Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of Proteasome Activity Blocks the Ability of TNFα to Down-Regulate Gi Proteins and Stimulate Lipolysis.

Prolonged treatment of rat adipocytes with TNF alpha increases lipolysis through a mechanism mediated, in part, by down-regulation of inhibitory G proteins (G(i)). Separately, down-regulation of G(i) by prolonged treatment with an A(1)-adenosine receptor agonist, N(6)-phenylisopropyl adenosine (PIA) increases lipolysis. To investigate the role of proteolysis in TNF alpha and PIA-mediated G(i) down-regulation and stimulation of lipolysis, we used the protease inhibitors lactacystin (proteasome inhibitor) and calpeptin (calpain inhibitor). Rat adipocytes were preincubated for 1 h with lactacystin (10 microM) or calpeptin (50 microM), before 30-h treatment with either TNF alpha (50 ng/ml) or PIA (300 nM). We then measured lipolysis (glycerol release), abundance of alpha-subunits of G(i)1 and G(i)2 in plasma membranes (Western blotting) and protease activities (in specific fluorogenic assays). TNF alpha and PIA stimulated lipolysis approximately 2-fold and caused G(i) down-regulation. Although neither lactacystin nor calpeptin affected basal lipolysis, lactacystin completely inhibited both TNF alpha and PIA-stimulated lipolysis (the 50% inhibitory concentration was approximately 2 microM), whereas calpeptin had no effect. Similarly, lactacystin but not calpeptin blocked both PIA and TNF alpha-induced G(i) down-regulation. These findings provide further evidence that the chronic lipolytic effect of TNF alpha and PIA is secondary to G(i) down-regulation and suggest that the mechanism involves proteolytic degradation mediated through the proteasome pathway.
Effect of tunicamycin on hepatocytes in vitro.

Cultured rat hepatocytes exposed to tunicamycin, a substance biologically indistinguishable from the corynetoxin responsible for a toxic hepatocerebral disorder in Australian ruminant livestock, had degenerative changes characterized by marked cytoplasmic lipid accumulation and dilatation of cisternae of rough endoplasmic reticulum or necrosis. The findings, which resemble those found previously in vivo after tunicamycin administration, suggest that, after gaining ready access to liver parenchyma via leaky hepatic sinusoids, tunicamycin directly damages the hepatocytes.
Concentric Spherical Representation for Omnidirectional Soft Shadow

Soft shadows play an important role in photo‐realistic rendering. Although there are many efficient soft shadow algorithms, most of them focus on the one‐side light source situation, where a planar light source is on the outside of the scene. In fact, in many situations, such as games, light sources are omnidirectional. They may be surrounded by a number of 3D objects. This paper proposes a soft shadow algorithm for the omnidirectional situation. We develop a concentric spherical representation to model the behaviour of omnidirectional light sources. To provide better rendering results, a novel summed area table based filtering scheme for spherical functions is proposed. In addition, we utilize unicube mapping, which samples the spherical space more uniformly, to further improve the filtering quality.
Indicios Experimentales Respecto del Uso Técnicas Tradicionales de Elicitación de Requisitos de Software en Ambientes de Desarrollo Distribuidos

El proceso de desarrollo de software tiende, cada vez con un enfasis mas marcado, a ser distribuido o global, donde los participantes se encuentran dispersos geograficamente. Este escenario obliga a prestar atencion a tres aspectos identificados como distancia fisica, distancia temporal y distancia cultural. Es aceptable sostener que estas nuevas caracteristicas de alguna manera impactaran en el proceso de software, especialmente en aquellas etapas en donde hay exigencias de mayor comunicacion y colaboracion entre los miembros del equipo. Se presenta en este trabajo un experimento controlado llevado a cabo en ambitos universitarios con el cual se intenta adquirir un mejor conocimiento de la etapa de elicitacion distribuida de requisitos de software, a la vez que se analiza la utilizacion de escenarios universitarios para llevar a cabo estas validaciones.
Brain-Derived Microparticles in Patients with Severe Isolated TBI

ABSTRACT Primary Objective: to investigate the presence of circulating microparticles (MPs) of brain tissue origin in the systemic and cerebrovenous blood of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Research Design: Prospective observational study in 15 consecutive patients with severe isolated TBI. Methods and Procedures: We repeatedly measured concentrations of MPs expressing glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and aquaporin-4 (AQP4), in arterial and cerebrovenous blood at admittance to hospital and up to 72 hours after the injury. Main Outcomes and Results: Concentrations of MPs expressing GFAP and AQP4 were significantly higher in the TBI group compared with healthy controls: GFAP 2.0 [1.1–7.9] vs. 1.3 [1–2.1] × 106/mL, p < 0.001; AQP4 0.1 [0.07–0.22] vs. 0.08 [0.06–0.11] × 106/mL, p < 0.001 (median, range). No transcranial gradients were found. Levels of NSE-expressing MPs were also higher in the TBI group compared with healthy controls: 0.4 [0.25–2.1] vs. 0.26 [0.13–0.98] × 106/mL, p < 0.05; however, regarding NSE-positive non-platelet MPs, there were no differences between patients and controls. Conclusions: Patients with TBI have higher numbers of brain-derived MPs. Further studies are needed, however, to identify specific and sensitive MP markers of brain injury.
Humoral immune responses to peptides derived from the β-amyloid peptide C-terminal sequence

There is a continuing interest in the immunochemical quantification of isoforms of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) in body fluids of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, at present there is no general procedure to produce and test the required antibodies. We examined various methods to generate rabbit anti-Aβ; antibodies that are specific for Aβ38, Aβ40 and Aβ42, and we tested their specificity and sensitivity by ELISA and Western blotting. To produce high-affinity antibodies required repeated inoculations of small doses of peptide conjugates over a period of at least 6 months. Antibodies generated to peptides derived from the Aβ42 sequence showed some cross-reactivity with Aβ40, but antibodies generated to Aβ4 peptides did not cross-react with Aβ42. The shortest peptide capable of generating antibodies of moderate affinity possessed the sequence Met35-Ala42; however, antibodies raised to the peptide Gly33-Ala42 possessed the greatest affinity (KD = 1 nM) and specificity for Aβ42. The latter antibodies were over 50,000-fold more reactive with Aβ42 than with Aβ40. They can detect Aβ isoforms in extracts of normal brain, where the peptides are present at levels below one part per billion. Our results provide methods to generate and characterize the specificity and affinity of anti-Aβ antibodies. This information is necessary to develop sensitive and specific immunoassays to quantify Aβ isoforms in brain extracts and in body fluids.
Heat treatment of human milk.

JPGN Volume 54, N G rowing scientific evidence indicates the benefits of human milk for appropriate growth and development of a newborn infant: the particular nutrient composition, hormonal and enzymatic components, and anti-infective and growth factors of human milk make it a unique and inimitable nutrient. There is no doubt that human milk is the best nutrient for term infants; emerging evidence in the last several decades also has confirmed substantial benefits of the use of human milk for preterm infants. That is why human milk also is the recommended food for preterm infants (1). Mother’s milk is the first choice for all neonates, including preterm infants, and when it is not available or not sufficient, donor human milk is a valid alternative. Abundant information exists comparing the effects of human milk with formula on clinical outcomes, but until recently the evidence focusing specifically on pasteurized donor human milk has been limited. Recent evidence documents clinical benefits in several important areas (2). The main benefit deriving from the use of donor human milk (vs formula) is the reduction of necrotizing enterocolitis incidence as indicated in 3 recent meta-analyses (3–5). Other proven clinical benefits specifically attributed to the use of donor milk are enhanced feeding tolerance, reduced incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and improvement of long-term outcomes in premature infants (2,6). Long-term follow-up of randomized clinical trials conducted in the United Kingdom in the 1980s showed that adolescents born preterm and randomly assigned to donor human milk, as the sole diet or in addition to their mothers’ milk, had a less atherogenic lipoprotein profile, lower diastolic arterial blood pressure, and lower risk of insulin resistance at 13 to 16 years of age than those assigned to formula (7–9). Culture-dependent and -independent analyses of human milk have revealed that this biological fluid is a source of live bifidobacteria, staphylococci, streptococci, lactic acid bacteria, and enterobacteria for the infant gut (10–14). Some of these bacterial strains transferred to the infant gut through breastPasteurization’’ by Gómez de Segura et al on page 197.
Communicating with individuals receiving home mechanical ventilation: the experiences of key communication partners

Abstract Purpose: The aim of the study was to explore the communication experiences of key communications partners (CPs) of individuals receiving home mechanical ventilation (HMV), with particular emphasis on the possibilities, difficulties and limitations CPs experienced in communication, possible support given to facilitate communication and exploring what made a skilled communicator. Method: A qualitative research design using interviews was used. The participants included 19 key CPs of individuals receiving HMV. Results: The analysis resulted in five themes: Encountering communication limitations, Functional communication strategies, Being a communication facilitator, Role insecurity and Emotional reactions and coping. The findings revealed that CPs needed to develop partly new reference frames for communication. In particular, participants emphasised the need to understand and interpret subtle details in the communicative interaction. Conclusions: The findings are discussed in the light of previous research, in particular an earlier study exploring another perspective; the ventilator-supported individuals’ experiences of communication. Issues relating to the educational needs of CPs of individuals receiving HMV are discussed. The results are intended to enhance understanding of the challenges that individuals receiving HMV and their CPs face with communication, which should be of relevance not only to speech therapists, but for all healthcare practitioners in the field of HMV. Implications for Rehabilitation Individuals receiving home mechanical ventilation (HMV) as well as their communication partners (CPs) face many challenges with communication. Skilled CPs adopt a variety of communication strategies and roles to support the communication of individuals receiving HMV and to enhance empowerment. It is important to promote care continuity, as experience is an important factor in being a skilled communicator. Speech therapists should play an active role in the management of individuals receiving HMV and their CP training.
Soft Tissue Infection Caused by a Novel Pigmented, Rapidly Growing Mycobacterium Species

ABSTRACT Molecular techniques are playing an important role in the diagnosis of nontuberculous mycobacterial infections. This case report describes a chronic soft tissue infection in an immunocompetent patient caused by a previously undescribed pigmented, rapidly growing Mycobacterium species, emphasizing the importance of clinical suspicion and effective laboratory techniques in the diagnosis and treatment of infection.
On-chip 500μA dual-chain Dickson charge pump optimized for NMOS LDO supply

The proposed circuit is a dual-chain Dickson type charge pump making use of both active and passive charge transfer switches in order to achieve a compromise between power efficiency, circuit complexity and device reliability. The charge pump is capable of sourcing up to 500μA at 10V output voltage for supplying the error amplifiers of two NMOS Low Drop Out (LDO) linear regulators as part of a high integration automotive IC.
3 D PANORAMA RECONSTRUCTION BASED ON SUBMAP JOINING

We present a new approach for constructing the 3D panorama for an indoor environment by joining together aligned submaps. For each submap, the trajectory of the moving camera is estimated based on the Kanade-LucasTomasi (KLT) features. Our method can update the feature set status by adding new features and removing expiring ones adaptively to accommodate scene changes. The accuracy of the estimated poses is further improved through sparse bundle adjustment. Furthermore, we utilize a linear optimization framework to align all submaps to obtain a consistently extended 3D panorama and to refine the visual odometry at the same time. We evaluated our approach on publicly available benchmark datasets. The experiments demonstrate that the proposed method achieves low translational drift and is robust even when the camera moves very fast.
Selective Anesthesia-induced Neuroinflammation in Developing Mouse Brain and Cognitive Impairment

Background:Recent population studies have suggested that children with multiple exposures to anesthesia and surgery at an early age are at an increased risk of cognitive impairment. The authors therefore have established an animal model with single versus multiple exposures of anesthetic(s) in young versus adult mice, aiming to distinguish the role of different types of anesthesia in cognitive impairment. Methods:Six- and 60-day-old mice were exposed to various anesthesia regimens. The authors then determined the effects of the anesthesia on learning and memory function, levels of proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-&agr; in brain tissues, and the amount of ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1–positive cells, the marker of microglia activation, in the hippocampus. Results:In this article, the authors show that anesthesia with 3% sevoflurane for 2 h daily for 3 days induced cognitive impairment and neuroinflammation (e.g., increased interleukin-6 levels, 151 ± 2.3% [mean ± SD] vs. 100 ± 9.0%, P = 0.035, n = 6) in young but not in adult mice. Anesthesia with 3% sevoflurane for 2 h daily for 1 day and 9% desflurane for 2 h daily for 3 days induced neither cognitive impairment nor neuroinflammation. Finally, an enriched environment and antiinflammatory treatment (ketorolac) ameliorated the sevoflurane-induced cognitive impairment. Conclusions:Anesthesia-induced cognitive impairment may depend on developmental stage, anesthetic agent, and number of exposures. These findings also suggest the cellular basis and the potential prevention and treatment strategies for anesthesia-induced cognitive impairment, which may ultimately lead to safer anesthesia care and better postoperative outcomes for children.
Voluntary Eye Movement Patterns while Viewing Müller-Lyer Illusion - A New Screening Method for Scotoma Patients

Diabetic maculopathy and especially advanced glaucoma are the most common eye diseases involving scotomas, blind spots in the visual field. The risk of having scotomas increases significantly with age and over 60 million people worldwide suffer from different forms of glaucoma of whom at least are half are not aware of the eye disease. One of the most common scotoma diagnosis tests is perimetry, a visual field test, which produces a complete map of the visual field, but may not be suitable for large screening of population. We are aiming to develop a new portable screening device for cost effective screening of eye diseases. We studied voluntary eye movement patterns evoked by Myller-Lyer illusion figure. Our study material included six scotoma patients (two with Maculopahia Diabetica, and four with Glaucoma simplex) and six control subjects. We recorded eye movement patterns with a portable Tobii T120 eye-tracker system on which a Müller-Lyer figure was projected. As a result, the variation of the y-component of the eye movement trajectory indicates that the scotoma subjects had more vertical variation in their eye movement pattern than the control subjects (P< .01). The preliminary experiment suggests that further prospective studies using our method of analyzing eye movement patterns is warranted with larger sampale sizes and different types and stages of defects.
A 30–60GHz CMOS sub-harmonic IQ de/modulator for high data-rate communication system applications

A 30–60 GHz sub-harmonic IQ de/modulator using TSMC CMOS 0.13-μm process is presented in this paper. The IQ de/modulator consists of two FET resistive mixers, a 90° coupler, and a Wilkinson power divider. The resistive mixer could simultaneously used as a up-converted or a down-converted mixer. Therefore, the measurement of the FET resistive mixer based modulator or demodulator will be done. The die size is 0.78 mm × 0.58 mm. Both IQ demodulator and modulator feature the conversion loss of −16±1 dB and good demodulation and modulation capacity.
Clustered metabolic risk and leisure-time physical activity in adolescents: effect of dose?

Objectives The authors studied the association of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) with clustered and individual metabolic risk factors in adolescents taking into account diet and pubertal status. The authors also studied whether screen time was associated with clustered risk. Methods Self-reported LTPA and screen time, lipids, lipoproteins, apolipoproteins, high-sensitivity C reactive protein, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), pubertal status and diet were assessed in 13-year-old adolescents (n=542) participating in an atherosclerosis prevention study (Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project for Children). Activity groups were formed according to sex-specific LTPA index tertile cut-off points. BMI, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides and blood pressure comprised the cluster. Results An increase in LTPA was associated with a decreased risk for clustered metabolic risk in girls. When sedentary and highly active adolescents were compared, an increase in LTPA decreased clustering of risk factors in boys as well. Little extra benefit on clustered risk was obtained by increasing LTPA from 30 MET h/week (eg, 4–5 h/week bicycling or playing soccer) to 50 MET h/week (eg, 7–8 h/week bicycling or playing soccer). LTPA was beneficially associated with BMI, HDL-C, systolic blood pressure and HDL-C/total cholesterol in girls and HDL-C in boys. Diet and pubertal status were similar in all activity groups. In girls, screen time >2 h/day was associated with an increased risk for clustered risk, independent of LTPA. Conclusion Sedentary adolescents had an increased risk for clustered metabolic risk compared with physically more active peers. Only minor extra benefit was obtained when LTPA increased over 30 MET h/week. Focus in the prevention of clustered risk should especially be on avoiding sedentary lifestyle.
Anthropometric characteristics of X‐linked hypophosphatemia

An anthropometric study was undertaken to assess head proportions of patients with X‐linked hypophosphatemia (XLH). Fourteen morphometric parameters of the head were measured and 10 cephalic indices calculated in 82 affected persons (57 females and 25 males) from 55 unrelated families with XLH, and compared with the results obtained in the group of their healthy relatives (37 females and 33 males), as well as with general population control values. Normalized values (SD, z‐score) were analyzed statistically. The group of healthy relatives, both males and females, differed significantly from Polish population control values in most of the normalized variables measured, making population control values useless as a control group for the analyzed XLH group. Intrafamilial values of cephalic parameters in healthy relatives of the XLH patients were finally applied for statistical analysis. Generally patients with XLH showed highly statistically significant increase in head length (males 0.95 ± 1.07 vs. −0.37 ± 1.02, females 0.57 ± 1.59 vs. −0.06 ± 1.15), significant decrease in occipital breadth (males −0.56 ± 1.27 vs. 0.70 ± 1.28, females −0.59 ± 1.7 vs. 0.13 ± 1.1) and several milder anomalies of craniofacial proportions. Mean cephalic index was significantly lower in XLH patients when compared with the healthy relatives (males −0.909 vs. 0.278 P < 0.0001, females −0.705 vs. 0.381 P = 0.007). The cephalic changes were found both in XLH children and XLH adults and were more pronounced in affected males than in females. There were no differences between offspring born by hypophosphatemic and normophosphatemic mothers. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Zum Informationshandeln von Patienten und zur Rolle des Internets im Krankheitsfall Empirische Befunde aus einer Befragung von Akromegalie-Patienten

Diese Studie auf dem Feld der Medizinund Gesundheitskommunikation (Health Communication) befasst sich mit dem Informationsund Kommunikationshandeln von Menschen, die an einer schweren Krankheit leiden, sowie insbesondere mit der Rolle, die dabei das Internet spielt. Den theoretischen Rahmen bildet ein Modell des situativen Informationshandelns. Die empirische Studie wurde in Zusammenarbeit zwischen Kommunikationswissenschaftlern und Medizinern an der Universität Hamburg durchgeführt. Befragt wurden 38 Patienten, die wegen einer seltenen, schwerwiegenden Erkrankung (Akromegalie) behandelt worden waren. Die Befunde zeigen, dass eine deutliche Mehrheit der befragten Patienten (68 Prozent), nachdem ihre Krankheit diagnostiziert wurde, ihr Informationsverhalten intensivierten. Diesem Muster folgen jedoch nicht die älteren bzw. weniger gebildeten Patienten. Die meisten der ‚Informations-Aktiven‘ Patienten nutzen neben herkömmlichen Medien das Internet. Zentrale Informationsinstanz bleiben die Ärzte. Deren Diagnosen und Therapievorschläge werden jedoch von den meisten Patienten durch eigenständige Informationssuche ergänzt, bei der sie oft unterstützt oder sogar angeleitet werden von Angehörigen und Freunden. So erfolgen Orientierungen und notwendige Entscheidungen im Verlauf dieser schweren Erkrankung in einem komplexen und mehrstufigen Netzwerk interpersonaler Kommunikation zwischen Patienten, ihren Familien, ihren Freunden und den Ärzten.