Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Absence of hepatitis C genome in semen of infected men by polymerase chain reaction, branched DNA and in situ hybridization.

BACKGROUND/AIMS The presence or absence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in the semen of infected man remains controversial, mainly due to technical difficulties associated with nucleic acid detection. The aims of this study were to assess the presence of HCV RNA in spermatozoa and in seminal fluid using different polymerase chain reaction (PCR)- and non-PCR-dependent methods and, in the case of HCV presence, to correlate this detection with the viraemia. METHODS Serum and semen from 25 chronically infected hepatitis C patients were studied. The semen was separated into spermatozoa and seminal fluid and HCV RNA was analysed in the two fractions using RT-PCR and branched DNA. The presence of HCV RNA in pelleted cells was also assessed using in situ hybridization. RESULTS All three approaches failed to demonstrate HCV RNA in semen. The presence of an inhibitor of the PCR was demonstrated in seminal fluid but not in spermatoza. CONCLUSION Our results confirmed the lack of detection of HCV RNA in semen by PCR- and non-PCR-dependent techniques and support the view that viral contamination in semen remains, if present, at a very low level. Nevertheless, epidemiological studies are required to definitively assess the absence of sexual transmission of HCV
Duration of Anesthesia Affects Intraocular Pressure, But Not Outflow Facility in Mice

Purpose: The study of aqueous humor dynamics (AHD) in mice is becoming more prevalent as more strains with elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) are developed. High IOP is usually associated with reduced outflow facility making this one of the more important AHD parameters to evaluate. Ocular measurements in mice require anesthesia that has profound effects on IOP but unknown effects on outflow facility. This study evaluates the effects of anesthesia duration and latanoprost treatment on outflow facility and IOP in BALB/c mice. Methods: IOPs were measured in conscious and anesthetized mice by tonometry. Outflow facility was evaluated in 15-min intervals at three pressure levels over two 45-min periods. Comparisons were made between latanoprost-treated eyes and untreated contralateral eyes. To determine the effect of anesthesia duration on IOP, a microneedle method was used to follow IOP for 120 min in separate mice. Results: IOP was 9.7 ± 0.3 mmHg (mean ± SEM) in conscious mice and 7.1 ± 0.02 within 10 min of anesthesia initiation (p < 0.01). IOP changed significantly between but not within assessment periods. IOP at 75 min was significantly (p = 0.004) reduced compared to IOP at 15 min after initial anesthesia. In control eyes, outflow facility did not change between the two 45-min assessment periods during the 120 min test (p = 0.80). In latanoprost-treated eyes, outflow facility increased compared with control eyes during both assessment periods (p = 0.03). A test of filters in series with known resistance found that the method was sensitive enough to detect a change in outflow facility of 0.001 μl/min/mmHg. Conclusions: Administration of ketamine/xylazine anesthesia for 120 min did not alter outflow facility or lessen the effect of latanoprost on outflow facility in mice as determined by a new analysis system. Accurate IOP measurements must be made within minutes of anesthesia administration but outflow facility measurements can be made with less haste.
Accounting at the boundaries of the sacred: the regulation of the Spanish brotherhoods in the eighteenth century

Recently, accounting research on religious organizations has concentrated on the sacred/profane dichotomy. We analyse how dissimilar perceptions of the sacred led to different roles of accounting in sacred organizations and, consequently, to different behaviours in a process of accountability. We study the accountability process imposed after 1769 by Spanish Enlightenment governments upon the brotherhoods, secular institutions within the Catholic Church that were formed to conduct charitable activities and improve worship, and that broadly influenced Spanish society. In their responses to a government census, most of the brotherhoods obscured accounting information. Finally, the government enacted a law that was intended to subjugate the brotherhoods to the civil power but did not actually impose accountability on them. We conclude that all those involved in this process shared a perception that rendering accounts was part of the sacred sphere, yet considered accountability as a profane tool.
The Impairment of MAGMAS Function in Human Is Responsible for a Severe Skeletal Dysplasia

Impairment of the tightly regulated ossification process leads to a wide range of skeletal dysplasias and deciphering their molecular bases has contributed to the understanding of this complex process. Here, we report a homozygous mutation in the mitochondria-associated granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor-signaling gene (MAGMAS) in a novel and severe spondylodysplastic dysplasia. MAGMAS, also referred to as PAM16 (presequence translocase-associated motor 16), is a mitochondria-associated protein involved in preprotein translocation into the matrix. We show that MAGMAS is specifically expressed in trabecular bone and cartilage at early developmental stages and that the mutation leads to an instability of the protein. We further demonstrate that the mutation described here confers to yeast strains a temperature-sensitive phenotype, impairs the import of mitochondrial matrix pre-proteins and induces cell death. The finding of deleterious MAGMAS mutations in an early lethal skeletal dysplasia supports a key role for this mitochondrial protein in the ossification process.
Neighborhood racial composition, neighborhood poverty, and the spatial accessibility of supermarkets in metropolitan Detroit.

OBJECTIVES We evaluated the spatial accessibility of large "chain" supermarkets in relation to neighborhood racial composition and poverty. METHODS We used a geographic information system to measure Manhattan block distance to the nearest supermarket for 869 neighborhoods (census tracts) in metropolitan Detroit. We constructed moving average spatial regression models to adjust for spatial autocorrelation and to test for the effect of modification of percentage African American and percentage poor on distance to the nearest supermarket. RESULTS Distance to the nearest supermarket was similar among the least impoverished neighborhoods, regardless of racial composition. Among the most impoverished neighborhoods, however, neighborhoods in which African Americans resided were, on average, 1.1 miles further from the nearest supermarket than were White neighborhoods. CONCLUSIONS Racial residential segregation disproportionately places African Americans in more-impoverished neighborhoods in Detroit and consequently reduces access to supermarkets. However, supermarkets have opened or remained open close to middle-income neighborhoods that have transitioned from White to African American. Development of economically disadvantaged African American neighborhoods is critical to effectively prevent diet-related diseases among this population.
Research on Fractal Tree RFID Tag Antenna on Papery Substrate

Based on the research of the fractal tree monopole antenna, fractal tree structure of dipole RFID tag antenna was proposed. Resonant frequencies, reflection coefficient and radiation patterns of fractal tag antennas were simulated with MoM, and a papery substrate tag antenna of the third iterated fractal tree is manufactured. The results of simulation and test showed that the space-filling feature of fractal antenna structure has been transformed to the size-reducing feature of RFID tag antenna effectively.
Endoscopic ultrasound treatment of vascular complications in acute pancreatitis

Bleeding due to vascular complications of acute pancreatitis is a rare dangerous condition that is diagnostically and therapeutically challenging, and represents the most life-threatening complication of acute pancreatitis. The overall goal of this report is to present a new potential indication for endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine-needle injection in the management of vascular complications of pancreatitis, based on continuous real-time visualization of vessels, color flow, and Doppler. EUS has enabled successful scterotherapy and embolization of the perforating vein of esophagogastric varices and pancreatic pseudoaneurysm, respectively, in a 55-year-old patient with a history of recurrent/chronic alcoholic pancreatitis. This effective procedure represents a minimally invasive therapeutic option and provides an alternative to arterial embolization and surgery in the assessment and management of this category of complications.
Pricing Algorithms for Power Control and Beamformer Design in Interference Networks

Achieving high spectral efficiencies in wireless networks re quires the ability to mitigate and manage the associated interference. This becomes especially impor tant in networks where many transmitters and receivers are randomly placed, so that in the absence of coor dination a particular receiver is likely to encounter significant interference from a neighboring trans mitter. A challenge is then to provide a means for coordination, which allocates available resources, or Degrees of Freedom (DoFs), at each transmitter to avoid interference wherever possible. In a wireless network DoFs generally refer to noninterfering modes of transmission, and can be defined in frequency, space, and time. DoFs in frequency and tim e typically correspond to multiple nonoverlapping channels and time slots, respectively, and DoFs in space correspond to orthogonal spatial beams.Resourcesthen include available power and beams at each transmitter, and the objective of the network operator is to allocate those resources among avail able DoFs to optimize an overall network objective. In principle, optimal resource allocation in a wireless net work can be achieved if all active nodes measure all channel gains to all other nodes, and pass that in formation to a resource manager. After collecting this information the resource manager would the n d termine allocations over all users, or transmitter-receiver pairs, and announce those to the vari ous transmitters. Of course, such a centralized
Deletion of LR11 Attenuates Hypoxia-Induced Pulmonary Arterial Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation With Medial Thickening in Mice

Objective—We aimed to determine whether LR11 (low-density lipoprotein receptor with 11 binding repeats) is a potential key regulator of smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation during the progression of hypoxia-induced medial thickening in mice and whether sLR11 (soluble LR11) can serve as a biomarker in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Approach and Results—The role of LR11 in pulmonary arterial hypertension was investigated using mouse and cell models of induced hypoxia. The expression of LR11 and of hypoxia-inducible factor-1&agr; was significantly increased in lung tissues from C57Bl/6 mice after 3 weeks of exposure to hypoxia compared with normoxia. Serum sLR11 levels were also increased. Physiological and histochemical analyses showed that increased right ventricular systolic pressure, right ventricular hypertrophy, and medial thickening induced under hypoxia in wild-type mice were attenuated in LR11−/− mice. The proliferation rates stimulated by hypoxia or platelet-derived growth factor-BB were attenuated in SMC derived from LR11−/− mice, compared with those from wild-type mice. Exogenous sLR11 protein increased the proliferation rates of SMC from wild-type mice. The expression of LR11 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1&agr; was increased in cultured SMC under hypoxic conditions, and hypoxia-inducible factor-1&agr; knockdown almost abolished the induction of LR11. Serum sLR11 levels were significantly higher in patients with, rather than without, pulmonary arterial hypertension. sLR11 levels positively correlated with pulmonary vascular resistance and mean pulmonary arterial pressure. Conclusions—LR11 regulated SMC proliferation during the progression of hypoxia-induced medial thickening in mice. The findings obtained from mice, together with those in humans, indicate that sLR11 could serve as a novel biomarker that reflects the pathophysiology of proliferating medial SMC in pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Characterization of a bovine herpesvirus 4 immediate-early RNA encoding a homolog of the Epstein-Barr virus R transactivator.

Immediate-early (IE) RNA 2, the less abundant of two bovine herpesvirus 4 (BHV-4) RNAs detected in Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells infected in the presence of cycloheximide, is a 1.8-kb cytoplasmic polyadenylated RNA transcribed from the 8.3-kb HindIII fragment F. The structure of IE RNA 2 has been determined by S1 nuclease and exonuclease VII mapping, primer extension analysis, and sequencing of a partial cDNA. IE RNA 2 consists of a short, approximately 60-nucleotide 5' exon spliced to a 1.8-kb 3' exon. DNA sequence analysis revealed an open reading frame encoding 551 amino acids with sequence homology to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) R transactivator and its homolog in herpesvirus saimiri, HVS.R. IE 2 and HVS.R show higher homology to each other than to the EBV R transactivator. The homology is highest in the approximately 320 amino-terminal amino acids. All three proteins have acidic carboxyl termini but have little amino acid sequence homology in this region. In transient expression cotransfection assays, IE 2 activated expression from the BHV-4 early promoter-regulatory region of the major DNA-binding protein homolog over 100-fold in bovine turbinate cells. IE 1 was not necessary for this transactivation and did not augment it. However, IE 2 did not transactivate EBV or herpesvirus saimiri early promoter-regulatory regions that are transactivated by the EBV R transactivator or HVS.R.
Longitudinal Metabolomic Profiling of Amino Acids and Lipids across Healthy Pregnancy

Pregnancy is characterized by a complexity of metabolic processes that may impact fetal development and ultimately, infant health outcomes. However, our understanding of whole body maternal and fetal metabolism during this critical life stage remains incomplete. The objective of this study is to utilize metabolomics to profile longitudinal patterns of fasting maternal metabolites among a cohort of non-diabetic, healthy pregnant women in order to advance our understanding of changes in protein and lipid concentrations across gestation, the biochemical pathways by which they are metabolized and to describe variation in maternal metabolites between ethnic groups. Among 160 pregnant women, amino acids, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates, keto-bodies and non-esterified fatty acids were detected by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, while polar lipids were detected through flow-injected mass spectrometry. The maternal plasma concentration of several essential and non-essential amino acids, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, free carnitine, acetylcarnitine, phosphatidylcholines and sphingomyelins significantly decreased across pregnancy. Concentrations of several TCA intermediates increase as pregnancy progresses, as well as the keto-body β-hydroxybutyrate. Ratios of specific acylcarnitines used as indicators of metabolic pathways suggest a decreased beta-oxidation rate and increased carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 enzyme activity with advancing gestation. Decreasing amino acid concentrations likely reflects placental uptake and tissue biosynthesis. The absence of any increase in plasma non-esterified fatty acids is unexpected in the catabolic phase of later pregnancy and may reflect enhanced placental fatty acid uptake and utilization for fetal tissue growth. While it appears that energy production through the TCA cycle increases as pregnancy progresses, decreasing patterns of free carnitine and acetylcarnitine as well as increased carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 rate and β-hydroxybutyrate levels suggest a concomitant upregulation of ketogenesis to ensure sufficient energy supply in the fasting state. Several differences in metabolomic profiles between Hispanic and non-Hispanic women demonstrate phenotypic variations in prenatal metabolism which should be considered in future studies.
Memory-Bounded D* Lite

A* is a well-established pathfinding algorithm. Focussed D* is one of the more popular variations thereof. D* Lite in turn is based upon Focussed D*. Being based upon A*, D* Lite suffers from similar high memory usage as A*, as all nodes being expanded need to remain in the algorithm’s OPEN list. D* Lite repairs the solution path as changes are detected, but oftentimes without any bounds on the amount of items placed on the update queue, creating a situation in which it is possible that all nodes within the map are placed on the queue, in the worst case. Memory-Bounded D* Lite (MD* Lite) aims to provide the same advantages of D* Lite, while applying memory usage constraints.
PSO-based Optimized Canny Technique for Efficient Boundary Detection in Tamil Sign Language Digital Images

For the hearing impaired, sign language is the most prevailing means of communication for their day-to-day life. It is always a challenge to develop an optimized automated system to recognize and interpret the implication of signs expressed by the hearing impaired. There are a wide range of algorithms developed for SLR, in which only few considerable approaches are carried out in Tamil Sign Language Recognition. This paper has proposed a significant contribution in segmentation process which is the most predominant component of image analysis in constructing the SLR system. Segmentation is handled using edge detection procedure for finding the borders of hand sign within the captured images, by detecting the split in the image illumination. The objective of the edge function, to find the boundary intensity, is done by a particle swarm optimization technique which chooses the optimal threshold values and implemented in the canny hysteresis thresholding method. The analysis primarily uses common edge recognition algorithms which contain Sobel, Robert, Canny and Prewitt from which the scope of the work is extended by introducing an optimization technique in Canny method. The performance of the proposed algorithm is tested with real time Tamil sign language dataset and comparison is inevitably carried out with standard segmentation metrics
OPEN PROBLEMS IN GEOMETRY OF CURVES AND SURFACES

We collect dozens of well-known and not so well-known fundamental unsolved problems involving low dimensional submanifolds of Euclidean space. The list includes selections from differential geometry, Riemannian geometry, metric geometry, discrete or polyhedral geometry, geometric knot theory, theory of convex bodies, and integral geometry. The common thread through these selections are the simplicity and intuitive nature of the questions. Extensive bibliography and historical background are included for each set of problems.
Reduced-Dimension Cooperative Precoding for MIMO Two-Way Relay Channels

We investigate efficient communications over MIMO two-way relay channels (TWRCs) of n<sub>T</sub> <; n<sub>R</sub>, where n<sub>T</sub> denotes the number of antennas at each user and n<sub>R</sub> denotes that at the relay. We propose a new reduced-dimension (RD) cooperative precoding scheme. In the proposed scheme, the two users cooperatively create n<sub>T</sub> aligned eigen-modes, supporting n<sub>T</sub> streams of physical-layer network coding. We investigate the design of the RD cooperative precoder and derive an asymptotically optimal solution. We analytically show that, in the worst case, the proposed scheme is within ½ bit per transmit antenna of the asymptotic sum-capacity of the MIMO TWRC. For fading MIMO TWRCs with i.i. d. Gaussian coefficients, we derive a closed-form expression of the average sum-rate of the proposed scheme using large system analysis. Our analytical result shows that, for a large system with n<sub>T</sub>/n<sub>R</sub> = ½, the proposed scheme is less than 0.16 bit per transmit antenna away from the capacity. Furthermore, this gap reduces as n<sub>T</sub>/n<sub>R</sub> increases, and vanishes as n<sub>T</sub>/n<sub>R</sub> tends to 1. It is demonstrated that the proposed scheme can significantly outperform other existing schemes in the literature.
AspectFX - A Framework for Supporting Collaborative Works in RIA by Aspect Oriented Approach

This paper presents AspectFX, a novel approach to enabling developers and designers to collaborate effectively in RIA development. Unlike traditional web applications, RIAs are implemented by a number of developers and designers; therefore it is reasonable to divide an application into modules and assign them to developers and designers, and collaborative works among them have been important. MVC architecture and OOP helps to divide an application into functional units as modules and bring efficiency to development processes. To play these modules as a single application, developers have to describe method invocations to utilize functionalities implemented in modules, however, developers need to describe additional method invocations that are not primary tasks for them. These additional method invocations make the dependencies among modules strong and these dependencies make it inefficient/difficult to implement and maintain an application. This paper describes the design and implementation of AspectFX that introduces aspect-oriented concept and considers the additional method invocations as cross-cutting concerns. AspectFX provides methods to separate the cross-cutting concerns from primary concerns and weaves them for playing them as an application.
Transglutaminase II/MicroRNA-218/-181a Loop Regulates Positive Feedback Relationship between Allergic Inflammation and Tumor Metastasis*

Background: The mechanism of transglutaminase II-mediated allergic inflammation-promoted tumor metastasis remains unknown at the molecular level. Results: The transglutaminase II/miR-218/-181a loop regulates allergic inflammation-promoted tumor metastasis. Conclusion: Transglutaminase II mediates a positive feedback between allergic inflammation and tumor metastasis. Significance: Transglutaminase II can be a target for the development of allergy and cancer therapeutics. The molecular mechanism of transglutaminase II (TGaseII)-mediated allergic inflammation remains largely unknown. TGaseII, induced by antigen stimulation, showed an interaction and co-localization with FcϵRI. TGaseII was necessary for in vivo allergic inflammation, such as triphasic cutaneous reaction, passive cutaneous anaphylaxis, and passive systemic anaphylaxis. TGaseII was necessary for the enhanced metastatic potential of B16F1 melanoma cells by passive systemic anaphylaxis. TGaseII was shown to be a secreted protein. Recombinant TGaseII protein increased the histamine release and β-hexosaminidase activity, and enhanced the metastatic potential of B16F1 mouse melanoma cells. Recombinant TGaseII protein induced the activation of EGF receptor and an interaction between EGF receptor and FcϵRI. Recombinant TGaseII protein displayed angiogenic potential accompanied by allergic inflammation. R2 peptide, an inhibitor of TGaseII, exerted negative effects on in vitro and in vivo allergic inflammation by regulating the expression of TGaseII and FcϵRI signaling. MicroRNA (miR)-218 and miR-181a, decreased during allergic inflammation, were predicted as negative regulators of TGaseII by microRNA array and TargetScan analysis. miR-218 and miR-181a formed a negative feedback loop with TGaseII and regulated the in vitro and in vivo allergic inflammation. TGaseII was necessary for the interaction between mast cells and macrophages during allergic inflammation. Mast cells and macrophages, activated during allergic inflammation, were responsible for the enhanced metastatic potential of tumor cells that are accompanied by allergic inflammation. In conclusion, the TGaseII/miR-218/-181a feedback loop can be employed for the development of anti-allergy therapeutics.