Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Division-Arrested Cells for Cell-Based High-Throughput Screening and Profiling

Just-in-time cell supply for cell-based high-throughput screening (HTS) is frequently problematic. In addition to scheduling and logistical issues, quality issues and variability due to passage effect, cell cycle, or confluency contribute to day-to-day signal variability in the course of cell-based HTS campaigns. Cell division-arrest and cryopreservation technologies permit the use of cells as assay-ready reagents for HTS and other cell-based profiling and structure-activity studies. In this report, the authors compare division-arrested and dividing cells in 2 assay types that are dependent on movement of proteins within or through cell membranes: a receptor tyrosine kinase assay involving A431 cells responsive to epidermal growth factor, and a secretion reporter assay, which measures secretion of a reporter gene, secreted alkaline phosphatase. In both assays, dividing and division-arrested cells yielded similar basal and maximal signals at a given cell density. Similar IC50s were obtained for reference inhibitors in each assay, type in both dividing and division-arrested cells. In addition, for the secretion reporter assay, when comparing IC50s obtained from 44 compounds randomly chosen from a primary screening hit list, the rank order of potency obtained from dividing cells and division-arrested cells was essentially identical. Furthermore, the results show that, under certain assay conditions, data generated using division-arrested cells are less variable than those generated using dividing cells. In summary, the results suggest that, in many cases, division-arrested cells can substitute for dividing cells and offer certain advantages for cell-based assays.
Assessment of cage use by laboratory-bred common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)

The way in which breeding families of laboratory-born marmosets used the space provided by their cages, and a small protruding 'veranda', was assessed in order to determine the popularity of the veranda as a form of environmental enrichment, and the extent to which the marmosets confined themselves to only part of the cage. The veranda was found to be of enduring interest to the marmosets whose occupancy of this space was an order of magnitude greater than the rest of the cage. The upper part of the cage was preferred to the bottom half. This preference was greater in larger cages and decreased when larger cages were temporarily reduced in size. It is unlikely, however, that the distribution of the occupancy of different parts of the cage resulted primarily from a fear of people in the holding room. The veranda, which was the most preferred place in the cage, was the nearest part of the cage to people in the room. Occupancy of the lower part of the cage increased when human observers sat on the floor, suggesting that some of the marmosets' behaviour comprised approaching, rather than avoiding, the observers, possibly for reasons of curiosity and social interaction.
The Effect of Sulfamethoxazole and Selenium on Antioxidant Defense System in the Blood of Rats Treated With DEN

Objective: This study aims to elucidate the combined effect of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and antioxidant selenium (Se) on hematological parameters and antioxidant system in diethylnitrosamine (DEN) induced toxicity in rats. Materials and Methods: Forty two male albino wistar rats were randomly assigned into seven groups of six rats each. Group 1 was control, while groups 2 (DEN control), group 3 (SMX control), group 4 (Se control), group 5 (SMX + Selenium control), group 6 (THR) and group 7 (PRH), received 30mg/kg sulfamethoxazole hydrochloride, 4 mg/ kg sodium selenite orally and single dose of 150 mg/kg DEN i.p. for 22 weeks, respectively. Rats in all seven groups received normal rat chow and drinking water ad libitum. Complete blood count was done using an automatic counter. Results and Discussion: Rats treated with DEN showed severe toxic signs and significant decrease (P <0.05) white blood cell, red blood cell, hemoglobin concentration. However, the mean neutrophils count in the all groups was decreased significantly (P<0.001) except in the animals of group 4. The RBC count of the groups 4 and 6 was significantly higher than that of the animals of groups 2 and 7 (P<0.001). The antioxident activity of enzymes GST, catalase, GPx and SOD in the animals of group 6 were found to be SMX significant increased but a significant decrease (P < 0.001) in the levels of GSH was observed when compared with DEN treated group. However, co-administration of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and selenium (Se) had a protective effect on the potential carcinogen DEN. Conclusion: Thus it is concluded that oral administration of sulfamethoxazole and selenium increases RBC, Hb concentration, neutrophils and antioxident enzymes in treatment group.
An Alternative Approach to Reducing the Costs of Patient Care? A Controlled Trial of the Multi-Disciplinary Doctor-Nurse Practitioner (MDNP) Model

Objective. Hospitals adapt to changing market conditions by exploring new care models that allow them to maintain high quality while containing costs. The authors examined the net cost savings associated with care management by teams of physicians and nurse practitioners, along with daily multidisciplinary rounds and postdischarge patient follow-up. Methods. One thousand two hundred and seven general medicine inpatients in an academic medical center were randomized to the intervention versus usual care. Intervention costs were compared to the difference in nonintervention costs, estimated by comparing changes between preadmission and postadmission in regression-adjusted costs for intervention versus usual care patients. Intervention costs were calculated by assigning hourly costs to the time spent by different providers on the intervention. Patient costs during the index hospital stay were estimated from administrative records and during the 4-month follow-up by weighting selfreported utilization by unit costs. Results. Intervention costs were $1187 per patient and associated with a significant $3331 reduction in nonintervention costs. About $1947 of the savings were realized during the initial hospital stay, with the remainder attributable to reductions in postdischarge service use. After adjustment for possible attrition bias, a reasonable estimate of the cost offset was $2165, for a net cost savings of $978 per patient. Because health outcomes were comparable for the 2 groups, the intervention was cost-effective. Conclusions. Wider adoption of multidisciplinary interventions in similar settings might be considered. The savings previously reported with hospitalist models may also be achievable with other models that focus on efficient inpatient care and appropriate postdischarge care.
A control allocation approach to manage multiple energy sources in EVs

This article is concerned with the design of an energy management system (EMS) for the hybridization of multiple energy sources (ES's) in electric vehicles, focusing in a particular configuration composed by batteries and supercapacitors (SCs). As a first design step, we investigated an (non-causal) optimal power allocation, targeting the minimization of the energy losses over a complete driving cycle. Albeit the solution obtained with this formulation demands the advance knowledge of the vehicle driving cycle, it also provides a useful benchmark solution to assess the performance of causal EMS's. A more practical EMS is then derived, based on the control allocation (CA) concept. This approach, typically employed in redundant control systems, enable us to address the various objectives and constraints that appear in EMS design problem, such as the DC bus voltage regulation, SC state of charge tracking, minimization of power losses, current and state of charge limits, etc. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed CA based EMS, yielding performances very close to the optimal non-causal power allocation.
Acoustic characteristics of Swedish dorsal fricatives

The identity of [“hooktop heng”], the “voiceless dorso‐palatal/velar fricative” or “simultaneous” [“esh”] and [x], is controversial (IPA 2009: 140, 203). The present study attempts to acoustically differentiate [“esh”], [x], and (non‐labialized) [“hooktop heng”]. A female speaker of Stockholm Swedish produced VCV nonsense words with balanced V and alternating C. Windowed spectra were obtained and averaged at various locations in the fricatives. [“esh”] can be reliably differentiated from [x] and [“hooktop heng”] based on center of gravity measures in the middle of the fricative. However, center of gravity differences between [x] and [“hooktop heng”] are not revealing, confirming Lindblad's x‐ray tracings (1980: 89). The most robust acoustic difference between the two dorsal fricatives is the presence of erratic, high‐amplitude disturbances during [x]. These may be attributed to sudden explosions of saliva and ephemeral contact with the uvula, more likely for slightly‐retracted [x] than for [“hooktop heng”.
Hydroxyapatite coating on titanium by thermal substrate method in aqueous solution.

A new hydrocoating method (the thermal substrate method) is proposed for coating calcium phosphates such as hydroxyapatite (HA), on titanium substrates in an aqueous solution. Several factors (e.g., the type of ion source, the heating time and temperature, and the surface roughness of the substrate) affected the characteristics of the precipitate formed by this method. The solution used included 3 mmol dm(-3) Ca(H(2)PO(4))(2) and 7 mmol dm(-3) CaCl(2), and its pH was adjusted to 6.5. The experimental studies were conducted under the following conditions: temperature 45-160 degrees C, heating time 10-20 min, and surface roughness of substrate #120-#2000 grid ground using energy paper. A high quality of precipitate, whose predominant component was HA, was obtained on titanium substrates by the thermal substrate method in an aqueous solution. No significant difference in the precipitates was found with the type of ion source. The amount of HA precipitate increased with increasing temperature and with increasing heating time. The features of the precipitate were different, depending on the surface roughtness of the substrate: HA regularly nucleated along the grooves of the rough surface (#120 and #400 grid), and in the case of the fine surface (#1200-#2000 grid), a uniform precipitation occurred.
Rire au Moyen Age

Au moment de commencer a parler d'une enquete sur le rire au Moyen Age, une premiere crainte me saisit. Voltaire en effet a ecrit : « Les hommes qui cherchent des causes metaphysiques au rire ne sont pas gais ». Mais je ne cherche pas des causes metaphysiques au rire. Je m'efforce de chercher, et en particulier au Moyen Age, quelles ont ete les attitudes de la societe, les prises de position theoriques a l'egard du rire, et comment le rire, sous ses diverses formes, a fonctionne dans la socie.
Quality of life researchers have new tool and new focus on measurement.

More attention to quality of life (QOL) has been on the agenda of oncology groups for at least three decades. Most researchers agree that measuring QOL endpoints, such as pain or physical function, is important because they can affect adherence to treatment and outcome. QOL also matters because of increasing survival times among cancer patients. “If you’re looking at 5- to 10-year survival times, it makes sense to be interested in quality of life,” said Lori Minasian , M.D., who leads the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology and Preventive Trials Research Group. But using QOL endpoints in clinical trials has been challenging. Problems include the extra burden on patients and staff and the related issue of missing data — many people simply do not fi ll out QOL surveys. But the major challenge has been the
Associations of Calcium Intake and Physical Activity With Bone Density and Size in Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Women: A Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography Study

The purpose of this cross‐sectional study was to examine the impact of long‐term physical activity (PA) and calcium intake on non‐weight‐bearing radius and weight‐bearing tibia. Altogether, 218 healthy, nonsmoking women, [92 premenopausal women, mean age, 32.6 years (SD, 2.2 years), and 126 postmenopausal women, mean age, 67.3 years (SD, 2.0 years)] participated. The subjects were divided according to their habitual levels of physical activity (PA+ or PA−) and calcium intake (Ca+ or Ca−). The distal end and shaft regions of the radius and tibia were evaluated with peripheral quantitative tomography (pQCT). For the shaft regions, bone mineral content (BMC), cortical cross‐sectional area (CoA), cortical density (CoD), and bone strength index, that is, 1‐11.9% of the density‐weighted section modulus (BSI) were determined. For the distal ends, BMC, total cross‐sectional area (ToA), trabecular density (TrD), and BSI were determined. The BMC at the distal radius in the young PA+ group was 6.6% (95% CI, 1‐to 11.9%) lower than that of the PA− group. A similar nonsignificant trend was found for the radial shaft. The radial shaft showed a mechanically more competent structure among the older subjects with a BSI 8.5% (95% CI, 1.8‐15.6%) higher in the older PA+ group than in the older PA− group. The associations between calcium intake and the radial bone characteristics were systematically positive in both age groups. PA seemed to benefit the distal tibia. In the younger age group the TrD was 6.9% (95% CI, 1.8‐12.4%) higher in the PA+ group, and in the elderly the BMC was 5% (95% CI, 0.3‐9.9%) higher in the PA+ group than in the PA− group. Note that in the younger age group the ToA was 5.1% (95% CI, 0‐9.1%) smaller in the PA+ group than in the PA− group, and in the older age group the ToA was 4.2% (95% CI, −0.3‐8.9%) greater in the PA+ group than in the PA− group. The association of PA and bone characteristics at the tibial shaft was positive in both age groups (statistically significant for the older subjects). The tibial shaft BSI of the older PA+ group was 8.6% (95% CI, 2.6‐14.9%) better than that of the old PA− group. There was no association between calcium intake and the tibial bone characteristics in either age group. In conclusion, high calcium intake was positively associated with a mechanically competent structure in the radius among both younger and older women, whereas the influence of PA did not become apparent until older ages. PA seemed to benefit particularly the weight‐bearing tibia, whereas calcium intake was not associated with the tibia.
Changes in twinning rate: Italy 1950-1996.

BACKGROUND In the wide-ranging debate about the potential monitors of population fertility, twinning rate has been considered a candidate. In the developed countries, a decline in spontaneous twinning rate began around 1950 and continued until the late 1970s. The decrease in mean maternal age at delivery and the number of children per family have been considered as possible reasons for the decrease. The rise in twinning rates, which began in the 1980s, is probably due to the spread of assisted reproduction, at least for older mothers. METHODS The temporal trend in twinning rate and the relationship with maternal age at delivery and birth order in the Italian population were analysed. RESULTS The recent increase in twinning rate can be mainly attributed to the recourse to assisted reproduction techniques, as demonstrated by the twinning frequency among older primiparae. The twinning rate recently observed in young mothers approximates to the value of the 1950s, which is assumed to represent a 'natural' fertility condition. CONCLUSIONS On the assumption that twinning is an indicator of fertility, and hence of population fitness, the present data seem to suggest that natural fertility has been slightly increasing in the Italian population.
Spatio-Temporal Consistency Enhancement for Disparity Sequence

Disparity estimation for still images has attracted much interest and acquired many promising results. However, simply applying these methods to produce a disparity sequence may suffer from the undesirable flickering artifacts. These errors not only distinctly decrease the visible quality of the synthesized video, but also significantly reduce the coding efficiency of the disparity sequence. In this paper, a novel temporal consistency enhancement algorithm based on Guided Filter and Temporal Gradient (GFTG) is proposed. The flickering artifacts and noises are effectively removed and the edges of objects are well preserved. Both quantitative and qualitative evaluations show that the spatio-temporal consistency has been highly improved by utilizing our approach.
Prevalence of Antiretroviral Drug Resistance and Resistance-Associated Mutations in Antiretroviral Therapy-Naïve HIV-Infected Individuals from 40 United States Cities

Abstract Background: Transmission of drug-resistant HIV strains to antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naïve subjects can negatively impact therapy response. As treatment strategies and utilization of antiretroviral drugs evolve, patterns of transmitted mutations may shift. Method: Paired genotypic and phenotypic susceptibility data were retrospectively analyzed for 317 ART-naïve, HIV–infected subjects from 40 small and major metropolitan cities in the Northeastern, Midwestern, Southern, Southwestern, and Northwestern United States during 2003. Results: Using current (January 2007) PhenoSense cutoffs, HIV-from 8% of subjects had reduced susceptibility to ⩾1 drug. By class, >% had reduced susceptibility to protease inhibitors (PIs), and % had reduced susceptibility to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs); reduced susceptibility to ⩾1 non–nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTIs) was seen in 7% of subjects, with 4% of all subjects having reduced susceptibility to all NNRTIs. IAS–USA–defined NRTI, NNRTI, and/or major PI HIV–drug resistance–associated mutations were detected for 0% of the subjects. HIV risk factors included homosexual contact (74%), heterosexual contact (28%), and injectable drug use/transfusion/other (7%.Reduced susceptibility to ⩾1 drug was significantly higher (p = .034) for white subjects than African Americansand Hispanics/others. Conclusion: The high prevalence of drug resistance in these ART–naïve subjects suggests thattransmitted resistance is occurring widely within the United States. HIV genotyping and/or phenotyping for antiretroviral-naïve patients seeking treatment should be considered, especially if the therapy will include an NNRTI.
The new dominance of managed care: insurance trends in the 1990s.

Nearly three-quarters of U.S. workers with health insurance now receivethatcoveragethroughahealth maintenance organization (HMO), a preferred provider organization (PPO), or a point-of-service plan. Managed care plans are now commonplace in small firms as wellas in large ones. Level-dollar employer contributions, designed to give workers a financial incentive in their choice of plans, are now offered to one-third of workers with a choice of plans. Perhaps as a consequence, premium increases in 1995were below the rate of general inflation for the first time in memory. Managed care isn’t coming; it has arrived. Here wedocument itsarrivalbyexamining employer-sponsored health insurance provided in 1995. The study uses data from a nationally representative KPMG Peat Marwick/ Wayne State University (WSU) survey of 2,037 employers. This survey is familiar to readers of Health Affairs, where earlier surveys on the evolutionofthe insurance market have
Chromatofocusing fractionation and two‐dimensional difference gel electrophoresis for low abundance serum proteins

The technical challenge to analysis of the serum proteome is that the serum proteins are present at unequal concentrations. A few are so dominant, such as serum albumin and immunoglobulins, that they mask detection of other proteins. Because of these high abundance proteins, current technologies, while theoretically capable of analyzing protein amounts spanning four orders of magnitude, are only able to analyze proteins ranging over two orders of magnitude and cannot analyze the lower abundance proteins that may be the next biomarkers and drug targets. To facilitate the identification of low abundance proteins, we fractionated serum samples from patients with prostate cancer and patients with benign prostate hyperplasia using anion displacement liquid chromatofocusing chromatography, which separates proteins by a pH gradient and a positively charged column. Differential expression of proteins from fractions was then determined and identified by IEF gels and 2‐D DIGE. Results demonstrate improved resolution of proteins within the chosen pH gradient when compared to the unfractionated samples. Several proteins that were differentially expressed in serum from patients with prostate cancer were identified in the fractionated serum. Three of these proteins, squamous cell carcinoma antigen 1 (SCCA1), calgranulin B, and haptoglobin‐related protein, are present in the serum at levels below the classical protein level of mg/mL. SCCA1 is normally expressed in serum at ng/mL levels, and calgranulin B is an intracellular protein. Our results demonstrate that the use of anion displacement liquid chromatofocusing chromatography may reduce the complexity of the serum proteome by separating proteins into distinct pH ranges, and facilitate the identification of low abundance proteins.
Ultrasonographic evaluation of the gallbladder: comparison of fundamental, tissue harmonic, and pulse inversion harmonic imaging.

The purpose of our study was to compare pulse inversion harmonic imaging, tissue harmonic imaging, and fundamental imaging in the evaluation of normal and diseased gallbladder. Gallbladders in 170 patients were examined with fundamental imaging, tissue harmonic imaging, and pulse inversion harmonic imaging using a 2‐ to 5‐MHz curved array transducer. Images were divided into normal and abnormal groups. The sharpness of the wall and degree of internal artifact were evaluated in normal groups, and lesion conspicuity and internal artifact were evaluated in abnormal groups. In images of both normal and abnormal gallbladder, significant differences were demonstrated among the 3 imaging methods (P < .001), and pulse inversion harmonic imaging provided the best image quality and the least artifact. Tissue harmonic imaging was the next best, providing better image quality and less artifact than fundamental imaging. In conclusion, pulse inversion harmonic imaging provided the best image quality and the least artifact among the 3 ultrasonographic methods in the evaluation of both normal and abnormal gallbladder.
Robust control of linear time-invariant plants using periodic compensation

This paper considers the use and design of linear periodic time-varying controllers for the feedback control of linear time-invariant discrete-time plants. We will show that for a large class of robustness problems, periodic compensators are superior to time-invariant ones. We will give explicit design techniques which can be easily implemented. In the context of periodic controllers, we also consider the strong and simultaneous stabilization problems. Finally, we show that for the problem of weighted sensitivity minimization for linear time-invariant plants, time-varying controllers offer no advantage over the time-invariant ones.