Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differential suppression of thromboxane biosynthesis by indobufen and aspirin in patients with unstable angina.

BACKGROUND We have previously reported aspirin failure in suppressing enhanced thromboxane (TX) biosynthesis in a subset of episodes of platelet activation during the acute phase of unstable angina. The recent discovery of a second prostaglandin H synthase (PGHS-2), inducible in response to inflammatory or mitogenic stimuli, prompted us to reexamine TXA2 biosynthesis in unstable angina as modified by two cyclooxygenase inhibitors differentially affecting PGHS-2 despite a comparable impact on platelet PGHS-1. METHODS AND RESULTS We randomized 20 patients (15 men and 5 women aged 59+/-10 years) with unstable angina to short-term treatment with aspirin (320 mg/d) or indobufen (200 mg BID) and collected 6 to 18 consecutive urine samples. Urinary 11-dehydro-TXB2 was extracted and measured by a previously validated radioimmunoassay as a reflection of in vivo TXA2 biosynthesis. Metabolite excretion averaged 102 pg/mg creatinine (median value; n=76) in the aspirin group and 55 pg/mg creatinine (median value; n=99) in the indobufen group (P<.001). There were 16 samples (21%) with 11-dehydro-TXB2 excretion >200 pg/mg creatinine among patients treated with aspirin versus 6 such samples (6%) among those treated with indobufen (P<.001). In vitro and ex vivo studies in healthy subjects demonstrated the capacity of indobufen to largely suppress monocyte PGHS-2 activity at therapeutic plasma concentrations. In contrast, aspirin could only inhibit monocyte PGHS-2 transiently at very high concentrations. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that in unstable angina, episodes of aspirin-insensitive TXA2 biosynthesis may reflect extraplatelet sources, possibly expressing the inducible PGHS in response to a local inflammatory milieu, and a selective PGHS-2 inhibitor would be an ideal tool to test the clinical relevance of this novel pathway of arachidonic acid metabolism in this setting.
Real-time object-to-features vectorisation via Siamese neural networks

Object-to-features vectorisation is a hard problem to solve for objects that can be hard to distinguish. Siamese and Triplet neural networks are one of the more recent tools used for such task. However, most networks used are very deep networks that prove to be hard to compute in the Internet of Things setting. In this paper, a computationally efficient neural network is proposed for real-time object-to-features vectorisation into a Euclidean metric space. We use L2 distance to reflect feature vector similarity during both training and testing. In this way, feature vectors we develop can be easily classified using K-Nearest Neighbours classifier. Such approach can be used to train networks to vectorise such “problematic” objects like images of human faces, keypoint image patches, like keypoints on Arctic maps and surrounding marine areas.
Relations of Job Stress, Burnout, Mindfulness and Job Satisfaction of Clinical Nurses

The study was conducted to determine the differences of the research variables according to general characteristics of clinical nurses and to understand the factors affecting the job satisfaction of clinical nurses in Korea. Subjects were 330 clinical nurses. The results are as shown below; job stress and burnout were different according to age groups, level of education, work units, current positions, and clinical careers. For mindfulness, differences were found according to age groups, level of education, and current positions. For job satisfaction, differences were found according to age groups, level of education, work unit, current positions There was positive influence between job satisfaction and mindfulness, but both job stress and burnout were negative influences. The findings of this study implied that mindfulness had a positive impact, but job stress and burnout had a negative impact, on job satisfaction.
Life Science Innovation and the Restructuring of the Pharmaceutical Industry: Merger, Acquisition and Strategic Alliance Behaviour of Large Firms

Abstract This article explores the transformative nature of the life sciences in the context of pharmaceutical mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliances. Drawing on interviews with senior scientists and managers from large pharmaceutical firms, and secondary data on general industry trends, it identifies diverse company strategies for capturing and exploiting new technologies/knowledge and explores their implications for innovation. The article suggests that mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliances represent a cluster of related activities that provide various strategic options for managing innovation and productivity deficit. However, because the preferred balance between in-house R&D and externally sourced knowledge depends on a number of firm-specific factors, as well as challenges posed by the external operating environment, there is increasing variation between large companies in how these activities are exploited and strategically managed.
Understanding patterns of organizational culture: A study in Malaysian R&D institutions

This paper examines the patterns of organizational culture in Malaysian R&D institutions. The study was based on three types of research institutions in Malaysia namely the government research institutes (GRI), private R&D companies (PRC) and universities. Results show that there are some cultural aspects that are amenable to innovation while some others are not. The study would be able to guide the management of respective R&D institutions to identify and inculcate cultural values that will enhance innovation and to gradually abandon those practices that hinder creativity and innovativeness.
Characterizing and controlling intrinsic biases of lambda exonuclease in nascent strand sequencing reveals phasing between nucleosomes and G-quadruplex motifs around a subset of human replication origins

Nascent strand sequencing (NS-seq) is used to discover DNA replication origins genome-wide, allowing identification of features for their specification. NS-seq depends on the ability of lambda exonuclease (λ-exo) to efficiently digest parental DNA while leaving RNA-primer protected nascent strands intact. We used genomics and biochemical approaches to determine if λ-exo digests all parental DNA sequences equally. We report that λ-exo does not efficiently digest G-quadruplex (G4) structures in a plasmid. Moreover, λ-exo digestion of nonreplicating genomic DNA (LexoG0) enriches GC-rich DNA and G4 motifs genome-wide. We used LexoG0 data to control for nascent strand–independent λ-exo biases in NS-seq and validated this approach at the rDNA locus. The λ-exo–controlled NS-seq peaks are not GC-rich, and only 35.5% overlap with 6.8% of all G4s, suggesting that G4s are not general determinants for origin specification but may play a role for a subset. Interestingly, we observed a periodic spacing of G4 motifs and nucleosomes around the peak summits, suggesting that G4s may position nucleosomes at this subset of origins. Finally, we demonstrate that use of Na+ instead of K+ in the λ-exo digestion buffer reduced the effect of G4s on λ-exo digestion and discuss ways to increase both the sensitivity and specificity of NS-seq.
Ki‐67 immunoquantitation in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN): a sensitive marker for grading

The aim of this study was to assess the value of Ki‐67 immunoquantitation with a computerized image analysis system for grading support in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Sixty‐five ‘blind’ consensus biopsies (23 CIN 1, 22 CIN 2, and 20 CIN 3) were used as a learning set. Measurements were done in the carefully selected most severely dysplastic part of the epithelium of each CIN case. The resulting discriminating combination of quantitative features was then prospectively applied on 121 new biopsies (test set) and compared with the classical CIN grade assessed routinely by six different pathologists and with the blind review grades assessed by two experienced pathologists. In the learning set of 65 cases, a jack‐knifed stepwise discriminant analysis showed that the 90th percentile of the stratification index and the number of positive nuclei per 100 µm basal membrane are the best discriminating set of features to distinguish the three CIN grades at the same time. With these features, two CIN 1 cases were ‘misclassified’ as CIN 2 and nine CIN 2 cases as CIN 3. Overall agreement, therefore, was only 83%. However, recut of the paraffin blocks in the two ‘misclassified’ CIN 1 cases revealed CIN 2 in the first and CIN 3 in the other, while the other CIN 1 cases that were correctly classified with Ki‐67 quantitation remained CIN 1. Likewise, nine CIN 2 cases were misclassified as CIN 3, but in two of these nine cases histological follow‐up clearly indicated CIN 3. Agreement may thus be higher than the 83% in the learning set suggests. In the subsequent prospective evaluation on 121 routine CIN cases (test set), agreement between routine CIN grades (by six independent different pathologists) and quantitative Ki‐67 classification was 78%. However, when compared with the blind review CIN grades of two expert pathologists, agreement was 97% and sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value were very high. It is concluded that Ki‐67 immunoquantitation is a useful diagnostic adjunct to distinguish different CIN grades and may also be a sensitive biological indicator of progression of seemingly low‐grade CIN. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Genetic Studies on Noise-Induced Hearing Loss: A Review

Millions of people are exposed daily to harmful levels of noise in their work environment. This renders noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) one of the most important occupational health hazards. Beside age-related hearing loss, NIHL is the second most frequent form of hearing loss. It is a complex condition that is influenced by both environmental factors and genetic factors. Association studies have identified the first genetic factors that may influence one's susceptibility to NIHL. In this review, we discuss the general properties of NIHL and mainly focus on the results of these first genetic association studies for NIHL.
A 3600 V/80 a single external-driver series connected circuit with three Silicon Carbide MOSFETs

In this paper, a new series connection topology is introduced for Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFETs module. In the topology, with a single external gate drive, three series connected SiC MOSFETs are synchronously driven. The operating principle of the proposed topology is analyzed and presented. In order to improve the current capability of the module, parallel connection of two SiC devices are also demonstrated. A 3600 V/80 A configuration of three devices in series and two branches in parallel is constructed with 1200 V/40 A discrete SiC MOSFETs. Dynamic switching behavior of the configuration is completed at 2300 V/78 A. Experimental results verify the validity and feasibility of the proposed method. Analysis for circuit switching speed and switching losses is given based on experimental results.
Partial characterization of fimbriae of Xanthomonas campestris pv. hyacinthi.

Xanthomonas campestris pv. hyacinthi is a plant-pathogenic bacterium that causes yellow disease in Hyacinthus. X. c. pv.hyacinthi produces monopolarly attached fimbriae with a diameter of approximately 5 nm and a length of at least 6 micron. Fimbriae were purified by acid precipitation and preparative sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. No hemagglutinating activity of purified fimbriae was found when the fimbriae were tested with several types of erythrocytes. The fimbrial protein subunit had a relative molecular mass of 17 kDa; an isoelectric point was found at pH 4.1. Analysis of the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the fimbrial subunit indicated that X. c. pv. hyacinthi expresses type 4 fimbriae. A polyclonal rabbit antiserum was raised against the purified fimbriae. This antiserum recognized fimbriae of X. c. pv. hyacinthi in immunogold electron microscopy and immunoblotting experiments. Immunofluorescence studies showed that X. c. pv. hyacinthi cells as well as purified native fimbriae were attached to stomata of hyacinth leaves, suggesting a role for these surface antigens in the first stages of yellow disease.
Nitroglycerin-induced tolerance affects multiple sites in the organic nitrate bioconversion cascade.

The effect of nitroglycerin (NTG)-induced tolerance on the spasmolytic effects of a series of vasodilators was determined to establish potential sites of tolerance. Concentration-effect curves to vasodilators were completed concurrently in U46619-contracted bovine isolated coronary artery rings pre-exposed to 100 microM NTG for 10 min (NTG-tolerant rings) and in control rings not pre-exposed to NTG. Compared to control rings, NTG-tolerant rings were markedly less responsive (P less than .01, n = 8-10) to the spasmolytic actions of NTG, isosorbide dinitrate, sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and 3-morpholinosydonimine (SIN-1), whereas the spasmolytic actions of S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine and nitric oxide were only marginally attenuated in NTG-tolerant rings. On the other hand, no significant difference in the relaxant responses of NTG-tolerant and control coronary artery rings were observed to either the endothelium-dependent vasodilator, A23187 or the guanylate cyclase-independent vasodilator, theophylline. In additional cross-tolerance studies, relaxations to the organic nitrate vasodilator, NTG were significantly more attenuated (P less than .05, n = 5) by tolerance induced by NTG, than by either SNP or SIN-1, whereas the actions of the non-nitrate vasodilators, SNP and SIN-1 were attenuated more by SNP-and SIN-1-induced tolerance than by NTG-induced tolerance (P less than .05, n = 5). We conclude that, in this isolated coronary artery preparation, NTG-induced tolerance affects at least two major sites in the cascade of events between the initial site of NTG action and guanylate cyclase activation. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Fuzzy coordinated control of contact constraint problem for robot system with compliant actuators

A robot system would inevitably cause unpredictable collisions in an unknown or unstructured environment. In this paper, the controllability conditions of a general robot system with compliant actuators are proposed to judge and assess the contact constraints based on Port-based Hamiltonian. In order to satisfy the proposed controllability conditions, one fuzzy coordinated control method inspired from the pathfinding of a blind or normal person in dark environment is proposed to deal with the problem of contact constraint. This method achieves velocity–torque combined control without using force or vision sensors compared with conventional methods. Finally, the experiments validate the feasibility of the controllability conditions to deal with contact constraint problems. The results show that the fuzzy coordinated controller can work more efficiently and effectively to detect and respond to contact constraints compared with the proposed proportional control.
Timing of antioxidant supplementation is critical in improving anorexia in an experimental model of cancer

Increased oxidative stress may contribute to cancer anorexia, which could be ameliorated by antioxidant supplementation. methylcholanthrene (MCA) sarcoma-bearing Fisher rats were studied. After tumour inoculation, rats were randomly assigned to standard diet (CTR group, n = 6), or to an antioxidant-enriched diet (AOX group, n = 8). Eight more rats (STD-AOX group) switched from standard to antioxidant diet when anorexia developed. At the end of the study, food intake (FI, g/d), body weight and tumour weight (g) were recorded, and plasma samples were obtained. On day 16, anorexia has appeared only in CTR and STD-AOX animals. At the end of the study, FI in AOX animals was still higher than in the other groups (p = 0.08). No differences in body and tumour weights were observed among groups. However, hydrogen peroxide and interleukin-1β levels were significantly reduced only in AOX rats. Data obtained suggest that early antioxidant supplementation improves cancer anorexia, ameliorates oxidative stress and reduces inflammation.
E-band RF-to-DC converter using Schottky diode in 0.18-µm CMOS technology

This paper demonstrates a millimeter-wave RF-to-DC converter based on Schottky-barrier diodes using 0.18-μm CMOS technology. The Schottky-barrier diode has a cutoff frequency of 400 GHz and a low turn-on voltage of 0.3 V. In the RF-to-DC quadrupler, the difference in turn-on voltages between the Schottky-barrier diode and n-well to p-substrate parasitic pn junction prevents the pn junction from turning on with an effect similar to the Schottky diode clamp in Schottky TTL circuits. The input matching has a better than 10 dB return loss from 50 GHz to 100 GHz. The RF-to-DC quadrupler generates a 3.15 V DC voltage at 84 GHz.
Comparison of the Phospholipid Composition of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus Strains

Phospholipid composition of 10 Bifidobacterium strains of human intestinal origin and of 9 Lactobacillus strains was determined by quantitative two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography. Phospholipids of three Bifidobacterium strains from honey bees and of two strains from bovine rumen liquor were qualitatively investigated. Diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol were present in strains of both genera. All Bifidobacterium strains contained as specific phospholipids a new polyglycerolphospholipid, compound 15, and its lyso derivatives, earlier detected in B. bifidum var. pennsylvanicus. Also, lyso compounds of diphosphatidylglycerol and alanyl phosphatidylglycerol were only present in this genus in variable amounts. Lysyl phosphatidylglycerol was the only ninhydrin-positive phospholipid in seven Lactobacillus strains. In L. delbrückii and L. helveticus it was absent and partially replaced by an unidentified ninhydrin-negative phospholipid. The differences in phospholipid composition between bifidobacteria and lactobacilli may be another argument to differentiate these two genera.
utational consequences of dNTP pool imbalances in E . coli oel

The accuracy of DNA synthesis depends on the accuracy of the polymerase as well as the quality and concentration(s) of the available 5′-deoxynucleoside-triphosphate DNA precursors (dNTPs). The relationships between dNTPs and error rates have been studied in vitro, but only limited insights exist into these correlations during in vivo replication. We have investigated this issue in the bacterium Escherichia coli by analyzing the mutational properties of dcd and ndk strains. These strains, defective in dCTP deaminase and nucleoside diphosphate kinase, respectively, are characterized by both disturbances of dNTP pools and a mutator phenotype. ndk strains have been studied before, but were included in this study, as controversies exist regarding the source of its mutator phenotype. We show that dcd strains suffer from increased intracellular levels of dCTP (4-fold) and reduced levels of dGTP (2-fold), while displaying, as measured using a set of lacZ reversion markers in a mismatch-repair defective (mutL) background, a strong mutator effect for G·C→T·A and A·T→T·A transversions (27and 42-fold enhancement, respectively). In contrast, ndk strains possess a lowered dATP level (4-fold) and modestly enhanced dCTP level (2-fold), while its mutator effect is specific for just the A·T→T·A transversions. The two strains also display differential mutability for rifampicin-resistant mutants. Overall, our analysis reveals for both strains a satisfactory correlation between dNTP pool alterations and the replication error rates, and also suggests that a minimal explanation for the ndk mutator does not require assumptions beyond the predicted effect
Successful Reduced-intensity Stem Cell Transplant from One-locus HLA-mismatched Unrelated Cord Blood after Rejection of Unrelated Bone Marrow in an Infant with Myelogenous Leukemia

Abstract An 8-month-old girl had acute myelogenous leukemia (EAB M2) that relapsed 5 months after diagnosis during intensive consolidation chemotherapy. She underwent bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from an HLA-A, -B, -C and -DR phenotypically matched, but one locus DRB1 genotypically mismatched unrelated donor, but rejection occurred. Subsequently, she received reduced-intensity transplant (fludarabine/cytosine arabinoside/cyclophosphamide) from one locus HLA-A-mismatched, but DRB1 genotypically matched unrelated cord blood stem cells and remission was induced by acute GVHD (grade II) that progressed to chronic GVHD with involvement of the skin, liver, and gastrointestinal tract. In this case, it seems that remission was induced by an adequate graft-versus-leukemia effect and mild chronic graft-versus-disease due to the HLA-A difference more than DRB1 matched between the patient and the cord blood stem cells.
MR susceptometry for measuring global brain oxygen extraction

Monitoring of oxygen saturation in jugular venous blood gives an estimate of the balance of global oxygen delivery and cerebral oxygen consumption. We present a noninvasive approach to measure oxygen saturation in vivo in the internal jugular vein using MR susceptometry by exploiting the characteristic susceptibility of deoxyhemoglobin, and demonstrate the feasibility of performing such measurements in a group of subjects. We assessed the sensitivity of the method for detecting small changes in oxygen saturation by monitoring the variations observed during breath‐holding and hypoventilation experiments. Unlike alternative methods, the susceptometric technique does not require calibration. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The color recognition of objects of survey and implementation on real-time video surveillance

For the video surveillance system nowadays, identifying the color of certain footage is paramount. Every time when it comes to a crime scene, the police will be able to extract useful information from the surveillance cameras on the scene. Among that important information, “color” plays a major role and is not affected by the size, location, time or changes in shape of an object. Facts affecting the accuracy and efficiency of realtime color identification include the material and the parameter of camera lens, the parameters of infrared for the hardware part, and efficiency of software algorithms, accuracy and practical degree for the software part, and so forth. Although many methods using static analysis of color have been proposed, they cannot effectively solve the color recognition in the real-time video system. In this paper, we provide an approach using dynamic algorithm for the real-time video system. The methodologies include the reduction of color dimension, color transformation, color classification and real-time color recognition. Lastly, we provide the methods for effectively improving both the efficiency and accuracy of a real-time surveillance system.
Fine-needle aspiration findings in epithelioid myoepithelioma of the parotid gland: A diagnostic pitfall

The cytological features of myoepithelioma of the parotid gland are documented in only a few case reports. We describe the fine-needle aspiration cytological findings in a case of epithelioid myoepithelioma of the parotid gland in a 43-year-old male. The differential diagnosis with other salivary gland neoplasms is discussed.