Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Glutathione S-transferase P1 and T1 gene polymorphisms predict longitudinal course and age at onset of Alzheimer disease.

OBJECTIVE Oxidative stress has been suggested as a contributor of Alzheimer disease (AD) neurodegeneration, particularly in those patients with late-onset AD (LOAD). Therefore, the authors studied the effect of glutathione S-transferase (GST) P1-M1-T1 gene polymorphisms and their interactions with the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) epsilon4 allelic variant on the three-year longitudinal course of AD. METHODS Global cognitive level as measured by the Mini-Mental State Exam, basic activities of daily living (BADLs) as measured by the Physical Self-Maintenance Scale, and behavior as measured by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, were assessed at baseline and after 1, 2, and 3 years in a sample of 99 LOAD patients. These subjects were drug naive and had undergone the first clinical examination for the diagnosis of AD. RESULTS A multiple regression analysis indicated that the presence of ApoE epsilon4 allelic variant or GSTT1 null phenotype predicted the faster age at onset of the illness (F = 5.76, df = 2, 96, p = 0.0043). Carriers of GSTP1 *C allelic variant had a faster decline in cognitive functions (repeated measures analysis of variance [ANOVA]: F = 4.00, df = 3, 285, p = 0.008) and in BADLs (repeated measures ANOVA: F = 5.27, df = 3, 285, p = 0.001). This faster decline was independent from ApoE epsilon4 allele possession. No effect of GST P1-M1-T1 polymorphisms was found on behavioral symptom severity. CONCLUSION These data are in line with the hypotheses that oxidative damage is a prominent feature in the clinical progression and the age at onset of LOAD.
Multicriteria path and tree problems: discussion on exact algorithms and applications

Multicriteria/multiobjective path and tree models are useful in many applications. Particularly, in Internet routing problems they seem to lead to promising approaches. In the first part of this paper, we classify and present the main exact approaches dealing with several multicriteria path problems putting in evidence the shortest path problem. In the second part, we review exact algorithms dedicated to some multicriteria tree problems, namely the minimum spanning tree and the minimum cost/minimum label spanning tree problems. Finally, the application of these models is exemplified.
Efficient End-to-End Secure Key Management Protocol for Internet of Things

Internet of things (IoT) has described a future vision of internet where users, computing system, and everyday objects possessing sensing and actuating capabilities are part of distributed applications and required to support standard internet communication with more powerful device or internet hosts. This vision necessitates the security mechanisms for end-to-end communication. A key management protocol is critical to ensuring the secure exchange of data between interconnecting entities, but due to the nature of this communication system where a high resource constrained node may be communicating with node with high energy makes the application of existing key management protocols impossible. In this paper, we propose a new lightweight key management protocol that allows the constrained node in 6loWPAN network to transmit captured data to internet host in secure channel. This protocol is based on cooperation of selected 6loWPAN routers to participate in computation of highly consuming cryptographic primitives. Our protocol is assessed with AVISPA tool, the results show that our scheme ensured security properties.
Electrophysiologic Effects of Flecainide Relative to Serum and Tissue Concentrations in Rabbits After Chronic Drug Administration

The effects of chronic treatment with flecainide on the cellular electrophysiology and the relationship of the electrophysiologic effects to serum and myocardial flecainide concentrations were determined in rabbit ventricular myocardium. Two groups of rabbits were administered flecainide at doses of 7.5 mg/kg body weight (dose I) and 20 mg/kg body weight (dose II) intra-peritoneally (i.p.) twice daily for 12–14 days; a third group received saline. Serum and myocardial flecainide concentrations with dose II (0.44 ± 0.15 μg/ml and 3.0 ± 1.4 μg/g, respectively) were significantly (p < 0.01) higher than with dose I (0.19 ±0.11 μg/ml and 0.81 ± 0.15 μg/g, respectively). At 1.0-Hz stimulation, only the high dose produced significant changes in transmembrane action potentials of right ventricular myocardial fibers, which showed a 17.6% (n = 6, p < 0.05) decrease in maximal upstroke velocity (Vmax) of phase 0 and 19.5% (n = 6, p < 0.05) prolongation of effective refractory period (ERP). Repetitive stimuli led to an exponential decline in Vmax with both dosage regimens. The magnitude of Vmax decrease was frequency dependent and was greater with the higher dose. The rate of decrease of Vmax per action potential (AP) during train of stimuli in rabbits treated with dose II was 0.037 ± 0.012 (n = 5) at 2.0-Hz stimulation, and the recovery time constant from use-dependent block was 11.3 ± 1.8 s (n = 3). Use-dependent block at 4.0-Hz stimulation increased significantly from 12.6 ± 3.6% decrease in Vmax with the low dose to 35.6 ± 7.1% decrease with the high dose. The data show that sodium channel inhibition by chronic flecainide administration is a function of dose, serum, and myocardial flecainide concentrations.
Geographic and Phylogenetic Variation in Bacterial Biovolume as Revealed by Protein and Nucleic Acid Staining

ABSTRACT Biovolume is an important characteristic of cells that shapes the contribution of microbes to total biomass and biogeochemical cycling. Most studies of bacterial cell volumes use DAPI (4′,6′-diamidino-2-phenylindole), which stains nucleic acids and therefore only a portion of the cell. We used SYPRO Ruby protein stain combined with fluorescence in situ hybridization to examine biovolumes of bacteria in the total community, as well in phylogenetic subgroups. Protein-based volumes varied more and were consistently larger than DNA-based volumes by 3.3-fold on average. Bacterial cells were ca. 30% larger in the Arctic Ocean and Antarctic coastal waters than in temperate regimes. We hypothesized that geographic differences in the abundance of specific bacterial groups drove the observed patterns in biovolume. In support of this hypothesis, we found that Gammaproteobacteria and members of the Sphingobacteria-Flavobacteria group were larger in higher-latitude waters and that the mean volumes of both groups were larger than the mean bacterial volume in all environments tested. The mean cell size of SAR11 bacteria was larger than the mean cell size of the total bacterial community on average, although this varied. Protein staining increases the accuracy of biovolume measurements and gives insights into how the biomass of marine microbial communities varies over time and space.
Development of a Test System To Apply Virus-Containing Particles to Filtering Facepiece Respirators for the Evaluation of Decontamination Procedures

ABSTRACT A chamber to apply aerosolized virus-containing particles to air-permeable substrates (coupons) was constructed and validated as part of a method to assess the virucidal efficacy of decontamination procedures for filtering facepiece respirators. Coliphage MS2 was used as a surrogate for pathogenic viruses for confirmation of the efficacy of the bioaerosol respirator test system. The distribution of virus applied onto and within the coupons was characterized, and the repeatability of applying a targeted virus load was examined. The average viable virus loaded onto 90 coupons over the course of 5 days was found to be 5.09 ± 0.19 log10 PFU/coupon (relative standard deviation, 4%). To determine the ability to differentiate the effectiveness of disinfecting procedures with different levels of performance, sodium hypochlorite and steam treatments were tested in experiments by varying the dose and time, respectively. The role of protective factors was assessed by aerosolizing the virus with various concentrations of the aerosol-generating medium. A sodium hypochlorite (bleach) concentration of 0.6% and steam treatments of 45 s and longer resulted in log reductions (>4 logs) which reached the detection limits for both levels of protective factors. Organic matter (ATCC medium 271) as a protective factor afforded some protection to the virus in the sodium hypochlorite experiments but was not a factor in the steam experiments. The evaluation of the bioaerosol respirator test system demonstrated a repeatable method for applying a targeted viral load onto respirator coupons and provided insight into the properties of aerosols that are of importance to the development of disinfection assays for air-permeable materials.
Rapamycin eluting stent: the onset of a new era in interventional cardiology

Drug eluting stents represent one of the fastest growing fields in interventional cardiology today. At the congress of the European Society of Cardiology in Amsterdam in 2000, I (PWS) was asked to give the Andreas Gruentzig Lecture. In the week preceding the lecture, we re-angiographied patients 32 and 33 of the initial cohort of patients who had received a rapamycin eluting stent in Sao Paulo and in Rotterdam. Scrutinising the 4–6 month angiographic and ultrasonic results of these patients, I became overwhelmingly convinced that we were the privileged witnesses of a new phenomenon: the almost complete abolition of intra-stent neointimal proliferation. Colleagues, invasive and non-invasive cardiologists, old friends, and financial analysts were surprised by the unusual “excess of enthusiasm” coming from somebody who has built over the years a reputation as a critical assessor, never one to be carried away by the hype of a new wave in interventional cardiology. In the history of this field I have recognised (and “got excited” by, as my American colleagues used to put it) only two revolutionary developments: the introduction of the moveable and steerable guidewire by John Simpson, and the advent of the stent (Palmaz-Schatz, Wallstent). The drug eluting stent is the third such development, and almost one year later I would like to restate the fact that we are entering a new era in interventional cardiology. Why? Because the principle of an eluting stent is sound, and because the three major technical challenges have been mastered—the controlled release of an efficient drug from a stable coating. Drug administration for the prevention of restenosis has been tested in the past—with disappointing results throughout. A proposed explanation for the repeated failure of clinical drug studies has been that agents given systematically cannot reach sufficient concentrations in injured arteries, which has a signficant impact …
Application of Genetic Algorithm for Solving Optimum Power Flow Problems

An efficient and optimum economic operation and planning of electric power generation systems is very important. The basic requirement of power economic dispatch ED is to generate adequate electricity to meet load demand at the lowest possible cost under a number of constrains. Genetic Algorithms GA represents a class of general purpose stochastic search techniques which simulate natural inheritance by genetics. In this paper, the principles of genetics involving natural selection and evolutionary computing applied for producing an economic dispatch. By simulating "Survival of the fittest" among chromosomes, the optimal chromosome is searched by randomized information exchange. In every generation a new set of artificial chromosomes is created using bits and pieces of the fittest of old ones while randomized.
Zooming into sub-organellar localization of reactive oxygen species in guard cell chloroplasts during abscisic acid and methyl jasmonate treatments

Regulation of stomata movements is crucial for plants ability to cope with their changing environment. Guard cell’s (GC) water potential directs water flux inside/outside this cell, which eventually is causing the stoma to open or close, respectively. Some of the osmolytes which accumulates in the GC cytoplasm and are known to play a role in stomata opening are sugars, arising from chloroplast starch degradation. During stomata closure, the accumulated osmolytes are removed from the GC cytoplasm. Surprisingly little is known about prevention of starch degradation and forming additional sugars which may interfere with osmotic changes that are necessary for correct closure of stomata. One of the early events leading to stomata closure is production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in various sub-cellular sites and organelles of the stoma. Here we report that ROS production during abscisic acid (ABA) and methyl jasmonate (MJ) stimuli in Arabidopsis GC chloroplasts were more than tripled. Moreover, ROS were detected on the sub-organelle level in compartments that are typically occupied by starch grains. This observation leads us to suspect that ROS function in that particular location is necessary for stomata closure. We therefore hypothesize that these ROS are involved in redox control that lead to the inactivation of starch degradation that takes place in these compartments, thus contributing to the stoma closure in an additional way.
An OAuth2-based protocol with strong user privacy preservation for smart city mobile e-Health apps

In the context of the Smart City concept, mobile e-Health applications can play a pivotal role towards the improvement of citizens' quality of life, since they can enable citizens to access personalized e-Health services, without limitations on time and location. However, accessing personalized e-Health services through citizens' mobile e-Health applications, running on their mobile devices, raises many privacy issues in terms of citizens' identity and location. These privacy issues should be addressed so that citizens, concerned about privacy leakage, will embrace Smart City mobile e-Health applications and reap their benefits. Hence, in this paper we propose an OAuth2-based protocol with strong user privacy preservation that addresses these privacy issues. Our proposed protocol follows the OAuth2 protocol flow and integrates a pseudonym-based signature scheme and a delegation signature scheme into the user authentication phase of the OAuth2 protocol. The proposed protocol enables citizens authentication towards the servers providing personalized e-Health services, while preserving their privacy from malicious mobile applications and/or eavesdroppers. Moreover, the proposed protocol does not require to store sensitive information in the citizens' mobile devices.
A Micromachined Inline-Type Wideband Microwave Power Sensor Based on GaAs MMIC Technology

Wideband 8-12-GHz inline-type microwave power sensors that are based on measuring the microwave power coupled from the coplanar waveguide line by a microelectromechanical systems membrane are presented. In this method, the signal is available during the power detection. In order to obtain the low reflection losses and insertion losses, as well as the wideband response of the power sensor, an impedance match structure and a compensating capacitance are proposed. The fabrication of the power sensor is compatible with the GaAs monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) process. The experimental results show that the sensor has reflection losses better than 20 dB and insertion losses less than 0.45 dB up to 12 GHz. A sensitivity of more than 30 muV/mW and a resolution of 0.2 mW are obtained at the 10-GHz frequency.
General video game rule generation

We introduce the General Video Game Rule Generation problem, and the eponymous software framework which will be used in a new track of the General Video Game AI (GVGAI) competition. The problem is, given a game level as input, to generate the rules of a game that fits that level. This can be seen as the inverse of the General Video Game Level Generation problem. Conceptualizing these two problems as separate helps breaking the very hard problem of generating complete games into smaller, more manageable subproblems. The proposed framework builds on the GVGAI software and thus asks the rule generator for rules defined in the Video Game Description Language. We describe the API, and three different rule generators: a random, a constructive and a search- based generator. Early results indicate that the constructive generator generates playable and somewhat interesting game rules but has a limited expressive range, whereas the search- based generator generates remarkably diverse rulesets, but with an uneven quality.
Effectiveness of Model-Driven Development in conceptual modeling education for university freshmen

The purpose of this study is to explore educational methods for conceptual modeling for novices. In this research, the subjects are mainly freshmen in university. Model driven development (MDD) and a domain specific language (DSL) are key factors in this study. By using MDD, learners are expected to be able to evaluate their own model by observing the target device's behavior. By using a DSL, teachers can control the difficulty of the problems given to their learners. In this paper, we describe our research approach using MDD and a DSL, then, show our experiment design and results. We also discuss the effectiveness of MDD in university freshmen courses with proposed educational methodology.
Reproduction and the risk of multiple sclerosis

Background: The incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Denmark has doubled in women since 1970, whereas it has been almost unchanged in men. Objectives: To investigate whether age at first childbirth and number of births have an effect on the risk of developing MS. Methods: The cohort consisted of 1403 patients with MS of both sexes, identified through the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Registry, with clinical onset between 2000 and 2004. For each case, 25 control persons were drawn by random from the Danish Civil Registration System matched by sex, year of birth, and residential municipality. Results: More female cases than controls had no childbirths or fewer births before clinical onset (p=0.018) but only in the last five years preceding onset (p<0.0001). Childbirths within five years before clinical onset reduced the risk of MS onset in women: OR=0.54 (95% CI 0.41–0.70, p<0.0001) for one child and OR=0.68 (95% CI 0.53–0.87, p=0.002) for more than one child. Parental age at first childbirth had no effect on the risk of MS. Conclusions: The data did not suggest reversed causality between childbirth and MS.
A Case of Refractory Salmonella Spondylodiscitis in an Immunocompetent Patient Treated Via an Extracavitary Approach, Corpectomy and Placement of Expandable Cage

Problem statement: Salmonella spondylodiscitis is a rare condition that is more prevalent in patients with sickle cell disease or immunosuppression. However, it can also be found in immunocompetent patients. It usually responds well to proper antibiotics. However, surgery is rarely indicated when the infection is refractory to antibiotics, the spine is destabilized or there is an epidural component that is compressing the thecal sac and causing neurological deficit. We report the case of a 60 year-old African American woman with borderline diabetes mellitus controlled with diet, who presented with Salmonella osteomyelitis of the thoracic spine that was associated with an epidural abscess. Approach: The patient presented to an outside hospital with diarrhea, fever and chills. This occurred after eating a chicken sandwich. Stool and blood cultures were positive for Salmonella. Initially she was placed on triple antibiotics (ceftriaxone, vancomycin and levofloxacin) and was later switched to levofloxacin alone given that the bacteria were sensitive to this drug. Several weeks later, she presented with severe back pain. Imaging studies showed a significant lytic lesion in her thoracic spine at T11-12 with an epidural component. Given the instability of the lesion and the failure of medical treatment a decision was made for surgical intervention. Results: She underwent an extracavitary approach for partial T11-T12 corpectomies and fusion with instrumentation with continuous administration of the proper antibiotics. The patient was then discharged to an acute patient rehabilitation center. Postoperatively, she was able to ambulate with full strength in her extremitiesand her back pain had resolved. Conclusion/Recommendations: To the best of the authors' s knowledge this is the first reported case of Salmonella spondylodiscitis in an immunocompetent patient treated with a corpectomy via an extracavitary approach with the use of an expandable cage and posterior instrumentation.
Cigarette Smoke Differently Alters Normal and Ovalbumin-Sensitized Bronchial Epithelial Cells from Rat

Background. Smoking is a common habit in the general population, even in asthmatic patients. Bronchial epithelial cells are the first cellular elements exposed to environmental stimuli such as cigarette smoke. These cells produce a wide range of mediators involved in inflammation and remodeling processes. However, the effects of chronic smoke exposure on the release and production of these mediators remain unclear. Objectives. To investigate the effects of repeated exposure to cigarette smoke extract on mediator released by bronchial epithelial cells isolated from control and asthmatic rats. Methods. Bronchial epithelial cells were isolated from normal (NRBE) and asthmatic rats (ARBE) (ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized rat). Cells were exposed to cigarette smoke extract (CSE) obtained by impacting cigarette smoke with an AGI-30. A concentration of 3% CSE was added in the medium daily, for 5 consecutive days. Supernatant was recovered at baseline and after the 5 days. Levels of macrophage chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, interleukin (IL)-10, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), IL-1α, and interferon (IFN)-γ were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results. TNF, IL-1α, and IFN-γ were lower than the detection limit of our methods. At the baseline, NRBE produced less MCP-1 but more IL-10 and VEGF when compared with ARBE. CSE exposure reduced NRBE IL-10 production but did not significantly alter MCP-1 and VEGF production. Interestingly, bronchial epithelial cells of asthmatic rats responded differently to CSE. MCP-1 level was decreased and VEGF increased after CSE exposure, whereas IL-10 level did not change in ARBE. Conclusion. Cells isolated from asthmatic rats produced distinct levels of mediators compared with cells isolated from control rats. Furthermore, these cells react differently to CSE exposure.
Fluid balance, diuretic use, and mortality in acute kidney injury.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Management of volume status in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) is complex, and the role of diuretics is controversial. The primary objective was to elucidate the association between fluid balance, diuretic use, and short-term mortality after AKI in critically ill patients. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS Using data from the Fluid and Catheter Treatment Trial (FACTT), a multicenter, randomized controlled trial evaluating a conservative versus liberal fluid-management strategy in 1000 patients with acute lung injury (ALI), we evaluated the association of post-renal injury fluid balance and diuretic use with 60-day mortality in patients who developed AKI, as defined by the AKI Network criteria. RESULTS 306 patients developed AKI in the first 2 study days and were included in our analysis. There were 137 in the fluid-liberal arm and 169 in the fluid-conservative arm (P=0.04). Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. Post-AKI fluid balance was significantly associated with mortality in both crude and adjusted analysis. Higher post-AKI furosemide doses had a protective effect on mortality but no significant effect after adjustment for post-AKI fluid balance. There was no threshold dose of furosemide above which mortality increased. CONCLUSIONS A positive fluid balance after AKI was strongly associated with mortality. Post-AKI diuretic therapy was associated with 60-day patient survival in FACTT patients with ALI; this effect may be mediated by fluid balance.