Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Virtual In-Silico Modeling Guided Catheter Ablation Predicts Effective Linear Ablation Lesion Set for Longstanding Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: Multicenter Prospective Randomized Study

Objective: Radiofrequency catheter ablation for persistent atrial fibrillation (PeAF) still has a substantial recurrence rate. This study aims to investigate whether an AF ablation lesion set chosen using in-silico ablation (V-ABL) is clinically feasible and more effective than an empirically chosen ablation lesion set (Em-ABL) in patients with PeAF. Methods: We prospectively included 108 patients with antiarrhythmic drug-resistant PeAF (77.8% men, age 60.8 ± 9.9 years), and randomly assigned them to the V-ABL (n = 53) and Em-ABL (n = 55) groups. Five different in-silico ablation lesion sets [1 pulmonary vein isolation (PVI), 3 linear ablations, and 1 electrogram-guided ablation] were compared using heart-CT integrated AF modeling. We evaluated the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of V-ABL compared with that of Em-ABL. Results: The pre-procedural computing time for five different ablation strategies was 166 ± 11 min. In the Em-ABL group, the earliest terminating blinded in-silico lesion set matched with the Em-ABL lesion set in 21.8%. V-ABL was not inferior to Em-ABL in terms of procedure time (p = 0.403), ablation time (p = 0.510), and major complication rate (p = 0.900). During 12.6 ± 3.8 months of follow-up, the clinical recurrence rate was 14.0% in the V-ABL group and 18.9% in the Em-ABL group (p = 0.538). In Em-ABL group, clinical recurrence rate was significantly lower after PVI+posterior box+anterior linear ablation, which showed the most frequent termination during in-silico ablation (log-rank p = 0.027). Conclusions: V-ABL was feasible in clinical practice, not inferior to Em-ABL, and predicts the most effective ablation lesion set in patients who underwent PeAF ablation.
Prevalence of adults with brain arteriovenous malformations: a community based study in Scotland using capture-recapture analysis

Objective: To conduct a population based study of brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM) prevalence. Methods: Multiple, overlapping sources of case ascertainment were used to establish the point prevalence of brain AVMs in the adult population of the Lothian health board of Scotland. Patients were sought retrospectively from all local general (family) practitioners, neurologists, neurosurgeons, stroke physicians, the specialist AVM clinic at the regional neuroscience centre, and routine coding of hospital discharge data. Case notes, brain imaging, and pathology reports were reviewed to validate each patient’s diagnosis and to ensure that each was alive, over the age of 16 years, and resident in the geographical area of the study on the prevalence date of 30 June 1998. Results: Of 148 potentially eligible people, 93 adults met the inclusion criteria. There were 40 women and 53 men. Men were significantly younger than women on the prevalence date (median age 39 years v 51 years, p = 0.003). Of those included, 25 (27%) had radiological evidence of prior therapeutic obliteration of their brain AVM and 9 (10%) had coexisting aneurysms. The minimum crude brain AVM prevalence was 15 per 100 000 adults and capture-recapture analysis gave an ascertainment adjusted prevalence of 18 (95% confidence interval 16 to 24) per 100 000 adults. Conclusions: The minimum estimate of brain AVM prevalence helps to assess its burden and comparative epidemiology and stresses the importance of brain AVMs as a cause of long term disability in adults.
The Power of Lexicographic Maximization: Beyond Cross-Monotonicity

In a cost-sharing problem, finitely many players have an unknown preference for some non-rivalrous but excludable good (service). The task is to determine which set of players Q to serve and how to distribute the incurred cost C(Q). Typical constraints of cost-sharing problems demand for mechanisms that elicit truthful bids, balance the budget (i.e., recover the incurred cost with the prices charged), and are economically ecient (i.e., trade o the service cost and the excluded players' valuations as good as possible). The only known general technique for the design of cost-sharing mechanisms that are truthful in the strong sense, i.e., resilient also against manipulation by coalitions (group-strategyproof, GSP), is due to Moulin (1999). Unfortunately, there are several natural cost-sharing problems for which any Moulin mechanism inevitably suers poor budget-balance and economic eciency. In this work, we make first important steps towards new general design techniques for GSP mechanisms: We devise a novel family of polynomial-time computable mechanisms that, for the class of subadditive symmetric cost functions, achieve provably better budget balance than any Moulin mechanism. We apply our findings to the problem of sharing the makespan cost when scheduling jobs on parallel related machines. Towards understanding the limitations imposed by GSP itself, we establish an impossibility result stating that for more than three players, exactly budget-balanced GSP mechanisms do not exist in general, even if the cost function is symmetric.
Identification, cloning, and sequencing of the immunoglobulin A1 protease gene of Streptococcus pneumoniae

The pneumococcus expresses a protease that hydrolyzes human immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1). A gene for IgA1 protease was identified from a plasmid library of pneumococcal DNA because of the effect of its overexpression on the colony morphology of Streptococcus pneumoniae. The deduced 1,964-amino-acid sequence is highly homologous to that of the IgA1 protease from Streptococcus sanguis. The similarity to the S. sanguis enzyme and the presence of a putative zinc-binding site suggest that the pneumococcal enzyme is a metalloprotease. The two streptococcal sequences differ in a hydrophilic region with 10 tandem repeats of a 20-mer in S. sanguis, which is replaced by a similar but less repetitive sequence in S. pneumoniae. Antiserum reactive with the pneumococcal IgA1 protease was used to demonstrate that the majority of the protein is cell associated. The expression and function of this gene were confirmed by insertional mutagenesis. Interruption of the chromosomal gene resulted in loss of expression of an approximately 200-kDa protein and complete elimination of detectable IgA1 protease activity.
Silencing SOX2 Expression by RNA Interference Inhibits Proliferation, Invasion and Metastasis, and Induces Apoptosis through MAP4K4/JNK Signaling Pathway in Human Laryngeal Cancer TU212 Cells

SRY (sex determining region Y)-box 2 (SOX2) plays an important role in tumor cell metastasis and apoptosis. Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), responsible for 1.5% of all cancers, is one of the most common head and neck malignancies. Accumulating evidence shows that SOX2 is overexpressed in several human tumors, including lung cancer, esophageal carcinoma, pancreatic carcinoma, breast cancer, ovarian carcinoma and glioma. Our study aimed to investigate the silencing effects of SOX2 expression using RNA interference (RNAi) on various biological processes in laryngeal cancer TU212 cells, including proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and metastasis. We also studied the involvement of the MAPK/JNK signaling pathway in the biological effects of SOX2 siRNA in TU212 cells. We found that silencing SOX2 decreased the proliferation, migration, and invasion of TU212 cells, and induced apoptosis. This effect of silencing SOX2 could be reversed by silencing MAP4K4. Therefore, we consider SOX2 as a key regulator of the upstream MAP4K4/JNK signaling pathways that could be a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of patients with or prevention of laryngeal cancer.
Application of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi during the Acclimatization of Alpinia purpurata to Induce Tolerance to Meloidogyne arenaria

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the tolerance of micropropagated and mycorrhized alpinia plants to the parasite Meloidogyne arenaria. The experimental design was completely randomized with a factorial arrangement of four inoculation treatments with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) (Gigaspora albida, Claroideoglomus etunicatum, Acaulospora longula, and a non-inoculated control) in the presence or absence of M. arenaria with five replicates. The following characteristics were evaluated after 270 days of mycorrhization and 170 days of M. arenaria inoculation: height, number of leaves and tillers, fresh mass of aerial and subterranean parts, dry mass of aerial parts, foliar area, nutritional content, mycorrhizal colonization, AMF sporulation, and the number of galls, egg masses, and eggs. The results indicated a significant interaction between the treatments for AMF spore density, total mycorrhizal colonization, and nutrient content (Zn, Na, and N), while the remaining parameters were influenced by either AMF or nematodes. Plants inoculated with A. longula or C. etunicatum exhibited greater growth than the control. Lower N content was observed in plants inoculated with AMF, while Zn and Na were found in larger quantities in plants inoculated with C. etunicatum. Fewer galls were observed on mycorrhized plants, and egg mass production and the number of eggs were lower in plants inoculated with G. albida. Plants inoculated with A. longula showed a higher percentage of total mycorrhizal colonization in the presence of the nematode. Therefore, the association of micropropagated alpinia plants and A. longula enhanced tolerance to parasitism by M. arenaria.
A tool for component based design of embedded software

In this paper a new approach for building embedded applications is presented. The approach is based on the composition of reusable components with the addition of a contract principle for modelling non-functional constraints. Non-functional constraints are an important aspect of embedded systems, and this is why they are modelled separately. As such, the component view presented here differs from traditional component based views, where focus is laid on the functional part. The ideas discussed in the paper have been implemented in a tool. This tool enables the construction of embedded software by means of components and contracts. Currently, runtime mechanisms - that enable runtime monitoring of the contracts - are being included.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mer3 Is a DNA Helicase Involved in Meiotic Crossing Over

ABSTRACT Crossing over is regulated to occur at least once per each pair of homologous chromosomes during meiotic prophase to ensure proper segregation of chromosomes at the first meiotic division. In a mer3 deletion mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, crossing over is decreased, and the distribution of the crossovers that occur is random. The predicted Mer3 protein contains seven motifs characteristic of the DExH box type of DNA/RNA helicases. The mer3G166D and the mer3K167A mutation, amino acid substitutions of conserved residues in a putative nucleotide-binding domain of the helicase motifs caused a defect in the transition of meiosis-specific double-strand breaks to later intermediates, decreased crossing over, and reduced crossover interference. The purified Mer3 protein was found to have DNA helicase activity. This helicase activity was reduced by the mer3GD mutation to <1% of the wild-type activity, even though binding of the mutant protein to single- and double-strand DNA was unaffected. The mer3KA mutation eliminated the ATPase activity of the wild-type protein. These results demonstrate that Mer3 is a DNA helicase that functions in meiotic crossing over.
Application of tele-ultrasound in medical emergency services

This study aims to add tele-ultrasound techniques and emergency physician support to improve the quality of pre-hospital medical emergency services. On the other hand, a diagnostically useful FAST scan is dependent on the skill level of the EMTs using the portable ultrasound unit. However, providing adequate tools is still a prerequisite to the successful execution of a job. In the future, an improved system interface and standardized training protocols in the EMT training program should overcome any deficit in EMT skill level while using the portable ultrasound scanner.
Recovering the state sequence of hidden Markov models using mean-field approximations

Inferring the sequence of states from observations is one of the most fundamental problems in hidden Markov models. In statistical physics language, this problem is equivalent to computing the marginals of a one-dimensional model with a random external field. While this task can be accomplished through transfer matrix methods, it becomes quickly intractable when the underlying state space is large. This paper develops several low complexity approximate algorithms to address this inference problem when the state space becomes large. The new algorithms are based on various mean-field approximations of the transfer matrix. Their performances are studied in detail on a simple realistic model for DNA pyrosequencing.
La Autoantigen Induces Ribosome Binding Protein 1 (RRBP1) Expression through Internal Ribosome Entry Site (IRES)-Mediated Translation during Cellular Stress Condition

The function of ribosome binding protein 1 (RRBP1) is regulating the transportation and secretion of some intracellular proteins in mammalian cells. Transcription of RRBP1 is induced by various cytokines. However, few studies focused on the process of RRPB1 mRNA translation. The RRBP1 mRNA has a long 5′ untranslated region that potentially formed a stable secondary structure. In this study, we show that the 5′ UTR of RRBP1 mRNA contains an internal ribosome entry site (IRES). Moreover, the RRBP1 expression is induced by chemotherapeutic drug paclitaxel or adriamycin in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells and accompanied with the increased expression of La autoantigen (La), which binds to RRBP1 IRES element and facilitates translation initiation. Interestingly, we found IRES-mediated RRBP1 translation is also activated during serum-starvation condition which can induce cytoplasmic localization of La. After mapping the entire RRBP1 5′ UTR, we determine the core IRES activity is located between nt-237 and -58. Furthermore, two apical GARR loops within the functional RRBP1 IRES elements may be important for La binding. These results strongly suggest an important role for IRES-dependent translation of RRBP1 mRNA in hepatocellular carcinoma cells during cellular stress conditions.
EEG source reconstruction using sparse basis function representations

State of the art performance of 3D EEG imaging is based on reconstruction using spatial basis function repre-sentations. In this work we augment the Variational Garrote (VG) approach for sparse approximation to incorporate spatial basis functions. As VG handles the bias variance trade-off with cross-validation this approach is more automated than competing approaches such as Multiple Sparse Priors (Friston et al., 2008) or Champagne (Wipf et al., 2010) that require manual selection of noise level and auxiliary signal free data, respectively. Finally, we propose an unbiased estimator of the reproducibility of the reconstructed activation time course based on a split-half resampling protocol.
Two Actions of Calcium Regulate the Supply of Releasable Vesicles at the Ribbon Synapse of Retinal Bipolar Cells

Ribbon synapses of sensory neurons are able to sustain high rates of exocytosis in response to maintained depolarization, but it is not known how this is achieved. Using the capacitance technique, we have found that Ca2+ regulates the supply of releasable vesicles at the ribbon synapse of depolarizing bipolar cells from the retina of goldfish. Ca2+ had two actions that could be differentiated by introduction of the Ca2+chelator EGTA; one action stimulated refilling of the rapidly releasable pool of vesicles from a reserve pool, and a second action stimulated recruitment of vesicles to the reserve pool. The capacity of the reserve pool was ∼3500 vesicles, which is similar to the number that can attach to the ribbons. These results suggest that continuous exocytosis at ribbon synapses is maintained by the Ca2+-dependent translocation of vesicles from the cytoplasm, through the ribbon, to release sites on the plasma membrane.
Sense of community and job satisfaction among social and health care managers.

PURPOSE The purpose of this paper is to identify how the factors associated with sense of community at work are connected with job satisfaction among the front-line managers and middle managers in social and health-care services in Finland. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH A questionnaire prepared for this study was sent to 241 social and health-care managers (front line and middle managers) in Finland. A total of 136 of managers responded to the survey (response rate was 56 per cent). Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis and multiple linear regression analysis. FINDINGS Alongside job meaningfulness, open communication and good flow of information within the organization, sense of security provided by close relationships at work and managers' own superiors' appreciation of their leadership skills all are related to managers' job satisfaction. ORIGINALITY/VALUE The study adds to our understanding of factors which are connected to the job satisfaction among social and health-care managers'. The findings of this study can be used in the development of leadership to support managers in coping at work.
Enforced Granulocyte/Macrophage Colony-stimulating Factor Signals Do Not Support Lymphopoiesis, but Instruct Lymphoid to Myelomonocytic Lineage Conversion

We evaluated the effects of ectopic granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) signals on hematopoietic commitment and differentiation. Lineage-restricted progenitors purified from mice with the ubiquitous transgenic human GM-CSF receptor (hGM-CSFR) were used for the analysis. In cultures with hGM-CSF alone, hGM-CSFR–expressing (hGM-CSFR+) granulocyte/monocyte progenitors (GMPs) and megakaryocyte/erythrocyte progenitors (MEPs) exclusively gave rise to granulocyte/monocyte (GM) and megakaryocyte/erythroid (MegE) colonies, respectively, providing formal proof that GM-CSF signals support the GM and MegE lineage differentiation without affecting the physiological myeloid fate. hGM-CSFR transgenic mice were crossed with mice deficient in interleukin (IL)-7, an essential cytokine for T and B cell development. Administration of hGM-CSF in these mice could not restore T or B lymphopoiesis, indicating that enforced GM-CSF signals cannot substitute for IL-7 to promote lymphopoiesis. Strikingly, >50% hGM-CSFR+ common lymphoid progenitors (CLPs) and >20% hGM-CSFR+ pro-T cells gave rise to granulocyte, monocyte, and/or myeloid dendritic cells, but not MegE lineage cells in the presence of hGM-CSF. Injection of hGM-CSF into mice transplanted with hGM-CSFR+ CLPs blocked their lymphoid differentiation, but induced development of GM cells in vivo. Thus, hGM-CSF transduces permissive signals for myeloerythroid differentiation, whereas it transmits potent instructive signals for the GM differentiation to CLPs and early T cell progenitors. These data suggest that a majority of CLPs and a fraction of pro-T cells possess plasticity for myelomonocytic differentiation that can be activated by ectopic GM-CSF signals, supporting the hypothesis that the down-regulation of GM-CSFR is a critical event in producing cells with a lymphoid-restricted lineage potential.
Identification of protein regions involved in the interaction of human respiratory syncytial virus phosphoprotein and nucleoprotein: significance for nucleocapsid assembly and formation of cytoplasmic inclusions

We have reported previously that the nucleoprotein (N), the phosphoprotein (P), and the 22-kDa protein of human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) are components of the cytoplasmic inclusion bodies observed in HEp-2-infected cells. In addition, coexpression of N and P was sufficient to induce the formation of N-P complexes detectable by either coimmunoprecipitation with anti-P antibodies or generation of cytoplasmic inclusions. We now report the identification of protein regions required for these interactions. Deletion mutant analysis of the P protein gene indicated that its C-terminal end was essential for interacting with N. This conclusion was strengthened by the finding that an anti-P monoclonal antibody (021/12P), reacting with a 21-residue P protein C-terminal peptide, apparently displaced N from N-P complexes. The same effect was observed with high concentrations of the C-terminal peptide. However, sequence requirements for the P protein C-terminal end were not absolute, and mutants with the substitution Ser-237-->Ala or Ser-237-->Thr were as efficient as the wild type in interacting with N. In addition, P and N proteins from strains of different HRSV antigenic groups, with sequence differences in the P protein C-terminal end, were able to coimmunoprecipitate and formed cytoplasmic inclusions. Deletion mutant analysis of the N gene indicated that large segments of this polypeptide were required for interacting with P. The relevance of these interactions for HRSV is discussed in comparison with those of analogous proteins from related viruses.
Ultrastructural characteristics of GD3 ganglioside‐positive immature glia in rat forebrain white matter

Immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy were used to examine the ultrastructural features of immature neuroectodermal cells of the rat forebrain in their early stages of differentiation. We used a monoclonal antibody (AbR24) to GD3 ganglioside, which binds to cells of the subventricular zone (SVZ). R24 also labels immature cells in developing white and gray matter (LeVine and Goldman: J. Neurosci. in press, '88, and accompanying paper). Sections of developing cingulum and white matter adjacent to the cingulum were examined at E18, P4, and P10 by using a preembedding immunocytochemical technique with PAP reagents. Labeled cells seen earliest were large, with high nuclear to cytoplasmic ratios and few cytoplasmic organelles. With time, smaller forms appeared, with prominent Golgi apparatus and processes containing microtubules. Labeled cells with similar characteristics but which contained cytoplasmic vacuoles were also observed. The results indicate a series of ultrastructural transformations that are consistent with oligodendrocyte differentiation.
The Art of Empathy: Teaching Students to Care

ince the beginning of my days in the classroom, I have been interested in empathy and care. What evokes these feelings, who experiences them and who doesn't, and whether they can be taught have long been open-ended questions. In refecting on my early years in teaching, I can recall a poignant incident that served as a catalyst for my concern and, on that particular day, split the class right down its empathic middle. I was teaching language and visual arts to eighth graders. It was afternoon and I was leading my rambunctious teenagers down a hot, open loggia to the library. As usual, neighborhood dogs were resting in the grassy strip between each hallway, waiting patiently for their owners. As we neared the library, I heard a loud YELP! Everyone turned just in time to see a small brown dog, tail tucked, limping away; we also saw Larry, giggling proudly at his accomplishment. Other laughter joined his. Next, came a barrage of angry shouts and a mini 'lynching mob," wearing bellbottoms and peace signs, moved threateningly toward the perpetrator. Plainly, we never got to the library. The principal arrived on the scene, helped restore order, and I turned the class around and shuffled their resentful feet back to the