Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Particle growth by acid-catalyzed heterogeneous reactions of organic carbonyls on preexisting aerosols.

Aerosol growth by the heterogeneous reactions of different aliphatic and alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyls in the presence/absence of acidified seed aerosols was studied in a 2 m long flow reactor (2.5 cm i.d.) and a 0.5-m3 Teflon film bag under darkness. For the flow reactor experiments, 2,4-hexadienal, 5-methyl-3-hexen-2-one, 2-cyclohexenone, 3-methyl-2-cyclopentenone, 3-methyl-2-cyclohexenone, and octanal were studied. The carbonyls were selected based on their reactivity for acid-catalyzed reactions, their proton affinity, and their similarity to the ring-opening products from the atmospheric oxidation of aromatics. To facilitate acid-catalyzed heterogeneous hemiacetal/acetal formation, glycerol was injected along with inorganic seed aerosols into the flow reactor system. Carbonyl heterogeneous reactions were accelerated in the presence of acid catalysts (H2SO4), leading to higher aerosol yields than in their absence. Aldehydes were more reactive than ketones for acid-catalyzed reactions. The conjugated functionality also resulted in higher organic aerosol yieldsthan saturated aliphatic carbonyls because conjugation with the olefinic bond increases the basicity of the carbonyl leading to increased stability of the protonated carbonyl. Aerosol population was measured from a series of sampling ports along the length of the flow reactor using a scanning mobility particle sizer. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry of either an impacted liquid aerosol layer or direct reaction of carbonyls as a thin liquid layer on a zinc selenide FTIR disk was employed to demonstrate the direct transformation of chemical functional groups via the acid-catalyzed reactions. These results strongly indicate that atmospheric multifunctional organic carbonyls, which are created by atmospheric photooxidation reactions, can contribute significantly to secondary organic aerosol formation through acid-catalyzed heterogeneous reactions. Exploratory studies in 25- and 190-m3 outdoor chambers were also implemented to demonstrate the formation of high molecular weight organic structures. The reaction of ozone with alpha-pinene to generate secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) was performed in the presence of background aerosol consisting of a mixture of wood soot and diesel soot. Results strongly suggest that indigenous sulfuric acid associated with the combustion of fossil fuels (e.g., diesel soot) can initiate acid-catalyzed heterogeneous reactions of SOAs on the particle phase.
A Functional Protein Chip for Pathway Optimization and in Vitro Metabolic Engineering

Pathway optimization is difficult to achieve owing to complex, nonlinear, and largely unknown interactions of enzymes, regulators, and metabolites. We report a pathway reconstruction using RNA display–derived messenger RNA–enzyme fusion molecules. These chimeras are immobilized by hybridization of their messenger RNA end with homologous capture DNA spotted on a substrate surface. Enzymes thus immobilized retain activity proportional to the amount of capture DNA, allowing modulation of the relative activity of pathway enzymes. Entire pathways can thus be reconstructed and optimized in vitro from genomic information. We provide concept validation with the sequential reactions catalyzed by luciferase and nucleoside diphosphate kinase and further illustrate this method with the optimization of the five-step pathway for trehalose synthesis.
Phospholipase C- (cid:103) 1 Interacts with Conserved Phosphotyrosyl Residues in the Linker Region of Syk and Is a Substrate for Syk

Antigen receptor ligation on activates protein tyrosine kinases and isoforms. Glutathione S -transferase fusion proteins containing the C-terminal Src-homology 2 [SH2(C)] domain of PLC- (cid:103) 1 bound to tyrosyl phosphorylated Syk. Syk isolated from antigen receptor-activated B cells phosphorylated PLC- (cid:103) 1 on Tyr-771 and the key regulatory residue Tyr-783 in vitro, whereas Lyn from the same B cells phosphorylated PLC- (cid:103) 1 only on Tyr-771. The ability of Syk to phosphorylate PLC- (cid:103) 1 required antigen receptor ligation, while Lyn was constitutively active. An mCD8-Syk cDNA construct could be expressed as a tyrosyl-phosphorylated chimeric protein tyrosine kinase in COS cells, was recognized by PLC- (cid:103) 1 SH2(C) in vitro, and induced tyrosyl phosphorylation of endogenous PLC- (cid:103) 1 in vivo. Substitution of Tyr-525 and Tyr-526 at the autophosphorylation site of Syk in mCD8-Syk substantially reduced the kinase activity and the binding of this variant chimera to PLC- (cid:103)
Neuropsychological Impairments in the Recognition of Faces, Voices, and Personal Names

In order to determine the dissociability of face, voice, and personal name recognition, we studied the performance of 36 brain-lesioned patients and 20 control subjects. Participants performed familiarity decisions for portraits, voice samples, and written names of celebrities and unfamiliar people. In those patients who displayed significant impairments in any of these tests, the specificity of these impairments was tested using corresponding object recognition tests (with pictures of objects, environmental sounds, or written common words as stimuli). The results showed that 58% of the patients were significantly impaired in at least one test of person recognition. Moreover, 28% of the patients showed impairments that appeared to be specific for people (i.e., performance was preserved in the corresponding object recognition test). Three patients showed a deficit that appeared to be confined to the recognition of familiar voices, a pattern that was not described previously. Results were generally consistent with the assumption that impairments in face, voice, and name recognition are dissociable from one another. In contrast, there was no clear evidence for a dissociability between deficits in face and voice naming. The results further suggest that (a) impairments in person recognition after brain lesions may be more common than was thought previously and (b) the patterns of impairment that were observed can be interpreted using current cognitive models of person recognition (Bruce & Young, 1986; Burton, Bruce, & Johnston, 1990).
Pipeline-design based FPGA implementation of online sequential learning algorithm

A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) implementation of a recently-developed learning algorithm applicable for feedforward neural networks with a single hidden layer is presented in this paper. Of the several possible applications that require online and sequential learning, the one chosen here is that of identification of nonlinear dynamical systems. Real-time implementation of the learning algorithm requires the design of effective computational architectures providing attractive tradeoff between the utilised area and data throughput. In this paper, we propose a pipeline-design based FPGA implementation of the learning algorithm. The methodology is based on the design of custom processing elements and resource sharing between them for different computational stages in a pipelined fashion. The overall design is implemented on a Virtex-6 ML-605 evaluation platform. Such an implementation results in a rather efficient resource utilisation.
Retrovirus-induced murine acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: natural history of infection and differing susceptibility of inbred mouse strains

C57BL mice (Fv-1b) develop a severe immunodeficiency disease following inoculation as adults with LP-BM5 murine leukemia virus (MuLV), a derivative of Duplan-Laterjet virus which contains B-tropic ecotropic and mink cell focus-inducing MuLVs and a putative defective genome which may be the proximal cause of disease. The stages of development of this disease were defined for C57BL mice on the basis of lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly; histopathological changes consistent with B-cell activation; and alterations in expression of cell surface antigens affected by proliferation of T cells, B cells, and macrophages. By using this disease profile as a standard, the response of adult mice of various inbred strains and selected F1 hybrids was compared. We show that although the strains which are highly sensitive are of the Fv-1b genotype (i.e., permissive for B-tropic MuLVs), certain Fv-1b strains, e.g., BALB/c and A/J, are resistant to murine acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, whereas certain Fv-1n strains (permissive for N-tropic MuLVs but restrictive for B-tropic MuLVs), notably P/N, BDP, and AKR, show moderate sensitivity and (C57BL/6 x CBA/N)F1 mice (Fv-1n/b and thus dually restrictive) are of relatively high susceptibility. The results of virus recovery tests suggest that apparently anomalous sensitivity, based on predicted Fv-1 restriction, may reflect MuLV induction and/or mutation to provide a helper virus for which the host is permissive.
Imaging Abnormalities in Sporadic Hemiplegic Migraine on Conventional MRI, Diffusion and Perfusion MRI and MRS

Prolonged hemiparetic migraine aura can cause diagnostic confusion and be mistaken for ischaemic stroke occurring during the course of a migraine—‘migrainous infarction’. We report a case of prolonged hemiparesis occurring during the course of a migraine attack. Though initially confused with migrainous infarction, we suggest with sequential magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance angiography, diffusion, perfusion images and magnetic resonance spectroscopy that the hemiplegia was not of vascular origin and that the patient had sporadic hemiplegic migraine. We hypothesize that the mechanisms of sporadic hemiplegic migraine probably lie at a cellular level, similiar to familial hemiplegic migraine.
Mandated radiologist-performed electronic order entry: effect on CT oral contrast administration.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine whether radiologist-performed electronic order entry affects use of oral contrast material for CT. Contrast media have been classified as medications by The Joint Commission, which necessitates a physician order for their administration. MATERIALS AND METHODS In a retrospective study, rates of use of oral and IV contrast material for inpatient abdominopelvic CT examinations performed 6 months before and 6 months after the date of implementation of computerized physician order entry were calculated. Radiologist perception of order entry time was assessed by survey; order entry time was measured for 10 blinded radiologists. Descriptive, chi-square, and Student t test statistics were used. RESULTS A protocol that normally includes oral or IV contrast administration was used for 1693 CT examinations (784 before and 909 after May 25, 2010). No significant change (p > 0.05) was found in ratios of indications for CT, rates of use of IV contrast material, or rates of use of oral contrast material after computerized physician order entry was implemented. The mean perceived order entry time was 3 minutes 3 seconds (weighted average); the actual time was 1 minute 47 seconds (range, 1:19-2:25 minutes). The extrapolated cumulative order entry time was 26 hours 38 minutes of physician time in the 6-month period after computerized physician order entry was started. Most of the survey respondents (98%, 41/42) did not think radiologist order entry improved patient safety, and 43% (18/42) believed it to be very or extremely disruptive. CONCLUSION Mandatory radiologist-performed electronic order entry does not negatively affect the rate of use of oral contrast for inpatient abdominopelvic CT, but it is potentially time-consuming and disliked by participating radiologists.
Erythropoiesis‐driven regulation of hepcidin in human red cell disorders is better reflected through concentrations of soluble transferrin receptor rather than growth differentiation factor 15

Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF‐15) is a bone marrow‐derived cytokine whose ability to suppress iron regulator hepcidin in vitro and increased concentrations found in patients with ineffective erythropoiesis (IE) suggest that hepcidin deficiency mediated by GDF‐15 may be the pathophysiological explanation for nontransfusional iron overload. We aimed to compare GDF‐15 production in anemic states with different types of erythropoietic dysfunction. Complete blood counts, biochemical markers of iron status, plasma hepcidin, GDF‐15, and known hepcidin regulators [interleukin‐6 and erythropoietin (EPO)] were measured in 87 patients with red cell disorders comprising IE and hemolytic states: thalassemia, sickle cell anemia, and cobalamin deficiency. Healthy volunteers were also evaluated for comparison. Neither overall increased EPO, nor variable GDF‐15 concentrations correlated with circulating hepcidin concentrations (P = 0.265 and P = 0.872). Relative hepcidin deficiency was found in disorders presenting with concurrent elevation of GDF‐15 and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), a biomarker of erythropoiesis, and sTfR had the strongest correlation with hepcidin (rS = −0.584, P < 0.0001). Our data show that high concentrations of GDF‐15 in vivo are not necessarily associated with pathological hepcidin reduction, and hepcidin deficiency was only found when associated with sTfR overproduction. sTfR elevation may be a necessary common denominator of erythropoiesis‐driven mechanisms to favor iron absorption in anemic states and appears a suitable target for investigative approaches to iron disorders. Am. J. Hematol. 89:385–390, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Automated multimodal segmentation of an abnormal breast mass in mammogram

A lot of computer-aided diagnosis systems have been attempted to segment automatically breast mass from a mammogram and to classify the mass as benign and malignant quantitatively. This study aimed to develop an automated computer-aided diagnosis system to evaluate the disease with high accuracy using the proposed multimodal segmentation algorithm when compared to an abnormal breast mass region outlined in mammogram by radiologists of American College of Radiology as “standard. ” In this study, a total number of 150 mammograms were downloaded from the DDSM database for screening mammography. Based on the available diagnostic report, the studied data were classified as follows: (1) Group I: normal (n = 50, mean ± SD age = 55 ± 8 years), (2) Group II: benign breast cancer (n = 50, mean ± SD age = 58 ± 11 years), and (3) Group III: malignant breast cancer (n = 50, mean ± SD age = 58±9 years). It was found that the proposed multimodal segmentation algorithm processed all the mammograms of different mass types, density, shapes, size, margin, calcification type, and distortion successfully, and it segmented the mass automatically with high accuracy. In this study, a computer-aided diagnosis system was developed to segment the breast mass automatically in a mammogram with high accuracy of 96%. The sensitivity and specificity of the system were found to be 94% and 97%, respectively, when compared to abnormal region outlined in mammogram by radiologists of American College of Radiology as standard.
Enhanced cell death in hippocampus and emergence of cognitive impairments following a localized mini‐stroke in hippocampus if preceded by a previous episode of acute stress

This series of experiments represents a test of a theory concerning the etiology of age‐related cognitive decline, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). The theory suggests that multiple combinations of cofactors produce variants of these disorders. Two factors that have been linked to the etiology of AD, that are of interest to our laboratories, are stress and vascular strokes. The current experiments tested the cofactors theory by evaluating the neuronal and functional effects of localized subthreshold strokes in the hippocampus of different groups of rats. One group experienced episodes of stress prior to stroke induction while the other did not. The results showed that a low dose of endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) injected into the hippocampus of groups of rats that had previously experienced stressful episodes showed enhanced hippocampal cell death and neurodegeneration that did not occur in the rats that did not experience stress prior to stroke induction. The results also showed that the stressed rats given subthreshold ET‐1 injections into the hippocampus showed hippocampal‐based learning and memory deficits that were not present in the non‐stressed group given the same injections. This pattern of results suggests that individuals that are under stress are more vulnerable to insults to the hippocampus that have little effect on an individual that is not stressed. This vulnerability might be due to the actions of stress hormones, like the glucocorticoids, that have been previously shown to endanger hippocampal neurons.
Severity of Playground-related Fractures: More Than Just Playground Factors?

Introduction: Despite the establishment of playground safety standards, playground-related injuries are still a significant cause of extremity fractures in Singapore. This prospective study evaluates the dimensions and characteristics of our playgrounds, and their effect on fracture severity in an Asian population. We aim to correlate various playground risk factors with severity of the fractures and give recommendations on future safety standards. Our data also allows us to compare the demographics of patients in our study group with that collected in our earlier study in 2004. Methods: From June 2005 to 2006, children who presented with extremity fractures to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital after a playground injury were enrolled. Their clinical data were collected prospectively. Relevant playground details were collected on-site independently by another investigator. For analysis of severity, fractures were “major” if they required reduction or operative fixation and were “minor” if they did not. Results: Supervision at time of injury, especially from the child’s parents or siblings, resulted in a lower likelihood of “major” fractures (P=0.002, likelihood ratio=1.97). Conversely, supervision from grandparents or maids was found to result in a higher likelihood of “major” fractures. Increased weight of patients was directly related to severity of fractures (P=0.000), and a body mass index (BMI) of less than 19.8 kg/m2 resulted in lower likelihood of “major” fractures (P=0.010, likelihood ratio=2.22). Height of equipments and other playground-related factors were not linked to severity of fractures. Conclusions: Supervision at the playground, preferably from the child’s parents or siblings, and keeping a child’s BMI within limits as guided by the BMI charts, may potentially reduce the occurrence of severe fractures. Level of Evidence: Level I—prognostic study.
Vitamin A, retinoids and carotenoids as chemopreventive agents for prostate cancer.

PURPOSE Evidence is examined for the use of vitamin A, retinoids and carotenoids as chemopreventive agents for prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS Studies in in vitro and animal experimental models as well as in human observational (epidemiologic) and experimental studies are reviewed. RESULTS There is little evidence that dietary vitamin A is associated with prostate cancer risk and, thus, it is unlikely that vitamin A or retinyl palmitate, the form most often used in dietary supplements, would be useful as chemoprevention agents. Several pharmaceutical formulations of retinoids show cancer prevention properties in animal experimental models but their high toxicity makes them unlikely candidates for cancer prevention. There is also currently no evidence that dietary carotenoids (except for lycopene and possibly other bioactive compounds found in tomato products) will be useful for prostate cancer prevention. Epidemiological and experimental studies show no association of beta-carotene with prostate cancer risk. There is inconsistent though intriguing evidence from epidemiological studies that tomato products and/or lycopene is associated with reduced prostate cancer risk. However, animal experimental studies of lycopene and prostate cancer are not strongly supportive, and the results of human experimental studies are not interpretable due to poor design. CONCLUSIONS There is currently no evidence that vitamin A, synthetic retinoids or carotenoids can be used as prostate cancer chemopreventive agents. Experimental studies are needed to determine whether lycopene or other compounds in tomatoes have chemopreventive properties.
A Meta-Analysis of Periodized versus Nonperiodized Strength and Power Training Programs

Abstract The purpose of this study was to quantitatively combine and examine the results of studies examining the effectiveness of periodized (PER) compared to nonperiodized (Non-PER) training programs for strength and/or power development. Two analyses were conducted to (a) examine the magnitude of treatment effect elicited by PER strength training programs compared to Non-PER programs and (b) compare these effects after controlling for training volume, frequency, and intensity. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were coded based on characteristics that might moderate the overall effects (i.e., participant characteristics and characteristics related to the training program). Effect sizes (ESs) were calculated for each study, and an overall ES of 0.84 (± 1.41) favoring PER training was found. Further analyses identified the treatment effect specific to training variation to be ES = 0.25. Significant moderating variables included age, training status, and length of training program. As a result of this statistical review of the literature, it is concluded that PER training is more effective than Non-PER training for men and women, individuals of varying training backgrounds, and for all age groups. In line with the overload principle, additions to volume, intensity, and frequency result in additional training adaptations.
Hierarchical configuration for petrochemical plants control

A design and an implementation of a high performance control configuration for chemical and petrochemical processes and plants were been presented in this paper. We have proposed a hierarchical configuration of control by considering the external factors effects to assure the stability until the process operation. The study case in this paper was realized on a petrochemical plant which is a pyrolysis reactor that is located in the petroleum refinery of Pitesti, known as the greatest pole of oil separation and treatment in Romania. The proposed hierarchical configuration is organized on two levels of automation starting by data acquisition and theirs primary processing as low level of automation and then the optimization solution definition which represents the efficient operating decision of the pyrolysis reactor as a high level of automation in which a new approach of optimization was been proposed. During this application we have used some of the most recent automation software's that were planted in the ACPC laboratory computers, Automatic Control and Computer Science Faculty of Bucharest.