Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Volumetric Analysis of In-Stent Intimal Hyperplasia in Diabetic Patients Treated With or Without Abciximab: Results of the Diabetes Abciximab steNT Evaluation (DANTE) Randomized Trial

Background—In diabetic patients in the Evaluation of Platelet IIb/IIIa Inhibitor for Stenting (EPISTENT) trial, abciximab reduced target vessel revascularization by ≈50% compared with placebo. Whether this is a result of a lower restenosis rate caused by inhibition of intimal hyperplasia remains to be defined. Methods and Results—The purpose of this study was to determine whether abciximab at the time of stent implantation would reduce in-stent intimal hyperplasia measured by intravascular ultrasound at 6-month follow-up in type 2 diabetics. Ninety-six diabetic patients (96 lesions) who underwent elective stent implantation for a de novo lesion in a native coronary artery were randomly assigned to receive abciximab or no abciximab. In-stent intimal hyperplasia volume, expressed as percentage of stent volume, did not differ between groups: 41.3±21.0% for those treated with abciximab versus 40.5±18.3% for those treated without abciximab (P =0.9). There were also no significant differences in angiographic minimal luminal diameter at follow-up (1.74±0.69 versus 1.66±0.63 mm; P =0.5), late loss (1.03±0.63 versus 1.07±0.58 mm; P =0.7), restenosis rate (17.8% versus 22.9%; P =0.5), or cumulative incidence of major adverse cardiac events at 12 months (19.1% versus 20.4%; P =0.9). Conclusions—Six-month intravascular ultrasound volumetric analysis showed that abciximab, at the time of coronary stent implantation, was not associated with a reduction of in-stent intimal hyperplasia in diabetic patients.
A novel low complexity speech recognition approach

In the field of digital speech recognition powerful ASR (automatic speech recognizer) systems have been developed which employ highly intricate algorithms like the HMM, DTW and neural network based algorithms capable of recognizing up to 1000 different words. Their high complexity and computation requirements prove to be superfluous for less demanding tasks. In this paper is proposed a simple, less aggressive and computationally efficient algorithm that can parallel any of the above algorithmspsila ability to distinguish a few words (typically up to 5 different words) but demands considerably less computational power making it suitable for embedded systems. Also discussed is the technique of rdquoMenu Drivenrdquo control where the number of words that can be recognized, pose no frontier to the number of tasks that can be performed by using very few (5 or less) words.
Phytohormones Participate in an S6 Kinase Signal Transduction Pathway in Arabidopsis1

Addition of fresh medium to stationary cells of Arabidopsis suspension culture induces increased phosphorylation of the S6 ribosomal protein and activation of its cognate kinase, AtS6k. Analysis of the activation response revealed that medium constituents required for S6 kinase activation were the phytohormones 1-naphthylacetic acid (auxin) and kinetin. Pretreatment of cells with anti-auxin or PI3-kinase drugs inhibited this response. Consistent with these findings, LY294002, a PI3-kinase inhibitor, efficiently suppressed phytohormone-induced S6 phosphorylation and translational up-regulation of ribosomal protein S6 and S18A mRNAs without affecting global translation. These data indicate that (1) activation of AtS6k is regulated by phytohormones, at least in part, via a lipid kinase-dependent pathway, that (2) the translational regulation of ribosomal proteins appears to be conserved throughout the plant and animal kingdom, and that (3) these events are hallmarks of a growth-related signal transduction pathway novel in plants.
Assembly and integration of semiconductor nanowires for functional nanosystems

Central to the bottom-up paradigm of nanoscience, which could lead to entirely new and highly integrated functional nanosystems, is the development of effective assembly methods that enable hierarchical organization of nanoscale building blocks over large areas. Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) represent one of the most powerful and versatile classes of synthetically tunable nanoscale building blocks for studies of the fundamental physical properties of nanostructures and the assembly of a wide range of functional nanoscale systems. In this article, we review several key advances in the recent development of general assembly approaches for organizing semiconductor NW building blocks into designed architectures, and the further integration of ordered structures to construct functional NW device arrays. We first introduce a series of rational assembly strategies to organize NWs into hierarchically ordered structures, with a focus on the blown bubble film (BBF) technique and chemically driven assembly. Next, we discuss significant advances in building integrated nano-electronic systems based on the reproducible assembly of scalable NW crossbar arrays, such as high-density memory arrays and logic structures. Lastly, we describe unique applications of assembled NW device arrays for studying functional nanoelectronic–biological interfaces by building well-defined NW-cell/tissue hybrid junctions, including the highly integrated NW–neuron interface and the multiplexed, flexible NW–heart tissue interface.
Protein Kinase A Is Part of a Mechanism That Regulates Nuclear Reimport of the Nuclear tRNA Export Receptors Los1p and Msn5p

ABSTRACT The two main signal transduction mechanisms that allow eukaryotes to sense and respond to changes in glucose availability in the environment are the cyclic AMP (cAMP)/protein kinase A (PKA) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/Snf1 kinase-dependent pathways. Previous studies have shown that the nuclear tRNA export process is inhibited in Saccharomyces cerevisiae deprived of glucose. However, the signal transduction pathway involved and the mechanism by which glucose availability regulates nuclear-cytoplasmic tRNA trafficking are not understood. Here, we show that inhibition of nuclear tRNA export is caused by a block in nuclear reimport of the tRNA export receptors during glucose deprivation. Cytoplasmic accumulation of the tRNA export receptors during glucose deprivation is not caused by activation of Snf1p. Evidence obtained suggests that PKA is part of the mechanism that regulates nuclear reimport of the tRNA export receptors in response to glucose availability. This mechanism does not appear to involve phosphorylation of the nuclear tRNA export receptors by PKA. The block in nuclear reimport of the tRNA export receptors appears to be caused by activation of an unidentified mechanism when PKA is turned off during glucose deprivation. Taken together, the data suggest that PKA facilitates return of the tRNA export receptors to the nucleus by inhibiting an unidentified activity that facilitates cytoplasmic accumulation of the tRNA export receptors when glucose in the environment is limiting. A PKA-independent mechanism was also found to regulate nuclear tRNA export in response to glucose availability. This mechanism, however, does not regulate nuclear reimport of the tRNA export receptors.
Aortic Stiffness Is an Independent Predictor of Fatal Stroke in Essential Hypertension

Background and Purpose— Pulse pressure is a stronger predictor of cardiovascular events than systolic or diastolic blood pressure in large cohorts of French and North American patients. However, its influence on stroke is controversial. Large-artery stiffness is the main determinant of pulse pressure. The influence of arterial stiffness on the occurrence of stroke has never been demonstrated. Our aim was to establish the relationship between aortic stiffness and stroke death in hypertensive patients. Methods— We included, in a longitudinal study, 1715 essential hypertensive patients who had a measurement of arterial stiffness at entry (ie, between 1980 and 2001) and no overt cardiovascular disease or symptoms. Mean follow-up was 7.9 years. At entry, aortic stiffness was assessed from the carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity. A Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to estimate the relative risk (RR) of stroke and coronary deaths. Results— Mean±SD age at entry was 51±13 years. Twenty-five fatal strokes and 35 fatal coronary events occurred. Pulse wave velocity significantly predicted the occurrence of stroke death in the whole population. There was a RR increase of 1.72 (95% CI, 1.48 to 1.96;P <0.0001) for each SD increase in pulse wave velocity (4 m/s). The predictive value of pulse wave velocity remained significant (RR=1.39 [95% CI, 1.08 to 1.72];P =0.02) after full adjustment for classic cardiovascular risk factors, including age, cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, mean blood pressure, and pulse pressure. In this population, pulse pressure significantly predicted stroke in univariate analysis, with a RR increase of 1.33 (95% CI, 1.16 to 1.51) for each 10 mm Hg of pulse pressure (P <0.0001) but not after adjustment for age (RR=1.19 [95% CI, 0.96 to 1.47];P =0.10). Conclusions— This study provides the first evidence, in a longitudinal study, that aortic stiffness is an independent predictor of fatal stroke in patients with essential hypertension.
clinical investigations in critical care Time Course of Hemostatic Abnormalities in Sepsis and its Relation to Outcome *

Objectives: To investigate the time course and the relation to prognosis ofcoagulation and fibrinolytic abnormalities in patients with septic shock. Patients and Methods: Forty-eight consecutive patients admitted to the medical ICU with the diagnosis of septic shock (diagnosed by defined criteria) were studied. Mortality was 25 of 48. Mean age was 57 ± 7.3 years. Blood samples were obtained on days 1, 4, and 7 after hospital admission to measure tissue-type plasminogen activator antigen (t-PA), urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA), plasminogen activator inhibitor antigen (PA! -! ), plasminogen, a -antiplasmin, fibrinogen, antithrombin ifi, protein C, protein S, thrombin-antithrombin complexes (TAT), D-dimer, and von Willebrand factor-related antigen
Pulmonary nodule registration: rigid or nonrigid?

PURPOSE The primary aim of this study is to investigate the performance difference of rigid and nonrigid registration schemes in matching corresponding pulmonary nodules depicted on sequential chest computed tomography (CT) examinations. METHODS A gradient descent based rigid registration algorithm with scaling was developed and it handled the involved geometric transformations (i.e., translation, rescaling, shearing, and rotation) separately instead of optimizing them in a single pass. Given two lung CT examinations, the scaling and translation parameters were simply estimated from the lung volume dimensions (e.g., size and mass center), while the rotation parameters were optimized progressively using gradient descent. To investigate the performance difference of rigid and nonrigid schemes in pulmonary nodule registration, the well-known nonrigid Demons algorithm was implemented and tested along with the developed schemes against 60 diverse low-dose clinical lung CT examinations with average 2-yr follow-up scans. A verified cancer and its correspondence in the follow-up scan as well as their spatial locations (mass center) were identified in each examination. In addition to the computational efficiency, the accuracy of these registration procedures was assessed by computing the Euclidean distances between the corresponding nodules after the registration. To demonstrate the advantage of the developed algorithm, the authors also implemented a fast iterative closest point (ICP) based rigid algorithm and compared their performance. RESULTS Our experiments on the collected chest CT examinations showed that the nodule registration errors in 3D Euclidean distance for the developed rigid affine approach, the traditional ICP algorithm, and the refining nonrigid Demons algorithm were 9.6, 9.8, and 10.0 mm, respectively, and the corresponding computational costs in time were 5, 300, and 55 s, respectively. CONCLUSIONS A rigid solution may be preferred in practice for the pulmonary nodule registration in longitudinal studies because of its relatively high efficiency and sufficient accuracy for the clinical need.
Mechanical Properties of Breast Cancer Cell Membrane Studied with Optical Tweezers

Membrane tethers are extracted from breast cancer cells using a force generated by an optical trap. It is experimentally obtained that the radius of tether is about 0. 1μm and the static tether force is about 8.5 pN. Calculations based on the experimental measurements give a bending modulus for the tether of 1.35 x 10^-19 N.m and a surface membrane tension of 6.76 x 10^-6 N/m in the breast cancer cell. The treatment with cytochalasin D results in the decreasing bending modulus and decreasing apparent surface tension. When the membrane protein caveolin is over-expressed, similar cases occur in bending modulus and apparent surface tension. In addition, the viscous resistance coefficient of the membrane is calculated to be 1.15pN. s/μm according to the dynamic tether forces obtained under different pulling velocities.
Assessing quality of life in Parkinson's disease: Can a short‐form questionnaire be useful?

Various instruments with good psychometric properties have been developed for the assessment of health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) in Parkinson's disease, (PD); however, in everyday practice a brief questionnaire is needed for quick screening of patients. We present the process of development and validation of the Greek version of PD questionnaire‐8 (PDQ‐8GrV), which is an 8‐item scale derived from a well‐known measure for the evaluation of HRQoL in PD, the PD questionnaire (PDQ‐39). PDQ‐8 GrV was applied to 228 nondemented Greek PD patients. Data from PDQ‐39 were also collected from these patients for comparisons between the total scores of the two scales. Detailed statistical analysis showed that PD‐8GrV has psychometric properties analogous to its parent questionnaire. © 2003 Movement Disorder Society
Design and fabrication of CAP scaffolds by indirect solid free form fabrication

Purpose – To fabricate the self‐hardening calcium phosphate composite scaffolds with controlled internal pore architectures using rapid prototyping (RP) techniques and investigate their in vitro bone tissue engineering responses.Design/methodology/approach – The three‐dimensionally interconnected pores in scaffolds can facilitate sufficient supply of blood, oxygen and nutrients for the ingrowth of bone cells, tissue regeneration, and vascularization. It is essential for bone tissue engineering to provide an accurate control over the scaffolds material, porosity, and internal pore architectures. Negative image of scaffold was designed and epoxy resin molds were fabricated on sterolithography apparatus. Calcium phosphate cement slurry was cast in these molds. After self‐hardening, the molds were removed by pyrolysis and the resulting scaffolds were obtained.Findings – Eight scaffolds with 54.45 percent porosity were tested on an Instron machine. The average compressive strength measured was 5.8±0.8 Mpa. Cyt.
The influence of the rotor slits on the performance of high-speed solid-rotor induction machine

Nowadays, the high speed induction motors with solid rotors are subject of interest in many studies. These machines are supplied from frequency inverters with corresponding frequency to obtain desire rotating speed. Very simple massive solid rotor is prefer due to its mechanical strength, low-cost manufacture and can be used in hostile environment. This article is focused on high speed induction motor with two different rotor types, namely smooth solid and axially slitted rotor. In the introduction the application, method of analysis and rotor topology are discussed especially for rotors, mentioned above. Our motor is designed to provide output power of 12kW and its synchronous speed is 45000 min−1. Models are created in ANSYS Maxwell software package and analyzed with approach of finite element method. Two solid rotors are examined where the first motor is equipped with smooth solid rotor which is made of single steel with no feature modification and can withstand great mechanical forces and the second motor is equipped with rotor where feature modification is applied in form of axial slits with proper depth in order to obtain better electromagnetic performance. The difference and improvement of this modification is investigated.
Classification of transcription factors using protein primary structure.

The transcription factor (TF) is a protein that binds DNA at specific site to help regulate the transcription from DNA to RNA. The mechanism of transcriptional regulatory can be much better understood if the category of transcription factors is known. We introduce a system which can automatically categorize transcription factors using their primary structures. A feature analysis strategy called "mRMR" (Minimum Redundancy, Maximum Relevance) is used to analyze the contribution of the TF properties towards the TF classification. mRMR is coupled with forward feature selection to choose an optimized feature subset for the classification. TF properties are composed of the amino acid composition and the physiochemical characters of the proteins. These properties will generate over a hundred features/parameters. We put all the features/parameters into a classifier, called NNA (nearest neighbor algorithm), for the classification. The classification accuracy is 93.81%, evaluated by a Jackknife test. Feature analysis using mRMR algorithm shows that secondary structure, amino acid composition and hydrophobicity are the most relevant features for classification. A free online classifier is available at http://app3.biosino. org/132dvc/tf/.
Localization and retention of p90 ribosomal S6 kinase 1 in the nucleus: implications for its function

Ribosomal S6 kinase 1 (RSK1), which plays a critical role in cell survival and proliferation, contains a bipartite nuclear localization sequence that permits its entry into the nucleus. RSK1 is retained in the nucleus via its indirect interactions with AKAP95. Interference with its nuclear entry or retention decreases DNA synthesis.
The regulation of SIRT2 function by cyclin-dependent kinases affects cell motility

Cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) fulfill key functions in many cellular processes, including cell cycle progression and cytoskeletal dynamics. A limited number of Cdk substrates have been identified with few demonstrated to be regulated by Cdk-dependent phosphorylation. We identify on protein expression arrays novel cyclin E–Cdk2 substrates, including SIRT2, a member of the Sirtuin family of NAD+-dependent deacetylases that targets α-tubulin. We define Ser-331 as the site phosphorylated by cyclin E–Cdk2, cyclin A–Cdk2, and p35–Cdk5 both in vitro and in cells. Importantly, phosphorylation at Ser-331 inhibits the catalytic activity of SIRT2. Gain- and loss-of-function studies demonstrate that SIRT2 interfered with cell adhesion and cell migration. In postmitotic hippocampal neurons, neurite outgrowth and growth cone collapse are inhibited by SIRT2. The effects provoked by SIRT2, but not those of a nonphosphorylatable mutant, are antagonized by Cdk-dependent phosphorylation. Collectively, our findings identify a posttranslational mechanism that controls SIRT2 function, and they provide evidence for a novel regulatory circuitry involving Cdks, SIRT2, and microtubules.
Targeting Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase γ in Airway Smooth Muscle Cells to Suppress Interleukin-13-Induced Mouse Airway Hyperresponsiveness

We recently reported that phosphoinositide 3-kinase γ (PI3Kγ) directly regulates airway smooth muscle (ASM) contraction by modulating Ca2+ oscillations. Because ASM contraction plays a critical role in airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) of asthma, the aim of the present study was to determine whether targeting PI3Kγ in ASM cells could suppress AHR in vitro and in vivo. Intranasal administration into mice of interleukin-13 (IL-13; 10 μg per mouse), a key pathophysiologic cytokine in asthma, induced AHR after 48 h, as assessed by invasive tracheostomy. Intranasal administration of a broad-spectrum PI3K inhibitor or a PI3Kγ-specific inhibitor 1 h before AHR assessment attenuated IL-13 effects. Airway responsiveness to bronchoconstrictor agonists was also examined in precision-cut mouse lung slices pretreated without or with IL-13 for 24 h. Acetylcholine and serotonin dose-response curves indicated that IL-13-treated lung slices had a 40 to 50% larger maximal airway constriction compared with controls. Furthermore, acetylcholine induced a larger initial Ca2+ transient and increased Ca2+ oscillations in IL-13-treated primary mouse ASM cells compared with control cells, correlating with increased cell contraction. As expected, PI3Kγ inhibitor treatment attenuated IL-13-augmented airway contractility of lung slices and ASM cell contraction. In both control and IL-13-treated ASM cells, small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of PI3Kγ by 70% only reduced the initial Ca2+ transient by 20 to 30% but markedly attenuated Ca2+ oscillations and contractility of ASM cells by 50 to 60%. This report is the first to demonstrate that PI3Kγ in ASM cells is important for IL-13-induced AHR and that acute treatment with a PI3Kγ inhibitor can ameliorate AHR in a murine model of asthma.
Flow mediated vasodilation and circulating concentrations of high sensitive C‐reactive protein, interleukin‐6 and tumor necrosis factor‐α in normal pregnancy – The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study

Background: Traditional risk factors such as hyperlipidemia induce a state of inflammation that impairs vascular function. Despite marked maternal hyperlipidemia, endothelial function improves during pregnancy. In non‐pregnant state increased circulating levels of pro‐inflammatory cytokines and high sensitive C‐reactive protein (hsCRP) lead to attenuated flow mediated vasodilation. Relation between endothelial function and pro‐inflammatory cytokines has not been studied thoroughly in pregnancy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pregnancy on hsCRP and pro‐inflammatory cytokines and their associations with vascular endothelial function.
Understanding Galaxy Rotation Curves in terms of Interference of Gravitational Waves

This paper proposes a new way of understanding the difference between observed and predicted velocities of the stars at the out skirts of spiral galaxies, as follows: The massive stars orbiting around the galactic center give rise to gravitational waves, which propagate towards the out skirts at the speed of light. Since the distances involved are so large that it becomes important to think in terms of superposition and interference of gravitational waves, rather than Newtonian gravity. The waves from different radial distances reach at different times at the out skirts giving rise to interference of gravitational waves. The slope of the resultant gravitational field can be different from the expected inverse square law followed by Newtonian gravity.