Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of cardiopulmonary bypass on intestinal and pulmonary endothelial permeability.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To quantify simultaneously the pulmonary and gastrointestinal (GI) damage that occurs during uncomplicated surgery requiring cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), and to examine the relationships between markers of such damage. DESIGN Prospective, open. SETTING Adult ICU of a national referral hospital. PATIENTS Twenty patients undergoing elective CPB surgery. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Pulmonary vascular injury was assessed using the protein accumulation index (PAI), a double isotope technique specific for high permeability pulmonary edema. The relationships of the PAI with percent neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), serum, and BAL myeloperoxidase (MPO), and bypass time were examined. Splanchnic vascular injury was assessed using tonometry to measure intramucosal pH (pHi) and the ratio of absorbed lactulose to L-rhamnose (L/R ratio) to determine gut mucosal permeability. Positive correlations were observed between bypass time and PAI (r = 0.64, p < 0.01), percent neutrophils in the postoperative BAL and PAI (r = 0.51, p < 0.05), and postoperative serum MPO and PAI (r = 0.77, p < 0.001). The L/R ratio rose significantly following CPB from 0.04 +/- 0.01 in controls to 0.48 +/- 0.05 (p < 0.0001). The L/R ratio in patients who developed a low pHi was 0.59 +/- 0.06 compared with 0.32 +/- 0.07 in those whose pHi remained normal (p < 0.05). No significant correlation between bypass time and pHi (r = -0.3, p = 0.33), bypass time and L/R ratio (r = 0.27, p = 0.26), PAI and L/R ratio (r = 0.2, p = 0.42), PAI and pHi (r = -0.34, p = 0.16), postoperative serum MPO and L/R ratio (r = 0.03, p = 0.90), or postoperative serum MPO and pHi (r = -0.10, p = 0.67) could be demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS Pulmonary and GI injury are detectable following uncomplicated CPB. The absence of any relationship between the respective markers of dysfunction suggests that differing pathologic processes are responsible.
A study on multi-view calibration methods for RGB-D cameras

—RGB-D cameras became part of our daily life in applications such as human-computer interface and game interaction, just to cite a few. Because of their easy programming interface and response precision, such cameras have also been increasingly used to 3D reconstruction and movement analysis. In view of that, calibration of multiple cameras is an essential task. On that account, the goal of this paper is to present a preliminary study of methods which tackle the problem of multi-view geometry computation using RGB-D cameras. A brief overview of camera geometry is presented, some methods of calibration are discussed and one of them is evaluated in practice; ﬁnally, some important points are addressed about practical issues involving the problem.
Promoter hypermethylation of GSTP1, AR, and 14‐3‐3σ in serum of prostate cancer patients and its clinical relevance

Hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes (TSG) is thought to play an important role in tumorigenesis of prostate cancer. The main focus of research was the detection of TSG hypermethylation in cancer tissue. Our aim was to evaluate the feasibility of detection of hypermethylated genes in serum of prostate cancer patients and its correlation with clinicopathological parameters.
The induction of lipid peroxidation during the acute oxidative stress response induced by intratracheal instillation of fine crystalline silica particles in rats

Crystalline silica (SiO2) is an important material for industry but is considered potentially carcinogenic. Inhalation of a crystalline SiO2 aerosol may contribute to serious lung diseases. Crystalline SiO2 particles are commonly used as a positive control in toxicity assays of particulate materials (e.g. nanoparticles). Crystalline SiO2 induces oxidative stress resulting in lipid peroxidation, but the acute oxidative stress response in the lung is not well understood. Lipid peroxidation during the acute stage of oxidative stress after instillation of crystalline SiO2 into rats was examined by bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) analysis. The levels of 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α and hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (HODE) in the BALF were measured using liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole mass spectrometry. The concentration of the antioxidant protein heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in the BALF was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Intratracheal instillation of crystalline SiO2 increased the level of HODE and HO-1 in BALF at 24 h after administration. The levels of HODE and HO-1 returned to baseline at 72 h after instillation. Lactate dehydrogenase leakage was observed only after 1 h instillation. These results suggest that the contribution of oxidative stress to the pulmonary toxicity of crystalline SiO2 is minimal in the early acute stage after exposure.
Active Demethylation of the Foxp3 Locus Leads to the Generation of Stable Regulatory T Cells within the Thymus

Stable expression of Foxp3 in regulatory T cells (Tregs) depends on DNA demethylation at the Treg-specific demethylated region (TSDR), a conserved, CpG-rich region within the Foxp3 locus. The TSDR is selectively demethylated in ex vivo Tregs purified from secondary lymphoid organs, but it is unclear at which stage of Treg development demethylation takes place. In this study, we show that commitment to a stable lineage occurred during early stages of murine thymic Treg development by engraving of lineage-specific epigenetic marks in parallel with establishment of a Treg-specific gene expression profile. TSDR demethylation was achieved through an active mechanism and involved enzymes of the ten-eleven-translocation family and hydroxylation of methylated cytosines, a modification that is implicated as an initiating step of mitosis-independent DNA demethylation pathways and has not yet been observed at specific loci during immune cell differentiation. Together, our results demonstrate that initiating TSDR demethylation during early stages of thymic Treg development commences stabilization of Foxp3 expression and guarantees full functionality and long-term lineage stability of Tregs.
The role of the colon microbiota in the Mexican children obesity

Background Obesity is epidemic in Mexico, and among several other factors, the colon microbiota which produces short chain fatty acids by fermentation of undigested carbohydrates, plays an important role. Changes in the colon microbial diversity of Mexican children may affect nutrient absorption and contribute to development of obesity. Method Normal-weight (n=81), overweight (n=29), and obese Mexican children (n=80) aged 9-11 were selected. V3-16S rDNA libraries were prepared from fecal DNA and high-throughput sequenced1. After QIIME analysis of data, metabolic profile was done using PICRUSt2. Results The bacterial genera Blautia spp, Faecalibacterium spp and Coprococcus spp were significantly increased in overweight and obese children. Principal component analysis revealed association of these bacteria with increased BMI and triglycerides in overweight and obese children. Functional profile prediction disclosed that fatty acids, and lipid biosynthesis functional genes were significantly more abundant in obese children. Three different enterotypes were identified associated to these changes. Conclusion We conclude that a particular colon microbiota imbalance with different enterotype patterns in overweight and obese children, increases fatty acid and lipid production. These changes are associated with the increase of BMI and triglycerides in overweight and obese children.
Compliance with peak expiratory flow monitoring in home management of asthma.

BACKGROUND The recent consensus reports on asthma management emphasize the importance of using peak flowmeters to accurately assess the degree of airflow obstruction. However, the optimal way to use those devices has not yet been determined. OBJECTIVES To assess compliance with peak expiratory flow (PEF) measurements in the long-term management of asthma, and identify the characteristics of patients with poor compliance. SETTING Asthma clinics from three tertiary-care hospitals. DESIGN A descriptive and prospective study of 1-year duration. PATIENTS Twenty-six patients with moderate to severe asthma taking part in an asthma education program. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Patients were asked to measure morning and evening PEF using an electronic peak flowmeter with a 3-month memory; they were unaware that PEF values were being recorded by this device. RESULTS Compliance with PEF measurements was relatively good during the first month (63% of the measurements done) but even with regular reinforcement, fell to 50% at 6 months and to 33% at 12 months. Right from the beginning, 8 of 26 subjects (30%) never or almost never (<5% of the readings done) measured PEF, with seven of these subjects writing fabricated results in their diaries most of the time. At 12 months, 60% of the subjects were measuring PEF <25% of the time, and most of them continued writing fabricated PEF values in their diaries. None of the subjects' characteristics helped us to identify those who had poor compliance with these measurements. CONCLUSIONS While short-term compliance with PEF measurements is fairly good, most patients with moderate to severe asthma are not interested in measuring PEF twice daily over a prolonged period. In the current management of asthma, PEF measurement devices can be suggested to those showing a strong personal interest in using them, but should be limited to short periods of time. Furthermore, this study outlines the usefulness of electronic peak flowmeters when doing clinical research where PEF improvement is an important outcome.
An investigation on iExchange technology in Motorola iDEN system

IExchange is a new technology in the Motorola iDEN system. It transmits data packets over the dispatch channel and achieves very high efficiency multicast of messages. An investigation was done based on the published technical documents from Motorola. As an output of the investigation, this paper discusses the mechanism of this technology, compares it with technologies providing similar services and describes an application which highlights its advantages. Possibilities and requirements of implementing similar technology in other wireless systems are discussed.
Effect of the star formation histories on the SFR-M-* relation at z ≥ 2

We investigate the effect of different star formation histories (SFHs) on the relation between stellar mass (M-*) and star formation rate (SFR) using a sample of galaxies with reliable spectroscopic redshift z(spec) \textgreater 2 drawn from the VIMOS Ultra-Deep Survey (VUDS). We produce an extensive database of dusty model galaxies, calculated starting from a new library of single stellar population (SSPs) models, weighted by a set of 28 different star formation histories based on the Schmidt function, and characterized by different ratios of the gas infall timescale tau(infall) to the star formation efficiency nu. Dust extinction and re-emission were treated by means of the radiative transfer calculation. The spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting technique was performed by using GOSSIP+, a tool able to combine both photometric and spectroscopic information to extract the best value of the physical quantities of interest, and to consider the intergalactic medium (IGM) attenuation as a free parameter. We find that the main contribution to the scatter observed in the SFR-M-* plane is the possibility of choosing between different families of SFHs in the SED fitting procedure, while the redshift range plays a minor role. The majority of the galaxies, at all cosmic times, are best fit by models with SFHs characterized by a high tau(infall)/nu ratio. We discuss the reliability of a low percentage of dusty and highly star-forming galaxies in the context of their detection in the far infrared (FIR).
Nitric oxide activates PKC a and inhibits Na 1K 1-ATPase in opossum kidney cells

Liang, Mingyu, and Franklyn G. Knox. Nitric oxide activates PKCa and inhibits Na1-K1-ATPase in opossum kidney cells. Am. J. Physiol. 277 (Renal Physiol. 46): F859– F865, 1999. —Nitric oxide (NO) reduces the molecular activity of Na1-K1-ATPase in opossum kidney (OK) cells, a proximal tubule cell line. In the present study, we investigated the cellular mechanisms for the inhibitory effect of NO on Na1-K1ATPase. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a NO donor, inhibited Na1-K1-ATPase in OK cells, but not in LLC-PK1 cells, another proximal tubule cell line. Similarly, phorbol 12myristate 13-acetate, a protein kinase C (PKC) activator, inhibited Na1-K1-ATPase in OK, but not in LLC-PK1, cells. PKC inhibitors staurosporine or calphostin C, but not the protein kinase G inhibitor KT-5823, abolished the inhibitory effect of NO on Na1-K1-ATPase in OK cells. Immunoblotting demonstrated that treatment with NO donors caused significant translocation of PKCa from cytosolic to particulate fractions in OK, but not in LLC-PK1, cells. Furthermore, the translocation of PKCa in OK cells was attenuated by either the phospholipase C inhibitor U-73122 or the soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo-[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1one. U-73122 also blunted the inhibitory effect of SNP on Na1-K1-ATPase in OK cells. The phospholipase A2 inhibitor AACOCF3 did not blunt the inhibitory effect of SNP on Na1-K1-ATPase in OK cells. AACOCF3 alone, however, also decreased Na1-K1-ATPase activity in OK cells. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that NO activates PKCa in OK, but not in LLC-PK1, cells. The activation of PKCa in OK cells by NO is associated with inhibition of Na1-K1-ATPase.
Molecular identification of NMDA glutamate receptors expressed in bone cells

The N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) subtype of the glutamate receptor has recently been identified in bone, but the molecular composition of this receptor expressed by bone cells is unknown. NMDA receptor (NMDAR) is a hetero‐oligomeric protein composed of two classes of subunits, the essential subunit NR1 and NR2A to D subunits that do not by themselves produce functional channels but potentiate NR1 activity and confer functional variability to the receptor. These subunits coassemble in different combinations to form functionally distinct NMDAR. In this study, we have investigated the molecular composition of NMDAR expressed by osteoblasts and osteoclasts in culture, using RT‐PCR analysis, in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry. Specific probes were designed for the different subunits of the NMDAR, and we showed by RT‐PCR analysis that mammalian osteoclasts expressed NR2B and NR2D subunits mRNAs but not NR2A and NR2C mRNAs. Rat calvaria and MG63 osteoblastic cells also expressed several NR2 subunits mRNAs, namely NR2A, NR2B, and NR2D. In situ hybridization on isolated rabbit osteoclasts and MG63 cells has confirmed the localization of NR1, NR2B, and NR2D transcripts in osteoclasts and NR1, NR2A, NR2B, and NR2D transcripts in MG63 cells. The expression of NR2D protein by bone cells was shown by immunofluorescence. These results demonstrate for the first time that osteoblasts and osteoclasts express several NR2 subunits, suggesting a molecular diversity of NMDAR channels similar to what was shown for brain. The presence of distinct functional NMDAR on bone cells may be associated with various states of bone cell differentiation and function. J. Cell. Biochem. 82: 134–144, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Impact of Determinism on Learning Atari 2600 Games

Pseudo-random number generation on the Atari 2600 was commonly accomplished using a Linear Feedback Shift Register (LFSR). One drawback was that the initial seed for the LFSR had to be hard-coded into the ROM. To overcome this constraint, programmers sampled from the LFSR once per frame, including title and end screens. Since a human player will have some random amount of delay between seeing the title screen and starting to play, the LFSR state was effectively randomized at the beginning of the game despite the hard-coded seed. Other games used the player’s actions as a source of randomness. Notable pseudo-random games include Adventure in which a bat randomly steals and hides items around the game world and River Raid which used randomness to make enemy movements less predictable. Relying on the player to provide a source of randomness is not sufficient for computer controlled agents which are capable of memorizing and repeating pre-determined sequences of actions. Ideally, the games themselves would provide stochasticity generated from an external source such as the CPU clock. In practice, this was not an option presented by the hardware. Atari games are deterministic given a fixed policy leading to a set sequence of actions. This article discusses different approaches for adding stochasticity to Atari games and examines how effective each approach is at derailing an agent known to memorize action sequences. Additionally it is the authors’ hope that this article will spark discussion in the community over the following questions:
Plane-shape perception using point-contact type force feedback device

(haptic) feedback devices (FFDs) form an important field of research in virtual reality. They are especially promising in applications that require both three-dimensional input and output, including CAD systems and surgical simulators. Haptic rendering requires a very high control rate (~kHz), while CAD modeling and physics-based simulation processes are often 100 times slower; to bridge the gap, haptic rendering must be separated from other processes. We propose feature-based haptic rendering and its communication protocol 1 to exchange shape information as features (shape fragments, haptic characteristics, etc.) between processes (Fig. 1). Modeling/simulation selects and transmits features, which are haptically rendered using an FFD. Here, the latency gap between processes requires feature interpolation to smooth haptic rendering. Features can be interpolated in both space and time domains; spatial interpolation is important for smoothing polygonal surfaces, and temporal interpolation is necessary in shape deformation and touching moving objects. To develop less expensive but effective interpolation algorithms, we must know much more about human haptic characteristics. A modeler process, for example, can prefetch features before time-consuming work and human sensory thresholds define their resolution. We conducted experiments on static plane-shape recognition thresholds using the PHANToM2 (SensAble Technologies) as an FFD. Experiment 1 Subjects (11 right-handed Japanese adults) touched a stimulus shape (Fig. 2) using a stylus probe and altered its height, h, with an up or down arrow key. Reaction magnitude f was calculated as f = (G(x)-y). s, where x, y are the coordinates of the stylus tip measured in mm, and s = 0.5 is stiffness. The reaction force direction was fixed upward, (0, 1, 0), the same as the normal of a flat plane, because varied reaction force directions cause haptic illusion. 3 In the ascending experiments, the initial stimulus shape was a "flat" plane with a small height that could be increased by pressing the up arrow key until the subject felt it to no longer be flat. In the descending experiments, a mountain shape was initially presented and the subject decreased h with the down arrow key until it felt flat. In both cases, the subject hit the return key to signal the final h. Three trials were conducted for each ascending/descending for 5 width w (5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 mm). The h changed by 0.5 mm (w = 20, 30, 40 mm) and 0.1 mm (w = 5, 10 mm) each time arrow keys were pressed. …
A 36–41GHz power amplifier with distributed active transformer in 0.13 μm CMOS process

A 36-41GHz fully integrated power amplifier with distributed active transformer (DAT) in 0.13 pm CMOS technology is presented in this paper. In order to improve the output power of the PA, a four-way distributed active transformer was used for power combining. The DAT combiner not only can realize efficient performance of power combination, but also directly match the PA unit. Moreover, the patterned floating shield (PFS) and patterned ground shield (PGS) are utilized to reduce the insertion loss of the DAT, on-chip balun and power splitter. PA units employ cascode stage and cascade of common source stage to improve the gain and output power. This DAT PA achieves a peak power gain of 12.5 dB with 20dBm saturated output power and a peak power added efficiency (PAE) of 10% under the supply voltage of 1.6V and current consumption of 152 mA. The entire PA core occupies 0.78 mm2 die area.
The criminal justice system's considerations of so-called near-virtual autopsies: the East Midlands experience

Background While several research groups champion the potential for postmortem CT (PMCT) to replace the invasive postmortem (PM), many questions still remain. Aims Perhaps the two most important questions are whether PMCT can provide the same level of information as an invasive PM, and arguably more importantly, can it meet the needs of the end users of the PM report. Through a comparative analysis of invasive post-mortem and CT findings and a questionnaire based qualitative thematic analysis, the authors have sought to answer these questions. Results and Conclusion Here, the authors show that PMCT is good at providing accurate causes of death and that the interpretation of cases is not significantly altered by the absence of histology. The authors show that in straightforward trauma deaths such as road traffic incidents, there exists the potential for the replacement of the invasive PM by PMCT examination. However, as yet, PMCT cannot provide all of the information that is expected by the criminal justice system in complex forensic cases.
Identification of a Putative Effector for Cdc42Hs with High Sequence Similarity to the RasGAP-related Protein IQGAP1 and a Cdc42Hs Binding Partner with Similarity to IQGAP2*

Cdc42 is a Ras-related GTP-binding protein that has been implicated in the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton and cell morphology. In this study, we have identified a protein with a molecular mass ∼180 kDa from rabbit liver cytosol (designated p180), which binds preferentially to the GTP- and guanosine 5′-3-O-(thio)triphosphate-bound forms of Cdc42. Binding of p180 to GTP-bound Cdc42 maintains it in the GTP-bound state. Another cytosolic protein, with an apparent molecular mass of 175 kDa (p175), was also found to interact with Cdc42, but this association showed less dependence on guanine nucleotides. Both p180 and p175 were capable of binding to Rac1 but not to RhoA or Ha-Ras. The limit functional domain of the Cdc42-GAP protein did not compete with p180 or p175 for binding to Cdc42. However, the Cdc42-binding domain from mPAK-3, a member of the PAK (p21 activated kinase) family of serine/threonine kinases, competed with both proteins. The binding of p180 or p175 was inhibited by mutations of the putative effector loop of Cdc42. p180 and p175 also bound less effectively to a Cdc42/Ras chimera in which loop 8 from Ras was substituted for the predicted loop 8 in Cdc42 that includes a 13-amino acid insert present in all Rho family members but absent in Ras. Microsequencing of a p180 peptide revealed 92% identity with the human IQGAP1 protein, while two peptides derived from p175 were 89 and 100% identical to human IQGAP2. These findings identify IQGAP1 and IQGAP2 as a new class of target/effectors that utilize both regions of the switch I domain and an insert region distinct to Rho proteins for binding to Cdc42.