Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Advances in the field of high‐molecular‐weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon biodegradation by bacteria

Interest in understanding prokaryotic biotransformation of high‐molecular‐weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (HMW PAHs) has continued to grow and the scientific literature shows that studies in this field are originating from research groups from many different locations throughout the world. In the last 10 years, research in regard to HMW PAH biodegradation by bacteria has been further advanced through the documentation of new isolates that represent diverse bacterial types that have been isolated from different environments and that possess different metabolic capabilities. This has occurred in addition to the continuation of in‐depth comprehensive characterizations of previously isolated organisms, such as Mycobacterium vanbaalenii PYR‐1. New metabolites derived from prokaryotic biodegradation of four‐ and five‐ring PAHs have been characterized, our knowledge of the enzymes involved in these transformations has been advanced and HMW PAH biodegradation pathways have been further developed, expanded upon and refined. At the same time, investigation of prokaryotic consortia has furthered our understanding of the capabilities of microorganisms functioning as communities during HMW PAH biodegradation.
Long-Term Outcomes in Children with Steroid-Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome Treated with Calcineurin Inhibitors

Background Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) is an important cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children that often progresses to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) have been shown to be effective in inducing short-term remission in some patients with SRNS. However, there are little data examining their long-term impact on ESRD progression rates. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of all patients treated for SRNS with CNIs at our institution from 1995 to 2013. Data collected including demographics, initial response to medical therapy, number of relapses, progression to ESRD, and treatment complications. Results A total of 16 patients met inclusion criteria with a mean follow-up of 6.6 years (range 0.6–17.6 years). Histopathological diagnoses were focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (8), mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (4), IgM nephropathy (3), and minimal change disease (1). Three patients (18.8%) were unresponsive to CNIs while the remaining 13 (81.2%) achieved remission with CNI therapy. Six patients (37.5%) progressed to ESRD during the study period, three of whom did so after initially responding to CNI therapy. Renal survival rates were 87, 71, and 57% at 2, 5, and 10 years, respectively. Non-Caucasian ethnicity was associated with progression to ESRD. Finally, a higher number of acute kidney injury (AKI) episodes were associated with a lower final estimated glomerular filtration rate. Discussion Despite the majority of SRNS patients initially responding to CNI therapy, a significant percentage still progressed to ESRD despite achieving short-term remission. Recurrent episodes of AKI may be associated with progression of CKD in patients with SRNS.
Accelerated Hypofractionated Radiotherapy in the Era of Concurrent Temozolomide Chemotherapy in Elderly Patients with Glioblastoma Multiforme

Introduction Patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) over age 65 represent nearly half of those diagnosed per annum. They have a different tumor markers profile, physiologic reserve, and a median survival as low as three to four months. An optimal treatment strategy in older GBM patients remains undefined, with many patients receiving radiation in 30 treatments over six weeks, a regimen based on trials originally excluding patients over age 70. Recent studies have suggested reducing the number of treatments to 10-15 over two to three weeks with similar efficacy. We present an elderly population of patients treated with six radiation treatments. Methods After IRB approval, we reviewed the electronic medical records of 20 consecutive patients over the age 60 at diagnosis with GBM, treated with maximally safe neurosurgical resection, and adjuvant hypofractionated radiation (HFRT) and temozolomide (TMZ) between 2012 and 2015. HFRT was given every other weekday for two weeks, in a total of six fractions (6 × 6 Gy to contrast-enhancing tumor +5 mm and 6 × 4 Gy to fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) +2 cm) with concurrent TMZ (75 mg/m2 daily), followed by adjuvant TMZ (150-200 mg/m2 in 5/28 days). The response was assessed using the Macdonald and Revised Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) criteria, radiology reports, physician notes, and tumor board consensus notes. Descriptive statistics, overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), toxicity, and steroid use were calculated and compared to the historical controls of patients treated with a six-week radiation regimen of 60 Gy in 30 fractions with TMZ. Results The median age at diagnosis was 70.5 years (range: 61 - 82 years). Median pre-radiation Karnofsky performance scale (KPS) was 60 (range: 40 - 90). The median preoperative maximum gross tumor diameter on MRI was 3.6 cm (range: 1.8 - 6 cm). Six patients (30%) had a gross total resection (GTR), eight (40%) had a subtotal resection (STR), and six (30%) had biopsy only. The median progression-free survival was five months (95% (confidence interval) CI: 2.8, 16.4) and median OS of 14 months (95% CI: 5.0, upper limit not estimable). Of the 19 patients tested for isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH), 100% were negative. Of the eight patients who had MGMT methylation status results, four (50%) were positive for O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) methylation. In the 18 patients who completed radiation, the HFRT treatment was well tolerated without any Grade 3/4 acute toxicities. Conclusions The accelerated adjuvant course of HFRT with TMZ used for the elderly with GBM decreases radiation treatment days to six. It was well tolerated in patients over 60 years of age and provided similar OS, PFS, minimal toxicity, and decreased steroid usage compared to historical controls treated with six or even two to three weeks of radiotherapy.
3D residual stresses around cold expanded holes in a new creep resistant aluminium alloy

Hole cold expansion is used frequently to enhance the fatigue endurance of components. The cold expansion process introduces compressive residual stress at the periphery of the hole and tensile stress further away. To understand how these residual stresses enhance the fatigue life, it is essential that we have an accurate description of the three dimensional distribution of the stresses. In this paper we describe the results of experimental studies and finite element analyses used to determine detailed residual stress distributions in a new creep resistant alloy. The near surface residual stresses at the mandrel entrance and exit faces were measured using an X-ray diffraction technique. The results show significant differences between residual stresses at the two faces. The residual stresses are also shown to vary as a function of position around the hole. To take account of this variation a new approach, called the Garcia-Sachs method, was used to measure residual stress averaged through the thickness of the component. For finite element simulations, a combined hardening material model was used to reproduce the Bauschinger effect exhibited by the aluminium alloy. Using this new model, excellent agreement was found between predicted and measured near surface residual stresses. Finally there is also good agreement between the measured mid-thickness residual stress and the FE predictions.
Dynamical evolution of a supernova driven turbulent interstellar medium

Abstract It is shown that a number of key observations of the Galactic ISM can be understood, if it is treated as a highly compressible and turbulent medium, energized predominantly by supernova explosions (and stellar winds). We have performed extensive numerical high resolution 3D hydrodynamical and magnetohydrodynamical simulations with adaptive mesh refinement over sufficiently long time scales to erase memory effects of the initial setup. Our results show, in good agreement with observations, that (i) volume filling factors of the hot medium are modest (typically below 20%), (ii) global pressure is far from uniform due to supersonic (and to some extent super-Alfvénic) turbulence, (iii) a significant fraction of the mass (~60%) in the warm neutral medium is in the thermally unstable regime (500 < T < 5000 K), (iv) the average number density of Ovi in absorption is 1.81 × 10−8 cm−3, in excellent agreement with Copernicus and FUSE data, and its distribution is rather clumpy, consistent with its measured dispersion with distance.
Induction and prepatterning of the zebrafish pectoral fin bud requires axial retinoic acid signaling

Vertebrate forelimbs arise as bilateral appendages from the lateral plate mesoderm (LPM). Mutants in aldh1a2 (raldh2), an embryonically expressed gene encoding a retinoic acid (RA)-synthesizing enzyme, have been used to show that limb development and patterning of the limb bud are crucially dependent on RA signaling. However, the timing and cellular origin of RA signaling in these processes have remained poorly resolved. We have used genetics and chemical modulators of RA signaling to resolve these issues in the zebrafish. By rescuing pectoral fin induction in the aldh1a2/neckless mutant with exogenous RA and by blocking RA signaling in wild-type embryos, we find that RA acts as a permissive signal that is required during the six- to eight-somite stages for pectoral fin induction. Cell-transplantation experiments show that RA production is not only crucially required from flanking somites, but is sufficient to permit fin bud initiation when the trunk mesoderm is genetically ablated. Under the latter condition, intermediate mesoderm alone cannot induce the pectoral fin field in the LPM. We further show that induction of the fin field is directly followed by a continued requirement for somite-derived RA signaling to establish a prepattern of anteroposterior fates in the condensing fin mesenchyme. This process is mediated by the maintained expression of the transcription factor hand2, through which the fin field is continuously posteriorized, and lasts up to several hours prior to limb-budding. Thus, RA signaling from flanking somites plays a dual early role in the condensing limb bud mesenchyme.
Performance analysis of Neural Networks in combination with n-gram language models

Neural Network language models (NNLMs) have recently become an important complement to conventional n-gram language models (LMs) in speech-to-text systems. However, little is known about the behavior of NNLMs. The analysis presented in this paper aims to understand which types of events are better modeled by NNLMs as compared to n-gram LMs, in what cases improvements are most substantial and why this is the case. Such an analysis is important to take further benefit from NNLMs used in combination with conventional n-gram models. The analysis is carried out for different types of neural network (feed-forward and recurrent) LMs. The results showing for which type of events NNLMs provide better probability estimates are validated on two setups that are different in their size and the degree of data homogeneity.
Ability and Achievement Characteristics of Australian University Students with Self-Reported Speci c Learning Disabilities

There is a lack of empirical data on the ability and achievement characteristics of Australian university students seeking accommodation under the Disability Discrimination Act because of Speci c Learning Disabilities (SLD). A series of 30 self-referred students was assessed individually using an extensive test battery (WJ-R) based on a modern, comprehensive model of intelligence and achievement. Comparisons with known characteristics of North American students with and without SLD are reported as well as individual pro le patterns relevant to de nitions of SLD. Intra-cognitive weaknesses were found in cognitive processing speed, memory, auditory and visual intelligence. Contrary to expectation, reading was not an area of weakness. As expected, basic writing skills were poor for many students (18 out of 30). The variability of pro le patterns requires an individualised approach to assessment, careful translation into recommendations, and ongoing evaluation of learning outcomes.
Multiple Biomarkers for Risk Prediction in Chronic Heart Failure

Background—Prior studies have suggested using a panel of biomarkers that measure diverse biological processes as a prognostic tool in chronic heart failure. Whether this approach improves risk prediction beyond clinical evaluation is unknown. Methods and Results—In a multicenter cohort of 1513 chronic systolic heart failure patients, we measured a contemporary biomarker panel consisting of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, myeloperoxidase, B-type natriuretic peptide, soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase receptor-1, troponin I, soluble toll-like receptor-2, creatinine, and uric acid. From this panel, we calculated a parsimonious multimarker score and assessed its performance in predicting risk of death, cardiac transplantation, or ventricular assist device placement in comparison to an established clinical risk score, the Seattle Heart Failure Model (SHFM). During a median follow-up of 2.5 years, there were 317 outcomes: 187 patients died; 99 were transplanted; and 31 had a ventricular assist device placed. In unadjusted Cox models, patients in the highest tertile of the multimarker score had a 13.7-fold increased risk of adverse outcomes compared with the lowest tertile (95% confidence interval, 8.75–21.5). These effects were independent of the SHFM (adjusted hazard ratio, 6.80; 95% confidence interval, 4.18–11.1). Addition of the multimarker score to the SHFM led to a significantly improved area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.803 versus 0.756 (P=0.003) and appropriately reclassified a significant number of patients who had the outcome into a higher risk category (net reclassification improvement, 25.2%; 95% confidence interval, 14.2–36.2%; P<0.001). Conclusions—In ambulatory chronic heart failure patients, a score derived from multiple biomarkers integrating diverse biological pathways substantially improves prediction of adverse events beyond current metrics.
Brain connectivity in continuous error tasks

Error-related potentials (ErrP) have been recently incorporated in brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) due to its ability to adapt and correct both the output of the BMI or the behavior of the machine. Most of these applications rely on synchronous tasks with different user's evaluations associated to correct and wrong events. Asynchronous detection during the continuous evaluation of the task, however, has to cope with background noise and an increased number of misdetections common in event-related potential detection. This paper studies a different characteristic that may carry additional information to be exploited by asynchronous ErrP detectors: brain connectivity coherence patterns appearing while the user monitors the continuous operation of a device. The results obtained with five subject revealed the presence of an error potential in an asynchronous reaching task an showed an increase in the coherency within the theta band.
SDDs Are Exponentially More Succinct than OBDDs

Introduced by Darwiche (2011), sentential decision diagrams (SDDs) are essentially as tractable as ordered binary decision diagrams (OBDDs), but tend to be more succinct in practice. This makes SDDs a prominent representation language, with many applications in artificial intelligence and knowledge compilation. We prove that SDDs are more succinct than OBDDs also in theory, by constructing a family of boolean functions where each member has polynomial SDD size but exponential OBDD size. This exponential separation improves a quasipolynomial separation recently established by Razgon (2014), and settles an open problem in knowledge compilation (Darwiche, 2011).
Fundamental performance limits of communications systems impaired by impulse noise

In this paper, we investigate the ultimate performance limits, in terms of achievable information rate (IR), of communication systems impaired by impulse noise. We compare single carrier (SC) and multi-carrier (MC) transmission systems employing quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) formats. More precisely, we consider SC schemes with coded modulations and MC systems based on orthogonal frequency division modulation (OFDM). For the MC schemes, we introduce a theoretically equivalent channel model which makes the computation of the IR feasible. This simple channel model will be referred to as interleaved MC. We show that, in the presence of impulse noise and except for systems operating at very high spectral efficiency, the IR of MC schemes is lower than that of SC schemes. More precisely, use of MC schemes may lead to an unavoidable fundamental loss with respect to SC schemes at typical coding rates, whereas MC schemes are to be preferred for very high coding rates or in uncoded systems. These results hold for additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and dispersive channels, either considering plain OFDM or MC schemes employing water-filling and bit-loading algorithms. In order to validate our theoretical results, we also obtain the bit error rate (BER) performance of SC and MC schemes through Monte Carlo simulations. A few trellis-coded modulation (TCM) and low-density parity-check (LDPC)-coded schemes are considered. The obtained SNR loss in the BER curves between the AWGN and impulse noise channels matches well with the corresponding IR gap.
A New Route to Low Resistance Contacts for Performance‐Enhanced Organic Electronic Devices

The barrier to charge carrier injection across the semiconductor/electrode interface is a key parameter in the performance of organic transistors and optoelectronic devices, and the work function of the electrode material plays an important role in determining the size of this barrier. We present a new, chemical route for making metal surfaces with low work functions, by functionalizing gold surfaces with self‐assembled monolayers of n,n‐dialkyl dithiocarbamates. Ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy measurements show that work functions of 3.2 eV ± 0.1 eV can be achieved using this surface modification. Electronic structure calculations reveal that this low work function is a result of the packing‐density, polarization along the N‐C bond, and charge rearrangement associated with chemisorption. We demonstrate that electrodes functionalized with these monolayers significantly improve the performance of organic thin‐film transistors and can potentially be employed in charge selective contacts for organic photovoltaics.
Enhanced plasmid DNA delivery using anionic LPDII by listeriolysin O incorporation

A major obstacle to achieving effective DNA‐based therapeutics is efficient delivery of the DNA to its site of action in the cell. Upon internalization by endocytosis, the endosomal membrane represents a critical physical barrier preventing access of DNA to the cell cytosol. In order to overcome the membrane barrier and facilitate cytosolic entry, the endosomolytic bacterial protein listeriolysin O (LLO) is a potentially promising agent.
Investigation on the Effect of Test Parameters on Small Punch Creep Tests by Finite Element Method

The small punch creep (SP-C) test technique is a new method which is applied to evaluate the high temperature creep properties of materials by using miniature specimen. In the present paper, the Finite Element Method (FEM) is employed to simulate the SP-C test in order to investigate the effects of test parameters on testing results of the SP-C test. In this attempt, we perform systematic numerical simulations of SP-C tests by changing friction coefficient, specimen thickness, the diameter of punch ball and the inner diameter of lower die, and discuss the effects of the variation of test parameters on test results in detail. The resulting regression equations for assessing the effects of testing parameters on test results are obtained. It is found that the test results are influenced significantly by the specimen thickness, the diameter of punch ball and the inner diameter of lower die. However, the effects of friction coefficient on the results of the SP-C test can be neglected.
Creation of Surge Capacity by Early Discharge of Hospitalized Patients at Low Risk for Untoward Events

ABSTRACT Objectives: US hospitals are expected to function without external aid for up to 96 hours during a disaster; however, concern exists that there is insufficient capacity in hospitals to absorb large numbers of acute casualties. The aim of the study was to determine the potential for creation of inpatient bed surge capacity from the early discharge (reverse triage) of hospital inpatients at low risk of untoward events for up to 96 hours. Methods: In a health system with 3 capacity-constrained hospitals that are representative of US facilities (academic, teaching affiliate, community), a variety (N = 50) of inpatient units were prospectively canvassed in rotation using a blocked randomized design for 19 weeks ending in February 2006. Intensive care units (ICUs), nurseries, and pediatric units were excluded. Assuming a disaster occurred on the day of enrollment, patients who did not require any (previously defined) critical intervention for 4 days were deemed suitable for early discharge. Results: Of 3491 patients, 44% did not require any critical intervention and were suitable for early discharge. Accounting for additional routine patient discharges, full use of staffed and unstaffed licensed beds, gross surge capacity was estimated at 77%, 95%, and 103% for the 3 hospitals. Factoring likely continuance of nonvictim emergency admissions, net surge capacity available for disaster victims was estimated at 66%, 71%, and 81%, respectively. Reverse triage made up the majority (50%, 55%, 59%) of surge beds. Most realized capacity was available within 24 to 48 hours. Conclusions: Hospital surge capacity for standard inpatient beds may be greater than previously believed. Reverse triage, if appropriately harnessed, can be a major contributor to surge capacity. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2009;3(Suppl 1):S10–S16)
Sources of Competitive Advantage and above Normal Performance: an Empirical Test

In this paper, we isolate a critical organizational resource – the general manager – and empirically demonstrate its linkage with value generation using a disaggregated dependent variable. In the process, we make a contribution to the literature on a number of methodological issues that have plagued empirical work in RBV: level of analysis, selection and specification of the dependent variable, controlling for industry effects and unobserved heterogeneity, and the call for longitudinal studies. The results of the study suggest that general managers with different organizations have been a potential source of competitive parity, competitive disadvantage or competitive advantage which in turn lead to normal, below normal and above normal performance, respectively.
A product perspective on total data quality management

The field of information quality (IQ) has experienced significant advances during its relatively brief history. Today, researchers and practitioners alike have moved beyond establishing information quality as an important field to resolving IQ problems—problems ranging from IQ definition, measurement, analysis, and improvement to tools, methods, and processes. However, theoretically-grounded methodologies for Total Data Quality Management (TDQM) are still lacking. Based on cumulated research efforts, this article presents such a methodology for addressing these problems. The purpose of this TDQM methodology is to deliver highquality information products (IP) to information consumers. It aims to facilitate the implementation of an organization’s overall data quality policy formally expressed by top management [10]. Richard Y. Wang