Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterizing Diffusion and Transport in Microfluidics Channels: A Combined Raman Microscopy and Band-Target Entropy Minimization Study

With the increasing use of microfluidics, there is a need for a rather general experimental approach in order to monitor and characterize transport effects. Indeed, micro-fabrication methods have allowed the inclusion of numerous new structures and devices within microfluidics channels, and such alterations in flow patterns should impact solute transport characteristics. In the present contribution, Raman microscopy is combined with band-target entropy minimization analysis (BTEM) in order to rapidly assess and map concentration profiles in various regions of a microfluidics device. Two isotopomers, CHCl3 and CDCl3, are contacted under laminar conditions. Special consideration is given to the point of contact between the two liquids, transport in straight sections, transport in curved sections, and wall effects. Break-through curves confirmed that stagnation of fluid at the wall is not occurring, despite substantial wall roughness. Since the methods used in the present study are quite general, they should be useful in rapidly accessing transport effects when fluids (also in conjunction with colloids, suspensions, and solids) are contacted in the presence of both simple as well as complex geometries.
Vitamin B 12 and Folic Acid Improve Gross Motor and Problem-Solving Skills in Young North Indian Children : A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial

1 Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway, 2 Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, West, Uni Research Health, Bergen, Norway, 3 Society for Applied Studies, New Delhi, India, 4 Society for Essential Health Action and Training, New Delhi, India, 5 Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Department of Nutrition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway, 6 Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, 7 The Diabetes Unit, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Maharashtra, India, 8 Centre for International Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway, 9 Division of Medical Services, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Lillehammer, Norway
Amphiregulin‐dependent proliferation of cultured human keratinocytes: Autocrine growth, the effects of exogenous recombinant cytokine, and apparent requirement for heparin‐like glycosaminoglycans

Amphiregulin, a member of the epidermal growth factor family with heparin binding affinity, functions as a natural regulator of keratinocyte growth. Autocrine signaling by amphiregulin and the effects of exogenous recombinant cytokine were studied in serum‐free cultures of human neonatal keratinocytes. A metabolic inhibitor of proteoglycan sulfation was used to assess the role of cellular heparin‐like glycosaminoglycans in amphiregulin‐dependent growth. Keratinocytes plated at >103 cells/cm2 grew in an autocrine manner in the absence of exogenous epidermal growth factor or amphiregulin. Incubation of keratinocytes with an amphiregulin‐blocking antibody indicated that ∼70% of autocrine growth is mediated by endogenous amphiregulin. Proliferation potential in the presence of recombinant human amphiregulin was dose dependent and saturable and above ∼1 ng/ml was comparable to that achieved with similar concentrations of epidermal growth factor. Sodium chlorate, which blocks glycosaminoglycan sulfation, reversibly inhibited epidermal growth factor‐dependent proliferation by 42%, exogenous amphiregulin‐dependent proliferation by 75%, and autocrine growth by 95%; concurrent incubation with 1‐100 μg/ml heparin partially reversed this inhibition. Exogenous heparin in the absence of chlorate, however, nearly completely inhibited growth under autocrine conditions and in the presence of recombinant amphiregulin. Structure‐function studies indicate that the polymerization level, high sulfate group density, and possibly iduronic acid content of heparin‐like moieties correlate with their inhibitory activity. Collectively, these observations indicate that amphiregulin is the major autocrine factor for keratinocytes and demonstrate that exogenous amphiregulin is an effective growth promoting factor with molar potency similar to that of epidermal growth factor. Autocrine and paracrine signaling by amphiregulin may require cellular heparin‐like glycosaminoglycans, presumably as matrix or membrane proteoglycans, whereas soluble glycosaminoglycans inhibit signaling, possibly by competing for cytokine binding. © 1994 wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Multitemporal ERS SAR analysis applied to forest mapping

Examination of the physical background underlying the ERS response of forest and analysis of time series of ERS data indicates that the greater temporal stability of forest compared with many other types of land cover presents a means of mapping forest area. The processing chain necessary to make such area estimations involves reconstruction of an optimal estimate of the backscattering coefficient at each pixel using temporal and spatial filtering so that classification rules derived from large scale averaging are applicable. The rationale behind the filtering strategy and the level of averaging needed is explained in terms of the observed multitemporal behavior of forest and nonforest areas, much of this analysis is generic and applicable to a wide range of situation in which significant information is carried by multitemporal features of the data. The choice of decision rules is based on the forest observations, with the added requirement for robustness. The performance of a classifier based only on change is assessed on a range of test sites in the UK, Finland, and Poland. Error sources in this classifier are identified, and the possibility of improving performance by including radiometric information in the mapping strategy is discussed. Brief discussions of how the classification is affected by the addition of coherence and how the processing chain would need to be modified for other forms of satellite data are included.
EXAMINING APATHY AND DEPRESSION IN PARKINSON ’ S DISEASE By

It may be that these two types of symptoms are able to be dissociated based on pathology or pathophysiology. Studies have typically associated orbitofrontal-basal ganglia connections in the presence of depression in PD, whereas anterior cingulatebasal ganglia connections are suggested in the presence of apathy. It is possible that PD subjects with apathy in the absence of depression have more pathological involvement of the anterior cingulate than the orbitofrontal area, but this remains for future investigation.
An Intelligent On-Board Passenger Service System (PSS) in Railways using Internet of Things (IoT)

: Railways represent one in every of the foremost extensively used modes of transportation within the world. Indian Railways is one of the largest networks which of the people are a prime concern. It focuses on the key areas such as quality of food prepared, quality of water, personal hygiene, providing medical aid, cleaning and security are served and its impact on people’s well-being. In this paper, an Onboard Passengers Service System (PSS) is used to get good services and comfort in railways within train. When the passenger request for various services are collated periodically and then allocated to crew members on taking into consideration their services time and location of crew member. Then, according to the request, the services are provided to the corresponding passengers within time. To allocate the services to crew members, we use Multi Objective Resource Allocation (MORA) algorithm and scheduling algorithm (FCFS). ZigBee device is used to transmit the data between passengers to crew members.
Zebrafish response to 3D printed shoals of conspecifics: the effect of body size

Recent progress in three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has enabled rapid prototyping of complex models at a limited cost. Virtually every research laboratory has access to a 3D printer, which can assist in the design and implementation of hypothesis-driven studies on animal behavior. In this study, we explore the possibility of using 3D printing technology to understand the role of body size in the social behavior of the zebrafish model organism. In a dichotomous preference test, we study the behavioral response of zebrafish to shoals of 3D printed replicas of varying size. We systematically vary the size of each replica without altering the coloration, aspect ratio, and stripe patterns, which are all selected to closely mimic zebrafish morphophysiology. The replicas are actuated through a robotic manipulator, mimicking the natural motion of live subjects. Zebrafish preference is assessed by scoring the time spent in the vicinity of the shoal of replicas, and the information theoretic construct of transfer entropy is used to further elucidate the influence of the replicas on zebrafish motion. Our results demonstrate that zebrafish adjust their behavior in response to variations in the size of the replicas. Subjects exhibit an avoidance reaction for larger replicas, and they are attracted toward and influenced by smaller replicas. The approach presented in this study, integrating 3D printing technology, robotics, and information theory, is expected to significantly aid preclinical research on zebrafish behavior.
Trap a Gene and Find Out its Function: Toward Functional Genomics in Drosophila

Many declared aims of the genome projects have been achieved. The total genomic sequences of several relatively noncomplex/complex organisms (such as E. coli, yeast, Caenorhabditis, Drosophila) are being determined, and the nucleotide sequencing of the entire human genome will be complete in the near future. However, this achievement is not the end of the road but rather the first step toward the functional understanding of the genome of humans and other organisms. The determined linear nucleotide sequences remain only lists of A, C, G and T, unless they are given functional significance. The coding sequences of genes can be identified in a relatively reliable manner by computational methods, but the exact function of their protein products can rarely be determined without obtaining much additional information, e.g., by biochemical or cell biological methods. Thus, following sequencing, the next step must be to assign functions to the identified genes. The final goal of genome research today may look futuristic, but the knowledge of the function of every single gene and the interactions between them will finally allow us to understand the development and functioning of an organism as a whole. Gene-trapping methodology is a powerful strategy for cloning and identifying functional genes, as it marks a gene with a tag and simultaneously generates a corresponding genetic variation for that particular locus. Therefore, gene trapping is an extremely useful tool for functional genomics, establishing a correlation between the physical and genetic maps of the genome. The relative simplicity of its genome and the availability of huge bodies of genetic and molecular information make Drosophila melanogaster one of the most important model organisms. Its genome will serve as a “reference” for the in-depth analysis of the organization of more complex eukaryotic genomes. Multifaceted approaches to Drosophila functional genomics and the dual-tagging gene trap system newly developed for functional analysis of Drosophila genes are discussed in this review.
Letters and Replies

Fractional excretion of protein may be a useful predictor of decline of renal function in pan-chronic kidney diseases Sir, We agreed with the article of McQuarrie article 'Fractional excretions of albumin and IgG are the best predictors of progression in primary glomerulonephritis'. But we were curious about the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of high-and low-risk group patients separated by fractional excretion of albumin (FEalbumin), because firstly FEalbumin, which was albumin clearance divided by creatinine clearance (Ccr), seemed associated with Ccr as well as albuminuria, and secondly advanced decreased GFR [1] as well as pro-teinuria or albuminuria [1, 2] had been reported as the pre-dictor of progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We examined the relationships among fractional excre-tion of protein (FEprotein), urinary protein excretion rate (ProteinEx) and Ccr in 179 adult patients with CKD of various origins whose Ccr values were between 15 and 89 mL/min/1.73m 2 (CKD Stages II, III and IV). The scatter plot, even though showing a linear relationship between ProteinEx and FEprotein (r = 0.830, P < 0.001), looked fan shaped, and while ProteinEx diviated from 0, the association between ProteinEx and FEprotein decreased (Figure 1A). We drew the same scatter plot between ProteinEx and FEprotein again displaying each pa-tient's stage of CKD. Each group of the three CKD stages was clearly separated and the slope was increased as the stage increased. This suggested that patients with higher FEprotein values in the same level of ProteinEx would be in the more advanced stage of CKD (Figure 1B). FEalbumin is similar in both fractional excretion (FE) of sodium and selectivity index (SI) of protein in the formula structure but these results are interpreted differently. FEal-bumin does not indicate the tubular function because albu-min, unlike sodium in FE of sodium, is not filtered in the glomerulus. It also does not indicate permselectivity of the glomerulus because creatinine, unlike albumin or transfer-rin in the SI of protein, is fully filtered in glomerulus. We thought that the reason FEalbumin was a better pre-dictor of progression in primary glomerulonephritis than urinary albumin excretion rate or albumin-to-creatinine ratio was not because it was a more accurate indicator of the impairment of glomerular permselectivity as the authors speculated, but rather because it was a more sensitive formula containing decreased filtration function of the glom-erulus with increased glomerular albumin permeability. In conclusion, although this experiment was performed using total protein in patients with CKD …
Stability of surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion and orthopedic maxillary expansion after 3 years' follow-up.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the stability of surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion (SARME) and orthopedic maxillary expansion (OME) after 3 years of follow-up, and compare these changes with a control group. MATERIALS AND METHODS The subjects of the study were divided into three groups. Group 1 was composed of 10 patients (6 males, 4 females) with a mean age of 15.51 years (range: 13.33-17.58 years) and treated with OME, Group 2 comprised 10 patients (7 males, 3 females) with a mean age of 19.01 years (range: 16.25-25.58 years) and treated with SARME. Group 3 was the control group, consisting of 10 untreated, skeletal Class 1 subjects (6 males, 4 females) with a mean age of 15.27 years (range: 13.42-17.00 years) and matched to the OME group for sex and age. Lateral cephalometric and posteroantererior films were taken before expansion (T1), postexpansion (T2), and 3 years after the retention period (T3). RESULTS After OME and SARME, significant increases were observed for both dental and skeletal transverse widths (P < .01). After 3 years of follow-up, maxillary basal width decreased 1.35 +/- 0.44 mm in the SARME group and 1.19 +/- 0.41 mm in the OME group, while upper molar width decreased 2.23 +/- 1.24 mm in the SARME group and 2.79 +/- 1.01 mm in the OME group. CONCLUSIONS Both the OME and SARME procedures remained stable after 3 years of follow-up with some amount of postretention relapse, compared with the control group.
UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) Extended transthoracic resection compared with limited transhiatal resection for adenocarcinoma the esophagus

Citation for published version (APA): Hulscher, J. B. F. , van Sandick, J. W. , de Boer, A. G. E. M. , Wijnhoven, B. P. L. , Tijssen, J. G. P., Fockens, P., Stalmeier, P. F. M. , ten Kate, F. J. W. , van Dekken, H. , Obertop, H. , Tilanus, H. W. , & van Lanschot, J. J. B. (2002). Extended transthoracic resection compared with limited transhiatal resection for adenocarcinoma the esophagus. The New England journal of medicine, 347(21), 1662-1669. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa022343
Behavioral Response of Nothanguina phyllobia to Selected Plant Species.

The silver-leaf nightshade nenmtode, Nothanguina phyllobia, is a promising biological control agent for its only reported host, Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav. When infective larvae of N. phyllobia and stem tissue of 39 econmnically important plant species were suspended in 0.5% water agar, nematodes aggregated about S. elaeagnifolium, Solanum carolinense L. , Solanum melongena L. , Solanum tuberosum L. , and Prunus caroliniana (Mill.) Ait. Nematodes responded to Solanum spp. via positive chemotaxis and/or klinokinesis, but aggregated near tissue of P. caroliniana as a result of orthokinetic effects. Nematodes aggregated away from tissue of Hibiscus esculentus L. , Triticum aestivum L. , Santolina sp. , Rosa sp. , and Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad. in the absence of orthokinetic effects. Experiments that excluded light and maintained relative humidity at 100% showed N. phyllobia to ascend the stems of 35 plant species to a height of > 9 cm within 12 h. Differences in stem ascension were not attributable to stem surface characteristics.
Houses built on sand: Rethinking cultures of homemaking, nature and finance in a coastal master-planned estate

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Phylogenetic Position of Species in the Genera Anoplophrya, Plagiotoma, and Nyctotheroides (Phylum Ciliophora), Endosymbiotic Ciliates of Annelids and Anurans

Abstract We have used small subunit rRNA gene sequences to determine the phylogenetic relationships of species in three genera of endosymbiotic ciliates. We have confirmed that the astome Anoplophrya marylandensis is related to ciliates in the Class Oligohymenophorea, supporting the view that astomes are derived from hymenostome-like ancestors. We confirmed that Plagiotoma lumbrici, formerly considered to be a heterotrich, is a stichotrich spirotrich ciliate most closely related to Paraurostyla weissei in this analysis. Thus, the somatic polykinetids of Plagiotoma can be concluded to be cirri. We report the details of our isolation of Nyctotheroides deslierresae and Nyctotheroides parvus and confirm previous reports that these clevelandellids are related to the metopid and caenomorphid ciliates, now placed in the Class Armophorea.
Fideism, Evidentialism, and the Epistemology of Religious Belief

Fideism is the theory that certain propositions can be held by faith without regard to evidence. Its epistemological underpinnings are often contrasted with evidentialism - the view that one is justified in holding a belief if and only if that belief is based on sufficient undefeated evidence. Recently, John Bishop and C. Stephen Evans have each forwarded new theories of fideism that oppose evidentialism. This dissertation examines these two theories, raising problems that threaten to undermine the epistemological claims of the fideist. A version of evidentialism is then advanced that addresses the problems identified by Evans and Bishop. Particularly important to this defense is a notion of evidence that includes private evidence. Through a broadly abductive argument, this dissertation concludes that evidentialism remains a better candidate for rationally holding religious beliefs, while fideism – even in these newly proposed forms – cannot adequately answer the challenges of the skeptic.
Introduction to the Special Issue on Environment Structure and Behavior

The world is full of perils or opportunities, depending on how you look at it. The agents in Ti~oilrna ~rrrd C/’cssida simulation have rather a hard time of it in the harsh, competitive environment Shakespeare has created. Stevenson sees things a bit difterently, constructing an agent-friendly, bountiful environment rich in a variety of resources. We can be sure that the behavior of the organism living in each of these settings will vary as a consequence of the structure of those environments. But how? And how did these variations in behavior come about? In this special issue of ,9dnptioc on environment structure and behavior, several authors endeavor to find out.
Prolongation of Allograft Survival by Administration of Anti‐CD45RB Monoclonal Antibody Is Due to Alteration of CD45RBhi: CD45RBlo T‐Cell Proportions

CD45RB monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy is capable of prolonging allograft survival. We have previously shown that CD45RB mAb enriches the CD45RBlo T‐cell population in vitro and in vivo by preferentially depleting CD45RBhi T cells. The present study assessed the importance of CD45RBhi T‐cell depletion in murine cardiac allograft survival by infusion of naive CD45RB T‐cell subsets. Here we show that naturally occurring CD45RBloCD4+ T cells express regulatory transcription factor Foxp3 and have regulatory function, whereas CD45RBhiCD4+ T cells express low levels of Foxp3 and have effector function. Infusion of syngeneic CD45RBhi T cells significantly reduced graft survival after depletion of CD45RBhi T cells by CD45RB mAb. Reduction of graft survival also occurred when syngeneic CD45RBhi T cells were infused into rapamycin‐treated mice, whereas survival was prolonged when CD45RBlo T cells were added. This indicates that an alteration in the balance between regulatory CD45RBlo and effector CD45RBhi T cells is critical to the immunologic function of CD45RB mAb. A strategy to eliminate effector T cells with consequent enrichment of the regulatory T‐cell compartment may be an important new strategy in the prevention of rejection.
An implantable batteryless wireless impedance sensor for gastroesophageal reflux diagnosis

A new method for long term monitoring of gastroesophageal reflux is presented. The impedance of the reflux in the esophagus can be determined remotely without the need of a battery in the sensor implant. The implant includes an energy harvesting circuit, sensing electrodes, an antenna and an impedance to frequency converter. An external reader provides power to the implant and measures the impedance values simultaneously. A prototype with an overall size of 0.5×1×3.1cm3 was made with a printed circuit board and discrete components, and packaged in polydimethylsiloxane. In vivo experiments were conducted in pig cadavers. The results show good correlation between impedance and pH values of the acid solutions flushed into the esophagus, and good signal-to-noise ratios with the transducer inside the body. The impedance sensor can detect nonacid materials due to the frequency shift differences between air and solutions. The batteryless wireless impedance sensor is able to detect every reflux episode, either acid or non-acid, which provides more accurate diagnosis for the gastroesophageal reflux disease.