Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Glycolytic pathway, redox state of NAD(P)-couples and energy metabolism in lens in galactose-fed rats: effect of an aldose reductase inhibitor.

PURPOSE The present study was aimed at evaluating early changes in glycolysis, the redox state of free cytosolic NAD(P)-couples, and the adenine nucleotide system in lens in both control and 50% galactose-fed rats, with the possibility of preventing these with an aldose reductase inhibitor (ARI). METHODS Experiments were performed on male Sprague-Dawley rats fed the galactose diet for 2-14 days. The levels of glucose, galactose, glycolytic intermediates, alpha-glycerophosphate, malate, NAD, ATP, ADP, AMP were assayed spectrofluorometrically in individual lenses by enzymatic procedures, while galactitol and myo-inositol were quantified by GC-MS. Free cytosolic NAD+/NADH, NADP+/NADPH, and ATP/ADP x P(i) (phosphate potential) were estimated from lactate dehydrogenase, malic enzyme, and triose phosphate isomerase-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase-3-phosphoglycerate kinase systems. Lactate and pyruvate production by lenses of both control and galactose-fed rats was measured in a set of in vitro incubation studies (2 hr, 37 degrees C, Krebs bicarbonate-Hepes buffer, pH 7.45, with 5mM glucose or 5mM glucose + 30 mM galactose, respectively). RESULTS Lens galactitol levels in 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 14-day galactose-fed rats were 48 +/- 8, 58 +/- 9, 68 +/- 8, 73 +/- 5, 81 +/- 20, and 75 +/- 11 mmol/g wet weight (mean +/- SD), respectively. NAD+/NADH ratios were indistinguishable from controls after 2-6 days on the galactose diet, but fell dramatically between 8 and 10 days, and did not correlate with polyol accumulation per se. The pattern of glycolytic intermediates (no change in G6P, F6P, and 3-PG, increase in GA3P, decrease in FDP, PEP, pyruvate, and lactate), as well as reduced in vitro lactate and pyruvate production, suggest inhibition of glycolysis at the sites of phosphofructokinase, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, enolase, and pyruvate kinase. ATP levels as well as total ATP/ADP, ATP/ADP x Pi, adenylate charge, and cytosolic phosphate potential were decreased in galactose-fed rats, while galactose 1-phosphate and a-glycerophosphate levels as well as NADP+/NADPH ratio were increased. Lens galactitol levels were reduced approximately 57% in 10-day galactose-fed rats treated with the ARI (tolrestat, 100 mg/kg bwt/day, 6-day pretreatment); the changes in the lower segment of glycolysis, alpha-glycerophosphate levels, redox state of NAD-couples, and energy metabolism were partially prevented while NADP+/ NADPH ratios were unchanged and galactose 1-phosphate levels were further increased. CONCLUSIONS Depressed glycolysis in lens in galactose-fed rats is consistent with decreased NAD+/NADPH and adenine nucleotide phosphorylation. Early changes in lens glucose utilization, redox state of NAD-couples, and energy metabolism in this model of galactosemia are similar to those in diabetes, are at least in part mediated by aldose reductase involved mechanisms, and can be partially prevented by an aldose reductase inhibitor.
Cloning of a mammalian elk potassium channel gene and EAG mRNA distribution in rat sympathetic ganglia

1 Three new members of the EAG potassium channel gene family were identified in rat and the complete coding sequence of one of these genes (elk1) was determined by cDNA cloning. 2 The elk1 gene, when expressed in Xenopus oocytes, encodes a slowly activating and slowly deactivating potassium channel. 3 The elk1 gene is expressed in sympathetic ganglia and is also expressed in sciatic nerve. 4 Six of the seven known EAG genes were found to be expressed in rat sympathetic ganglia, suggesting an important functional role for these channels in the sympathetic nervous system.
Accuracy of digital tympanic, oral, axillary, and rectal thermometers compared with standard rectal mercury thermometers.

OBJECTIVE To compare a number of electronic tympanic, oral, axillary, and rectal measurements with those taken with a standard rectal mercury thermometer. DESIGN Prospective open study. SETTING County hospital, Denmark. SUBJECTS 200 patients. INTERVENTIONS Each of 200 patients had 6 electronic measurements of body temperature: 3 in the auditory canal using Ivac Core Check 2090A, Diateck 9000, and Genius 3000A, 1 in the axilla using Terumo Digital C202. 1 in the mouth using Terumo Digital C402, and 1 in the rectum using a Terumo Digital C402. These were compared with readings from a standard mercury glass thermometer in the rectum. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Accuracy of electronic thermometry. RESULTS The rectal electronic measurements were closest to the rectal mercury readings, with a mean (SD) of -0.05 degrees C (0.12), whereas the other measurements gave unacceptable SDs of temperature differences ranging from 0.41 degrees C to 0.53 degrees C. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that electronic rectal temperature measurements are the most accurate. We do not recommend electronic tympanic, oral, or axillary measurements.
Surgical Management of Osteoarthritis of the Knee

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has developed Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for Surgical Management of Osteoarthritis of the Knee. Evidence-based information, in conjunction with the clinical expertise of physicians, was used to develop the criteria to improve patient care and obtain best outcomes while considering the subtleties and distinctions necessary in making clinical decisions. The Surgical Management of Osteoarthritis of the Knee AUC clinical patient scenarios were derived from indications of patients under consideration for surgical treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee as well as from current evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and supporting literature to identify the appropriateness of the three treatments. The 864 patient scenarios and 3 treatments were developed by the writing panel, a group of clinicians who are specialists in this AUC topic. Next, a separate, multidisciplinary, voting panel (made up of specialists and nonspecialists) rated the appropriateness of treatment of each patient scenario using a 9-point scale to designate a treatment as Appropriate (median rating, 7 to 9), May Be Appropriate (median rating, 4 to 6), or Rarely Appropriate (median rating, 1 to 3).
Thiobarbiturate‐induced Histamine Release in Human Skin Mast Cells

Human skin mast cell preparations were incubated with thiopental, thiamylal, methohexital, and pentobarbital in concentrations ranging from 10−5 M to 10−3 M. Both thiopental- and thiamylal-induced dose-related histamine release, with thiamylal having a significantly greater effect than thiopental (P < 0.05). In contrast, incubation of skin mast cell preparations with the same concentrations of pentobarbital and methohexital failed to increase histamine release above spontaneous levels at any concentration. The release of histamine by thiopental and thiamylal was not accompanied by the leakage of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH). Although a demonstration of histamine release in vitro is not proof that clinical symptoms are causally related to histamine release in vivo, methohexital may be preferred as the induction agent in patients showing extreme sensitivity to histamine (asthmatics) or increased histamine releasability (atopics).
Structure-aware depth super-resolution using Gaussian mixture model

This paper presents a probabilistic optimization approach to enhance the resolution of a depth map. Conventionally, a high-resolution color image is considered as a cue for depth super-resolution under the assumption that the pixels with similar color likely belong to similar depth. This assumption might induce a texture transferring from the color image into the depth map and an edge blurring artifact to the depth boundaries. In order to alleviate these problems, we propose an efficient depth prior exploiting a Gaussian mixture model in which an estimated depth map is considered to a feature for computing affinity between two pixels. Furthermore, a fixed-point iteration scheme is adopted to address the non-linearity of a constraint derived from the proposed prior. The experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms state-of-the-art methods both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Immediate vs. evolutionary consequences of polyploidy on clonal reproduction in an autopolyploid plant

Background and Aims Clonal reproduction in polyploids is expected to exceed that in diploids, due to either the immediate direct effects of whole-genome duplication (WGD) or selection during establishment. The timing of polyploidy effects on clonality are largely unknown despite its hypothesized influence on polyploid success. This study tests the direction and timing of divergence in clonal traits in diploid and polyploid Chamerion angustifolium. Methods Root bud production and biomass allocation patterns were compared between diploids and synthesized tetraploids (neotetraploids), and between neotetraploids and naturally occurring tetraploids grown in a common environment. Key Results Neotetraploids produced more root buds and fewer sexual structures than diploids and natural tetraploids; diploids and natural tetraploids had similar root bud numbers and sexual investment. The root bud:inflorescence biomass ratio was 71 % higher in neotetraploids than in natural tetraploids. Root bud location suggests that ramet density in neotetraploid genets could be higher than in diploid genets. Conclusions WGD immediately increases investment in asexual vs. sexual reproduction in C. angustifolium, potentially promoting within-cytotype mating and establishment for neopolyploids. However, evolutionary change after the polyploidization event negates the direct effects of WGD. Natural polyploids and diploids have similar root bud production and biomass allocation patterns, probably resulting from habitat- and ploidy-mediated selection on polyploids to become more like diploids. These results highlight the value of studying the effects of polyploidization in young vs. established polyploids.
A review of the use of genetic algorithms in economic load dispatch

This paper presents a review of many previous papers on the use of genetic algorithms (GA) for solving the problem of economic load dispatch (ELD) for power systems. The paper will cover several topics, i.e. a brief description of the GA method, the various power system models and topologies solved by the GA method, various GA techniques used for ELD, and hybrids of GA with other techniques for solving ELD.
Symmetric and Asymmetric Design and Implementation of New Cascaded Multilevel Inverter Topology

Nowadays, use of multilevel inverters in high-power applications clearly can be seen. High quality and lower distortion of the output voltage and low blocking voltage of semiconductor switches are being presented as the major privileges of the multilevel inverter compared to the traditional voltage source inverter. In this paper, a new topology of multilevel inverter is proposed as fundamental block. The proposed topology is generalized using series connection of the fundamental blocks. The proposed multilevel inverter has been analyzed in both symmetric and asymmetric operation modes. A great perfection in voltage levels number with minimum switching devices has been obtained in both symmetric and asymmetric modes. Thereafter, a detailed study of losses and peak inverse voltage (PIV) of the proposed multilevel inverter is given. Also, in continuation, a comparison between the proposed topology and the traditional one and a recently developed topology is carried out. Finally, a computer simulation using MATLAB/Simulink is presented and a laboratory prototype implementation verifies the results.
GaN-Based High-Frequency High-Energy Delivery Transformer Push–Pull Inverter for Ultrasound Pulsing Application

Pulse generator in an ultrasound system produces electrical pulsing signals to drive piezoelectric transducer, which causes mechanical vibration of the crystals and generates sound waves. Different from conventional imaging short pulses, high-power ultrasonic system for therapeutic applications requires MHz pulses bursts of up to tens of milliseconds. The capability of switching high voltage (±90 V) at multi-MHz, delivering effective power efficiently, is crucial for practical systems. The advantages of low device loss at high switching frequency, and high power density make gallium nitride (GaN) high electron mobility transistors better devices than traditional silicon (Si) MOSFETs in such system. The GaN-based high-frequency transformer push–pull inverter presented in this paper is capable to produce high energy pulsating output with burst pulse length up to 50 ms and bipolar pulse amplitude of 180 Vpp. The maximum pulse frequency can be up to 10 MHz. The peak output power is 90 W with power density of 50.85 W/in2. The peak power for all the 128 pulser channels reaches up to 11.5 KW with average power of 192 W. This is the highest output power for pulse drivers that have been reported. A novel power transistor based RF switch circuit is also proposed in this design as the interface between image signal, high power signal, and return signal.
Exploring Hyper-Parameter Optimization for Neural Machine Translation on GPU Architectures

Neural machine translation (NMT) has been accelerated by deep learning neural networks over statistical-based approaches, due to the plethora and programmability of commodity heterogeneous computing architectures such as FPGAs and GPUs and the massive amount of training corpuses generated from news outlets, government agencies and social media. Training a learning classifier for neural networks entails tuning hyper-parameters that would yield the best performance. Unfortunately, the number of parameters for machine translation include discrete categories as well as continuous options, which makes for a combinatorial explosive problem. This research explores optimizing hyper-parameters when training deep learning neural networks for machine translation. Specifically, our work investigates training a language model with Marian NMT. Results compare NMT under various hyper-parameter settings across a variety of modern GPU architecture generations in single node and multi-node settings, revealing insights on which hyper-parameters matter most in terms of performance, such as words processed per second, convergence rates, and translation accuracy, and provides insights on how to best achieve high-performing NMT systems.
Vision based abnormal human activities recognition: An overview

The recognition of human activities in the field of video surveillance is attracting more researchers. This has led to various approaches and proposals using different methods and techniques. The growing interest in the surveillance has also led researchers to give importance to abnormal human activities in order to propose appropriate and dedicated techniques to this type of activities. Unfortunately, the made proposals until now in this new field are ineffective and are adapted from those dedicated for normal human activities with minor modifications. They also suffer from several limitations and inadequacies and are very restricted because of the very limited number of works and syntheses. Therefore, this paper is an overview which provides a synthesis and an analysis of the existing works on the recognition of abnormal activities in order to provide researchers with a general view on the state of the art and be a help to propose new approaches.
An integrated approach to project management using the Kano model and QFD: an empirical case study

Project management (PM) is anticipated to play an integrated role to manage corporate resources with the constraints of time and cost to produce the highest quality of products. However, the approach of applying the standards and guidance to an existing product development process is not sufficiently illustrated in the literature. To fill this gap, this research utilises the 47 PM processes proposed by the Project Management Institute [PMI. 2013. A guide to project management body of knowledge (5th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Author) as a framework. A questionnaire was designed, distributed to a Taiwanese earphone manufacturing company, and analysed with the Kano model. The survey result indicates 14 processes relatively important to improve, among which seven were selected to the final stage. Quality function deployment was then utilised to integrate the PM tools and techniques with those seven items. The result indicates the PM processes proposed by the PMI (2013) can be successfully integrated into the case company’s present PM process. By means of this systematic methodology, managers are able to identify the relatively important process, and further, the weakness of their product development process. As such, it assists managers to achieve better PM performance.
Developing a framework for nursing handover in the emergency department: an individualised and systematic approach.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To explore emergency department (ED) nurses' perceptions of current practices and essential components of effective change of shift nursing handover. BACKGROUND Ineffective nursing handover can negatively impact on patient outcomes. Evidence suggests that nursing handover in ED is highly variable. Proposed handover models in the literature are structured for inpatient settings and may not be suitable for ED settings. DESIGN A mixed methods study (survey and group interviews) was conducted in a metropolitan ED in Melbourne, Australia. METHODS During February-June 2011, a survey (n = 63) investigated perceptions of current practices and preferences for handover structure. Analyses are descriptive. In the same period, group interviews (n = 41) explored nurses' opinions about essential features and information of an effective nursing handover in the ED environment. A modified nominal group technique generated data that were analysed using content analysis. RESULTS Most nurses (96%) perceived receiving adequate information during handover; however, gaps were identified, including omission of important information regarding medications, vital signs and nursing care needs. Group interviews identified five essential features of effective handover: systematic approach, treatment, appropriate environment, reference to documentation/charts and efficient communication. Essential information included patient details, presenting problem, future care/disposition plan, treatment and nursing observations. CONCLUSION Handover structures in the ED may not provide essential information to ensure adequate continuity of nursing care. ED nurses consider optimal handover to be specific for patients for whom they are caring, conducted at the bedside, structured and containing key elements (patient details, presenting problem, treatment, nursing observations, plan). RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Provision of a handover framework incorporating key features and essential information has the potential to improve the efficiency of handover. Use of this framework may enhance the transfer of accurate and essential information to enable safe and high standards of nursing care in the ED.
Using Generalizability Theory to Disattenuate Correlation Coefficients for Multiple Sources of Measurement Error

ABSTRACT Over the years, research in the social sciences has been dominated by reporting of reliability coefficients that fail to account for key sources of measurement error. Use of these coefficients, in turn, to correct for measurement error can hinder scientific progress by misrepresenting true relationships among the underlying constructs being investigated. In the research reported here, we addressed these issues using generalizability theory (G-theory) in both traditional and new ways to account for the three key sources of measurement error (random-response, specific-factor, and transient) that affect scores from objectively scored measures. Results from 20 widely used measures of personality, self-concept, and socially desirable responding showed that conventional indices consistently misrepresented reliability and relationships among psychological constructs by failing to account for key sources of measurement error and correlated transient errors within occasions. The results further revealed that G-theory served as an effective framework for remedying these problems. We discuss possible extensions in future research and provide code from the computer package R in an online supplement to enable readers to apply the procedures we demonstrate to their own research.
Cyclopiazonic acid, an inhibitor of Ca2+‐ATPase in sarcoplasmic reticulum, increases excitability in ileal smooth muscle

1 Effects of cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), a specific inhibitor of Ca2+‐ATPase in endo‐ and sarcoplasmic reticulum (ER/SR), on contractile responses, cytosolic Ca2+ concentration and spontaneous electrical activity were examined in ileal longitudinal smooth muscle strips. 2 After intracellular stored Ca2+ in intact ileal strips was depleted by application of 25 mm caffeine in Ca2+‐free solution, Ca2+‐loading was performed in the absence or presence of 10 μm CPA in a standard solution containing 2.2 mm Ca2+. Subsequent application of caffeine in Ca2+‐free solution induced a phasic contraction which was significantly smaller in the strip pretreated with CPA than that in the control. 3 Spontaneous and 20 mm K+‐induced contractions in the presence of 1 μm atropine were markedly enhanced by 1–30 μm CPA, whereas that induced by 80 mm K+ was not. The magnitude of repetitive transient elevation of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and concomitant phasic contractions were markedly enhanced by CPA. The effects were abolished by 10 μm verapamil and restored by 10 μm Bay K 8644. 4 Application of 10 μm CPA depolarized the cell by about 5 mV, decreased the action potential (AP) afterhyperpolarization and markedly increased the frequency of spontaneous AP. These effects were mimicked by 100 nm charybdotoxin. 5 The rate of decay of [Ca2+]i and tension after the bathing solution was changed from one containing 140 mm K+ and 2.2 mm Ca2+ to one containing 5.9 mm K+ and 0 mm Ca2+ was significantly slowed when 10 μm CPA was added to the latter solution. 6 These results indicate that CPA enhances ileal smooth muscle excitability and increases Ca2+‐influx through voltage‐dependent Ca2+ channels. The effect may be consistent with the hypothesis that CPA‐induced decrease in stored Ca due to Ca‐pump inhibition reduces the Ca2+‐dependent K+ current and indirectly enhances Ca2+‐influx through membrane activity resulting from the increased excitability. Direct evidence for the regulation of Ca2+ channel activity by intracellular Ca storage sites was not obtained in the present study.
A model for the performance analysis and design of waveguide p-i-n photodetectors

A model to investigate the frequency response of waveguide (WG) p-i-n photodetectors (PDs) is presented. The model is based on the 2-D position-dependent distribution of carriers in the device and the results show that the contribution to the total current mainly comes from a small length of the PD measured from its input end. The effect of carrier trapping at a heterointerface has also been considered to study the frequency dependence of the photocurrent at low-bias voltages. The frequency response and bandwidth obtained from the model are in good agreement with published experimental results. A simplified and approximate relation for the fiber-to-WG coupling efficiency has also been used to calculate the overall quantum-efficiency of WGPDs. Then, the effect of WG geometry on the bandwidth-quantum efficiency product has been analyzed and some results on the optimum design of a WG p-i-n PD for maximum bandwidth-quantum efficiency product have been tabulated.