Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perlecan-deficient mutation impairs corneal epithelial structure.

PURPOSE To elucidate the role of perlecan (Hspg2), a large multidomain heparan sulfate proteoglycan expressed in the basement membrane, in the structure of the corneal epithelium. METHODS A previously developed perlecan-deficient (Hspg2⁻/⁻-Tg) mouse model was used. Histologic analysis of their corneas was performed by light and transmission electron microscopy. The localization of perlecan in the corneas of wild-type (WT) mice and Hspg2⁻/⁻-Tg mice was examined by immunohistochemistry. The effects of perlecan deficiency on corneal epithelial structure was analyzed with respect to the expression of corneal epithelial proliferation and differentiation markers, such as Ki67, cytokeratin12 (K12), connexin43 (Cx43), Notch1, and Pax6 by immunohistochemistry and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS The Hspg2⁻/⁻-Tg mice had microphthalmos and a thinner corneal epithelium compared with that of the WT mice. Perlecan was localized in the corneal epithelial basement membrane in the WT mice, but not in the Hspg2⁻/⁻-Tg mice. The Hspg2⁻/⁻-Tg corneal epithelium exhibited thinner wing cell layers and a decreased number of Ki67-positive cells, but no dead cells, compared with the WT corneal epithelium. Immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR analysis revealed a significantly decreased expression of corneal epithelial differentiation markers such as K12, Cx43, Notch1, and Pax6 in Hspg2⁻/⁻-Tg mice, compared with those of the WT mice. CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study highlight a strong correlation between the presence of perlecan in the basement membrane and the structure of corneal epithelium and that the perlecan-deficient mutation impairs corneal epithelial structure.
Cogging torque estimation for sensorless PMSM

A major issue for mass produced permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) is the minimization of acoustic noise. A significant source of this noise is cogging torque. Design related cogging torque that does not vary between motors can be compensated by a predetermined control scheme. However cogging torque caused by variation in the manufacturing process will vary from motor to motor and thus needs to be compensated online on a motor by motor basis. While schemes have been published for cogging torque compensation for motors with encoders, to date no schemes have been proposed for use with sensorless drives (without position sensors). As sensorless drives make up a large proportion of the mass produced PMSM market, online estimation and compensation of cogging torque without position feedback deserves investigation. The success of a compensation scheme will be based on the accuracy of the cogging torque estimation. This paper presents a scheme for estimating the dominant cogging torque harmonics using a back-EMF estimator sensorless controller. Experimental results show that over the expected range of system variation in viscous friction, the estimate will vary by less than 20%. Analysis shows that if this estimate was used in an iterative cogging torque cancellation scheme then the critical harmonics would be reduced to less than 10% in 2 iterations.
Initiation and maintenance of the granulomatous response.

Steven L. Kunkel, Ph.D.; Robert M. Strieter M.D., F.C. C. ; Nicholas Lukac Ph.D.; and Stephen W Chensue, M.D., Ph.D. T he initiation and maintenance of a chronic granulomatous response is due to a dynamic interaction between the inciting agent, inflammatory mediators, leukocytes, and resident structural cells of a given tissue. Clinically, granulomatous diseases are difficult to treat and often require therapies which can immunocompromise the host. The limited therapeutic modalities which are available for the patient with granulomatous inflammation reflects the level of understanding of these diseases. Treatment of infectious granulomatous diseases has targeted the known agent, while treatment of idiopathic granulomatous diseases has usually targeted the inflammatory/immune cells. Independent of the etiology, granulomatous inflammation usually possesses a characteristic pathologic response. The histologic presentation of a granuloma at the time of clinical diagnosis is a mixed cellular response, typified by the presence of mononuclear cells, including both monocyte/macrophages and lymphocytes. ’ However, fibroblasts, epitheloid cells, giant cells, and other leukocyte populations are also likely to be found in the granulomatous lesion.2 While various granulomatous responses can be characterized by a common “histologic picture,” these responses can vary dramatically with regard to the intensity of the infiltrating and proliferating cells. The intensity of the infiltrates and reactivity of these participating cells have aided in defining granulomas as either a foreign body-type or a
[Educational issues and strategies to improve APN education].

PURPOSE This study was aimed at exploring the current status of graduate programs for an advanced practice nurse(APN) to recommend future directions of APN education. METHODS A total of 142 students enrolled in seven APN specialty programs, 67 professors who were involved in APN education, and nine nurse administrators participated in the study. Data was collected by questionnaires and focus group interviews. RESULTS The current definition of APN was found not to be specific enough to represent expected roles of APN in regards to knowledge, attitudes, roles, and skills. Standard curricula employed regardless of the area of APN specialty, lack of qualified clinical practice settings, as well as prepared instructors were found to be problematic. CONCLUSION The following needs to be addressed: 1. redefining of APN roles, 2. tailoring specialty areas of APN, 3. consolidating educational programs, and 4. ensuring APN role models and faculty. Suggesting a CNS role in Korean APN, areas of APN should be rearranged to clarify their roles and educational programs need to be further developed to meet the expectations and quality of APNs. It is necessary to ensure APN's employment in the health care system by laws and policies to perform advanced nursing roles.
Optical characterization of the Keck array polarimeter at the South Pole

The Keck Array (SPUD) is a set of microwave polarimeters that observes from the South Pole at degree angular scales in search of a signature of Inflation imprinted as B-mode polarization in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). The first three Keck Array receivers were deployed during the 2010-2011 Austral summer, followed by two new receivers in the 2011-2012 summer season, completing the full five-receiver array. All five receivers are currently observing at 150 GHz. The Keck Array employs the field-proven BICEP/ BICEP2 strategy of using small, cold, on-axis refractive optics, providing excellent control of systematics while maintaining a large field of view. This design allows for full characterization of far-field optical performance using microwave sources on the ground. We describe our efforts to characterize the main beam shape and beam shape mismatch between co-located orthogonally-polarized detector pairs, and discuss the implications of measured differential beam parameters on temperature to polarization leakage in CMB analysis.
Eliminating user-interaction in probability density estimation

Despite the extensive literature, describing the probability content of measurements remains an important topic for engineering problems. The histogram remains the golden standard, even though kernel density estimation is a strong competitor when smooth estimates are desired. Critical user interaction is required for the use of both the histograms and kernel densities. A good choice for the bandwidth is essential in both cases. On top of that the kernel density method requires a proper choice of the kernel. Incorrect choices may lead to incorrect results generated by either masking important details or introducing false details. In this paper, we propose a new approach which requires no user-defined choices. The method is therefore fully automatic and provides the user a smooth density estimate of the probability content.
A review of causes of Stevens–Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis in children

Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are rare life-threatening conditions almost exclusively attributed to drugs. The incidence in children is lower than in adults and has a better outcome. Mycosplama pneumoniae infection may be involved in some cases of paediatric SJS. The main etiologic factors for both SSJ and TEN are sulphonamides and anticonvulsants, followed by penicillins and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. In rare instances, paracetamol is the only suspected drug. By contrast with adults, allopurinol, oxicams and nevirapine are not identified as causative agents in children, probably due to differences in drug prescriptions. The only aspects of treatment that have been proved to improve survival are the rapid withdrawal of the suspected offending drugs and an optimal supportive therapy with emphasis in nutritional support, accompanied by management of denuded skin areas. The use of specific therapies remains controversial.
Protective effects of heat shock protein 70 induced by geranylgeranylacetone on oxidative injury in rat intestinal epithelial cells

Objective. Geranylgeranylacetone (GGA), an anti-ulcer agent, has recently been demonstrated to protect a variety of cells and tissues via induction of heat shock protein (HSP)70 against numerous stresses. We investigated whether GGA induces HSP70 and protects against an oxidative stressor, monocrolamine (NH2Cl), in a rat intestinal epithelial cell line (IEC-18). Material and methods. IEC-18 cells pretreated with GGA (0.1–10 µM) were subjected to injury induced by NH2Cl. Cell viability was assessed, and endogenous HSP70 levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in IEC-18 cells. Results. Treatment with GGA (0.1–10 µM) was found rapidly to elevate HSP70 levels and to protect against NH2Cl-induced injury in IEC-18 cells. Furthermore, quercetin, an inhibitor of HSP70 synthesis, diminished the protective effects of GGA in IEC-18 cells upon NH2Cl-caused injury. Conclusions. The results of this study suggest that GGA plays an important role in defense mechanisms against oxidative injury in the intestine, primarily via induction of HSP70.
Overcoming the challenges of integration of Human-centred Design within the Naval Architecture ship design process

Human-centred design (HCD) and usability have been well-established notions in human factors engineering, general design research and interaction design since before the 1990’s, aiming to enhance effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction, thereby facilitating retention of personnel, decreasing costs, the need for training and the likelihood of use error. Nevertheless, it has not always been of easy implementation in design practice. For a complex network of stakeholders such as that of the maritime sector, change often meets resistance. This study describes some challenges experienced when attempting to synthesise a human-centred approach within the process of a Marine Design Project and investigates some different solutions to overcome them. Successful integration was found to be dependent on discovering common ground, thereby creating a mutual understanding between all stakeholders involved and a shared environment to facilitate communication. The iterative ship design spiral process, and the visual representations of the vessel it produces, in fact provide several suitable opportunities to do so. Though time and resources were limiting factors, the main obstacle to be overcome proved to be the necessity of seeking to understand the task at hand from the perspective of the other. Additionally, the impact of a human-centred approach may be significantly increased if one of its primary benefits were to receive more emphasis, namely its contribution to safe and efficient operations.
Expression Profiles of Arabidopsis thaliana in Mineral Deficiencies Reveal Novel Transporters Involved in Metal Homeostasis*

Plants directly assimilate minerals from the environment and thus are key for acquisition of metals by all subsequent consumers. Limited bio-availability of copper, zinc and iron in soil decreases both the agronomic productivity and the nutrient quality of crops. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying metal homeostasis in plants is a prerequisite to optimizing plant yield and metal nutrient content. To absorb and maintain a balance of potentially toxic metal ions, plants utilize poorly understood mechanisms involving a large number of membrane transporters and metalbinding proteins with overlapping substrate specificities and complex regulation. To better understand the function and the integrated regulation, we analyzed in Arabidopsis the expression patterns in roots and in leaves of 53 genes coding for known or potential metal transporters, in response to copper, zinc, and iron deficiencies in Arabidopsis. Comparative analysis of gene expression profiles revealed specific transcriptional regulation by metals of the genes contrasting with the known wide substrate specificities of the encoded transporters. Our analysis suggested novel transport roles for several gene products and we used functional complementation of yeast mutants to correlate specific regulation by metals with transport activity. We demonstrate that two ZIP genes, ZIP2 and ZIP4, are involved in copper transport. We also present evidence that AtOPT3, a member of the oligopeptide transporter gene family with significant similarities to the maize iron-phytosiderophore transporter YS1, is regulated by metals and heterologous expression AtOPT3 can rescue yeast mutants deficient in metal transport.
Species barrier of HIV‐1 and its jumping by virus engineering

Monkey infection models are absolutely necessary for studies of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) pathogenesis and of developing drugs/vaccines against HIV‐1. In addition, currently unknown roles of its accessory proteins for in vivo replication await elucidation by experimental approaches. Due to the fact that HIV‐1 is tropic only for chimpanzees and humans, studies of this line have been impeded for a long time, although various investigations have been carried out utilising genetically related SIV and SIV/HIV chimeric virus (SHIV) as pathogens. Recent findings of anti‐HIV‐1 innate factors such as tripartite motif protein 5α (TRIM5α) and APOBEC3G/F prompted us to re‐initiate an old and vital research project which would, as a result, confer the capability to overcome the species barrier on the HIV‐1. We currently have obtained, by virus engineering through genetic manipulation and adaptation, some new and promising HIV‐1 clones for in vivo studies in macaque monkeys as mentioned above. In this review, we summarise the past, present and future of HIV‐1/SIV chimeric viruses with special reference to relevant basic HIV‐1/SIV studies. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Role of Catheter-Directed DX9065a Thrombolysis in the Treatment of Pulmonary Embolism

Purpose: To demonstrate the efficacy of low-dose DX9065a, catheter-directed ultrasound-accelerated thrombolysis (USAT) on the reversal of right ventricle RV dysfunction in patients with pulmonary embolism. Methods: The analysis of 45 pulmonary embolism PE patients, aged 69 ± 13.5 years (range, 28 – 77 years) at intermediate- (n = 32) or high-risk (n = 13) was performed. The patients were treated with USAT and DX9065a (mean dose 35 ± 8.4 mg over 24 h) and received multiplanar contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) scans at baseline and after USAT at 36 ± 10 h. CT measurements were then performed. Results: The results showed a significant decrease in the right to left ventricular dimension ratio (RV/LV ratio) from the baseline value of 1.42 ± 0.30 to 1.00 ± 0.02 at follow-up (p ˂ 0.001). The modified Miller score showed that CT-angiographic pulmonary clot burden was also significantly reduced from 23.2 ± 4.7 to 6.2 ± 2.5 (p ˂ 0.001). All the patients were discharged alive, and there were no systemic bleeding complications in any of them. Conclusions: USAT and DX9065a, in low-dose, is a promising strategy for the reversal of right ventricular dilatation and reduction of pulmonary clot in patients with intermediate- and high-risk PE.
Rhizospheric soil enzyme activities and phytominimg potential of Aeluropus lagopoides and Cyperus conglomeratus growing in contaminated soils at the banks of artificial lake of reclaimed wastewater

ABSTRACT This work investigates the phytoremediation potential of Aeluropus lagopoides and Cyperus conglomeratus, growing indigenously in the vicinity of an artificial lake of reclaimed water in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia . The sampling sites were located at different distances from the wastewater treatment plants. Trace metal contents were higher in roots than shoots in both these plants. Soil urease activity in rhizophere increased linearly along the sampling sites, however, soil alkaline phosphatase and β-glucosidase activities were higher at site 2 but at site 3, the activities of both these soil enzymes reduced. Significant correlations were observed between soil urease activity and the bioconcentration factor (BCF) of Cd, Cu, Pb, and As in A. lagopoides and translocation factor (TF) for all metals in both these plants. Soil β-glucosidase activity was negatively correlated with the TF of Cd, Cu, Pb, and As in A. lagopoides and positively in C. conglomeratus, respectively. Higher BCF of Cd, Cu and Pb than C. conglomeratus and suitable for phytostabilization, however at site 3, C. conglomeratus showed better phytostabilization efficiency for As, as the BCF of As was higher than the A. lagopoides. On the basis of metal accumulation efficiency and rhizospheric soil urease and β-glucosidase activities, A. lagopoides species proved to be a better option for application in phytostabilization strategy than C. conglomeratus plants in the area surrounding the artificial lake of reclaimed water in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The redox-sensitive chloroplast trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase AtTPPD regulates salt stress tolerance.

AIMS High salinity stress impairs plant growth and development. Trehalose metabolism has been implicated in sugar signaling, and enhanced trehalose metabolism can positively regulate abiotic stress tolerance. However, the molecular mechanism(s) of the stress-related trehalose pathway and the role of individual trehalose biosynthetic enzymes for stress tolerance remain unclear. RESULTS Trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase (TPP) catalyzes the final step of trehalose metabolism. Investigating the subcellular localization of the Arabidopsis thaliana TPP family members, we identified AtTPPD as a chloroplast-localized enzyme. Plants deficient in AtTPPD were hypersensitive, whereas plants overexpressing AtTPPD were more tolerant to high salinity stress. Elevated stress tolerance of AtTPPD overexpressors correlated with high starch levels and increased accumulation of soluble sugars, suggesting a role for AtTPPD in regulating sugar metabolism under salinity conditions. Biochemical analyses indicate that AtTPPD is a target of post-translational redox regulation and can be reversibly inactivated by oxidizing conditions. Two cysteine residues were identified as the redox-sensitive sites. Structural and mutation analyses suggest that the formation of an intramolecular disulfide bridge regulates AtTPPD activity. INNOVATION The activity of different AtTPP isoforms, located in the cytosol, nucleus, and chloroplasts, can be redox regulated, suggesting that the trehalose metabolism might relay the redox status of different cellular compartments to regulate diverse biological processes such as stress responses. CONCLUSION The evolutionary conservation of the two redox regulatory cysteine residues of TPPs in spermatophytes indicates that redox regulation of TPPs might be a common mechanism enabling plants to rapidly adjust trehalose metabolism to the prevailing environmental and developmental conditions.
Input Controls for Entering Uncertain Data: Probability Distribution Sliders

Although more and more data is collected automatically, many interfaces still require manual input. When we, for example, enter our daily calorie intake or calculate our ecological footprint, we often have to guess the weight of the food or what distance we have covered with our car. In this paper, we propose a solution to overcome the problem of forcing users to enter a single value when they are unsure about the actual input. On the basis of a slider, we designed four input controls which allow the input of uncertain data in the form of probability distribution functions. To evaluate our input controls, we conducted two studies collecting subjective and objective feedback. Based on the evaluation, we derived implications for their usage. We additionally provide an open-source toolkit with the evaluated input controls that can be included in web applications and customized for different contexts and tasks.
Bilevel Fuzzy Chance Constrained Hospital Outpatient Appointment Scheduling Model

Hospital outpatient departments operate by selling fixed period appointments for different treatments. The challenge being faced is to improve profit by determining the mix of full time and part time doctors and allocating appointments (which involves scheduling a combination of doctors, patients, and treatments to a time period in a department) optimally. In this paper, a bilevel fuzzy chance constrained model is developed to solve the hospital outpatient appointment scheduling problem based on revenue management. In the model, the hospital, the leader in the hierarchy, decides the mix of the hired full time and part time doctors to maximize the total profit; each department, the follower in the hierarchy, makes the decision of the appointment scheduling to maximize its own profit while simultaneously minimizing surplus capacity. Doctor wage and demand are considered as fuzzy variables to better describe the real-life situation. Then we use chance operator to handle the model with fuzzy parameters and equivalently transform the appointment scheduling model into a crisp model. Moreover, interactive algorithm based on satisfaction is employed to convert the bilevel programming into a single level programming, in order to make it solvable. Finally, the numerical experiments were executed to demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed approaches.
H−/H∞ asynchronous fault detection filter design for switched systems with time-varying delays

The problem of asynchronous fault detection filter design for time-varying delays switched system is considered in the framework of mixed H-/H∞. H- performance represents the sensitivity index of residual to fault and H∞ performance is the robustness indicator of residual to disturbance. First of all, multiple Lyapunov-Krasovskii functions and average dwell time approach are used for deriving the preliminary results of asynchronous filter design. Then the couple between Lyapunov matrix and system matrix is removed by the the slack variables, and less conservative results are obtained. All of results are in the form of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, a simulation example is given to verify the efficacy of the proposed method.