Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epstein-Barr virus load in the peripheral blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: accurate quantification using real-time polymerase chain reaction.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have elevated Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) load in their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and whether it is correlated with the HLA-DR genes they express, we developed an accurate EBV DNA quantitative assay using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with fluorescent probes. METHODS We studied the EBV DNA load in the PBMCs of 84 patients with RA, 69 normal controls, and 22 patients with rheumatic conditions other than RA. A 214-bp segment from the long internal repeat of EBV was amplified from 500 ng of PBMC DNA (150,000 cells) and quantified by real-time PCR with fluorescent probes. RESULTS We demonstrated that in patients with RA, the EBV DNA load in PBMCs is increased almost 10-fold compared with that in normal controls. The EBV load is stable over time and is not obviously influenced by disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs or HLA-DR. CONCLUSION Patients with RA have elevated EBV load in their peripheral blood.
HEMATOLOGICAL AND PLASMA BIOCHEMICAL REFERENCE INTERVALS IN YOUNG WHITE STORKS

Hematological and plasma chemistry parameters were measured in 129 juvenile white storks (Ciconia ciconia), either wild or captive bred, April to June 1994. Wild storks were members of a colony in the Lozoya River Valley, Madrid, Spain. Red blood cells count, packed cell volume and hemoglobin increased significantly with age. White blood cells count, lymphocytes count and platelets decreased with age. Total solids, total proteins, fibrinogen, albumin, alpha, beta, gamma-globulins and urea increased with age. Differences between captive and wild birds were not notable.
Perceptual experiments for diagnostic testing of text-to-speech systems

Abstract This paper describes perceptual methods for diagnosing problems in text-to-speech systems. Special attention is paid to two issues. First, coverage of the domain of a text-to-speech system. Since this domain involves an enormous range of contexts, it is criticial for diagnostics, and also for overall evaluation, that test materials cover this range to the fullest extent possible. Automatic text generation algorithms that make extensive use of "greedy" algorithms are described that serve this purpose. Second, speech generated by text-to-speech systems tends to have a great variety of problems . A battery of experimental paradigms is discussed that address different facets of speech quality and intelligibility. Included are: (a) "word pointing" method for detection of problematic concatenative units, (b) "minimal pairs intelligibility test"—an expanded diagnostic rhyme test; (c) automatically scored orthographic name transcription task; (d) mean opinion score paradigm with problem categorization; and (e) paired comparison paradigm with strength-of-choice rating. The methods are applied in a series of experiments on high-end text-to-speech systems.
Pro-Detection of Atrial Fibrillation Using Mixture of Experts

A reliable detection of atrial fibrillation (AF) in Electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring systems is significant for early treatment and health risk reduction. Various ECG mining and analysis studies have addressed a wide variety of clinical and technical issues. However, there is still room for improvement mostly in two areas. First, the morphological descriptors not only between different patients or patient clusters but also within the same patient are potentially changing. As a result, the model constructed using an old training data no longer needs to be adjusted in order to identify new concepts. Second, the number and types of ECG parameters necessary for detecting AF arrhythmia with high quality encounter a massive number of challenges in relation to computational effort and time consumption. We proposed a mixture technique that caters to these limitations. It includes an active learning method in conjunction with an ECG parameter customization technique to achieve a better AF arrhythmia detection in real-time applications. The performance of our proposed technique showed a sensitivity of 95.2%, a specificity of 99.6%, and an overall accuracy of 99.2%. key words: atrial fibrillation, cardiac monitoring, electrocardiogram (ECG), training Datase
Prospective Evaluation of 68Ga-RM2 PET/MRI in Patients with Biochemical Recurrence of Prostate Cancer and Negative Findings on Conventional Imaging

68Ga-labeled DOTA-4-amino-1-carboxymethyl-piperidine-d-Phe-Gln-Trp-Ala-Val-Gly-His-Sta-Leu-NH2 (68Ga-RM2) is a synthetic bombesin receptor antagonist that targets gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPr). GRPr proteins are highly overexpressed in several human tumors, including prostate cancer (PCa). We present data from the use of 68Ga-RM2 in patients with biochemical recurrence (BCR) of PCa and negative findings on conventional imaging. Methods: We enrolled 32 men with BCR of PCa, who were 59–83 y old (mean ± SD, 68.7 ± 6.4 y). Imaging started at 40–69 min (mean, 50.5 ± 6.8 min) after injection of 133.2–151.7 MBq (mean, 140.6 ± 7.4 MBq) of 68Ga-RM2 using a time-of-flight–enabled simultaneous PET/MRI scanner. T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and diffusion-weighted images were acquired. Results: All patients had a rising level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) (range, 0.3–119.0 ng/mL; mean, 10.1 ± 21.3 ng/mL) and negative findings on conventional imaging (CT or MRI, and a 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate bone scan) before enrollment. The observed 68Ga-RM2 PET detection rate was 71.8%. 68Ga-RM2 PET identified recurrent PCa in 23 of the 32 participants, whereas the simultaneous MRI scan identified findings compatible with recurrent PCa in 11 of the 32 patients. PSA velocity was 0.32 ± 0.59 ng/mL/y (range, 0.04–1.9 ng/mL/y) in patients with negative PET findings and 2.51 ± 2.16 ng/mL/y (range, 0.13–8.68 ng/mL/y) in patients with positive PET findings (P = 0.006). Conclusion: 68Ga-RM2 PET can be used for assessment of GRPr expression in patients with BCR of PCa. High uptake in multiple areas compatible with cancer lesions suggests that 68Ga-RM2 is a promising PET radiopharmaceutical for localization of disease in patients with BCR of PCa and negative findings on conventional imaging.
Topiramate as a neuroprotective agent in a rat model of spinal cord injury

Topiramate (TPM) is a widely used antiepileptic and antimigraine agent which has been shown to exert neuroprotective effects in various experimental traumatic brain injury and stroke models. However, its utility in spinal cord injury has not been studied extensively. Thus, we evaluated effects of TPM on secondary cellular injury mechanisms in an experimental rat model of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). After rat models of thoracic contusive SCI were established by free weight-drop method, TPM (40 mg/kg) was given at 12-hour intervals for four times orally. Post TPM treatment, malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl levels were significantly reduced and reduced glutathione levels were increased, while immunoreactivity for endothelial nitric oxide synthase, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and apoptotic peptidase activating factor 1 was diminished in SCI rats. In addition, TPM treatment improved the functional recovery of SCI rats. This study suggests that administration of TPM exerts neuroprotective effects on SCI.
Interpolation of Non-Gaussian Probability Distributions for Ensemble Visualization

A typical assumption is that ensemble data at each spatial location follows a Gaussian distribution. We investigate the consequences of that assumption when distributions are non-Gaussian. A sufficiently acceptable interpolation scheme needs to be devised for the interpolation of non-Gaussian distributions. We present two methods to calculate interpolations between two arbitrary distributions and compare them against two baseline methods. The first method uses a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) to represent distributions. The second method is a non-parametric approach that interpolates between quantiles in the cumulative distribution functions. The baseline methods for comparison purposes are: (a) using a Gaussian distribution and interpolating the means and standard deviations, and (b) forming a new distribution based on the interpolation of individual realizations of the ensemble. We show that the two proposed non-Gaussian interpolation methods have the following behavior: the interpolated distributions do not decompose to more constituent Gaussian distributions than the highest modality of those being interpolated, and do not have variances less than the smallest variance from the grid points being interpolated. Finally, we compare these four interpolation methods when used in the analysis of scalar and vector fields of ensemble data sets, particularly in areas where the distribution is non-Gaussian. Index Terms —Interpolation, non-Gaussian, visualization, flow, uncertainty, ensemble
Shoeing sound warmblood horses with a rolled toe optimises hoof-unrollment and lowers peak loading during breakover.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY Overload injuries in sport horses commonly occur; shoeing techniques are believed to be important in prevention of these injuries, but there is a paucity of scientific information identifying the potential connection. OBJECTIVES To test a horseshoe with a modified rolled toe designed to ease the process of breakover and decrease loading of lesion-prone structures of the distal limb. METHODS Twenty clinically sound Warmblood horses trotted over a track containing a pressure/force measuring system and 6 infrared cameras. The horses were measured with 2 types of shoes, standard flat shoes and shoes with a rolled toe. The shoeing procedure was randomised and horses had 2 days between measurements to adapt to the shoes. RESULTS Limb placement and timing characteristics, e.g. breakover duration, did not change significantly. There was an improvement in the ease of movement to roll over the toe in the shoes with a rolled toe, due mainly to a smoother hoof-unrollment pattern. The peak indicative moment decreased substantially at the onset of breakover in the shoe with the rolled toe. CONCLUSIONS With a rolled toe the process of hoof-unrollment is smoother, which improves the coordination of this process, and lowers peak loading of the distal limb during breakover. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE This study stresses the importance of proper shoeing in sound horses, showing that shoe modifications can optimise the loading characteristics of the distal limb and therefore might be a means to prevent sport horses from overload injuries.
Induction of apoptosis by primary HIV‐1 isolates correlates with productive infection in peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Objective:To study the apoptosis-inducing capacity of HIV-1 primary isolates in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in relation to the viral biological phenotype. Design and methods:Four HIV-1 primary isolates capable of replicating and inducing syncytia in the MT-2 cell line and two primary isolates lacking these properties were used to infect PBMC with the same infectious doses. The kinetics of virus production in the culture supernatants were followed in relation to apoptosis induction in PBMC as determined by intracellular labelling of apoptotic DNA strand breaks and flow cytometry analysis. Results:When low virus dose was used (0.001 m.o.i.), productive virus infection, with peak reverse transcriptase (RT) activity at days 5–7, was followed by high numbers of apoptotic cells at day 10 post infection. Tenfold higher inoculum dose (0.01 m.o.i.) resulted in enhanced virus production with peak RT activity at day 3 followed by high numbers of apoptotic cells at day 5 after infection. The apoptosis-inducing capacity of virus isolates was independent of their capacity to induce syncytia or replicate in the MT-2 cell line. However, upon cocultivation of infected PBMC with MT-2 cells, only virus with the MT-2 tropic phenotype initiated productive infection and induced apoptosis in MT-2 cells. Conclusions:These results show that apoptosis induction in PBMC by primary HIV-1 isolates is closely related to the kinetics of virus replication but is not influenced by other biological properties of the virus such as syncytium-inducing capacity and MT-2 tropism.
A Prototype-based Approach to Meta-Modeling using SELF

The activities of system modeling and system implementation have traditionally been viewed as two distinct entities owning to the purported differences between modeling languages and programming languages. We however feel that with raised abstractions of programming languages and executable capabilities of modeling languages, these differences are no more distinct. Based on this argument, in our opinion, SELF, as a prototype based programming language is sufficiently rich to form the basis of prototype-based meta-modeling approach. Existing meta-modeling approaches do not provide adequate meta-design patterns in order to be able to alleviate inherited methodological deficiencies of class-based methodologies. We feel that our proposed approach may prove to be a suitable candidate for adoption by various agile practices to model today's complex and evolutionary systems. Also included is a comparison between class based and prototype based object modeling techniques to highlight the suitability of the later for modeling evolutionary domains. (Journal of American Science. 2010;6(10):52-59). (ISSN: 1545-1003).
Influence of adipose tissue thickness on near infrared spectroscopic signal in the measurement of human muscle.

The aim of this study was to clarify the influence of subcutaneous adipose tissue (AT) thickness on nearinfrared (NIR) optical density and the penetration depth of light in muscle tissue in vivo. The thickness of adipose tissue in the leg was measured using ultrasonography in 12 young subjects. Optical densities (OD) at 775, 807, and 827 nm were measured when the distance between the light source and the detector was increased from 20 to 100 mm in 10 mm steps. Ultrasonography showed that AT thickness ranged from 4 to 10 mm. The OD increased with increasing distance between the light source and the detector in all subjects. At the same distance between the light source and the detector (30 mm), the OD values correlated negatively with AT thickness (r 5 20.79, −0.82, and −0.79 at 775, 807, and 827 nm, respectively). Ultrasonography also showed that only the extensor hallucis longus muscle (EHL), which is under the extensor digitrum longus muscle (EDL), was activated during the flexion of the big toe. In order to evaluate the penetration depth of NIR light, the depth of EHL was measured and the OD observed before and during flexion. When the distance between the light source and detector was set at 30 mm, the OD values before exercise ranged from 0.36 to 3.18 at 775 nm, from 0.19 to 2.43 at 807 nm, and from 0.15 to 1.60 at 827 nm. Changes in OD during exercise were detectable for all subjects, and the EHLs of the subjects were located 10.0 to 20.2 mm under the detector. However, when the light source-detector distance was set at 20 mm, changes in OD during exercise were detectable for only 2 subjects, whose AT thicknesses were 4.0 or 5.0 mm, and the EHLs of the subjects were 10.0 or 11.7 mm deep. At a distance of 40 mm, 9 out of 12 subjects showed changes in OD, and their AT thicknesses and EHL locations ranged from 6.4 to 10.0 mm and from 11.4 to 20.4 mm deep, respectively.
A UHF 3rd order 5-bit digital tunable bandpass filter based on mixed coupled open ring resonators

This paper presents a third-order digital tunable bandpass filter based on digitally tunable capacitor loaded open ring resonator. Magnetic dominated mixed coupling is utilized to make the coupling coefficient meet the requirement of stable bandwidth response. Electric source-load coupling is designed to generate a transmission zero for improving the frequency selectivity. This filter is designed, fabricated and measured. The measurement shows that the filter can be digitally tuned by 5-bits, the fractional bandwidth is 9 ± 1%, the tuning range is from 410MHz to 820 MHz.
PDE4: Arrested at the Border

Compartmentation plays a critical role in determining the specificity and efficacy of signaling by adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cAMP) and other second messengers. It has become apparent that all of the protein components of the cAMP signaling pathway are subject to regulation and may be localized to particular subcellular compartments. This Perspective discusses recent research concerning the importance of cAMP phosphodiesterase localization in cAMP signaling, functional implications of the organization of this pathway's protein components into macromolecular complexes, and common themes in the compartmentation of cAMP- and Ca2+-mediated signaling pathways.
The Study of a New Structure of Fiber Bragg Grating with FFPI Filter for Force Sensing

A new experimental measurement apparatus for achieving high sensitive, accurate, stable and simple structure for static strain measurement based on force application is proposed. This method is based on the combination of a Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBG) and a fiber Fabry-Perot Interferometric (FFPI) filter with a photo detector. The FFPI is formed by the two different mode fibers. A multi-mode fiber with separated two sections of signal-mode optic fibers by fusing method is used. The method produced reflective mirrors mechanism by fusing uncoated bare fibers. This renders the optic light interfere in two reflective mirrors and FFPI could be a high accurate filter thereof. The experiment setup and method will provide a cheaper measurement apparatus with the characteristics of high resolution for potential automatic measuring force device and smart material applications.
Traceability, Moral Hazard, and Food Safety

Errors in traceability can significantly impact the moral hazard associated with producing safe food. The effect of moral hazard depends on the proportion of unsafe food costs that can be allocated to the responsible producer, which depends on the efficiency of the traceability system. In this paper, we develop a model that identifies the minimum level of traceability needed to mitigate moral hazard and motivate suppliers to produce safe food. Regulators and consumer can use the results of this research to design regulations and contracts that mitigate moral hazard and motivate producers to deliver safe food.
Expertise and Peripheral Autonomic Activity during the Preparation Phase in Shooting Events

This study compared effectiveness of the concentration period in two groups of shooters to evaluate the influence of their expertise while concentrating on the target. Marksmen (pistol shooters, 10 men and 5 women) and pentathletes (6 men and 7 women) took part in a shooting competition in keeping with the rules of each event. Participants were then asked to imagine themselves shooting, at the laboratory. Five variables representing the activity of the autonomic nervous system were continuously recorded (skin resistance and potential, skin blood flow, skin temperature, instantaneous heart rate). Autonomic responses recorded during concentration, actual shooting, and mental imagery were compared by calculating the ratios concentration/shooting and imagery/shooting. The resultant mean ratio was used to characterize each participant. The same autonomic nervous system pattern was observed during concentrating on the target, mental imagery, and actual shooting. However, marksmen showed ratios closer to 1.0 than pentathletes, absolute mean differences being . 06 and . 3, respectively. Shorter duration and weakest amplitude responses were recorded during the concentration phase in the Pentathlete group, suggesting that they have more difficulty in using mental imagery during competition than marksmen. When subjects performed well, a specific response pattern was observed in the Marksman group, but not in the Pentathlete group, except in skin potential. In both Marksman and Pentathlete groups, a majority of negative skin potential responses were found in the concentration and shooting phases for the best shots.
Real-Time Visualization in the Offshore Industry

Real-time underwater visualization has been extremely slow to develop within the offshore industry and has generally been limited to 2D representations of vessel positions on digital charts. Only recently have marine industries realized the potential of 3D real-time virtual environments and visualization systems for effective management planning and real-time situation awareness. We describe a real-time visualization of the clean-up of a former US Naval Submarine Base, located in Holy Loch, Scotland. Our Whole-Field Modeling System has provided an accurate real-time visualization of numerous varying parameters such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), cranes, barges, grabs, magnets, and detailed seabed topography. The system improved the field staffs' spatial and temporal awareness and facilitated decision making within the complex offshore working environment. A side bar discusses another application, offshore diamond mining.
Self-transmissible R plasmids encoding CS31A among human Escherichia coli strains isolated from diarrheal stools

The CS31A antigen was first described for septicemic and enterotoxigenic bovine E. coli strains. In our study, of 597 human Escherichia coli strains isolated from diarrheagenic stools of hospitalized patients, 30 (5%) hybridized with the CS31A DNA probe. These CS31A-positive E. coli strains diffusely adhered to Caco-2 and/or HEp-2 cells and produced a major surface protein of either 30 or 30.5 kDa according to the strain. These proteins were antigenically related to the two forms of the CS31A antigen, namely, CS31A-L and CS31A-H. Genes encoding CS31A were located on 140-kb conjugative R plasmids. E. coli transconjugants expressed major surface proteins similar to those of the wild-type strains and adhered to Caco-2 and/or HEp-2 cells. An association of CS31A and another adhesive factor of the Dr family was found in 70% of wild-type strains, since 21 strains hybridized with the diffuse adhesion DNA probe corresponding to the accessory gene (daaC) of the F1845 adhesin. Comparison of the restriction patterns of the 140-kb R plasmids of the CS31A-positive E. coli strains showed these plasmids to be similar. Hybridization experiments indicated that the genes encoding CS31A and resistance to penicillin were located together on either of two 20- or 27-kb EcoRI restriction fragments in four E. coli strains. We reported a similar linkage between these genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae strains which produced CF29K, a CS31A-like antigen. These results suggest a horizontal transfer between E. coli and K. pneumoniae strains.
Case finding for epidemiological surveys of multiple sclerosis in United States communities

In regard to prevalence surveys of MS in US communities, this article considers the relative merits of case finding through hospitals, physicians, M service organisations, neurology practices, death certificates, chronic care facilities and media announcements and lay referrals. The current value ***c hospitals and non-neurological practitioners for case finding is questionable, given the changes in clinical practice with respect to MS and the da*** collection problems inherent with surveys of physicians. We suggest giving priority to the following case-finding methods: manually reviewing potien*** records of neurology practices, screening patient rolls of local MS service organisations and surveying chronic care facilities. In some US*** communities, these methods may need to be augmented by also surveying internists, general practitioners and family practitioners. ***Capture-recapture methodology offers a way to evaluate the completeness of case ascertainment.