Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk factors associated with Barrett's epithelial dysplasia.

AIM To elucidate risk factors associated with dysplasia of short-segment Barrett's esophagus (BE). METHODS A total of 151 BE patients who underwent endoscopic examination from 2004 to 2008 in Aoyama Hospital, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Japan and whose diagnosis was confirmed from biopsy specimens were enrolled in the study. BE was diagnosed based on endoscopic findings of gastric-appearing mucosa or apparent columnar-lined esophagus proximal to the esophagogastric junction. Dysplasia was classified into three grades - mild, moderate and severe - according to the guidelines of the Vienna Classification System for gastrointestinal epithelial neoplasia. Anthropometric and biochemical data were analyzed to identify risk factors for BE dysplasia. The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and the expression of p53 by immunohistological staining were also investigated. RESULTS Histological examination classified patients into three types: specialized columnar epithelium (SCE) (n = 65); junctional (n = 38); and gastric fundic (n = 48). The incidence of dysplasia or adenocarcinoma from BE of the SCE type was significantly higher than that of the other two types (P < 0.01). The univariate analysis revealed that sex, H. pylori infection, body weight, p53 overexpression, and low diastolic blood pressure (BP) were associated with BE dysplasia. In contrast, body mass index, waist circumference, metabolic syndrome complications, and variables related to glucose or lipid metabolism were not associated with dysplasia. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that overexpression of p53 [odds ratio (OR) = 13.1, P = 0.004], H. pylori infection (OR = 0.19, P = 0.066), and diastolic BP (OR = 0.87, P = 0.021) were independent risk factors for epithelial dysplasia in BE patients with the SCE type. CONCLUSION Overexpression of p53 is a risk factor for dysplasia of BE, however, H. pylori infection and diastolic BP inversely associated with BE dysplasia might be protective.
Autoradiographic observations of plasma cell formation.

The temporal pattern of DNA labeling in plasmocytic cells of the lymph nodes of mice which have been stimulated by multiple injections of antigen was followed autoradiographically after single injections of tritiated thymidine. From an analysis of this pattern and the changes in the mean grain count the enormous proliferative capacity of cells in the plasmocytic series has been demonstrated. A maximum generation time of 12 to 14 hr has been calculated for the early plasmoblast. The most mature plasma cells are apparently nondividing cells which have a meanlife in the lymph node of the order of 8 to 12 hr. More preliminary autoradiographic observations following the single injection of H3-cytidine and H3-leucine indicate that this nondividing mature plasma cell does not synthesize RNA and is capable of only minimal protein synthesis.
A multiscale approach to a synthetic aperture radar in dispersive random media

We consider synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image formation in the situation when the propagation medium is random and dispersive. The propagation model is the Klein–Gordon equation with a random index of refraction and a random dispersive term. We show via a multiscale analysis how medium heterogeneities and dispersion affect the image. In fact, in a situation with a strong source chirp signal, the main effect of the medium heterogeneities is to introduce random phase distortions in the SAR data. We carry out a novel scaling analysis that gives a precise characterization of this canonical phase perturbation and how it affects image resolution and stability. The main effect of the phase perturbation is to reduce the azimuthal resolution and the signal-to-noise ratio and we quantify this performance degradation.
Liquid crystal based tunable composite right/left-handed leaky-wave antenna for Ka-Band applications

In this work a liquid crystal (LC) based tunable composite right/left-handed leaky-wave antenna operating in the Ka-Band is presented. It features one dimensional beam steering capabilities for fixed operation frequency. Simulated results are confirmed by vectorial network analysis and far field measurements of the built prototype. The design and built-up of the antenna is presented in detail. Biasing of the LC molecules is done by static magnetic fields due to its simplicity although the developed proof-of-concept prototype was already designed to support electric biasing as well. The obtainable beam steering range of -20 to +20 degrees with respect to broadside at a fixed operation frequency of 27 GHz is very promising.
O acompanhamento psicológico a familiares de pacientes oncológicos terminais no cotidiano hospitalar

Nossa sociedade atual tem-se demonstrado cada vez mais inabil em lidar com as questoes referentes a morte, sendo esta, muitas vezes, vista como algo antinatural que nao deve ser lembrado. Essa situacao faz com que nos tornemos despreparados frente a realidade da finitude humana, nao sabendo como reagir quando subitamente nos deparamos com situacoes de morte iminente, principalmente quando esta morte ocorre com entes queridos. Neste artigo pretende-se aclarar as dificuldades do trabalho com familiares enlutados, de pacientes terminais com câncer em hospitais gerais, bem como fornecer orientacoes praticas aos psicologos que atuam na area. O trabalho de luto em si, ja apresenta dificuldades que, juntas ao estigma de uma doenca secular, a agressividade da situacao cirurgica aliada a um ambiente hospitalar aversivo, criam um universo riquissimo para o surgimento das mais variadas fantasias, conflitos pessoais e quadros patologicos, sendo estes alguns dos principais objetos de intervencao, com os quais o psicologo se depara no âmbito hospitalar. Palavras-chave: luto; câncer; hospital.
Subcutaneous meloxicam suspension pharmacokinetics in mice and dose considerations for postoperative analgesia

Meloxicam is a cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor with a higher selectivity for cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) than for cyclooxygenase‐1 (COX‐1). In the laboratory setting, this nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID) is commonly selected for analgesia in mice and administered every 24 h. This study characterizes the plasma concentration achieved from a dose of 1.6 mg/kg of meloxicam administered once every 24 h subcutaneously for 72 h in male and female C57BL/6 mice. These values were compared, over time, to reference COX‐2 inhibition constants for meloxicam. No significant differences in trough plasma concentrations were noted between genders. The plasma concentrations were below the COX‐2 IC 50 after 12 h. To maintain a plasma concentration at or above the COX‐2 whole blood IC 50, the study results suggest an administration frequency of every 12 h when using a dose of 1.6 mg/kg in C57BL/6 mice.
Ratings Changes, Ratings Levels, and the Predictive Value of Analysts' Recommendations

We show that abnormal returns to analysts’ recommendations stem from both the ratings levels assigned and the changes in those ratings. Conditional on the ratings change, buy and strong buy recommendations have greater returns than do holds, sells, and strong sells. Conditional on the ratings level, upgrades earn the highest returns and downgrades the lowest. We also find that both ratings levels and changes predict future unexpected earnings and the associated market reaction. Our results imply that 1) investment returns may be enhanced by conditioning on both recommendation levels and changes; 2) the predictive power of analysts’ recommendations reflects, at least partially, analysts’ ability to generate valuable private information; and 3) some inconsistency exists between analysts’ ratings and the formal ratings definitions issued by securities firms.
Low Serum B12 Levels in a Hematologically Normal Elderly Subpopulation

Serum Vitamin B12 levels were determined on 378 patients ranging in age from 56 to 104 years with a median age of 77 for both males and females. A radiodilution method was employed for these determinations. This screening procedure identified 26 patients with low serum B12 levels. Nineteen of these patients had no other symptoms and were hematologically normal. The B12 binding proteins, transcobalamins (TC) I, II, and III were quantitated employing QUSO and DEAE cellulose batch separations. The total number of TC II binding/affinity sites for B12 were elevated in both the normal and low B12 elderly groups. About 17% of the total serum B12 was carried by TC II in the control group while only 4% of the total was carried on TC II in both the normal and low B12 elderly. This was accompanied by an increase in unsaturation in TC II for these two groups. The findings suggest that an alteration in the TC II‐B12 delivery system has occurred in the elderly.
Mechanisms of renal sympathetic activation in renovascular hypertension

What is the topic of this review? This review addresses the underlying mechanisms involved in sympathoexcitation during renovascular hypertension, focusing on the importance of increased oxidative stress in the paraventricular nucleus and rostral ventrolateral medulla. What advances does it highlight? Whether renal or autonomic dysfunction is the major contributor to systemic hypertension following a renovascular insult is still a matter of debate. Here, we take an integrative approach by describing the crosstalk between the kidney and brain. We show how changes in the CNS, and in sympathetic premotor neurons in particular, are activated by ischaemic renal disease in an experimental model of renovascular hypertension.
Crise universitaire ou crise de civilisation? La crise de Mai 68 en France à travers la Revue des Deux Mondes

Several interpretations about May 1968 have been done. Whatever the different approaches are considered, the fact is that the crisis started among the students. The staff of the “ Revue des Deux Mondes” were specially concerned in this crisis. They considered the effects of democratization and centralization in French University life from a conservative point of view.
Inverse Double NARX Fuzzy Modeling for System Identification

In this paper, a novel inverse double nonlinear autoregressive with exogenous input (NARX) fuzzy model is applied to simultaneously model and identify both joints of the prototype two-axis pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM) robot arm's inverse dynamic model. Highly nonlinear features of both joints of the nonlinear manipulator system are identified by the proposed inverse double NARX fuzzy (IDNF) model based on experimental input-output training data. The modified genetic algorithm (GA) optimally generates the appropriate fuzzy if-then rules to perfectly characterize the dynamic features of the two-axis PAM manipulator system. The evaluation of different IDNF models with various ARX model structures will be discussed. For the first time, the nonlinear IDNF model of the two-axis PAM robot arm is investigated. The results show that the nonlinear IDNF model that is trained by GA performs better and has a higher accuracy than the conventional inverse fuzzy model.
John Jacob Abel and the Crystallization of Insulin

The isolation ofcrystalline insulin in 1926 and the demonstration of its protein nature were events ofprofound and far-reaching importance not only for endocrinology but also for the development ofmodern concepts ofprotein structure and the relation ofthis structure to specific biological activity. The credit for these germinal discoveries belongs very appropri- ately toJohnJacob Abel, professor ofpharmacology at TheJohns Hopkins School of Medicine and the founding father of pharmacology in the United States, an outstanding expert on hormones, and an ardent pro- ponent of chemistry in the service of medicine. The experiments Abel initiated on insulin led in time to the inescapable conclusion that insulin is a complicated protein, composed entirely ofamino acids and devoid of any extraneous active group. This concept could not be reconciled with the contemporary theories on proteins, which were regarded as hopelessly complex arrangements of amino acids, lacking the type of structural uniformity and precision that might be anticipated of molecules with highly specific physiological or pharmacological properties. Proof that the very selective and potent biological activity of insulin resided in a pureprotein called for a complete revision ofviews about the fundamental characteristics and architecture of proteins. It is not surprising that the scientific community was extremely reluctant to accept Abel's evidence and clung to the belief that his insulin crystals must in reality consist of the true hormone, of unknown chemical nature, adsorbed upon a pro- tein carrier. The early discussions ofthe chemistry of insulin thus bear a complete parallel to the classic controversy that arose at exactly the same
A quantitative comparison of machined commercially pure titanium and titanium-aluminum-vanadium implants in rabbit bone.

Screw-shaped implants made from rods of commercially pure titanium (grade 1) and titanium-aluminum-vanadium (grade 5) were machined, and the implant surface structures were numerically described before being placed in rabbit tibiae for healing periods of 1 months, 6 months, and 12 months. Quantitative comparisons of the removal torque (Ncm) necessary to loosen the implants from the bone bed were performed. Short-term (1 month) observations revealed no significant differences between the two tested materials. However, after 6 and 12 months, the commercially pure titanium implants were significantly more stable in the bone bed, as compared to the alloy samples. After 6 months, the commercially pure titanium had a mean removal torque of 29 Ncm versus 23 for the alloy (P = .01), and after 12 months, the mean removal torque was 38 Ncm for commercially pure titanium as compared to 35 Ncm for the alloy (P = .01). Quantifications of the bone tissue response to the materials did not show any significant differences; however, the commercially pure titanium showed a tendency to have a higher percentage of bone in contact with the implant as compared to the alloy screws. Bone volumes in the threads were similar. The absence of any quantitative light microscopic difference after 1 month following placement may relate to the fact that there was a sparse amount of bone, since the tissue was in the organization/granulation phase. After 6 and 12 months of follow-up, substantial bone formation had occurred, resulting in significantly increased removal torques for the commercially pure titanium samples.
Clastogenic effect of fenfluramine in mice bone marrow cells in vivo

Fenfluramine, an amphetamine derivative used in the treatment of obesity, has been evaluated in vivo in the bone marrow cells of Swiss albino mice using two cytogenetic endpoints for assessing its genotoxic and clastogenic potentials. Concentrations of 0.75, 1.5, 3.0, and 5.0 mg/kg b.w. were administered orally for the study of sister chromatid exchange frequencies and chromosome aberrations (CA). SCE frequencies showed a positive dose response; 1.5 mg/kg being the minimum effective concentration. Fen caused a prolongation of cell cycle at all concentrations. Except for the minimum therapeutic dose (0.75 mg), all other doses (1.5, 3.0, and 5.0 mg) showed a significant increase in the percentage of damaged cells over that of the vehicle control. The degree of clastogenicity was directly proportional to the dosage used and inversely related with the duration of treatment. A gradual reduction of the clastogenic potential was observed after 12 and 24 hr of exposure, indicating that the maximum effect occurs at the middle or late synthetic phase of the cell cycle. This study, probably the first detailed screening of the drug for its genotoxicity, shows that Fen is moderately clastogenic and a DNA damaging agent in vivo.
Minimal Inhibitory Concentration of Ceftazidime and Co-trimoxazole for Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia using E-test

Background Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, previously named as Pseudomonas or Xanthomonas maltophilia, is an important nosocomial pathogen Aim The purpose of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of S. maltophilia in Iranian hospitals and its susceptibility to available antimicrobial agents. Setting and design: A cross-sectional study in Imam Khomeini Hospital affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods All blood specimens were sent to the laboratory for blood culture and biochemical analysis. One hundred samples were positive for S. maltophilia. We used disk diffusion and E-test in order to determine minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ceftazidime and co-trimoxazole as the first line antibiotics for S. maltophilia. The tests were performed and interpreted according to the guidelines of Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Statistical analysis: Chi-square test and Kappa measurement of agreement were applied as appropriate. Results S. maltophilia was the most frequent pathogen (895 specimens; 38.9%) isolated from the samples which were mostly from emergency ward (780 specimens; 33.9%). Ceftazidime MIC50 and MIC90 were 2 and 32 μg/ml, respectively (sensitive ≤8 μg/ml and resistant ≥32 μg/ml according to CLSI guideline). MIC50 and MIC90 for co-trimoxazole were 0.5 and 2 μg/ml, respectively (sensitive ≤2 μg/ml and resistant ≥4 μg/ml according to CLSI guideline). Conclusion S. maltophilia is the most frequent pathogen in our hospital with a high susceptibility to both ceftazidime and co-trimoxazole.
An accelerated multiplicative iterative algorithm in image reconstruction

Based on the ML‐EM (maximum likelihood expectation maximization) algorithm and AWLS (one kind of multiplicative weighted least square) reconstruction, a new algorithm named RMITC (rapid multiplicative iteration with total‐count conservation) is proposed. The new method assumes a higher order correction factor and incorporates a total‐count conservation constraint to obtain better images reconstructed while achieving a higher speed of convergence. Computer simulated phantom data and real positron emission tomography (PET) transmission data were used to compare the new method with other reconstruction algorithms, such as ML‐EM and AWLS. Results demonstrated that the new method is faster and better quantitatively than both ML‐EM and AWLS. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol 12, 97–100, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ima.10016
Constitutively Elevated Levels of Putrescine and Putrescine-Generating Enzymes Correlated with Oxidant Stress Resistance in Conyza bonariensis and Wheat

Oxidant stress resistance in Conyza bonariensis and wheat (Triticum aestivum) has been correlated with high levels of antioxidant enzyme activities. Additionally, external oxidant stresses can increase a plant's levels of the enzymes of polyamine biosynthesis and polyamines, especially putrescine. We investigated the constitutive relationships between putrescine, putrescine-generating enzymes, and oxidant stress resistance in wheat and C. bonariensis. Putrescine was Constitutively elevated (2.5- to 5.7-fold) in 2-week-old-resistant wheat and C. bonariensis biotypes, which correlated with a 10- to 15-fold increase in paraquat oxidant resistance. Arginine and ornithine decarboxylase activities doubled, along with higher putrescine levels in resistant C. bonariensis. The variations in levels of putrescine and arginine and ornithine decarboxylase activities paralleled the constitutive variation of antioxidant enzymes, as well as oxidant resistance. Higher levels of both putrescine and antioxidant enzyme activities occurred during a peak of oxidant resistance at 10 weeks, when paraquat resistance in C. bonariensis plants is >50-fold greater than in the sensitive biotype. Application of 100 [mu]M putrescine can double oxidant-stress resistance in the resistant C. bonariensis. Putrescine may play an important role in contributing to the base level of oxidant resistance found at the nonpeak period.
Monte Carlo simulation of Schottky diodes operating under terahertz cyclostationary conditions

We report Monte Carlo simulations of the current response and noise spectrum in heavily doped nanometric GaAs Schottky-barrier diodes (SBDs) operating under periodic large-signal conditions in the forward bias region. Due to the rather thin depletion region and heavy doping of these diodes, we find that the returning carrier resonance is shifted well above the terahertz region, so that the low-frequency noise plateau extends over the terahertz region. Here, frequency multiplication and mixing can take place at noise levels equal or below than that of full shot noise. We show that the signal-to-noise ratio of these SBDs is definitely superior to that of bulk semiconductors exploiting velocity-field nonlinearity.
Actes des deuxièmes journées nationales du Groupement de Recherche CNRS du Génie de la Programmation et du Logiciel

Ce document contient les actes des Sixiemes journees nationales du Groupement De Recherche CNRS du Genie de la Programmation et du Logiciel (GDR GPL) s'etant deroulees au CNAM a Paris du 11 au 13 juin 2014. Les contributions presentees dans ce document ont ete selectionnees par les differents groupes de travail du GDR. Il s'agit de resumes, de nouvelles versions, de posters et de demonstrations qui correspondent a des travaux qui ont deja ete valides par les comites de programmes d'autres conferences et revues et dont les droits appartiennent exclusivement a leurs auteurs.
Relay Node Selection Algorithm for Cooperative Communications in Wireless Networks

: IEEE 802.11a/b/g standards support multiple transmission rates. Even though the use of multiple transmission rates increase the WLAN capacity, this feature leads to the performance anomaly problem. Cooperative communication was introduced to relieve the performance anomaly problem. Data packets are delivered to the destination much faster through a relay node with high rate than through direct transmission to the destination at low rate. In the legacy cooperative protocols, a source node chooses a relay node only based on the transmission rate. Therefore, they are not so feasible in multi-flow environments since they do not consider the effect of other flows. To alleviate the effect, we propose a new relay node selection algorithm based on the transmission rate and channel contention level. Performance evaluation is conducted using simulation, and shows that the proposed protocol significantly outperforms the previous protocol in terms of throughput and delay.
Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells after RNA Interference‐Mediated Silencing of OCT4 and Nanog

RNA interference (RNAi) holds great promise as a tool to study the basic biology of stem cells or to direct differentiation in a specific manner. Barriers to achieving efficient and specific gene silencing in RNAi experiments include limitations in transfection efficiency and in the efficacy and specificity of RNAi silencing effectors. Here, we combine methods of efficient lipid‐mediated delivery with chemically modified RNAi compounds to silence genes related to pluripotency, in order to direct differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells. After transfection of embryonic stem cells with OCT4‐ or Nanog‐targeted RNAi compounds, levels of OCT4 or Nanog transcript and protein were reduced accordingly. Reduction in OCT4 expression correlated with induction of trophectoderm genes Cdx2, Hand1, and PL‐1, with formation of cells with trophoblast giant cell phenotype after 6 days. Reduction in Nanog expression correlated with induction of extraembryonic endoderm genes GATA4, GATA6, and laminin B1, with subsequent generation of groups of cells with parietal endoderm phenotype. Our results indicate that transient inhibition of OCT4 or Nanog by RNAi compounds is sufficient to induce differentiation toward extraembryonic lineages, which supports the model that these transcription factors function in a dose‐dependent manner to influence cell fate.