Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In vitro antimicrobial activity of several concentrations of sodium hypochlorite and chlorhexidine gluconate in the elimination of Enterococcus faecalis.

AIM The aim of this study was to assess, in vitro, the effectiveness of several concentrations of NaOCl (0.5%, 1%, 2.5%, 4% and 5.25%) and two forms of chlorhexidine gluconate (gel and liquid) in three concentrations (0.2%, 1% and 2%) in the elimination of E. faecalis. METHODOLOGY A broth dilution test using 24-well cell culture plates was performed and the time taken for the irrigants to kill bacterial cells was recorded. Isolated 24 h colonies of pure cultures of E. faecalis grown on 10% sheep blood plus Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) agar plates were suspended in sterile 0.85% NaCI solution. The cell suspension was adjusted spectrophotometrically to match the turbidity of a McFarland 0.5 scale. One mL of each tested substance was placed on the bottom of wells of 24-well cell culture plates (Corning, NY), including the control group (sterile saline). Six wells were used for each time period and irrigant concentration. Two mL of the bacterial suspension were ultrasonically mixed for 10 s with the irrigants and placed in contact with them for 10, 30, and 45 s; 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, and 30 min; and 1 and 2 h. After each period of time, 1 mL from each well was transferred to tubes containing 2 mL of freshly prepared BHI + neutralizers in order to prevent a residual action of the irrigants. All tubes were incubated at 37 degrees C for 7 days. The tubes considered to have positive growth were those which presented medium turbidity during the incubation period. Data were analysed statistically by the Kruskal-Wallis test. with the level of significance set at P < 0.05. RESULTS All irrigants were effective in killing E. faecalis. but at different times. Chlorhexidine in the liquid form at all concentrations tested (0.2%, 1% and 2%) and NaOCI (5.25%) were the most effective irrigants. However, the time required by 0.2% chlorhexidine liquid and 2% chlorhexidine gel to promote negative cultures was only 30 s and 1 min, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Even though all tested irrigants possessed antibacterial activity, the time required to eliminate E. faecalis depended on the concentration and type of irrigant used.
Degradation of the endothelial glycocalyx in clinical settings: searching for the sheddases

The endothelial glycocalyx has a profound influence at the vascular wall on the transmission of shear stress, on the maintenance of a selective permeability barrier and a low hydraulic conductivity, and on attenuating firm adhesion of blood leukocytes and platelets. Major constituents of the glycocalyx, including syndecans, heparan sulphates and hyaluronan, are shed from the endothelial surface under various acute and chronic clinical conditions, the best characterized being ischaemia and hypoxia, sepsis and inflammation, atherosclerosis, diabetes, renal disease and haemorrhagic viral infections. Damage has also been detected by in vivo microscopic techniques. Matrix metalloproteases may shed syndecans and heparanase, released from activated mast cells, cleaves heparan sulphates from core proteins. According to new data, not only hyaluronidase but also the serine proteases thrombin, elastase, proteinase 3 and plasminogen, as well as cathepsin B lead to loss of hyaluronan from the endothelial surface layer, suggesting a wide array of potentially destructive conditions. Appropriately, pharmacological agents such as inhibitors of inflammation, antithrombin and inhibitors of metalloproteases display potential to attenuate shedding of the glycocalyx in various experimental models. Also, plasma components, especially albumin, stabilize the glycocalyx and contribute to the endothelial surface layer. Though symptoms of the above listed diseases and conditions correlate with sequelae expected from disturbance of the endothelial glycocalyx (oedema, inflammation, leukocyte and platelet adhesion, low reflow), therapeutic studies to prove a causal connection have yet to be designed. With respect to studies on humans, some clinical evidence exists for benefits from application of sulodexide, a preparation delivering precursors of the glycocalyx constituent heparan sulphate. At present, the simplest option for protecting the glycocalyx seems to be to ensure an adequate level of albumin. However, also in this case, definite proof of causality needs to be delivered.
The CD85/LIR-1/ILT2 Inhibitory Receptor Is Expressed by All Human T Lymphocytes and Down-Regulates Their Functions1

The inhibitory molecule CD85/LIR-1/ILT2 has been detected previously on the surface of a small proportion of T lymphocytes. In this study, evidence is provided that, although only a fraction of CD3+ cells are stained by mAb specific for CD85/LIR-1/ILT2 on their surface, this inhibitory receptor is present in the cytoplasm of all T lymphocytes, and that it is detectable on the surface of all T cell clones by the M402 mAb. Biochemical analyses further demonstrate that CD85/LIR-1/ILT2 is present in all T clones analyzed, and that the protein is tyrosine-phosphorylated. Expression of mRNA coding for CD85/LIR-1/ILT2 has been assessed by RT-PCR. Notably, in the NKL cell line and in one T cell clone, amplification of the messenger required 30 cycles only, whereas, in other T cell clones, an amplification product was detected by increasing the number of cycles. CD85/LIR-1/ILT2 inhibits CD3/TCR-mediated activation in both CD4+ and CD8+ clones, and it down-regulates Ag recognition by CD8+ cells in a clonally distributed fashion. Addition of anti-ILT2 HP-F1 mAb in the cytolytic assay enhances target cell lysis mediated by Ag-specific CTL. This could be due to interference of the mAb with receptor/ligand interactions. In contrast, HP-F1 mAb cross-linking triggers inhibitory signals that reduce cytotoxicity. CD85/LIR-1/ILT2 also controls responses to recall Ags and, in low responders, its engagement sharply increases T cell proliferation. The inhibitory function of the molecule is also confirmed by its ability to reduce CD3/TCR-induced intracellular Ca2+ mobilization.
Introduction of genes encoding C4 photosynthesis enzymes into rice plants: physiological consequences.

Transgenic rice plants expressing the maize phosphoeno/pyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) and pyruvate, orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK) exhibit a higher photosynthetic capacity (up to 35%) than untransformed plants. The increased photosynthetic capacity in these plants is mainly associated with an enhanced stomatal conductance and a higher internal CO2 concentration. Plants simultaneously expressing high levels of both enzymes also have a higher photosynthetic capacity. The results suggest that both PEPC and PPDK play a key role in organic acid metabolism in the guard cells to regulate stomatal opening. Under photoinhibitory and photooxidative conditions, PEPC transgenic rice plants are capable of maintaining a higher photosynthetic rate, a higher photosynthetic quantum yield by PSII and a higher capacity to dissipate excess energy photochemically and non-photochemically than untransformed plants. Preliminary data from field trials show that relative to untransformed plants, the grain yield is about 10-20% higher in selected PEPC and 30-35% higher in PPDK transgenic rice plants, due to increased tiller number. Taken together, these results suggest that introduction of C4 photosynthesis enzymes into rice has a good potential to enhance its tolerance to stress, photosynthetic capacity and yield.
Informe de la Junta Directiva al Congreso de la República - Marzo de 2009

El presente Informe al Congreso consta de cinco capitulos, ademas de esta introduccion; el primero analiza la crisis de la economia mundial y los canales de transmision a las economias emergentes; el segundo discute el manejo macroeconomico de la economia colombiana y la crisis mundial; el tercero analiza la economia colombiana en 2008 y sus perspectivas; el cuarto discute el tema de reservas internacionales y su manejo, y el quinto capitulo presenta la situacion financiera del Banco de la Republica. Adicionalmente el Informe contiene una serie de recuadros que profundizan en el analisis tecnico de temas importantes de la coyuntura nacional e internacional.
Long-term outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma patients who underwent liver resection using microwave tissue coagulation.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Our policy for the surgical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been to minimize the extent of liver resection using a microwave tissue coagulator (MTC) and to not perform Pringle's maneuver for the prevention of ischemic injury to the liver routinely. We verify the safety of liver resection using MTC in HCC patients with poor liver functional reserve, and clarify the long-term outcome of HCC patients who underwent curative resection using MTC. METHODOLOGY One hundred sixty-eight patients who underwent curative resection using MTC between 1992 and 2001 were divided into two groups according each patient's score in the Indocyanin Green Retension 15 Test (ICG-R15 test). The high (ICG-R15 values>20) and low ICG-R15 groups (ICG-R15 values<20) included 100 and 68 HCC patients, respectively. Clinical characteristics of each group were evaluated, and operative mortality and morbidity, as well as overall and disease-free survival rates, were compared between the two groups to determine risk factors for overall and disease-free survival. RESULTS Although there were significant differences in liver function-related parameters between the low and high ICG-R15 groups, no differences in surgical or tumor factors were found. No patients in this study developed post-operative liver failure, and there was no significant difference in morbidity between the low and high ICG-R15 groups. The overall survival rate of the low ICG-R15 group was significantly longer than the high ICG-R15 group (p=0.0003). Cox's multivariate analysis showed that an ICG-R15 value less than 20 was the only significant independent factor for overall survival. Disease-free survival rates in the low ICG-R15 group were significantly longer than in the high ICG-R15 group (p=0.0007). Multivariate analysis showed that serum albumin level and number of tumors were significant independent factors for disease-free survival. CONCLUSION The long-term outcome of HCC patients with low ICG-R15 following curative resection using MTC was acceptable. This procedure was safe even for patients with high ICG-R15.
University of Birmingham 3-D Printed Filter Based On Helical Resonators With Variable Width

—This paper presents a helical resonator bandpass filter produced using a stereolighography (SLA) based 3-D printing technique. The filter is formed of four coupled helical resonators, and for each resonator the helix is fixed at both ends so that the resonator is less prone to vibration. The helix is designed to have variable width and this yields enhanced performance in terms of a higher unloaded quality factor and a spurious resonance at higher frequencies. Such a helix is ideally suited to 3-D printing which allows easy production of complex structures. The whole filter is printed from a resin, then plated with metal, and tested. The measured result has a good agreement with simulations.
Neurite outgrowth is enhanced by laminin‐mediated down‐regulation of the low affinity neurotrophin receptor, p75NTR

Laminin (LN), an extracellular matrix component, is a key factor in promoting axonal regeneration, coordinately regulating growth in conjunction with trophic signals provided by the neurotrophins, including nerve growth factor (NGF). This study investigated potential interactions between the LN and NGF‐mediated signaling pathways in PC12 cells and primary neurons. Neurite outgrowth stimulated by NGF was enhanced on a LN substrate. Western blot analysis of pertinent signal transduction components revealed both enhanced phosphorylation of early signaling intermediates upon co‐stimulation, and a LN‐induced down‐regulation of p75NTR which could be prevented by the addition of integrin inhibitory arginine‐glycine‐aspartate (RGD) peptides. This p75NTR down‐regulation was associated with a LN‐mediated up‐regulation of PTEN and resulted in a decrease in Rho activity. Studies using over‐expression or siRNA‐mediated knock‐down of PTEN demonstrate a consistent inverse relationship with p75NTR, and the over‐expression of p75NTR impaired neurite outgrowth on a LN substrate, as well as resulting in sustained activation of Rho which is inhibitory to neurite outgrowth. p75NTR is documented for its role in the transduction of inhibitory myelin‐derived signals, and our results point to extracellular matrix regulation of p75NTR as a potential mechanism to ameliorate inhibitory signaling leading to optimized neurite outgrowth.
Diagnosing multiple faulty chains with low pin convolution compressor using compressed production test set

Diagnosing chain failures is extremely important to ramp up production yield. Use of modern day low pin compressors limit the observability making chain diagnosis a difficult problem. When multiple chains fail during initial ramp up of yield, the high-resolution patterns are generally used for diagnosis. These patterns are generated using special ATPG settings and are very high in numbers. These high-resolution patterns burden the Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) with extra test time and test memory. In this work, we have developed a new algorithm to diagnose multiple chains using compressed production test pattern set. We believe that this is the first work which exhibits the use of production patterns to diagnose multiple chains. Diagnosing one chain at a time, this algorithm applies the information obtained so far to diagnose other chains. Experimental results show that up to 10 chains can be diagnosed simultaneously using compressed production patterns.
Combined effects of p53, p21, and pRb expression in the progression of bladder transitional cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE To determine the combined effects of p53, p21, and pRb alterations in predicting the progression of bladder transitional cell carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS p53, p21, and pRb expression was examined immunohistochemically on archival radical cystectomy samples from 164 patients with invasive or high-grade recurrent superficial transitional cell carcinoma (TCC; lymph node-negative, 117 patients; lymph node-positive, 47 patients). Median follow-up was 8.6 years. Based on percentage of nuclear reactivity, p53 was considered as wild-type (0% to 10%) or altered (>10%); p21 was scored as wild-type (>10%) or altered (<10%); and pRb status was considered wild-type (1% to 50%) or altered (0% or >50%). RESULTS As individual determinants, the p53, p21, and pRb status were independent predictors of time to recurrence (P<.001, P<.001, and P<.001, respectively), and overall survival (P<.001, P=.002, and P=.001, respectively). By examining these determinants in combination, patients were categorized as group I (no alteration in any determinant, 47 patients), group II (any one determinant altered, 51 patients), group III (any two determinants altered, 42 patients), and group IV (all three determinants altered, 24 patients). The 5-year recurrence rates in these groups were 23%, 32%, 57%, and 93%, respectively (log-rank P<.001), and the 5-year survival rates were 70%, 58%, 33%, and 8%, respectively (log-rank P<.001). After stratifying by stage, the number of altered proteins remained significantly associated with time to recurrence and overall survival. CONCLUSION This study suggests that alterations in p53, p21, and pRb act in cooperative or synergistic ways to promote bladder cancer progression. Examining these determinants in combination provides additional information above the use of a single determinant alone.
Similar but not equivalent: ecological niche comparison across closely–related Mexican white pines

In the face of global environmental change, identifying the factors that shape the ecological niches of species and understanding the mechanisms behind them can help to draft effective conservation plans. The differences in the ecological factors that shape species distributions may then help to highlight differences between closely related taxa. We investigate the applicability of ecological niche modelling and the comparison of species distributions in ecological niche space to detect areas with priority for biodiversity conservation and to analyse differences in the ecological niche spaces used by closely related taxa.
Assessing the degree of inequality in the distribution of national income and its macroeconomic consequences in Azerbaijan

The article examines the level of inequality of income distribution using the Gini, Atkinson and Theil indices over the past 8 years. It was taken household income as research data. The authors came to the conclusion that household incomes in Azerbaijan are very different, and inequalities in their incomes are very high. With the increase in average and of all strata of households incomes, inequalities between them did not noticeably decrease. The article also explores some macroeconomic effects of household income inequality. The analysis shows that the level of economic development of Azerbaijan and country’s revenues from the oil sector, along with an increase in the average income among the population, have significantly increased inequality. The facts are substantiated that the level of household income distribution does not characterize the level of economic development. The dependence of the level of inequality of household incomes on the level of state intervention in the economy through fiscal policy, the interrelation of income inequality to economic growth in the country, the impact of the level of inequality in the distribution of national income on the effectiveness of fiscal policy were evaluated. As a quantitative assessment of fiscal policy, the level of public finance was used - a composite index of the state budget and tax burden. To compare the levels of income inequality were used Gini, Atkinson and Theil indexes. The authors came to the conclusion that a high level of income inequality is associated primarily with a high level of wage inequality in various spheres of economic activity and the liberality of fiscal policy. The authors proposed a model for determining the dependence of the volume of GDP or GDP per capita on the volume of public expenditures, the Gini index, and the sub-index of government finances. A model has also been proposed for determining the interrelation between fiscal policy, the Gini index, industrial output and population size. Analyzes show that hypothesis is correct for determining the dependence of the volume of GDP on the Gini index and the sub-index of public finance. The authors also came to the following conclusions: the level of inequality of household incomes in Azerbaijan is very high in various methods, and the role of fiscal policy in the redistribution of income is not high.
Identifying and categorizing stakeholders for protected area expansion around a national park in Namibia

Protected areas and adjacent landscapes are increasingly being viewed as integrated. A more general awareness is emerging of the relevance of collectively managed landscapes for conservation and human well-being. In Namibia, areas dedicated to conservation are increasing because of the proliferation of conservancies and game reserves. Management toward integrated conservation in these landscapes involves land use practices variably dedicated to wildlife management and the inclusion of land owners and resource users in the decision-making process. We use stakeholder analysis to identify participants integral to an expanded protected area network around the Etosha National Park in Namibia. We identified and categorized important stakeholder groups, and quantitatively and qualitatively assessed their relative importance to the protected area decision-making process. Twelve stakeholder groups were identified, and categorized according to proximity to the national park, land tenure, and land use type. Primary stakeholders, those who both affect and are affected by decision making, comprised livestock farmers, communal conservancy members, resettlement farmers, and tourism/hunting enterprises. For each group the cumulative values of position (level of support for, or opposition to the concept), interest (perceived disadvantages and advantages thereof), and power (resources stakeholders can mobilize to express their position) were calculated. These attributes provide an indication of stakeholder salience, i.e., how likely stakeholders are to affect or be affected by an integrated conservation landscape. We find that livestock farmers, although interested in the concept, mostly oppose protected area expansion. The conflict in opinion is linked to the benefits derived from being part of the conservation landscape and the losses endured due to the porous park fence, including human-wildlife conflict and regulations involving a veterinary cordon fence. A consideration of stakeholder salience, taking into account the different perceptions surrounding the benefits of living adjacent to a protected area, can potentially lead to the better implementation of integrated conservation areas.
Vision-based human body posture recognition using support vector machines

This paper proposes a vision-based human posture recognition method using a support vector machine (SVM) classifier. Recognition of four main body postures is considered in this paper, and they are standing, bending, sitting, and lying postures. First of all, two cameras are used to capture two sets of image sequences at the same time. After capturing the image sequences, a RGB-based moving object segmentation algorithm is used to distinguish the human body from background. Two complete and corresponding silhouettes of the human body are obtained. The Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) coefficients and length-width ratio are calculated from horizontal and vertical projections of each silhouette. Finally, these features are fed to a Gaussian-kernel-based SVM to recognize postures. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieves a high recognition rate.
Angiogenic Signaling Triggered by Cariogenic Bacteria in Pulp Cells

The inflammation observed in the dental pulp of teeth with deep caries lesions is characterized by a significant increase in blood vessel density. It is known that lipoteichoic acid (LTA) from Gram-positive cariogenic bacteria induces expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in dental pulp cells. The hypothesis underlying this study was that LTA induces VEGF expression in dental pulp cells through TLR2 and PI3k/Akt signaling. Odontoblast-like cells (MDPC-23) and undifferentiated pulp cells (OD-21) were exposed to LTA from Streptococcus sanguis, and the role of TLR2, PI3K/Akt, and IKK signaling in LTA-induced VEGF expression was evaluated. These studies demonstrated that TLR2 signaling through the PI3K-Akt pathway is necessary for LTA-induced VEGF expression in pulp cells. In contrast, inhibition of IKK signaling did not prevent VEGF up-regulation in response to LTA. Understanding signaling pathways triggered by cariogenic bacteria may reveal novel therapeutic targets for the clinical management of pulpitis.
Image Recognition Using Weighted Two-Dimensional Maximum Margin Criterion

In image recognition, feature extraction techniques are widely used to enhance discriminatory performance. In this paper, a new method for image feature extraction, called weighted two-dimensional maximum margin criterion (W2DMMC), is proposed. Different from conventional maximum margin criterion (MMC), W2DMMC is directly based on two-dimensional image matrix rather than one-dimensional vector. And W2DMMC has an additional weighted parameter beta that further broadens the margin. W2DMMC completely circumvents the small sample size problem and is computationally efficient. As a connection to 2DLDA, we show that 2DLDA can be recovered from W2DMMC when imposing some constraints. The better performance of W2DMMC in terms of both recognition accuracy and training time is demonstrated by experiments on real data set.