Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphological Characterization of the Leukocytes in Circulating Blood of the Turtle (Phrynops hilarii)

La especie de tortuga Phrynops hilarii no ha sido aun bien descrita en la literatura. Fue propuesto en este estudio la caracterizacion de leucocitos de sangre de este animal coloreados con el metodo de Leishman y analizados con microscopias de luz y electronica. No fue observado ningun tipo celular con caracteristicas similares a los neutrofilos de mamiferos. Los resultados indican que los heterofilos tienen analogia morfofuncional con otros neutrofilos presentes en el grupo de los mamiferos. Esta conclusion es sustentada por varios estudios recientes encontrados en la literatura
Mycotoxin occurrence and Aspergillus flavus soil propagules in a corn and cotton glyphosate-resistant cropping systems

The effects of cotton–corn rotation and glyphosate use on levels of soil-borne Aspergillus flavus, aflatoxin and fumonisin contamination in corn and cotton seed were determined during 2002–2005 in Stoneville, Mississippi (USA). There were four rotation systems (continuous cotton, continuous corn, cotton–corn and corn–cotton) for both glyphosate-resistant (GR) and non-GR cultivars–herbicide system arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Aspergillus flavus populations in surface (5-cm depth) soil, sampled before planting (March/April), mid-season (June) and after harvest (September), ranged from 1.47 to 2.99 log (10) cfu g−1 soil in the four rotation systems. Propagules of A. flavus were higher in the continuous corn system compared to the continuous cotton system on three sample dates, and cotton rotated with corn decreased A. flavus propagules in three of nine sample dates. Propagules of A. flavus were significantly greater in plots with GR cultivars compared to non-GR cultivars in three samples. In cotton seed, aflatoxin and fumonisin levels were similar (≤4 µg kg−1 and non-detectable, respectively) regardless of rotation and glyphosate. In corn grain, aflatoxin was above the regulatory level (≥20 µg kg−1) only in GR cultivar in 2004 and 2005. Fumonisin was higher in non-GR cultivar (4 mg kg−1) regardless of rotation in 2004; however, in 2002, 2003 and 2005, aflatoxin and fumonisin levels were similar regardless of rotation and glyphosate. These results indicate the potential for increased aflatoxin and fumonisin levels (1 of 4 years) in corn; however, climatic conditions encountered during this study did not allow for mycotoxin production. In laboratory incubation studies, fairly high concentrations of glyphosate were required to inhibit A. flavus growth; however no short-term effect of soil treatment with glyphosate on A. flavus populations were observed. These data suggest that altered populations of A. flavus or higher aflatoxin concentrations in corn grain were due to indirect effects of the GR cropping system.
Diverse and specific gene expression responses to stresses in cultured human cells.

We used cDNA microarrays in a systematic study of the gene expression responses of HeLa cells and primary human lung fibroblasts to heat shock, endoplasmic reticulum stress, oxidative stress, and crowding. Hierarchical clustering of the data revealed groups of genes with coherent biological themes, including genes that responded to specific stresses and others that responded to multiple types of stress. Fewer genes increased in expression after multiple stresses than in free-living yeasts, which have a large general stress response program. Most of the genes induced by multiple diverse stresses are involved in cell-cell communication and other processes specific to higher organisms. We found substantial differences between the stress responses of HeLa cells and primary fibroblasts. For example, many genes were induced by oxidative stress and dithiothreitol in fibroblasts but not HeLa cells; conversely, a group of transcription factors, including c-fos and c-jun, were induced by heat shock in HeLa cells but not in fibroblasts. The dataset is freely available for search and download at http://microarray-pubs.stanford. edu/human_stress/Home.shtml.
Design, development, and evaluation of an MRI-guided SMA spring-actuated neurosurgical robot

In this paper, we present our work on the development of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-compatible minimally invasive neurosurgical intracranial robot (MINIR) comprising shape memory alloy (SMA) spring actuators and tendon–sheath mechanisms. We present the detailed modeling and analysis along with experimental results of the characterization of SMA spring actuators. Furthermore, to demonstrate image-feedback control, we used the images obtained from a camera to control the motion of the robot so that eventually continuous MR images could be used in the future to control robot motion. Since the image tracking algorithm may fail in some situations, we also developed a temperature feedback control scheme which served as a backup controller for the robot. Experimental results demonstrated that both image feedback and temperature feedback can be used to control the motion of MINIR. A series of MRI compatibility tests was performed on the robot and the experimental results demonstrated that the robot is MRI-compatible and no significant visual image distortion was observed in the MR images during robot operation.
THE DIPOLE IMPEDANCE OF AN APERTURE

The dipole impedance of an aperture in a plane conductor is obtained by modifying the general network formulation of electromagnetic apertures presented by Mautz and Harrington. The derived dipole impedances are combined in parallel to form an effective circuit description of low frequency aperture diffraction. Power transmitted into the aperture by an incident wave is determined by incorporating standard techniques for the transfer of wave power at an impedance mismatch. This transmitted power is divided into forward and backward scattered fields based upon the behavior of image currents surrounding the aperture, leading to a peak in forward scattered power above unity, consistent with known aperture behavior. The presented aperture circuit maintains an excellent correspondence with measurements of radiated power for an aperture excited by high energy electrons and with the numerically calculated impedance of a circular aperture using the finite element method.
Strongyloidiasis—An Insight into Its Global Prevalence and Management

Background Strongyloides stercoralis, an intestinal parasitic nematode, infects more than 100 million people worldwide. Strongyloides are unique in their ability to exist as a free-living and autoinfective cycle. Strongyloidiasis can occur without any symptoms or as a potentially fatal hyperinfection or disseminated infection. The most common risk factors for these complications are immunosuppression caused by corticosteroids and infection with human T-lymphotropic virus or human immunodeficiency virus. Even though the diagnosis of strongyloidiasis is improved by advanced instrumentation techniques in isolated and complicated cases of hyperinfection or dissemination, efficient guidelines for screening the population in epidemiological surveys are lacking. Methodology and Results In this review, we have discussed various conventional methods for the diagnosis and management of this disease, with an emphasis on recently developed molecular and serological methods that could be implemented to establish guidelines for precise diagnosis of infection in patients and screening in epidemiological surveys. A comprehensive analysis of various cases reported worldwide from different endemic and nonendemic foci of the disease for the last 40 years was evaluated in an effort to delineate the global prevalence of this disease. We also updated the current knowledge of the various clinical spectrum of this parasitic disease, with an emphasis on newer molecular diagnostic methods, treatment, and management of cases in immunosuppressed patients. Conclusion Strongyloidiasis is considered a neglected tropical disease and is probably an underdiagnosed parasitic disease due to its low parasitic load and uncertain clinical symptoms. Increased infectivity rates in many developed countries and nonendemic regions nearing those in the most prevalent endemic regions of this parasite and the increasing transmission potential to immigrants, travelers, and immunosuppressed populations are indications for initiating an integrated approach towards prompt diagnosis and control of this parasitic disease.
A comparison of SF-6D and EQ-5D utility scores in a study of patients with schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND Economic evaluations of healthcare interventions increasingly measure outcomes using quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). The SF-6D and the EQ-5D are alternative ways of generating utility scores for use in QALY estimations, but it is unclear which is most sensitive to change in psychiatric symptom severity. There are also limited data on the sensitivity of these measures to changes in existing clinical indicators in long-term mental health conditions like schizophrenia. AIMS OF THE STUDY To: (i) assess the relationship between SF-6D and EQ-5D utility scores for patients with schizophrenia at two points in time, (ii) assess the relationship in the change scores of these two measures, (iii) measure the sensitivity of these measures to changes in an established measure of symptomatology. METHODS Patients with schizophrenia were recruited and the SF-36 and EQ-5D were administered at baseline and one-year follow-up and utility scores were computed and compared. Standardized response mean (SMR) scores were calculated for the SF-6D and EQ-5D and compared for patients who improved or deteriorated by at least 25% on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. RESULTS EQ-5D ratings were available for 394 patients at baseline, 368 at follow-up and 358 at both time points. The respective figures for the SF-6D were 383, 367 and 345. Mean utility scores were very similar at baseline (EQ-5D 0.68, SF-6D 0.67) and follow-up (EQ-5D 0.71, SF-6D 0.68). Median scores were markedly higher for the EQ-5D (0.76 v 0.66 at baseline, 0.80 v 0.68 at follow-up). The SF-6D scores followed a normal distribution whilst the EQ-5D scores were negatively skewed with a clustering at 1.00. There were few differences in sensitivity to change between the EQ-5D and SF-6D. DISCUSSION From an analytical perspective the SF-6D has advantages over the EQ-5D due to its normal distribution and lack of ceiling effect. However, both measures produce similar mean utility scores. Overall the SF-6D appears more suitable as a measure of utility in this patient group. IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH POLICIES Decisions made on the basis of cost-effectiveness results need to consider the method by which QALYs have been calculated. IMPLICATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Further comparisons of the EQ-5D and SF-6D are required.
Retrieving address-based locations from the web

Geospatial search for the Web determines the relation of documents' contents to a location within a region. For some pedestrian scenarios, information at a higher granularity down to individual buildings is necessary. In this paper, we describe a process for the extraction and simultaneous verification of precise addresses on German Web pages by a validating parser. We describe how an address-level location extraction can be aided by an extensive use of previous geographic knowledge and the use of its structure. The analysis of address structure, components and dependencies leads to the design of a geoparser that determines valid addresses within unstructured Web content. We further discuss some noteworthy issues that arise within the process.
Studies on eye affections among camels in Egypt : Clinical and bacteriological studies

Clinical and bacteriological studies were carried out on 260 out of 2500 camels from Sinai and El Fayoum provinces and police and military services "Hagana "in the period between 19861996 . These animals presented with ocular affections of varying manifestations. Trials for treatment according antibiogram sensitivity test were performed . At the same time 100 healthy eyes were subjected to bacteriological examination to determine the normal ocular microflora. The ocular affections were differentiated according to the affected anatomical structures and bacteriological finding. The incidence of ocular disease was found to be 10.40. Corynebacterium ulcerans,Streptococcus pyogenes , Moraxella Lacunata, Proteus mirabilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were only isolated from diseased cases. Introduction: Eye affections such as conjunctivitis, keratitis, endophthalmitis, uveitis and panophthalmitis are commonly reported among animals. (Gellat1981; Slatter, 1981 and Severin, 1984). Recently many investigators have studied the camel in health and disease (Ramadan, 1994) but little attention has been paid to eye diseases in this species. The objective of the present study was to investigate the different types of camel eye affections, describe the clinical symptoms, identify the etiological agents and propose suitable treatment. Material and methods: The present investigation was carried out on 2500 camels from Sinai and El Fayoum provinces, and from herds of the police and military services "Hagana" in the period between March I986 till April 1996. 260 camels suffered from different ocular afflictions. These affected camels were subjected to clinical and bacteriological investigations. Treatment trials
Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Fundamental Principles. L.W. Jelinsky, Experimental Methods. The Chemical Shift. Coupling of Nuclear Spins. Nuclear Relaxation and Chemical Rate Processes. P.A. Mirau and F.A. Bovey, Two-Dimensional Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. Macromolecules. NMR of Solids. F.A. Bovey, L.W. Jelinsky, P.A. Mirau, Special Topics. Appendixes. Author Index. Subject Index.
Neuroprotective effect of resveratrol against brain ischemia reperfusion injury in rats entails reduction of DJ-1 protein expression and activation of PI3K/Akt/GSK3b survival pathway

Abstract In the current study, we aimed to investigate the mechanistic role of DJ-1/PI3K/Akt survival pathway in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) induced cerebral damage and to investigate if the resveratrol (RES) mediates its ischemic neuroptotection through this pathway. RES administration to Sham rats boosted glutathione level and superoxide dismutase activity and downregulated inducible nitric oxide synthase expression without affecting redox levels of DJ-1 forms or components of PI3K/Akt pathway including PTEN, p-Akt or p/p-GSK3b. However, RES pre-administration to I/R rats reduced infarction area, oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis. Concomitantly, RES ameliorated the decreased levels of oxidized forms of DJ-1 and enhancing its reduction, increased the nuclear protein expression of Nfr-2 and led to activation of PI3K/Akt survival pathway. In conclusion, overoxidation of DJ-1 is a major factor that contributes to post-I/R cerebral damage and its reduction by RES could explain the neuroprotection offered by RES.
Medial portion of the cavernous sinus: Quantitative analysis of the medial wall

Pituitary tumors invade the cavernous sinus via the medial wall. Researchers have speculated that this wall is composed of dura and that substances secreted by tumors might damage this barrier. In contrast to the lateral wall, little is known about the structure of the medial wall of the cavernous sinus (MWCS). This study provides the first detailed quantitative (thickness) and qualitative (histological) assessment of the MWCS. Eighteen sellar‐parasellar tissue blocks were obtained from adult human autopsies. Ten specimens were used for microsurgical dissection and macroscopic anatomical description. Eight specimens were used for histopathological study and for recording computer measurements of MWCS thickness. Each of these eight specimens was divided into three approximately equal‐sized pieces, with cuts made in the coronal plane from posterior to anterior starting at the anterior level of the pituitary stalk. Wall thicknesses were compared in the three different regions (posterior, middle, anterior), and also on the left vs. the right sides. The investigations showed that the MWCS is a distinct dural layer that forms a barrier between the medial venous space of the cavernous sinus and the pituitary gland. The mean thickness of the 48 total (left and right) MWCS observed in the 24 sections examined was 0.195 ± 0.066 mm (range = 0.080–0.387 mm). This wall is composed of loosely arranged collagen fibers that comprise a specific layer known as “meningeal dura. ” The posterior third of the MWCS was significantly thinner than the middle third (P = 0.0014) or anterior third (P = 0.0001). No macro‐ or microscopic defects were observed in any of the MWCS in the 18 specimens. The thinness of the posterior MWCS suggests that this is the most likely path for extension of pituitary tumors into the cavernous sinus. Clin. Anat. 18:416–422, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Optimistic Transactional Boosting

The last two decades witnessed the success of many efficient designs of concurrent data structures. A large set of them has a common base principle: each operation is split into a <italic>read-only traversal</italic> phase, which scans the data structure without locking or monitoring, and a <italic>read-write commit</italic> phase, which atomically validates the output of the <italic>traversal</italic> phase and applies the needed modifications to the data structure. In this paper we introduce <italic>Optimistic Transactional Boosting</italic> (OTB), an optimistic methodology for extending those designs in order to support the composition of multiple operations into one atomic execution by building a single <italic>traversal</italic> phase and a single <italic>commit</italic> phase for the whole atomic execution. As a result, OTB-based data structures are <italic>optimistic</italic> and <italic>composable </italic>. The former because they defer any locking and/or monitoring to the commit phase of the entire atomic execution; the latter because they allow the execution of multiple operations atomically. Additionally, in this paper we provide a theoretical model for analyzing OTB-based data structures and proving their correctness. In particular, we extended a recent approach that models concurrent data structures by including the two notions of <italic>optimism </italic> and <italic>composition</italic> of operations.
DC photocurrent rejection of high transimpedance gain preamplifier in infrared wireless optical receiver

A high gain transimpedance preamplifier in the infrared wireless optical receiver is presented. Employing an active inductor as the active cancellation scheme, a novel dc photocurrent rejection technique of a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) is designed to eliminate dc photocurrent generated by ambient light. Implemented in Chartered 0. 35µm CMOS technology, the preamplifier provides a transimpedance gain of 120dBΩ and the current sensitivity of 500pA, and achieves to reject the dc photocurrent with the range of 0µA to 20µA. Operating under a 3.3V supply, the power dissipation is 0.6mW1.
Aluminium Alloy Foams: Production and Properties

Ultra-light metal foams became an attractive research field both from the scientific and industrial applications view points. Closed-cell metal foams, in particular aluminium alloy (Al-alloy) ones can be used as lightweight, energy-absorption and damping structures in different industrial sectors, detaining an enormous potential when transportation is concerned. Despite the several manufacturing methods available, ultra-light metal foam applications seem to be restricted to a rather less demanding market in what concerns final product quality. The current available manufacturing processes enable effective control of density through process parameters manipulation. However, none of them allow for appropriate control of the cellular structures during its formation, leading to severe drawbacks in what concerns final product structural and mechanical properties. The latter, is undoubtedly the main reason for the lack of commercial acceptance of these ultra-light metal foams in product quality highly demanding sectors, such as the automotive or aeronautical sectors. The resolution of this problem is the main challenge of the scientific community in this field. To accomplish the latter two approaches may be followed: i) to develop new manufacturing processes or modify the existing ones to obtain foams with more uniform cellular structures. (ii) to understand and quantify the thermo-physicochemical mechanisms involved during the foam formation in order to control the process, avoiding the occurrence of such imperfections and structural defects.
Serum and tissue markers in hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma: clinical and prognostic implications

HCC represents the sixth most common cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer-related death. Despite the high incidence, treatment options for advanced HCC remain limited and unsuccessful, resulting in a poor prognosis. Despite the major advances achieved in the diagnostic management of HCC, only one third of the newly diagnosed patients are presently eligible for curative treatments. Advances in technology and an increased understanding of HCC biology have led to the discovery of novel biomarkers. Improving our knowledge about serum and tissutal markers could ultimately lead to an early diagnosis and better and early treatment strategies for this deadly disease. Serum biomarkers are striking potential tools for surveillance and early diagnosis of HCC thanks to the non-invasive, objective, and reproducible assessments they potentially enable. To date, many biomarkers have been proposed in the diagnosis of HCC. Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an aggressive malignancy, characterized by early lymph node involvement and distant metastasis, with 5-year survival rates of 5%-10%. The identification of new biomarkers with diagnostic, prognostic or predictive value is especially important as resection (by surgery or combined with a liver transplant) has shown promising results and novel therapies are emerging. However, the relatively low incidence of CCA, high frequency of co-existing cholestasis or cholangitis (primary sclerosing cholangitis –PSC- above all), and difficulties with obtaining adequate samples, despite advances in sampling techniques and in endoscopic visualization of the bile ducts, have complicated the search for accurate biomarkers. In this review, we attempt to analyze the existing literature on this argument.
Carotid intimal-media thickness and endothelial function in young patients with history of myocardial infarction.

AIM The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction in 45 young patients (38 mens and 7 females) with myocardial infarction (MI), age 29-45, mean age 42+/-3 years, to verify its possible role as a marker of coronary atherosclerosis. METHODS Vascular echography was performed to verify the presence of carotid atherosclerosis and/or endothelial dysfunction in 45 young patients with MI and in 45 healthy control subjects well matched for age and sex. RESULTS We observed a normal intima media thickness (IMT) only in 30% of patients with juvenile myocardial infarction (JMI) compared with 66% in the control group (P<0.0001) and 34% of patients showed an increased IMT compared with 24% of healthy subjects (P<0.0001). Compared with control subjects, patients with JMI had lower flow-mediated reactivity of the brachial arteries (P<0.05). There was a negative linear relationship between flow-mediated dilation and IMT (P<0.001). The severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) was correlated with increased IMT and with a lower flow-mediated dilation. Finally, multiple regression analysis, demonstrated that both brachial-artery reactivity and carotid IMT were significantly and independently correlated with severity of CAD. CONCLUSIONS Structural (carotid atherosclerosis) and functional changes (endothelial dysfunction) were present at an early age in the arteries of persons with history of JMI.