Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gain-of-Function Mutations in STAT1: A Recently Defined Cause for Chronic Mucocutaneous Candidiasis Disease Mimicking Combined Immunodeficiencies

Chronic Mucocutaneous Candidiasis (CMC) is the chronic, recurrent, noninvasive Candida infections of the skin, mucous membranes, and nails. A 26-month-old girl was admitted with the complaints of recurrent oral Candidiasis, diarrhea, and respiratory infections. Candida albicans grew in oral mucosa swab. CMV and EBV DNA titers were elevated. She had hypergammaglobulinemia; IgE level, percentages of lymphocyte subgroups, and in vitro T-cell proliferation responses were normal. She had parenchymal nodules within the lungs and a calcific nodule in the liver. Chronic-recurrent infections with different pathogens leading to significant morbidity suggested combined immunodeficiency, CMC, or Mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial diseases. Genetic analysis revealed a predefined heterozygous gain-of-function mutation (GOF) (c.1154 C>T, p.Thr385Met) in the gene coding STAT1 molecule. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) was planned because of severe recurring infections. Patients with STAT1 GOF mutations may exhibit diverse phenotypes including infectious and noninfectious findings. HSCT should be considered as an early treatment option before permanent organ damage leading to morbidity and mortality develops. This case is presented to prompt clinicians to consider STAT1 GOF mutations in the differential diagnosis of patients with chronic Candidiasis and recurrent infections with multiple organisms, since these mutations are responsible for nearly half of CMC cases reported.
Prokinetic therapy for feed intolerance in critical illness: One drug or two?

Objective:To compare the efficacy of combination therapy, with erythromycin and metoclopramide, to erythromycin alone in the treatment of feed intolerance in critically ill patients. Design:Randomized, controlled, double-blind trial. Setting:Mixed medical and surgical intensive care unit. Patients:Seventy-five mechanically ventilated, medical patients with feed intolerance (gastric residual volume ≥250 mL). Interventions:Patients received either combination therapy (n = 37; 200 mg of intravenous erythromycin twice daily + 10 mg of intravenous metoclopramide four times daily) or erythromycin alone (n = 38; 200 mg of intravenous erythromycin twice daily) in a prospective, randomized fashion. Gastric feeding was re-commenced and 6-hourly gastric aspirates performed. Patients were studied for 7 days. Successful feeding was defined as a gastric residual volume <250 mL with the feeding rate ≥40 mL/hr, over 7 days. Secondary outcomes included daily caloric intake, vomiting, postpyloric feeding, length of stay, and mortality. Measurements and Main Results:Demographic data; use of inotropes, opioids, or benzodiazepines; and pretreatment gastric residual volume were similar between the two groups. The gastric residual volume was significantly lower after 24 hrs of treatment with combination therapy, compared with erythromycin alone (136 ± 23 mL vs. 293 ± 45 mL, p = .04). Over the 7 days, patients treated with combination therapy had greater feeding success, received more daily calories, and had a lower requirement for postpyloric feeding, compared with erythromycin alone. Tachyphylaxis occurred in both groups but was less with combination therapy. Sedation, higher pretreatment gastric residual volume, and hypoalbuminemia were significantly associated with a poor response. There was no difference in the length of hospital stay or mortality rate between the groups. Watery diarrhea was more common with combination therapy (20 of 37 vs. 10 of 38, p = .01) but was not associated with enteric infections, including Clostridium difficile. Conclusions:In critically ill patients with feed intolerance, combination therapy with erythromycin and metoclopramide is more effective than erythromycin alone in improving the delivery of nasogastric nutrition and should be considered as the first-line treatment.
Tristetraprolin Down-Regulates IL-2 Gene Expression through AU-Rich Element-Mediated mRNA Decay1

Posttranscriptional regulation of IL-2 gene expression at the level of mRNA decay is mediated by an AU-rich element (ARE) found in the 3′-untranslated region. We hypothesized that the ARE-binding protein tristetraprolin (TTP) regulates T lymphocyte IL-2 mRNA decay by interacting with the IL-2 ARE and targeting the transcript for decay. rTTP protein expressed in HeLa cells bound specifically to the IL-2 ARE with high affinity in a gel shift assay. In primary human T lymphocytes, TTP mRNA and protein expression were induced by TCR and CD28 coreceptor stimulation. Using a gel shift assay, we identified a cytoplasmic RNA-binding activity that was induced by TCR and CD28 coreceptor stimulation and bound specifically to the IL-2 ARE sequence. Using anti-TTP Abs, we showed by supershift that this inducible activity contained TTP. We also showed that insertion of the IL-2 ARE sequence into the 3′-untranslated region of a β-globin reporter construct conferred TTP-dependent mRNA destabilization on the β-globin reporter. To determine whether TTP also regulates IL-2 gene expression in vivo, we examined IL-2 expression in primary cells from wild-type and TTP knockout mice. Compared with their wild-type counterparts, TCR- and CD28-activated splenocytes and T cells from TTP knockout mice overexpressed IL-2 mRNA and protein. Also, IL-2 mRNA was more stable in activated splenocytes from TTP knockout mice compared with wild-type mice. Taken together, these data suggest that TTP functions to down-regulate IL-2 gene expression through ARE-mediated mRNA decay.
Selection of modulation and coding schemes of single carrier PHY for 802.11ad multi-gigabit mmWave WLAN systems

This paper presents the system design method to determine the modulation and coding schemes according to the given usage models of single carrier transmission in millimeter wave Wireless LAN systems. Various modulation and coding combinations are compared and analyzed based on the BER performance over both AWGN and fading channels. The effects of hardware impairments including power amplifier non-linear effects and phase noise, etc., are considered as well. The system design strategy provides a guideline for the selection of modulation and coding schemes in practical which can fulfill the realistic system requirements.
SARP - A Novel Multi-Copy Routing Protocol for Intermittently Connected Mobile Networks

This paper introduces a multi-copy routing protocol, called Self Adaptive Routing Protocol (SARP), for intermittently connected mobile networks. SARP aims to exploring the possibility of taking nodes as carriers of messages to be delivered among network partitions. The choice of the best carrier for a message is made according to the prediction based on the history of nodal encounters. The paper will argue that the movement of the nodes and their possible future collocation with the recipient of the messages can be used to make intelligent message forwarding decisions. The proposed protocol has been implemented and compared to a number of existing encounter-based routing approaches, where a near-realistic mobility model is used for testing. The performance of the proposed technique is evaluated in terms of delivery delay and the number of transmissions performed. The results of the simulation show that the proposed technique outperforms all existing multi-copy encounter-based routing protocols.
Sub-sector-based codebook feedback for massive MIMO with 2D antenna arrays

Massive MIMO is a promising technology for next generation cellular networks. It differentiates from conventional MIMO systems because of the excessive number of transmit antennas at the base stations. To implement a massive MIMO system with FDD, a practical low-overhead downlink channel training and estimation method is required. We propose a codebook based feedback framework for FDD massive MIMO systems that divides the coverage area into sub-sectors, where each sub-sector is formed by a set of narrow beams that cover a pre-assigned area in azimuth and elevation. A feedback process is then used where the codebook based feedback is limited to the beams covering the sub-sector to which the user device belongs. Our simulation results show that the proposed feedback framework with a large 2D antenna array provides substantial performance improvement compared to existing LTE/LTE-Advanced systems that currently support no more than eight antenna ports.
Development and evaluation of gastroretentive norfloxacin floating tablets

Development and evaluation of gastroretentive norfloxacin floating tablets Floating matrix tablets of norfloxacin were developed to prolong gastric residence time, leading to an increase in drug bioavailability. Tablets were prepared by the wet granulation technique, using polymers such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC K4M, HPMC K100M) and xanthan gum. Tablets were evaluated for their physical characteristics, viz., hardness, thickness, friability, and mass variation, drug content and floating properties. Further, tablets were studied for in vitro drug release characteristics for 9 hours. The tablets exhibited controlled and prolonged drug release profiles while floating over the dissolution medium. Non-Fickian diffusion was confirmed as the drug release mechanism from these tablets, indicating that water diffusion and polymer rearrangement played an essential role in drug release. The best formulation (F4) was selected based on in vitro characteristics and was used in vivo radiographic studies by incorporating BaSO4. These studies revealed that the tablets remained in the stomach for 180 ± 30 min in fasting human volunteers and indicated that gastric retention time was increased by the floating principle, which was considered desirable for the absorption window drugs. Razvoj i vrednovanje plutajućih tableta norfloksacina s produljenim zadržavanjem u želucu Razvijene su plutajuće tablete norfloksacina koje se produljeno zadržavaju u želucu i time povećavaju bioraspoloživost. Tablete su pripravljene metodom vlažne granulacije, koristeći hidroksipropil metilcelulozu (HPMC K4M, HPMC K100M) i ksantan gumu. Tabletama su određena fizikalna svojstva (čvrstoća, debljina, lomljivost i varijacija mase) te sadržaj ljekovite tvari i plutajuća svojstva. Nadalje, praćeno je oslobađanje ljekovite tvari in vitro tijekom 9 h. Uočeno je da je oslobađanje kontrolirano i produljeno te da tablete plutaju u ispitivanom mediju. Mehanizam oslobađanja nije slijedio Fickov zakon, što ukazuje da difuzija vode i promjene u strukturi polimera imaju bitnu ulogu u oslobađanju ljekovite tvari. Najbolja formulacija (F4) in vitro uporabljena je za izradu pripravaka barijevog sulfata za radiografska ispitivanja in vivo. Ispitivanja na volonterima koji su apstinirali od hrane pokazala su da primjena plutajućih tableta produljuje vrijeme zadržavanja u želucu na 180 ± 30 min.
Adaptive observer design for nonlinear systems with parametric uncertainties in unmeasured state dynamics

This paper presents an adaptive observer design for nonlinear systems that have parametric uncertainties in the unmeasured state dynamics. Without persistency of excitation (PE) the convergence of the state estimation error to zero is proved. Under PE conditions, uniform global asymptotic stability of the origin of the state and parameter error is shown. Furthermore, if the regressor is sufficiently smooth, uniform local asymptotic stability of the origin is proved. Two simulation examples are shown to illustrate the results.
Improved design criteria and new trellis codes for space-time coded modulation in slow flat fading channels

The design criteria for space-time codes under slow flat Rayleigh fading environments are well known to be the rank criterion and the determinant criterion. However, the derivation of these two criteria is based on the assumption that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is sufficiently high. Hence these criteria are loose when the SNR does not satisfy this assumption. In this letter, we consider this practical issue and derive tighter design criteria for moderate and low SNRs. Some new space-time trellis codes are found based on the new criteria through computer search. Simulation results show that these codes outperform existing codes under their designed SNR conditions.
Expression, Domain Structure, and Enzymatic Properties of an Active Recombinant Human DNA Topoisomerase IIβ (*)

Human cells express two genetically distinct isoforms of DNA topoisomerase II, α and β, which catalyze ATP-dependent DNA strand passage and are an important antitumor drug target. Here we report for the first time the successful overexpression of human topoisomerase IIβ in yeast by cloning a topoisomerase IIβ cDNA in a yeast shuttle vector under the control of a galactose-inducible promoter. Recombinant human topoisomerase IIβ (residues 46-1621 fused to the first 5 residues of yeast topoisomerase II) was purified to homogeneity, yielding an enzymatically active polypeptide in sufficient quantity to allow analysis of its domain structure and comparison with that of recombinant human topoisomerase IIα. Partial digestion of β with either trypsin or protease SV8 generated fragments of approximately 130, 90, 62, and 45-50 kDa, arising from cleavage at three limited and discrete regions of the protein (A, B, and C) indicating the presence of at least four structural domains. Recombinant human topoisomerase IIα and β induced DNA breakage which was promoted by a variety of agents. Isoform differences in drug-induced DNA breakage were observed. These studies of human topoisomerase IIβ in concert with α should aid the determination of their individual roles in cancer chemotherapy and should facilitate the design, targeting, and testing of cytotoxic antitumor agents.
Deformation structures in ti-rich tial polysynthetically twinned crystals

Abstract Room-temperature deformation structures in Ti-rich TiAl polysynthetically twinned crystals, which contain only a single grain with the two-phase TiAl/Ti3Al lamellar structure, have been studied for both the easy (shear parallel to the lamellar boundaries) and the hard (shear across the lamellar boundaries) types of deformation by transmission electron microscopy. For both types of deformation, numerous deformation twins of the {111}〈112] type and ordinary dislocations with b=½〈110] were observed. A few superlattice dislocations with b=½〈112] were also observed but those with b = 〈101] were hardly observed. Although these features are common to the two types of deformation, a clear difference between the two morphology of ordinary dislocations was observed. Ordinary dislocations introduced by the easy type of deformation do not align along any crystallographic directions and tend to cross-slip to form three-dimensional tangles while those introduced by the hard type of deformation tend to align al.
Evaluation of cystic renal masses: comparison of CT and MR imaging by using the Bosniak classification system.

PURPOSE To compare computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the evaluation of cystic renal masses by using the Bosniak classification system. MATERIALS AND METHODS Images of 69 renal masses in 59 patients (38 men, 21 women; mean age, 60.4 years; range, 30-86 years), who had undergone both CT and MR imaging examinations within 1 year (average, 60.5 days; range, 0-356 days), were retrospectively analyzed by two radiologists in consensus. For each lesion, images were compared for thickness of wall and septa, number of septa, and presence of enhancement. Each mass was categorized (Bosniak classification) first on CT images and then on MR images, and results were compared. Pathologic correlation was available in 25 lesions. RESULTS On CT images, there were 15 category I, 16 category II, 10 category IIF, 19 category III, and nine category IV lesions. Findings on CT and MR images were similar in 56 (81%) lesions; in 13 (19%) lesions, there were differences. In eight (12%) lesions, MR imaging depicted more septa than did CT, which resulted in an upgrade of the classification at MR imaging in two cases. In seven (10%) lesions, MR imaging depicted increased wall and/or septa thickness compared with CT, resulting in a classification upgrade in six cases. Three lesions had both increased numbers of septa and thickening of the wall and/or septa. In two (3%) lesions, enhancement characteristics at CT and MR imaging were different. One of these lesions also had an increased number of septa. Overall, MR imaging results led to a cyst classification upgrade of seven lesions, from category II to IIF (n = 2), IIF to III (n = 3), or III to IV (n = 2). Pathologic correlation in 25 lesions revealed 20 malignant and five benign lesions. CONCLUSION CT and MR imaging findings were similar in the majority of cystic renal masses. In some cases, however, MR images may depict additional septa, thickening of the wall and/or septa, or enhancement, which may lead to an upgraded Bosniak cyst classification and can affect case management.
Anomaly detection and tracking for a patrolling robot

This paper presents a mobile robot capable of repeating a manually trained route and detects any visual anomalies that were not present during the training run. A monocular panoramic vision sensor is used for both repeating the route and anomaly detection. Anomalies are detect by extracting the differences between images captured during autonomous runs and reference images captured during training runs. This enables detection of both mobile anomalies, such as an intruder, and stationary anomalies, eg. a suspicious suitcase. However, routes are not repeated exactly and small deviations from the reference route leads to differences in image appearance. Two stereo correspondence algorithms are used to mitigate this problem and a performance comparison using manually segmented ground truth is performed in this paper. Anomalous regions are subsequently tracked using a particle filter. Experiments in three different environments are presented, a cluttered robotics laboratory, a corridor, and an office environment.
Altered Glutathione Redox State in Schizophrenia

Altered antioxidant status has been reported in schizophrenia. The glutathione (GSH) redox system is important for reducing oxidative stress. GSH, a radical scavenger, is converted to oxidized glutathione (GSSG) through glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and converted back to GSH by glutathione reductase (GR). Measurements of GSH, GSSG and its related enzymatic reactions are thus important for evaluating the redox and antioxidant status. In the present study, levels of GSH, GSSG, GPx and GR were assessed in the caudate region of postmortem brains from schizophrenic patients and control subjects (with and without other psychiatric disorders). Significantly lower levels of GSH, GPx, and GR were found in schizophrenic group than in control groups without any psychiatric disorders. Concomitantly, a decreased GSH:GSSG ratio was also found in schizophrenic group. Moreover, both GSSG and GR levels were significantly and inversely correlated to age of schizophrenic patients, but not control subjects. No significant differences were found in any GSH redox measures between control subjects and individuals with other types of psychiatric disorders. There were, however, positive correlations between GSH and GPx, GSH and GR, as well as GPx and GR levels in control subjects without psychiatric disorders. These positive correlations suggest a dynamic state is kept in check during the redox coupling under normal conditions. By contrast, lack of such correlations in schizophrenia point to a disturbance of redox coupling mechanisms in the antioxidant defense system, possibly resulting from a decreased level of GSH as well as age-related decreases of GSSG and GR activities.
Quantifying the flux of CaCO3 and organic carbon from the surface ocean using in situ measurements of O2, N2, pCO2, and pH

Ocean acidification from anthropogenic CO2 has focused our attention on the importance of understanding the rates and mechanisms of CaCO3 formation so that changes can be monitored and feedbacks predicted. We present a method for determining the rate of CaCO3 production using in situ measureme nts of fCO2 and pH in surface waters of the eastern subarctic Pacific Ocean. These quantities were determined on a surface mooring every 3 h for a period of about 9 months in 2007 at Ocean Station Papa (50°N, 145°W). We use the data in a simple surface ocean, mass balance model of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and alkalinity (Alk) to constrain the CaCO3: organic carbon (OC) production ratio to be approximately 0.5. A CaCO3 production rate of 8 mmol CaCO3 m−2 d−1 in the summer of 2007 (1.2 mol m−2 yr−1) is derived by combining the CaCO3: OC ratio with the a net organic carbon production rate (2.5 mol C m−2 yr−1) determined from in situ measurements of oxygen and nitrogen gas concentrations measured on the same mooring (Emerson and Stump, 2010). Carbonate chemistry data from a meridional hydrographic section in this area in 2008 indicate that isopycnal surfaces that outcrop in the winter in the subarctic Pacific and deepen southward into the subtropics are a much stronger source for alkalinity than vertical mixing. This pathway has a high enough Alk:DIC ratio to support the CaCO3:OC production rate implied by the fCO2 and pH data.
The Allocative Cost of Price Ceilings in the U.S. Residential Market for Natural Gas

A direct consequence of restricting the price of a good for which secondary markets do not exist is that, in the presence of excess demand, the good will not be allocated to the buyers who value it the most. We demonstrate the empirical importance of this allocative cost for the U.S. residential market for natural gas, which was subject to price ceilings during 1954–89. Using a household-level, discrete-continuous model of natural gas demand, we estimate that the allocative cost in this market averaged $3.6 billion annually, nearly tripling previous estimates of the net welfare loss to U.S. consumers.
The Influence of Community Disadvantage and Masculinity Ideology on Number of Sexual Partners: A Prospective Analysis of Young Adult, Rural Black Men

Young, rural Black men are disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs), a consequence, in part, of multiple sexual partnerships. We conducted a prospective study that examined the influence of masculinity ideology on changes in numbers of sexual partners in this population. We focused on a set of high-risk attitudes termed reputational masculinity. Community disadvantage during young adulthood was examined as a risk factor for reputational masculinity ideology, and vocational commitment was examined as a potential protective factor. The sample included 505 African American men ages 19 to 22 from high-poverty rural communities. Men reported their numbers of sexual partners during the past three months, masculinity ideology, community disadvantage, and vocational commitment. Follow-up data were collected 18 months after baseline assessment. Negative binomial modeling was used to test study hypotheses. Results indicated that community disadvantage was associated with increases in reputational masculinity during early adulthood, which in turn were linked to increases in numbers of sexual partners. Vocational commitment interacted with reputational masculinity to forecast numbers of sexual partners, attenuating the influence of reputational masculinity. Reputational masculinity and promotion of engagement with the workplace may be important targets for interventions designed to reduce sexual risk behavior.