Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mobile networking with UAVs: Opportunities and challenges

With the advances in computation, sensor, communication and networking technologies, utilization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for military and civilian areas has become extremely popular for the last two decades. Since small UAVs are relatively cheap, the focus is changing, and usage of several small UAVs is preferred rather than one large UAV. This change in orientation is dramatic, and it is resulting to develop new networking technologies between UAVs, which can constitute swarm UAV teams for executing specific tasks with different levels of intra and inter vehicle communication especially for coordination and control of the system. Setting up a UAV network not only extends operational scope and range but also enables quick and reliable response time. Because UAVs are highly mobile nodes for networking, setting up an ad-hoc network is a challenging issue, and this networking has some requirements, which differ from traditional networks, mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) and vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs) in terms of connectivity, routing process, services, applications, etc. In this paper, it is aimed to point out the challenges in the usage of UAVs as mobile nodes in an ad-hoc network and to depict open research issues with analyzing the opportunities and future works.
Overexpression of the M2-2 Protein of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Inhibits Viral Replication

ABSTRACT The M2-2 protein of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is involved in regulation of viral RNA transcription and replication. Encoded by the next-to-last gene of RSV, the M2-2 open reading frame (ORF) overlaps with the upstream M2-1 ORF, suggesting that the production of the M2-2 protein might be tightly regulated during virus replication. To evaluate the effect of M2-2 overexpression on RSV replication, the M2-2 gene was separated from M2-1 by leaving it at the position prior to the M2-1 or moving it to the promoter proximal position as an independent transcriptional unit in the RSV A2 genome. Although recombinant viruses bearing the shuffled M2-2 gene were recovered and expressed higher levels of M2-2, most of these viruses grew poorly in HEp-2 cells. Sequence analysis revealed that various mutations (substitution, insertion, and deletion) occurred in the M2-2 gene, resulting in reduced M2-2 activity as measured by the RSV minigenome system. Further examination of the M2-2 sequence and its function showed that either one of the first two AUG codons located at the 5′ end of M2-2 could be used to produce a functional M2-2 protein and that deletion of the first six amino acids from its N terminus or four amino acids from its C terminus greatly reduced its function. The effect of M2-2 protein on RSV replication was also studied by examining RSV replication in cells transiently expressing M2-2. The M2-2 protein expressed at a high level completely inhibited RSV replication. These results strongly suggested that the level of the M2-2 protein produced in the infected cells is critical to RSV replication.
The Effects of Carbamazepine, Valproic Acid and Phenobarbital on the Oxidative and Antioxidative Balance in Epileptic Children

Background: Oxidative stress has been related in a wide variety of ways with nervous tissue. We studied the effect of antiepileptic monotherapy on serum level of total antioxidant capacity, lipid hydroperoxide, total peroxide, oxidative stress index, and individual serum antioxidants such as albumin, bilirubin and uric acid. Patients and Methods: We studied 122 subjects including healthy controls, untreated epileptic patients and epileptic patients treated with valproic acid, carbamazepine or phenobarbital. Serum total antioxidant capacity was measured as an index of antioxidants, and total peroxide was measured as index of oxidative stress. The serum concentrations of uric acid, albumin, bilirubin and lipid hydroperoxide were monitored simultaneously. Results: We found that serum total antioxidant capacity levels were significantly decreased in the untreated group compared with the controls. Serum total peroxide levels were markedly increased in the untreated and carbamazepine-treated groups compared to in the controls; and lipid hydroperoxide and oxidative stress index levels were significantly higher in the phenobarbital-treated group than in the controls. Uric acid concentrations were significantly lower in the valproic-acid-treated group than in the untreated group, and total bilirubin concentrations were higher in the untreated group than in the controls. Conclusion: Epileptic children exposed to oxidative stress and conventional antiepileptic drugs change the oxidative/antioxidative balance. The serum oxidant and antioxidant status of epileptic children with valproic acid monotherapy are better regulated compared with children with carbamazepine and phenobarbital monotherapy.
Protonation free energy levels in complex molecular systems

All proteins, nucleic acids, and other biomolecules contain residues capable of exchanging protons with their environment. These proton transfer phenomena lead to pH sensitivity of many molecular processes underlying biological phenomena. In the course of biological evolution, Nature has invented some mechanisms to use pH gradients to regulate biomolecular processes inside cells or in interstitial fluids. Therefore, an ability to model protonation equilibria in molecular systems accurately would be of enormous value for our understanding of biological processes and for possible rational influence on them, like in developing pH dependent drugs to treat particular diseases. This work presents a derivation, by thermodynamic and statistical mechanical methods, of an expression for the free energy of a complex molecular system at arbitrary ionization state of its titratable residues. This constitutes one of the elements of modeling protonation equilibria. Starting from a consideration of a simple acid–base equilibrium of a model compound with a single tritratable group, we arrive at an expression which is of general validity for complex systems. The only approximation used in this derivation is the postulating that the interaction energy between any pair of titratable sites does not depend on the protonation states of all the remaining ionizable groups. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 89: 262–269, 2008.
Electron Microscopic Immunohistochemical Identification of Endothelial Cells in the Rabbit

Antibody to tissue factor apoprotein was adsorbed against γ-globulin and coupled to horseradish peroxidase; this complex was applied to various rabbit tissues. The distribution of the peroxidase marker then was observed by electron microscopy. We examined fixed or frozen sections, as well as breis of aorta, vena cava, brain, heart, lung, liver, spleen, kidney, bone marrow, meso-thelial gut lining, erythrocytes, leukocytes, and platelets. All endothelial cells that had been exposed to the antibody complex were positive and in all cases only the endothelial cells showed localization of the electron-dense reaction product. Tissues that had been incubated with complexes prepared with γ-globulin from animals not immunized with tissue factor apoprotein showed no staining. Prior treatment of the tissue with uncoupled anti-tissue factor γ-globulin blocked binding by the coupled antibody. In blood vessel preparations that had been specifically designed to expose the media to the anti-tissue factor complex, medial smooth muscle cells and connective tissue showed no reaction product. Parenchyma! cells of the other organs mentioned likewise were devoid of reaction product. Similarly, the leukocytes and platelets occasionally observed in vessel lumens showed no evidence of binding. Platelets adhering to arterial subendothelial structure after injury also were unreactive. These findings suggest that in normal rabbits anti-tissue factor-horseradish peroxidase complex combines selectively with endothelial cells.
[Immunologic reconstitution after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation--parameters of monitoring and current methods of its evaluation].

INTRODUCTION Despite engraftment and function of graft after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation severe immune suppression is a characteristics of early posttransplant period. Primary parameters contributing to posttransplant immuno-incompetence include: lack of sustained transfer of donor antigen specific immunity, recapitulation of immunological ontogeny, effect of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and its therapy and reduction of the recipient's thymic function. NORMAL IMMUNE RECONSTITUTION FOLLOWING ALLOGENEIC HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION (HSCT) Immune reconstitution following allogeneic HSCT depends on the age of recipient, initial pathology, degree of HLA and minor histocompatibility antigen mismatches, T-cell depletion and use of anti-T-cell antibodies for conditioning and prevention of GvHD, posttransplant complications such as acute and chronic GvHD, relapse of disease and infectious status of the donor and recipient prior to transplantation. Tests for studying immune reconstitution following allogeneic transplantation most often used are: cutaneous tests of delayed hypersensitivity, phenotyping of blood mononuclear cells and investigation of their functions, production of antibodies (IgG, IgM and IgA) and cytokines such as IL-2, TGF-alpha, TNF-alpha or IL-10, study of TCR, mixed leukocyte reaction toward allogeneic cells, CD4/CD8 ratio and others. NEW TOOLS FOR ASSESSMENT OF IMMUNE RECONSTITUTION AFTER HSCT New methods and techniques for monitoring immune reconstitution are as follows: ELISPOT assay qantifies secretion of cytokines by T lymphocytes, analysis of the T-cell receptor (chain diversity during immune reconstitution by IMMUNOSCOPE/SPECTRATYPING method, and TREC technology that detects recent thymic emigrants in peripheral blood. CONCLUSION Usage of above-mentioned contemporary techniques makes it possible to assess and monitor the dynamics of immune reconstitution especially reconstitution of T-cell diversity, thymic function and antigen-specific T-cell response following HSCT.
Influence of food availability on mate-guarding behaviour of ladybirds

Abstract A recent study on ladybird, Menochilus sexmaculatus (Fabricius) demonstrates that males perform post-copulatory mate guarding in the form of prolonged mating durations. We investigated whether food resource fluctuation affects pre- and post-copulatory behaviour of M. sexmaculatus. It has not been studied before in ladybirds. For this, adults were subjected to prey resource fluctuations sequentially at three levels: post-emergence (Poe; 10 days), pre-mating (Prm; 24 h) and post-mating (Pom; 5 days; only female). The food resource conditions at each level could be any one of scarce, optimal or abundant. Pre-copulatory and post-copulatory behaviour, and reproductive output were assessed. Post-emergence and pre-mating nutrient conditions significantly influenced the pre-copulatory behaviour. Males reared on scarce post-emergence conditions were found to require significantly higher number of mating attempts to establish mating unlike males in the other two food conditions. Under scarce post-emergence and pre-mating conditions, time to commencement of mating and latent period were high but opposite result was obtained for mate-guarding duration. Fecundity and per cent egg viability were more influenced by post-mating conditions, with scarce conditions stopping oviposition regardless of pre-mating and post-emergence conditions. Present results indicate that pre- and post-copulatory behaviour of ladybird is plastic in nature in response to food resource fluctuations.
Using Bayes factors to evaluate evidence for no effect: examples from the SIPS project

AIMS To illustrate how Bayes factors are important for determining the effectiveness of interventions. METHOD We consider a case where inappropriate conclusions were drawn publicly based on significance testing, namely the SIPS project (Screening and Intervention Programme for Sensible drinking), a pragmatic, cluster-randomized controlled trial in each of two health-care settings and in the criminal justice system. We show how Bayes factors can disambiguate the non-significant findings from the SIPS project and thus determine whether the findings represent evidence of absence or absence of evidence. We show how to model the sort of effects that could be expected, and how to check the robustness of the Bayes factors. RESULTS The findings from the three SIPS trials taken individually are largely uninformative but, when data from these trials are combined, there is moderate evidence for a null hypothesis (H0) and thus for a lack of effect of brief intervention compared with simple clinical feedback and an alcohol information leaflet (B = 0.24, P = 0.43). CONCLUSION Scientists who find non-significant results should suspend judgement-unless they calculate a Bayes factor to indicate either that there is evidence for a null hypothesis (H0) over a (well-justified) alternative hypothesis (H1), or that more data are needed.
Assessment of Effectiveness of Barleria prionitis on Oral Health

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of Barleria prionitis extract mouthwash in comparison with gold standard chlorhexidine (CHX) mouthwash on the oral health. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 subjects were randomly divided into two groups, B. prionitis group and the CHX gluconate mouthwash group. The data were collected at the baseline and 3 days. The plaque was disclosed using erythrosine disclosing agent and their scores were recorded using the Quigley and Hein plaque index modified by Turesky-Gilmore-Glickman. Statistical analysis was performed to compare the effect of the two drug regime. Results: Our result showed that the CHX and the B. prionitis were statistically equally effective against dental plaque. Although the action of CHX was more pronounced. Conclusions: This study has confirmed antimicrobial potential of the plant B. prionitis, thus supporting its folklore application as preventive remedy against oral microbial diseases. SUMMARY Within the limitation of this trial, herbal mouthwash has been shown to demonstrate similar effects on plaque as compared to the standard drug CHX. Further long term research needs to be done to check the efficacy and effectiveness of herbal products over standard drug regime
Protective effect of alpha-tocopherol in carrier liposomes on ultraviolet-mediated human epidermal cell damage in vitro.

We have examined the postulated protective effect of antioxidants against ultraviolet (UV)-induced epidermal damage in an in vitro model system using either a well-differentiated human squamous cell carcinoma line SCC12F2 or human newborn keratinocytes. Cell were maintained in a serum-free defined medium only or with carrier liposomes (LPs) alone or LPs containing 1 microgram/ml alpha-tocopherol (AT/LP) or 1 microgram/ml alpha-tocopherol in oil (AT) alone. Cultures were irradiated once using a dose of solar-simulated light (25 mJ/m2, metered at 285 nm) determined in preliminary studies to decrease cell yields after 72 h by approximately 50% compared with sham-irradiated controls under basal conditions. Compared with their LP control, UV-irradiated AT/LP-treated SCC cells were significantly protected by an average of 25% against UV-mediated cell death or growth arrest as determined by the ratio of 72-h cell yields for UV-irradiated versus sham-irradiated cells. Ratios for cells treated with AT, LPs alone, or AT/LP did not differ significantly from those for untreated cells. Newborn keratinocytes had higher overall ratios of cell yields for UV-irradiated vs sham-irradiated cells, but results were otherwise similar, with AT/LP again providing significant protection, averaging 29%, compared with LP controls. UV irradiation of cells in basal medium induced the gene for heat shock protein (HSP 70), presumed to be involved in cellular response to stress; and keratinocytes treated with alpha-tocopherol in carrier liposomes showed a further increase in expression of HSP 70. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Accuracy of death certification in an autopsied population with specific attention to malignant neoplasms and vascular diseases.

Accuracy of certification of underlying cause of death and implications for US mortality statistics were assessed among 257 autopsied cases collected during the calendar year 1970 at a short-stay general hospital in Atlanta, GA. Clinicopathologic cause of death (CPCD) certificates, with assignment of underlying cause of death based on autopsy findings in combination with pertinent clinical data, were prepared by a pathologist and were employed as a standard of comparison against which the accuracy of the underlying cause of death on the original death certificate was measured. Results suggest that autopsy findings are not necessarily used to supplement clinical data in filling out death certificates. Improper recording of underlying cause of death was found in 42% of the autopsied cases. Malignant neoplasms were found to be underreported and vascular diseases overreported, each by approximately 10%, when original certificates were compared to CPCD certificates. The confirmation rate for original death certificate diagnoses was 89%. In the case of a confirmed diagnosis, the underlying cause of death was substantiated by postmortem findings as having existed regardless of its role in the sequence of events leading to death. The underlying cause of death as assigned by the pathologist was listed on the original death certificate among the sequence of events leading to or contributing to death at the rate of 72% (i.e., this rate measures the sensitivity of the death certificate).
Medical versus surgical management of penetrating Crohn’s disease: the current situation and future perspectives

ABSTRACT Introduction: The development of penetrating Crohn’s disease (CD) occurs in up to 50% of patients over the course of their lifetime. While the presentation of these complications, including free perforation, intra-abdominal abscess, and enteric fistula, are usually obvious, the management can require a nuanced approach, with distinct short and long-term approaches. Areas covered: This review discusses medical and surgical methods of treating these complications, including the role of percutaneous drainage of abscesses, the implications of a stricture associated with a fistula, and the efficacy of postoperative anti-TNF therapy in preventing recurrence after surgical treatment. Expert commentary: An approach to the management of these complications that begins with control of sepsis, including broad-spectrum antibiotics, bowel rest, and nutritional support is proposed. The next appropriate step is a diagnostic evaluation to determine the utility of medical versus surgical therapy, considering the presence of a stricture and prior immunosuppressive therapy. Postoperative anti-TNF therapy, a highly effective method to prevent recurrence, should be considered in many cases.
Saliency segmentation and foreground extraction of underwater image based on localization

Saliency detection aims at automatically estimating visually salient object regions in an image, saliency segmentation and foreground extraction are two important applications of this. However, it is a challenge for underwater images to estimate salient regions by conventional saliency detection methods because of the low-contrast and poor quality. In this paper, we address this problem by combining the detected object regions rather than the whole image, where Fish Localization is used for proposing candidate regions. We extensively evaluated our method on 780 underwater images, and experimental results show that the performances of saliency detection and segmentation are improved. These saliency segmentation masks are further used to extract the foreground objects of an image. It is well proved that our approach is fast and efficient for underwater images which are low-contrast, poor quality and with multiple salient objects.
Plant senescence: how plants know when and how to die

Virtually all of the cells, tissues and organs in plants age, senesce and eventually die. Senescence is regarded as an evolutionarily acquired process that is critical for plant fitness, and understanding its detailed molecular nature is not only fundamental but also pivotal for the improvement of crop yield and postharvest storage. Impressive progress has been made in revealing new molecular regulatory mechanisms in recent years. In this special issue, reviews span this emerging knowledge – derived from unique biological processes in different types of plant senescence – and highlight key molecular pathways and network-based regulatory mechanisms, as well as their evolutionary implications. The issue also addresses future research perspectives, including new technologies and approaches.
Pharmacological treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: current practice and novel perspectives

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is entering a phase of intense translational research that holds promise for major advances in disease‐specific pharmacological therapy. For over 50 years, however, HCM has largely remained an orphan disease, and patients are still treated with old drugs developed for other conditions. While judicious use of the available armamentarium may control the clinical manifestations of HCM in most patients, specific experience is required in challenging situations, including deciding when not to treat. The present review revisits the time‐honoured therapies available for HCM, in a practical perspective reflecting real‐world scenarios. Specific agents are presented with doses, titration strategies, pros and cons. Peculiar HCM dilemmas such as treatment of dynamic outflow obstruction, heart failure caused by end‐stage progression and prevention of atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmias are assessed. In the near future, the field of HCM drug therapy will rapidly expand, based on ongoing efforts. Approaches such as myocardial metabolic modulation, late sodium current inhibition and allosteric myosin inhibition have moved from pre‐clinical to clinical research, and reflect a surge of scientific as well as economic interest by academia and industry alike. These exciting developments, and their implications for future research, are discussed.