Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simultaneous cardiac mechanics and phosphorus‐31 NMR spectroscopy during myocardial ischemia and reperfusion in the intact dog

To investigate the high‐energy phosphate metabolic correlates of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction during the onset and recovery from severe, global myocardial ischemia in vivo, seven preinstrumented closed‐chest dogs had ECG‐gated phosphorus‐31 (31P) NMR‐spectroscopy (NMR‐S) studies performed and LV micromanometer and sonomicrometer data measured before, during, and every 5 min following severe occlusive global myocardial ischemia. Ischemic LV + dP/dtmax fell from 2396 ± 576 mm Hg/s at baseline to 2185 ± 478 mm Hg/s (p < 0.05) and did not normalize until after 30 min of reperfusion. LV ejection fraction (EF) decreased significantly (0.32 ± 0.07 EF units to 0.12 ± 0.13 EF units; P < 0.05) and did not recover by 30 min of reperfusion (0.27 ±0.09 units; P < 0.05 vs baseline). Simultaneous 31P NMR‐S studies demonstrated excellent β ‐ATP signal‐to‐noise (10 ± 4:1). Myocardial acidosis occurred during global ischemia (ApH = −0.22 ± 0.23 units; p < 0.05), with recovery at 30 min of reperfusion. Inorganic phosphate/ phosphocreatine ratio (Pi/PCr) increased significantly during ischemia (0.46 ± 0.07 to 0.61 ± 0.07; P < 0.05), with delayed normalization of this ratio at 30 min of reperfusion. β‐ATP peak area did not change during ischemia. Pi/PCr and LV contractility ( + dP/ dtmax ) were significantly correlated at baseline (r = −0.70) and during global ischemia (r = −0.78; p < 0.01), but not during recovery (r = 0.006; p = NS). Therefore, the simultaneous evaluation of high‐fidelity hemodynamic data and topical 31P NMR‐S can be performed in the intact State. © 1991 Academic Press, Inc.
Virulence-Associated Substitution D222G in the Hemagglutinin of 2009 Pandemic Influenza A(H1N1) Virus Affects Receptor Binding

ABSTRACT The clinical impact of the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus (pdmH1N1) has been relatively low. However, amino acid substitution D222G in the hemagglutinin of pdmH1N1 has been associated with cases of severe disease and fatalities. D222G was introduced in a prototype pdmH1N1 by reverse genetics, and the effect on virus receptor binding, replication, antigenic properties, and pathogenesis and transmission in animal models was investigated. pdmH1N1 with D222G caused ocular disease in mice without further indications of enhanced virulence in mice and ferrets. pdmH1N1 with D222G retained transmissibility via aerosols or respiratory droplets in ferrets and guinea pigs. The virus displayed changes in attachment to human respiratory tissues in vitro, in particular increased binding to macrophages and type II pneumocytes in the alveoli and to tracheal and bronchial submucosal glands. Virus attachment studies further indicated that pdmH1N1 with D222G acquired dual receptor specificity for complex α2,3- and α2,6-linked sialic acids. Molecular dynamics modeling of the hemagglutinin structure provided an explanation for the retention of α2,6 binding. Altered receptor specificity of the virus with D222G thus affected interaction with cells of the human lower respiratory tract, possibly explaining the observed association with enhanced disease in humans.
Outage and average BER analysis of multiband OFDM UWB system with MRC/EGC receiver in log-normal fading channels

This paper mainly focuses on the performance analysis of multiband orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based ultra wideband (UWB) system in the presence of log-normal fading channels. For this, an exact probability density function of sum of squared magnitude of log-normal random variables and squared sum of log-normal random variables are used to derive analytical expressions for outage probability and average bit error rate (BER) of multiband OFDM UWB signal at the combiner output. For log-normal fading channel with constant power delay profile, our analysis exactly follows the numerical (Monte Carlo simulation) results. On the other hand, increasing the outage threshold severely effects the outage probability and thus leads to deterioration of system performance. It is observed that among the combining techniques usually used in the receiver, particularly, equal gain combining (EGC) technique gives better BER performance (1.2dB at target BER of 10-6) compared to maximal ratio combining (MRC).
Leader-Following Consensus of Nonlinear Multiagent Systems With Stochastic Sampling

This paper is concerned with sampled-data leader-following consensus of a group of agents with nonlinear characteristic. A distributed consensus protocol with probabilistic sampling in two sampling periods is proposed. First, a general consensus criterion is derived for multiagent systems under a directed graph. A number of results in several special cases without transmittal delays or with the deterministic sampling are obtained. Second, a dimension-reduced condition is obtained for multiagent systems under an undirected graph. It is shown that the leader-following consensus problem with stochastic sampling can be transferred into a master-slave synchronization problem with only one master system and two slave systems. The problem solving is independent of the number of agents, which greatly facilitates its application to large-scale networked agents. Third, the network design issue is further addressed, demonstrating the positive and active roles of the network structure in reaching consensus. Finally, two examples are given to verify the theoretical results.
Game Authentication Based on Behavior Pattern

Nowadays smartphones have gained a huge popularity, ranging from using social applications to play video games. Smartphones also became more private than before. Although security mechanisms are provided from different smartphone providers, still smartphones are vulnerable to getting attacks regularly. Therefore, a security mechanism can help in protecting the smartphone from attackers. We propose a security mechanism that can help in protecting smartphone while at the same time enjoy using it such as playing a video game. The authentication system is designed in a way that can read raw data directly from the touch sensor so, it's not bound to be used in a particular application. Our system authenticates the user in the background without interrupting the user interaction with the smartphone. We tested the system in a real environment with two popular games. We managed to get 70% accuracy in one game and 90% in the other game.
A Qualitative Analysis of Suicide Ideation among Manitoban Farmers.

Canadian studies examining suicide among rural and farm populations remain scarce. To better understand this phenomenon, a qualitative research paradigm was used to analyze encounter forms of 29 individuals (24 men, 5 women) who called the Manitoban Farm and Rural Stress Line. Content analysis revealed 7 major themes: (a) coping mechanisms, (b) financial concerns, (c) health issues, (d) family salvation, (e) uncontrollable events, (f) family stress, and (g) farm culture. Consistent with previous research, it was noted that farmers appear to experience various stressful events, with finances being a key concern. Additionally, farmers report common characteristics not conducive to help-seeking behav-iour. This research indicates a need for increased services specific to Manitoban farmers.
Development of an Adaptive IIR Filter Based on Modified Robust Mixed-Norm Algorithm for Adaptive Noise Cancellation

Noise cancellation is one of the most important applications of adaptive filters. The employment of adaptive filtering in most digital signal processing tasks is currently an area of growing interest as adaptive filters, due to their dynamic nature, perform better than the traditional filters in compensating for random noise in their environment. However, the compensation for impulsive interference or noise is desired since most adaptive algorithms earlier proposed modelled noise as a random process of the White Gaussian distribution. A modified robust mixed-norm (MRMN) algorithm recently proposed to compensate for impulsive interference has been found to be hardware efficient, however the MRMN algorithm has only been tested on adaptive FIR system identification task. In this paper, an adaptive IIR filter based on MRMN adaptive algorithm is proposed and tested for noise cancellation task. The developed filter structure was modelled and simulated in MATLAB environment. The results obtained showed that the MRMN algorithm does in fact compensate for the presence of impulsive interference, however, at a higher computational complexity relative to the LMS algorithm. Keywords: Noise cancellation, adaptive filtering, impulsive noise, adaptive algorithm, system identification, random noise DOI : 10.7176/CEIS/10-2-01 Publication date :March 31 st 2019
Genetic Diversity of Heat-Labile Toxin Expressed by Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Humans

ABSTRACT The natural diversity of the elt operons, encoding the heat-labile toxin LT-I (LT), carried by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains isolated from humans was investigated. For many years, LT was supposed to be represented by a rather conserved toxin, and one derivative, produced by the reference H10407 strain, was intensively studied either as a virulence factor or as a vaccine adjuvant. Amplicons encompassing the two LT-encoding genes (eltA and eltB) of 51 human-derived ETEC strains, either LT+ (25 strains) only or LT+/ST+ (26 strains), isolated from asymptomatic (24 strains) or diarrheic (27 strains) subjects, were subjected to restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and DNA sequencing. Seven polymorphic RFLP types of the H10407 strain were detected with six (BsaI, DdeI, HhaI, HincII, HphI, and MspI) restriction enzymes. Additionally, the single-nucleotide polymorphic analysis revealed 50 base changes in the elt operon, including 21 polymorphic sites at eltA and 9 at eltB. Based on the deduced amino acid sequences, 16 LT types were identified, including LT1, expressed by the H10407 strain and 23 other strains belonging to seven different serotypes, and LT2, expressed by 11 strains of six different serotypes. In vitro experiments carried out with purified toxins indicated that no significant differences in GM1-binding affinity could be detected among LT1, LT2, and LT4. However, LT4, but not other toxin types, showed reduced toxic activities measured either in vitro with cultured cells (Y-1 cells) or in vivo in rabbit ligated ileal loops. Collectively, these results indicate that the natural diversity of LTs produced by wild-type ETEC strains isolated from human hosts is considerably larger than previously assumed and may impact the pathogeneses of the strains and the epidemiology of the disease.
Mixed Infection With Reovirus and Chlamydophila in a Flock of Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus)

Abstract Eleven budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) from a zoological collection presented at necropsy with emaciation and splenomegaly or hepatomegaly or both. Polymerase chain reaction assays performed on liver and spleen samples were positive for Chlamydophila psittaci in 2 of 3 birds tested, and histologic findings in 2 additional birds were compatible with chlamydiosis. The aviary was subsequently closed to the public, and a 45-day treatment regimen with doxycycline in the seeds was initiated. No further deaths of birds with hepatomegaly or splenomegaly were observed after the first day of treatment. Further investigation of birds that died during the outbreak with emaciation and with hepatic and splenic enlargement revealed severe necrosis of the spleen and liver suggestive of reovirus infection, which was supported with polymerase chain reaction analysis from paraffin-embedded tissue. This reovirus was sequenced and had 100% homology with a reovirus previously identified in an African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus). The outbreak did not affect cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) and blue quail (Coturnix chinensis) kept in the same aviary. A group of budgerigars added to the collection soon before the opening of the aviary may have introduced reovirus and Chlamydophila into the collection.
The effect of connexin32 null mutation on hepatocarcinogenesis in different mouse strains.

Connexin32 (Cx32) is the major gap junctional protein in mouse liver. We have shown recently that the formation of liver tumours in Cx32-deficient mice is strongly increased in comparison with control wild-type mice, demonstrating that the deficiency in gap junctional communication has an enhancing effect on hepatocarcinogenesis. We have now compared the effect of Cx32 deficiency on liver carcinogenesis in two strains of mice with differing susceptibility to hepatocarcinogenesis. Heterozygous Cx32(+/-) females were crossed with male Cx32 wild-type C57BL/6J (low susceptibility) or C3H/He (high susceptibility) mice. Since the Cx32 gene is located on the X-chromosome, the resulting F1 males segregated to the genotypes Cx32(Y/+) and Cx32(Y/-). Genotyping was performed by PCR-analysis using tail-tip DNA. Weanling male mice were i.p. injected with a single dose of N-nitrosodiethylamine and were killed 16, 21 or 26 weeks later. The number, volume fraction and size distribution of precancerous liver lesions characterized by a deficiency in the marker enzyme glucose-6-phosphatase were quantitated. The results demonstrate that Cx32 deficiency only slightly affects the number of enzyme-altered lesions, but strongly enhances their growth, both in the resistant and the susceptible mouse strain, suggesting that decreased intercellular communication results in tumour promoting activity irrespective of the genetic background of the mouse strain used. Since Cx32-deficient C3H/He hybrids were approximately 5-10 times more sensitive than C3H/He hybrids with an intact Cx32 gene, this mouse strain may prove very useful for toxicological screening purposes.
Dentists' perspectives on oral cancer: a survey in Northern Germany and a comparison with international data

The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge on diagnostic procedures and risk factors for oral cancer among dentists in Northern Germany by means of a standardized questionnaire. A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to all dentists in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, which was composed of 41 items focusing on knowledge about diagnostic procedures for oral cancer and its main risk factors. Three hundred and six of 2233 questionnaires were returned and analysed. Most dentists correctly agreed that early detection of oral cancer improves 5-year survival. Knowledge of the facts that oral cancer is mostly diagnosed at an advanced stage and that the floor of the mouth is a common site to be affected was higher compared with international data. In contrast, knowledge was lower on the appearance of oral cancer and its symptoms in the early stages. Dentists were less certain about the role of nonrisk factors (e.g. family history) than that of risk factors. Continuous education on oral cancer within the past year was the only background factor that significantly contributed to a better knowledge onrisk-related and diagnostic factors. Profound knowledge about diagnostic procedures and risk factors for oral cancer is essential for dentists. This survey was informative with regard to areas of high versus low knowledge and will help design appropriate continuing education programmes.
Inhibition of GTPase Rac1 in Endothelium by 6-Mercaptopurine Results in Immunosuppression in Nonimmune Cells: New Target for an Old Drug

Azathioprine and its metabolite 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) are well established immunosuppressive drugs. Common understanding of their immunosuppressive properties is largely limited to immune cells. However, in this study, the mechanism underlying the protective role of 6-MP in endothelial cell activation is investigated. Because 6-MP and its derivative 6-thioguanosine-5′-triphosphate (6-T-GTP) were shown to block activation of GTPase Rac1 in T lymphocytes, we focused on Rac1-mediated processes in endothelial cells. Indeed, 6-MP and 6-T-GTP decreased Rac1 activation in endothelial cells. As a result, the compounds inhibited TNF-α–induced downstream signaling via JNK and reduced activation of transcription factors c-Jun, activating transcription factor-2 and, in addition, NF κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), which led to decreased transcription of proinflammatory cytokines. Moreover, 6-MP and 6-T-GTP selectively decreased TNF-α–induced VCAM-1 but not ICAM-1 protein levels. Rac1-mediated generation of cell membrane protrusions, which form docking structures to capture leukocytes, also was reduced by 6-MP/6-T-GTP. Consequently, leukocyte transmigration was inhibited after 6-MP/6-T-GTP treatment. These data underscore the anti-inflammatory effect of 6-MP and 6-T-GTP on endothelial cells by blocking Rac1 activation. Our data provide mechanistic insight that supports development of novel Rac1-specific therapeutic approaches against chronic inflammatory diseases.
Path dependence in intrastate conflicts: Resources, regimes, and interventions

PATH DEPENDENCE IN INTRASTATE CONFLICTS: RESOURCES, REGIMES, AND INTERVENTIONS Ivan Medynskyi Old Dominion University, 2015 Director: Dr. David C. Earnest This dissertation investigates the patterns of path dependence in intrastate conflicts. It is motivated by three research questions: What factors determine a particular outcome of a civil war? How strong is their impact? What are the causal mechanisms in play? To examine these questions, this study introduces a theory of path dependence to the study of intrastate conflicts that bridges the gap between analyses of the phases of contention. First, it examines the broad understanding of path dependence that highlights the impact of initial conditions on civil war outcomes. Then, this dissertation explores the narrower notion which focuses on the role of timing and sequence of internal factors and intervening events in shaping different resolutions to intrastate conflicts. Using multinomial logistic regression and event history models to analyze initial conditions, intrinsic features, and intervening factors in influencing the probability of particular civil war outcomes, this study identifies relevant agencies that can be utilized to shape solutions for current and future instances of armed civil conflicts. Finally, three case studies test the applicability of the path dependence theory through outlining the narratives, incorporating quantitative findings, and identifying causal mechanisms. The empirical findings of the initial conditions models emphasize the relevance of conflict spillover, non-lootable resources, and structure of bipolarity. An investigation into the factors that ‘lock in’ a particular civil war outcome highlights the role of UN and regional intergovernmental organizations in accelerating a compromise outcome; explains the variation in dynamics behind democratic and autocratic regimes; but surprisingly finds no support for the relationship between the size of the armed forces and conflict outcome. Although case study analysis supports the validity of the empirical results, it also points at the potential limitations of the quantitative design. Since this study follows a mixed methods approach, it effectively compensates for the drawbacks of different types of analysis.
The true effect of students’ employment on the duration of studies

ABSTRACT We examine the effect of the first-degree students’ employment on the prolongation of their studies. When employing a popular instrumental variable, the regional unemployment rate, we find a negative impact of students’ employment on duration of studies. Then, adding a predetermined IV – the individual’s employment prior to the beginning of academic studies – turns the estimate positive. Furthermore, we find that the relationship between the extent of students’ employment and duration of their studies depends on their age: among the younger students (aged 22–26), the extent of employment has no effect on the duration of studies, while among the older students, the effect is positive and statistically significant.
A Qualitative Research on the Occupational Anxieties Final Year Medical Students in Medical Faculty, Aydın

Amac: Kaygi, kisinin esas kabul ettigi degerlerinin tehlikeye ugrayacagi dusuncesiyle icinde bulundugu duyusal sikinti durumudur. Kaygi sikligi ve yogunlugunun artmasi kisileri bircok yonden olumsuz etkilemektedir. Tip fakultesi son sinif ogrencileri yakin zamanda hekimlik meslegini tum sorumluluklariyla yerine getirecek ve insan sagligi ile dogrudan iliskide olacak bir gruptur. Bu grubun kaygi duzeyinin yuksek olmasi bu kisileri bircok yonden olumsuz yonde etkileyecektir. Calismamizda, Adnan Menderes Universitesi Tip Fakultesi son sinif ogrencilerinin mesleki kaygilarini ve bu kaygilarinin sebeplerini derinlemesine degerlendirmek amaclanmistir. Gerec ve Yontem: Calisma, kalitatif bir calisma olup, fenomenolojik arastirma biciminde desenlendirilmis; Agustos 2016’da baslayip Aralik 2017’de tamamlanmistir. Calismada veri toplama yontemi olarak odak grup gorusmesi teknigi kullanilmistir. Gruplardaki katilimcilar kolay ulasilabilir ve benzesik ornekleme yontemiyle secilmislerdir. Calismanin analizi icerik analizi yontemi ile elle yapilmistir. Veri analizi sonucu 6 ana tema, 15 alt tema olusturulmustur. Bulgular: aslica ortaya cikan temalar tip fakultesi son sinif ogrencilerinin hekimlik meslegini yapmakla ilgili kaygilari, tipta uzmanlik sinavi kaygilari, mecburi hizmet kaygisi, pratisyen hekim olarak calisma kaygisidir. Toplumsal cinsiyet ve saglik politikalari temalari, bu kaygilarin baslica sebepleri olarak ortaya cikmistir. Sonuc: Tip fakultesi son sinif ogrencileri mesleki egitimleri ve mezuniyet sonrasindaki meslek yasamlari ile ilgili ciddi kaygi tasimaktadirlar. Mesleklerini iyi bir ortamda ve iyi bir sekilde yapmalarini saglanmasinda oncelikle tip egitimi sistemi ve saglik politikalari olmak uzere ciddi sorunlar bulunmaktadir.
Comparison of RBF and local linear model networks for nonlinear identification of a pH process

This paper focuses on the nonlinear identification of an experimental pH neutralisation process using real data. The performances of radial basis function (RBF) and local linear model networks (LLMN) for identifying this significantly nonlinear process are compared. Results are presented to illustrate the choice of the various network parameters in the model structures for network training and validation data. The overall results demonstrate the practical ability of the two network structures for nonlinear system identification.
Continuous subcutaneous terbutaline administration prolongs pregnancy after recurrent preterm labor.

OBJECTIVE This study was undertaken to study the effectiveness of continuous subcutaneous terbutaline (SQT) in the home after recurrent preterm labor (RPTL). STUDY DESIGN Women with RPTL at less than 32 weeks' gestation were treated with continuous SQT administered in the home compared with matched control patients. RESULTS Fifteen SQT patients were compared with 45 women (3:1) treated with no tocolytic therapy after hospitalization. Gestational age at delivery more than 37 weeks (53% vs 4%), percentage delivered at less than 32 weeks (0% vs 47%), overall and pregnancy prolongation (49.8 +/- 19.2 days vs 24.5 +/- 12.8 days) were all significantly better in the study group (P <.001). The total number of maternal hospital days (9.8 +/- 2.1 vs 15.9 +/- 7.4, P <.0001), duration of NICU stay (1.9 +/- 4.9 vs 19.8 +/- 29.3 days, P <.001), and total cost for newborn care (6,995 +/- 14,822 US dollars vs 62,033 +/- 89,978 US dollars, P <.002) favored the study patients. For every dollar spent on SQT, there was a savings of 4.67 US dollars in newborn hospital costs for control patients. CONCLUSION In this small study, the use of SQT significantly prolongs pregnancy, decreases serious neonatal complications, and reduces the duration of hospitalization for both mother and infant, as well as neonatal costs.