Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aflatoxin B1 and ethanol co-exposure induces hepatic oxidative damage in mice

The present study investigated the effects of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and ethanol co-exposure on biomarkers of hepatic damage in mice. Four groups of adult male mice were treated for 7 consecutive days. Control mice received corn oil alone at a dose of 2 mL/kg bw. One group was treated with ethanol at a dose of 500 µL/kg bw and another group administered 9 mg/kg bw of AFB1 dissolved in corn oil. The fourth group was co-administered with ethanol and AFB 1. The body and liver weights of treated mice decreased significantly when compared with corresponding control. Alone, ethanol and AFB1 treatment separately increased serum activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Alcohol dehydrogenase (ALD) activity was markedly elevated in ethanol-treated mice but was unaffected by AFB1 treatment. Co-exposure of AFB1 and ethanol escalated the activities of these serum enzymes. Administration of ethanol and AFB1 separately resulted in significant decrease in both non-enzymatic antioxidant glutathione (GSH) level and enzymatic antioxidant catalase (CAT) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities, whereas lipid peroxidation was markedly elevated. Superoxide dismutase activity and vitamin C level remained unaffected in all treatment groups. Co-exposure of animals to ethanol and AFB1 showed additive effects on the activities of GST and CAT as well as on the GSH level. Histopathological study revealed that these compounds interact together to exacerbate their individual effects on the liver. In summary, the data presented showed that AFB1 and ethanol co-exposure induced severe oxidative damage to the liver of mice and as such humans consuming excessive amount of ethanol and diets contaminated with AFB1 simultaneously may be at greater risk of the hepatotoxic effects of these compounds.
Angiotensin II induces reduced oxytocin but normal corticotropin release in rats with lesions of the subfornical organ

Summary— The subfornical organ (SFO) was suggested to be the site of the central nervous system which mediates the stimulatory effect of angiotensin II (AII) on corticotropin (ACTH) release. To verify this hypothesis, ACTH response to peripherally administered All was measured in rats with electrolytic lesion of the SFO. Increase in ACTH levels in response to AII (0.5 μg/kg or 2.0 μg/kg iv within 2 min) in conscious cannulated rats was dose‐related and it was not affected by SFO lesion. The short infusion of AII (2.0 μg/kg) was enough to induce an elevation in plasma oxytocin. Oxytocin response to AII was reduced while that of aldosterone and blood pressure was not modified by SFO lesion. Our data show that an intact SFO is needed for a full response of oxytocin but not of ACTH release to peripherally injected AII.
Transcriptional analysis of minute virus of mice P4 promoter mutants

A series of 5' deletion, internal deletion, and linker-scanning mutants of the minute virus of mice P4 promoter were constructed and analyzed for transcriptional activity in nuclear extracts of mouse A92L fibroblasts. A GC box and a TATA box essential for in vitro transcription from the P4 promoter were localized between nucleotides 150 and 180 (-55 to -25 relative to the primary RNA start site). Although this region also exhibited homologies to other transcriptional control elements, the simian virus 40 enhancer, and the adenovirus E1A enhancer, only the GC box and TATA box appear functional. These two motifs also play an essential role in vivo, although additional upstream sequences (between -139 and -55) are required for optimal transcription. DNase I footprinting, competitive gel retardation assays, and UV-photocrosslinking were used to identify Sp1-like proteins of 95 and 120 kilodaltons in A92L extracts that interact with the GC box of the minute virus of mice P4 promoter.
Cross-Talk between the Canonical and the Nitrogen-Related Phosphotransferase Systems Modulates Synthesis of the KdpFABC Potassium Transporter in Escherichia coli

Many Proteobacteria possess the regulatory nitrogen-related phosphotransferase system (PTS<sup>Ntr</sup>), which operates in parallel to the transport PTS. PTS<sup>Ntr</sup> is composed of the proteins EI<sup>Ntr</sup> and NPr and the final phosphate acceptor EIIA<sup>Ntr</sup>. Both PTSs can exchange phosphoryl groups among each other. Proteins governing K<sup>+</sup> uptake represent a major target of PTS<sup>Ntr</sup> in Escherichia coli. Nonphosphorylated EIIA<sup>Ntr</sup> binds and stimulates the K<sup>+</sup> sensor KdpD, which activates expression of the kdpFABC operon encoding a K<sup>+</sup> transporter. Here we show that this regulation also operates in an ilvG<sup>+</sup> strain ruling out previous concern about interference with a nonfunctional ilvG allele present in many strains. Furthermore, we analyzed phosphorylation of EIIA<sup>Ntr</sup>. In wild-type cells EIIA<sup>Ntr</sup> is predominantly phosphorylated, regardless of the growth stage and the utilized carbon source. However, cross-phosphorylation of EIIA<sup>Ntr</sup> by the transport PTS becomes apparent in the absence of EI<sup>Ntr</sup>: EIIA<sup>Ntr</sup> is predominantly nonphosphorylated when cells grow on a PTS sugar and phosphorylated when a non-PTS carbohydrate is utilized. These differences in phosphorylation are transduced into corresponding kdpFABC transcription levels. Thus, the transport PTS may affect phosphorylation of EIIA<sup>Ntr</sup> and accordingly modulate processes controlled by EIIA<sup>Ntr</sup>. Our data suggest that this cross-talk becomes most relevant under conditions that would inhibit activity of EI<sup>Ntr</sup>.
Retracted: Tetraoxanes: Synthetic and medicinal chemistry perspective

The following article from Medicinal Research Reviews, Tetraoxanes: Synthetic and medicinal chemistry perspective by Nitin Kumar, Ram Singh, Diwan S. Rawat, published online on 21 December 2009 in Wiley Online Library (http://www.wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal Editor in Chief, Binghe Wang and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The retraction has been agreed due to inappropriate citation of previously published work.
Preface

A vision can be more than a dream; a vision can be converted to public action, it can change the plight of an individual and it can change society as a whole. Social workers in the field of disability have a vision; this vision redefines the social construction of disability and incorporates the general principles of social justice for all. This special volume was developed to enhance the knowledge, skill and value base of social work educators and students working with populations who interface with disability; addressing some of the gaps in the literature on social work education and disability. The contributors have extensive knowledge in the field of disability and have selected topics based on their extensive expertise in the field.
Autogenous tissue breast reconstruction in the silicone‐intolerant patient

Background. Concerns regarding the safety of silicone gel breast implants have motivated many patients with complications from their silicone breast implants to search for alternatives for breast reconstruction. Although autogenous tissue has been used for primary breast reconstruction after mastectomy, few studies have described its use in the patient in whom silicone‐implant breast reconstruction has failed.
Multi-scale MAP Denoising of SAR Images

The SAR images are perturbed by a multiplicative noise called speckle, due to the coherent nature of the scattering phenomenon. The use of speckle reduction filters is necessary to optimize the images exploitation procedures. This paper presents a new speckle reduction method in the wavelets domain using a novel Bayesian-based algorithm, which tends to reduce the speckle, preserving the structural features (like the discontinuities) and textural information of the scene and a new discrete wavelet transform called Diversity Enhanced Discrete Wavelet Transform, DEDWT. The entire class of diversity improved wavelet transforms is characterized and is proved that the averager optimizes synthesis step for the minimization of the mean square approximation error. A blind speckle-suppression method that performs a non-linear operation on the data, based on a new bishrink filter variant is obtained. Finally, some simulation examples prove the performance of the proposed denoising method. This performance is compared with the results obtained applying state-of-the-art speckle reduction techniques
Patientenzufriedenheit in der juvenilen Adipositastherapie

Zusammenfassung Die juvenile Adipositas stellt die Betroffenen sowie das Gesundheitssystem vor enorme Herausforderungen, die effektiver Therapiekonzepte bedürfen, um langfristig Lebensstiländerungen zu bewirken. Durch Patientenbefragungen können Stärken und Schwächen der Therapie identifiziert und Verbesserungsmöglichkeiten abgeleitet werden, um so die Effektivität zu steigern. Resultierend wird geprüft, ob die Zufriedenheit mit einzelnen Aspekten der Adipositastherapie einen Einfluss auf die Ergebnis- und Gesamtzufriedenheit ausübt. Die Querschnittstudie erfasste die Patientenzufriedenheit von 55 Therapieteilnehmern im Alter von 14,6 Jahren in zwei stationären Adipositastherapieeinrichtungen. Die Erhebung erfolgte 2013/2014 mittels eines Fragebogens. Die Befragten wiesen ein hohes Zufriedenheitsniveau auf. Es zeigte sich, dass für die Gesamtzufriedenheit die Kompetenzen des Psychologen sowie Sporttherapeuten, die Vorbereitung auf Zuhause, die Ergebniszufriedenheit und die Bewegungstherapie prädiktiv waren. Am bedeutsamsten war dabei die Bewegungstherapie. Künftig ist zu klären, welchen Einfluss die Zufriedenheit auf das langfristige Gesundheitsverhalten ausübt.
Integrated EMG source separation of EI and EDM muscle using non-negative matrix factorization

Electromyographic (EMG) signal directly represents muscle activity. When recording EMG signals of closely located muscles on skin surface the problem of source separation arises, each acquired channel records signals coming from different muscles [1]. Working on extrinsic finger extensors EI (index) and EDM (little finger) provides a system with muscles that are closely located and independently activable at low levels of force. Source separation of EMG signals is difficult to achieve since instantaneity of the mixtures recorded has been shown to be very sensitive to electrode location. Non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) has been applied to the locally integrated EMG (IEMG) signal in order to identify the mixing matrix and Integrated EMG source signals. Values of contrast between EMG activity during EI and EDM contractions was computed before and after source separation and contrast gains turned out to be significantly higher using NMF on IEMG than using a well known source separation algorithm on EMG signal directly.
THE ROLE OF CILOSTAZOL (PLETAL™) IN THE MANAGEMENT OF INTERMITTENT CLAUDICATION

Intermittent claudication affects 5% of the middle‐aged population in developed countries and is associated with a significant reduction in health‐related quality of life and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality The mainstay of treatment is best medical therapy (BMT) comprising smoking cessation, antiplatelet agents, lipid‐lowering, advice to exercise, and correction of other modifiable vascular risk factors. Although BMT is highly effective in reducing cardiovascular risk and may also improve walking distance, many patients remain unacceptably symptomatic despite it. Until recently, the only available adjuvant therapies were supervised exercise programmes, angioplasty and surgery Many patients are unable to comply with the first, and the last two are associated with limited durability and risk. The advent of cilostazol (Pletal™) adds evidence‐based pharmacotherapy to the vascular specialist's armamentarium for the first time. Here cilostazol and its role in the management of intermittent claudication are discussed.
Multiview and Multimodal Pervasive Indoor Localization

Pervasive indoor localization (PIL) aims to locate an indoor mobile-phone user without any infrastructure assistance. Conventional PIL approaches employ a single probe (i.e., target) measurement to localize by identifying its best match out of a fingerprint gallery. However, a single measurement usually captures limited and inadequate location features. More importantly, the reliance on a single measurement bears the inherent risk of being inaccurate and unreliable, due to the fact that the measurement could be noisy and even corrupted. In this paper, we address the deficiency of using a single measurement by proposing the original idea of localization based on multi-view and multi-modal measurements. Specifically, a location is represented as a multi-view graph (MVG), which captures both local features and global contexts. We then formulate the location retrieval problem into an MVG matching problem. In MVG matching, a collaborative-reconstruction based measure is proposed to evaluate the node/edge similarity between two MVGs, which can explicitly address noisy measurements or outliers. Extensive experiments have been conducted on three different types of buildings with a total area of 18,719 m^2. We show that even with 30% noisy measurements or outliers, our method is able to achieve a promising accuracy of 1 meter. As another contribution, we construct a benchmark dataset for the PIL task and make it publicly available, which to our knowledge, is the first public dataset that is tailored for multi-view multi-modal indoor localization and contains both magnetic and visual signals.
The second hit: comorbidities in systemic lupus erythematosus

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) now benefit from an improved life expectancy. As this multisystem autoimmune disorder progressively became a chronic disease over the last few decades, we gradually realized that this more favorable prognosis came at a price: the occurrence of comorbidities. The main comorbidities recognized in SLE patients include cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and malignancies. As these conditions now represent a significant proportion of the morbidity and mortality associated with SLE, it is important to understand them better in order to appropriately screen for them, or even to try preventing them. We will, in this article, review the current literature on these three complications, which can be an unfortunate ‘second hit’ for patients suffering from an already complex illness.
Differential Expression of GAD65 and GAD67 in Human, Rat, and Mouse Pancreatic Islets

The smaller form of the autoantigen glutamic acid decarboxylase, GAD65 (formerly the 64,000 Mr autoantigen), is a major target of humoral autoimmunity in type I diabetes. Human autoantisera have been used extensively to characterize the GAD65 antigen in both rat and human islets, but the protein has escaped detection in mouse islets. We have now analyzed the expression of GAD65 and GAD67, the larger glutamic acid decarboxylase protein, in human, rat, and mouse islets of Langerhans and brain, using human monoclonal islet cell autoantibodies, human autoantisera, and experimentally raised antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase. Human monoclonal autoantibodies and experimentally raised antibodies reacted with mouse GAD65 produced in a baculovirus expression system by Western blotting and immunoprecipitation and with GAD65 in mouse brain by immunohistochemistry but failed to detect GAD65 in mouse islets by the latter two methods. However, analysis of mouse islets by Western blotting technique, using the most sensitive experimentally raised antibody, showed that mouse islets express both GAD65 and GAD67 but at levels that are severalfold lower than those in mouse brain or in human and rat islets. Furthermore, both human and rat islets predominantly express GAD65, whereas GAD67 is the major glutamic acid decarboxylase protein in mouse islets. Human islets are significantly distinct from mouse and rat islets and from brain because they only express GAD65, which is consistent with the predominant role of this form as a target of autoantibodies associated with β-cell destruction in humans. Human as well as rat islet GAD65 are found in both membrane-bound and soluble forms. The low level of glutamic acid decarboxylase expression in mouse islets compared with human and rat islets is likely to have implications for both the development of tolerance to glutamic acid decarboxylase as well as the homing of glutamic acid decarboxylase-specific lymphocytes to the mouse β-cell. In this context, the results suggest 1) that the mouse is ideal for studies of the consequences of an expression of high levels of glutamic acid decarboxylase in the β-cell from a transgene and 2) that the rat may be better suited than the mouse for development of nontransgenic animal models of glutamic acid decarboxylase autoimmunity by immunization.
A dynamic routing method for congestion control

The mentioned dynamic network routing system is a method where the routers are dynamically controlled to reduce congestion. A counting algorithm counts the number of data packets in the network. The count of the number of data packets is analyzed and is saved in a text file. Parallel processing logic is used to achieve the scheduling process at various routers where the network traffic is frequently subjected to congestion and time delays. The present scenario is then linked with parallel architecture. The basic of parallel processing architectures and different MPI commands were studied. Scheduling algorithm is used to dynamically allocate time and different MPI functions are applied to synchronize the routers. Synchronization of the required routers is done with the help of MPI functions.
Efficacy of Continuous Regional Arterial Infusion With Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin for Severe Acute Pancreatitis in a Porcine Model

ABSTRACT Objective: Administration of heparin or its derivatives has been proved to be beneficial in the treatment of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). However, drugs administered by conventional intravenous way are difficult to reach the pancreatic tissue and may cause bleeding complications due to coagulation and microcirculatory disturbance following initiation of SAP. In this study, we aimed to assess the effects of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) administered with continuous regional arterial infusion (CRAI) technique in a porcine model of SAP. Methods: Following baseline measurements, 18 animals were divided into three groups: CRAI group (LMWH infused through placed arterial catheter), venous group (LMWH infused through central venous catheter), and SAP control group. We used retrograde intraductal infusion of sodium taurocholate to induce SAP. Global hemodynamic profiles, urine output, systemic oxygenation, and inflammatory and serum biochemical parameters of the animals were studied. At the end of the experiment, histological examination of pancreas, intestine, and lung was performed. Results: Continuous regional arterial infusion with LMWH remarkably stabilized hemodynamic profiles, improved systemic oxygenation and peripheral perfusion, alleviated histological injury of pancreas (especially for the necrosis scale), and downregulated inflammatory response when compared with the other two groups. Moreover, serum D-dimer level also decreased most significantly in the CRAI group (474 ± 144 vs. 664 ± 155 µg/L in the venous group and 945 ± 351 µg/L in the controls at the end), partly indicating ameliorated coagulation disorders in the study group. No bleeding complication was observed in the CRAI group, whereas two animals in the venous group presented gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Conclusions: Continuous regional arterial infusion with LMWH exhibits strong therapeutic effects in the course of SAP with great safety. Human studies using this novel therapy are required to assess these potential benefits in the clinical setting.
Effectiveness of Web-Based Tutorials : Performance on Statistical Concepts

This study was designed to examine the effectiveness of Web Based Tutorials (WBTs) and the correlation between students’ self-efficacy score for self-regulated learning and their learning performance using WBTs. Participants were graduate students (N = 14) enrolled in a statistics course during a single semester. The results of this study showed that WBTs were effective for learning statistics concepts. However, there was no correlation between students’ self efficacy score for self regulated learning and their learning performance using WBTs. Additional investigation showed that the classroom instruction mode was more effective than the WBT.
A software development process supporting non-functional properties

This paper presents a development process with particular focus on non-functional properties. The process is built around the concept of measurements at different levels of abstraction. It distinguishes the roles of measurement designer and application designer. We propose the notion of multiple context models of measurements corresponding to different levels of abstraction. This enables us to provide CASE tool support for the refinement of non-functional specifications by requiring transformations between context models and measurement definitions to be specified by the measurement designer and using them to refine non-functional specifications.
A Machine Learning Method for Extracting Symbolic Knowledge from Recurrent Neural Networks

Neural networks do not readily provide an explanation of the knowledge stored in their weights as part of their information processing. Until recently, neural networks were considered to be black boxes, with the knowledge stored in their weights not readily accessible. Since then, research has resulted in a number of algorithms for extracting knowledge in symbolic form from trained neural networks. This article addresses the extraction of knowledge in symbolic form from recurrent neural networks trained to behave like deterministic finite-state automata (DFAs). To date, methods used to extract knowledge from such networks have relied on the hypothesis that networks' states tend to cluster and that clusters of network states correspond to DFA states. The computational complexity of such a cluster analysis has led to heuristics that either limit the number of clusters that may form during training or limit the exploration of the space of hidden recurrent state neurons. These limitations, while necessary, may lead to decreased fidelity, in which the extracted knowledge may not model the true behavior of a trained network, perhaps not even for the training set. The method proposed here uses a polynomial time, symbolic learning algorithm to infer DFAs solely from the observation of a trained network's input-output behavior. Thus, this method has the potential to increase the fidelity of the extracted knowledge.