Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Radiation pressure acceleration of thin foils with circularly polarized laser pulses

A new regime is described for radiation pressure acceleration of a thin foil by an intense laser beam of above 1020 W cm−2. Highly monoenergetic proton beams extending to giga-electron-volt energies can be produced with very high efficiency using circularly polarized light. The proton beams have a very small divergence angle (<4°). This new method allows the construction of ultra-compact proton and ion accelerators with ultra-short particle bursts.
Clinically silent electrocardiographic abnormalities and risk of primary cardiac arrest among hypertensive patients.

BACKGROUND Whether continuous ECG indexes that reflect the severity of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVHI), myocardial injury (CIIS), and QT-interval prolongation (QTI) are associated with the risk of primary cardiac arrest among hypertensive patients, independent of conventional binary ECG criteria, remains unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS We conducted a population-based case-control study among patients who were free of clinically recognized heart disease and who received care at a health maintenance organization. Cases (n = 131) were treated hypertensive patients who had had a primary cardiac arrest between 1977 and 1990. Controls (n = 562) were a stratified random sample of treated hypertensive patients. Resting ECGs were reviewed to estimate the severity of left ventricular hypertrophy, myocardial injury, and QT-interval prolongation on the basis of the algorithms of the Novacode ECG classification system. After adjustment for other risk factors and binary ECG criteria for the abnormalities, the LVHI, CIIS, and QTI scores were directly related to the risk of primary cardiac arrest. In a comparison of the 80th with the 20th percentile score for the LVHI, the risk was increased 40% (odds ratio, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.0 to 2.0); for the CIIS, the risk was increased 70% (odds ratio, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2 to 2.5); and for the QTI, the risk was increased 80% (odds ratio, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.3 to 2.7). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that continuous ECG indexes that reflect left ventricular hypertrophy, myocardial injury, and QT-interval prolongation are directly related to the risk of primary cardiac arrest among hypertensive patients without clinically recognized heart disease. Binary ECG criteria may underestimate the prognostic importance of these pathophysiological abnormalities.
Is Airway Inflammation in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) a Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Events?

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a very common cause of death in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Smoking is a well-described risk factor for both COPD and CVD, but CVD in patients with COPD is likely to be due to other factors in addition to smoking. Inflammation may be an important common etiological link between COPD and CVD, being well described in both diseases. It is hypothesized that in COPD a “spill-over” of local airway inflammation into the systemic circulation could contribute to increased CVD in these patients. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) have well-documented anti-inflammatory effects and are commonly used for the treatment of COPD, but their effects on cardiovascular endpoints and all-cause mortality have only just started to be examined. A recent meta-analysis has suggested that ICS may reduce all-cause mortality in COPD by around 25%. A case-controlled study specifically examined the effects of ICS on myocardial infarction and suggested that ICS may decrease the incidence of MI by as much as 32%. A large multicenter prospective randomized trial (Towards a Revolution in COPD Health [TORCH]) is now ongoing and will examine the effect of fluticasone propionate in combination with salmeterol on all-cause mortality.
A method for analysis of simultaneous equations in cell models

Some models of cellular physiological functions are formulated as ordinary differential equations that contain multiple systems of simultaneous nonlinear equations. Simulation of such a model described in a declarative representation format requires determination of equations to be simultaneously solved with specification of independent and parameter variables in the model. In this report, a method for extracting systems of simultaneous equations in a cell model is presented. The present method analyzes a graph representation of a model and extracts the subgraphs that represent equation systems to be simultaneously solved, by efficiently interactive selection of independent variables of the model.
Propriedades magnéticas de organismos magnetotácticos: um trabalho multidisciplinar

Measurements of total magnetic moment of magnetotactic microorganisms was made using the analysis of movement of cells in the medium (water). These measurements offer important informations to understand adaptability of living beings. The present work offers a technique that can be used in the teaching of physics, biology or ecology and it is an example of multidisciplinary research.
Requirement of Heterochromatin for Cohesion at Centromeres

Centromeres are heterochromatic in many organisms, but the mitotic function of this silent chromatin remains unknown. During cell division, newly replicated sister chromatids must cohere until anaphase when Scc1/Rad21–mediated cohesion is destroyed. In metazoans, chromosome arm cohesins dissociate during prophase, leaving centromeres as the only linkage before anaphase. It is not known what distinguishes centromere cohesion from arm cohesion. Fission yeast Swi6 (a Heterochromatin protein 1 counterpart) is a component of silent heterochromatin. Here we show that this heterochromatin is specifically required for cohesion between sister centromeres. Swi6 is required for association of Rad21-cohesin with centromeres but not along chromosome arms and, thus, acts to distinguish centromere from arm cohesion. Therefore, one function of centromeric heterochromatin is to attract cohesin, thereby ensuring sister centromere cohesion and proper chromosome segregation.
Treatment of acute pyelonephritis in children

Evidence favours the oral route and a short course of appropriate antibiotics A 9 month old girl presents with high fever, vomiting, lethargy, and bacteriologically confirmed urinary tract infection. The diagnosis is clear—acute pyelonephritis. This is a common problem and the cause of about 5% of febrile episodes in children.1 But how should she be treated? Which antibiotics should be given and by which route? For how long should antibiotics be given? This article summarises what we know about treatment of acute pyelonephritis from randomised trials and what we think we know about treatment, based on clinical experience. Acute pyelonephritis comprises urinary tract infection with systemic features including fever, vomiting, abdominal or loin pain, and lethargy. Fever is the most useful symptom clinically. Compared with the reference standard for pyelonephritis—technetium-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid scanning—fever is very sensitive but has only moderate specificity. In few afebrile children—except very young infants—the renal parenchyma is affected. Conversely in about 50% of children with clinical pyelonephritis the renal parenchymal is affected. The major decisions about treatment that are to …
Expression of the NKG2D ligand UL16 binding protein‐1 (ULBP‐1) on dendritic cells

Innate and adaptive immunity have not evolved separately. In this regard, the NKG2D molecule first identified on NK cells and classified as an activating NK cell receptor is also an important receptor for CD8+ T cells. Functional analyses of human NKG2D and its ligands, i.e. UL16 binding proteins (ULBP) and MHC class I chain‐related (MIC), have so far focused on immune cell‐target cell situations because of the expression of NKG2D ligands on infected, stressed or transformed cells. Here, however, we address a possible function of NKG2D/ULBP‐1 during the initiation of T cell responses. ULBP‐1 can be detected on mature dendritic cells both in situ in the T cell areas of lymph nodes as well as in vitro after artificial maturation. FCM analysis further demonstrated that although NKG2D is expressed to some degree on all analyzed T cell subsets from peripheral blood, in vitro stimulation of T cells results in up‐regulation of NKG2D on proliferating T cells. Using the sentinel lymph nodes of primary melanoma as a model for induction of defined T cell responses in vivo, we were able to demonstrate the expression of NKG2D on melanoma‐associated antigen‐specific T cells. Thus, our results suggest a role for NGK2D‐ULBP‐1 in the induction or reactivation of T cell responses.
A novel basic unit level rate control algorithm and architecture for H.264/AVC video encoders

Rate control (RC) techniques play an important role for interactive video coding applications, especially in video streaming applications with bandwidth constraints. Among the RC algorithms in H.264 reference software JM, the basic unit (BU)-level RC algorithm achieves better video quality than frame-level one. However, the inherent sequential processing in H.264 BU-level RC algorithm makes it difficult to be realized in a pipelined H.264 hardware encoder without increasing the processing latency. In this paper we propose a new H.264 BU-level rate control algorithm and the associated architecture by exploiting a new predictor model to predict the MAD value and target bits for hardware realization. The proposed algorithm breaks down the sequential processing dependence in the original H.264 RC algorithm and reduces up to 80.6% of internal buffer size for H.264 D1 video encoding, while maintaining good video quality.
Vitamin Content of Ingredients of Microbiological Culture Media

Information concerning the vitamin content of complex organic nitrogenous substances commonly used in culture media should be of general interest and of aid in the cultivation of microorganisms. For example, such information could be used in deciding whether a particular medium satisfies the growth requirements of a given organism. Through the kind cooperation of the Difco Laboratories, three or more representative samples of each of the commonly used ingredients of culture media such as peptone, tryptose, beef extract, yeast extract, etc., were obtained for vitamin assay. Three dehydrated culture media, brain-heart-infusion, heartinfusion and malt-extract-broth, and one sample each of Armour peptone, Liebig meat extract, natural asparagine and gelatin were also included. Altogether, 46 samples were assayed, quantitatively, for their content of 8 members of the vitamin B-complex, namely, thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, nicotinic acid, biotin, pyridoxine, folic acid, and p-aminobenzoic acid. The values obtained were compared with literature values of the amounts of the vitamins required for optimum growth of various bacteria, yeasts and fungi which are unable to synthesize these essential growth factors.
L’hospitalisation psychiatrique de courte durée aux urgences d’un hôpital général : une étude rétrospective sur les facteurs prédictifs d’orientation à l’issue de la prise en charge

L’hospitalisation psychiatrique de courte duree (HPCD) < 72h a montre son interet pour la prise en charge de patients en situation de crise, en favorisant la solution du suivi ambulatoire plutot qu’une hospitalisation en milieu psychiatrique. Cependant les facteurs influencant la decision d’orientation a l’issue d’une HPCD sont encore peu connus. L’objectif de cette etude etait de decrire les caracteristiques cliniques et socio-demographiques des patients admis en HPCD au sein des urgences d’un hopital general et de determiner les facteurs predictifs d’une hospitalisation en psychiatrie a partir de celle-ci. Les donnees ont ete collectees retrospectivement a partir des dossiers informatises des patients ayant beneficie d’une HPCD (n=255) aux urgences de l’hopital general de Rambouillet sur une periode d’un an, puis analyses avec une methode par regression logistique. Les facteurs associes de maniere significative a une plus grande probabilite d’etre hospitalise etaient un souhait initial d’hospitalisation exprime par le patient, l’existence d’une comorbidite, une demande de consultation emanant de l’entourage, un antecedent d’hospitalisation en psychiatrie, la presence d’idees suicidaires a l’arrivee aux urgences. Inversement, les facteurs associes a une probabilite plus faible d’hospitalisation etaient un diagnostic de trouble de la personnalite, un conflit avec l’entourage participant a la crise, un âge entre 20 et 39 ans, l’existence d’une activite professionnelle. Cette etude met ainsi en evidence les facteurs decisionnels d’interet orientant le devenir des patients admis en HPCD et notamment le poids de la demande initiale du patient.
Duration of Intrapartum Prophylaxis and Concentration of Penicillin G in Fetal Serum at Delivery

OBJECTIVE: Intrapartum penicillin G prophylaxis aims to prevent early-onset group B streptococci (GBS) sepsis by interrupting vertical transmission. We examined the relationship between duration of prophylaxis and fetal serum penicillin G levels among fetuses exposed to fewer than 4 hours of prophylaxis compared with longer durations. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, 98 laboring GBS-positive women carrying singleton gestations at 37 weeks or greater were administered 5 million units of intravenous penicillin G followed by 2.5 million units every 4 hours until delivery. Umbilical cord blood samples were collected at delivery, and penicillin G levels were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Intraassay and interassay coefficients of variation were less than 3%. RESULTS: Fetuses exposed to fewer than 4 hours of prophylaxis had higher penicillin G levels than those exposed to greater than 4 hours (P=.003). In multivariable linear regression analysis, fetal penicillin G levels were determined by duration of exposure, time since last dose, dosage, and number of doses, but not maternal body mass index. Penicillin G levels increased linearly until 1 hour (R2=.40) and then decreased rapidly according to a power-decay model (R2=.67). All subgroups analyzed were above the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) for GBS (0.1 micrograms/mL)(P<.002). Individual samples were 10–179-fold above the MIC. In patients receiving maintenance dosing, penicillin G did not accumulate in the cord blood and returned to baseline after each 4-hour interval. CONCLUSION: Short durations of prophylaxis achieved levels significantly above the MIC, suggesting a benefit even in precipitous labors. The designation of infants exposed to fewer than 4 hours of prophylaxis as particularly at risk for GBS sepsis may be pharmacokinetically inaccurate. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II
Implication of HpEts in Gene Regulatory Networks Responsible for Specification of Sea Urchin Skeletogenic Primary Mesenchyme Cells

The large micromeres of the 32-cell stage of sea urchin embryos are autonomously specified and differentiate into primary mesenchyme cells (PMCs), giving rise to the skeletogenic cells. We previously demonstrated that HpEts, an ets-related transcription factor, plays an essential role in the specification of PMCs in sea urchin embryos. In order to clarify the function of HpEts in the gene regulatory network involved in PMC specification, we analyzed the zygotic expression pattern and the cis-regulatory region of HpEts, and examined the activity of the HpEts protein as a transcription factor. Intron-based PCR reveals that zygotic expression of HpEts starts at the cleavage stage, and that the rate of transcription reaches maximum at the unhatched blastula stage. A series of progressive deletions of the fragments from -4.2 kbp to +1206 bp of the HpEts, which directs PMC-specific expression, caused a gradual decrease in the specificity, implying that coordination of several cis-regulatory elements regulates the expression in PMCs. A minimum cis-element required for the temporal expression is located within a 10 bp from -243 bp to -234 bp. The HpEts protein remains in the cytoplasm of entire embryonic cells in the cleavage stage. At the unhatched blastula stage, the HpEts protein translocates into the nucleus in presumptive PMCs. Transactivation assays demonstrate that the HpEts protein activates a promoter of Spicule Matrix Protein 50 (SM50), which is a target of HpEts, which binds to the regulatory region of SM50.
18FDG-PET/CT Assessing the Absence of Cell Viability and Excluding Metastatic Disease in a Case of Necrotic Choroidal Melanoma

Purpose To report a case of choroidal melanoma in which the absence of 18FDG-positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) uptake in the whole body scan excluded the presence of any foci of metastases. Additionally, the PET/CT study correctly diagnosed the necrotic character of the lesion. Methods A 76-year-old woman with neovascular glaucoma, and without vitreous or retina visualization, was studied by our ophthalmology service. Results Ocular ultrasound showed an 18 × 16 mm vitreous exophytic image compatible with choroidal melanoma; magnetic resonance gave a 17 × 15 mm exophytic image, highly intense at T1 and hypointense at T2, with cystic and necrotic images after a contrast injection. An 18FDG-PET/CT study revealed a clearly hypometabolic lesion, representing absence of cell viability and excluding active melanoma cells. No other uptake lesions were detected at the whole-body PET/CT scan, assuming the absence of extraocular metastases. The eye was enucleated, and the pathology study showed a 16 × 15 mm necrotic choroidal melanoma. Conclusions The 18FDG-PET/CT study correctly depicted the necrotic character of the choroidal melanoma and was able to exclude other foci of metastases.
Progressive apraxia of speech presenting as isolated disorder of speech articulation and prosody: A case report

Apraxia of speech (AOS) is a rare disorder of motor speech programming, and few case reports have included sufficient description of both clinical findings and lesion localization. We report a case with an isolated progressive speech articulation deficit and brain involvement restricted to the left superior frontal gyrus. This case suggests that slowly progressive AOS may be a clinical disorder distinct from primary progressive aphasia, and that it can occur without language disorders or bucco-facial apraxia. Our findings highlight the importance of the left hemisphere in speech articulatory deficits and suggest that the left superior frontal gyrus plays a crucial role in specific articulatory processes.
Clinical Stage Evaluation at Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer at Urology-Andrology Clinic Cnhu-Hkm Cotonou

Aims: To evaluate the clinical stage at diagnosis of prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: This study was retrospective and descriptive from January 2008 to June 2013. Patients who were diagnosed with prostate cancer wereinvolved and confirmed by clinical examination anatomopathological screening. They also realized a total serum PSA, a bladder-prostatic and abdominal ultrasound. Results: Average age was seventy years, ranging from fifty years to seventy years. The general status of our patients was satisfactory in 78% of cases. Main symptoms were dysuria and frequencyin 96% and 86%, respectively. Family past history of prostate cancer were found in 24% of cases. Twenty-three patients (43%) had a total serum PSA ≥ 100 ng/ml. Adenocarcinoma was the main histological type. Grades 1 and 4 were the most frequent. Thirty-three patients (66%) had a Gleasonscore betwen [2]-[6]. Forty-four patients (88%) had locally advanced and metastatic desease. The D’Amico score was identified in six patients but 3 and 2 patients were low risk and intermediate riskrespectively. Finally, 1 patient was high risk. Conclusion: Prostate cancer remains elderly man cancer. It was discovered in locally advanced and metastatic desease in this series. This diagnosis was late in the majority of cases.
Environmental Performance and the Cost of Capital: Evidence from REIT Bonds and Commercial Mortgages

The real estate sector is responsible for a significant greenhouse gas externality, which has prompted interest from policy makers, as well as the emergence of voluntary disclosure standards. As opposed to general concerns about the potentially negative impact of “sustainability” programs and initiatives on corporate financial performance, energy efficiency measures may lead to significant returns in the real estate sector. This paper investigates the relation between real estate sustainability and the cost of the debt. Using a sample of REITs, we investigate both corporate-level debt, as well as commercial mortgages to finance individual buildings. The results show that the degree to which REITs invest in efficient buildings is positively related to the quality of their credit ratings, and it is also associated with a significantly lower spread. The relation persists at the level of individual buildings and their mortgages: environmentally-certified buildings are financed at significantly lower spread, varying between 30 and 60 basis points, depending on the specification. JEL Codes: G51, M14, D92
The CLAVATA1 Receptor-like Kinase Requires CLAVATA3 for Its Assembly into a Signaling Complex That Includes KAPP and a Rho-Related Protein

The CLAVATA1 (CLV1) and CLAVATA3 (CLV3) genes are required to maintain the balance between cell proliferation and organ formation at the Arabidopsis shoot and flower meristems. CLV1 encodes a receptor-like protein kinase. We have found that CLV1 is present in two protein complexes in vivo. One is ~185 kD, and the other is ~450 kD. In each complex, CLV1 is part of a disulfide-linked multimer of ~185 kD. The 450-kD complex contains the protein phosphatase KAPP, which is a negative regulator of CLV1 signaling, and a Rho GTPase–related protein. In clv1 and clv3 mutants, CLV1 is found primarily in the 185-kD complex. We propose that CLV1 is present as an inactive disulfide-linked heterodimer and that CLV3 functions to promote the assembly of the active 450-kD complex, which then relays signal transduction through a Rho GTPase.
Injuries in martial arts: a comparison of five styles

Objective: To compare five martial arts with respect to injury outcomes. Methods: A one year retrospective cohort was studied using an injury survey. Data on 263 martial arts participants (Shotokan karate, n = 114; aikido, n = 47; tae kwon do, n = 49; kung fu, n = 39; tai chi, n = 14) were analysed. Predictor variables included age, sex, training frequency (⩽3 h/week v >3 h/week), experience (<3 years v ⩾3 years), and martial art style. Outcome measures were injuries requiring time off from training, major injuries (⩾7 days off), multiple injuries (⩾3), body region, and type of injury. Logistic regression was used to determine odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (CI). Fisher’s exact test was used for comparisons between styles, with a Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Results: The rate of injuries, expressed as percentage of participants sustaining an injury that required time off training a year, varied according to style: 59% tae kwon do, 51% aikido, 38% kung fu, 30% karate, and 14% tai chi. There was a threefold increased risk of injury and multiple injury in tae kwon do than karate (p<0.001). Subjects ⩾18 years of age were at greater risk of injury than younger ones (p<0.05; OR 3.95; CI 1.48 to 9.52). Martial artists with at least three years experience were twice as likely to sustain injury than less experienced students (p<0.005; OR 2.46; CI 1.51 to 4.02). Training >3 h/week was also a significant predictor of injury (p<0.05; OR 1.85; CI 1.13 to 3.05). Compared with karate, the risks of head/neck injury, upper extremity injury, and soft tissue injury were all higher in aikido (p<0.005), and the risks of head/neck, groin, and upper and lower extremity injuries were higher in tae kwon do (p<0.001). No sex differences were found for any of the outcomes studied. Conclusions: There is a higher rate of injury in tae kwon do than Shotokan karate. Different martial arts have significantly different types and distribution of injuries. Martial arts appear to be safe for young athletes, particularly those at beginner or intermediate levels.