Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Medical applications of shape memory polymers

Shape memory polymers (SMP) are lightweight, have a high strain/shape recovery ability, are easy to process, and required properties can be tailored for variety of applications. Recently a number of medical applications have been considered and investigated, especially for polyurethane-based SMP. SMP materials were found to be biocompatible, non-toxic and non-mutagenic. The glass transition temperature (Tg) can be tailored for shape restoration/self-deployment of clinical devices when inserted in the human body. Newly developed SMP foams, together with cold hibernated elastic memory (CHEM) processing, further broaden their potential biomedical applications. Polyurethane-based SMP are described here and major advantages are identified over other medical materials. Some SMP applications are already used in a clinical setting, whereas others are still in development. Lately, several important applications are being considered for CHEM foams as self-deployable vascular and coronary devices. One example is the endovascular treatment of aneurysms.
Drug combinations for treatment of mice infected with acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus

The purpose of this study was to determine whether acyclovir resistance in mice infected with herpes simplex virus could be overcome by using high doses of acyclovir or vidarabine alone or by using a combination of the two drugs. The results indicate that the mice infected intracerebrally were refractory to acyclovir alone but responded to vidarabine or a combination of vidarabine and acyclovir. These observations have major implications for the clinical management of severe herpetic infections, particularly if attempts are to be made to devise means of circumventing drug resistance.
of the 23 rd Annual EMBS International Conference , October 25-28 , Istanbul , Turkey RADIAL ARTERY PULSE CHANGE DURING COLD PRESSOR TEST

Applying cold pressor test (CPT) we see consistent change in the waveform of the radial artely pulses whose shapes are classified into three types according to the peaks and valleys. The second peak is raised during CPT and returns to the original state afler finishing immersion. The increase in the second peak is due to the reflected wave. Key words-radial artery, waveform, cold pressor test
Virus-Based MicroRNA Expression for Gene Functional Analysis in Plants1[W][OA]

Traditional virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a powerful virus-based short interfering RNA-mediated RNA silencing technique for plant functional genomics. Besides short interfering RNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs) have also been shown to regulate gene expression by RNA silencing in various organisms. However, plant virus-based miRNA silencing has not been reported. In addition, a number of plant miRNAs have been identified or predicted, while their functions are largely unknown. Thus, there is an urgent need for the development of new technologies to study miRNA function. Here, we report that a modified cabbage leaf-curl geminivirus vector can be used to express artificial and endogenous miRNAs in plants. Using this viral miRNA expression system, we demonstrate that VIGS using artificial miRNAs, dubbed as “MIR VIGS,” was effective to silence the expression of endogenous genes, including PDS, Su, CLA1, and SGT1, in Nicotiana benthamiana. Silencing of SGT1 led to the loss of N-mediated resistance to Tobacco mosaic virus. Furthermore, using this viral miRNA expression system, we found that viral ectopic expression of endogenous miR156 and miR165 but not their mutants in N. benthamiana resulted in earlier abnormal developmental phenotypes, and expression of miR165 induced abnormal chlorotic spots on leaves. These results demonstrate that the cabbage leaf-curl geminivirus-based miRNA expression system can be utilized not only to specifically silence genes involved in general metabolism and defense but also to investigate the function of endogenous miRNAs in plants.
Significance of parathyroid hormone‐related protein as a factor stimulating bone resorption and causing hypercalcemia in myeloma

Elevated levels of parathyroid hormone‐related protein (PTHrP) in hypercalcemic myeloma patients were demonstrated in recent reports, suggesting that PTHrP behaves as a humoral mediator of hypercalcemia in myeloma. Herein we describe a hypercalcemic myeloma patient with a high serum PTHrP level. Moreover, the PTHrP level in the supernatant of bone marrow aspirates was about two‐fold of that in serum. Reverve transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction analysis showed PTHrP m‐RNA in bone marrow containing myeloma cells. After chemotherapy, the concentrations of calcium and PTHrP decreased and PTHrP mRNA in bone marrow became undetectable. We conclude that PTHrP released by myeloma cells acted as the main bone resorption stimulating factor in this case. Am. J. Hematol. 59:168–170, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A novel current angle control scheme in a current source inverter fed surface-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor drive

This paper describes a novel speed control scheme to operate a current source inverter (CSI) driven surface-mounted permanent magnet synchronous machine (SPMSM) for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) applications. The idea is to use the angle of the current vector to regulate the rotor speed while keeping the two dc-dc converter power switches on all the time to boost system efficiency. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme was verified with a 3 kW CSI-SPMSM drive prototype.
CytoModeler: a tool for bridging large-scale network analysis and dynamic quantitative modeling

Summary: CytoModeler is an open-source Java application based on the Cytoscape platform. It integrates large-scale network analysis and quantitative modeling by combining omics analysis on the Cytoscape platform, access to deterministic and stochastic simulators, and static and dynamic network context visualizations of simulation results. Availability: Implemented in Java, CytoModeler runs with Cytoscape 2.6 and 2.7. Binaries, documentation and video walkthroughs are freely available at http://vrac.iastate.edu/~jlv/cytomodeler/. Contact: julied@iastate.edu; netscape@iastate.edu Supplementary Information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Ein neues Konzept für die Trajektoriengenerierung und -stabilisierung in zeitkritischen Verkehrsszenarien

Durch den Einsatz autonomer Fahrzeuge kann der Strasenverkehr effizienter, komfortabler und vor allem sicherer gestaltet werden. Neben der hierfur erforderlichen Umfeldwahrnehmung stellen besonders die Bewegungsplanung und -ausfuhrung zeitkritischer Fahrmanover zur Beherrschung von dynamischen Verkehrsszenarien eine grose Herausforderung dar. Herkommliche Verfahren, die trotz trickreicher Modifikationen dieser nicht gewachsen sind, werden konsequent durch trajektorienbasierte Konzepte ersetzt.
The differential effects of hope and fear on information processing in intractable conflict

Emotional barriers have been found to play a critical role in forming attitudes and behaviors in conflict and peace-making. A major effect of such affective barriers is cognitive freezing, which reduces openness to new information and opportunities to conflict resolution. In the current research, we examined the hypothesis that hope and fear have opposite effects on information processing in such contexts. A time-lagged correlational study with 222 Israeli-Jews was conducted using a new computerized information processing simulator. Results revealed that when faced with an opportunity for peace, long-term hope was associated with acquiring information in favor of accepting the opportunity, whereas fear was associated with acquiring information that was biased towards rejecting the opportunity. Results also showed that both emotions were not associated with the amount of information gathered by participants. Findings have both theoretical and practical implications regarding the differential roles of hope and fear in identifying opportunities for, and promoting, conflict resolution.
Ultra-lift Luo-converter

Voltage-lift (VL) technique has been successfully applied in the design of power DC/DC converters. Good examples are the three series Luo-converters. Using VL technique can obtain high voltage transfer gain. Super-lift (SL) technique has been paid much attention since it yields high voltage transfer gain. This paper introduces the ultra-lift Luo-converter to be the novel approach of the new technology - ultra-lift (UL) technique, which produces even higher voltage transfer gain. Our analysis and calculation illustrated the advanced characteristics of this converter.
Reproductive performance in relation to uterine and embryonic traits during early gestation in Meishan, large white and crossbred sows.

Previous studies have shown that females of the Chinese Meishan breed and of their F1 cross with European Large White pigs are very prolific, producing about four more piglets per litter than control Large White females. The main cause of this prolificacy is enhanced prenatal survival for a given ovulation rate in Meishan and F1 females and this is controlled by genes of the mother, not those of the conceptus. The objectives of this study were to determine whether genotypic differences in embryo survival were apparent in the period immediately after attachment and to compare embryonic and uterine development at this time. Sows in their third parity (20 Large White, 14 Meishan, 25 Large White x Meishan F1 and 25 Meishan x Large White F1) were killed 20-22 days after mating and their reproductive tracts recovered for further study. There were significant differences between the purebred sows, and crossbred sows were approximately intermediate for the number of corpora lutea (20.7 +/- 0.9, 27.8 +/- 1.1, 22.4 +/- 0.8 and 23.3 +/- 0.8 for the four genotypes, respectively), the number of embryos (15.2 +/- 0.9, 23.4 +/- 1.1, 17.2 +/- 0.8 and 18.8 +/- 0.8, respectively) and the proportionate embryo survival (0.74 +/- 0.04, 0.84 +/- 0.04, 0.78 +/- 0.03 and 0.82 +/- 0.03, respectively). There was a negative association within genotype between embryo survival and the number of corpora lutea. Adjusting for the genotypic difference in the number of corpora lutea increased the genotypic differences in embryo survival. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Processing unstructured documents and social media using Big Data techniques

Big Data technologies can be very useful when it comes to storing and processing using sophisticated algorithms, terabytes or petabytes of data. With the latest advancements, such as Hadoop YARN, processing can be done not only in batch but also in real time. In this paper, we detail a methodology followed by a case study that investigates the power of machine learning algorithms used in a Hadoop environment in classifying unstructured data. We also investigate how to capture geolocated messages from social networks and how kriging can be used to see if there is a strong relationship between two or more such datasets.
Cerebrospinal Fluid Fistula after Transtemporal Skull Base Surgery

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this article is to outline our methods for the prevention and management of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak after transtemporal skull base surgery. METHODS: A total of 589 patients underwent a variety of transtemporal surgical approaches for the extirpation of skull base tumors at our institution from July 1988 to October 1999. The medical records were retrospectively reviewed to identify the tumor histology, size, and location as well as the surgical approach, defect reconstruction technique, and the incidence of postoperative CSF leak. RESULTS: The risk of CSF fistulae was greatest in utilizing the restrosigmoid approach (8%) and least in those who underwent a translabyrinthine approach (4%). Tumor size had no bearing on the incidence of the CSF leak and the overall incidence of meningitis was 1.0%. CONCLUSION: The proper surgical technique will minimize the risk of CSF leak after transtemporal skull base surgery. Immediate management of CSF fistulae helped prevent meningitis in the majority of these patients.
The Overexpression of Bax Produces Cell Death upon Induction of the Mitochondrial Permeability Transition*

Stably transfected Jurkat T cells were produced in which Bax expression is inducible by muristerone A. The cell death resulting from induction of the overexpression of Bax was prevented by inhibition of the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) with cyclosporin A (CyA) in combination with the phospholipase A2 inhibitor aristolochic acid (ArA). The caspase-3 inhibitor Z-Asp-Glu-Val aspartic acid fluoromethylketone (Z-DEVD-FMK) had no effect on the loss of viability. The MPT was measured as the CyA plus ArA-preventable loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). The MPT was accompanied by the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria, caspase-3 activation in the cytosol, cleavage of the nuclear enzyme poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP), and DNA fragmentation, all of which were inhibited by CyA plus ArA. Z-DEVD-FMK had no effect on the loss of ΔΨm and the redistribution of cytochrome c but did prevent caspase-3 activation, PARP cleavage, and DNA fragmentation. It is concluded that Bax induces the MPT, a critical event in the loss of cell viability. In addition to the cell death, the MPT mediates other typical manifestations of apoptosis in this model, namely release of cytochrome c, caspase activation with PARP cleavage, and DNA fragmentation.
Application of Multidimensional Databases of Rainfall and Low Pressure Systems on OLAP-Based Model

The Multidimensional data model has emerged during the last decade for facilitating the analysis of huge datasets to help in decision-making. This data model can be effectively utilized for analyzing meteorological datasets that are too huge and detailed. In this paper, the technology of dimension modeling has been made use of for analyzing Rainfall and Low Pressure system datasets for the years 1984-2003 using Microsoft SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio - OLAP technique.
Changes in renal artery resistance after meal‐induced splanchnic vasodilatation in cirrhotic patients

A relationship between vasomotor tone changes in mesenteric and renal vessels in cirrhotic patients has been suspected but remains controversial. The aim of this study was to assess by duplex Doppler sonography the changes in the circulatory resistance of the renal arteries and superior mesenteric artery (SMA) following meal‐induced splanchnic vasodilatation.
Developing and Implementing “Waupaca Eating Smart”

Purpose. Restaurants and food stores are suitable settings for healthy eating interventions. A community–academic partnership developed and implemented “Waupaca Eating Smart” (WES), a healthy eating program in restaurants and supermarkets of a rural, Midwest community. Previous interventions targeted either restaurants or small food stores nearly all in urban areas. Intervention design and implementation is rarely documented, making replication difficult for interested researchers and communities. In this article, we report the activities we undertook to develop and implement WES. Methods. Working with a local nutrition and activity coalition, we used evidence-based strategies guided by the social ecological model and social marketing principles to inform the content of WES. Formative assessment included a review of the literature, statewide key informant interviews and focus groups with restaurant and food store operators and patrons, a local community survey, and interviews with prospective WES businesses. WES was implemented in seven restaurants and two supermarkets and evaluated for feasibility and acceptance using surveys and direct observation of WES implementation. Findings. Prior to this intervention, only one of seven restaurants had three or more meals that met WES nutrition criteria. By the end of the program, 38 meals were labeled and promoted to restaurant customers, and the team had staffed four side salad taste tests for supermarket customers. Four and 10 months after intervention launch, the majority of the program’s strategies were observed in participating outlets, suggesting that these program’s strategies are feasible and can be sustained. Operators reported strong satisfaction overall. Conclusions. A combined restaurant- and supermarket-based healthy eating intervention is feasible and positively valued in rural communities. Further research is needed to better understand how to foster sustainability of these interventions and their impact on customer food choices.
Effects of two types of trunk exercises on balance and athletic performance in youth soccer players.

PURPOSE/BACKGROUND Many athletes perform trunk stabilization exercises (SE) and conventional trunk exercises (CE) to enhance trunk stability and strength. However, evidence regarding the specific training effects of SE and CE is lacking and there have been no studies for youth athletes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the training effects of SE and CE on balance and athletic performance in youth soccer players. METHODS Twenty-seven male youth soccer players were assigned randomly to either an SE group (n = 13) or CE group (n = 14). Data from nineteen players who completed all training sessions were used for statistical analyses (SE, n = 10; CE, n = 9). Before and after the 12-week intervention program, pre- and post-testing comprised of a static balance test, Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), Cooper's test, sprint, the Step 50, vertical jump, and rebound jump were performed. After pre-testing, players performed the SE or CE program three times per week for 12 weeks. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA was used to assess the changes over time, and differences between the groups. Within-group changes from pre-testing to post-testing were determined using paired t-tests. Statistical significance was inferred from p < 0.05. RESULTS There were significant group-by-time interactions for posterolateral (p = 0.022) and posteromedial (p < 0.001) directions of the SEBT. Paired t-tests revealed significant improvements of the posterolateral and posteromedial directions in the SE group. Although other measurements did not find group-by-time interactions, within-group changes were detected indicating significant improvements in the static balance test, Cooper's test, and rebound jump in the only SE group (p < 0.05). Vertical jump and sprint were improved significantly in both groups (p < 0.05), but the Step 50 was not improved in either group (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Results suggested that the SE has specific training effects that enhance static and dynamic balance, Cooper's test, and rebound jump. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 3b.
Development of the Activity Card Sort—United Kingdom Version (ACS-UK)

The Activity Card Sort (ACS) is a valid and reliable measure of older adults' participation; however, cultural sensitivity issues are a limitation to its application in the United Kingdom. A content validity study was undertaken to identify culturally relevant activity items to be included in a United Kingdom version of the ACS (ACS-UK). For item generation, United Kingdom time-use studies, research related to other ACS versions, and expert opinions were used. A two-round survey of community-living United Kingdom older adults (aged 65 years and older; round 1, n = 177; round 2, n = 21) was used for item selection, clarifying the wording of activity labels, and agreeing activity domain classification. Ninety-one activities were identified for the ACS-UK and these were compared with items from other ACS versions. The ACS-UK is a culturally relevant measure that can provide useful insight into the participation of older adults for clinical practice and research.
Structural basis for the guanine nucleotide-binding activity of tissue transglutaminase and its regulation of transamidation activity

Tissue transglutaminase (TG) is a Ca2+-dependent acyltransferase with roles in cellular differentiation, apoptosis, and other biological functions. In addition to being a transamidase, TG undergoes a GTP-binding/GTPase cycle even though it lacks any obvious sequence similarity with canonical GTP-binding (G) proteins. Guanine nucleotide binding and Ca2+ concentration reciprocally regulate TG's transamidation activity, with nucleotide binding being the negative regulator. Here we report the x-ray structure determined to 2.8-Å resolution of human TG complexed with GDP. Although the transamidation active site is similar to those of other known transglutaminases, the guanine nucleotide-binding site of TG differs markedly from other G proteins. The structure suggests a structural basis for the negative regulation of transamidation activity by bound nucleotide, and the positive regulation of transamidation by Ca2+.
The effects of sympathetic stimulation and adenosine on coronary circulation and heart function in diabetes mellitus.

The aim of the experiment was to clarify whether the altered coronary reactivity in diabetes mellitus might be caused by a general modification of the sympathetic responses. Six of 12 young mongrel dogs of both sexes were made diabetic with alloxan (560 mmol/kg). This amount of alloxan induced a clinically manifest diabetes, however the animals failed to develop ketosis. The remaining six dogs served as controls. The haemodynamic investigation was performed three months after the induction of diabetes. Under pentobarbital anaesthesia (133 mmol/kg) mean arterial blood pressure, blood flow in the left anterior descending coronary artery, myocardial contractile force of left ventricular wall and heart rate were recorded continuously and the conductivity of coronary arterial bed was calculated during electrical stimulation ( 8V , 1-2-4-8-20 s-1) of the cardiac plexus or during the intracoronary infusion of adenosine (30-60-120-240-480 nmol/kg/min). In alloxan-diabetic dogs electrical stimulation evoked vasoconstriction in the coronary arterial bed, while vasodilation was observed in metabolically healthy animals. The vasodilator effect of adenosine was significantly smaller in diabetic than in control dogs. On the other hand there were no differences either in the alterations of heart rate caused by adenosine or in those of myocardial contractile force induced by adenosine or electric stimulation between the two groups. It is concluded that general alteration of sympathetic responses is not, but rather a modified relation of the receptors to the vessel wall might be responsible for the altered vascular responses in diabetes.
Zyxin Interacts with the SH3 Domains of the Cytoskeletal Proteins LIM-nebulette and Lasp-1*

Zyxin is a versatile component of focal adhesions in eukaryotic cells. Here we describe a novel binding partner of zyxin, which we have named LIM-nebulette. LIM-nebulette is an alternative splice variant of the sarcomeric protein nebulette, which, in contrast to nebulette, is expressed in non-muscle cells. It displays a modular structure with an N-terminal LIM domain, three nebulin-like repeats, and a C-terminal SH3 domain and shows high similarity to another cytoskeletal protein, Lasp-1 (LIM and SH3 protein-1). Co-precipitation studies and results obtained with the two-hybrid system demonstrate that LIM-nebulette and Lasp-1 interact specifically with zyxin. Moreover, the SH3 domain from LIM-nebulette is both necessary and sufficient for zyxin binding. The SH3 domains from Lasp-1 and nebulin can also interact with zyxin, but the SH3 domains from more distantly related proteins such as vinexin and sorting nexin 9 do not. On the other hand, the binding site in zyxin is situated at the extreme N terminus as shown by site-directed mutagenesis. LIM-nebulette and Lasp-1 use the same linear binding motif. This motif shows some similarity to a class II binding site but does not contain the classical PXXP sequence. LIM-nebulette reveals a subcellular distribution at focal adhesions similar to Lasp-1. Thus, LIM-nebulette, Lasp-1, and zyxin may play an important role in the organization of focal adhesions.