Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A digital tool for three-dimensional visualization and annotation in Anatomy and Embryology learning

Mental representation and proper understanding of the three-dimensional structure of the human body is commonly challenging to the learner. Advances in computing science hold promise to significantly contribute to scientific visualization, including three-dimensional visualization of anatomical structures. This paper describes the implementation of a computer application designed for addressing two major aspects of anatomy education, namely (i) effective three-dimensional visualization for classroom or laboratory demonstration, and (ii) exploration and annotation for personal, self-directed learning. The digital tool presented here relies on a polygon mesh surface rendering technique to represent anatomical scenes which the user can navigate by translating or rotating the viewing direction. A stereoscopic, anaglyph view mode is also provided to increase depth perception within the scene. Colouring and opacity change operations enable the user to modify the appearance of rendered models, which also can be removed and retrieved as needed during the session. All changes to the scene can be saved to file and retrieved at a later time. The graphical and textual annotation features included in this application enable the user to enrich structural information in the anatomical scene with personal input. An overview is provided of potential uses of this tool in anatomy and embryology learning.
Immunocytochemical localization of Border Disease virus in the spinal cord of fetal and newborn lambs

The peroxi‐dase‐antiperoxidase technique was used to determine the cellular localization of Border Disease (BD) virus in cryostat sections of fetal and newborn lamb spinal cord following experimental infection by maternal inoculation in early gestation. Viraemic fetuses and lambs with hypomyelinogenesis showed BD viral antigen in neurons, glia, ependymal cells, vascular endothelial cells and fibrocytes within the dura mater. Double immunolabelling demonstrated co‐expression of BD viral antigen and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) or myelin basic protein (MBP) in both fetal and newborn lamb glia. In fetal lambs there was a pia‐associated population of glia in which viral antigen was also co‐expressed with GFAP or MBP. The results suggest that BD virus infects myelinating oligoden‐droglia, astroglia and probably also transitional cells and pluripotential glio‐blasts. The relationship between infection of specific cell types and hypomyelinogenesis was not resolved but infection of transitional cells and oligodendroglia may affect oligodendroglial function and permit morphologically inapparent perturbations leading to hypomyelinogenesis. A single non‐viraemic lamb with a precolostral antibody titre to BD virus and cystic cerebral cavities but no hypomyelinogenesis showed BD viral antigen confined to glia of the spinal cord white matter. This suggests that oligodendroglia may require to be infected before a critical period in their development or factors additional to oligodendroglia infection are necessary for hypomyelinogenesis.
HIV-1 Tat affects the programming and functionality of human CD8+ T cells by modulating the expression of T-box transcription factors

Objective:HIV infection is characterized by several immune dysfunctions of both CD8+ and CD4+ T cells as hyperactivation, impairment of functionality and expansion of memory T cells. CD8+ T-cell dysfunctions have been associated with increased expression of T-bet, Eomesdermin and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and with down-regulation of CD127. The HIV-1 trans-activator of transcription (Tat) protein, which is released by infected cells and detected in tissues of HIV-positive individuals, is known to contribute to the dysregulation of CD4+ T cells; however, its effects on CD8+ T cells have not been investigated. Thus, in this study, we sought to address whether Tat may affect CD8+ T-cell functionality and programming. Methods:CD8+ T cells were activated by T-cell receptor engagement in the presence or absence of Tat. Cytokine production, killing capacity, surface phenotype and expression of transcription factors important for T-cell programming were evaluated. Results:Tat favors the secretion of interleukin-2, interferon-&ggr; and granzyme B in CD8+ T cells. Behind this functional modulation we observed that Tat increases the expression of T-bet, Eomesdermin, Blimp-1, Bcl-6 and Bcl-2 in activated but not in unstimulated CD8+ T lymphocytes. This effect is associated with the down-regulation of CD127 and the up-regulation of CD27. Conclusion:Tat deeply alters the programming and functionality of CD8+ T lymphocytes.
Probabilistic environmental risk assessment of five nanomaterials (nano-TiO2, nano-Ag, nano-ZnO, CNT, and fullerenes)

Abstract The environmental risks of five engineered nanomaterials (nano-TiO2, nano-Ag, nano-ZnO, CNT, and fullerenes) were quantified in water, soils, and sediments using probabilistic Species Sensitivity Distributions (pSSDs) and probabilistic predicted environmental concentrations (PECs). For water and soil, enough ecotoxicological endpoints were found for a full risk characterization (between 17 and 73 data points per nanomaterial for water and between 4 and 20 for soil) whereas for sediments, the data availability was not sufficient. Predicted No Effect Concentrations (PNECs) were obtained from the pSSD and used to calculate risk characterization ratios (PEC/PNEC). For most materials and environmental compartments, exposure and effect concentrations were separated by several orders of magnitude. Nano-ZnO in freshwaters and nano-TiO2 in soils were the combinations where the risk characterization ratio was closest to one, meaning that these are compartment/ENM combinations to be studied in more depth with the highest priority. The probabilistic risk quantification allows us to consider the large variability of observed effects in different ecotoxicological studies and the uncertainty in modeled exposure concentrations. The risk characterization results presented in this work allows for a more focused investigation of environmental risks of nanomaterials by consideration of material/compartment combinations where the highest probability for effects with predicted environmental concentrations is likely.
Rapamycin and quasi-programmed aging: Four years later

In 2006, Cell Cycle featured the concept that aging is not caused by molecular damage (nor by free radicals) but instead is a purposeless quasi-program (program-like, but not a program) driven in part by TOR (Target of Rapamycin). Taken together with the analysis of clinical data, this pointed to Sirolimus (rapamycin) as a genuine anti-aging drug which will prolong life in humans and prevent age-related diseases by slowing down aging. Since that time many predictions of this concept have been confirmed. Rapamycin was shown to suppress aging in mammalian cells, prolong life span in mice and flies, improve immunity and stem cell function in old animals, thus confirming twelve predictions as discussed herein. One prediction remains to be confirmed: rapamycin will become the cornerstone of anti-aging therapy in our life time.
High-Throughput Mapping of a Dynamic Signaling Network in Mammalian Cells

Signaling pathways transmit information through protein interaction networks that are dynamically regulated by complex extracellular cues. We developed LUMIER (for luminescence-based mammalian interactome mapping), an automated high-throughput technology, to map protein-protein interaction networks systematically in mammalian cells and applied it to the transforming growth factor–β (TGFβ) pathway. Analysis using self-organizing maps and k-means clustering identified links of the TGFβ pathway to the p21-activated kinase (PAK) network, to the polarity complex, and to Occludin, a structural component of tight junctions. We show that Occludin regulates TGFβ type I receptor localization for efficient TGFβ-dependent dissolution of tight junctions during epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions.
Dual-band CRLH-TL based patch antenna with pattern diversity

This paper proposes a low-profile patch antenna with pattern diversity, by combining an annular ring together with a center-fed circular patch. The dual-band operation is realized by loading a type of planar metamaterial, i.e. a composite right/left-handed transmission line (CRLH-TL) on the patch. The outer ring and inner circular patch can provide broadside and omnidirectional radiation patterns, respectively. The measured correlation coefficient is lower than 0.04 and 0.05 in the lower and upper band, respectively.
Novel SONOS-Type Nonvolatile Memory Device With Optimal Al Doping in HfAlO Charge-Trapping Layer

Operation properties of polysilicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon-type Flash device with HfAlO charge-trapping layer having various Al contents were investigated in this letter. Satisfactory performance in terms of operation speed, retention, and program/erase endurance of the Flash device is achieved with the optimal Al content of 18%-28% in the HfAlO trapping layer. In addition, high-speed operation can be attained with the combination of channel-hot-electron-injection programming and band-to-band hot hole erasing for NOR architecture applications.
BenignBreast TissueComposition inBreastCancerPatients : Association with Risk Factors , Clinical Variables , and Gene Expression

Background: Breast tissue composition (epithelium, non-fatty stroma, and adipose) changes qualitatively and quantitatively throughout the lifespan, and may mediate relationships between risk factors and breast cancer initiation. We sought to identify relationships between tissue composition, risk factors, tumor characteristics, and gene expression. Methods: Participants were 146 patients from the Polish Breast Cancer Study, with data on risk factor and clinicopathological characteristics. Benign breast tissue composition was evaluated using digital image analysis of histologic sections. Whole-genome microarrays were performed on the same tissue blocks. Results:Mean epithelial, non-fatty stromal, and adipose proportions were 8.4% (SD1⁄4 4.9%), 27.7% (SD1⁄4 24.0%), and 64.0% (SD 1⁄4 24.0%), respectively. Among women <50 years old, stroma proportion decreased and adipose proportion increased with age, with approximately 2% difference per year (P < 0.01). The variation in epithelial proportion with age was modest (0.1% per year). Higher epithelial proportion was associated with obesity (7.6% in nonobese vs. 10.1% in obese; P 1⁄4 0.02) and with poorly differentiated tumors (7.8% in well/moderate vs. 9.9% in poor; P 1⁄4 0.05). Gene expression signatures associated with epithelial and stromal proportion were identified and validated. Stroma-associated genes were in metabolism and stem cell maintenance pathways, whereas epithelial genes were enriched for cytokine and immune response pathways. Conclusions: Breast tissue composition was associated with age, body mass index, and tumor grade, with consequences for breast gene expression. Impact: Breast tissue morphologic factors may influence breast cancer etiology. Composition and gene expression may act as biomarkers of breast cancer risk and progression. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 23(12); 2810–8. 2014 AACR.
Comparison of delay and angular spreads between channel measurements and the COST2100 channel model

The COST2100 channel model is a reference channel model which provides dynamic multiple-input multiple-output channel responses for radio system simulations. In this paper, channels created by the COST2100 model were compared to channel measurements in order to understand behaviours of the model. Model parameters of the COST2100 model were derived by dynamic double-directional channel measurements with which the channel realizations from the COST2100 model were compared. Delay and angular spreads were used as a simple but important metric for the comparison. Despite a fundamental difference that the COST2100 model is a geometry-based stochastic model while the channel measurements are obtained in deterministic environments, the comparison revealed an acceptable level of agreement for practical channel simulations.
Flavylium salts, anthocyanidins and anthocyanins. II. Reactions with sulphur dioxide.

Reactions between sulphur dioxide and flavylium salts, anthocyanidins and anthocyanins have been studied both qualitatively and quantitatively. The results were consistent with the formation of a complex between sulphur dioxide and the flavylium cation (F+) of mole ratio 1:1 and have been expressed in terms of apparent formation constants (Ks). Complex stability (measured at pH 1.05) was reduced by hydroxylation of the 7- and 5-positions of the flavylium structure, the effect of the latter being more marked, but it was increased by hydroxylation in position 3 (anthocyanidins). The anthocyanins formed the weakest complexes of those compounds studied. Although complexes of the anthocyanin 3-glycosides were significantly weaker than those of the 3,5-diglycosides at pH 1.05, there was little difference between them at pH 3-3.5. The variation in their Ks values with pH could not be explained on the assumption that the ligand was simply the bisulphite anion HSO3. The effect of anthocyanins on the determination of free sulphur dioxide in fruit products is discussed.
Research on unit commitment considering wind power accommodation

This paper proceeds with economic unit dispatch method and makes research on reasonable coping strategies of the wind power accommodation problem. 1 In order to accommodate more wind power in unit dispatch, while also takes into account the security and reliability standards of power system operation as well as the economic requirement, 3 optimization models of unit commitment are proposed from different aspects: discarded wind power, unit operational cost and system risk. A multi-objective optimization model is also proposed to integrate the 3 aspects. Quantum-behaved PSO algorithm and fuzzy multi-objective model are both used to solve these models. The above mentioned models and algorithms are applied to the calculation of a 10 units' case, result analysis showed the modeling method of this paper pointed out a good way in unit commitment considering wind power accommodation.
Multiobjective Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization for Multisensor Image Alignment

A new technique is proposed for multisensor image registration by matching the features using discrete particle swarm optimization (DPSO). The feature points are first extracted from the reference and sensed image using improved Harris corner detector available in the literature. From the extracted corner points, DPSO finds the three corresponding points in the sensed and reference images using multiobjective optimization of distance and angle conditions through objective switching technique. By this, the global best matched points are obtained which are used to evaluate the affine transformation for the sensed image. The performance of the image registration is evaluated and concluded that the proposed approach is efficient.
Infection, haemorrhage and death of chick embryos after inoculation of herpes simplex virus type 2 on to the chorioallantoic membrane.

Summary When the chorioallantoic membrane of the embryonated hen's egg was inoculated with herpes simplex virus type 2 strains, an infection resulted which spread rapidly throughout the egg. Haemorrhage and death occurred in the embryo, and haemorrhage was also observed in the chorioallantoic membrane. Virus was recovered from the infected chorioallantoic membrane, allantoic fluid, amniotic fluid and selected organs of the embryo. In contrast, similar inoculation of herpes simplex virus type 1 strains gave no haemorrhage in chorioallantoic membrane or embryos, embryos did not die and virus was recovered only from the inoculated chorioallantoic membrane. Inoculation of either type into the allantoic cavity did not result in spread of virus to the embryo. Prolonged adaptation of herpes simplex viruses to growth in eggs eventually resulted in spread of type 1 virus from the chorioallantoic membrane to other regions of the egg and there were also marginal increases in virulence of type 2 virus.
Study of bidirectional reflectance distribution function of fractal rough surface

This work deals with the problem of the bidirectional reflectance distribution function(BRDF) from a fractal surface. In this paper, the rough surface are modeled by a band-limited Weierstrass fractal function. According to the Kirchhoff approximation for rough surface scattering, an expression of the BRDF for the fractal rough surface is derived. The angular distributions of the BRDF from the fractal surface for different fractal dimensions and different fundamental wave number are studied by theoretic analysis and numerical calculations.
Roles and Clinical Applications of Biomarkers in Cardiovascular Disease 2017

1 Interuniversity Center of Phlebolymphology (CIFL), International Research and Educational Program in Clinical and Experimental Biotechnology, University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy 2Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy 3C.U. R.S, Laboratoire INSERM U1088, Chemin duThil, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 80025 Amiens Cedex 1, France
Structure and disorder in the ribonuclease S‐peptide probed by NMR residual dipolar couplings

NMR residual dipolar couplings for the S‐peptide of ribonuclease A aligned in C8E5/n‐octanol liquid crystals are consistent with the presence of a native‐like α‐helix structure undergoing dynamic fraying. Residues 3–13, which correspond to the first α‐helix of ribonuclease A, show couplings that become more negative at low temperature and in the presence of salt, conditions which stabilize α‐helical structure in the S‐peptide. By contrast, dipolar couplings from the N and C termini of the peptide are close to zero and remain nearly invariant with changes in solution conditions. Torsion angle dynamics simulations using a gradient of dihedral restraint bounds that increase from the center to the ends of the peptide reproduce the experimentally observed sequence dependence of dipolar couplings. The magnitudes of residual dipolar couplings depend on the anisotropy of the solute. Native proteins often achieve nearly spherical shapes due to the hydrophobic effect. Embryonic partially folded structures such as the S‐peptide α‐helix have an intrinsically greater potential for anisotropy that can result in sizable residual dipolar couplings in the absence of long‐range structure.
MICROSTRIP ANTENNA DESIGN BASED ON STACKED PATCHES FOR RECONFIGURABLE TWO DIMENSIONAL PLANAR ARRAY TOPOLOGIES

In this work, a probe fed microstrip antenna design for the implementation of two dimensional arrays with individually fed radiating elements is presented. The performance of the antenna element, both isolated and in a 4 £ 4 flxed array topology, is analysed using ADS and HFSS simulation software. Prototypes of the antenna element and of the array are manufactured and measured for the experimental validation of the design.
Differences between endocarditis with true negative blood cultures and those with previous antibiotic treatment.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY High morbidity and mortality are attributed to patients with culture-negative endocarditis. The main reason for negative blood culture in infectious endocarditis (IE) is administration of antibiotics before sample withdrawal. The study aim was to determine any difference in prognosis between patients with 'aborted' culture-negative endocarditis (A-CNE) and those with true culture-negative endocarditis (T-CNE). METHODS A total of 107 patients with a diagnosis of IE was studied retrospectively. Diagnosis was confirmed pathologically during surgery, at post-mortem examination, or by fulfillment of Duke's criteria. Twenty patients (18.7%) had negative-culture endocarditis and comprised the study population. Of these patients, 14 (70%) had received previous antibiotic therapy (A-CNE), and six (30%) were considered T-CNE cases. In-hospital outcome and clinical characteristics were compared between both patient groups. The main end-point was death or need for surgical repair of the heart valves during hospitalization. RESULTS There were no significant inter-group differences with respect to mean age, gender distribution, and other clinical characteristics. The composite endpoint of death or surgical repair occurred more frequently in T-CNE patients (100% versus 64%, p = 0.0394). Anatomic complications also occurred more frequently in T-CNE patients, but the difference was statistically not significant. CONCLUSION Among patients with IE and a negative blood culture, those without previous antibiotic therapy (T-CNE) have the worse prognosis.
Chapter 6 — Pricing and QoS —

In this chapter the state of the art of pricing for Internet services and its relation to Quality-of-Service (QoS) is addressed. Essential economic and technology basics, covering terms, accounting, and security are followed by a user-centered view, a content-based scheme, and a cost sharing approach. Keyword: Pricing, QoS, Accounting, Content, Customer and Provider Views.
Neurodegeneration, Neurogenesis, and Oxidative Stress

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Editorial. Neurodegeneration, Neurogenesis, and Oxidative Stress Renata Santos, Carmen Ruiz de Almodóvar, Anne-Laure Bulteau, Cláudio Gomes
Chromatin Disassembly from the PHO5 Promoter Is Essential for the Recruitment of the General Transcription Machinery and Coactivators

ABSTRACT The disassembly of promoter nucleosomes appears to be a general property of highly transcribed eukaryotic genes. We have previously shown that the disassembly of chromatin from the promoters of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae PHO5 and PHO8 genes, mediated by the histone chaperone anti-silencing function 1 (Asf1), is essential for transcriptional activation upon phosphate depletion. This mechanism of transcriptional regulation is shared with the ADY2 and ADH2 genes upon glucose removal. Promoter chromatin disassembly by Asf1 is required for recruitment of TBP and RNA polymerase II, but not the Pho4 and Pho2 activators. Furthermore, accumulation of SWI/SNF and SAGA at the PHO5 promoter requires promoter chromatin disassembly. By contrast, the requirement for SWI/SNF and SAGA to facilitate Pho4 activator recruitment to the nucleosome-buried binding site in the PHO5 promoter occurs prior to chromatin disassembly and is distinct from the stable recruitment of SWI/SNF and SAGA that occurs after chromatin disassembly.