Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Surgical technique of experimental lung transplantation in rabbits.

BACKGROUND Although rabbits have often been used as an experimental model for the analysis of lung preservation, there are no reports of long-term survival after rabbit lung allotransplantation. The purpose of this study was to establish a lung allotransplantation model for the evaluation of acute lung rejection in the rabbit and to investigate the transplantation techniques in the rabbit. METHODS Left unilateral lung allotransplantations were performed in 10 pairs of Japanese white male rabbits, weighing from 2.8 to 3.7 kg. Rabbits were divided into two groups. Group A rabbits (n=5) received Cyclosporine A (CsA) (20 mg/kg/day) orally for 5 days postoperatively, while Group B rabbits (n=5) received no CsA. All rabbits were sacrificed at the fifth postoperative day for histological examinations. RESULTS Anastomoses of the pulmonary vein were achieved by using the atrial cuff technique. Satisfied blood flow was obtained in all arterial and venous anastomosis sites. Bronchial anastomosis was also well healed and all rabbits could maintain adequate spontaneous ventilation. In Group A, histopathology revealed that three cases were grade A0, one was grade A1 and the other was A2. In Group B, three cases lived for five days, and histopathology showed two cases were grade A2 and one case was grade A3. CONCLUSION We established a left unilateral lung allotransplantation model in the rabbit and observed suppression of acute rejection of the transplanted lung by CsA. This study suggests that the rabbit is also an experimental model suited for the analysis of lung preservation as well as lung allotransplant rejection.
Combining the production of renewable energy with innovative urban drainage systems-The KREIS Project

The KREIS project has researched resource based concepts and methods of supply and disposal for urban quarters and has prepared the implementation in the quarter Jenfelder Au in Hamburg, accommodating 2500 residents. Results of the preparatory phase are presented in this paper. In regard to the discharge of waters, the elimination of micro-pollutants from blackwater, the treatment concept for liquid digestate and greywater and the concept of using treated greywater for the augmentation of urban waters are important. The initial trial phase of the project is under construction and will start its operation in 2016.
Phylogenetic analysis of floral integration in Schizanthus (Solanaceae): does pollination truly integrate corolla traits?

To assess whether floral integration patterns result from the action of pollinator selection on functionally related traits, we compared corolla integration patterns in eight Schizanthus species differing in pollination systems and in their degree of pollinator dependence across a molecular phylogeny. Integration patterns differed among species and these differences were not related to their phylogenetic relatedness. When the putative original function of some corolla traits was lost in pollinator‐dependent species, the integration among nonfunctional characters and the rest of the corolla traits was disrupted. This pattern was not presented in species adapted for late autonomous selfing, which exhibited higher corolla integration than their pollinator‐dependent relatives. These results suggest that corolla integration in pollinator‐dependent species was shaped by pollinator‐mediated selection. Decoupling of nonfunctional traits in these species may result from a relaxation of correlational selection or from selection acting against a default covariation provided by genetic and developmental connections.
Active colloid behavior exhibiting soft-sphere characteristics for non-Newtonian solvent

The purpose of analyzing soft-sphere Brownian particles with varying velocities and densities is to be able to predict their interaction behavior once a force has been applied. The particles portray different behaviors depending on if the particles are passive or active Brownian particles. The data studied was collected from simulations, and there are no attractive forces involved in the particles’ interactions. Mean square displacement graphs, radial distribution graphs, structure factor graphs, and viscosity as a function of density and velocity were used to examine and compare the data generated. Experimental data was analyzed by a program to be interpreted into a mean square displacement graph. It has been determined that once particles form into clusters, the clusters do not remain static, but they interact as a dynamic system. For the analysis of viscosity, it has been determined that an increase in density always results in shear thickening. However, an increase in velocity creates an overall shear thickening trend, but an increased velocity of the particles results in clusters splitting into two small clusters leading to a shear thinning effect. These results allow for a better understanding of Brownian particle behavior given different environmental factors such as magnitude of force.
Nonnegative Matrix Factorization-Based Spatial-Temporal Clustering for Multiple Sensor Data Streams

Cyber physical systems have grown exponentially and have been attracting a lot of attention over the last few years. To retrieve and mine the useful information from massive amounts of sensor data streams with spatial, temporal, and other multidimensional information has become an active research area. Moreover, recent research has shown that clusters of streams change with a comprehensive spatial-temporal viewpoint in real applications. In this paper, we propose a spatial-temporal clustering algorithm (STClu) based on nonnegative matrix trifactorization by utilizing time-series observational data streams and geospatial relationship for clustering multiple sensor data streams. Instead of directly clustering multiple data streams periodically, STClu incorporates the spatial relationship between two sensors in proximity and integrates the historical information into consideration. Furthermore, we develop an iterative updating optimization algorithm STClu. The effectiveness and efficiency of the algorithm STClu are both demonstrated in experiments on real and synthetic data sets. The results show that the proposed STClu algorithm outperforms existing methods for clustering sensor data streams.
Plasmodium falciparum: isolation and characterisation of a gene encoding protozoan GMP synthase.

The final step in guanylate nucleotide biosynthesis is catalysed by GMP synthase. This paper presents the first isolation of a gene encoding a protozoan GMP synthase. The deduced amino acid sequence from Plasmodium falciparum shares 40% identity with yeast GMP synthase and contains motifs conserved in catalysis. Expression of the gene is regulated through the parasite's development in human red blood cells with maximal expression during the point of DNA replication. Psicofuranine, which inhibits GMP synthase, interrupts parasite growth, supporting the role of this enzyme. These findings will aid development of inhibitors of purine salvage in malaria parasites.
- 151-Calmodulin Kinase-Mediated Phosphorylation of Phospholamban in Skeletal Muscle Sarcoplasmic Reticulum . A Critical Reappraisal of the State of the Problem at the Light of New Findings with Human Normal and Diseased Muscle

The Ca-transport system of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of mammalian hind-limb slow-twitch muscles has unique regulatory features, that have long been attributed to the special differentiating influence from the particular frequency and pattern of discharge of the innervating α motorneurons in the anterior horns of the spinal cord. This review summarizes the molecular mechanisms underlying such specific effects, focusing on phosphorylation of phospholamban (PLB) and of SR Ca-ATPase by calmodulin kinase II (CaM K II). Regarding specifically the hypothesis according to which the neural control over the expression of fiber-type specific gene products in skeletal muscle SR encompasses the expression of PLB gene, there is divergent evidence, when the problem is examined in a wide range of mammalian species, from small rodent species to the human species. The discrepancy is underlined by observations, that the protein level of expression of PLB is virtually zero in rat slow-twitch muscle, and that it increases with animal body size; and with a consequent lack of correlation with the total amount of slow-twitch muscle CaATPase isoform found to be relatively immutable across different mammalian species. The experimental evidence appearing to be in conflict with the paradigma, is particularly striking in the case of human skeletal muscle having a mixed fiber composition. Most interestingly, transitions of Ca-ATPase isoforms in human skeletal muscle fibers, under pathohological conditions leading to the appearance of intermediate fibers, were found not to be accompanied by down-regulation either of PLB or of CaM K II, suggesting that in such muscle expression of PLB and of the fast-twitch Ca-ATPase isoform may be not mutually exclusive, or not in the absolute sense predicted by theory. The outstanding property that seems to link human skeletal and cardiac SR together, is the high PLB/CaATPase ratio. A common property with rabbit slow-twitch muscle SR appears to be the presence of a highly active, PLB-dedicated form of CaM K II. The postulated, complex interplay beween intracellular Ca fluxes and the activity state of CaM K II, while adding interesting new facets to the regulatory features of SR Ca-transport, inevitably invites to a number of questions, regarding the exact correlation between such mechanisms and the E-C characteristics and twitch properties of the muscle, depending also on the animal species.
Domain oriented object reuse based on genetic software architectures

In this thesis, a new systematic approach is introduced for developing software systems from domain-oriented components. The approach is called Domain Oriented Object Reuse (DOOR) which is based on domain analysis and Generic Software Architectures. The term 'Generic Software Architectures' is used to denote a new technique for building domain reference architectures using architecture schemas. The architecture schemas are used to model the components behaviour and dependency. Components dependencies describe components behaviour in terms of their inter-relationships within the same domain scope. DOOR uses the architecture schemas as a mechanism for specifying design conceptions within the modelled domain. Such conceptions provide design decisions and solutions to domain-specific problems which may be applied in the development of new systems. Previous research in the area of domain analysis and component-oriented reuse has established the need for a systematic approach to component-oriented development which emphasises the presentation side of the solution in the technology. DOOR addresses the presentation issue by organising the domain knowledge into levels of abstractions known to DOOR as sub-domains. These levels are organised in a hierarchical taxonomy tree which contains, in addition to sub-domains, a collection of reusable assets associated with each level. The tree determines the scope of reuse for every domain asset and the boundaries for their application. Thus, DOOR also answers the questions of reuse scope and domain boundaries which have also been raised by the reuse community. DOOR's reuse process combines development for reuse and development with reuse together. With this process, which is supported by a set of integrated tools, a number of guidelines have been introduced to assist in modelling the domain assets and assessing their reusability. The tools are also used for automatic assessment of the domain architecture and the design conceptions of its schemas. Furthermore, when a new system is synthesised, components are retrieved, with the assistance of the tools, according to the scope of reuse within which the system is developed. The retrieval procedure uses the components dependencies for tracing and retrieving the relevant components for the required abstraction.
N ov 2 01 8 Discrete Symmetries Excluded by Quantum Breaking

Gia Dvali, Cesar Gomez and Sebastian Zell Arnold Sommerfeld Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Theresienstraße 37, 80333 München, Germany Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, Föhringer Ring 6, 80805 München, Germany Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, Department of Physics, New York University, 726 Broadway, New York, NY 10003, USA Instituto de F́ısica Teórica UAM-CSIC, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Zinc Irreversibly Damages Major Enzymes of Energy Production and Antioxidant Defense Prior to Mitochondrial Permeability Transition*

Recent observations point to the role played by Zn2+ as an inducer of neuronal death. Two Zn2+ targets have been identified that result in inhibition of mitochondrial respiration: the bc1 center and, more recently, α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. Zn2+ is also a mediator of oxidative stress, leading to mitochondrial failure, release of apoptotic peptides, and neuronal death. We now present evidence, by means of direct biochemical assays, that Zn2+ is imported through the Ca2+ uniporter and directly targets major enzymes of energy production (lipoamide dehydrogenase) and antioxidant defense (thioredoxin reductase and glutathione reductase). We demonstrate the following. (a) These matrix enzymes are rapidly inhibited by application of Zn2+ to intact mitochondria. (b) Delayed treatment with membrane-impermeable chelators has no effect, indicating rapid transport of biologically relevant quantities of Zn2+ into the matrix. (c) Membrane-permeable chelators stop but do not reverse enzyme inactivation. (d) Enzyme inhibition is rapid and irreversible and precedes the major changes associated with the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT). (e) The extent and rate of enzyme inactivation linearly correlates with the MPT onset and propagation. (f) The Ca2+ uniporter blocker, Ruthenium Red, protects enzyme activities and delays pore opening up to 2 μm Zn2+. An additional, unidentified import route functions at higher Zn2+ concentrations. (g) No enzyme inactivation is observed for Ca2+-induced MPT. These observations strongly suggest that, unlike Ca2+, exogenous Zn2+ interferes with mitochondrial NADH production and directly alters redox protection in the matrix, contributing to mitochondrial dysfunction. Inactivation of these enzymes by Zn2+ is irreversible, and thus only their de novo synthesis can restore function, which may underlie persistent loss of oxidative carbohydrate metabolism following transient ischemia.
Dynamic Analysis of Two-Phase Switched-Capacitor DC–DC Converters

A method that aims at analyzing the dynamic behavior of some two-phase switched-capacitor charge pump circuits is proposed. A recurrence relation on the voltages across the charging capacitors of a given two-phase charge pump circuit is developed. The output voltage and the accumulated charge of a charge pump circuit after any clock cycle were found by solving some basic matrix equations, with a specific loading current and some required initial conditions. The validation of the proposed method was done by SPICE simulations based on a 8 × linear, Fibonacci, and an exponential charge pump. The analysis results were also verified with the simulation results obtained from some charge pump circuits designed with the 0.18 μm CMOS process. Results show that the proposed method can yield a close estimation on the dynamic behavior of a charge pump circuit in most of the designs. We further found that the rising times for the exponential and Fibonacci charge pumps are shorter, especially when the conversion ratio is high, than that of the linear one.
Heterogeneous expression and activity of endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthases in end-stage human heart failure: their relation to lesion site and beta-adrenergic receptor therapy.

BACKGROUND Recent reports have suggested that excessive amounts of endogenous NO may contribute to the myocardial dysfunction and injury in heart failure. In the present report, we investigate the cellular expression and activity of endothelial (eNOS) and inducible (iNOS) NO synthase in failing human hearts with special reference to the underlying lesion and drug therapy. METHODS AND RESULTS Myocardial tissues were obtained from 28 failing human hearts with various pathogeneses and 4 nonfailing hearts as controls. Only weak or focal expression of both eNOS and iNOS was seen in ventricles of nonfailing hearts. In failing hearts, immunoreactivity and hybridization signals for eNOS were increased only in cardiac myocytes of subendocardial areas. Signals for iNOS in cardiac myocytes were consistently seen in heart failure of various pathogeneses and were apparent in both infarcted and noninfarcted regions of ischemic cardiomyopathy. Apparent signals for iNOS were also seen in infiltrating macrophages in infarcted regions of ischemic cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, and septic hearts. The expression of eNOS but not iNOS in the myocytes was intimately associated with beta-adrenergic therapy before the operation, being more abundant in patients on beta-blockers compared with diminished presence in patients on beta-agonists. In contrast to immunohistochemical data, iNOS activity was more variable than constitutive NOS activity and correlated significantly with the density of infiltrating macrophages. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that whereas increased eNOS and/or iNOS expression in failing cardiac myocytes may in general contribute to myocardial dysfunction, myocyte injury or death associated with inflammatory lesions may be caused in part by abundant iNOS expression within infiltrating macrophages rather than cardiac myocytes.
THE NEED FOR 3D GEODATA AND GEOMATICS SPECIALISTS Point Clouds and Smart Cities

The ‘smart city’ concept entirely relies on a permanent stream of massive amounts of data acquired by a great variety of sensors distributed throughout the city. Smart use of all this data requires integration with 3D city maps for which point clouds, acquired by laser scanning or photogrammetry, are the main sources. The author of this article identifies the abilities of point clouds to support the smart city concept.
Influence of sintering temperature and compression speed on properties of hydroxyapatite disks

The present article is dedicated to an investigation of a production method of hydroxyapatite (HA) disks with a study of an influence of compression speed (5, 10 and 15 on structure and properties of those disks. Measurements of density, mass loss and shrinkage as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light optical microscopy (LM) observations were performed. The aim of this study is to define optimal process parameters, which are applicable for using as a substrate for in vitro experiments.
Monitor backscatter factors for the Varian 21EX and TrueBeam linear accelerators: measurements and Monte Carlo modelling

Linac backscattered radiation (BSR) into the monitor chamber affects the chamber's signal and has to be accounted for in radiotherapy dose calculations. In Monte Carlo (MC) calculations, the BSR can be modelled explicitly and accounted for in absolute dose. However, explicit modelling of the BSR becomes impossible if treatment head geometry is not available. In this study, monitor backscatter factors (MBSFs), defined as the ratio of the charge collected in the monitor chamber for a reference field to that of a given field, have been evaluated experimentally and incorporated into MC modelling of linacs with either known or unknown treatment head geometry. A telescopic technique similar to that by Kubo (1989 Med. Phys. 16 295–98) was used. However, instead of lead slits, a 1.8 mm diameter collimator and a small (2 mm diameter) detector positioned at extended source to detector distance were used. This setup provided a field of view to the source of less than 3.1 mm and allowed for MBSF measurements of open fields from 1 × 1 to 40 × 40 cm2. For the fields with both X and Y dimensions exceeding 15 cm, a diode detector was used. A pinpoint ionization chamber was used for smaller fields. MBSFs were also explicitly modelled in MC calculations using BEAMnrc and DOSXYZnrc codes for 6 and 18 MV beams of a Varian 21EX linac. A method for deriving the D ch forward ? > values that are used in MC absolute dose calculations was demonstrated. These values were derived from measured MBSFs for two 21EX and four TrueBeam energies. MBSFs were measured for 6 and 18 MV beams from Varian 21EX, and for 6 MV, 10 MV-FFF, 10 MV, and 15 MV beams from Varian TrueBeam linacs. For the open field sizes modelled in this study for the 21EX, the measured MBSFs agreed with MC calculated values within combined statistical (0.4%) and experimental (0.2%) uncertainties. Variation of MBSFs across field sizes was about a factor of two smaller for the TrueBeam compared to 21EX Varian linacs. Measured MBSFs and the derived D ch forward ? > factors allow for the incorporation of the BSR effect into accurate radiotherapy dose calculations without explicit backscatter modelling.
IMPROVEMENT OF THE YAZD WATER CONVEYANCE CONTROL SYSTEM BY GA OPTIMIZATION

In this paper a simple strategy involving pump on-off control is proposed to improve the performance of the Yazd water conveyance system in Iran. To evaluate the efficiency of the proposed logic, an unsteady hydraulic model is developed on the basis of quasi-steady theory and the flow control logic is introduced into the model through the boundary conditions. The model is used to evaluate the hydraulic behavior of all components of the system for a possible range of operation flow condition over a 24 hour period. Although the control logic can be effectively modeled, the number of on-off cycles of the pumps in low operating flow appears to be high for such a long pipeline. This cycling problem can be improved by increasing the volume of the reservoirs fed by each pump station. A GA optimization model is employed to find the optimum expansion for each reservoir. Since the hydraulic constraints could not be defined by analytical functions, the flow model is embedded in the optimization routines to record the number of on-off cycles of each pump and to check whether any constraints are violated during the operation. Assuming the number of on-off cycle of each pump is limited to just one per day, the optimal solution is determined. The results show that the convergence is quickly achieved and the optimal solution is reached during the first 30 generations. Comparing GA results with results obtained from an enumeration technique shows that a global solution is captured by GA but with considerably reduced computational expense.
Barcelona , Spain The West East Institute 19 THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT TEACHING DELIVERY METHODS ( FACE-TO-FACE , VIRTUAL AND BLENDED ) ON INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS ' ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

The present study investigates the influence of different teaching delivery methods (face-to-face, virtual and blended) on intermediate students' academic achievement. The sample population of the study comprises three randomly selected second year intermediate classes of an intermediate female school in Tabuk. One class has been assigned to be control group. The other 2 classes has been assigned to be experimental. Upon review of related literature and previous studies, the three classes were taught by the same instructor for the same unit of second year intermediate English subject. Validity and reliability of the tools have been measured. Applying the pre-test for both control and experimental groups. The control group has been taught using the traditional way of teaching whereas the experimental groups have been taught using blended and virtual classes. The post--test was applied by the end of teaching the assigned unit. Data was statistically analyzed. Results have been discussed. Based on results, recommendations and suggestions have been occurred.