Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Post-inflammatory Ileitis Induces Non-neuronal Purinergic Signaling Adjustments of Cholinergic Neurotransmission in the Myenteric Plexus

Uncoupling between ATP overflow and extracellular adenosine formation changes purinergic signaling in post-inflammatory ileitis. Adenosine neuromodulation deficits were ascribed to feed-forward inhibition of ecto-5′-nucleotidase/CD73 by high extracellular adenine nucleotides in the inflamed ileum. Here, we hypothesized that inflammation-induced changes in cellular density may also account to unbalance the release of purines and their influence on [3H]acetylcholine release from longitudinal muscle-myenteric plexus preparations of the ileum of 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-treated rats. The population of S100β-positive glial cells increase, whereas Ano-1-positive interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) diminished, in the ileum 7-days after the inflammatory insult. In the absence of changes in the density of VAChT-positive cholinergic nerves detected by immunofluorescence confocal microscopy, the inflamed myenteric plexus released smaller amounts of [3H]acetylcholine which also became less sensitive to neuronal blockade by tetrodotoxin (1 μM). Instead, [3H]acetylcholine release was attenuated by sodium fluoroacetate (5 mM), carbenoxolone (10 μM) and A438079 (3 μM), which prevent activation of glial cells, pannexin-1 hemichannels and P2X7 receptors, respectively. Sodium fluoroacetate also decreased ATP overflow without significantly affecting the extracellular adenosine levels, thus indicating that surplus ATP release parallels reactive gliosis in post-inflammatory ileitis. Conversely, loss of ICCs may explain the lower amounts of adenosine detected in TNBS-treated preparations, since blockade of Cav3 (T-type) channels existing in ICCs with mibefradil (3 μM) or inhibition of the equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 with dipyridamole (0.5 μM), both decreased extracellular adenosine. Data indicate that post-inflammatory ileitis operates a shift on purinergic neuromodulation reflecting the upregulation of ATP-releasing enteric glial cells and the depletion of ICCs accounting for decreased adenosine overflow via equilibrative nucleoside transporters.
Assessment of an Interactive Learning System with “Sensorized” Manikin Head for Airway Management Instruction

An interactive, self-study learning system for airway management instruction that utilizes a “sensorized” manikin head (Actronics Inc., Pittsburgh, PA) was compared to didactic instruction from anesthesiologists during third-year medical student anesthesia rotations. Before students were allowed to participate in airway management on anesthetized patients, they were randomly separated into two groups. One group received instruction from the learning system, and the other group was given a lecture with guided practice on a standard tracheal intubating manikin. Differences between groups were then assessed using 22 separate variables as all students performed actual airway management on patients undergoing general anesthesia. Anesthesia faculty, residents, and nurse anesthetists, blinded to group, served as assessors. There were 48 and 49 students in the didactic instruction and learning system groups, respectively. Beginning experience level of students with respect to airway management was similar between groups before the anesthesia rotations. There were 185 and 188 evaluation forms completed to assess the didactic instruction and learning system groups, respectively. Demographic data regarding patients were recorded. Patients in the learning system group on whom students performed airway management were older, had a larger average body mass index, and their airways more frequently received higher Mallampati classifications (glottic structures more difficult to visualize). No difference in the quality of airway management efforts or in students' appraisal of their own performances was seen between groups. Neither group demonstrated more rapid development of psychomotor skills. Students were equally satisfied with both methods of instruction. We conclude that the airway management self-study learning system is as efficacious as didactic instruction for preclinical airway management instruction during third-year medical student anesthesia rotations.
Causality in Volatility Between Developed and Emerging Equity Markets : Analysis Based on the Markov Switching Heteroscedasticity Model

This paper analyses the stock return characteristics for the two developed and several regional emerging markets using monthly return to capture the changes in mean-variance in a two state framework. An unobserved Markov process drives the evolution of the states. The approach allows both the mean and the variance to depend on the unobserved states and the model is estimated in one step. The propensity of any market to stay in a particular state is inferred from the estimated model parameters. The paper then extends the analysis by examining the causality in the volatility process between the two largest economies and the regional emerging markets using a recently developed procedure, which is robust to distributional assumptions. The economic intuitions behind the observations are also explored. JEL classification number: G15
Hubble Space Telescope Spectra of GW Librae: A Hot Pulsating White Dwarf in a Cataclysmic Variable

We have obtained Hubble Space Telescope UV spectra of the white dwarf in GW Lib, the only known nonradially pulsating white dwarf in a cataclysmic variable and the first known DAZQ variable. The UV light curve reveals large-amplitude (10%) pulsations in the UV with the same periods (646, 376, and 237 s) as those seen at optical wavelengths, but the mean spectrum fits with an average white dwarf temperature (14,700 K for a 0.6 M☉ white dwarf) that is too hot to be in the normal instability strip for ZZ Ceti stars. A better fit is achieved with a dual-temperature model (with 63% of the white dwarf surface at a temperature of 13,300 K and 37% at 17,100 K) and a higher mass (0.8 M☉) white dwarf with 0.1 solar metal abundance. Since the blue edge of the instability strip moves to higher temperature with increasing mass, the lower temperature of this model is within the instability strip. However, the presence of accretion likely causes abundance and atmospheric temperature differences in GW Lib compared to all known single white dwarf pulsators, and the current models that have been capable of explaining ZZ Ceti stars may not apply.
Clinimetric evaluation of shoulder disability questionnaires: a systematic review of the literature

Objective: To identify all available shoulder disability questionnaires designed to measure physical functioning and to evaluate evidence for the clinimetric quality of these instruments. Methods: Systematic literature searches were performed to identify self administered shoulder disability questionnaires. A checklist was developed to evaluate and compare the clinimetric quality of the instruments. Results: Two reviewers identified and evaluated 16 questionnaires by our checklist. Most studies were found for the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand scale (DASH), the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI), and the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardised Shoulder Assessment Form (ASES). None of the questionnaires demonstrated satisfactory results for all properties. Most questionnaires claim to measure several domains (for example, pain, physical, emotional, and social functioning), yet dimensionality was studied in only three instruments. The internal consistency was calculated for seven questionnaires and only one received an adequate rating. Twelve questionnaires received positive ratings for construct validity, although depending on the population studied, four of these questionnaires received poor ratings too. Seven questionnaires were shown to have adequate test-retest reliability (ICC >0.70), but five questionnaires were tested inadequately. In most clinimetric studies only small sample sizes (n<43) were used. Nearly all publications lacked information on the interpretation of scores. Conclusion: The DASH, SPADI, and ASES have been studied most extensively, and yet even published validation studies of these instruments have limitations in study design, sample sizes, or evidence for dimensionality. Overall, the DASH received the best ratings for its clinimetric properties.
Frequency of ABO blood groups among the diabetes mellitus type 2 patients.

OBJECTIVE To study the frequency of ABO blood groups among diabetes mellitus type 2. DESIGN A descriptive cross-sectional study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Department of Anatomy in association with the clinical pathology laboratory and ou-t patient diabetes mellitus clinic, Isra University, Hyderabad and Department of Physiology, University of Sindh and OPD of Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Hyderabad. Period of study extended from January 2001 to December 2001. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Four hundred and ninety consecutive type 2 diabetes mellitus cases were examined for blood groups during the calendar year 2001. RESULTS Comparison of blood groups frequency between the general population and diabetes type 2 patients was carried out in term of percentage. It was noticed that the values were 4.36, 17.15 and 7.34% higher for A, B and AB blood groups respectively in the diabetic patients. On the contrary, the value was 28.94% lower for the blood group O. CONCLUSION Present study has supported the hypothesis that diabetes mellitus type 2 and blood groups are interrelated because of the broad genetic immunologic basis in both. It is concluded that the frequency of blood groups B and O is significantly higher and lower respectively in the diabetes mellitus type 2 patients as compared to the general population.
Experimental Results on Contact-less Power Transmission System for the High-speed Trains

Historically the contact type power delivery system has been employed for the trains, the advantages of which might be the high reliability and the low cost, however the metal contact essentially results in the abrasion, which in turn inevitable causes the frequent maintenance, the audible noise generation and the contamination to the environment. This paper proposes a contact-less power transmission system with a wide air gap transformer for the high speed trains. We describe the proposed basic concept, problems and our approach for the proposed wire-less system. The magnetic coupling is influenced by the structure of the transformer. Since the wide gap type transformer results in the less coupling between the primary and secondary windings, the analysis on the magnetic coupling and power delivery efficiency are performed based on the magnetic circuit. Authors have proposed the simple C core type wide air gap transformer. In this paper the experimental data on a low power prototype of the contact-less power transmission equipment are reported, in which the air gap control is installed, and the primary and secondary move at the relative speed up to 25 [m/s]. The power transmission efficiency 70[%] was achieved.
Wireless sensor placement for structural monitoring using information-fusing firefly algorithm

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are promising technology in structural health monitoring (SHM) applications for their low cost and high efficiency. The limited wireless sensors and restricted power resources in WSNs highlight the significance of optimal wireless sensor placement (OWSP) during designing SHM systems to enable the most useful information to be captured and to achieve the longest network lifetime. This paper presents a holistic approach, including an optimization criterion and a solution algorithm, for optimally deploying self-organizing multi-hop WSNs on large-scale structures. The combination of information effectiveness represented by the modal independence and the network performance specified by the network connectivity and network lifetime is first formulated to evaluate the performance of wireless sensor configurations. Then, an information-fusing firefly algorithm (IFFA) is developed to solve the OWSP problem. The step sizes drawn from a Lévy distribution are adopted to drive fireflies toward brighter individuals. Following the movement with Lévy flights, information about the contributions of wireless sensors to the objective function as carried by the fireflies is fused and applied to move inferior wireless sensors to better locations. The reliability of the proposed approach is verified via a numerical example on a long-span suspension bridge. The results demonstrate that the evaluation criterion provides a good performance metric of wireless sensor configurations, and the IFFA outperforms the simple discrete firefly algorithm.
Chlorides Impact on Reinforced Concrete Structures

An extended condition survey was performed on reinforced concrete elements at the marine structure in Zadar, which was exposed to aggressive sea actions for more than 25 years. In this paper determination procedure of chloride content in concrete is presented. The samples of concrete powder, needed for the testing, were collected from different parts of reinforced concrete columns, exposed to marine environment. Chlorides were analyzed by using Rapid Chloride Test method (RCT), at the Laboratory for Materials on Faculty of Civil Engineering in Zagreb. The results of testing were used for calculation of diffusion coefficients (D) by applying Fick's second general law of diffusion. Within the paper the results of chloride contents analysis and the calculation procedure of diffusion coefficient are presented and discussed as a load on reinforced concrete structures.
Functional Genomic Characterization of Virulence Factors from Necrotizing Fasciitis-Causing Strains of Aeromonas hydrophila

ABSTRACT The genomes of 10 Aeromonas isolates identified and designated Aeromonas hydrophila WI, Riv3, and NF1 to NF4; A. dhakensis SSU; A. jandaei Riv2; and A. caviae NM22 and NM33 were sequenced and annotated. Isolates NF1 to NF4 were from a patient with necrotizing fasciitis (NF). Two environmental isolates (Riv2 and -3) were from the river water from which the NF patient acquired the infection. While isolates NF2 to NF4 were clonal, NF1 was genetically distinct. Outside the conserved core genomes of these 10 isolates, several unique genomic features were identified. The most virulent strains possessed one of the following four virulence factors or a combination of them: cytotoxic enterotoxin, exotoxin A, and type 3 and 6 secretion system effectors AexU and Hcp. In a septicemic-mouse model, SSU, NF1, and Riv2 were the most virulent, while NF2 was moderately virulent. These data correlated with high motility and biofilm formation by the former three isolates. Conversely, in a mouse model of intramuscular infection, NF2 was much more virulent than NF1. Isolates NF2, SSU, and Riv2 disseminated in high numbers from the muscular tissue to the visceral organs of mice, while NF1 reached the liver and spleen in relatively lower numbers on the basis of colony counting and tracking of bioluminescent strains in real time by in vivo imaging. Histopathologically, degeneration of myofibers with significant infiltration of polymorphonuclear cells due to the highly virulent strains was noted. Functional genomic analysis provided data that allowed us to correlate the highly infectious nature of Aeromonas pathotypes belonging to several different species with virulence signatures and their potential ability to cause NF.
Decentralized Multiuser Cooperative Spectrum Sensing in Cognitive Radio System

Cooperative spectrum sensing (CSS) was proposed as one solution to overcome uncertainty noises in primary signal detection. It increases capability of primary signal detection and accuracy. This paper investigates the performance of decentralized CSS model with limited sensing capability in cognitive radio (CR) system. Simulation considers multiple secondary users (SUs) sense license channel and distributes their sensing result among others. Partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP) framework is used as an aid for SU that partially sense over license channel. It models license channel as Markov discrete process where idle and busy states is represented by number of "0" and "1". To validate this work, we make some comparisons against single user sensing, centralized multiuser cooperative spectrum sensing (CMCSS) and decentralized random CSS model. The derived results show that CMCSS and DMCSS model has better performance than single user sensing and decentralized random CSS model. CMCSS outperforms DMCSS model. However, DMCSS model still outperforms decentralized random CSS. At certain case, DMCSS performance matched to the throughput achieved by CMCSS when probability of selected channel (p) = 1.
Representation and estimation of motion using a dictionary of models

This paper presents a novel method for representing motion information based on a dictionary of motion models and a tag image which indicates which motion model is used at any given image position. Each model is composed of low-order polynomial-based motion fields. The motion in most sequences can be adequately represented by a very small number of such motion models. We further present an efficient way of estimating and coding this representation. Comparative results are presented which indicate a performance superior to that of motion representations found in classical block-based codecs.
Theory of nanostructuring in solvent-deposited thin polymer films

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Vérification du locuteur : variations de performance (Speaker verification : results variation) [in French]

Speaker verification : results variation Speaker verification systems have shown significant progress and have reached a level of performance that make their use in practical applications possible. Nevertheless, large differences in terms of performance are observed, depending on the speaker or the speech sample used. This context emphasizes the importance of a deeper analysis of the system’s performance over average error rate. In this paper, the effect of the training excerpt on performance is investigated. The results show that the performance are highly dependent on the voice samples used to train the speaker model for two state-of-art systems. A methods to observe the variation explained by the system him-self is investigated too.
Oncogenic Kras and Notch-1 cooperate in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma

Evaluation of: Kindler T, Cornejo MG, Scholl C et al. K-RasG12D-induced T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemias harbor Notch-1 mutations and are sensitive to γ-secretase inhibitors. Blood 15, 112(8), 3373–3382 (2008). Mutations of the Ras family are one of the most common somatic events found in all human cancers, although they are relatively rare in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). In mice, conditional expression of oncogenic KrasG12D from its endogenous promoter causes a fatal myeloproliferative disorder, and only rarely a T-ALL-like disease. In the article being evaluated, the authors demonstrate that primary mice expressing oncogenic Kras have a block in T-cell differentiation at the double-negative 1 stage. Interestingly, most secondarily transplanted mice develop a fatal T-ALL-like disease. Sequencing of NOTCH-1 showed that 50% of these mice harbored truncating mutations in the PEST domain that would be predicted to activate Notch signaling. Cell lines established from some of the mice demonstrated sensitivity to γ-secretase inhibition, suggesting that even when NOTCH-1 mutations occur as secondary collaborating events, tumors retain a dependency on this pathway that might be exploitable clinically.
A randomized trial of an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist in treatment-resistant major depression.

CONTEXT Existing therapies for major depression have a lag of onset of action of several weeks, resulting in considerable morbidity. Exploring pharmacological strategies that have rapid onset of antidepressant effects within a few days and that are sustained would have an enormous impact on patient care. Converging lines of evidence suggest the role of the glutamatergic system in the pathophysiology and treatment of mood disorders. OBJECTIVE To determine whether a rapid antidepressant effect can be achieved with an antagonist at the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor in subjects with major depression. DESIGN A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study from November 2004 to September 2005. SETTING Mood Disorders Research Unit at the National Institute of Mental Health. Patients Eighteen subjects with DSM-IV major depression (treatment resistant). INTERVENTIONS After a 2-week drug-free period, subjects were given an intravenous infusion of either ketamine hydrochloride (0.5 mg/kg) or placebo on 2 test days, a week apart. Subjects were rated at baseline and at 40, 80, 110, and 230 minutes and 1, 2, 3, and 7 days postinfusion. Main Outcome Measure Changes in scores on the primary efficacy measure, the 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. RESULTS Subjects receiving ketamine showed significant improvement in depression compared with subjects receiving placebo within 110 minutes after injection, which remained significant throughout the following week. The effect size for the drug difference was very large (d = 1.46 [95% confidence interval, 0.91-2.01]) after 24 hours and moderate to large (d = 0.68 [95% confidence interval, 0.13-1.23]) after 1 week. Of the 17 subjects treated with ketamine, 71% met response and 29% met remission criteria the day following ketamine infusion. Thirty-five percent of subjects maintained response for at least 1 week. CONCLUSIONS Robust and rapid antidepressant effects resulted from a single intravenous dose of an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist; onset occurred within 2 hours postinfusion and continued to remain significant for 1 week.
Monte Carlo model of light transport in multi-layered tubular organs

We present a Monte Carlo static light migration model (Endo-MCML) to simulate endoscopic optical spectroscopy for tubular organs such as esophagus and colon. The model employs multi-layered hollow cylinder which emitting and receiving light both from the inner boundary to meet the conditions of endoscopy. Inhomogeneous sphere can be added in tissue layers to model cancer or other abnormal changes. The 3D light distribution and exit angle would be recorded as results. The accuracy of the model has been verified by Multi-layered Monte Carlo(MCML) method and NIRFAST. This model can be used for the forward modeling of light transport during endoscopically diffuse optical spectroscopy, light scattering spectroscopy, reflectance spectroscopy and other static optical detection or imaging technologies.