Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recubrimientos meso-estructurados de TiO2-anatasa obtenidos por el método EISA con actividad fotocatalítica

En este trabajo se presenta la preparacion de recubrimientos mesoporosos y meso- estructurados de TiO2-anatasa combinando el metodo sol-gel con el metodo de Autoensamblaje por Evaporacion Inducida (EISA). Los soles de titania se prepararon a partir de TiCl4 incorporando distintos surfactantes: Pluronic F127, Brij58 y Triton X100. Los recubrimientos se depositaron por inmersion y se caracterizaron por Espectroscopia Infrarroja por Transformada de Fourier, Difraccion de Rayos X a bajo angulo y angulo Rasante y Microscopia Electronica de Transmision, para analizar la cristalizacion de la red inorganica y la ordenacion de los poros. Mediante Elipsometria Espectral se midieron el espesor y el indice de refraccion en funcion de la humedad relativa para obtener las isotermas de adsorcion- desorcion de agua. Se calculo el volumen de poro, distribucion de tamano de poro, superficie especifica (Ss) y superficie expuesta de los recubrimientos. Los estudios de actividad fotocatalitica se realizaron a traves de la descomposicion de naranja de metilo (c= 3mg/L) bajo irradiacion con luz UV/vis. Se observa que el espesor, el indice de refraccion y el angulo de contacto varian con el tipo de sustrato, obteniendo espesores mas altos e indice de refraccion y angulo de contacto mas bajos sobre sustratos de vidrio. El mejor comportamiento fotocatalitico se obtiene para los recubrimientos de 0,005 F127 a HR 20-70% y 0,3 Triton a HR 50% correspondiendo con tamanos de poro mas bajos y Sexp mas altas. Los recubrimientos con 0,005 F127 a HR 20 y 20-70% y Brij58 a HR 50% presentan meso-estructuracion perfecta.
Ink-and-ray: Bas-relief meshes for adding global illumination effects to hand-drawn characters

We present a new approach for generating global illumination renderings of hand-drawn characters using only a small set of simple annotations. Our system exploits the concept of bas-relief sculptures, making it possible to generate 3D proxies suitable for rendering without requiring side-views or extensive user input. We formulate an optimization process that automatically constructs approximate geometry sufficient to evoke the impression of a consistent 3D shape. The resulting renders provide the richer stylization capabilities of 3D global illumination while still retaining the 2D hand-drawn look-and-feel. We demonstrate our approach on a varied set of hand-drawn images and animations, showing that even in comparison to ground-truth renderings of full 3D objects, our bas-relief approximation is able to produce convincing global illumination effects, including self-shadowing, glossy reflections, and diffuse color bleeding.
Reduction in Hospital-Wide Clinical Laboratory Specimen Identification Errors following Process Interventions: A 10-Year Retrospective Observational Study

Background Accurate patient identification and specimen labeling at the time of collection are crucial steps in the prevention of medical errors, thereby improving patient safety. Methods All patient specimen identification errors that occurred in the outpatient department (OPD), emergency department (ED), and inpatient department (IPD) of a 3,800-bed academic medical center in Taiwan were documented and analyzed retrospectively from 2005 to 2014. To reduce such errors, the following series of strategies were implemented: a restrictive specimen acceptance policy for the ED and IPD in 2006; a computer-assisted barcode positive patient identification system for the ED and IPD in 2007 and 2010, and automated sample labeling combined with electronic identification systems introduced to the OPD in 2009. Results Of the 2000345 specimens collected in 2005, 1023 (0.0511%) were identified as having patient identification errors, compared with 58 errors (0.0015%) among 3761238 specimens collected in 2014, after serial interventions; this represents a 97% relative reduction. The total number (rate) of institutional identification errors contributed from the ED, IPD, and OPD over a 10-year period were 423 (0.1058%), 556 (0.0587%), and 44 (0.0067%) errors before the interventions, and 3 (0.0007%), 52 (0.0045%) and 3 (0.0001%) after interventions, representing relative 99%, 92% and 98% reductions, respectively. Conclusions Accurate patient identification is a challenge of patient safety in different health settings. The data collected in our study indicate that a restrictive specimen acceptance policy, computer-generated positive identification systems, and interdisciplinary cooperation can significantly reduce patient identification errors.
Outcome after Surgery for Metastases to the Pelvic Bone: A Single Institutional Experience

Background The pelvic bone is the most common site of bone metastases following the axial skeleton. Surgery on the pelvic bone is a demanding procedure. Few studies have been published on the surgical outcomes of metastasis to the pelvic bone with only small numbers of patients involved. This study sought to analyze the complications, local progression and survival after surgery for metastasis to the pelvic bone on a larger cohort of patients. Methods We analyzed 83 patients who underwent surgery for metastases to the pelvic bone between the years 2000 and 2015. There were 41 men and 42 women with a mean age of 55 years. Possible factors that might be associated with complications, local progression and survival were investigated with regard to patient demographics and disease-related and treatment-related variables. Results The overall complication rate was 16% (13/83). Advanced age (> 55 years, p = 0.034) and low preoperative serum albumin levels (≤ 39 g/L, p = 0.001) were associated with increased complication rates. In patients with periacetabular disease, the complication rate was higher in those who underwent total hip replacement arthroplasty (THR) than those who did not (p = 0.030). Local progression rate was 46% (37/83). The overall median time to local progression was 26 ± 14.3 months. The median time from local progression to death was 13 months (range, 0 to 81 months). The local progression-free survival was 52.6% ± 6.4% at 2 years and 36.4%± 7.6% at 5 years, respectively. Presence of skip lesions (p = 0.017) and presence of visceral metastasis (p = 0.027) were found to be significantly associated with local progression. The median survival of all patients was 24 months. The 2-year and 3-year survival rates were 52.5% ± 5.9% and 35.6% ± 6%, respectively. Metastasis from the kidney, breast, or thyroid or of hematolymphoid origin (p = 0.014), absence of visceral metastasis (p = 0.017) and higher preoperative serum albumin levels (p = 0.009) were associated with a prolonged survival. Conclusions Advanced age and low serum albumin levels were associated with high complication rates. Local progression after surgery for metastases to the pelvic bone was affected by the presence of skip lesions, not by surgical margins. Primary cancer type, serum albumin level and visceral metastasis influenced survival.
Methods for enhanced harmonic transposition

In systems for High Frequency Reconstruction (HFR) employing harmonic transposition, there is a risk of introducing artifacts due to conflicting design goals for stationary, transient, and periodic signals. We describe a filter bank implementation of the transposer which addresses this problem by window design, frequency domain oversampling, and cross products.
Stem Cells Derived from Neonatal Mouse Kidney Generate Functional Proximal Tubule-Like Cells and Integrate into Developing Nephrons In Vitro

We have recently shown that kidney-derived stem cells (KSCs) isolated from the mouse newborn kidney differentiate into a range of kidney-specific cell types. However, the functionality and integration capacity of these mouse KSCs remain unknown. Therefore, the main objectives of this study were (1) to determine if proximal tubule-like cells, generated in vitro from KSCs, displayed absorptive function typical of proximal tubule cells in vivo, and (2) to establish whether the ability of KSCs to integrate into developing nephrons was comparable with that of metanephric mesenchyme (MM), a transient population of progenitor cells that gives rise to the nephrons during kidney organogenesis. We found that proximal tubule-like cells generated in vitro from mouse KSCs displayed megalin-dependent absorptive function. Subsequently, we used a chimeric kidney rudiment culture system to show that the KSCs could generate proximal tubule cells and podocytes that were appropriately located within the developing nephrons. Finally, we compared the ability of KSCs to integrate into developing kidneys ex vivo with that of metanephric mesenchyme cells. We found that KSCs integrated into nascent nephrons to a similar extent as metanephric mesenchyme cells while both were excluded from ureteric bud branches. Our analysis of the behavior of the two cell types shows that some, but not all KSC characteristics are similar to those of the MM.
HRP-2, the Caenorhabditis elegans Homolog of Mammalian Heterogeneous Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins Q and R, Is an Alternative Splicing Factor That Binds to UCUAUC Splicing Regulatory Elements*

Alternative splicing is regulated by cis sequences in the pre-mRNA that serve as binding sites for trans-acting alternative splicing factors. In a previous study, we used bioinformatics and molecular biology to identify and confirm that the intronic hexamer sequence UCUAUC is a nematode alternative splicing regulatory element. In this study, we used RNA affinity chromatography to identify trans factors that bind to this sequence. HRP-2, the Caenorhabditis elegans homolog of human heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins Q and R, binds to UCUAUC in the context of unc-52 intronic regulatory sequences as well as to RNAs containing tandem repeats of this sequence. The three Us in the hexamer are the most important determinants of this binding specificity. We demonstrate, using RNA interference, that HRP-2 regulates the alternative splicing of two genes, unc-52 and lin-10, both of which have cassette exons flanked by an intronic UCUAUC motif. We propose that HRP-2 is a protein responsible for regulating alternative splicing through binding interactions with the UCUAUC sequence.
The Centrosomal Protein Pericentrin Identified at the Basal Body Complex of the Connecting Cilium in Mouse Photoreceptors

Background Pericentrin (Pcnt), a conserved protein of the pericentriolar material, serves as a multifunctional scaffold for numerous proteins and plays an important role in microtubule organization. Recent studies indicate that Pcnt mutations are associated with a range of diseases including primordial dwarfism and ciliopathies. To date, three Pcnt splice variants from orthologous genes in mice and humans are known. Principal Findings We generated a specific Pcnt antiserum detecting all known Pcnt splice variants and examined the cellular and subcellular distribution of Pcnt in ciliated tissues of the mouse, the olfactory epithelium and the retina. For the first time, we identified Pcnt and its centrosomal interaction partners at the basal body complex of mouse retinal photoreceptors. Photoreceptors are morphologically and functionally subdivided into the light sensitive outer segment and the inner segment comprising the metabolic function of the cell. The two compartments are linked via a modified, specialized, non-motile cilium, the connecting cilium. Here, Pcnt colocalized with the whole protein machinery responsible for transport processes between the two compartments. Surprisingly, photoreceptors expressed a small Pcnt splice transcript – most likely a modified variant of Pcnt S – which was not present in receptor neurons of the olfactory epithelium. Conclusions Our findings suggest distinct functional roles of several Pcnt variants in different ciliated tissues and sensory neurons, like the olfactory epithelium and the retina of the mouse. The individual patchwork of different Pcnt splice transcripts seems to reflect the complexity of Pcnt function, an assumption corroborated by the heterogeneous clinical manifestations associated with mutations in the Pcnt gene.
Molecular level artificial photosynthetic materials

A Supramolecular Approach to Light Harvesting and Sensitization of Wide--Bandgap Semiconductors: Antenna Effects and Charge Separation (C. Bignozzi, et al.). Langmuir--Blodgett Films of Transition Metal Complexes (M DeArmond & G. Fried). Layered Metal Phosphonates as Potential Materials for the Design and Construction of Molecular Photosynthetic Systems (L. Vermeulen). Light--Induced Processes in Molecular Gel Materials (F. Castellano & G. Meyer). Charge--Transfer Processes in Zeolites: Toward Better Artificial Photosynthetic Models (P. Dutta & M. Ledney). Native and Surface Modified Semiconductor Nanoclusters (P. Kamat). Molecular and Supramolecular Surface Modification of Nanocrystalline TiO 2 Films: Charge--Seperating and Charge--Injecting Devices (T. Gerfin, et al.). Indexes.
Regulating service access and information release on the Web

The widespread use of Internet-based services is increasing the amount of information (such as user pro les) that clients are required to disclose. This information demand is necessary for regulating access to services, and functionally convenient (e.g., to support service customization), but it has raised privacy-related concerns which, if not addressed, may a ect the users disposition to use network services. At the same time, servers need to regulate service access without disclosing entirely the details of their access control policy. There is therefore a pressing need for privacy-aware techniques to regulate access to services open to the network. We propose an approach for regulating service access and information disclosure on the Web. The approach consists of a uniform formal framework to formulate|and reason about|both service access and information disclosure constraints. It also provides a means for parties to communicate their requirements while ensuring that no private information be disclosed and that the communicated requirements are correct w.r. t. the constraints.
Randomised controlled trial of a synthetic triglyceride milk formula for preterm infants

AIMS To test whether use of infant formula containing synthetic structured triglycerides results in: (i) increased palmitate absorption; (ii) increased total fat absorption; (iii) reduction in calcium soap formation in the gut; and hence (iv) increased calcium absorption. METHODS A randomised study was made of 24 infants comparing three formulas, one containing the synthetic fat Betapol with 74% of palmitate in the 2-position, which was substantially higher than in the two comparison diets (8.4% and 28%). The hypothesised outcomes were tested using balance studies, detailed chemical analysis of stool specimens and dual calcium isotope tracers (44calcium orally and 46calcium intravenously). RESULTS Three of the four hypotheses were confirmed: use of a formula rich in 2-position palmitate (i) improved palmitate (16:0) and also (18:0) absorption; (ii) reduced the formation of insoluble calcium soaps in the stool; and (iii) improved calcium absorption, determined by the dual tracer technique from 42 (SE 3)% to 57 (7)%. CONCLUSION Synthetic triglycerides that mimic the stereoisometric structure of those in breast milk may have a valuable role in the design of formulas used for preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units. Key messages Synthetic structured triglycerides can provide palmitic acid predominantly in the 2-position, like breast milk, rather than predominantly in the 1 and 3 positions as in modern formulas. Use of such fats in formula for preterm infants can improve absorption of saturated fats, palmitate, and stearate. Improved saturated fat absorption reduces calcium soap formation in the intestine. In turn, this improves calcium absorption, determined by dual calcium isotope kinetics.
Realization of acausal weighting patterns with boundary-value descriptor systems

This paper examines the realization of acausal weighting patterns with two-point boundary-value descriptor systems (TPBVDSs). Attention is restricted to the subclass of TPBVDSs that are stationary, so that their input-output weighting pattern is shift-invariant, and extendible, i.e., their weighting pattern can be extended outwards indefinitely. Then, given an infinite acausal shift-invariant weighting pattern, the realization problem consists of constructing a minimal TPBVDS over a fixed interval, whose extended weighting pattern matches the given pattern. The realization method that is proposed relies on a new transform, the $(s,t)$-transform, which is better adapted to the analysis of descriptor dynamics than the standard z-transform, since it handles zero and infinite frequencies in a symmetric way. This new transform is used to determine the dimension of a minimal realization, and then to construct a minimal realization by obtaining state-space representations for two homogeneous rational matrices in.
Novel and diagnostically applicable information from optical waveform analysis of blood coagulation in disseminated intravascular coagulation

Transmittance waveform is the term applied to the optical profile generated from the process of clot formation on standard coagulation tests run on the MDA‐180, a new‐generation automated coagulation analyser. In patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation, a characteristically abnormal ‘biphasic change’ is seen on both the activated partial thromboplastin time and thrombin time waveforms. Increasing steepness of the initial slope on the waveform correlates with clinical deterioration and fulminant progression. Although the mechanism underlying the biphasic appearance remains to be elucidated, its identification provides the diagnostic laboratory with a simple, rapid and robust assay for disseminated intravascular coagulation that can help the clinician with urgent and appropriate therapeutic interventions.
Thirteen- to Sixteen-Months Old Infants Are Able to Imitate a Novel Act from Memory in Both Unfamiliar and Familiar Settings But Do Not Show Evidence of Rational Inferential Processes

Gergely et al. (2002) reported that children imitated a novel action – illuminating a light-box by using the forehead – after a delay significantly more often if the hands of the experimenter had been visible in comparison with if they had been covered. In an attempt to explore these findings we conducted two studies with a total N of 63 children. Both studies investigated deferred imitation of the action in two conditions, with the hands of the experimenter visible or covered, but the settings differed. Study 1 (n = 30; mean age = 16.6 months) was carried out in an unfamiliar environment (a laboratory setting) while Study 2 (n = 33; mean age = 13.3 months) was conducted in familiar surroundings (at home or at day care). The results showed that 50% of the children in Study 1 and 42.4% in Study 2 evidenced deferred imitation as compared to only 4.9% (n = 2) in the baseline condition. However, in none of the studies did the children use inferential processes when imitating, we detected no significant differences between the two conditions, hands visible or hands covered. The findings add to the validity of the head touch procedure as a measure of declarative-like memory processes in the pre-verbal child. At the same time the findings question the robustness of the concept ‘rational imitation,’ it seems not as easy as expected to elicit a response based on rational inferential processes in this age group.
Size distribution evolution equations in space-competing domain growth systems

A model of microstructure development for phase transformations driven by nucleation and growth is presented. The model is based on a set of Fokker-Planck-like equations which allows us to compute the particle grain density distribution at any time during the transformation, provided that the nucleation and growth dependences on time and/or grain radius are known. The model is applicable to any kind of nucleation and growth protocols fulfilling the Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorov conditions, namely spatially random nucleation and isotropic growth. Comparison with stochastic (Monte Carlo) simulations is presented, giving quantitative agreement in all cases. This work shows the relationship between kinetic parameters and microstructure evolution as well as the accuracy of the developed model.
Incidence Trends of Adenocarcinoma of the Cervix in 13 European Countries

Rapid increases in cervical adenocarcinoma incidence have been observed in Western countries in recent decades. Postulated explanations include an increasing specificity of subtype—the capability to diagnose the disease, an inability of cytologic screening to reduce adenocarcinoma, and heterogeneity in cofactors related to persistent human papillomavirus infection. This study examines the possible contribution of these factors in relation with trends observed in Europe. Age-period-cohort models were fitted to cervical adenocarcinoma incidence trends in women ages <75 in 13 European countries. Age-adjusted adenocarcinoma incidence rates increased throughout Europe, the rate of increase ranging from around 0.5% per annum in Denmark, Sweden, and Switzerland to ≥3% in Finland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The increases first affected generations born in the early 1930s through the mid-1940s, with risk invariably higher in women born in the mid-1960s relative to those born 20 years earlier. The magnitude of this risk ratio varied considerably from around 7 in Slovenia to almost unity in France. Declines in period-specific risk were observed in United Kingdom, Denmark, and Sweden, primarily among women ages >30. Whereas increasing specificity of subtype with time may be responsible for some of the increases in several countries, the changing distribution and prevalence of persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus types, alongside an inability to detect cervical adenocarcinoma within screening programs, would accord with the temporal profile observed in Europe. The homogeneity of trends in adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma in birth cohort is consistent with the notion that they share a similar etiology irrespective of the differential capability of screen detection. Screening may have had at least some impact in reducing cervical adenocarcinoma incidence in several countries during the 1990s.