Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Amino acid uptake, content, and metabolism by neuronal and glial enriched cellular fractions from mouse cerebellum

A series of biochemical determinations was performed on five cellular fractions obtained from the cerebellum of 8- to 14-day-old mice. Cerebellar tissue was dissociated by mild trypsinization and mechanical agitation. The dissociated cellular material was separated into five fractions using a series of continuous density gradients formed with Percoll. Three of the fractions were comprised primarily of cell bodies. One of these was dominated by cells having the size and morphological appearance of granule cells, and based on several criteria the other two were were enriched in astrocyte cell bodies. Morphological analysis indicated that the remaining two fractions were enriched, respectively, in nerve terminals and large nucleated cell bodies. The uptake of 12 amino acids and 4 other metabolites by these cellular fractions was examined, and Km and Vmax values were determined for 10 of the compounds studied. High affinity transport carriers (Km approximately 1 to 20 microM) for most of the compounds studied were evident in neuronal and astrocyte-enriched fractions; however, for glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) additional carriers with higher substrate affinities (Km approximately 0.1 to 0.3 microM) were evident in the astrocyte-enriched fraction. The fraction enriched in granule cell bodies was distinguished by an exceptionally low uptake of GABA and citrate, and a comparatively low uptake of beta-alanine, taurine, alpha-ketoglutarate, and glutamate. An analysis of the content of nine amino acids in the five fractions revealed that only glutamate, aspartate, and GABA were concentrated in the fraction enriched in nerve terminals. GABA was concentrated also in the fraction enriched in large cell bodies and was present at a low concentration in the fraction enriched in granule cell bodies. The other amino acids measured were distributed nearly evenly among the five fractions. Several differences in metabolic activity among the five fractions were observed. Radiolabel from several precursors was incorporated into GABA preferentially in the fractions enriched in large cell bodies and nerve terminals. In contrast, the accumulation of label in glutamine occurred preferentially in the fractions enriched in astrocytes and granule cell bodies. Labeling of alanine from [14C]pyruvate and of proline from [14C]ornithine was most prominent in the fractions enriched in astrocytes and granule cell bodies.
POPULATION-BASED AND OPPORTUNISTIC SCREENING AND ERADICATION OF HELICOBACTER PYLORI

Objectives: To examine whether screening and eradication of Helicobacter pylori by population-based invitation or opportunistic screening by general practitioners reduces costs to the National Health Service (NHS) of treating dyspepsia. Methods: A limited dependent, variable, two-step regression analysis was used to explore the baseline annual health care costs of dyspepsia for men and women aged 40–49 enrolled in the Leeds H. pylori screening and eradication trial. Results: Epidemiological and clinical questionnaires, general practitioner notes, and 13C urea breath test results were available for 4,754 individuals. After adjusting for covariates, H. pylori was associated with a 6.7% increased probability of incurring gastrointestinal-related NHS costs (p < .0001) in the population aged 40-49. Additionally, H pylori increased average costs in those who seek medical care (p = .001). In consequence, H. pylori is associated with an average increased cost to the NHS of £0.30 per year (95% CI: £0.17 to £0.45) per adult aged 40–49. In those consulting for dyspepsia, the increased cost to the NHS was £1.04 per year (95% CI: £0.42 to £1.75) per patient. The cost of population screening and treatment would not be recovered in reduced dyspepsia costs in the lifetime of those screened. Assuming laboratory-based serology screening is used opportunistically in patients presenting with dyspepsia, it is estimated that costs would be recouped in 18 years. Conclusions: This observational data set suggests that the costs of screening and treatment in all individuals aged 40–49 or in those presenting in primary care with dyspeptic symptoms are unlikely to be attractive on the basis of cost savings alone.
Cell Adhesion Molecules Regulate Fibrotic Process via Th1/Th2/Th17 Cell Balance in a Bleomycin-Induced Scleroderma Model

Mice s.c. injected with bleomycin, an experimental model for human systemic sclerosis, develop skin and lung fibrosis, which is mediated by inflammatory cell infiltration. This process is highly regulated by multiple adhesion molecules and does not require Ag sensitization. To assess the role of adhesion molecules in this pathogenetic process, bleomycin-induced fibrosis was examined in mice lacking adhesion molecules. L-selectin and/or ICAM-1 deficiency inhibited skin and lung fibrosis with decreased Th2 and Th17 cytokines and increased Th1 cytokines. In contrast, P-selectin deficiency, E-selectin deficiency with or without P-selectin blockade, or P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1 (PSGL-1) deficiency augmented the fibrosis in parallel with increased Th2 and Th17 cytokines and decreased Th1 cytokines. Furthermore, loss of L-selectin and/or ICAM-1 reduced Th2 and Th17 cell numbers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, whereas loss of P-selectin, E-selectin, or PSGL-1 reduced Th1 cell numbers. Moreover, Th1 cells exhibited higher PSGL-1 expression and lower expression of LFA-1, a ligand for ICAM-1, whereas Th2 and Th17 cells showed higher LFA-1 and lower PSGL-1 expression. This study suggests that L-selectin and ICAM-1 regulate Th2 and Th17 cell accumulation into the skin and lung, leading to the development of fibrosis, and that P-selectin, E-selectin, and PSGL-1 regulate Th1 cell infiltration, resulting in the inhibition of fibrosis.
Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis of 104 Clostridium difficile strains isolated from China

SUMMARY The phylogenetic and epidemic relationships of 104 clinical isolates of Clostridium difficile from three hospitals of different geographical and population sources in China were investigated by multilocus sequence typing. Twenty-two sequence types (STs) were identified, four of which, ST117, ST118, ST119 and ST129, were novel. No geographically specific and host population-specific phylogenetic lineages were found and there was no correlation between geographical origin or host population and strain genotype. ST37 was the dominant type in our survey but the four novel STs underline the high genetic diversity and unique polymorphisms in C. difficile from China.
Razor Based Programmable Truncated Multiply and Accumulate, Energy-Reduction for Efficient Digital Signal Processing

Fault tolerant techniques can extend the power savings achievable by dynamic voltage scaling by trading accuracy and/or timing performance against power. Such energy improvements have a strong dependency on the delay distribution of the circuit and the statistical characteristics of the input signal. Independently, programmable truncated multipliers also achieve power benefits at the expense of degradation of the output signal-to-noise ratio. In this brief, a combination of programmable truncated multiplication is used within a fault tolerant digital signal processing (DSP) structure in which the supply voltage is reduced beyond the critical timing level. Timing modulation properties of truncated multiplication are analyzed and demonstrated to improve the performance of fault tolerant designs, reducing error correction burdens, and extending the system operating voltage range. Combining both power strategies results in lower energy consumption levels, which improve the energy savings beyond that expected when applying a combination of both techniques with the original DSP.
Application Defined Computing in smartphones and consumer electronics

Smartphones to enterprise servers, most computing systems are built with commodity components, such as flash (NAND) storage, memory, etc. Although such generalization of commodity components reduces the cost of electronic products, generic components result in severe inefficiency in terms of energy and performance. We introduce Application Defined Computing (ADC) to specialize generic hardware based on runtime application characteristics. Our experimental results show that brokering just a couple of parameters in DRAM (memory) systems could improve Energy Delay Product by 23% and performance by 17% for memory-intensive workloads in smartphones. Our approach could be used in most consumer electronics products with diverse application workloads.
Process Memory Investigation of the Bitcoin Clients Electrum and Bitcoin Core

Bitcoin cryptocurrency is reportedly one widely used digital currency in criminal activities (e.g. used for online purchases of illicit drugs and paying of ransom in ransomware cases). However, there has been limited forensic research of bitcoin clients in the literature. In this paper, the process memory of two popular bitcoin clients, bitcoin Core and electrum, is examined with the aims of identifying potential sources and types of potential relevant data (e.g. bitcoin keys, transaction data and passphrases). Artefacts obtained from the process memory are also studied with other artefacts obtained from the client device (application files on disk and memory-mapped files and registry keys). Findings from this study suggest that both bitcoin Core and electrum’s process memory is a valuable source of evidence, and many of the artefacts found in process memory are also available from the application and wallet files on the client device (disk).
Conservación del plancton y protección de las cuencas hídricas. El caso de la Cuenca Inferior del Río del Salado, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina

A diferencia de los principios para la conservacion de recursos bioticos terrestres o marinos, en la conservacion de recursos hidricos no se asigna importancia a los componentes bioticos y ninguna al plancton. Pocas de las miles de especies identificadas en esta comunidad figuran en una lista de especies en peligro o amenazadas dela Union Internacionalparala Conservaciondela Naturaleza(UICN). Por ende, a nivel mundial no se les concede ningun tipo de proteccion. Desde la decada del 1990, en ecologia y biogeografia diferentes autores, han enfatizado la necesidad de reconocer la biodiversidad en relacion al funcionamiento de los ecosistemas. En este sentido cabe plantearse los siguientes cuestionamientos: ? Los organismos acuaticos, principalmente del plancton, merecen ser considerados objetos de conservacion? Mantener la integridad ecologica de los cuerpos de agua es suficiente para su conservacion? La Cuencadel Rio Salado, localizada en la provincia de Buenos Aires, transporta excesos de agua y nutrientes durante inundaciones hacia la Bahia Samborombon (un Sitio Ramsar). A pesar de periodos de sequia e inundacion, los cambios de la salinidad producto de la influencia marina y el aporte de efluentes agropecuarios, los ambientes acuaticos mantienen un aceptable grado de conservacion y biodiversidad. La estructura del plancton se mantiene dominada por clorofitas unicelulares, rotiferos Brachionidae y ciliados tintinidos en la cuenca inferior y crustaceos en sectores vinculados a ambientes lenticos. La comunidad planctonica es compleja, resiliente y esta integrada por mas de 300 especies. Las especies clave permitirian que el rio mantenga su rol como ecosistema de servicio. Proponemos para rios de llanura la vision territorial, multiescala, dentro del concepto de riverine landscape, que incluye tanto la conservacion composicional (Biodiversidad) como funcional (Integridad Ecologica).
The long-term clinical follow-up and natural history of men with adult-onset idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE Adult-onset idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (AHH) is a rare disorder characterized by an isolated failure of gonadotropin secretion occurring after an otherwise normal sexual maturation in men. This study aims to examine the etiology and long-term natural history of this disorder. DESIGN AND SETTING Long-term follow up, including detailed clinical, biochemical, and genetic examinations, were performed and compared with those at diagnosis. PATIENTS Patients included 10 men with AHH [serum testosterone (T) <125 ng/dl]. INTERVENTIONS Overnight neuroendocrine studies, semen fluid analyses, and genetic screening were performed (KAL1, FGFR1, PROK2, PROKR2, NELF, TAC3, TACR3, and GNRH1) over a decade of longitudinal follow up. RESULTS Follow-up evaluations were conducted 10.6 +/- 5.9 yr after initial studies and revealed that the clinical characteristics and seminal fluid analyses of AHH men (body mass index, 28.8 +/- 4.1 vs. 27.0 +/- 4.3 kg/m(2); testicular volume, 18 +/- 6 vs. 19 +/- 6 ml) do not change over a decade with no spontaneous reversals. Several men exhibited some variability in their endogenous GnRH-induced LH secretory patterns, including emergence of endogenous pulsatility in three individuals. However, all remained hypogonadal (T < or =130 ng/dl). A single heterozygous DNA sequence change in PROKR2 (V317L) was identified, although this rare sequence variant did not prove to be functionally abnormal in vitro. Seven days of pulsatile GnRH therapy in this subject nearly normalized his serum T, supporting that the site of the defect is hypothalamic and not pituitary. CONCLUSIONS 1) AHH in men appears to be a long-lasting condition. 2) Although minor changes in the abnormal pattern of endogenous GnRH-induced LH secretion occurred in some AHH patients, all remained frankly hypogonadal.
Interventions to reduce unintended pregnancies among adolescents: systematic review of randomised controlled trials

Abstract Objective: To review the effectiveness of primary prevention strategies aimed at delaying sexual intercourse, improving use of birth control, and reducing incidence of unintended pregnancy in adolescents. Data sources: 12 electronic bibliographic databases, 10 key journals, citations of relevant articles, and contact with authors. Study selection: 26 trials described in 22 published and unpublished reports that randomised adolescents to an intervention or a control group (alternate intervention or nothing). Data extraction: Two independent reviewers assessed methodological quality and abstracted data. Data synthesis: The interventions did not delay initiation of sexual intercourse in young women (pooled odds ratio 1.12; 95% confidence interval 0.96 to 1.30) or young men (0.99; 0.84 to 1.16); did not improve use of birth control by young women at every intercourse (0.95; 0.69 to 1.30) or at last intercourse (1.05; 0.50 to 2.19) or by young men at every intercourse (0.90; 0.70 to 1.16) or at last intercourse (1.25; 0.99 to 1.59); and did not reduce pregnancy rates in young women (1.04; 0.78 to 1.40). Four abstinence programmes and one school based sex education programme were associated with an increase in number of pregnancies among partners of young male participants (1.54; 1.03 to 2.29). There were significantly fewer pregnancies in young women who received a multifaceted programme (0.41; 0.20 to 0.83), though baseline differences in this study favoured the intervention. Conclusions: Primary prevention strategies evaluated to date do not delay the initiation of sexual intercourse, improve use of birth control among young men and women, or reduce the number of pregnancies in young women.
Splanchnic and Renal Deterioration During and After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Comparison of the Carbon Dioxide Pneumoperitoneum and the Abdominal Wall Lift Method

Carbon dioxide (CO2) pneumoperitoneum together with an increased intraabdominal pressure (IAP) induces a hemodynamic stress response, diminishes urine output, and may compromise splanchnic perfusion.A new retractor method may be less traumatic. Accordingly, 30 ASA physical status I or II patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly allocated to a CO2 pneumoperitoneum (IAP 12-13 mm Hg) (control) or to a gasless abdominal wall lift method (retractor) group. Anesthesia and intravascular fluids were standardized. Direct mean arterial pressure (MAP), urine output, urine-N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (U-NAG), arterial blood gases, gastric mucosal PCO2, and intramucosal pH (pHi) were measured. Normoventilation was instituted in all patients. MAP increased (P < 0.001) only with CO2 pneumoperitoneum. Minute volume of ventilation had to be increased by 35% with CO2 insufflation. PaCO2 was significantly higher (P < 0.05) for 3 h postoperatively in the control group. Diuresis was less (P < 0.01) and U-NAG levels (P < 0.01) higher in the control group. The pHi decreased after induction of pneumoperitoneum up to three hours postoperatively and remained intact in the retractor group. We conclude that the retractor method for laparoscopic cholecystectomy ensures stable hemodynamics, prevents respiratory acidosis, and provides protection against biochemical effects, which reveal the renal and splanchic ischemia caused by CO2 insufflation. Implications: A mechanical retractor method (gasless) was compared with conventional CO2 pneumoperitoneum for laparoscopic cholestectomy. The gasless method ensured stable hemodynamics, prevented respiratory acidosis, and provided protection against the renal and splanchnic ischemia seen with CO2 pneumoperitoneum. (Anesth Analg 1997;85:886-91)
Type IIx myosin heavy chain transcripts are expressed in type IIb fibers of human skeletal muscle.

Several members of the sarcomeric myosin heavy chain (MHC) gene family have been mapped in the human genome but many of them have not yet been identified. In this study we report the identification of two human skeletal MHC genes as fast IIa and IIx MHC based on pattern of expression and sequence homology with the corresponding rat genes in the 3'-translated and untranslated regions. The distribution of these two gene products as well as that of the beta/slow MHC gene was analyzed in human skeletal muscles by in situ hybridization. The distribution of beta/slow, IIa, and IIx MHC transcripts defines three major muscle fiber types expressing a single MHC mRNA, i.e., either beta/slow, IIa, or IIx MHC mRNA, and two populations of hybrid fibers coexpressing beta/slow with IIa or IIa with IIx MHC mRNA. Fiber typing by ATPase histochemistry shows that IIa MHC transcripts are more abundant in histochemical type IIa fibers, whereas IIx MHC transcripts are more abundant in histochemical type IIb fibers.
Monocular Dense 3D Reconstruction of a Complex Dynamic Scene from Two Perspective Frames

This paper proposes a new approach for monocular dense 3D reconstruction of a complex dynamic scene from two perspective frames. By applying superpixel over-segmentation to the image, we model a generically dynamic (hence non-rigid) scene with a piecewise planar and rigid approximation. In this way, we reduce the dynamic reconstruction problem to a “3D jigsaw puzzle ” problem which takes pieces from an unorganized “soup of superpixels". We show that our method provides an effective solution to the inherent relative scale ambiguity in structure-from-motion. Since our method does not assume a template prior, or per-object segmentation, or knowledge about the rigidity of the dynamic scene, it is applicable to a wide range of scenarios. Extensive experiments on both synthetic and real monocular sequences demonstrate the superiority of our method compared with the state-of-the-art methods.
Medical device‐induced thrombosis: what causes it and how can we prevent it?

Blood‐contacting medical devices, such as vascular grafts, stents, heart valves, and catheters, are often used to treat cardiovascular diseases. Thrombus formation is a common cause of failure of these devices. This study (i) examines the interface between devices and blood, (ii) reviews the pathogenesis of clotting on blood‐contacting medical devices, (iii) describes contemporary methods to prevent thrombosis on blood‐contacting medical devices, (iv) explains why some anticoagulants are better than others for prevention of thrombosis on medical devices, and (v) identifies future directions in biomaterial research for prevention of thrombosis on blood‐contacting medical devices.
3-D Hough transform for surveillance radar target detection

A 3D Hough transform is introduced for detection of linear trajectories in a 3D data space. Data space is constructed from returned radar data using range, bearing, and time information. This information is then mapped into a 3D Cartesian data space. The constant velocity target trajectories appear as straight lines in this space, and are detected by the usage of 3D Hough transform. The efficacy of the 3D Hough transform is verified by simulation. In comparison with the 2D case, when only the range-time information is used, the 3D Hough transform has a better performance.
Current perspectives on radiation therapy in autologous and prosthetic breast reconstruction.

BACKGROUND Postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) has a well-established deleterious effect on both prosthetic and autologous breast reconstruction. The purpose of this study was to perform a literature review of the effects of PMRT on breast reconstruction and to determine predictive or protective factors for complications. METHODS The MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were reviewed for articles published between January 2008 and January 2015 including the keywords "breast reconstruction" and "radiation therapy" to identify manuscripts focused on the effects of radiation on both prosthetic and autologous breast reconstruction. This subgroup of articles was reviewed in detail. RESULTS Three hundred and twenty articles were identified and 43 papers underwent full text review. The 16 papers provided level III evidence; 10 manuscripts provided level I or II evidence. Seventeen case series provided level IV evidence and were included because they presented novel perspectives. The majority of studies focused on the injurious effects of radiation therapy and increased complications and concomitant lower patient satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS Prosthetic based breast reconstruction and immediate autologous reconstruction are associated with lower patient satisfaction in the setting of radiation therapy. Autologous reconstructions can improve patient satisfaction as well as lower revision surgery and long term complications when performed in a delayed fashion after PMRT.
A COMPARISON OF NEUROTIC AND PSYCHOTIC DEPRESSION USING A STANDARDIZED SCHEDULE

SUMMARY Forty-five patients of psychotic depression have been compared with 22 neurotic depressives, on SADD schedule regarding the socioderaographic and clinical variables. Two groups of these patients have differed on variables like age, duration of present attack, past history and family history of psychiatric illness and the precipitating factors.