Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Role of Power Electronics in Visible Light Communication

The continuous demand of increasing data rates provided by wireless communication systems is contributing to saturating the RF spectrum. Visible light communication (VLC) systems aim to alleviate this congestion using the visible light spectrum. These systems have been proposed to make use of high-brightness LEDs (HB-LEDs) not only for lighting but also for transmitting information by rapidly changing the intensity of the emitted light. A critical issue is that VLC requires a fast HB-LED driver in order to reproduce the target light intensity waveforms, which can include components of several megahertz. Consequently, the HB-LED drivers proposed to date are based on the use of an RF power amplifier (RFPA). These devices provide the required speed, but suffer from very high power losses. To overcome this drawback, different solutions based on the use of fast-response dc/dc converters are presented in this paper. Several dc/dc converters, either to be used instead of an RFPA or to help an RFPA to achieve high efficiency, are thus analyzed. The proposed HB-LED drivers enable the implementation of VLC transmitters without sacrificing one of the most important advantages of HB-LED lighting, namely, its high-power efficiency.
Compact or dispersed? dilution is no solution

It has taken many years to establish the argument that pollution prevention is required to control environmental damage. Policies for pollution dispersal influenced by the self-interest of the industrial lobbies gave us taller chimneys (and acid rain) and longer outfalls (and polluted seas). Pollution dispersal has been a failure. Moreover, the most pressing pollution problem we face is already dispersed: the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere with the associated threat of an unprecedented rate of climate change. It is the total quantity of carbon dioxide (C02) in the atmosphere that is the problem: not whether it is concentrated or dispersed. Climate change has rapidly climbed national and international political and research agendas. The main contributors to the problem are carbon dioxide, CFCs, methane, nitrogen oxides and ozone. The 1990 report of the inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change indicated that a reduction in carbon dioxide
Introduction to Through-Transmission Alveolar Ultrasonography (TAU) in Dental Medicine

Abstract Through-transmission alveolar ultrasonography (TAU) is a novel imaging modality in dental medicine. A brief introduction to through-transmission ultrasonography (TTU) is followed by a description of the first commercially available TAU device, the Cavitat CAV 4000 (Cavitat Medical Technologies, Inc., Alba, TX). Recent associations between systemic osteoporosis, oral osteoporosis, periodontal diseases, and cardiovascular diseases underline the importance of early detection and treatment of oral cancellous bone pathologies associated with low bone density (LBD), such as regional ischemic osteoporosis, chronic nonsuppurative osteomyelitis, bone marrow edema, and cavitational ischemic osteonecrosis (osteocavitation). While the impact of osteoporosis on maxillofacial bones is acknowledged, there is a lack of reliable prevalence rate, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommend that more attention should be paid to skeletal health, especially in persons with conditions known to be associated with secondary osteoporosis. TAU, a safe and effective imaging modality, can be a valuable tool in research as well as for the clinical assessment of alveolar cancellous bone pathologies associated with LBD and ischemia.
A comparative evaluation of feathers, oropharyngeal swabs, and cloacal swabs for the detection of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus infection in experimentally infected chickens and ducks

Oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs have been widely used for the detection of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian Influenza A virus (HPAI virus) in birds. Previous studies have shown that the feather calamus is a site of H5N1 virus replication and therefore has potential for diagnosis of avian influenza. However, studies characterizing the value of feathers for this purpose are not available, to our knowledge; herein we present a study investigating feathers for detection of H5N1 virus. Ducks and chickens were experimentally infected with H5N1 HPAI virus belonging to 1 of 3 clades (Indonesian clades 2.1.1 and 2.1.3, Vietnamese clade 1). Different types of feathers and oropharyngeal and cloacal swab samples were compared by virus isolation. In chickens, virus was detected from all sample types: oral and cloacal swabs, and immature pectorosternal, flight, and tail feathers. During clinical disease, the viral titers were higher in feathers than swabs. In ducks, the proportion of virus-positive samples was variable depending on viral strain and time from challenge; cloacal swabs and mature pectorosternal feathers were clearly inferior to oral swabs and immature pectorosternal, tail, and flight feathers. In ducks infected with Indonesian strains, in which most birds did not develop clinical signs, all sampling methods gave intermittent positive results; 3–23% of immature pectorosternal feathers were positive during the acute infection period; oropharyngeal swabs had slightly higher positivity during early infection, while feathers performed better during late infection. Our results indicate that immature feathers are an alternative sample for the diagnosis of HPAI in chickens and ducks.
Testing for the Fundamental Determinants of the Long-Run Real Exchange Rate: The Case of Taiwan

Three things have been suggested in this paper regarding the real exchange rate movements of the Taiwanese dollar with respect to the US dollar. First, the real exchange rates between the Taiwanese and the US dollar did not move as PPP predicts by cointegration test and impulse response function analysis. Also, through the analyses of impulse response functions, innovation in nominal exchange rate, domestic and foreign prices results in permanent changes in the real exchange rate. Finally, in the long-run, differential productivity growth between the traded and non-traded goods and the changes in relative unit labor cost can lead to the changes in the real exchange rates.
Short-term plasticity at cerebellar granule cell to molecular layer interneuron synapses expands information processing

Information processing by cerebellar molecular layer interneurons (MLIs) plays a crucial role in motor behavior. MLI recruitment is tightly controlled by the profile of short-term plasticity (STP) at granule cell (GC)-MLI synapses. While GCs are the most numerous neurons in the brain, STP diversity at GC-MLI synapses is poorly documented. Here, we studied how single MLIs are recruited by their distinct GC inputs during burst firing. Using slice recordings at individual GC-MLI synapses of mice, we revealed four classes of connections segregated by their STP profile. Each class differentially drives MLI recruitment. We show that GC synaptic diversity is underlain by heterogeneous expression of synapsin II, a key actor of STP and that GC terminals devoid of synapsin II are associated with slow MLI recruitment. Our study reveals that molecular, structural and functional diversity across GC terminals provides a mechanism to expand the coding range of MLIs.
Paclitaxel Plasma Concentration after the First Infusion Predicts Treatment-Limiting Peripheral Neuropathy

Purpose: Paclitaxel exposure, specifically the maximum concentration (Cmax) and amount of time the concentration remains above 0.05 μmol/L (Tc>0.05), has been associated with the occurrence of paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy. The objective of this study was to validate the relationship between paclitaxel exposure and peripheral neuropathy. Experimental Design: Patients with breast cancer receiving paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 × 12 weekly doses were enrolled in an observational clinical study (NCT02338115). Paclitaxel plasma concentration was measured at the end of and 16–26 hours after the first infusion to estimate Cmax and Tc>0.05. Patient-reported peripheral neuropathy was collected via CIPN20 at each dose, and an 8-item sensory subscale (CIPN8) was used in the primary analysis to test for an association with Tc>0.05. Secondary analyses were conducted using Cmax as an alternative exposure parameter and testing each parameter with a secondary endpoint of the occurrence of peripheral neuropathy–induced treatment disruption. Results: In 60 subjects included in the analysis, the increase in CIPN8 during treatment was associated with baseline CIPN8, cumulative dose, and relative dose intensity (P < 0.05), but neither Tc>0.05 (P = 0.27) nor Cmax (P = 0.99). In analyses of the secondary endpoint, cumulative dose (OR = 1.46; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.18–1.80; P = 0.0008) and Tc>0.05 (OR = 1.79; 95% CI, 1.06–3.01; P = 0.029) or Cmax (OR = 2.74; 95% CI, 1.45–5.20; P = 0.002) were associated with peripheral neuropathy–induced treatment disruption. Conclusions: Paclitaxel exposure is predictive of the occurrence of treatment-limiting peripheral neuropathy in patients receiving weekly paclitaxel for breast cancer. Studies are warranted to determine whether exposure-guided dosing enhances treatment effectiveness and/or prevents peripheral neuropathy in these patients. Clin Cancer Res; 24(15); 3602–10. ©2018 AACR.
Parthenolide Covalently Targets and Inhibits Focal Adhesion Kinase in Breast Cancer Cells

Parthenolide, a natural product from the feverfew plant and member of the large family of sesquiterpene lactones, exerts multiple biological and therapeutic activities including anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects. Herein, we further study parthenolide mechanism of action using activity-based protein profiling (ABPP)-based chemoproteomic platforms to map additional covalent targets engaged by parthenolide in human breast cancer cells. We find that parthenolide, as well as other related exocyclic methylene lactone-containing sesquiterpenes, covalently modify cysteine 427 (C427) of focal adhesion kinase 1 (FAK1) leading to impairment of FAK1-dependent signaling pathways and breast cancer cell proliferation, survival, and motility. These studies reveal a novel functional target exploited by members of a large family of anticancer natural products.
Actin depolymerization disrupts karyosphere capsule integrity but not residual transcription in late oocytes of the grass frog Rana temporaria

Late diplotene oocytes are characterized by an essential decrease in transcriptional activity. At this time, chromosomes condense and form a compact structure named a karyosphere. The karyosphere of grass frogs Rana temporaria is surrounded by a fibrillar karyosphere capsule (KC). One of the main protein constituents of R. temporaria KC is actin. In this study, we used antibodies against different actin epitopes to trace different forms of actin in the KC. We also investigated the effect of F‐actin depolymerization on the oocyte nuclear structures and transcription of chromatin DNA and rDNA in the amplified nucleoli. It was determined that disruption of actin filaments leads to chromosome shrinkage, nucleoli fusion, and distortion of the KC structure, but does not inhibit residual transcription in both the karyosphere and the nucleoli.
Angry faces are tracked more easily than neutral faces during multiple identity tracking

ABSTRACT We investigated whether and how emotional facial expressions affect sustained attention in face tracking. In a multiple-identity and object tracking paradigm, participants tracked multiple target faces that continuously moved around together with several distractor faces, and subsequently reported where each target face had moved to. The emotional expression (angry, happy, and neutral) of the target and distractor faces was manipulated. Tracking performance was better when the target faces were angry rather than neutral, whereas angry distractor faces did not affect tracking. The effect persisted when the angry faces were presented upside-down and when surface features of the faces were irrelevant to the ongoing task. There was only suggestive and weak evidence for a facilitatory effect of happy targets and a distraction effect of happy distractors in comparison to neutral faces. The results show that angry expressions on the target faces can facilitate sustained attention on the targets via increased vigilance, yet this effect likely depends on both emotional information and visual features of the angry faces.
Mental Distress, Well-Being, and Stress-Related Growth following an Anti-LGBQ Hate Crime among LGBQ Young Adults in Israel: The Effect of Familiarity with the Victims and the Mediating Role of Emotional Support

ABSTRACT Using data from 696 Israeli LGBQ individuals aged 13–30, this study explored the negative (mental distress) and positive changes (well-being and stress-related growth) following the deadliest anti-LGBQ hate crime in Israel to date (the Bar-Noar Massacre), while examining differences in these outcomes between those who did and did not know hate crime victims. Furthermore, the mediating role of emotional support in facilitating better mental health and stress-related growth was tested. Results suggested that compared to those who did not know any victims, those who personally knew the victims sought emotional support from more sources, had higher scores of mental distress, but also of well-being and stress-related growth. Emotional support indeed mediated the relationship between familiarity with hate crime victims and better mental health and higher levels of growth. Increasing access to emotional support may be particularly helpful in addressing the needs of LGBQ young adults following an anti-LGBQ hate crime.
Role of the galanin N-terminal fragment (1-15) in anhedonia: Involvement of the dopaminergic mesolimbic system

Background: Anhedonia is a core feature of depressive disorders. The galanin N-terminal fragment (1-15) plays a role in mood regulation since it induces depression and anxiogenic-like effects in rats. In this study, we analysed galanin N-terminal fragment (1-15) actions in anhedonic-like behaviours in rats using operant and non-operant tests and the areas involved with these effects. Methods: Galanin N-terminal fragment (1-15) effects were analysed in saccharin self-administration, sucrose preference, novelty-suppressed feeding and female urine sniffing tests. The areas involved in galanin N-terminal fragment (1-15)-mediated effects were studied with positron emission tomography for in vivo imaging, and we analysed the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens. Galanin N-terminal fragment (1-15) had effects on the mRNA expression of the dopamine transporters Dat and Vmat2; the C-Fos gene; the dopamine receptors D1, D2, D3, D5; and the galanin receptors 1 and 2. Results: Galanin N-terminal fragment (1-15) at a concentration of 3 nmol induced a strong anhedonia-like phenotype in all tests. The involvement of galanin receptor 2 was demonstrated with the galanin receptor 2 antagonist M871 (3 nmol). The 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography images indicated the action of galanin N-terminal fragment (1-15) over several nuclei of the limbic system. Galanin N-terminal fragment (1-15)-mediated effects also involved changes in the expression of Dat, Vmat2, D3 and galanin receptors in the ventral tegmental area as well as the expression of C-Fos, D1, D2 and D3 and TH immunoreactivity in the nucleus accumbens. Conclusions: Our results indicated that galanin N-terminal fragment (1-15) exerts strong anhedonic-like effects and that this effect was accompanied by changes in the dopaminergic mesolimbic system. These results may provide a basis for the development of novel therapeutic strategies using galanin N-terminal fragment (1-15) analogues for the treatment of depression and reward-related diseases.
Prenatal liver stromal cells: Favorable feeder cells for long‐term culture of hepatic progenitor cells

Clinical and pharmaceutical applications of primary hepatocytes (PHs) are limited due to inadequate number of donated livers and potential challenges in successful maintenance of PHs in culture. Freshly isolated hepatocytes lose their specific features and rapidly de‐differentiate in culture. Bipotent hepatoblasts, as liver precursor cells that can differentiate into both hepatocytes and cholangiocytes (Alb‐ and Ck19‐positive cells, respectively), could be used as an alternative and reliable cell source to produce enough PHs for drug discovery or possible clinical applications. In this study, growth factor‐free coculture systems of prenatal or postnatal murine liver stromal cells (pre‐LSCs or post‐LSCs, respectively) were used as feeder cells to support freshly isolated mice hepatoblasts. DLK1‐positive hepatoblasts were isolated from mouse fetuses (E14.5) and cocultured with feeder cells under adherent conditions. The hepatoblasts' bipotent features, proliferation rate, and colony formation capacity were assessed on day 5 and 7 post‐seeding. Immunoﬂuorescence staining showed that the hepatoblasts remained double positive for Alb and Ck19 on both Pre‐ and Post‐LSCs, after 5 and 7 days of coculture. Moreover, application of pre‐LSCs as feeder cells significantly increased the number of DLK1‐positive cells and their proliferation rate (ie, increased the number of Ki‐67 positive cells) on day 7, compared to Post‐LSCs group. Finally, to address our ultimate goal, which was an extension of hepatoblasts ex vivo maintenance, 3D spheres of isolated hepatoblasts were, cultured in conditioned medium (CM) derived from pre‐LSCs until day 30. It was observed that the CM derived from Pre‐LSCs could successfully prolong the maintenance of hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) in 3D suspension culture.
Bactericidal effect of amoxicillin on Helicobacter pylori in an in vitro model using epithelial cells

The treatment of Helicobacter pylori with antimicrobial agents has largely been ineffective, and susceptibility results are in disagreement with those obtained by standard in vitro testing. The bactericidal effect of amoxicillin was tested in an in vitro model by using sessile bacteria attached to HEp-2 cells; this bactericidal effect was compared with that against planktonic bacteria. Viable cell counts were performed by standard procedures after 1, 6, and 24 h of contact with the antibiotic at different concentrations. A bactericidal effect (99.9% killing) was observed against sessile bacteria after 24 h with concentrations of only 10, 1, and 0.1 mg/liter, while against planktonic bacteria it was also noted at concentrations of 0.01 and 0.001 mg/liter, and the effect was observed after 6 h with the three highest concentrations. When the results for five strains were studied by analysis of variance at 6 and 24 h, the main variable was the antibiotic concentration, followed by the culture conditions, e.g., planktonic or sessile bacteria, the strain tested, and the time of contact. A decreased pH of 5.4 did not affect the action of amoxicillin. The bactericidal effect of the combination of amoxicillin and metronidazole was additive against sessile H. pylori.
Associations between anthropometric indicators and both refraction and ocular biometrics in a cross-sectional study of Chinese schoolchildren

Objective To identify associations between anthropometric indicators (height, weight and body mass index (BMI)) and both refraction and ocular biometrics in Chinese schoolchildren in Tianjin, China. Design Cross-sectional study. Participants A total of 482 (86.07%) students (6–15 years old) with no history of ocular or systemic pathologies were enrolled in this study. Methodology Height and weight were measured using standardised protocols. Ocular biometrics (axial length (AL), vitreous chamber depth (VCD) and corneal curvature (CC)) were measured by a low-coherence optical reflectometry device. Cycloplegic refraction was measured using autorefraction. The AL/CC ratio and spherical equivalent refraction (SER) were calculated. Myopia was defined as SER ≤−0.50 dioptres (D). Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to explore the associations between anthropometric indicators (height, weight and BMI) and both refraction and ocular biometrics. Results The overall prevalence of myopia was 71.16%. Overall, only height was associated with ALs, VCDs, AL/CC ratios and refractions after controlling for age, gender, parental myopia, family income, reading and writing distance and time spent outdoors. Furthermore, age-specific results demonstrated that height and weight were independently associated with refraction in participants aged 6–8 years and 9–11 years participants. Higher heights in schoolchildren were associated with longer ALs (regression coefficient b=+0.25 for each 10 cm difference in height, p<0.01), deeper VCDs (b=+0.23, p<0.01), higher AL/CC ratios (b=+0.04, p<0.01) and more negative refractions (b=−0.48, p<0.01). Heavier weights were also associated with longer ALs (+0.29 mm, p<0.01), deeper VCDs (+0.29 mm, p<0.01), higher AL/CC ratios (+0.04, p<0.01) and more negative refractions (−0.48 D, p<0.01). Conclusions Height and weight remained independently related to refraction and various ocular biometrics during the early adolescent growth period after adequately controlling for covariates, which could support the idea that a shared mechanism may regulate the coordinated growth of body and eye size in children.
Quantitative assessment of Southern Hemisphere ozone in chemistry-climate model simulations

Abstract. Stratospheric ozone recovery in the Southern Hemisphere is expected to drive pronounced trends in atmospheric temperature and circulation from the stratosphere to the troposphere in the 21st century; therefore ozone changes need to be accounted for in future climate simulations. Many climate models do not have interactive ozone chemistry and rely on prescribed ozone fields, which may be obtained from coupled chemistry-climate model (CCM) simulations. However CCMs vary widely in their predictions of ozone evolution, complicating the selection of ozone boundary conditions for future climate simulations. In order to assess which models might be expected to better simulate future ozone evolution, and thus provide more realistic ozone boundary conditions, we assess the ability of twelve CCMs to simulate observed ozone climatology and trends and rank the models according to their errors averaged across the individual diagnostics chosen. According to our analysis no one model performs better than the others in all the diagnostics; however, combining errors in individual diagnostics into one metric of model performance allows us to objectively rank the models. The multi-model average shows better overall agreement with the observations than any individual model. Based on this analysis we conclude that the multi-model average ozone projection presents the best estimate of future ozone evolution and recommend it for use as a boundary condition in future climate simulations. Our results also demonstrate a sensitivity of the analysis to the choice of reference data set for vertical ozone distribution over the Antarctic, highlighting the constraints that large observational uncertainty imposes on such model verification.
Biochemical Effects of Certain Bioinsecticides on Cotton Leaf Worm , Spodoptera littoralis ( Boisd . ) ( Lepidoptera : Noctuidae )

The insecticidal activities of three bioinsecticides (i.e. emamectin benzoate "Proclaim", abamectin "Romacten" and spinosad "Tracer") were evaluated on the 4 larval instar of the cotton leaf worm, Spodoptera littoralis by leaf dipping technique as well as determining the biochemical changes in treated insects. These bioinsecticides showed immediate effects with 24hrs-LC50 values of 0.17, 0.23 and 38ppm for emamectin benzoate (Proclaim), abamectin (Romacten) and spinosad (Tracer), respectively. Marked biochemical changes were recognized in treated insects such as reduction of ALP and AChE activities, total protein, total lipids and glucose contents. On other hand, there were significant increases of GOT and GPT activities.