Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An evolutionarily conserved mechanism for sensitization of soluble guanylyl cyclase reveals extensive nitric oxide‐mediated upregulation of cyclic GMP in insect brain

Soluble guanylyl cyclase (SGC) is the main receptor for the gaseous signalling molecule nitric oxide (NO) in vertebrates and invertebrates. Recently, a novel class of drugs that regulate mammalian SGC by NO‐independent allosteric mechanisms has been identified [e.g. 3‐(5′‐hydroxymethyl‐2′‐furyl)‐1‐benzyl indazole, YC‐1]. To assess the evolutionary conservation and hence the potential physiological relevance of these mechanisms, we have tested YC‐1 on the brains of two model insects, the cockroach Periplaneta americana and the locust Schistocerca gregaria. YC‐1 strongly potentiated the NO‐induced elevation of total cyclic 3′,5′‐guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and amplified the intensity and consistency of NO‐induced cGMP‐immunoreactivity in the brain. Our data indicate that the effect of YC‐1 was independent of phosphodiesterase inhibition and thus mediated by direct sensitization of SGC. Immunohistopharmacology and co‐labelling with antibodies against the SGC α‐subunit confirmed that cGMP induced by co‐application of NO and YC‐1 is predominantly attributable to SGC. The staggering number of NO‐responsive neurons revealed by YC‐1 suggests that previous studies may have considerably underestimated the number of cellular targets for NO in the insect brain. Moreover, a subset of these targets exhibited cGMP‐immunoreactivity without application of exogenous NO, demonstrating that YC‐1 can be exploited for visualization of physiological cGMP signals in response to endogenous NO production. In conclusion, our discovery that YC‐1 is a potent sensitizer of insect SGC indicates that a NO‐independent regulatory site is an evolutionarily conserved feature of SGC. Our findings add considerable momentum to the concept of an as yet unidentified endogenous ligand that regulates the gain of the NO–cGMP signalling pathway.
Molecular characterization of articular cartilage from young adults with femoroacetabular impingement.

BACKGROUND Femoroacetabular impingement is a frequent cause of hip pain and may lead to secondary osteoarthritis, yet little is known about the molecular events linking mechanical hip impingement and articular cartilage degeneration. The first goal of this study was to quantify the expression of inflammatory cytokine and chemokine, matrix-degrading, and extracellular matrix genes in articular cartilage harvested from control hips and hips with femoroacetabular impingement and end-stage osteoarthritis. The second goal was to analyze the relative expression of these genes in articular cartilage harvested at various stages of osteoarthritis. METHODS Cartilage samples were obtained from thirty-two hips undergoing hip preservation surgery for femoroacetabular impingement or hip arthroplasty. Three control cartilage samples were also analyzed. Specimens were graded intraoperatively with regard to the severity of cartilage damage, the radiographic osteoarthritis grade was recorded, and quantitative RT-PCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction) was performed to determine relative gene expression. RESULTS Except for interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and CXCL2, the mRNA (messenger RNA) expression of all other chemokine (IL-8, CXCL1, CXCL3, CXCL6, CCL3, and CCL3L1), matrix-degrading (matrix metalloproteinase [MMP]-13 and ADAMTS-4), and structural matrix (COL2A1 [collagen, type II, alpha] and ACAN [aggregan]) genes was higher overall in cartilage from hips with femoroacetabular impingement compared with hips with osteoarthritis and normal controls. The differences reached significance (p ≤ 0.05) for seven of these ten quantified genes, with CXCL3, CXCL6, and COL2A1 being elevated in the femoroacetabular impingement group compared with only the control group and IL-8, CCL3L1, ADAMTS-4, and ACAN being elevated compared with both the osteoarthritis and control groups. When samples were grouped according to the stage of the degenerative cascade, mRNA expression was relatively higher in one of the two middle stages of femoroacetabular impingement (chondromalacia or cleavage/thinning), with the difference reaching significance for IL-8, CXCL2, CXCL3, CCL3L1, and ACAN. ACAN expression was diminished in hips with osteoarthritis compared with femoroacetabular impingement but elevated compared with the control articular cartilage. CONCLUSIONS Articular cartilage from the impingement zone of hips with femoroacetabular impingement (and particularly those hips in the cleavage/thinning stage) expressed higher levels of certain inflammatory, anabolic, and catabolic genes, representing a heightened metabolic state. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The articular cartilage from the impingement zone of hips with femoroacetabular impingement was metabolically hyperactive, supporting the concept that such impingement is a structural precursor to hip osteoarthritis.
An Interdisciplinary VR-architecture for 3D Chatting with Non-verbal Communication

The communication between avatar and agent has already been treated from different but specialized perspectives. In contrast, this paper gives a balanced view of every key architectural aspect: from text analysis to computer graphics, the chatting system and the emotional model. Non-verbal communication, such as facial expression, gaze, or head orientation is crucial to simulate realistic behavior, but is still an aspect neglected in the simulation of virtual societies. In response, this paper aims to present the necessary modularity to allow virtual humans (VH) conversation with consistent facial expression -either between two users through their avatars, between an avatar and an agent, or even between an avatar and a Wizard of Oz. We believe such an approach is particularly suitable for the design and implementation of applications involving VHs interaction in virtual worlds. To this end, three key features are needed to design and implement this system entitled 3D-emoChatting. First, a global architecture that combines components from several research fields. Second, a real-time analysis and management of emotions that allows interactive dialogues with non-verbal communication. Third, a model of a virtual emotional mind called emoMind that allows to simulate individual emotional characteristics. To conclude the paper, we briefly present the basic description of a user-test which is beyond the scope of the present paper.
Impact of nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors on steroid profile in a Chinese population

Abstract Steroid profiling was introduced to determine the endogenous steroid misuse in sports. Thus, screening for the exogenous use of these prohibited substances can be established by monitoring a range of endogenous steroids, which constitute the steroid profile and evaluate their concentrations and ratios against reference values. The steroid profiling is currently based on population statistics. As large interindividual variations exist, athlete biological passport (ABP) analysis is ongoing. This study aimed to identify new biomarker(s) for aromatase inhibitor detection in sports using statistical analysis and adapt the model into ABP analysis. Forty-one Chinese nonathlete volunteers (21 males and 20 females) were administered 3 nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors (aminoglutethimide, letrozole, and anastrozole) independently. Statistical analysis was performed on 16 steroid profile parameters. After administration, the concentrations of endogenous androgen biomarkers including testosterone (T), epitestosterone, androsterone (AN), etiocholanolone (ETIO), 5&agr;-diol, 5&bgr;-diol, and dehydroepiandrosterone were increased, while the level of estrogen was decreased. These biomarkers returned to the baselines levels within 1 month. In females, the concentrations of endogenous biomarkers were affected by nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors, without a common trend. Three new endogenous biomarkers (AN/estrone, ETIO/estrone, and T/estrone) elevated significantly after treatment. The 3 new models were more sensitive than the World Anti-Doping Agency ratio biomarkers. They were also effective in exponentially weighted moving average chart analysis. Verification experiment demonstrated that the biomarker T/estrone was valid in judging the steroidal aromatase inhibitor abuse. The screening of these new endogenous biomarkers can provide additional parameters to support ABP monitoring and specific information regarding the administered steroids.
The feudal priority algorithm on hidden-surface removal

Development of a real-time shaded rendering approach for frequently changing viewpoint or view vector is very important in the simulation of 3-D objects in Computer-Aided Design. A new approach is proposed in this paper to meet this demand i very efficient manner. A pre-processing phase, in which a feudal priority tree i established for all polygons of an object, and a post-processi phase, in which a rendering priority list is searched for from th feudal priority tree for a new viewpoint or view vector, are included in our approach. The most time-consuming work finished in the pre-processing phase which only has to b executed once for an object, and the relatively simple task is l to the post-processing phase, which is repeated when viewpoint or view vector is changed. For the pre-processing phase, a static version and a dyna version are proposed in this paper. The one-way priori relations of all polygons are computed in the former part of th dynamic pre-processing in a more efficient way than that in th static pre-processing, but the latter part of the dynamic pr processing is still based on the static pre-processing. A new concept of "absolute priority" is introduced to systematically reduce the polygons in which a separating plane to be searched for so the probability of finding the separatin plane is much increased. This is the basis to implement anot important concept of "separating before splitting" by which th polygon splittings are much reduced. Hence the efficiency the pre-processing and the post-processing phases is hig increased.
Inhibition of Chloride Induced Corrosion in RCC Structures with Calcium Nitrate

This study attempts to find the inhibition effect of Calcium Nitrate in a chloride excess environment when RCC is most susceptible to corrosion. To achieve these objectives the methodology adopted is accelerated corrosion technique with lollipop casts to accelerate the reactions involved and obtain the results in a shorter period of time. In the first set, the sample with Calcium Nitrate showed 90% inhibition towards chloride induced corrosion while in the second set the sample with Calcium Nitrate showed 100% inhibition towards corrosion which might be due to the lower percentage of NaCl in seawater. For the split tensile strength test, in the first set, the sample with Calcium Nitrate failed at 30.9% more load than the sample without Calcium Nitrate. In the second set, the sample with Calcium Nitrate failed at 18.1% more load than the sample without Calcium nitrate. The reason for the lower tensile strength is the un-bonding of concrete with the corroded rebar due to the expansion of the rust products
Posture affects motion coupling patterns of the upper cervical spine

Measurements of motions of the cervical spine are used to help diagnose the problems of clinical instability due to degenerative changes and trauma. For a better interpretation of the three‐dimensional motions of the upper cervical spine, knowledge of the effects of posture on these motions is necessary. Seven fresh human cadaveric C0–C3 spinal specimens were utilized. Each specimen was put in three distinct sagital plane postures: full flexion, neutral, and full extension. At each posture, two load types were applied: left and right axial torques, and left and right lateral bending moments up to 1.5 Nm. The resulting three‐dimensional relative motions of C0–C1 and C1–C2 were measured, with use of nonconstraining stereophotogrammetry, in the form of load‐displacement curves. We found that the curves were nonlinear. The most dramatic change due to modification in posture was found in coupled sagittal plane rotation, which changed from extension at extended posture to flexion at flexed posture at both levels and in response to both load types. For the axial torque, the main axial rotation and coupled lateral bending changed little with posture. For the lateral bending moment, the main lateral bending rotation and coupled axial rotation decreased; the latter changed direction at C1–C2 as the spine was put into flexed posture. The motions for the right and left load applications generally were mirror images, except for the coupled sagittal plane rotations, which did not change with the direction of the load.
A Categorization of Real-Time Multiprocessor Scheduling Problems and Algorithms

Real-time multiprocessor systems are now commonplace. Designs range from single-chip architectures, with a modest number of processors, to large-scale signal-processing systems, such as synthetic-aperture radar systems. For uniprocessor systems, the problem of ensuring that deadline constraints are met has been widely studied: effective scheduling algorithms that take into account the many complexities that arise in real systems (e.g., synchronization costs, system overheads, etc.) are well understood. In contrast, researchers are just beginning to understand the trade-offs that exist in multiprocessor systems. In this chapter, we analyze the trade-offs involved in scheduling independent, periodic real-time tasks on a multiprocessor.
Non-cooperative feedback control game under a sum feedback-rate constraint in MIMO broadcast channels

Channel state information (CSI) is known to play crucial role in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) broadcast channels. To acquire CSI at the base station, feedback from users is necessary. Since the optimal feedback-rate to maximize the total system throughput is possibly changed by the channel condition, the conventional equal-sized feedback can be inefficient in multi-user MIMO system. Therefore, in this paper, we investigate the effect of different-sized feedback-rate and propose the non-cooperative feedback-rate control game in multi-user MIMO system with multiple frequency bands. Based on the game theory, the utility function of each user is defined as the downlink throughput minus a linear price function of the CSI feedback-rate. Moreover, we suggest a simple algorithm to find the proper pricing factors for the proposed game considering multiple users and multiple frequency bands. Simulation results show that the sum-rate of the proposed game yields better performance than that of the conventional equal-sized feedback-rate scheme.
QoS-aware Wireless Back-haul network for rural areas in practice

Rural areas all over the world often lack affordable broadband Internet connectivity. This is particularly, but not solely, true for developing and emerging countries. Also rural areas in western countries share similar problems of high capital expenditure (CAPEX) and especially operational expenditure (OPEX) due to vast and sparsely populated areas, which often present an uneconomical environment for deploying traditional wireless carrier equipment. To address these issues, we have developed a carrier-grade heterogeneous multi-radio back-haul architecture which may be deployed to extend, complement or even replace traditional operator equipment. Our Wireless Back-Haul (WiBACK) technology extends the back-haul coverage by building on cost-effective and low-power equipment while still allowing for effective Quality of Service (QoS)-provisioning. In this paper we first present a pilot scenario in Hennef-Theishohn, Germany, where the residents of a remote farm are provided with broadband Internet connectivity using a long-distance, multi-hop WiBACK network. We evaluate the QoS-related performance of this network and show that we can meet QoS demands one expects from a carrier-grade network even under heavy load conditions.
An Aerial–Ground Robotic System for Navigation and Obstacle Mapping in Large Outdoor Areas

There are many outdoor robotic applications where a robot must reach a goal position or explore an area without previous knowledge of the environment around it. Additionally, other applications (like path planning) require the use of known maps or previous information of the environment. This work presents a system composed by a terrestrial and an aerial robot that cooperate and share sensor information in order to address those requirements. The ground robot is able to navigate in an unknown large environment aided by visual feedback from a camera on board the aerial robot. At the same time, the obstacles are mapped in real-time by putting together the information from the camera and the positioning system of the ground robot. A set of experiments were carried out with the purpose of verifying the system applicability. The experiments were performed in a simulation environment and outdoor with a medium-sized ground robot and a mini quad-rotor. The proposed robotic system shows outstanding results in simultaneous navigation and mapping applications in large outdoor environments.
Computational analysis of eukaryotic metatranscriptomes from diverse marine environments

Phytoplankton are photosynthetic microbes that form the basis of the marine food web and are estimated to produce over half of all oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere. Recent advances in high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies have allowed scientists to sample the set of genes actively transcribed from communities of microbes in-situ. This set of transcripts (the metatranscriptome) provides a snapshot of actively transcribed genes at the time of sampling, and can provide insights into microbial metabolism and their relationship with their environment. In this thesis we present the computational analysis of eukaryotic phytoplankton metatranscriptome data sampled from representative marine environments; the simulation of metatranscriptome data for benchmarking computational tools; and analysis carried out on a newly sequenced eukaryotic phytoplankton genome. Transcripts affiliated with ribosomal proteins and associated with translation dominated in all but the Equatorial Pacific metatranscriptome sample. Hierarchical clustering of the metatranscriptome samples by taxa produced two groups: the diatom dominated and the alveolate dominated. However, clustering by Gene Ontology terms clustered the samples by environment type (tropical, temperate and polar), producing a gradient of translation-associated transcripts which increased as the in-situ temperature of the samples decreased. A strong
Electric field reduction in the high voltage multiplier module in medical X-ray machines

High voltage multiplier is widely used in the main power supply in medical X-ray machines. The output voltage can be above 100kV. Such a voltage leads to strong electric field in the multiplier. In this paper, the distribution of the electric field strength is analyzed based on the results obtained through 3D finite element (FE) field simulation. The distribution can be expressed as a function containing parasitic capacitances, which simply leads to a shielding technique for the field reduction. The shielding technique is applied in a 4-stage multiplier module and the resultant field reduction is proven by 3D FE simulation.
Understanding and overcoming metformin gastrointestinal intolerance

Metformin is the most widely prescribed drug for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and the first‐line pharmacological option as supported by multiple international guidelines, yet a rather large proportion of patients cannot tolerate metformin in adequate amounts because of its associated gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events (AEs). GI AEs typically encountered with metformin therapy include diarrhoea, nausea, flatulence, indigestion, vomiting and abdominal discomfort, with diarrhoea and nausea being the most common. Although starting at a low dose and titrating slowly may help prevent some GI AEs associated with metformin, some patients are unable to tolerate metformin at all and it may also be difficult to convince patients to start metformin again after a bout of GI AEs. Despite this clinical importance, the underlying mechanisms of the GI intolerance associated with metformin are poorly known. In the present review, we discuss: the epidemiology of metformin‐associated GI intolerance and its underlying mechanisms; genotype variability and associated factors affecting metformin GI intolerance, such as comorbidities, co‐medications and bariatric surgery; clinical consequences and therapeutic strategies to overcome metformin GI intolerance. These strategies include appropriate titration of immediate‐release metformin, use of extended‐release metformin, the promise of delayed‐release metformin and gut microbiome modulators, as well as alternative pharmacological therapies when metformin cannot be tolerated at all. Given the available data, all efforts should be made to maintain metformin before considering a shift to another drug therapy.
Prediction of CD4 count from CD4 percentage: experience from three laboratories.

OBJECTIVE CD4 counts have been used to monitor progression of disease in HIV infection as criteria for initiation of therapy, and to stratify and follow patients in clinical trials. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has made CD4 counts part of the classification of HIV disease. Because a CD4 percentage may be the only laboratory information available, this study was initiated to determine whether the correlation between CD4 percentages and CD4 counts is sufficiently high to enable these measures to be substituted for each other. DESIGN, SETTING AND PATIENTS One thousand consecutive CD4 measurements from the University of Washington (UW) were used to create a model that was tested using datasets of 1000 CD4 measurements each from Maryland Medical Laboratories (MML) and Rush-Presbyterian-St Luke's Medical Center (Rush). The patients were not selected for age, sex, risk group or treatment. All patients from MML and Rush were known to be HIV-positive, while the HIV status of all UW patients was unknown. RESULTS The model predicted that a patient with a CD4 percentage > or = 14% would have a CD4 count > or = 200 x 10(6)/l(if CD4 percentage of 14% was used, 9% of patients would have a CD4 count > or = 200 x 10(6)/l), and a patient with a CD4 percentage > or = 27% would have a CD4 count > or = 500 x 10(6)/l(if CD4 percentage of 27% was used, 17% of patients would have a CD4 count > or = 500 x 10(6)/l). CONCLUSIONS These CD4 percentage correlations may be useful when a white blood cell and lymphocyte count are not available to calculate the CD4 count.
Energy-efficient two-hop transmission prioritization scheme for wireless body area networks

This paper presents an energy-efficient scheme for wireless body area networks that utilizes two-hop strategy to forward packets to the coordinator node. It selects a forwarder node with the lowest cost function based on remaining energy and distance to the coordinator node for minimum energy consumption. The scheme includes a decision rule that ensures delivery of important packets during low energy conditions. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme performs better than other transmission schemes in terms of network lifetime, network stability, total and average residual energy and number of packets transmitted in success.