Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantum Interference and Indistinguishability with Femtosecond Pulses

The generation of entangled states of three or more photons through the nonlinear process of spontaneous parametric down-conversion requires the use of a femtosecond pump to provide an indistinguishability of photon pairs generated from different nonlinear crystals. We demonstrate experimentally that the quantum interference between two photons generated in each of the nonlinear crystals will degrade significantly as the duration of the femtosecond pump pulse becomes shorter than the coherence time of the signal and idler photons. Spectral postselection using narrow-band filters compensates this effect at the expense of the photon flux available for detection. @S1050-2947~97! 50607-X#
Obesity and body size perceptions in a Spanish Roma population

Abstract Background: Roma people are particularly vulnerable to developing overweight and obesity. Self-perception of body image may influence the prevalence of obesity in this ethnic minority. Aim: The objectives of this study are to estimate the prevalence of obesity, to analyse body size perceptions and preferences and to assess the relationship between body size perceptions and obesity in the Roma population. Subjects and methods: The analyses were carried out on 372 men, women and children from the Roma population residing in the Greater Bilbao region (Basque Country, Spain). In adults, a standard figural scale was used to analyse body size perceptions and preferences in this ethnic minority. Results: Overall 51.7% of adult and 24.4% of minor Roma individuals were obese. Both Roma men and women had inaccurate self-perceptions of their body size. Significant differences on body size perceptions were detected based on age, sex, nutritional status and socioeconomic characteristics. Conclusion: This Roma population presents one of the highest rates of obesity worldwide. Although a certain awareness of the correct weight status was appreciated, the inability of Roma individuals to see themselves as overweight or obese may be a significant factor on the high prevalence of obesity in this population.
Association between early systemic inflammatory response, severity of multiorgan dysfunction and death in acute pancreatitis

Mortality in patients with acute pancreatitis is associated with the number of failing organs and the severity and reversibility of organ dysfunction. The aim of this study was to assess the significance of early systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) in the development of multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and death from acute pancreatitis.
Does a shared screen make a shared solution?

What is the role of a shared whiteboard in building a shared understanding of the task and its solution? Our hypothesis was that a graphical communication tool would facilitate grounding processes, i.e. the mutual understanding of one or a few utterances and thereby the construction of a shared solution. We conducted an empirical study with 20 pairs solving an enigma in a MUD environment enriched with a whiteboard. The results show that the whiteboard was used less used to disambiguate difficult concepts in conversation than as a tool for distributed regulation of the task. The graphical features of the whiteboard were less exploited thatn the fact that information displayed on the whiteboard was persistent. Subjects selected the communication medium by matching the persistency of display (how long information is displayed) with persistency of information (how long it remains valid). Their grounding behaviour also takes into account the probability that some piece of information probabilty that some piece of infornmation is misundersis misunderstood or disagreed upon.
The Centrilobular Form of Hypertrophic Emphysema and its Relation to Chronic Bronchitis

The pathogenesis of hypzrtrophic, i.e., large lung, emphysema is unsettled, although the postulate of Laennec (1819) that it is due to partial bronchial obstruction remains widely held. Emphysematous lungs, however, show a diversity of macroscopic appearances which can be clearly seen in the paper-mounted whole lung sections used in the present study. It seems possible that the pathogenesis is not the same in all types. A variety of emphysema which involves the central tissue of the lung lobules was described by Villemin in 1866 but has, it seems, been subsequently neglected until one of us commented on this centrilobular form, having recognized it in large sections (Gough, 1952). Using the same technique McLean (1956) confirmed and extended Gough's findings. The centrilobular form is a common pattern occurring in over half of the 140 cases of hypertrophic emphysema which we have studied. The number of lobules affected varies from case to case, often amounting to the majority. The centrilobular change is to be distinguished from the other
Rate and predictability of pulp revascularization in therapeutically reimplanted permanent incisors.

Abstract The aim of the present investigation was to study the frequency of pulp revascularization in therapeutically reimplanted incisors as well; is its relationship with the following factors: width of apical foramen, duration of extra-alveolar lime, storage conditions and postoperative administration of antibiotics. Out of 72 immature teeth (width of apical foramen 1.1–5.0 mm) the pulp was revascularized in 13 (18%), while in 88 mature teeth (width of apical foramen 1.0 mm or less) no revascularization occurred. Among parameters tested statistically in immature teeth, a significantly increased frequency of revascularization (p < 0.05) was only found in teeth reimplanted within 45 minutes after avulsion, when compared with teeth reimplanted after a longer extra-alveolar time, and in mandibular incisors when compared with maxillary incisors (p < 0.01). All teeth in which revascularization did not occur exhibited a periapical radiolucency and/or external inflammatory root resorption.
Epistemocrítica de la e-Comunicación. Elementos para una etnografía virtual de las prácticas científicas de la era digital

Este articulo se propone una aproximacion de inspiracion etnografica virtual a la llamada eCiencia. Tal empresa no es posible sin atender antes a las condiciones de posibilidad que configuran este momento historico, a saber la convergencia tecnocientifica de la logistica, las telecomunicaciones y los lenguajes multimediales que se materializan en la Comunicacion Mediada por Computador (CMC). Las mutaciones en curso reconfiguran tanto la dimension epistemologica como politica del quehacer cientifico en el siglo XXI.
Hepatocytes as Immunological Agents

Hepatocytes are targeted for infection by a number of major human pathogens, including hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and malaria. However, hepatocytes are also immunological agents in their own right. In systemic immunity, they are central in the acute-phase response, which floods the circulation with defensive proteins during diverse stresses, including ischemia, physical trauma, and sepsis. Hepatocytes express a variety of innate immune receptors and, when challenged with pathogen- or damage-associated molecular patterns, can deliver cell-autonomous innate immune responses that may result in host defense or in immunopathology. Important human pathogens have evolved mechanisms to subvert these responses. Finally, hepatocytes talk directly to T cells, resulting in a bias toward immune tolerance.
Is Diurodrilus an annelid?

Interstitial marine meiofaunal worms of the genus Diurodrilus have always been considered part of Annelida, either as basal or derived, though generally with reference to Dinophilidae. New evidence shows that Diurodrilus has a unique anatomy, and lacks key annelid features, possibly even segmentation. We assessed the systematic position of Diurodrilus among other protostome animals via light microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy studies of anatomy, focusing on musculature, the nervous system, as well as molecular sequence data. We show that there is little morphological or molecular evidence to support a relationship with Dinophilidae or any other annelids. Diurodrilus has some similarities to Micrognathozoa, though the latter shows complex jaws. On the basis of the configuration of the nervous system and the cuticle we regard Diurodrilus to belong to Spiralia, possibly close to Annelida; however, until further evidence is acquired it should be regarded as incertae sedis in this large animal clade. J. Morphol. , 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Molecular cloning and differential IgG responses to a histidine-rich antigen (OvL3.C1) of Onchocerca volvulus by selected residents of onchocerciasis endemic regions in Cameroon and Ecuador

In order to further investigate host-parasite interactions in onchocerciasis, a major Onchocerca volvulus histidine rich antigen termed OvL3.C1 was isolated from an O. volvulus cDNA library using antibodies from putatively immune subjects living in onchocerciasis endemic communities in Cameroon. Analysis of its sequences predicted the protein to be helix-rich with a single transmembrane region. Recombinant OvL3.C1 antigen induced from pBAD-TOPO/Thio vector in Escherichia coli was purified as inclusion bodies and further by a combination of Ni 2+ chelate chromatography and electroelution. Anti-OvL3.C1 immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclass levels were assessed by ELISA in 15 pairs and 18 pairs of selected and cross-matched infected and putatively immune subjects from Cameroon and Ecuador, respectively. IgG3 and IgG4 levels were shown to be significantly higher in putatively immune (immune protected) subjects. A higher IgG3 level in endemic normal subjects is implicated in parasite killing and the development of the putative immune status while IgG4 has been shown to block onchocercal pathology. OvL3.C1 is a dominant antigen in onchocerciasis which elicits strong responses in subjects expose to both African and South American forms of onchocerciasis. It is therefore an important player in mechanisms of resistance or allergy attenuation in onchocerciasis. Keywords: Onchocerciasis, immunoglobulin G, putative immunity
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus species in a cardiac surgical intensive care unit: a 5-year experience.

OBJECTIVES Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus is a growing problem in intensive care units (ICUs). The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus isolates in a cardiac surgical ICU over a 5-year period and to determine the risk factors and outcome of this condition. METHODS During the period from January 1998 to July 2003, the clinical data of all adult patients who underwent cardiac surgery in a university hospital were prospectively recorded in a database; the perioperative clinical variables and microbiologic data were studied by means of univariate and multivariate analysis in order to identify risk factors for the development of methicillin resistance and in-hospital death. RESULTS Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus species strains were isolated in 118 of 6,423 patients operated on during the study period (7.6 cases per 1,000 days of ICU stay), with a constant prevalence rate throughout the years. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus species have been the most frequently isolated microorganisms in the authors' ICU; 75% of Staphylococcus aureus and 95% of coagulase-negative staphylococci were methicillin resistant. In-hospital mortality in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus-positive patients was 50.0% (59/118), whereas it was 1.7% (108/6305) in other patients (p < 0.0001). On multivariate analysis, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus species isolation was the single risk factor with the strongest association with in-hospital death (odds ratio, 8.5; 95% confidence interval 4.9-14.7). In the present series, there were no isolates of vancomycin-resistant species (Enterococcus species or Staphylococcus species). CONCLUSIONS Staphylococcus species represent the most frequently isolated microorganisms in the authors' ICU. In-hospital mortality in cardiac surgical patients is strongly correlated to the isolation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus.
Contraction by Ca2+ Influx via the L-Type Ca2+ Channel Voltage Window in Mouse Aortic Segments is Modulated by Nitric Oxide

© 2012 Fransen et al., licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Contraction by Ca Influx via the L-Type Ca Channel Voltage Window in Mouse Aortic Segments is Modulated by Nitric Oxide
Profound defects in pancreatic β-cell function in mice with combined heterozygous mutations in Pdx-1, Hnf-1α, and Hnf-3β

Defects in pancreatic β-cell function contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes, a polygenic disease that is characterized by insulin resistance and compromised insulin secretion. Hepatocyte nuclear factors (HNFs) -1α, -3β, -4α, and Pdx-1 contribute in the complex transcriptional circuits within the pancreas that are involved in β-cell development and function. In mice, a heterozygous mutation in Pdx-1 alone, but not Hnf-1α+/−, Hnf-3β+/−, or Hnf-4α+/−, causes impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in mice. To investigate the possible functional relationships between these transcription factors on β-cell activity in vivo, we generated mice with the following combined heterozygous mutations: Pdx-1+/−/Hnf-1α+/−, Pdx-1+/−/Hnf-3β+/−, Pdx-1+/−/Hnf-4α+/−, Hnf-1α+/−/Hnf-4α+/−, and Hnf-3β+/−/Hnf-4α+/−. The greatest loss in function was in combined heterozygous null alleles of Pdx-1 and Hnf-1α (Pdx-1+/−/Hnf-1α+/−), or Pdx-1 and Hnf-3β (Pdx-1+/−/Hnf-3β+/−). Both double mutants develop progressively impaired glucose tolerance and acquire a compromised first- and second-phase insulin secretion profile in response to glucose compared with Pdx-1+/− mice alone. The loss in β-cell function in Pdx-1+/−/Hnf-3β+/− mice was associated with decreased expression of Nkx-6.1, glucokinase (Gck), aldolase B (aldo-B), and insulin, whereas Nkx2.2, Nkx-6.1, Glut-2, Gck, aldo-B, the liver isoform of pyruvate kinase, and insulin expression was reduced in Pdx-1+/−/Hnf-1α+/− mice. The islet cell architecture was also abnormal in Pdx-1+/−/Hnf-3β+/− and Pdx-1+/−/Hnf-1α+/− mice, with glucagon-expressing cells scattered throughout the islet, a defect that may be connected to decreased E-cadherin expression. Our data suggest that functional interactions between key islet regulatory factors play an important role in maintaining islet architecture and β-cell function. These studies also established polygenic mouse models for investigating the mechanisms contributing to β-cell dysfunction in diabetes.
Propranolol treatment for infantile hemangioma: a case series of sixty-two patients.

Infantile hemangiomas (IH) complicated by ulceration, disfigurement, functional impairment or life-threatening conditions need early, safe and effective treatment. This study explores the impact of propranolol on complicated IH. We report our experience of 62 patients treated with oral propranolol for complicated IH. The effect of propranolol was assessed using a score on a visual analogue scale integrated with echo, magnetic resonance or endoscopic findings. The average age at the beginning of the treatment was seven months [standard deviation (SD)±8.9], with a median of four months (range 1-53 months). The average age at the end of the treatment was 15 months (SD±8.4), with a median of 13 months (range 7-59 months). The mean treatment length was eight months (SD±3.2). Oral propranolol was successful in 95.2% of the patients in reducing the volume, the intensity of color and the elevation of IH. Statistically significant improvement of IH volume was observed in the first two months of therapy (P≤0.001), and between the second month and the end of the treatment (P<0.05). No significant bradycardia or hypotension occurred. Severe hypoglycemia occurred in one patient. Mild adverse effects were observed in seven patients. Our study demonstrates that propranolol administered orally at 2 to 3 mg/kg/day has a rapid therapeutic effect leading to remarkable shortening of the natural course of IH and it is safe in the majority of patients.
Transcriptional control of genes involved in ciliogenesis: a first step in making cilia

Cilia and flagella have essential functions in a wide range of organisms. Cilia assembly is dynamic during development and different types of cilia are found in multicellular organisms. How this dynamic and specific assembly is regulated remains an important question in cilia biology. In metazoans, the regulation of the overall expression level of key components necessary for cilia assembly or function is an important way to achieve ciliogenesis control. The FOXJ1 (forkhead box J1) and RFX (regulatory factor X) family of transcription factors have been shown to be important players in controlling ciliary gene expression. They fulfill a complementary and synergistic function by regulating specific and common target genes. FOXJ1 is essential to allow for the assembly of motile cilia in vertebrates through the regulation of genes specific to motile cilia or necessary for basal body apical transport, whereas RFX proteins are necessary to assemble both primary and motile cilia in metazoans, in particular, by regulating genes involved in intraflagellar transport. Recently, different transcription factors playing specific roles in cilia biogenesis and physiology have also been discovered. All these factors are subject to complex regulation to allow for the dynamic and specific regulation of ciliogenesis in metazoans.
From genes to function: the C. elegans genetic toolbox

This review aims to provide an overview of the technologies which make the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans an attractive genetic model system. We describe transgenesis techniques and forward and reverse genetic approaches to isolate mutants and clone genes. In addition, we discuss the new possibilities offered by genome engineering strategies and next‐generation genome analysis tools. WIREs Dev Biol 2012, 1:114–137. doi: 10.1002/wdev.1
Comparative evaluation of expanded criteria for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma beyond the Milan criteria undergoing living‐related donor liver transplantation

Shirabe K, Taketomi A, Morita K, Soejima Y, Uchiyama H, Kayashima H, Ninomiya M, Toshima T, Maehara Y. Comparative evaluation of expanded criteria for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma beyond the Milan criteria undergoing living‐related donor liver transplantation. Clin Transplant 2011: 25: E491–E498. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
Coordination and Higher Order Uncertainty

In these notes, we discuss work on coordination in situations of uncertainty and investigate the importance of “higher order beliefs” – that is, players’ beliefs about their opponents beliefs about their beliefs about. We start with a particular class of “global” coordination games of incomplete information where players’ beliefs are highly, but not perfectly, correlated. There games are interesting for several reasons. First, they capture in simple form the idea that in strategic settings where actions are conditioned on beliefs, in particular settings where coordination is important, players need to be concerned with what their opponents believe, what their opponents believe about their beliefs, and so on. Second, global games can allow us to refine equilibria in coordination games in a very strong way. In some models, we can use global games analysis to show that even if common knowledge of payoffs gives rise to multiple equilibria, there will be a unique equilibrium if the players’ information is perturbed in even a “small” way. A recent applied literature has arisen using these techniques particularly in finance and macroeconomic (Morris and Shin, 2002, is a nice survey). We then use related ideas to look at the difference between public and private information in situations where higher order beliefs matter greatly. Finally, we discuss the broader relevance of higher order beliefs in “typical” games. We discuss the “types” approach of Harsanyi, the modeling of higherorder uncertainty, and some further applications.
Portal pressure, presence of gastroesophageal varices and variceal bleeding

This study was performed to examine the relationships between portal pressure measurements and the presence of esophagogastric varices, the size of varices and the occurrence of hemorrhage from varices in 93 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, using standardized measurements of portal pressure by hepatic vein catheterization.
Health and Inequalities among the Oldest Old

The elderly, and especially the oldest old, have generally been overlooked in research on social class inequalities in health. On the basis of nationally representative data from Sweden for the age group 77 to 98 (N= 537), we have been able to demonstrate clear differences in health between social classes. These inequalities were found both for men and women. It should be noticed, however, that the patterns of class differences varied depending on the health indicator used. The often employed global measure of self-rated health showed the smallest class gradient when controlling for age and sex, whereas larger differences were found with more concrete and descriptive measures such as peak flow rate.
Expression and localization of receptor tyrosine kinase Tyro3 in rat brain.

OBJECTIVE To detect the expression patterns and localization of the Tyro3, Axl, and Mer (TAM) receptor tyrosine kinases in the rat brain, and to understand the significance of this receptor family in the brain. METHODS Sprague Dawley rats aged P3 (day 3 of postnatal development), P9, P15, P30 and P52 were anesthetized and their brains removed. Real time quantitative PCR was used to determine mRNA expression levels of TAM. Western blotting was applied to analyze protein expression levels of TAM peptides. The immunohistochemical stainings of Tyro3 protein in adult rat brains were detected by the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method. RESULTS Tyro3 was the most highly expressed and widely distributed receptor among TAM family. Its mRNA level increased dramatically during the second postnatal week, reached at the highest level by P30, and remained at that level in the adult. The relative expression quantitative of Tyro3 mRNA in the adult rat brain increased about 3.2-fold than that at P15 stage. The expression of Tyro3 protein was detected faintly at early stage, gradually increased from P15, and reached maximal levels at adult stage. The relative density of immunoreactive product of Tyro3 peptide in the rat brain was up-regulated 1.3-fold from P15 to adult (P52). Immunohistochemical stainings demonstrated that Tyro3 protein was detected in the majority of cells of all the cortical layers. Strong signals were observed in the piriform cortex and the hippocampus. At the subcellular level, Tyro3 was detected both in the soma and dendrites of pyramidal neurons. CONCLUSION The results imply that Tyro3 is the main TAM receptor tyrosine kinase expressed in adult rat brain that modulates signaling cascades influencing synaptic function in the brain.