Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regional distribution of Y‐receptor subtype mRNAs in rat brain

Molecular cloning techniques have recently led to the identification of a growing number of neuropeptide Y‐receptor subtypes, suggesting possible subtype‐specific involvement in different physiological processes. Here we report the first study which determines and compares the mRNA expression of all four cloned functional Y‐receptor subtypes (Y1, Y2, Y4 and Y5) in consecutive sections of the rat brain on a cellular level, using a uniform in situ hybridization technique. Our results demonstrate that Y‐receptor subtype mRNA expression is widely distributed throughout the rat brain. Interestingly, coexpression of all four Y‐receptors, at different levels, is particularly evident within the limbic system, including the hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, piriform and cingulate cortices and tegmental areas, all of which are heavily involved in behaviour, emotion and homeostatic regulation. Particularly interesting is the demonstration that Y5‐receptor mRNA expression always coincides with the presence of Y1‐receptor mRNA (although not vice versa), possibly due to the overlapping organization and transcriptional control of their genes. However, it is also clear that several brain nuclei display preferential expression of one or a selective combination of Y‐receptor subtype mRNAs. Furthermore, it is evident that there is regionalization of expression within certain loci which express all four receptor subtype mRNAs, particularly within the paraventricular and arcuate hypothalamic nuclei. Our results suggest that some of neuropeptide Y's (NPY) effects may be mediated through one particular subtype, whereas other physiological processes might require the coordinated action of different subtypes within the same or discrete areas.
Stem cells for respiratory failure

Purpose of reviewThe prognosis of patients with respiratory failure in the ICU remains poor, while current therapeutic approaches are aimed at minimizing ventilator-induced lung injury. Stem cell-based therapies have the potential to transform respiratory failure treatment by achieving lung repair. The purpose of this article is to critically review the large body of clinical and experimental work performed with respect to the use of stem/progenitor cells in respiratory failure, and to discuss current challenges and future directions. Recent findingsSince the initial report of cell therapy for lung injury in 2005, numerous preclinical and clinical studies have been performed that support the ability of various stem cell populations to improve physiologic lung function and reduce inflammation in both infective and sterile acute respiratory distress syndrome. Nevertheless, many important issues (e.g., mechanism of action, long-term engraftment, optimal cell type, dose, route of administration) remain to be resolved. SummaryCell-based therapeutics hold promise, particularly for acute respiratory distress syndrome, and early preclinical testing has been encouraging. To advance clinical testing of cell therapies in respiratory failure, and to help ensure that this approach will facilitate bench-to-bedside and bedside-to-bench discoveries, parallel paths of basic and clinical research are needed, including measures of cell therapy effectiveness in vivo and in vitro.
Hyperbaric oxygenation in the treatment of hemodialysis-associated air embolism.

HYPERBARIC oxygenation has been used extensively in the management of clinical situations in which abnormal quantities of air have gained access to the venous and arterial sides of the circulation.1 2 3 It appears reasonable, therefore, to manage air embolism, an occasional complication of hemodialysis, in a similar fashion. We reviewed the clinical course of nine patients who sustained air embolism during hemodialysis and were treated with hyperbaric oxygenation. Patients and Methods The patients were referred from three dialysis centers and home dialysis settings during the period 1971–1974. All patients were dialyzed on conventional Travenol RSP artificial-kidney machines and received 200 to .
Estimating the burden of total knee replacement in the United States.

BACKGROUND In the last decade, the number of total knee replacements performed annually in the United States has doubled, with disproportionate increases among younger adults. While total knee replacement is a highly effective treatment for end-stage knee osteoarthritis, total knee replacement recipients can experience persistent pain and severe complications. We are aware of no current estimates of the prevalence of total knee replacement among adults in the U.S. METHODS We used the Osteoarthritis Policy Model, a validated computer simulation model of knee osteoarthritis, and data on annual total knee replacement utilization to estimate the prevalence of primary and revision total knee replacement among adults fifty years of age or older in the U.S. We combined these prevalence estimates with U.S. Census data to estimate the number of adults in the U.S. currently living with total knee replacement. The annual incidence of total knee replacement was derived from two longitudinal knee osteoarthritis cohorts and ranged from 1.6% to 11.9% in males and from 2.0% to 10.9% in females. RESULTS We estimated that 4.0 million (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.6 million to 4.4 million) adults in the U.S. currently live with a total knee replacement, representing 4.2% (95% CI: 3.7% to 4.6%) of the population fifty years of age or older. The prevalence was higher among females (4.8%) than among males (3.4%) and increased with age. The lifetime risk of primary total knee replacement from the age of twenty-five years was 7.0% (95% CI: 6.1% to 7.8%) for males and 9.5% (95% CI: 8.5% to 10.5%) for females. Over half of adults in the U.S. diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis will undergo a total knee replacement. CONCLUSIONS Among older adults in the U.S., total knee replacement is considerably more prevalent than rheumatoid arthritis and nearly as prevalent as congestive heart failure. Nearly 1.5 million of those with a primary total knee replacement are fifty to sixty-nine years old, indicating that a large population is at risk for costly revision surgery as well as possible long-term complications of total knee replacement.
A Passive Indoor Tracking Scheme With Geometrical Formulation

Passive tracking that aims to track targets without assistant devices, i.e., device-free targets, is addressed as an emerging field recently. This letter proposes a novel passive tracking algorithm with several pairs of position-known wireless terminals (WTs) and access points (APs), which can be implemented in wireless local area network environments. In the proposed scheme, we formulate the crossing point estimation on the line-of-sight paths (LOSPs) between APs and WTs of third parties, which reveal trajectory of the device-free target, as a geometrical optimization problem. Then, the optimization problem is solved by the particle swarm optimization algorithm. As essential knowledge, we first explore the characteristics of the wireless propagation radio frequency tomography, under LOSP. The tracking performance of the proposed scheme is evaluated via computer simulations as well as experiments in a (5 × 12)-m2 monitored area. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme can provide remarkable tracking accuracy of as high as decimeters.
Economic scheduling of distributed generators in a microgrid considering various constraints

This paper deals with the economic dispatch problem in a microgrid to provide the optimal power reference of distributed generators. The objective function and the constraints related to the operation of the microgrid are formulated and the solution method for the problem is introduced. The constraints for this problem include i) additional reserve requirement due to the uncertainty in the output of renewable resources, ii) flow limit between the control areas, and iii) additional reserve for the stable operation during the islanded mode. In order to examine the effect of the constraints on the generation cost, some numerical experiments are conducted.
Anatomy preserving 3D model decomposition based on robust skeleton-surface node correspondence

In this work, we present an effective anatomy preserving model decomposition technique. By extracting unit-width curve skeletons, which are robust to noise, and mapping skeleton branches to model surface nodes, our method accurately identifies the topology and geometry information of a 3D model, resulting in more semantically rich segmented components. Experiments on 2194 models from the Princeton Shape Benchmark and A Benchmark for 3D Mesh Segmentation demonstrate the advantage of the proposed technique. Our results preserve better anatomical structures compared to three commonly used model segmentation methods.
A Study on Automatic Segmentation of Optic Disc in Retinal Fundus Images

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is one of the main causes of vision loss in the world among patients suffering from diabetes. DR is a chronic eye disease, which can be controlled by regular checkup & treatment. If left untreated, loss of vision occurs gradually and become blind. The detection and diagnosis of DR is important. DR is characterized by its features like, micro aneurysms (MAs), hemorrhages, hard exudates, soft exudates and cotton wool sports. The presence of exudates is the distinguished sign of non-proliferative DR. For successful detection of exudates, it is necessary to localize the optic disc (OD) in the retinal image under study as a result, it appears in a similar bright pattern, color and contrast as exudates appear. In this paper, we highlight the various techniques used for segmentation of OD and optic cup used by different authors performing experiments on standard and local database of fundus images.
Imperfect Debugging Software Reliability Growth Model for Multiple Releases

Software Reliability Growth Model (SRGM) have been used for a long time to access the quality of the software being developed. But In today’s software environment of global competition where each company is trying to prove itself better than its competitors, software company have to continually do up-gradation or add-ons in their software to survive in the market. Each succeeding up-gradation offers some innovative performance enhancement or some new functionality etc distinguishing itself from the past release. but at the same time the amount of risk involved in up-gradation /add-ons of software with regard to introducing new faults or increasing the number faults in the software is also formidable. This model uniquely identifies the faults left in the previous operational release during the testing of the release new code i.e. code developed after adding new features to the existing software. Due to complexity and incomplete understanding of the software, the testing team may not be able to remove/correct the fault perfectly on observation/ detection of a failure and the original fault may remain resulting in the phenomenon known as imperfect debugging, or get replaced by another fault causing error generation. In this paper we proposed new model and new concept for multi release software development environment. The model developed is validated on real data sets for software which has been released in the market with four times new features.
Modeling the Centroid and the Inversion Charge in Cylindrical Surrounding Gate MOSFETs, Including Quantum Effects

A semiempirical model was developed for calculating the inversion charge of cylindrical surrounding gate transistors (SGTs), including quantum effects. To achieve this goal, we used a simulator that self-consistently solves the 2-D Poisson and Schrodinger equations in a cross section of the SGT. By means of the proposed models, we correctly reproduced the simulation data for a wide range of the device radius and gate voltage values. Both the inversion charge and the centroid models consist of simple mathematical equations within an explicit calculation scheme suitable for use in circuit simulators.
Rapid quantification of HTLV‐I provirus load: Detection of monoclonal proliferation of HTLV‐I‐infected cells among blood donors

In this report, we quantified HTLV‐I provirus load using the AmpliSensor system, which utilizes fluorescence to measure PCR products. With this method, provirus loads could be measured within 6 hr, and the results obtained correlated well with those obtained by other methods. Samples from 256 blood donors, who were positive for antibodies against HTLV‐I, were analyzed, showing that provirus load ranged from less than 0.1% to 56% among carriers. We analyzed the association between provirus load and the biomarkers age and sex and found that it was not influenced by either. Provirus load was better correlated with soluble interleukin‐2 receptor (sIL‐2R) levels than with antibody titer against the virus. Among 18 blood donors with high provirus load (more than 10%), Southern blotting detected monoclonal integration of HTLV‐I in infected cells in 2 cases, both of them showing high sIL‐2R levels (more than 900 U/ml). Sequential analyses of provirus load showed stable levels of provirus in the same carriers, suggesting that some factors other than age or sex determined provirus load in infected individuals. Thus, this rapid method is a useful tool for the early detection of adult T‐cell leukemia and other HTLV‐I‐associated diseases. Int. J. Cancer 81:859–864, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Set membership estimation theory for Wiener modelling using HLCPWL functions

In this paper, we propose a Wiener-like model structure where the dynamic linear part is represented by a finite set of discrete Laguerre or Kautz transfer functions, while the non-linear static part is realised by high level canonical piecewise linear basis functions (HLCPWL). In control applications, Laguerre functions are commonly used when dealing with overdamped systems, while Kautz systems are suitable for weakly damped ones. The approximation of the static non-linear functions using HLCPWL functions is based on that this representation uses the least number of parameters and the algorithm for computing the approximation is very efficient. In this model, we estimate the parameters of the HLCPWL using set membership estimation theory, under mild error constraints. It is shown that this structure allows to uniformly approximate any causal, time-invariant, non-linear discrete dynamic system with fading memory.
SYNERGISM BETWEEN DIFFERENT NEAR‐ULTRAVIOLET WAVELENGTHS IN THE INACTIVATION OF TRANSFORMING DNA *

Instances where the effects of one type of radiation modify the effects of another type are well known. For example, ultraviolet radiation (UV) at 254 nm and X radiation interact synergistically in the inactivation of wildtype cells of E. coli (Haynes, 1964; Martignoni and Smith, 1973). Also, preexposure to 365 nm radiation increased the sensitivity of repair proficient strains of E. coli to both X radiation (Tyrrell, 1974) and to 254 nm radiation (Tyrrell and Webb, 1973). The genetic activity of Bacillus subtilis transforming DNA is severalfold more sensitive to radiation from a Philips HPW 125 W lamp (Peak and Peak, 1973) (predominantly 365 nm wavelength, contaminated with small amounts of radiation at 334 and 313 nm) compared with a monochromatic 365 nm line (Peak et a/., 1973a), so we attempted to measure a possible synergism between different monochromatic wavelengths of the near UV. In this note, we report synergism by 334 and 313 nm radiation in the inactivation of DNA by 365 nm radiation.
Prevalence and natural history of Graves' orbitopathy in a large series of patients with newly diagnosed graves' hyperthyroidism seen at a single center.

BACKGROUND The prevalence and natural history of Graves' orbitopathy (GO) are poorly documented. METHODS A large series of 346 patients with newly diagnosed and recent onset Graves' hyperthyroidism seen at a single (nontertiary referral) center over an 8-year period were enrolled in an observational prospective study and evaluated for GO activity and severity according to the EUGOGO (European Group on Graves' Orbitopathy) criteria. After excluding patients immediately treated for moderate-to-severe GO, patients undergoing total thyroidectomy or radioactive iodine treatment, and patients lost to follow-up, 237 patients were submitted to antithyroid drug (ATD) treatment, with ocular evaluation at 6, 12, and 18 months. RESULTS Among the whole cohort, at presentation 255 (73.7%) had no ocular involvement, 70 (20.2%) had mild and inactive GO, 20 (5.8%) had moderate-to-severe and active GO, and 1 (0.3%) had sight-threatening GO with dysthyroid optic neuropathy. Of the 237 patients who completed the 18-month follow-up during or after ATD treatment, 194 (81.9%) had no GO at baseline. Progression to moderate-to-severe GO occurred in 5 (2.6%) of these patients. Of the 43 (18.1%) patients with mild and inactive GO at baseline, 1 (2.4%) progressed to moderate-to-severe GO, and 25 (58.1%) experienced complete remission. CONCLUSIONS Most patients with newly diagnosed Graves' disease have no ocular involvement. Moderate-to-severe and active GO or sight-threatening GO are rare at presentation and rarely develop during ATD treatment. Most patients (>80%) with no GO at baseline do not develop GO after an 18-month follow-up period. Remission of mild GO occurs in the majority of cases.
A structured evaluation of business process improvement approaches

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a structured overview of so‐called business process improvement (BPI) approaches and their contribution to the actual act of improving. Even though a lot is said about BPI, there is still a lack of supporting the act of improving the process. Most approaches concentrate on what needs to be done before and after the improvement act, but the act of improving itself still seems to be a black box.Design/methodology/approach – This paper is mainly based on a review of literature that deals with the term “Business Process Improvement”. The analysis of the literature is supported by qualitative content analysis. The structure of the evaluation follows the mandatory elements of a method (MEM). Findings – A lot of literature and consulting approaches deal with the restructuring and improvement of business processes. The author finds that even so‐called BPI approaches do not describe the act of improvement itself. And if they do, they lack a methodological structure .
Artificial Robust Control of Robot Arm: Design a Novel SISO Backstepping Adaptive Lyapunov Based Variable Structure Control.

This paper examines single input single output (SISO) chattering free variable structure control (VSC) which controller coefficient is on-line tuned by fuzzy backstepping algorithm. VSC methodology is selected as a framework to construct the control law and address the stability and robustness of the close loop system based on Lyapunove formulation. The main goal is to guarantee acceptable trajectories tracking between the robot arm actual output and the desired input. The proposed approach effectively combines the design technique from variable structure controller is based on Lyapunov and fuzzy estimator to estimate the nonlinearity of undefined system dynamic in backstepping controller. The input represents the function between variable structure function, error and the rate of error. The outputs represent fuel ratio, respectively. The fuzzy backstepping methodology is on-line tune the variable structure function based on adaptive methodology. The performance of the SISO VSC which controller coefficient is on-line tuned by fuzzy backstepping algorithm (FBSAVSC) is validated through comparison with VSC and proposed method. Simulation results signify good performance of trajectory in presence of uncertainty and external disturbance.
Semi-automated update and cleanup of structural RNA alignment databases

UNLABELLED We have developed a series of programs which assist in maintenance of structural RNA databases. A main program BLASTs the RNA database against GenBank and automatically extends and realigns the sequences to include the entire range of the RNA query sequences. After manual update of the database, other programs can examine base pair consistency and phylogenetic support. The output can be applied iteratively to refine the structural alignment of the RNA database. Using these tools, the number of potential misannotations per sequence was reduced from 20 to 3 in the Signal Recognition Particle RNA database. AVAILABILITY A quick-server and programs are available at http://www.bioinf. au.dk/rnadbtool/
Variations in Epidural Catheter Manufacture: Implications for Bending and Stiffness

Background and Objectives There is no formal evaluation method used to relate epidural catheter design and manufacture to clinical outcomes, such as subarachnoid or intravascular catheter placement. We analyzed catheter bending stiffness to determine the range of stiffness of catheters commonly used. We hypothesized that catheter material has a greater influence on stiffness than does cross-sectional shape. Methods We determined the elastic modulus by axial load testing and the area moment of inertia using calibrated microscopic measurements of cross-sectional geometry for 6 different catheter types, including 2 types of wire styletted catheters. We calculated bending stiffness as the product of the elastic modulus and the area moment of inertia. Results Catheters had similar area moments of inertia, but markedly different elastic moduli. Nylon and polyurethane catheters had the same bending stiffness, which was twice as high as that of coil reinforced catheters (P < .05), but 35% lower than that of radiopaque catheters (P < .05). Nylon and radiopaque wire styletted catheters had similar bending stiffness, which were 23-fold to 90-fold greater than that of the nonstyletted catheters (P < .05). Conclusions Catheters currently available establish the range of bending stiffness that should not be exceeded, only optimized to clinical outcome. Clinical studies are needed to correlate the incidence of unintentional intravascular or subarachnoid catheter placement or migration and bending stiffness. Catheter technology improvements may enhance safety and increase the likelihood of successful catheter insertion, maintenance, and removal. Reg Anesth Pain Med 2003;28:37-42.