Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Borderline pulmonary arterial pressure is associated with decreased exercise capacity in scleroderma.

RATIONALE Pulmonary arterial hypertension is associated with impaired exercise capacity and decreased survival in patients with scleroderma. Randomized controlled studies showed significant benefit of targeted therapies in patients with a resting mean pulmonary arterial pressure (MPAP) greater than 25 mm Hg. The clinical relevance of pulmonary arterial pressure values in the upper normal range is unknown. OBJECTIVES To examine the clinical relevance of pulmonary arterial pressure in scleroderma patients. METHODS After a noninvasive screening program, 29 patients with systemic sclerosis without significant lung fibrosis and without known pulmonary arterial hypertension underwent right heart catheterization and simultaneous cardiopulmonary exercise test. A six-minute walk distance (6MWD) was determined within 48 hours. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS A resting MPAP above the median (17 mm Hg) was associated with decreased 6MWD (396 +/- 71 vs. 488 +/- 76 m; P < 0.005) and peak Vo(2) (76 +/- 11% vs. 90 +/- 24%; P = 0.05). Resting pulmonary vascular resistance was inversely correlated with 6MWD (r = 0.45; P < 0.05). At 25 and 50W, MPAP above the median (23 and 28 mm Hg) was associated with decreased 6MWD (P < 0.005; P < 0.0005). At peak exercise, MPAP showed no association with 6MWD or peak Vo(2); however, cardiac index was positively (r = 0.45; P < 0.05) and pulmonary vascular resistance was negatively correlated with 6MWD (r = -0.38; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS MPAP and resistance in the upper normal range at rest and moderate exercise are associated with decreased exercise capacity and may indicate early pulmonary vasculopathy in patients with systemic sclerosis. Investigations on the prognostic and therapeutic implications of such borderline findings are warranted. Clinical trial registered with http://www.clinicaltrials. gov (NCT00609349).
Spoken Tunisian Arabic Corpus "STAC": Transcription and Annotation

Corpora are considered as an important resource for natural language processing (NLP). Currently, the Dialectal Arabic corpora are somewhat limited, particularly in the case of the Tunisian Arabic. In recent years, since the events of the revolution, the increasing presence of spoken Tunisian Arabic in interviews, news and debate programs, the increasing use of language technologies for many spoken languages (e.g., Siri) [6], and the need for works on speech technologies requires a huge amount of well-designed Tunisian spoken corpora. This paper presents the “STAC” corpus (Spoken Tunisian Arabic Corpus) of spontaneous Tunisian Arabic speech. We present our method used for the collection and the transcription of this corpus. Then, we detail the diﬀerent stages done to enrich the corpus with necessary linguistic and speech annotations that makes it more useful for many NLP applications.
Forecasting Korean Macroeconomic Variables with Autoregressions and Vector Autoregressions (in Korean)

We compare out-of-sample forecasting performance across 94 forecasting models for Korean interest rate, growth rate, and inflation rate. They are 80 standard autoregressive and vector autoregressive models and 14 average forecast models based on the 80 standard models. The standard models differ in five aspects: (i) in the form of included variables (level/difference), (ii) in the way to set up estimation samples (recursive/rolling), (iii) in the timing and rule of lag order selection (once at the beginning/every period, AIC/BIC), (iv) in the estimation method (OLS/Bayesian) and (v) in the construction of multi-step ahead forecasts (iterative/direct projection). For the forecast of interest rate, Bayesian vector autoregressions using the variables in level and average forecast models are superior. For the forecast of growth rate, average forecast models are superior overall while autoregressive models tend to be better than vector autoregressive models. For the forecast of inflation rate, models with a recursive window showbetter performance.
Two different HPV-11E6 fusion proteins trap p53 in the cytoplasm and induce apoptosis

Mucosal high risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) have been shown to be the major cause of cervical cancer. However, the reason why the low risk HPVs only cause proliferative but non-invasive lesions of infected epithelia remains elusive. Because p53 interacts with high risk HPVs E6, and plays a very important role in carcinogenesis, it is assumed that low risk HPVs E6 might interact with p53 in a different pattern. We used mammalian green fluorescent protein (GFP) tagged and polyhistidine (His) tagged proteins expression systems to express HPV-11E6 fusion proteins in wild-type (wt) p53 cell lines, such as 293T and MCF-7 cells to trace the traffic and location of E6s and p53. We showed that: 1) Following transfection, HPV-11E6 was predominantly expressed in the cytoplasm; 2) Using immunocytochemistry and western blotting, endogenous wt p53 was shown to be trapped in cytoplasm by HPV-11E6 expression. 3) Apoptosis was increased in HPV-11E6 expressed cells. In conclusion, the entrapment of endogenous wt p53 in cytoplasm by the low risk HPV11-E6 may be one of the reasons why low risk HPV is not able to induce malignant transformation.
Phaseless Antenna Diagnostics Based on Off-Axis Holography With Synthetic Reference Wave

An antenna diagnostics method based on off-axis holography is presented in this letter. In this novel phaseless antenna measurement setup, the reference wave is synthesized by means of a mechanical phase shifting, and therefore the use of a phase shifter is avoided, yielding an accurate low-cost antenna diagnostics system. The technique is validated by means of simulation as well as measurement. Accurate results prove the system capability for antenna diagnostics tasks.
Prehospital resuscitation with phenylephrine in uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock and brain injury.

BACKGROUND Hypotension doubles the adverse outcome of severe brain injury (BI). This finding is thought to be due to secondary ischemia caused by cerebral hypoperfusion. Aggressive prehospital fluid resuscitation in BI is advocated to maintain mean arterial pressure (MAP). Increasing MAP by prehospital fluid resuscitation before control of hemorrhage is thought to increase blood loss and reduce survival. We hypothesized that vasoconstrictor treatment of uncontrolled hemorrhage would increase MAP, reduce hemorrhage volume, and decrease the extent of BI compared with delayed fluid resuscitation (DR) or resuscitation with Ringer's lactate (RL). METHODS Swine were randomly assigned to a control group or an experimental group: splenic laceration (uncontrolled hemorrhage) and cryogenic BI. The experimental group received one of three prehospital resuscitation regimens: DR, RL, or phenylephrine (Phen) to maintain baseline MAP. Variables were measured at baseline and at 20, 50, and 120 minutes during the simulated "prehospital and early hospital" phases and at 2 and 8 hours after surgical control of the uncontrolled hemorrhage. After killing, biopsies of the brain, liver, kidney, and gut were evaluated for histologic evidence of ischemia and compared between groups. RESULTS Hemorrhage volume was similar in the experimental groups. Mortality was lowest in the Phen group (11%) compared with DR (40%) and RL (33%) groups. Phen increased MAP and cerebral perfusion pressure. RL infusion increased cerebral blood flow and resulted in less secondary injury than either Phen or DR. CONCLUSION Phen improves MAP and systemic and cerebral perfusion pressure in the prehospital phase but does not reduce secondary neuronal ischemia. RL restores cerebral blood flow earlier and is associated with less secondary ischemia than either Phen or DR in this model. These data suggest that prehospital infusion of RL in patients with BI and shock is warranted and decreases secondary ischemia.
Design of a 4th order LP ΣΔ modulator-what about non-idealities?

This modulator, a cascade hybrid proposal, takes advantage of both Continuous Time (CT) and Discrete Time (DT) approaches. In order to define a set of specifications Processing Basic-Blocks (PBBs) are firstly analyzed with the help of SIMSIDES. After that transistor-based simulations are carried out not only to verify fulfil specifications, but also to analyse the effect of non-idealities on the modulator performance. The expected response of the modulator is obtained by defining a set of experiments based on analytical models, which allow us to translate all design considerations into a set of values such that the design at transistor level be established according to the desired performance of the proposed architecture. This design strategy perhaps is not the most accurate but it allows us to get a general understanding of the system under design, and also a comprehension at the highest level of abstraction. The system under study is a cascade 4th order hybrid Sigma-Delta (ΣΔ) modulator, from which the second stage is a 2nd order Low-Pass (LP) DT ΣΔ modulator. The ideal performance of the DT modulator is used to show how non-idealities must be taken into account, and also how to translate design considerations into a set of physical values not only to design PBBs at transistor level, but also to minimize the non-idealities effects up to acceptable values.
Chapter 6: The Trouble with Tinder: The Ethical Complexities of Researching Location-Aware Social Discovery Apps

Abstract This chapter explores the ethical complexities of researching location-aware social discovery Smartphone applications (apps) and how they mediate contemporary experiences of travel. We highlight the context-specific approach required to carrying out research on Tinder, a location-aware app that enables people to connect with others in close proximity to them. By journeying through the early stages of our research project, we demonstrate how ethical considerations and dilemmas began long before our project became a project. We discuss the pulls toward data extraction/mining of user-generated content (i.e., Tinder user profiles) within digital social research and the ethical challenges of using this data for research purposes. We focus particularly on issues of informed consent, privacy, and copyright, and the differences between manual and automated data mining/extraction techniques. Excerpts from our university ethics application are included to demonstrate how our research sits uneasily within standardized ethical protocols. Our moves away from a ‘big data’ approach to more ‘traditional’ and participatory methodologies are located within questions of epistemology and ontology including our commitment to practicing a feminist research ethic. Our chapter concludes with the lessons learned in the aim to push forward with research in challenging online spaces and with new data sources.
Disposition of creatine kinase activity in dog plasma following intravenous and intramuscular injection of skeletal muscle homogenates.

The fate of skeletal muscle-derived creatine kinase (CK) was investigated in six dogs. After i.m. and i.v. injections of 3000 g and 105,000 g supernatants of dog muscle homogenates, plasma CK activity was measured up to 48 h. There was no significant difference in pharmacokinetic parameters dependent on the type of supernatant injected. After i.v. injection, the volume of distribution of CK was equal to the plasma volume, CK clearance was relatively low (about 0.5 mL/kg/min) and its terminal half-life of elimination was about 2.5 h. After i.m. injection, the CK terminal half-life was about 6.5 h, demonstrating a flip-flop mechanism, i.e. a limiting absorption process from the site of injection. Bioavailability after i.m. injection was about 65%, and the rate of absorption from muscle injection site was relatively slow: peak activity occurred at the second hour post administration, and most CK activity had been absorbed by 24 h. These pharmacokinetic parameters can be used as a basis for a minimally invasive means of quantitating muscle damage either after intramuscular drug administration or in canine sports medicine.
First clinical case of boron neutron capture therapy for head and neck malignancies using 18F‐BPA PET

We investigated the application of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) to suitable cancers other than glioblastoma and melanoma. Head and neck malignancies were consequently selected as adaptable cancers. We reported the clinical results of our first case treated and discussed several advantages to the application of BNCT to head and neck tumors.
Plasmid RSF1010 DNA replication in vitro promoted by purified RSF1010 RepA, RepB and RepC proteins.

We have constructed and analyzed an in vitro system that will efficiently replicate plasmid RSF1010 and its derivatives. The system contains a partially purified extract from E.coli cells and three purified RSF1010-encoded proteins, the products of genes repA, repB (or mobA/repB), and repC. Replication in this system mimics the in vivo mechanism in that it (i) is initiated at oriV, the origin of vegetative DNA replication, (ii) proceeds in a population of plasmid molecules in both directions from this 396-base-pair origin region, and (iii) is absolutely dependent on the presence of each of the three rep gene products. In addition, we find that E.coli DNA gyrase, DnaZ protein (gamma subunit of poIIII holoenzyme) and SSB are required for in vitro plasmid synthesis. The bacterial RNA polymerase, the initiation protein DnaA, and the primosomal proteins DnaB, DnaC, DnaG and DnaT are not required. Furthermore, the replicative intermediates seen in the electron microscope suggest that replication in vitro begins with the simultaneous or non-simultaneous formation of two displacement loops that expand for a short stretch of DNA toward each other, and form a theta-type structure when the two displacing strands pass each other.
TGFB3 and BMP4 polymorphism are associated with isolated tooth agenesis

Abstract Objective. To evaluate the association of the polymorphisms in the TGFB3 gene (rs2268626) and the BMP4 gene (rs17563) with isolated human tooth agenesis. Materials and methods: One hundred and seventy-five unrelated individuals (125 control individuals without tooth agenesis and 50 cases with tooth agenesis) were evaluated using a case-control design. The participants of the study were recruited through the Dental School of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Genotyping of the selected polymorphisms for TGFB3 (48 individuals with tooth agenesis and 125 control cases) and BMP4 (46 individuals with tooth agenesis and 88 control cases) were carried out by real-time PCR using the Taqman assay method from a genomic DNA isolated from buccal epithelial cells of all individuals. Results. Significant statistical differences were found for genotype frequencies between tooth agenesis and TGFB3 control samples (p = 0.026). In addition, significant differences were also observed for allele and genotype frequencies between unilateral tooth agenesis and TGFB3 control samples (p = 0.014 and 0.004 for allele and genotype frequencies, respectively). For BMP4, genotype distribution had a statistically significant difference between groups (p = 0.047). The GG genotype of BMP4 was more frequent in individuals with three or more missing teeth than in the control group (p < 0.0001). Conclusions. These results indicate that polymorphisms in the TGFB3 gene and in BMP4 genes contribute to tooth agenesis. Nonetheless, the extents to which this polymorphism may actually contribute to the tooth agenesis status should be clarified.
Testing Efficient Risk Sharing with Heterogeneous Risk Preferences: Comment

Mazzocco and Saini (2012) propose and implement a test of efficient risk sharing that allows for preference heterogeneity. They motivate their approach as yielding different results from those of a standard efficiency test with homogeneous preferences. We show that the standard efficiency test results are misreported in their paper and that the correctly reported results do not present as compelling a case for the importance of accounting for heterogeneous preferences. (JEL D12, D81, G22, O12, O18, R23, Z13)
Iron-binding drugs targeted to lysosomes: a potential strategy to treat inflammatory lung disorders

In many inflammatory lung disorders, an abnormal assimilation of redox-active iron will exacerbate oxidative tissue damage. It may be that the most important cellular pool of redox-active iron exists within lysosomes, making these organelles vulnerable to oxidative stress. In experiments employing respiratory epithelial cells and macrophages, the chelation of intra-lysosomal iron efficiently prevented lysosomal rupture and the ensuing cell death induced by hydrogen peroxide, ionising radiation or silica particles. Furthermore, cell-permeable iron-binding agents (weak bases) that accumulate within lysosomes due to proton trapping were much more efficient for cytoprotection than the chelator, desferrioxamine. On a molar basis, the weak base α-lipoic acid plus was 5000 times more effective than desferrioxamine at preventing lysosomal rupture and apoptotic cell death in cell cultures exposed to hydrogen peroxide. Thus, iron-chelating therapy that targets the lysosome might be a future treatment strategy for inflammatory pulmonary diseases.
Heterologous Expression, Purification, and Characterization of an l-Ornithine N5-Hydroxylase Involved in Pyoverdine Siderophore Biosynthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that produces the siderophore pyoverdine, which enables it to acquire the essential nutrient iron from its host. Formation of the iron-chelating hydroxamate functional group in pyoverdine requires the enzyme PvdA, a flavin-dependent monooxygenase that catalyzes the N 5 hydroxylation of l-ornithine. pvdA from P. aeruginosa was successfully overexpressed in Escherichia coli, and the enzyme was purified for the first time. The enzyme possessed its maximum activity at pH 8.0. In the absence of l-ornithine, PvdA has an NADPH oxidase activity of 0.24 ± 0.02 μmol min−1 mg−1. The substrate l-ornithine stimulated this activity by a factor of 5, and the reaction was tightly coupled to the formation of hydroxylamine. The enzyme is specific for NADPH and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD+) as cofactors, as it cannot utilize NADH and flavin mononucleotide. By fluorescence titration, the dissociation constants for NADPH and FAD+ were determined to be 105.6 ± 6.0 μM and 9.9 ± 0.3 μM, respectively. Steady-state kinetic analysis showed that the l-ornithine-dependent NADPH oxidation obeyed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with apparent Km and V max values of 0.58 mM and 1.34 μmol min−1 mg−1. l-Lysine was a nonsubstrate effector that stimulated NADPH oxidation, but uncoupling occurred and hydrogen peroxide instead of hydroxylated l-lysine was produced. l-2,4-Diaminobutyrate, l-homoserine, and 5-aminopentanoic acid were not substrates or effectors, but they were competitive inhibitors of the l-ornithine-dependent NADPH oxidation reaction, with Kic s of 3 to 8 mM. The results indicate that the chemical nature of effectors is important for simulation of the NADPH oxidation rate in PvdA.
SOX9 maintains reserve stem cells and preserves radioresistance in mouse small intestine.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Reserve intestinal stem cells (rISCs) are quiescent/slowly cycling under homeostatic conditions, allowing for their identification with label-retention assays. rISCs mediate epithelial regeneration after tissue damage by converting to actively proliferating stem cells (aISCs) that self renew and demonstrate multipotency, which are defining properties of stem cells. Little is known about the genetic mechanisms that regulate the production and maintenance of rISCs. High expression levels of the transcription factor Sox9 (Sox9(high)) are associated with rISCs. This study investigates the role of SOX9 in regulating the rISC state. METHODS We used fluorescence-activated cell sorting to isolate cells defined as aISCs (Lgr5(high)) and rISCs (Sox9(high)) from Lgr5(EGFP) and Sox9(EGFP) reporter mice. Expression of additional markers associated with active and reserve ISCs were assessed in Lgr5(high) and Sox9(high) populations by single-cell gene expression analyses. We used label-retention assays to identify whether Sox9(high) cells were label-retatining cells (LRCs). Lineage-tracing experiments were performed in Sox9-CreERT2 mice to measure the stem cell capacities and radioresistance of Sox9-expressing cells. Conditional SOX9 knockout mice and inducible-conditional SOX9 knockout mice were used to determine whether SOX9 was required to maintain LRCs and rISC function. RESULTS Lgr5(high) and a subset of crypt-based Sox9(high) cells co-express markers of aISC and rISC (Lgr5, Bmi1, Lrig1, and Hopx). LRCs express high levels of Sox9 and are lost in SOX9-knockout mice. SOX9 is required for epithelial regeneration after high-dose irradiation. Crypts from SOX9-knockout mice have increased sensitivity to radiation, compared with control mice, which could not be attributed to impaired cell-cycle arrest or DNA repair. CONCLUSIONS SOX9 limits proliferation in LRCs and imparts radiation resistance to rISCs in mice.
NorWood: a gene expression resource for evo‐devo studies of conifer wood development

Summary The secondary xylem of conifers is composed mainly of tracheids that differ anatomically and chemically from angiosperm xylem cells. There is currently no high‐spatial‐resolution data available profiling gene expression during wood formation for any coniferous species, which limits insight into tracheid development. RNA‐sequencing data from replicated, high‐spatial‐resolution section series throughout the cambial and woody tissues of Picea abies were used to generate the NorWood.conGenIE. org web resource, which facilitates exploration of the associated gene expression profiles and co‐expression networks. Integration within PlantGenIE.org enabled a comparative regulomics analysis, revealing divergent co‐expression networks between P. abies and the two angiosperm species Arabidopsis thaliana and Populus tremula for the secondary cell wall (SCW) master regulator NAC Class IIB transcription factors. The SCW cellulose synthase genes (CesAs) were located in the neighbourhoods of the NAC factors in A. thaliana and P. tremula, but not in P. abies. The NorWood co‐expression network enabled identification of potential SCW CesA regulators in P. abies. The NorWood web resource represents a powerful community tool for generating evo‐devo insights into the divergence of wood formation between angiosperms and gymnosperms and for advancing understanding of the regulation of wood development in P. abies.
Integration of Conservation Measures Concerning Natura 2000 Sites into Marine Protected Areas Regulations: A Study Related to Sardinia

This study defines and discusses a spatial planning approach, which can be integrated into conservation measures, regarding the sites of the Natura 2000 Network—established under the provisions of Directive No. 92/43/EEC (the “Habitats” Directive), and Directive No. 2009/147/EC (the “Birds” Directive)—into the regulations of marine protected areas. The protected marine area of the Island of Tavolara and Cape Coda Cavallo, located in North-Eastern Sardinia (which is overlapped by a Natura 2000 Site) is the spatial context for the implementation of the proposed methodology. The comprehensive outcome of this study, that is, the implementation of the proposed spatial planning approach into regulations regarding the previously mentioned protected marine areas, is particularly relevant for the scientific and technical debate on spatial planning. This debate is related to protection of nature and natural resources, since the issue of integration of the conservation measures related to Natura 200 Network, into regulations of protected areas, is an open question, which needs further consideration and insights.