Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigation of photoplethysmmographic signals and arterial blood oxygen saturation values (SpO 2 ) during blood pressure cuff-induced hypoperfusion

Photoplethysmography is a non-invasive electro-optical technique widely used in the study and monitoring of the pulsations associated with changes in blood volume in a peripheral vascular bed. Photoplethysmography is used in the estimation of arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) by pulse oximetry. A reflectance finger photoplethysmographic (PPG) probe and a multiplexed data acquisition system operating simultaneously at two wavelengths and incorporating an external lead II electrocardiogram (ECG) reference channel, and a commercial finger pulse oximeter has been developed. The aim of this study is to investigate the morphology and amplitude of PPG signals and its effect on pulse oximetry during blood pressure cuff-induced hypoperfusion. PPG signals and SpO2s and standard ECG traces were obtained from 14 healthy volunteers and displayed on a personal computer. Measurable PPG signals at both infrared and red wavelengths were obtained from all induced pressures prior to full brachial occlusion. There are statistically significant differences between the ac PPGs in the low pressures (0 to 80 mmHg) than those in the upper pressures (90 to 150 mmHg) at both wavelengths. Both pulse oximeters showed gradual decrease of saturations during induced hypoperfusion which demonstrate the direct relation between blood volumes (PPG amplitudes), arterial vessel stenosis and blood oxygen saturation. The custom made pulse oximeter was found to be more sensitive to SpO2 changes than the commercial pulse oximeter especially at high occluding pressures.
Cryogenic 2-4 GHz ultra low noise amplifier

This paper describes two-stage InP-based cryogenic broadband amplifier with very low noise for the frequency band 1.5-4.5 GHz. For a band of 2-4 GHz at 15 K the measured gain is 30.0/spl plusmn/2 dB and a noise temperature below 5 K. The total DC power consumption of the amplifier is 6.8 mW.
The Transforming Acidic Coiled Coil 3 Protein Is Essential for Spindle-dependent Chromosome Alignment and Mitotic Survival*

Cancer-associated centrosomal transforming acidic coiled coil (TACC) proteins are involved in mitotic spindle function. By employing gene targeting, we have recently described a nonredundant and essential role of TACC3 in regulating cell proliferation. In this study, we used an inducible RNA interference approach to characterize the molecular function of TACC3 and its role in mitotic progression and cell survival. Our data demonstrate that a TACC3 knockdown arrests G1 checkpoint-compromised HeLa cells prior to anaphase with aberrant spindle morphology and severely misaligned chromosomes. Interestingly, TACC3-depleted cells fail to accumulate the mitotic kinase Aurora B and the checkpoint protein BubR1 to normal levels at kinetochores. Moreover, localization of the structural protein Ndc80 at outer kinetochores is reduced, indicating a defective kinetochore-microtubule attachment in TACC3-deficient cells. As a consequence of prolonged TACC3 depletion, cells undergo caspase-dependent cell death that relies on a spindle checkpoint-dependent mitotic arrest. TACC3 knockdown cells that escape from this arrest by mitotic slippage become highly polyploid and accumulate supernumerary centrosomes. Similarly, deficiency of the post-mitotic cell cycle inhibitor p21WAF exacerbates the effects of TACC3 depletion. Our findings therefore point to an essential role of TACC3 in spindle assembly and cellular survival and identify TACC3 as a potential therapeutic target in cancer cells.
Docosahexaenoic acid suppresses apolipoprotein A-I gene expression through hepatocyte nuclear factor-3β.

BACKGROUND Dietary fish-oil supplementation has been shown in human kinetic studies to lower the production rate of apolipoprotein (apo) A-I, the major protein component of HDL. The underlying mechanism responsible for this effect is not fully understood. OBJECTIVE We investigated the effect and the mechanism of action of the very-long-chain n-3 (omega-3) polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), relative to the saturated fatty acid palmitic acid (PA), on the hepatic expression of apo A-I in HepG2 cells. DESIGN HepG2 cells were treated with different doses of DHA and PA (0-200 μmol/L). mRNA expression levels of apo A-I were assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction, and apo A-I protein concentrations were measured by immunoassay. DHA dose-dependently suppressed apo A-I mRNA levels and also lowered apo A-I protein concentrations in the media, with maximum effects at 200 μmol/L. This concentration of fatty acids was used in all subsequent experiments. RESULTS To elucidate the mechanism mediating the reduction in apo A-I expression by DHA, transfection experiments were conducted with plasmid constructs containing serial deletions of the apo A-I promoter. The DHA-responsive region was mapped to the -185 to -148 nucleotide region of the apo A-I promoter, which binds the hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-3β. Nuclear extracts from cells treated with DHA or PA had a similar nuclear abundance of HNF-3β. However, electrophoresis mobility shift assays showed less binding of HNF-3β to the -180 to -140 sequence of the apo A-I promoter than did PA-treated cells. As shown by chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis, less HNF-3β was recruited to the apo A-I promoter in DHA-treated cells than in PA-treated cells, which supports the concept of an interference of DHA with the binding of HNF-3β to the apo A-I promoter. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that, in human hepatoma HepG2 cells, DHA inhibits the binding of HNF-3β to the apo A-I promoter, resulting in the repression of apo A-I promoter transactivity and thus a reduction in apo A-I expression.
Quite a backup: pericardial varices in a patient with hereditary antithrombin deficiency.

A 39 year-old female with known hypertension, gastro-esophageal reflux disease, and hereditary anti-thrombin deficiency (hATD) on life-long anti-coagulation presented to our emergency room with acute atypical chest and epigastric pain. Her hATD was diagnosed five years prior when repeated deep vein thromboses were discovered. At that time, the patient was started on life-long anticoagulation with warfarin and was able to consistently achieve therapeutic levels.
Carbon Isotopes in PhotosynthesisFractionation techniques may reveal new aspects of carbon dynamics in plants

he efficiency of photosynthesis continues to interest biochemists, biologists, and plant physiologists. Scientists interested in CO2 uptake are concerned about the extent to which the uptake rate is limited by such factors as stomatal diffusion and the chemistry of the CO2 absorption process. The fractionation of carbon isotopes that occurs during photosynthesis is one of the most useful techniques for investigating the efficiency of CO2 uptake. Atmospheric carbon dioxide contains approximately 1.1% of the nonradioactive isotope carbon-13 and 98.9% of carbon-12. During photosynthesis, plants discriminate against C because of small differences in chemical and physical properties imparted by the difference in mass. This discrimination can be used to assign plants to various photosynthetic groups. The isotope fractionation also reflects limitations on photosynthetic efficiency imposed by the various diffusional and chemical components of CO2 uptake. When analyzed in detail, this fractionation provides information . about water use efficiency and indicates that different strategies are needed for improving wateruse efficiency in different kinds of plants. Isotope fractionation in simple physical and chemical processes is well understood and is commonly Current studies include
The royal society of Edinburgh/British computer society computer science exemplification project

In August 2011, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt came to Scotland and expressed great concern at the state of Computer Science (CS) education in the UK's schools. This was a timely intervention: in Scotland, a new national curriculum is providing an opportunity to cement CS and computational thinking firmly within the curriculum and reverse a recent decline in uptake. To support teachers delivering this new curriculum and to provide students with an experience of CS that is accessible and exciting, the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) and British Computer Society (BCS) have commissioned three extensive resources that seek to deliver CS in a way that is relevant to students' own digital lives. These use a range of pedagogical approaches to teach computational thinking and enable meaningful interdisciplinary learning -- a cornerstone of Scotland's new curriculum.
Sendai Virus-Induced Transcriptase from Infected Cells: Polypeptides in the Transcriptive Complex

A Sendai virus-induced transcriptase-template complex was isolated from the cytoplasm of infected cells by combined sedimentation and isopycnic centrifugation. This transcriptive complex banded at 1.27 g/cm3 in D2O-sucrose gradients. It contained two polypeptides, the viral nucleocapsid structure unit (molecular weight, 60,000) and the largest virion polypeptide (molecular weight, 75,000). The buoyant density, chemical composition, and electron microscopic appearance of the transcriptive complex indicate a structure like that of viral nucleocapsids.
Authorship effects in the prediction of handwriting strokes: Evidence for action simulation during action perception

Does the action system contribute to action perception? Recent evidence suggests that actions are simulated while being observed. Given that the planning and simulating system are the same only when one observes one's own actions, it might be easier to predict the future outcomes of actions when one has carried them out oneself earlier on. In order to test this hypothesis, three experiments were conducted in which participants observed parts of earlier self- and other-produced trajectories and judged whether another stroke would follow or not. When the trajectories were produced without constraints, participants accomplished this task only for self-produced trajectories. When the trajectories were produced under narrow constraints, the predictions were equally accurate for self- and for other-generated trajectories. These results support the action simulation assumption. The more the actions that one observes resemble the way one would carry them out oneself, the more accurate the simulation.
Control of Parallel Connected Power Converters for Low Voltage Microgrid—Part II: Dynamic Electrothermal Modeling

This paper proposes a dynamic electrothermal model that can be simulated with the power electronic circuit simulator. It includes a temperature-dependent loss calculation of power semiconductor devices. The proposed model is used to estimate the transient junction temperature of the semiconductor devices. In so doing, the resulting junction temperature is used to facilitate the power sharing between parallel-connected converters. The use of power-cycling method based on junction temperature helps in increasing the over all system efficiency and reliability of the system. This part of the paper focuses on the method of thermal modeling and discusses how the model can be used for different converters, modulation techniques, and devices.
Anomalous glass transition behavior of SBR–Al2O3 nanocomposites at small filler concentrations

Elastomers filled with hard nanoparticles are of great technical importance for the rubber industry. In general, fillers improve mechanical properties of polymer materials, e.g. elastic moduli, tensile strength etc. The smaller the size of the particles, the larger is the interface where interactions between polymer molecules and fillers can generate new properties. Using temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis, we investigated the properties of pure styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) and SBR/alumina nanoparticles. Beside a reinforcement effect seen in the complex elastic moduli, small amounts of nanoparticles of about 2 wt% interestingly lead to an acceleration of the relaxation modes responsible for the thermal glass transition. This leads to a minimum in the glass transition temperature as a function of nanoparticle content in the vicinity of this critical concentration. The frequency dependent elastic moduli are used to discuss the possible reduction of the entanglement of rubber molecules as one cause for this unexpected behavior.
Echo identification by Singular Value Decomposition of Cross Wigner-Ville Distribution

We present a novel ultrasound echo identification technique based on the Singular Value Decomposition of Cross Wigner-Ville Distribution. The theoretical background is presented and followed with detailed explanation of each stage of the signal identification algorithm. We then apply this new echo separation method on asymmetric simulated ultrasound signals. The extracted echo time locations are in good agreement with the actual values.
Regulation of ABI5 turnover by reversible post-translational modifications

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) such as phosphorylation, ubiquitination, and sumoylation play significant roles in regulating abscisic acid (ABA) signaling. The targets for PTM are usually transcriptional regulators such as Abscisic acid Insensitive 5 (ABI5). PTM regulate ABI5 stability as well as activity. The abundance of ABI5 is tightly controlled by the ubiquitination-26S proteasome system. E3 ubiquitin ligases such as KEG negatively regulate ABA signaling by promoting ABI5 ubiquitination and subsequent degradation by the 26S proteasome. In our recent study we demonstrated that, in the absence of ABA, KEG-mediated turnover of ABI5 occurs within the cytoplasm. Whereas ubiquitination promotes ABI5 degradation, sumoylation prohibits degradation of the transcription factor. While phosphorylation has been shown to regulate ABI5 activity, our studies and others suggest that the phosphorylation status of ABI5 does not play a significant role in modulating ABI5 turnover.
The mouse ribosomal gene terminator consists of three functionally separable sequence elements.

The structural requirements for 3′ end formation of mouse pre‐rRNA have been studied. Three sequence elements are shown to be required for accurate and efficient transcription termination by RNA polymerase I (pol I) assayed both in a cell‐free transcription system and in vivo after transfection of rDNA minigene constructs into 3T6 cells. The essential termination signal is the previously identified 18‐bp conserved element (AGGTCGACCAGATTANTCCG) that contains a SalI restriction site. This sequence motif (the ‘Sal box’) interacts with a specific nuclear protein that directs transcription termination. Here we demonstrate that the ‘Sal box’ sequence motif is sufficient for termination of pol I transcripts and the release of the nascent RNA chains from the template. However, in addition to this termination signal, pyrimidine‐rich sequences flanking the box at the 5′ and 3′ side play a role in the efficient and correct formation of authentic pre‐rRNA termini. Downstream sequences contribute to the efficiency of the termination reaction, whereas the position of 3′ end formation (i.e. 21 bp upstream of the ‘Sal box’) is affected by 5′ flanking regions. These flanking regions are recognized by at least two different nuclear factors which specifically bind to DNA sequences located upstream and downstream of the ‘Sal box’.
Code status discussions and goals of care among hospitalised adults

Background and objective: Code status discussions may fail to address patients’ treatment-related goals and their knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This study aimed to investigate patients’ resuscitation preferences, knowledge of CPR and goals of care. Design, setting, patients and measurements: 135 adults were interviewed within 48 h of admission to a general medical service in an academic medical centre, querying code status preferences, knowledge about CPR and its outcome probabilities and goals of care. Medical records were reviewed for clinical information and code status documentation. Results: 41 (30.4%) patients had discussed CPR with their doctor, 116 (85.9%) patients preferred full code status and 11 (8.1%) patients expressed code status preferences different from the code status documented in their medical record. When queried about seven possible goals of care, patients affirmed an average of 4.9 goals; their single most important goals were broadly distributed, ranging from being cured (n = 36; 26.7%) to being comfortable (n = 8; 5.9%). Patients’ mean estimate of survival to discharge after CPR was 60.4%. Most patients believed it was helpful to discuss goals of care (n = 95; 70.4%) and the chances of surviving inhospital CPR (n = 112; 83.0%). Some patients expressed a desire to change their code status after receiving information about survival following inhospital CPR (n = 11; 8.1%) or after discussing goals of care (n = 2; 1.5%). Conclusions: Doctors need to address patients’ knowledge about CPR and take steps to avoid discrepancies between treatment orders and patients’ preferences. Addressing CPR outcome probabilities and goals of care during code status discussions may improve patients’ knowledge and influence their preferences.
Digoxin use and risk of mortality in hypertensive patients with atrial fibrillation

Background: Digoxin is widely used for rate control of atrial fibrillation. However, recent studies have reported conflicting results on the association of digoxin with mortality when used in patients with atrial fibrillation. Moreover, the relationship of digoxin use to mortality in hypertensive patients with atrial fibrillation has not been examined. Methods and results: All-cause mortality was examined in relation to in-treatment digoxin use in 937 hypertensive patients with ECG left ventricular hypertrophy in atrial fibrillation at baseline (n = 134) or who developed atrial fibrillation during follow-up (n = 803), randomly assigned to losartan or atenolol-based treatment, in post-hoc analysis of a substudy of the Losartan Intervention For Endpoint Reduction in hypertension (LIFE) trial. During 4.7 ± 1.1 years of mean follow-up, 167 patients died (17.8%) and 372 (39.7%) were treated with digoxin. In univariate Cox analyses, in-treatment digoxin use, entered as a time-varying covariate, was associated with a 61% higher risk of dying (hazard ratio 1.61, 95% confidence interval 1.18–2.19, P = 0.003). After adjusting for other univariate predictors of death in this population, including age, diabetes, history of ischemic heart disease, stroke, or heart failure, baseline Cornell product, QRS duration, heart rate, serum glucose, creatinine and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and a propensity score for digoxin use entered as standard covariates, and for in-treatment heart rate, pulse pressure, and Sokolow–Lyon voltage treated as time-varying covariates, digoxin use was no longer a significant predictor of mortality (hazard ratio 1.04, 95% confidence interval 0.73–1.48, P = 0.839). Conclusion: In hypertensive patients with ECG left ventricular hypertrophy with existing or new atrial fibrillation, digoxin use is not associated with a significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality after adjusting for other independent predictors of death and for the factors associated with the propensity to use digoxin in this population. These findings suggest that factors other than digoxin use may account for the increased mortality found with digoxin use in some studies. Clinical Trials Registration: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00338260? order=1
Automatic estimation of clusters number for K-means

At the present time, clustering algorithms are popular analysis tools in image segmentation. For instance, the K-means is one of the most used algorithms in the literature and it is fast, robust and easier to understand and to implement but, the main drawback of the K-means algorithm is that the number of clusters must be known a priori and must be supplied as an input parameter. This paper discusses the problem of the estimation of the number of clusters for image segmentation and proposes a new approach which is based on histogram to find a suitable number of K (the number of clusters). Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our method to estimate the correct number of clusters which reflect a good separation of objects for each image.
The Ly-6Chigh Monocyte Subpopulation Transports Listeria monocytogenes into the Brain during Systemic Infection of Mice1

Mononuclear phagocytes can be used by intracellular pathogens to disseminate throughout the host. In the bloodstream these cells are generically referred to as monocytes. However, blood monocytes are a heterogeneous population, and the exact identity of the leukocyte(s) relevant for microbial spreading is not known. Experiments reported in this study used Listeria monocytogenes-infected mice to establish the phenotype of parasitized blood leukocytes and to test their role in systemic dissemination of intracellular bacteria. More than 90% of the blood leukocytes that were associated with bacteria were CD11b+ mononuclear cells. Analysis of newly described monocyte subsets showed that most infected cells belonged to the Ly-6Chigh monocyte subset and that Ly-6Chigh and Ly-6Cneg-low monocytes harbored similar numbers of bacteria per cell. Interestingly, systemic infection with wild-type or ΔactA mutants of L. monocytogenes, both of which escape from phagosomes and replicate intracellularly, caused expansion of the Ly-6Chigh subset. In contrast, this was not evident after infection with Δhly mutants, which neither escape phagosomes nor replicate intracellularly. Importantly, when CD11b+ leukocytes were isolated from the brains of lethally infected mice, 88% of these cells were identified as Ly-6Chigh monocytes. Kinetic analysis showed a significant influx of Ly-6Chigh monocytes into the brain 2 days after systemic infection. This coincided with both bacterial invasion and up-regulation of brain macrophage chemoattractant protein-1 gene expression. These data indicate that the Ly-6Chigh monocyte subset transports L. monocytogenes into the brain and establish their role as Trojan horses in vivo.
A multichannel corticospinal interface IC for intracortical spike recording and distinct muscle pattern activation via intraspinal microstimulation

This paper reports on a corticospinal interface IC as a core building block for next-generation integrated neural interfaces targeted at functional recovery from spinal cord injury (SCI). Fabricated in 0. 35μm 2P/4M CMOS, the IC integrates a 2-channel, 10b, neural-recording front-end with digitally programmable gain and bandwidth featuring total input noise voltage of 3μVrms and noise efficiency factor (NEF) of 2.47, and a 4-channel, constant-current, stimulating back-end for delivering programmable trains of charge-balanced monophasic or asymmetric biphasic current pulses up to ~100μA. The IC functionality is demonstrated in vivo by low-noise recording of extracellular neural spikes from an anesthetized rat's cerebral cortex, and by distinct muscle pattern activation in the rat's hindlimb facilitated via intraspinal microstimulation (ISMS).