Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Socioeconomic Status of Subjects: A Prominent Feature Contributing to the Phenotypical Approach to COPD

Although the role of socioeconomic status in COPD has been poorly investigated when studying the determinants of respiratory health in ‘real life’, lower education levels and economic status have been presumed to lead to a higher probability of suffering from this disease [3–5] . Actually, these two conditions tend to work as main determinants of patients’ future because they usually lead to poorer housing and nutritional intake, a higher incidence of respiratory infections (particularly in childhood), a higher prevalence of smoking, a higher probability of accepting disadvantaged jobs, etc. [6] . In other words, the lower the start level the steeper the way to the finish line. In this issue of Respiration, Miravitlles et al. [7] specifically investigated and focused on this peculiar aspect and clearly assessed how both the socioeconomic and the educational status of COPD subjects can affect (or can have affected) primarily their quality of life and other related outcomes in real life (i.e. an early diagnosis, early treatment, awareness of the disease, etc.). This paper also showed that the socioeconomic status (e.g. the individual’s educational level and income) represents an independent factor which proves able to substantially impair the health status of COPD patients also in a public heath system oriented toward the welfare model. The current understanding of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is still incomplete, and several factors contribute to its overall impact in both industrialized and developing countries. The epidemiology of COPD has been investigated extensively over the last decades and the role of many causative and predisposing factors have been focused on, though most attention has usually been concentrated on the specific function of some behavioral (i.e. tobacco smoke), clinical (i.e. respiratory signs, lung function), and biological (i.e. age, gender, infections, genetics) determinants of the disease [1] . COPD is a complex disease characterized by numerous pulmonary and extra-pulmonary components which contribute significantly to its heterogeneity in terms of clinical manifestations, physiological pictures, radiological imaging, response to therapeutic treatments, morbidity, and survival. Moreover, the complexity of the disease cannot be represented exhaustively by a single parameter, and integrated indices considering different factors simultaneously have been progressively proposed and suggested as being much more sensitive, though they still mainly stem from clinical and physiological peculiarities [2] . Published online: August 18, 2011
p53 mutations indicate a changing clonal evolution in a portion of chronic myelocytic leukemia patients.

The letter from Kurosawa et all draws attention to the phenomena of changing p53 mutation status with the clinical progression of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) from the chronic phase to blast crisis that we2 have also observed. Infrequent cases of p53 mutations in the chronic phase have been reported334 and a changing p53 status in the blast crisis of CML with patient treatment has been described previ~usly. ~. ~ We postulate that part of the mechanism of clonal evolution in these CML patients has been elicited by our study' and by other ~tudies. ' . ~. ~ We propose that the late chronic-phase p53 mutant clones in our study2 were removed by chemotherapeutic treatment to below the level of detection by the PCR-SSCP' technique. In the meantime, a different p53 abnormal clone evolved that was resistant to treatment, expanded, and was evident in the blast crisis that followed. The same chronic-phase p53 abnormality was also found at bone marrow transplant relapse. Similar findings have also been described in blast crisis samples from a CML patient.s. 6 Several groups have found p53 mutations in the late chronic phase of CML1-4 and the genomic evolution of multiple clones seen, by virtue of changing p53 status in CML, has been described previously. '. z.5" The detection of p53 mutations in the late chronic phase may be an indicator of increasing genomic instability and imminent progression to blast crisis.
BOC, an Ig superfamily member, associates with CDO to positively regulate myogenic differentiation

CDO is a cell surface receptor‐like protein that positively regulates myogenic differentiation. Reported here is the identification of BOC, which, with CDO, defines a newly recognized subfamily within the immunoglobulin superfamily. cdo and boc are co‐expressed in muscle precursors in the developing mouse embryo. Like CDO, BOC accelerates differentiation of cultured myoblast cell lines and participates in a positive feedback loop with the myogenic transcription factor, MyoD. CDO and BOC form complexes in a cis fashion via association of both their ectodomains and their intracellular domains. A soluble fusion protein that contains the entire BOC ectodomain functions similarly to full‐length BOC to promote myogenic differentiation, indicating that the intracellular region is dispensable for its activity in this system. Furthermore, a dominant‐negative form of CDO inhibits the pro‐myogenic effects of soluble BOC, suggesting that BOC is dependent on CDO for its activity. CDO and BOC are proposed to be components of a receptor complex that mediates some of the cell–cell interactions between muscle precursors that are required for myogenesis.
CYTOTOXIC EFFECTS OF PUROMYCIN ON THE GOLGI APPARATUS OF PANCREATIC ACINAR CELLS, HEPATOCYTES AND AMELOBLASTS

A single injection of puromycin was given to rats in a dose sufficient to produce almost total inhibition of protein synthesis in pancreas and liver. By 10 min after injection, Golgi saccules in pancreatic acinar cells, hepatocytes and ameloblasts appeared grossly and irregularly distended, and almost devoid of content. In pancreas the condensing vacuoles near the inner face of the Golgi were often altered, and those normally present in ameloblasts were lacking. Between 2 and 3 hr after injection, protein synthesis had started anew. At this time, granules without limiting membranes appeared within cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum in acinar cells and ameloblasts. These intracisternal granules are believed to consist of newly synthesized secretory protein which could not be transported through the disrupted Golgi apparatus to be packaged into secretory granules. Indeed, by 3 hr postinjection the secretory granules which normally abound in the apical processes of ameloblasts were sparce or absent. Thus, while biochemical evidence indicates that puromycin blocks protein synthesis on the ribosomes, the use of this antibiotic in vivo results in alterations in the Golgi apparatus and interruption of the packaging of protein into secretory granules.
Alpha Synuclein Aggregation in a Neurotoxic Model of Parkinson's Disease

Abstract : The neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-tetrahydropyridine (NPTP) inhibits mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and replicates the pattern of neuronal neurodegeneration found in Parkinson's disease (PD). Neurons that degenerate in PD develop inclusions containing a synaptic protein, alpha synuclein. We examined how MPTP and other neurotoxins affect cytoskeletal and synaptic proteins and studied the relationship between oxidative damage and synuclein aggregation in NPTP-treated mice. Oxidative injury is evident in dopaminergic neurons 4 days after toxin administration followed 3-6 days later by increased synuclein and ubiquitin immunoreactivity. Double staining studies show that oxidative markers are increased in neurons that develop increased alpha synuclein staining. Paraquat treatment causes nigral degeneration and alpha synuclein aggregation that is more prominent than that produced by MPTP. The proteasomal inhibitors lactacystin and epoxomicin protect mice form the neurotoxic effects of MPTP but may paradoxically increase alpha synuclein aggregation. Alpha synuclein knockout mice resist the neurotoxic effects of MPTP and other mitochondrial toxins including malonate, 3-nitropropionic acid and paraquat. Our studies show that MPTP-induced oxidative injury precedes increased neuronal alpha synuclein staining and suggest that alpha synuclein and abnormal proteasomal function could contribute to neurotoxin and PD-related neuronal cell death. Reducing synuclein expression may be a novel approach to the treatment of PD.
Corporate series feed circular spiral antenna array for UHF applications

Circular Spiral with twelve element corporateseries feed antenna array operates at the center frequency of 956MHz is designed and analyzed. Each of the single circular spiral inductor is connected after one another. The purpose of design the circular spiral corporate-series feed antenna array is to achieve high gain antenna and subsequently harvesting more RF energy. The quarter wave transformer method is used to design the corporate feed line with the same equal distributed power in each arm. The entire structure was investigated using numerical solver such as finite integration technique (FIT) method. With this setup, the results show that 19.8dB gain for antenna array can be achieved at frequency 956MHz. Therefore, the results obtained can be used as an alternative design solution for application in the UHF band in future. A good agreement between simulation and measurement results is successfully confirmed.
Analysis of perimenstrual asthma based on questionnaire surveys in Japan.

BACKGROUND Perimenstrual asthma (PMA) has been documented in 30% to 40% of asthmatic women; the characteristics of PMA have also been well described. However, there have been few epidemiological investigations of PMA in practice. In this study, we analyzed PMA based on a questionnaire survey carried out in Japan and compared the results with those of studies reported previously. METHODS For 8 weeks from September through October 2004, a questionnaire survey was administered to patients with bronchial asthma and their attending physicians. The questionnaire surveyed asthma control, asthma-related emergencies and satisfaction in daily life. The attending physicians were questioned about patient profiles and medications. All female patients who were menstruating during the survey period and who were known to have asthma exacerbation related to menstruation were allocated to the PMA group; those who were not were allocated to the non-PMA group. RESULTS The rate of PMA in female patients who were menstruating during the survey period was 11.3% in this study. Characteristic features of the PMA group (n = 54) included more severe disease, worsened disease control and more aggressive patient management, including increased oral corticosteroid use compared with the non-PMA group. The rates of emergency episodes in the PMA group were higher than in the non-PMA group. There was a significant increase in aspirin intolerant asthma (AIA, 25.5%) in the PMA group compared with the non-PMA group (8.4%). CONCLUSIONS Attention should be paid to the lack of knowledge regarding PMA in patients with asthma in actual clinical settings. The low rate of PMA reported in this study may be due to the study method using self-reports of PMA by patients without sufficient knowledge, and may not be an accurate representation of the actual incidence of the disease. The clinical similarity of PMA to AIA in this study may also provide a new insight into the mechanism of PMA.
Contribution of the BOP1 gene, located on 8q24, to colorectal tumorigenesis

The most common form of genomic instability observed in colorectal cancer is chromosomal instability (CIN), whose molecular bases remain to be determined. We have previously demonstrated that inactivation in human cells of several components of the Pes1‐Bop1 complex (BOP1, GRWD1, PES1, ORC6L, and RPL3), involved in ribosome biogenesis, altered chromosome segregation. To determine the contribution to colorectal tumorigenesis of somatic alterations of genes involved in ribosome biogenesis, we screened 56 primary colorectal cancers, using quantitative multiplex PCR of short fluorescent fragments, a sensitive method for the detection of gene dosage alterations. We found that dosage increase of the BOP1 gene was a frequent event, being detected in 39% of the tumors, and we show that it is associated with an increase of BOP1 mRNA. Scanning of 8q24, on which BOP1 is located, revealed that in colorectal cancers, gene dosage increase of BOP1 can be independent from that of MYC and was more frequent than that affecting MYC. Finally, transient overexpression of BOP1 in human cells increased the percentage of multipolar spindles. Together with our previous results, the present study strongly suggests that deregulation of the BOP1 pathway contributes to colorectal tumorigenesis. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Bootstrap decoding of low-density parity-check codes

An initial bootstrap step for the decoding of low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes is proposed. Decoding is initiated by first erasing a number of less reliable bits. New values and reliabilities are then assigned to erasure bits by passing messages from nonerasure bits through the reliable check equations. The bootstrap step is applied to the weighted bit-flipping algorithm to decode a number of LDPC codes. Large improvements in both performance and complexity are observed.
Ubiquitin-dependent virus particle budding without viral protein ubiquitination

An essential step in the release of an extracellular enveloped virus particle is a budding event that ultimately separates virion and host cell membranes. For many enveloped viruses, membrane fission requires the recruitment of the class E vacuolar protein sorting (VPS) machinery by short, virally encoded peptide sequences termed “late-budding” or “L” domains. Some L-domain peptide sequences (e.g., PSAP) bind directly to components of class E VPS machinery, whereas others (e.g., PPxY) access it indirectly by recruiting ubiquitin ligases. Additionally, ubiquitin itself is known to be generally important for the fission of virion from cellular membranes, and because ubiquitination of cellular transmembrane proteins can signal the recruitment of class E machinery, a popular model is that deposition of ubiquitin on viral structural proteins mediates class E machinery recruitment. To test this model, we took advantage of a retroviral Gag protein from the prototypic foamy virus (PFV) that is almost devoid of ubiquitin acceptors, and we engineered it to generate extracellular virus-like particles in the complete absence of other viral proteins. Notably, we found that particle budding, induced by a class E VPS machinery-binding L domain (PSAP), proceeded efficiently in the absence of ubiquitin acceptors in PFV Gag. Moreover, when particle release was engineered to be dependent on a viral PPXY motif, the requirement for a catalytically active ubiquitin ligase was maintained, irrespective of the presence or absence of ubiquitin acceptor sites in PFV Gag. Thus, in this model system, ubiquitin conjugation to transacting factors, not viral proteins, appears critical for ubiquitin-dependent enveloped viral particle release.
Metabonomic phenotyping reveals an embryotoxicity of deca-brominated diphenyl ether in mice.

Recent studies have demonstrated that polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a group of industrial chemicals, could disrupt thyroid hormone homeostasis and exhibit neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, and embryotoxicity. However, clear evidence of embryotoxicity and neurotoxicity of many of these congeners, such as deca-BDE, one of the least bioactive congeners of PBDEs, is still lacking. In the present study, we investigated deca-BDE embryotoxicity by quantitative analysis of two essential thyroid hormones (T4 and T3) and a variety of small-molecule metabolites in the serum of deca-BDE-dosed pregnant mice. Four groups of pregnant C57 mice were administrated with deca-BDE in 20% fat emulsion at a dose of 150, 750, 1,500, or 2,500 mg/kg body weight via gastric intubation on gestation days (g.d.s) 7 to 9, while a control group was given 20% fat emulsion. Maternal mice were euthanized on g.d. 16 and examined for external malformations of the fetus. Maternal serum samples were collected and analyzed by the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF MS). Using multivariate statistical analysis, we observed a significantly altered metabolic profile associated with deca-BDE embryotoxicity in maternal serum. Our results also demonstrated that deca-BDE at a dose of 2 500 mg/kg body weight induced significant disruption of thyroid hormone metabolism, the TCA cycle, and lipid metabolism in maternal mice, which subsequently led to a significant inhibition of fetal growth and development. We concluded that deca-BDE-induced embryotoxicity closely correlated with global metabolic disruption that can be characterized by thyroid hormone deficiency, disrupted lipid metabolism, and a depleted level of cholesterol in maternal mice.
Alhambra: un modelo para la producción de animacion bidimensional

El objetivo de la tesis es la obtencion de un sistema para la produccion de animacion convencional e ilustracion mediante ordenador, En una primera parte se hace una revision historica de la animacion. Seexpone el concepto de animacion y se realiza una clasificacion en base a distintos criterios: estetica, productor, herramienta, tipo de actor, etc. Se explica el proceso de produccion de una pelicula de animacion, resaltando la fase de creacion de los dibujos clave y el intercalado, ya que dichas tareas son dificiles de replicar mediante un ordenador. La animacion convencional esta orientada a la animacion de estetica bidimensional, teniendo un alto coste de produccion pero siendo muy flexible. La animacion por ordenador esta orientada a la animacion de estetica 3D. Se propone el sistema de animacion ideal. La aproximacion real que se plantea se basa en el uso del ordenador y el la utilizacion de un modelo 3D con un proceso de conversion a estetica 2D. Se realiza una descripcion de los trabajos anteriores relacionados con la solucion propuesta, la cual se basa en elementos esteticos denominados trazos y en el uso de modelos de color plano, y la posibilidad de producir secuencias de movimientos conun alto grado de flexibilidad. La componente estetica se basa en el modelo de LucesVirtuales, un foramlismo que permite controlar la aparicion de los trazos o lineas de forma. La componente de la animacion se obtiene mediante una extension de las trasformaciones No-Lineales de Arr, la cual permite aumentar las posibilidades expresivas y a la vez hacer uso de jerarquias, por lo que se llaman Transformaciones No-Lineales extendidad jerarquicas. En la implementacion del modelo se usa un modelo geometrico poligonal basado en triangulos, lo cual implica un conversion de la definicion continua de la Luces Virtuales a no conintua.Se desarrolla un algoritmo de calculo de intersecciones para aumentar la flexib
Características de los pacientes ingresados en un Hospital de Convalecencia Geriática incluido en el Sistema Aragonés de Salud

La atencion integral del paciente cronico dependiente, y en especial en edades avanzadas, representa un reto para la sociedad actual. La mejora de la utilizacion de los recursos asistenciales existentes, la identificacion adecuada de los pacientes susceptibles de utilizar dichos recursos, el adecuar los tiempos necesarios de hospitalizacion y estudiar los resultados obtenidos, fueron el inicio y fundamento de este trabajo. Los pacientes atendidos presentaban un elevado grado de dependencia al ingreso, situacion en algunos de los casos no reversible a pesar del esfuerzo terapeutico durante la hospitalizacion, prolongandose la estancia ante la dificultad de conseguir una estabilizacion clinica, en otros procesos por unas grandes expectativas de mejoria y un ultimo grupo por la dificultad o la complejidad de cuidados necesarios fuera del ambito hospitalario. El grado de recuperacion funcional, fue medido y estudiado desde diferentes variables, aportando resultados en determinadas situaciones coincidentes con otras investigaciones y observando resultados que precisarian nuevas lineas de investigacion para la interpretacion de los mismos. Concluimos que la atencion realizada en las Unidades de Convalecencia del Hospital San Juan de Dios de Zaragoza, cumple con unos criterios de calidad, los resultados asistenciales son comparables con los de otras Unidades afines, siendo necesario el apoyo de recursos asistenciales que faciliten la rotacion, para conseguir un mayor grado de cobertura al perfil del paciente, en el cual la prevencion o la recuperacion funcional sea factible, y manteniendo la atencion paliativa en los casos necesarios.
Intestinal cholesterol absorption efficiency in man is related to apoprotein E phenotype.

Relationship between the efficiency of cholesterol absorption and apolipoprotein E (apoE) phenotype was studied in a random sample of middle-aged Finnish men. Subjects that were either heterozygous or homozygous for the allele epsilon 2 absorbed less and synthesized more cholesterol than those with the phenotype E4/3 and E4/4, the values for the individuals with the most frequent phenotype E3/3 (56% of the population sample) falling in between. Among the whole study group, the sum of the subscripts of apoE phenotype (e.g., E2/3 = 5) was correlated positively with the fractional absorption of cholesterol (r = 0.40; P less than 0.05) and negatively with the serum level of lathosterol, a cholesterol precursor sterol reflecting the activity of cholesterol synthesis (r = -0.48; P less than 0.01). Thus, apoE polymorphism appears to affect the efficiency of cholesterol absorption and may by this mechanism contribute to the variation in plasma total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration.
Segmental contribution to the intelligibility of ideal binary-masked sentences

Many studies have shown the advantage of using ideal binary mask (IdBM) to improve the intelligibility of speech masked by interfering voices. The present work further investigated the segmental contribution to the intelligibility of the IdBM-processed sentences. Three types (i.e., vowel-only, consonant-only, and vowel-consonant transition) of Mandarin IdBM-processed stimuli were generated by using a noise-replacement paradigm to preserve the selected segments and replace the rest with noise. Normal-hearing subjects participated in listening experiments to recognize the IdBM-processed sentences. Experiment results showed that the recognition score of the vowel-only IdBM-processed sentences was significantly higher than that of the consonant-only IdBM-processed sentences, suggesting a greater contribution of vowels than consonants to the intelligibility of the IdBM-processed sentences. Vowel centers contained rich intelligibility information. While consonants and vowel-onset carried little intelligibility information, adding a small proportion of vowel-consonant transition significantly improved the recognition score of the consonant-only and vowel-onset IdBM-processed sentences.