Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Late presentation of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis following renal transplantation and the potential under‐reporting of the incidence and prevalence of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis

Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis is an infrequent but potentially devastating complication of peritoneal dialysis. The reported incidence and prevalence of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis vary markedly between countries. Currently, peritoneal dialysis vintage remains the major risk factor for encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis, and dialysis vintage differs between countries due to the relative competing risks of transplantation, availability of haemodialysis and peritonitis. However, the diagnosis of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis is often only established when patients have transferred modality to transplantation or haemodialysis. Switching treatment modality may potentially lead to an under‐reporting of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis, as many countries which collect data on dialysis patients in national registries often have separate registries for dialysis and transplant patients, and this may potentially lead to under‐reporting of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis in patients presenting after renal transplantation. Secondly, the question arises as to how long former peritoneal dialysis patients should be followed before a diagnosis of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis can be confidently excluded. To highlight this point, we present four cases that developed symptomatic encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis more than 5 years, and in once case more than 10 years after the discontinuation of peritoneal dialysis. Delayed or late presentation may not only delay the diagnosis, but also risk surgical interventions by non‐specialists.
Interaction of thrombopoietin with the platelet c‐mpl receptor in plasma: binding, internalization, stability and pharmacokinetics

Thrombopoietin (TPO) is the primary regulator of platelet production and acts through binding its receptor, c‐mpl, found on megakaryocyte progenitor cells, megakaryocytes and platelets. Circulating levels of TPO are regulated primarily by the clearance of TPO after it binds to c‐mpl receptors on circulating platelets. In this study the interaction of TPO with the platelet c‐mpl receptor has been analysed under physiological conditions using radiochemical and pharmacokinetic approaches. 125I‐rHuTPO was prepared using a novel method of gentle iodination that preserved its biological activity and used to demonstrate that platelets, but not endothelial cells, have a single class of binding sites (56 ± 17 binding sites/platelet) with high affinity (Kd = 163 ± 31 pM). Cross‐linking experiments confirmed that TPO, but not erythropoietin (EPO), specifically associated with the 95 kD platelet c‐mpl receptor. Upon addition of TPO to platelets, 80% of the TPO binding sites were internalized within an hour and were not recycled. TPO that was not bound by platelets was stable for up to 6 d in both platelet‐poor and platelet‐rich plasma. Using unlabelled recombinant human TPO (rHuTPO), standard pharmacokinetic analysis demonstrated that platelets have an average TPO clearance of 1.24 ± 0.38 ml/h/109 platelets and that TPO clearance was reduced by low temperature but not by a number of drugs or metabolic inhibitors. The maximal amount of TPO removed by platelets in vitro was identical to that predicted by the total number of TPO binding sites. These results provide a biochemical and pharmacokinetic basis for the clinical use of TPO and for understanding possible disorders of platelet production.
Permeability of rabbit heart capillaries to nonelectrolytes.

VARGAS, FERNANDO, AND JOHN A. JOHNSON, Permeability of rabbit heart capillaries to nonelectrolytes. Am. J. Physiol. 2 r 3(1> : 87-93. 1967. -Isolated perfused rabbit hearts were used to study the permeability characteristics of their capillaries with respect to inulin, raffinose, sucrose, and urea, The method used involved a continuous weighing of the isolated perfused heart. Each heart was isolated and was initially perfused with a Ringer solution containing no test molecule. Then a sudden switch was made to a Ringer solution that differed from the original only by containing a small amount of test material. Since each substance was osmotically active the heart lost weight as a function of time. Analysis of these osmotically induced weight transients was done in order to estimate capillary permeability coefficients. A theory thought to be approximately valid for this system is based on the integration over the capillary length of equations giving the concentration of the test substance in the plasma and extracellular space. Values for the permeability coefficients obtained ii-om this approach are: inulin 0.54 X 10”~ cm set-I; raffinose 3.9 X 10~~ cm set-l; sucrose 5.9 X 10~~ cm set+; urea 9.7 X 100 cm set -? In the DISCUSSION section of the paper validification of the approach is attempted by analyzing some of the assumptions made.
Endogenous losses of energy and amino acids in birds and their effect on true metabolisable energy values and availability of amino acids in maize

1. Endogenous losses of amino acids (EAAL) and energy (EEL) were determined in unfed adult cockerels. The intercepts of linear regression analysis were determined using 44 birds precision-fed on maize. During the experimental period (48 h), excreta of birds were collected, and the samples of maize and the excreta were dried, ground and assayed for gross energy and amino acids. 2. The EAAL and EEL in unfed cockerels influenced true available amino acid (TAAA) values. Therefore, the intercept of regressions showed an increase in TAAA values of maize. 3. The results indicated that there was no significant difference between the data obtained for EEL from the unfed birds and from regression analysis so, the figure from regression analysis could be used for calculating the true metabolisable energy (TME) value of maize. 4. The calculated EAAL from regression analysis caused an increase in the TAAA value in maize. The amounts of metabolic and endogenous amino acid excretions varied in voided excreta from unfed birds. These differences would be related to genetics, age, sex and environmental temperatures.
Global Path Planning for Single and Multi-Robot Systems

Global path planning is considered as a fundamental problem for mobile robots. This master project is split into two parts. In the first part we investigate the capabilities of Genetic Algorithms (GA) for solving the global path planning problem in large-scale grid maps. First, we propose a GA approach for efficiently finding an (or near) optimal path in the grid map. We carefully designed GA operators to optimize the search process. We also conduct a comprehensive statistical evaluation of the proposed GA approach in terms of solution quality, and we compare it against the well-known A* algorithm as a reference. Extensive simulation results show that GA is able to find the optimal paths in large environments equally to A* in almost all the simulated cases. Second part of this project deal with the Multi-Robot Path Planning (MRPP) problem. We present two different approaches for collision avoidance in multi-robot systems. First approach is based on prioritized planning, and the second is a new approach that we named it local repair. The preliminary results of the simulation study for the two approaches show that the prioritized planning clearly outperform the local repair approach. In our future work, we will investigate the reasons of that, and will explore different ways to improve it.
The Central Noradrenaline System and Memory Consolidation

Long-term memory requires de novo protein synthesis and gene expression, which are mediated by certain intracellular signaling pathways. The noradrenaline (NA) system in the CNS is involved in a wide variety of neurological and psychological functions. In addition to previous pharmacological studies, a recent molecular genetic approach provides behavioral evidence for an essential role of the central NA system in long-term memory formation, particularly in memory consolidation. The potential cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying memory formation mediated by NA are discussed.
A new cinnamic acid derivative from plant-derived endophytic fungus Pyronema sp.

Abstract Ten secondary metabolites (1–10) including a new 4-hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, methyl 2-{(E)-2-[4-(formyloxy)phenyl]ethenyl}-4-methyl-3-oxopentanoate (1), and nine known compounds (2–10) were isolated from an EtOAc extract derived from a solid rice medium of endophytic fungal strain Pyronema sp. (A2-1 & D1-2). Their structures were elucidated from NMR and HRMS data. All the compounds were tested for antibacterial activity against Mycobacterium marinum ATCCBAA-535. Compounds 1, 8 and 9 exhibited moderate antibiotic activity with IC50 of 64, 43 and 32 μM, respectively.
The Humidity Reactions of the Wood-louse, Porcellio scaber (Latreille)

1. Porcellio scaber exhibits hygrokinesis, being very active in dry air and almost motionless in nearly saturated air. With rising humidity a steadily increasing proportion of a batch of specimens is found to be inactive at any one moment. 2. P. scaber also shows hygrophobotactic behaviour. 3. The effect of both reactions is to collect the animals into moist air. 4. In a humidity gradient of given steepness the intensity of the humidity preference varies at different parts of the humidity range. There is no reaction at all if the gradient does not include a region below 65 per cent R.H. There is definite reaction to a difference of 6 per cent R.H. in approximately half-saturated air. 5. The humidity receptors, if they are confined to one area, apparently do not lie on the abdomen or on the head region.
Inhibition of experimental blood-borne lung metastasis by protease inhibitors.

The inhibitory effects of protease inhibitors on blood-borne metastasis in male Donryu rat lung were studied. Injection i.v. of 10(6) Yoshida ascites hepatoma AH7974 cells induced about 118 +/- 92 (S.D.) metastatic foci in rat lung after 3 weeks. Leupeptin (50 mg/kg body weight twice a day), injected i.p. from 2 days before to 4 days after the inoculation of tumor cells, reduced the number of metastatic foci to about 49 +/- 45 (p less than 0.005). Leupeptin also suppressed the formation of metastatic foci of Yoshida ascites hepatoma AH100B cells (p less than 0.001). Elastatinal (100 mg/kg body weight twice a day) and chymostatin (100 mg/kg body weight once a day) did not inhibit formation of metastatic foci of AH7974 cells. Injection i.v. of 10(6) AH7974 cells induced pulmonary thrombi within 1 hr. Leupeptin (50 mg/kg body weight twice a day) reduced the number of thrombi from 1298 +/- 395 to 646 +/- 218, when injected i.p. for 2 days before the inoculation of the cells (p less than 0.005). Chymostatin and elastatinal did not significantly change the number of pulmonary thrombi. These results indicate that leupeptin inhibited metastasis formation and suggest that this effect may be due to the inhibition of thrombus formation after the arrest of circulating tumor cells.
Multi-Party, Multi-Sector Knowledge Creation: Maximising Outcomes through Stakeholder Collaboration

This paper illustrates an example of successful collaboration amongst a number of organisations within the "Triple Helix" of government-industry-university relations whose mandate is to create, share and disseminate knowledge. A stakeholder perspective is used to identify a number of conditions that are suggested as being necessary for such complex collaborations to achieve their desired outcomes.
The use of Java as an introductory programming language

During the fall of 1996, the Georgia Insitute of Technology initiated the transition from teaching procedural programming to teaching object-oriented programming at the introductory level. Our main goal was to produce an introductory class that taught solid programming and design skills, using Java as the programming language. We will look at some of the problems we encountered, as well as some of the issues involved in using Java to teach students object oriented programming at the introductory level.
Intraocular pressure measurement in the conscious rat.

PURPOSE To develop a method for measurement of intraocular pressure in conscious, unsedated rats. METHODS. The animal was gently held with a thick fabric mitten, topical anesthetic drops were instilled and the Tono-Pen was applied to the cornea. RESULT Measurements in a total of 51 animals did not differ significantly among four strains studied: the overall mean intraocular pressure+/-standard deviation was 13.0+/-1.2 mm Hg. Several intraocular pressure tolerance limits were calculated from this conscious rat data to provide a baseline estimate for future studies. CONCLUSIONS This measurement method in conscious rats may contribute to making this widely used laboratory animal available for intraocular pressure research.
Ocular and Iris Recognition Baseline Algorithm Yooyoung

Due to its distinctiveness, the human eye is a popular biometric feature used to identity a person with high accuracy. The “Grand Challenge” in biometrics is to have an effective algorithm for subject verification or identification under a broad range of image and environmental conditions. As a response to the challenge, this paper presents baseline performance results derived from an enhanced version of VASIR (Video-based Automated System for Iris Recognition), as well as initial performance results based on a broader ocular recognition system. We describe the details of the VASIR procedure and demonstrate its superiority over the IrisBEE (Iris Biometric Evaluation Environment) baseline algorithm. We examine the relationship between VASIR performance and image quality scores. Finally, for less-constrained imaging conditions, we provide a comparison of iris and ocular recognition results.
Assessment of Myocardial Infarctions Using Multidetector-Row Computed Tomography

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic power of contrast-enhanced multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) in assessing the presence, age, and size of myocardial infarctions. Methods: One hundred six patients underwent standard MDCT coronary angiography without additional changes in the protocol. In all patients, a complete patient history and left heart catheterization with biplane contrast ventriculography were available. The MDCT images were reviewed for the presence and age of myocardial infarctions in a blinded fashion. Infarct areas were detected as regions of reduced uptake of contrast in the early arterial phase and/or regional wall thinning. Reviewing the computed tomography (CT) images, CT density values (Hounsfield units [HU]) were measured at the site of infarcted and noninfarcted myocardium, and a volumetric assessment of the infarct size was performed. Results: In 27 of 106 patients, myocardial infarctions were present. Multidetector-row computed tomography detected 23 of 27 infarctions (sensitivity of 85%, specificity of 91%, and accuracy of 90%). Comparing the HU of infarcted versus noninfarcted myocardium, the mean HU of infarcted areas was 54 ± 19 HU versus 117 ± 28 HU for noninfarcted myocardium (P < 0.01). Multidetector-row computed tomography was able to differentiate between recent and chronic infarctions. The infarct volumes of recent infarctions (6.3 ± 3.6 cm3) showed a negative correlation to the ejection fraction (EF) according to contrast ventriculography (ie, the larger the infarct volumes as measured using MDCT, the worse was the EF [r = −0.72, P < 0.01]). Conclusions: Performing standard MDCT coronary angiography, areas of infarcted myocardium can be identified with moderate to high sensitivity, without additional scanning or contrast administration. Infarct localization can be assessed accurately as compared with cineventriculography. To some degree, infarct age and infarct volume can be estimated.
A profit based Unit Commitment problem in deregulated power markets

For the vertically integrated monopolistic environment in the past, economic dispatch and Unit Commitment (UC) were defined as finding and scheduling generating units in order to minimize the total production cost of utility and constraints such as power demand and spinning reserve are met. These problems under deregulated environment, on the other hand, are more complex and more competitive than traditional problems. Generation Companies (GENCO's) solves economic dispatch and unit commitment problem not for minimizing total production cost as before but for maximizing their own profit. Hence, power prices become an important factor in decision making process. This paper presents a hybrid model between Lagrange relaxation and Genetic algorithm to schedule generators economically based on forecasted information such as power prices and demand, with an objective to maximize profit of Generation Company. Simulations are carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed technique. Test results for 10 generating units 24 hours system are compared with those obtained from traditional unit commitment.
Reduction of serum soluble CD26/dipeptidyl peptidase IV enzyme activity and its correlation with disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE CD26 is the cell surface activation antigen with dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) enzyme activity at the extracellular domain that is preferentially expressed on memory T cells and has a role in T cell immune responses. The soluble form of CD26 is present in serum and recombinant soluble CD26 (rsCD26) can enhance in vitro antigen-specific T cell responses. To determine the role of soluble CD26 (sCD26) in the pathophysiology of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we measured levels of sCD26 and its specific DPPIV activity in serum. METHODS Serum sCD26 levels and DPPIV activity were measured by sandwich ELISA in 53 patients with SLE and 54 healthy controls. Serum sCD26 was identified by immunoprecipitation and immunoblot analysis. Expression of CD26 on T cells was analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS Serum levels of sCD26 and its specific DPPIV activity were significantly decreased in SLE and were inversely correlated with SLE disease activity index score, but not with clinical variables or clinical subsets of SLE. Close correlation between sCD26/DPPIV and disease activity was observed in the longitudinal study. CONCLUSION Serum levels of sCD26 may be involved in the pathophysiology of SLE, and appear to be useful as a new disease activity measure for SLE.
Data processing and analysis for the 2012 Canadian Forces 3 D anthropometric survey

The 2012 Canadian Forces Anthropometric Survey (CFAS 2012) is the first major 3D anthropometric survey of Canadian Forces personnel. 2200 full-body scans were conducted, together with traditional anthropometric measurements. This survey aims at providing accurate, detailed, and up-to-date body shape information for equipment design and procurement. In this paper, we describe the data processing and analysis of this dataset. This includes de-noising, template fitting, landmark identification, and statistical shape analysis. We also compare the military personnel with the general North American population using the CAESAR dataset. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Peer-review under responsibility of AHFE Conference.
INTERACTIVE DIAGNOSTIC PLOTS FOR MULTIDIMENSIONAL SCALING WITH APPLICATIONS IN PSYCHOSIS DISORDER DATA ANALYSIS

Multidimensional scaling (MDS) represents objects as points in an Eu- clidean space so that the perceived distances between points can reflect similarity (or dissimilarity) between objects. To be practical, the dimension of the projected space usually is kept as low as possible. Thus, it is unavoidable that part of the information in the original proximity matrix will be lost in the MDS plot. To as- sess the overall quality of projection, classical MDS diagnostic indices and plots are available. However, these global-fitness methods do not address another issue: how well represented is a specified individual object or a pair of objects in the projected space? Here, via the concept of color-linkage, a dynamic graphical sys- tem is developed for revealing the subtle spatial lack-of-fit pattern for any specified individual object. The proposed method is illustrated by using a data set from a psychopathological research project.
Imaging of D2 dopamine receptors of patients with Parkinson's disease using single photon emission computed tomography and iodobenzamide I 123.

OBJECTIVE To test the usefulness of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with iodobenzamide in imaging basal ganglia and to elucidate the postulated upward regulation of the striatal D2 dopamine receptors in patients with early Parkinson's disease. DESIGN Fourteen patients with Parkinson's disease and eight control subjects were investigated with SPECT using iodobenzamide labeled with iodine 123 as dopamine receptor ligand. SETTING Neurological outpatient service at a university hospital in Kuopio, Finland. PATIENTS Fourteen patients with recently diagnosed unilateral, unmedicated Parkinson's disease and eight healthy control subjects. RESULTS The SPECT images revealed high uptake of iodobenzamide in the basal ganglia. In the patient group, the accumulation was more intense and the iodobenzamide affinity rate was significantly higher in the striatum contralateral to the parkinsonian symptoms. Also, the basal ganglia-cerebellum ratio was higher in the contralateral hemisphere. In the control group, no significant side-to-side differences were observed. CONCLUSION Iodobenzamide with SPECT imaging is useful in evaluating patients with Parkinson's disease. The results also suggest compensatory D2 dopamine receptor upward regulation in the striatum of patients with early unmedicated Parkinson's disease.
ISIS+: A Software-in-the-Loop Unmanned Aircraft System Simulator for Nonsegregated Airspace

Unmanned aircraft systems are currently being used primarily for military applications, but with the evolution of avionics technology, a huge market in civil applications is emerging. However, most civil applications require unmanned aircraft systems to access nonsegregated airspace. Current use limitations of nonsegregated airspace make it extremely difficult to extensively evaluate operational concepts and mission profiles. Using real flights to test the complete unmanned aircraft system mission infrastructure involves costs and risks. Therefore, simulators must be used prior to real flight campaigns to test and validate unmanned aircraft system components, and they must take into account all the actors involved in the nonsegregated airspace. This paper describes the development of a software-in-the-loop simulator called ISIS+ to evaluate the automated operations of unmanned aircraft systems in nonsegregated airspace and to test new software components of the unmanned aircraft systems with other avionic.
Trust in Cloud Computing: Pro and Contra from the User’s Point of View

Summary Cloud computing seems to solve many problems of conventional data processing. Due to the flexibility, mobility, and cost savings, users can customize their computing power more efficiently. However, there are also disadvantages. Users in part lose control over their data, e. g. they do not know where, how and under what circumstances their data is stored and processed, or who has access to their data. We describe the benefits and risks of cloud services and their impact on the acceptance and use on the (end-) users. We conclude that trust in cloud computing is a key factor that mitigates risks and can make the use of cloud computing services more effective.