Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perindoprilat Modulates the Activity of Lipoprotein Receptor-related Protein in Human Mesangial Cells*

Low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) is a multifunctional endocytic receptor implicated in the modulation of a number of cellular processes, including the turnover of proteases and the degradation of extracellular matrix proteins. As such, it can play a key role in the control of fibrosis. The aim of this investigation was to ascertain whether the anti-fibrotic effects exerted by the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE-I) perindoprilat on macrophage-conditioned medium (MPCM)-injured human mesangial cells can be modulated by this receptor. Addition of receptor-associated protein to MPCM-injured mesangial cells with and without ACE-I increased the amount of tissue plasminogen activator protein detected in mesangial cell culture supernatants without affecting the protein levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. The ability of ACE-I to reduce fibronectin was diminished in the presence of receptor-associated protein. ACE-I induced an increase in mesangial cell MMP9 mRNA, but reduced the MMP9 enzyme activity detected in mesangial cell supernatants. Mesangial cell lysates from ACE-I-treated cells were able to bind immobilized fibronectin at higher dilutions than cell lysates from untreated cells. Flow cytometry showed that MPCM induced an increase in LRP surface expression in mesangial cells over that in control cells and that this expression was further increased by ACE-I treatment. The increase in LRP expression in response to ACE-I was also observed by Western blotting. Northern blot analysis of RNA extracted from cells following a 24-h exposure to MPCM with and without ACE-I demonstrated that there was no change in LRP mRNA expression upon ACE-I treatment. In conclusion, we show that ACE-I treatment is able to modulate mesangial cell-surface expression of LRP, providing an additional mechanism whereby ACE-Is can mediate anti-fibrotic actions independent of their hemodynamic actions.
The Pfaffian Transformation

We then define the Pfaffian transformation of (a0, a1, a2, .) to be the sequence of Pfaffians (Pf(A0), P f(A1), P f(A2), . ), where the Pfaffian of a skew-symmetric matrix is the positive or negative square root of its determinant. (For a precise definition of the Pfaffian, see section 2.) The Pfaffian transformation is thus a function from sequences to sequences. We begin by observing the effects of this transformation on some simple, well-known sequences: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, .) → (1, 0, 0, 0, 0, .) (2, 2, 2, 2, 2, .) → (2, 4, 8, 16, 32, .) (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, .) → (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, .) (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, .) → (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, .) Observe that each of these input sequences satisfies a linear recurrence relation and is mapped to a sequence that also satisfies a linear recurrence. Our main result proves that this holds in general; we also give an algorithm to calculate the output recurrence for such an input sequence.
Failure to migrate: lack of tree range expansion in response to climate change

Tree species are expected to track warming climate by shifting their ranges to higher latitudes or elevations, but current evidence of latitudinal range shifts for suites of species is largely indirect. In response to global warming, offspring of trees are predicted to have ranges extend beyond adults at leading edges and the opposite relationship at trailing edges. Large‐scale forest inventory data provide an opportunity to compare present latitudes of seedlings and adult trees at their range limits. Using the USDA Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis data, we directly compared seedling and tree 5th and 95th percentile latitudes for 92 species in 30 longitudinal bands for 43 334 plots across the eastern United States. We further compared these latitudes with 20th century temperature and precipitation change and functional traits, including seed size and seed spread rate. Results suggest that 58.7% of the tree species examined show the pattern expected for a population undergoing range contraction, rather than expansion, at both northern and southern boundaries. Fewer species show a pattern consistent with a northward shift (20.7%) and fewer still with a southward shift (16.3%). Only 4.3% are consistent with expansion at both range limits. When compared with the 20th century climate changes that have occurred at the range boundaries themselves, there is no consistent evidence that population spread is greatest in areas where climate has changed most; nor are patterns related to seed size or dispersal characteristics. The fact that the majority of seedling extreme latitudes are less than those for adult trees may emphasize the lack of evidence for climate‐mediated migration, and should increase concerns for the risks posed by climate change.
Triple-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial of Time Until Sensory Change Using 1.5% Mepivacaine With Epinephrine, 0.5% Bupivacaine, or an Equal Mixture of Both for Infraclavicular Block

Background and Objectives Practitioners mix faster-onset, intermediate-duration local anesthetics (LAs) with slower-onset, long-duration LAs to get fast peripheral nerve block (PNB) onset and long duration. We hypothesized that 1.5% mepivacaine (with epinephrine) (mepivacaine) or 1.5% mepivacaine (with epinephrine) mixed with 0.5% bupivacaine (mixed) would reduce PNB sensory onset by 20% or more versus 0.5% bupivacaine alone (bupivacaine). Methods Patients (n = 93) having arm surgery were randomized to 1 of the 3 LA groups. Infraclavicular PNB was administered using 1 of 3 LAs; afterward, PNB sensory (motor) onset, duration, and other outcomes were assessed. Subjects, physicians, and the biostatistician were blinded until study completion. Results Median (interquartile range) PNB sensory onset (in minutes) was as follows: mepivacaine, 3 (3–6); mixed, 6 (3–6); and bupivacaine, 6 (3–12) (P = 0.0085). Mepivacaine PNB sensory onset was not faster than mixed (P = 0.57), but mixed was faster than bupivacaine (P = 0.0035). More mixed group patients achieved PNB sensory onset (0.81) versus the bupivacaine group (0.54) at 6 mins. Median (interquartile range) PNB motor onset (in minutes) was as follows: mepivacaine, 15 (12–18); mixed, 17 (12–21); and bupivacaine, 21 (12–24) (P < 0.0001). Median sensory and motor PNB duration (in minutes) was as follows: mepivacaine, 281 and 320; mixed, 439 and 556; and bupivacaine, 850 and 1109. Sensory (motor) PNB duration was shorter with mepivacaine versus mixed (P < 0.0001, P = 0.034), and mixed was shorter versus bupivacaine (P = 0.0243, P = 0.034). Conclusions Mixing 1.5% mepivacaine (with epinephrine) with 0.5% bupivacaine speeds up PNB sensory (motor) onset compared with 0.5% bupivacaine alone.
Effect of induced head movements on localization of direction of sounds.

Localization of direction of sound sources was studied as a function of induced head movements. High‐ and low‐frequency noise and pulse stimuli were used. Subjects had had no special training and were blindfolded to remove visual cues. Sources were located to the right and left of the subject, in front and behind, and above and below the horizontal plane through the ears of the subject. Induced head rotation was found to be especially effective in reducing horizontal localization error. Rotation, pivot, and rotate‐pivot movements caused a small but significant reduction in vertical localization error for low‐frequency noise stimuli.
Transitions between Modes of Inquiry in a Rule Discovery Task

Scientists obtain their knowledge about the world through one of two major modes of inquiry—observation of naturally occurring phenomena and active experimentation. Both modes of inquiry have been extensively researched in studies of hypothesis testing behaviour and scientific inquiry, the first in studies employing the reception paradigm, the second in studies employing the selection/generation paradigm. The prevalence of both paradigms and their correspondence to well-established modes of scientific inquiry led to the hypothesis that subjects, if allowed, would employ both modes of inquiry. The variables affecting the choice of one mode rather than the other and the transitions between the two modes were expected to shed new light on the process of scientific inquiry. To test this hypothesis, 27 adults and 27 eighth-graders were set three rule-discovery problems, in a computer environment that allowed free transitions between item reception and generation. Item generation was significantly more prevalent in the adult sample, but almost all the adults and approximately half the children employed both modes of inquiry in at least one problem. When both modes of inquiry were employed, the reception mode tended to precede the generation mode. An inverse relationship was observed between item generation and the proportion of positive instances supplied by the environment. Individual inquiry styles were evident in both age groups. These results call attention to the need for a theory incorporating both modes of inquiry as integral components of the inquiry process. They also demonstrate the utility of empirical investigations that let subjects freely choose which mode to employ at any point of the inquiry process.
Post-dispersal seed fate of some cloud forest tree species in Costa Rica.

Research on post-dispersal seed fates has expanded rapidly in the past 20 years. The finding that rodents worldwide scatterhoard many types of seeds and that such scatterhoarding is a second stage of dispersal for some plants has led to the realization that one cannot assume that seed removal is equivalent to seed predation (Forget et al., 1998; Jansen, 2003). Several studies indicate that secondary dispersal can be an important phase of plant recruitment (Forget and Milleron, 1991; Vander Wall, 1992; Forget, 1993; Levey and Byrne, 1993; BohningGaese et al., 1999; Brewer and Rejmanek, 1999; Hoshizaki et al., 1999). Therefore, simply observing post-dispersal seed removal is insufficient evidence to assess the importance of primary dispersal patterns unless the fate of removed seeds is also assessed. A variety of organisms, ranging from rodents to beetles to microorganisms, interact with dispersed seeds but the roles they play are poorly known (Steele et al., 1996). Despite several well-documented examples of secondary dispersal (Vander Wall and Longland, 2004), the extent to which most vertebrate-dispersed plant species benefit from secondary dispersal is unknown. In a given habitat with dozens to hundreds of plant species, it is difficult to predict which species might benefit from secondary dispersal because we lack analyses of plant characteristics that may be associated with secondary dispersal syndromes. Perhaps the best example of a secondary dispersal syndrome is the presence of antattracting elaiosomes on seeds with ballistic primary dispersal (Passos and Ferreira, 1996; Gomez and Espadaler, 1998). For trees and other woody species, the occurrence of secondary dispersal syndromes is much less clear. Dung beetles act as secondary dispersers for seeds in mammalian dung but apparently not for seeds regurgitated or defecated by birds (Andresen and Feer, Chapter 20, this volume). As dung beetles are selecting dung rather than seeds, a syndrome for this type of secondary dispersal is unlikely. Rodents are important seed predators and dispersers worldwide, and defining a syndrome for rodent dispersal may be possible (Vander Wall and Longland, Chapter 18, this volume). Caviomorph rodents that act as both primary and secondary dispersers tend to scatterhoard large seeds (> 1 g) that have some physical defence such as a thick or hard seed coat. Smaller rodents eat a wide variety of smaller seeds but the extent of scatterhoarding in these species is poorly known (Price and Jenkins, 1986; Brewer and Rejmanek, 1999;
A novel filtration system for point of care washing of cellular therapy products

The cell therapy industry would greatly benefit from a simple point of care solution to remove dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) from small‐volume thawed cell suspensions before injection. A novel dead‐end filtration device has been designed and validated, which takes advantage of the higher density of thawed cell suspensions to remove the DMSO and protein impurities from the cell suspension without fouling the filter membrane. The filter was designed to avoid fluid circuits and minimize the surface area that is contacted by the cell suspension, thus reducing cell losses by design. The filtration process was established through optimization of the fluid flow configuration, backflush cycles and filter geometry. Overall, this novel filtration device allows for a 1 ml of thawed cryopreserved cell suspensions, containing 107 cells of a fetal lung fibroblast cell line (MRC‐5), to be washed in less than 30 min. More than 95% of the DMSO and up to 94% of the albumin–fluorescein–isothiocyanate content can be removed while the viable cell recovery is higher than 80%. It is also demonstrated that this system can be used for bone marrow‐derived human mesenchymal stem cells with more than 73% cell recovery and 85% DMSO reduction. This is the first time that a dead end (normal) filtration process has been used to successfully wash high‐density human cell suspensions. In practice, this novel solid–liquid separation technology fills the need for small‐volume washing in closed processing systems for cellular therapies. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
QFDR-an integration of Quadded Logic for modern FPGAs to tolerate high radiation effect rates

For new device generations simply replicating complete systems in TMR manner may not be sufficient anymore. This especially applies to harsh environments, such as space applications, as higher failure rates may disturb a second instance before the faulty first one recovers. We focus on SEU mitigation challenges in nano scale reconfigurable architectures which can result in crucial situations. Our approach which is called Quadruple Force Decide Redundancy (QFDR), transforms the classical idea of Quadded Redundancy on Logic Gates to a technological view based on FPGA architecture primitives like LUTs.
Vascular Remodeling in Varicose Veins

The present study describes the histopathologic aspects of varicose (n=29; mean age, 52 ± 12 years) and normal saphenous veins (n=17; mean age, 51 ± 12 years) of patients from a similar age group. We focused on the changes that occur in the circular layer of the venous wall. We examined the venous walls by light microscopy and transmission electronmicroscopy. A semiquantitative grading system was used to assess the smooth muscle cell (SMC) hypertrophy and the change that occurs in the elastin pattern. The volume densities (Vv) of SMC and collagen were measured as well as the diameter of the SMC, and the nuclei of SMC per fixed area were counted. The varicose vein wall differed from the normal saphenous vein by the presence of hypertrophic SMC as well as disor ganized elastin patterns. A correlation between the hypertrophic SMC and an abnormal elastin pattern was observed (r=0.658, p<0.001). Ultrastructurally, the SMC show prominent microherniations and vesicles that bud from the cell. These vesicles contain microfilaments and microtubuli, although no other organelles could be detected. The elastin fibers are disrupted from the hypertrophic SMC. No significant difference could be detected in both the Vv of SMC and the Vv of collagen. The diameter of the SMC in the varicose vein (d=9.45 ± 1.22 μm) differs significantly from that in the normal saphenous vein (d=6.22 ± 1.47 μm) (p<0.001). Also, the nuclei of SMC per fixed area differs signif icantly between the varicose (87 ± 18) and nonvaricose (117 ±24) veins (p<0.001). We conclude that the cellular hypertrophy of the SMC and the microherniations could be the basis for disruption of the elastin fibers connected to the SMC in varicose veins. Disrupted connections between SMC and elastin fibers could in turn induce the weakness of the venous wall observed in varicose vein disease.
A Periconceptional Nutritional Origin for Noninfectious Preterm Birth

The incidence of preterm birth is increasing and remains the major cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. While approximately 40% of preterm birth is inflammatory in origin ( [1][1] ), the cause of idiopathic preterm birth is unknown, and the lack of suitable experimental paradigms has limited
An energy efficient and spectrum efficient wireless heterogeneous network framework for 5G systems

In this article we explore a system framework of cooperative green heterogeneous networks for 5G wireless communication systems. We first survey the state-of-the-art on spectrum efficiency (SE), energy efficiency (EE), and quality of service (QoS) based mobile association, multi-layer interference management and power control, network wide cooperation and dynamic resource allocation for heterogeneous wireless networks. We also present the system framework of cooperative green heterogeneous networks, which aims at balancing and optimizing SE, EE, and QoS in heterogeneous wireless networks. We discuss the design principles and show some preliminary performance results on the tradeoffs among SE, EE, and QoS. Finally, we identify the technical challenges that remain in the cooperative green heterogeneous network design. The presented wireless system framework is expected to advance the understandings of the critical technical issues toward energy and spectrum efficient 5G wireless communication systems.
Medical Errors Recovered by Critical Care Nurses

Objective: The frequency and types of medical errors are well documented, but less is known about potential errors that were intercepted by nurses. We studied the type, frequency, and potential harm of recovered medical errors reported by critical care registered nurses (CCRNs) during the previous year. Background: Nurses are known to protect patients from harm. Several studies on medical errors found that there would have been more medical errors reaching the patient had not potential errors been caught earlier by nurses. Methods: The Recovered Medical Error Inventory, a 25-item empirically derived and internally consistent (&agr; =.90) list of medical errors, was posted on the Internet. Participants were recruited via e-mail and healthcare-related listservs using a nonprobability snowball sampling technique. Investigators e-mailed contacts working in hospitals or who managed healthcare-related listservs and asked the contacts to pass the link on to others with contacts in acute care settings. Results: During 1 year, 345 CCRNs reported that they recovered 18,578 medical errors, of which they rated 4,183 as potentially lethal. Conclusion: Surveillance, clinical judgment, and interventions by CCRNs to identify, interrupt, and correct medical errors protected seriously ill patients from harm.
Design of a Novel Consequent-Pole Transverse-Flux Machine With Improved Permanent Magnet Utilization

Severe leakage flux is a long-existed drawback in the transverse-flux permanent magnet machines (TFPMs), which results in a low permanent magnet (PM) utilization rate and prominent cogging torque in TFPMs. Aiming to solve this problem, this paper presents a novel consequent-pole transverse-flux machine (CP-TFM). The key is to artificially shift the upper and lower salient-pole rotors with a half-pole pitch and connect them with a ring-shaped core. Therefore, a complementary magnetic circuit is constructed to reduce the flux leakage between the adjacent poles as well as improve the PM utilization rate. To verify the feasibility of design, a 3-D finite-element model is established and its electromagnetic performance is evaluated. With the same peripheral dimension and copper loss, a quantitative comparison is carried out between the proposed CP-TFM and conventional TFPM. Finite-element simulation results reveal that compared to its contrast, the proposed solution can almost double the PM utilization ratio and effectively reduce the cogging torque.
UNC51‐like kinase 1, autophagic regulator and cancer therapeutic target

Autophagy, the cell process of self‐digestion, plays a pivotal role in maintaining energy homoeostasis and protein synthesis. When required, it causes degradation of long‐lived proteins and damaged organelles, indicating that it may play a dual role in cancer, by both protecting against and promoting cell death. The autophagy‐related gene (Atg) family, with more than 35 members, regulates multiple stages of the process. Serine/threonine protein kinase Atg1 in yeast, for example, can interact with other ATG gene products, functioning in autophagosome formation. One mammalian homologue of Atg1, UNC‐51‐like kinase 1 (ULK1) and its related complex ULK1–mAtg13–FIP200 can mediate autophagy under nutrient‐deprived conditions, by protein–protein interactions and post‐translational modifications. Although specific mechanisms of how ULK1 and its complex transduces upstream signals to the downstream central autophagy pathways is not fully understood, past studies have indicated that ULK1 can both suppress and promote tumour growth under different conditions. Here, we summarize some properties of ULK1 which can regulate autophagy in cancer, which may shed new light on future cancer therapy strategies, utilizing ULK1 as a potential new target.
Phronesis: practical wisdom the role of professional practice knowledge in the clinical reasoning of Bobath instructors

RATIONALE, AIMS, AND OBJECTIVES Clinical reasoning is an essential aspect of clinical practice, however is largely ignored in the current rehabilitation sciences evidence base. Literature related to clinical reasoning and clinical expertise has evolved concurrently although rehabilitation reasoning frameworks remain relatively generic. The purpose of this study was to explicate the clinical reasoning process of Bobath instructors of a widely used neuro-rehabilitation approach, the Bobath concept. METHODS A qualitative interpretive description approach consisting of stimulated recall using video-recorded treatment sessions and in-depth interviews. Purposive sampling was used to recruit members of the International Bobath Instructors Training Association (IBITA). Interview transcripts were transcribed verbatim providing the raw data. Data analysis was progressive, iterative, and inductive. RESULTS Twenty-two IBITA instructors from 7 different countries participated. Ranging in clinical experience from 12 to 40 years, and instructor experience from 1 to 35 years. Three themes were developed, (a) a Bobath clinical framework, (b) person-centered, and (c) a Bobath reasoning approach, highlighting the role of practical wisdom, phronesis in the clinical reasoning process. In particular the role of visuospatial-kinesthetic perception, an element of technical expertise, was illuminated as an integral aspect of clinical reasoning in this expert group. CONCLUSIONS This study provides an interpretive understanding of the clinical reasoning process used by IBITA instructors illustrating an inactive embodied view of clinical reasoning, specifically the role of phronesis, requiring further investigation in nonexpert Bobath therapists, as well as in novice and experienced therapists in other specialty areas.