Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inter-region linear smoothing function for foggy and hazy images

In foggy and misty weather conditions, the contrast and color of images degrade. These degradation occur due to the attenuation of light and presence of air-light, light reflected from fog particles. Attenuation reduces the contrast and air-light increases the whiteness in the image. In this paper, a novel and efficient fog removal algorithm is proposed. The algorithm uses white color balancing with inter smoothing for the estimation of air-light and restore fog free image. The proposed algorithm, unlike some other methods, is independent from the intensity of fog and does not require user intervention. Qualitative and quantitative analysis demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the state of art methods.
Influence of dietary vitamin E and C supplementation on vitamin E and C content and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in different tissues of growing pigs

To investigate the influence and possible interactions of dietary vitamin E and C supplementation on vitamin content of both vitamins and oxidative stability of different pork tissues 40 Large White barrows from 25 kg to 106 kg were allocated to four different cereal based diets: Basal diet (B), dl-α-tocopherylacetate + 200 mg/kg (E), crystalline ascorbic acid + 300 mg/kg (C) or both vitamins (EC). At slaughtering samples of liver, spleen, heart, kidney, backfat outer layer, ham and M. longissimus dorsi were obtained. Growth performance of the pigs and carcass characteristics were not influenced by feeding treatments. Dietary vitamin E supplementation had a significant effect on the vitamin E and α-tocopherol concentration in all investigated tissues. Backfat outer layer, liver, spleen, kidney and heart had higher vitamin E concentrations than ham and M. longissimus dorsi. Dietary vitamin C supplementation tended towards enhanced vitamin E levels except for ham samples. Therefore, some synergistic actions without dietary vitamin E supplementation between the two vitamins could be shown. The vitamin C concentration and TBARS were increased or at least equal in all tissues due to vitamin C supplementation. Dietary α-tocopherol supplementation resulted in lower TBARS in backfat outer layer (malondialdehyde 0.35 mg/kg in B vs. 0.28 mg/kg in E), but increased in heart and ham. When both vitamins were supplemented (EC) TBARS were lower in M. longissimus dorsi and backfat outer layer, equal in heart and higher in liver and ham compared to a single vitamin C supplementation. Rancimat induction time of backfat outer layer was 0.3 h higher in C compared to B and 0.17 h higher in EC than in E. Correlations between levels of both vitamins were positive for kidney (r = 0.169), M. longissimus dorsi (r = 0.499) and ham (r = 0.361) and negative for heart (r = − 0.350). In liver and spleen no interaction could be found. In backfat outer layer vitamin E was positively correlated with rancimat induction time (r = 0.550) and negatively with TBARS (r = − 0.202), but provided no evidence that dietary vitamin E supply led to better oxidative stability.
Prognosis of patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy after coronary revascularisation: relation to viability and improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction

Background: In patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy and viable myocardium, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) does not always improve after revascularisation. Whether this may affect prognosis is unclear. Objective: To evaluate the prognosis of viable patients with and without improvement of LVEF after coronary revascularisation. Methods: Before revascularisation, radionuclide ventriculography (RNV) and dobutamine stress echocardiography were performed to assess LVEF and myocardial viability, respectively. Nine to 12 months after revascularisation, LVEF improvement was assessed by RNV. Patients were divided into three groups: group 1, viable patients with LVEF improvement (n = 27); group 2, viable patients without LVEF improvement (n = 15), group 3, non-viable patients (n = 48). Cardiac events were evaluated during a 4-year follow-up. Results: After revascularisation, the mean (SD) LVEF improved from 32 (9)% to 42 (10)% in group 1, but did not change significantly in group 2 and in group 3, p<0.001 by analysis of variance (ANOVA). Heart failure symptoms improved in both groups 1 (mean (SD) NYHA class from 3.1 (0.9) to 1.7 (0.7)) and 2 (from 3.2 (0.7) to 1.7 (0.9)), but not in group 3 (from 2.8 (1.0) to 2.7 (0.5)), p<0.001 by ANOVA. During follow-up, the cardiac event rate was low (4%) in group 1, intermediate (21%) in group 2 and high (33%) in group 3 (p = 0.01). Conclusion: The best prognosis after revascularisation may be expected in those viable patients whose LVEF improves. Conversely, viable patients without functional improvement have an intermediate prognosis.
Maximum cardiac performance and adrenergic sensitivity of the sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax at high temperatures

We examined maximum cardiac performance of sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax acclimated to 18°C and 22°C, temperatures near the optimum for growth of this species. Our aim was to study whether cardiac performance, especially the effect of adrenergic stimulation, differed when compared to salmonids. Sea bass and salmonids are both athletic swimmers but their cardiac anatomy differs markedly. The sea bass ventricle does not receive any oxygenated blood via a coronary circulation while salmonids have a well-developed arterial supply of oxygen to the compact layer of the ventricle. Using in situ perfused heart preparations, maximum cardiac performance of 18°C-acclimated sea bass (i.e. cardiac output=90.8± 6.6 ml min–1 kg–1 and power output=11.41±0.83 mW g–1) was found to be comparable to that previously reported for rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and brown trout Salmo trutta at similar temperatures and with tonic adrenergic (5 nmol l–1 adrenaline) stimulation. For 22°C-acclimated sea bass, heart rate was significantly higher, but maximum stroke volume was reduced by 22% (1.05±0.05 ml kg–1) compared with 18°C (1.38± 0.11 ml kg–1). As a result, maximum cardiac output (99.4±3.9 ml min–1 kg–1) was not significantly different at 22°C. Instead, maximum power output was 27% higher at 22°C (14.95±0.96 mW g–1) compared with 18°C, primarily because of the smaller relative ventricular mass in 22°C-acclimated sea bass. Compared with tonic adrenergic stimulation with 5 nmol l–1 adrenaline, maximum adrenergic stimulation of the sea bass heart produced only modest stimulatory effects at both temperatures (12–13% and 14–15% increases in maximum cardiac output and power output, respectively, with no chronotropic effect). Adrenergic stimulation also increased the cardiac sensitivity to filling pressure, with the maximum left-shift in the Starling curve being produced by 50–100 nmol l–1 adrenaline at 18°C and 10–50 nmol l–1 adrenaline at 22°C. We show that the sea bass, which lacks a coronary arterial oxygen supply to the ventricle, has a powerful heart. Its maximum performance is comparable to a salmonid heart, as is the modest stimulatory effect of adrenaline at high temperature.
Distribution of HIV‐1 Subtypes Among HIV‐Seropositive Patients in the Interior of Côte d'Ivoire

Summary: Limited data exist on the distribution of HIV‐1 subtypes in Côte d'Ivoire. The aim of this study is to describe the distribution of genetic subtypes of HIV‐1 strains in six regions of Côte d'Ivoire. In 1997, we consecutively collected blood from 172 HIV‐1‐infected patients from six regional tuberculosis treatment centers. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from these people were analyzed by a restriction fragment‐length polymorphism (RFLP) assay that involves a sequential endonuclease digestion of a 297‐base pair polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fragment; plasma samples were tested by a V3‐loop peptide enzyme immunoassay (PEIA). DNA sequencing of the protease or env genes was performed on all samples discordant in the two assays as well as a random sample of the concordant subtyped samples. Of 172 specimens, 3 were PCR‐negative, and 169 were putatively classified as subtype A by RFLP. The 3 PCR‐negative samples were unequivocally subtyped A by PEIA. Of the 169 RFLP subtype A samples, 159 (94%) were subtyped A by PEIA. Of the 10 discordant samples, PEIA testing classified 3 as subtype C, 2 as D, and 5 as F. Sequencing of the env gene classified these samples as 1 subtype A, 4 Ds, and 5 Gs. Thus, 163 (95%) of the specimens were subtype A, 3 subtype D, 4 subtype G, 1 A/D, and 1 A/G (IbNG) circulating recombinant forms (CRF). In conclusion, most HIV‐1‐ infected tuberculosis patients throughout the interior of Côte d'Ivoire are infected with HIV‐1subtype A, which are very likely the A/G (IbNG) CRF. The uniform distribution of this subtype makes Côte d'Ivoire a potential site for vaccine trials.
Promotion of evolution by intracellular coexistence of mutator and normal DNA polymerases.

The efficient evolution of a population requires both genetic diversity and stable reproduction of advantageous genotypes. The accuracy of DNA replication guarantees the stable reproduction, while errors during DNA replication produce the genetic diversity. Thus, one key to the promotion of evolution is inherent in DNA replication. In bacteria, replication forks progress bidirectionally from the single origin of replication on a genome. One replication fork contains two DNA polymerase molecules so that four DNA polymerases simultaneously carry out the replication of a genome. It is generally believed that the fidelity of the intracellular DNA polymerases is identical (parity strategy). To test this, we examined the effects of the intracellular coexistence of a mutator polymerase with low fidelity and a normal polymerase with high fidelity on adaptive evolution (disparity strategy). From the analysis using genetic algorithms based on the bacterial replication, it was found that the population using the disparity strategy could further expand its genetic diversity and preserve the advantageous genotypes more profoundly than the parity population. This strongly suggests that bacteria replicating with a disparity strategy may undergo rapid evolution, particularly during severe environmental changes. The implications of the conspicuous adaptability of Escherichia coli mutator strains are discussed in this context.
New and Dis-Improved: On the Evaluation and Use of Less Effective, Less Expensive Medical Interventions

The innovation and diffusion of new technologies is in large measure responsible for the persistent rise in the cost of health care. The increasing cost of health care, in turn, will make cost-saving technologies more attractive. When cost-saving technologies lead to better or equivalent outcomes, their acceptance will not be controversial. However, the necessary conditions for the development and clinical acceptance of cost-saving technologies that might diminish the quality of health care have not been systematically considered. Indeed, as the clinical research enterprise has been focused almost entirely on quality-improving (or quality-neutral) innovations, new concepts may need to be introduced for quality-reducing innovations. Although the development of such therapies would, at least in some circumstances, increase overall societal benefits, replacing a standard therapy with a less effective one may conflict with deeply held values, such that conventional cost-effectiveness benchmarks might not apply. In addition, from a clinical research perspective, there are considerable ethical and methodologic hurdles that might impede the development of less expensive, less intensive therapies. In this article, using a hypothetical scenario, the authors consider economic, ethical, and research design issues concerning the innovation and diffusion of less effective, less expensive therapies and introduce 2 concepts—”decremental cost-effectiveness” and “acceptability trials”—that may in part provide a research framework for the study of “new and dis-improved” therapies.
Molecular genetic analysis of 1053 Danish individuals with clinical signs of familial hypercholesterolemia

The lipid disorder familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) predisposes to cardiovascular disease. With a prevalence of approximately one in 500 in the general Caucasian population, FH is one of the most frequent single‐gene disorders. As the mutational spectra vary between populations, it is crucial to identify the mutations in a given population in order to implement a molecular genetic screening strategy. A total of 1053 referred individuals with clinical signs of FH were investigated, and mutations were identified in 425 individuals. Fifty‐four different mutations were identified, of which 13 are novel. The five most frequent mutations accounted for 56.3% of all disease‐causing mutations. The majority of the remaining mutations were of a private nature only encountered in single families. In this study, a reliable molecular genetic screening protocol was established, and the relevance of performing presymptomatic genetic analysis as part of a preventive strategy was documented. We have acquired knowledge of the mutational spectra in the Danish population and thus will be able to trace mutations in their relatives through our index cases.
Risk factors associated with incidence and persistence of signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders

Abstract Objective. To analyze whether gender, self-reported bruxism, and variations in dental occlusion predicted incidence and persistence of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) during a 2-year period. Material and methods. The study population comprised 280 dental students at Umeå University in Sweden. The study design was that of a case-control study within a 2-year prospective cohort. The investigation comprised a questionnaire and a clinical examination at enrolment and at 12 and 24 months. Cases (incidence) and controls (no incidence) were identified among those without signs and symptoms of TMD at the start of the study. Cases with 2-year persistence of signs and symptoms of TMD were those with such signs and symptoms at all three examinations. Clinical registrations of baseline variables were used as independent variables. Odds ratio estimates and 95% confidence intervals of the relative risks of being a case or control in relation to baseline registrations were calculated using logistic regression analyses. Results. The analyses revealed that self-reported bruxism and crossbite, respectively increased the risk of the 2-year cumulative incidence and duration of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) signs or symptoms. Female gender was related to an increased risk of developing and maintaining myofascial pain. Signs of mandibular instability increased the risk of maintained TMD signs and symptoms during the observation period. Conclusion. This 2-year prospective observational study indicated that self-reported bruxism and variations in dental occlusion were linked to the incidence and persistence of TMJ signs and symptoms to a higher extent than to myofascial pain.
Antitumor T cell responses in bladder cancer are directed against a limited set of antigens and are modulated by regulatory T cells and routine treatment approaches

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a key role in cancer immune escape. We identified target antigens of spontaneous tumor‐specific T cell responses in urothelial carcinoma (UC) and evaluated their modulation by treatment and Treg. We determined Treg target antigens in UC. Fifty‐six UC and 13 control patients were prospectively enrolled. Blood was drawn before and after routine treatment. Changes in Treg frequency were measured by fluorescence cytometry and the T effector cell (Teff) response against a set of nine tumor‐associated antigens (TAAs) was monitored with an interferon‐gamma ELISpot. Antigen specificity of Treg was determined by their increased capacity to inhibit after TAA‐specific activation the proliferation of an autologous T cell population. The highest difference in the overall response rate for the total T cell population was observed for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) (UC: 23% and controls: 0%). After depleting Treg, also new york esophageal (NYES)O1 (19 and 0%) and MUC20 (27 and 0%) were more frequently recognized in UC patients. In metastasized patients, the TAA‐directed T cell response was augmented by Treg depletion. Tumor resection seemed to diminish Treg suppression of TAA‐specific immunity, whereas chemotherapy had no effect. We demonstrated the existence of TAA‐specific Treg in UC, which share antigen specificities with Teff. The coexistence of TAA‐specific Treg and Teff was very rare. Treg frequencies in the peripheral blood were not changed by therapy. In summary, we identified potentially immunologically relevant TAA in UC. TAA‐specific T cell responses against these antigens are suppressed by Treg. We identified TAA‐specific Treg in UC patients, which do not cooccur with TAA‐specific Teff.
MicroRNA-137, an HMGA1 target, suppresses colorectal cancer cell invasion and metastasis in mice by directly targeting FMNL2.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Formin-like (FMNL)2 is up-regulated in colorectal tumors and has been associated with tumor progression, but little is known about regulatory mechanisms. We investigated whether microRNAs regulate levels of FMNL2 in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. METHODS We used real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunoblot analyses to measure levels of miR-137, high-mobility group AT-hook (HMGA)1, and FMNL2 in CRC cells and tissue samples from patients (n = 50). We used luciferase reporter assays to determine the association between miR-137 and the FMNL2 3' untranslated region, and HMGA1 and the miR-137 promoter. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were used to assess direct binding of HMGA1 to the miR-137 promoter. RESULTS miR-137 and miR-142-3p were predicted to bind FMNL2 based on bioinformatic data. Only the level of miR-137 had a significant inverse correlation with the level of FMNL2 protein in CRC cell lines and tissues. FMNL2 messenger RNA was targeted by miR-137; expression of miR-137 inhibited proliferation and invasion by CRC cells in vitro, and metastasis to liver and intestine by CRC xenografts in nude mice. HMGA1 bound to the promoter of miR-137 and activated its transcription, which reduced levels of FMNL2 in CRC cells. Ectopic expression of miR-137 in CRC cells inhibited phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and Akt, which reduced levels of matrix metalloproteinase 2, matrix metalloproteinase 9, and vascular endothelial growth factor; it also reduced invasiveness of CRC cells, inhibiting signaling via phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase, Akt, and MAPK. CONCLUSIONS Levels of miR-137 and HMGA1 are reduced, and levels of FMNL2 are increased, in CRC samples compared with adjacent normal mucosa. In CRC cells, miR-137 targets FMNL2 messenger RNA and is regulated by the transcription factor HMGA1. Expression of miR-137 reduces CRC cell invasion in vitro and metastasis of tumor xenografts in mice. FMNL2 appears to activate phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase, protein kinase B (Akt), and MAPK signaling pathways.
The Neuropathology of Septic Shock

The neuropathological correlates of encephalopathy and autonomic dysfuction in septic shock are unclear. We performed post mortem analysis of 5 brain areas susceptible to ischemia and 5 autonomic nuclei (AN) in 23 pqtients who had died in our intensive care unit (ICU) from septic shock and 8 dying from non‐septic shock as well as 5 controls who had died suddenly from extracranial injury. Proinflammatory cytokine (IL1‐β and TNF‐α) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expressin was assessed by immunocytochemistry. Abnormalities in septic shock were: hemorrhages (26%), hypercoagulability syndrome (9%), micro‐abscessed (9%), multifocal necrotizing leukoencephalopathy (9%) and ischemia (100%). The incidence of cerebral hemorrhage or hypercoagulability syndrome was not related to clotting distrurbances. The intensity of ischemia within susceptible areas was the same on both ICU groups, but more pronounced in the autonomic centers of septic patients (P<0.0001). Neuronal apoptosis assessed using anti‐caspase 3 immunocytochemistry and in situ end labeling was more pronounced in the autonomic nuclei septic patients. (P<0.0001). INF‐alpha expression did not differ between groups but vascular iNOS expression assessed by immunocytochemistry was higher in sepsis (p<0.0001) and correlated with autonomic center neuronal apoptosis (P<0.02). We conclude that septic shock is associated with diffuse cerebral damage and specific autonomic neuronal apoptosis which may be due to circulating factors particularly iNOS.
Fiabilité des clades et congruence taxinomique Application à la phylogénie des téléostéens acanthomorphes

Si le but de la reconstruction phylogenetique est d'avoir une idee des relations de parente reelles entre les etres vivants, il est bon de ne pas se contenter d'un simple arbre obtenu par l'analyse combinee d'un ensemble de donnees. En effet, meme des clades robustes apparaissant dans un tel arbre peuvent ne pas etre fiables. La confiance dans une affirmation phylogenetique ne peut emerger qu'apres une comparaison de resultats obtenus par des donnees independantes. Dans un premier temps, la presente these propose de mesurer la fiabilite d'un clade a partir d'un indice de repetition prenant en compte le nombre d'occurrences obtenues pour ce clade sur un ensemble d'analyses de donnees independantes, c'est-a-dire peu susceptibles de donner lieu aux memes biais de reconstruction. Plus un clade est obtenu un nombre eleve de fois de cette facon, plus il peut etre considere comme fiable. Il est egalement tenu compte de la presence ou non de clades eux-memes repetes et incompatibles avec le clade d'interet. Plus un clade est contredit par un clade possedant un grand nombre d'occurrences, moins il doit etre considere comme fiable. Dans une deuxieme partie, l'indice de repetition est calcule a partir d'une serie d'analyses mettant en jeu environ 200 taxons et basees sur quatre marqueurs nucleaires: Rhodopsine, MLL4, IRBP et RNF213 (ce dernier etant utilise ici pour la premiere fois). Ces marqueurs sont analyses suivant des methodes probabilistes, separement et en combinaisons de 2, 3 ou 4, ce qui permet de beneficier des avantages de l'analyse combinee tout en ayant des series de resultats independants a comparer. Les resultats de l'analyse de fiabilite sont ensuite synthetises sous forme d'arbres incluant en priorite les clades les plus fiables, suivant des methodes gerant de plusieurs facons les differences d'echantillonnages taxinomiques entre les jeux de donnees. Les arbres de synthese obtenus permettent de preciser la structure de la phylogenie des teleosteens acanthomorphes (Actinopterygii : Teleostei). De nouveaux clades fiables sont identifies a plusieurs niveaux de resolution, et de nouveaux taxons sont places dans la phylogenie des teleosteens acanthomorphes.