة عند الرجال وفي المرتبة الثامنة عند النساء من بين مجموع سرطانات الجسم. السرطان الحرشفي الخلايا كان أكثر سرطانات الفم شيوعا حيث شكل نسبة 73.3% يليه السرطان البشروي المخاطي بنسبة 4.8% ثم السرطان الكيسي الغدي بنسبة 4% ثم السرطان العظمي بنسبة 2.4% وأخيرا السرطان الثؤلولي بنسبة 2.4%. أما اكثر المناطق إصابة بالسرطانات فكانت المناطق المتجاورة مثل المنطقة اللثوية الشفوية السفلية والمنطقة اللثوية الخدية السفلية بنسبة 29.8%، يليها اللسان بنسبة 19.6% ثم الشفة السفلية بنسبة 18% ثم الفك السفلي بنسبة 16.6% وأخيرا الحنك بنسبة 16%. كانت نسبة الذكور الى الاناث في الإصابة بسرطان الفم 1:1.45. كانت أكثر فئة عمرية مصابة بسرطان الفم الفئة العمرية ≥65 سنة وأقل فئة عمرية مصابة بسرطان الفم كانت >15 سنة. ألخلاصه: أظهرت هذه الدراسة أن سرطان الفم من بين السرطانات العشره الأوائل في السودان مما يؤكد الحاجه لمزيد من البرامج التثقيفية و الوقائية والتشخيص المبكر لسرطان الفم، وهناك حاجة لعمل دراسات مستقبلية لتحديد العوامل المسببة في محاولة لخفض نسبة الاصابة بهذا الورم الخبيث
Autonomous Exploration: Driven by Uncertainty

Passively accepting measurements of the world is not enough, as the data we obtain is always incomplete, and the inferences made from it uncertain to a degree which is often unacceptable. If we are to build machines that operate autonomously, they will always be faced with this dilemma, and can only be successful if they play a much more active role. This paper presents such a machine. It deliberately seeks out those parts of the world which maximize the fidelity of its internal representations, and keeps searching until those representations are acceptable. We call this paradigm autonomous exploration, and the machine an autonomous explorer. This paper has two major contributions. The first is a theory that tells us how to explore, and which confirms the intuitive ideas we have put forward previously. The second is an implementation of that theory. In our laboratory, we have constructed a working autonomous explorer and here, for the first time, show it in action. The system is entirely bottom-up and does not depend on any a priori knowledge of the environment. To our knowledge, it is the first to have successfully closed the loop between gaze planning and the inference of complex 3D models.
Plasmonic Nanostructures for Enhanced Photovoltaics

The aim of this work is to investigate the role of optical resonances supported in different layouts of solar cells integrating metallic plasmonic gratings. A simplified ideal model was first developed in order to clarify the role and the potentialities that all the optical resonances involved in such structures have in remodulating light absorption. In a further analysis, a global optimization of both geometrical parameters of the grating (period, thickness, slit width) as well as the dielectric environment has been performed, considering different solar cell layouts, in order to obtain a gain in absorption over the widest bandwidth of solar spectrum. Following the simulation and optimization results, a nanofabrication process for the integration of metal nanostructures on top of large area c-Si solar cells has been designed. A new Laser Interference Lithography system, useful for the fabrication of large area plasmonic structures has been designed, constructed and tested. Several processes have been designed and performed and new materials have been also developed (e.g. Hybrid Organic-Inorganic solgel sinusoidal gratings). System performances are still growing toward the control of the full set of geometric parameters of the structures that can be fabricated. After nanofabrication, performances of solar cells integrating plasmonic crystals have been verified by electro-optic characterizations. Polarization resolved Specular Reflectance measurements of patterned solar cell samples were performed and results validate the model. Figures of merit of devices integrating plasmonic crystals, current density (JV) as well as External Quantum Efficiency (EQE), have been also measured. JV characteristics show a significant improvement in conversion efficiency for cells integrating the Ag nanostructures compared to flat reference cells. Such improvement is mainly due to the enhancement in short circuit current due to the light trapping effect provided by the plasmonic crystals. The EQE spectra of cells with gratings show an enhancement in near infra-red response for TM polarization, as expected from optical simulations, and also an unexpected measured improved absorption in the visible. The latter is a further indication of effectiveness of plasmonic nanostructures in light harvesting.
Stable Fixed Points of Loopy Belief Propagation Are Minima of the Bethe Free Energy

We extend recent work on the connection between loopy belief propagation and the Bethe free energy. Constrained minimization of the Bethe free energy can be turned into an unconstrained saddle-point problem. Both converging double-loop algorithms and standard loopy belief propagation can be interpreted as attempts to solve this saddle-point problem. Stability analysis then leads us to conclude that stable fixed points of loopy belief propagation must be (local) minima of the Bethe free energy. Perhaps surprisingly, the converse need not be the case: minima can be unstable fixed points. We illustrate this with an example and discuss implications.
Crosstalk among Jak‐STAT, Toll‐like receptor, and ITAM‐dependent pathways in macrophage activation

Macrophage phenotype and activation are regulated by cytokines that use the Jak‐STAT signaling pathway, microbial recognition receptors that include TLRs, and immunoreceptors that signal via ITAM motifs. The amplitude and qualitative nature of macrophage activation are determined by crosstalk among these signaling pathways. Basal ITAM signaling restrains macrophage responses to TLRs and other activating ligands, whereas strong ITAM signals synergize with the same ligands to activate cells strongly. Similarly, basal ITAM signaling augments IFN signaling and function of receptor activator of NF‐κB, but extensive ITAM activation inhibits Jak‐STAT signaling. Thus, intensity and duration of ITAM signaling determine whether ITAM‐coupled receptors augment or attenuate TLR and Jak‐STAT responses. IFN‐γ synergizes with TLRs in part by suppressing TLR‐induced feedback inhibition, mediated by IL‐10 and Stat3, by a mechanism that depends on glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)3 regulation of AP‐1 and CREB. IFN‐γ suppresses TLR2 and TLR4 induction/activation of AP‐1 by overlapping mechanisms that include regulation of MAPKs, GSK3‐dependent suppression of DNA binding, and decreased Fos and Jun protein expression and stability. IFN‐γ suppression of TLR‐induced activation of AP‐1 and downstream target genes challenges current concepts about the inflammatory role of AP‐1 proteins in macrophage activation and is consistent with a role for AP‐1 in the generation of noninflammatory osteoclasts. Jak‐STAT, TLR, and ITAM pathways are basally active in macrophages and strongly induced during innate responses. Thus, signal transduction crosstalk is regulated in a dynamic manner, which differs under homeostatic and pathologic conditions, and dysregulation of signal transduction crosstalk may contribute to pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases.
Editorial: Traumatic Brain Injury As a Systems Neuroscience Problem

Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, 2 Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA, Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Perelman School of
The optimal elastic flagellum

Motile eukaryotic cells propel themselves in viscous fluids by passing waves of bending deformation down their flagella. An infinitely long flagellum achieves a hydrodynamically optimal low-Reynolds number locomotion when the angle between its local tangent and the swimming direction remains constant along its length. Optimal flagella therefore adopt the shape of a helix in three dimensions (smooth) and that of a sawtooth in two dimensions (nonsmooth). Physically, biological organisms (or engineered microswimmers) must expend internal energy in order to produce the waves of deformation responsible for the motion. Here we propose a physically motivated derivation of the optimal flagellum shape. We determine analytically and numerically the shape of the flagellar wave which leads to the fastest swimming for a given appropriately defined energetic expenditure. Our novel approach is to define an energy which includes not only the work against the surrounding fluid, but also (1) the energy stored elastically i.