Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of Different Parameters on Flashover Propagation on a Solar Panel

This paper first presents a short review of the recent experiments performed on large test fixtures, whose aim was to evaluate the flashover (FO) propagation during an electrostatic discharge. Then, the model of plasma bubble expansion is presented and compared with the results collected during the review. We will show that the model can represent qualitatively and quantitatively most of the results. The parameters of the model are mainly the ion velocity and the backscattered electron emission yield. The other experimental parameters influencing the FO propagation will be discussed.
Detection and biological characteristic of FLT3 gene mutations in children with acute leukemia.

INTRODUCTION FLT3 ITD and D835 mutations occur in high frequency in AML and to a lower rate in ALL patients with poor prognosis. METHODS ITD and D835 mutations were studied in 100 diagnosed acute leukemia patients including 27 AML and 73 ALL with various FAB classifications by PCR and PCR-RFLP, respectively. Subsequently, PCR products of positive samples were confirmed by sequencing analyses. RESULTS ITD mutations occurred in 10% of all pediatric acute leukemia, including AML and ALL. 25.9% of AML patients harbor a mutation in the ITD in various subtypes. The frequency of ITD mutations was 4% in ALL. Various insertions of nucleotides in ITD were observed, similar to those described in the literature previously. CONCLUSION These preliminary data suggest that flt3-ITD mutations may play an important role in leukemogenesis in a proportion of children, particularly in the case of AML.
Leukocyte Counts in Relation to the Method of Delivery during the First Five Days of Life

The goal of the present study was to evaluate total and differential leukocyte counts during the first 5 days of life in relation to the method of delivery. We included 203 healthy term infants; of these, 114 were born by vaginal delivery, and 89 by elective cesarean section. Total and differential leukocyte counts were evaluated at the following intervals: 0–6, 7–12, 13–24, 25–48, 49–72, 73–96, and 97–120 h after birth. The cord serum cortisol level was measured as an indicator of the degree of delivery-related stress. Mean leukocyte and neutrophil counts were higher in infants born by vaginal delivery in cord blood and up to 12 h of life. No significant differences were observed in the immature: total neutrophil ratios between the two groups of infants. The cord serum cortisol level was higher in vaginally delivered infants. A significant correlation was found between cortisol and leukocyte, neutrophil, or lymphocyte counts. The method of delivery produces significantly different total leukocyte and neutrophil counts during the first 12 h after birth; after this time, there appears to be no more variation of leukocyte counts during the first 5 days of life.
Liver transplantation from donation after cardiac death donors: initial Belgian experience 2003–2007

The Belgian experience with donation after cardiac death (DCD) liver transplantation (LT) was retrospectively reviewed, particularly evaluating patient and graft survivals, and biliary complications. From 2003 to 2007, 58 DCD‐LT were performed in Belgium. Mean procurement total warm ischemia time was 25 ± 2 min (mean ± SEM). Mean cold ischemia time was 451 ± 18 min. Mean follow‐up was 23 ± 2.2 months. Post‐transplant peak aspartate aminotransminases was 2241 ± 338 UI/l. Patient survivals at 1 month, 1 and 3 years, were 91.3%, 83.3% and 66.9% respectively. Graft survivals at 1 month, 1 and 3 years, were 84.4%, 72.4% and 48.8% respectively. Two patients (3.4%) developed primary nonfunction. Regarding the biliary complications, seven grafts (12%) were lost because of intrahepatic cholangiopathy, and 12 other patients (20.6%) developed bile duct stenoses requiring endoscopic and/or surgical management. The rate of symptomatic ischemic biliary lesions for grafts surviving more than 3 months was 38% (19/50). Although DCD organ donors may be a source of viable liver grafts, results were inferior to those obtained with donation after brain death LT in this series. Prognostic criteria have to be developed to improve results of DCD‐LT.
Temperature enhances exocytosis efficiency at the mouse inner hair cell ribbon synapse

Hearing relies on fast and sustained neurotransmitter release from inner hair cells (IHCs) onto the afferent auditory nerve fibres. The temperature dependence of Ca2+ current and transmitter release at the IHCs ribbon synapse has not been investigated thus far. To assess the influence of temperature on calcium‐triggered exocytosis, patch‐clamp recordings of voltage‐gated L‐type Ca2+ influx and exocytic membrane capacitance changes were performed at room (25°C) and physiological (35–37°C) temperatures. An increase in temperature within this range increased the L‐type Ca2+ current amplitude of IHCs (Q10= 1.3) and accelerates the activation kinetics. Fast exocytosis, probed by 20 ms depolarization, was enhanced at physiological temperature with a Q10 of 2.1. The amplitude of fast release was elevated disproportionately to the increase in Ca2+ influx. In contrast, the rate of sustained exocytosis (exocytic rate between 20 and 100 ms of depolarization) did not show a significant increase at physiological temperature. Altogether, these data indicate that the efficiency of fast exocytosis is higher at physiological temperature than at room temperature and suggest that the number of readily releasable vesicles available at the active zone is higher at physiological temperature.
Increased interleukin-18 in gingival crevicular fluid from periodontitis patients.

INTRODUCTION This study aimed to measure the levels of interleukin-18 (IL-18) in inflamed shallow sites and inflamed deep sites in patients with periodontitis and to compare the data with results from inflamed shallow sites in patients with gingivitis. A secondary aim was to examine the composition of the subgingival microbiota in the sampled sites. METHODS Gingival crevicular fluid was collected from five gingivitis sites and five periodontitis sites from 18 patients with chronic periodontitis, and from five gingivitis sites from 15 patients with gingivitis. Samples from each site category were pooled and IL-18 levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The subgingival microbiota was analyzed by checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization. RESULTS All clinical parameters and gingival crevicular fluid volumes were higher in periodontitis sites compared with gingivitis sites from patients with periodontitis and gingivitis. The total amount of IL-18 was higher in periodontitis sites than gingivitis sites in both periodontitis (P = 0.018) and gingivitis (P = 0.002) patients and was higher in gingivitis sites from periodontitis patients than in those from gingivitis patients (P = 0.015). There were higher levels of Tannerella forsythia, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Treponema denticola (red complex species) in periodontitis sites compared with gingivitis sites in both the periodontitis and gingivitis patients (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Levels of IL-18 were higher in patients with chronic periodontitis compared with patients with gingivitis, even at sites with similar pocket depths. The presence of similar levels of red complex species in gingivitis sites from periodontitis patients and from gingivitis patients suggested that the higher levels of IL-18 were not associated with a different microbial challenge.
Psychopathology in Individuals with Post-Traumatic Headaches and Other Pain Types

In this study, the psychological functioning of patients with chronic post-traumatic headache (PTH), chronic combination headache and chronic low back pain without headache, whose time of onset was similar, and a matched group of controls was investigated. The Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R), State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Form Y (STAI-Y), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used to assess the degree of psychopathology. A MANOVA test indicated highly significant differences between groups. In general, the pain groups fell along a continuum with PTH subjects demonstrating the highest elevations, back pain subjects demonstrating the next highest elevations, and combination subjects demonstrating fewer elevations. A cluster analysis indicated that findings were best classified into four clusters, but no one pain diagnosis predominated in any cluster. Eighty-nine percent of controls were assigned to clusters 1 or 2, which revealed essentially normal scores on all tests. It is suggested that while chronic pain patients demonstrate more psychopathology than non-pain controls, a variety of coping styles exists within each pain group independent of diagnostic categorization.
Development of a Novel Noncompetitive Antagonist of IL-1 Receptor1

IL-1 is a major proinflammatory cytokine which interacts with the IL-1 receptor I (IL-1RI) complex, composed of IL-1RI and IL-1R accessory protein subunits. Currently available strategies to counter pathological IL-1 signaling rely on a recombinant IL-1 receptor antagonist, which directly competes with IL-1 for its binding site. Presently, there are no small antagonists of the IL-1RI complex. Given this void, we derived 15 peptides from loops of IL-1R accessory protein, which are putative interactive sites with the IL-1RI subunit. In this study, we substantiate the merits of one of these peptides, rytvela (we termed “101.10”), as an inhibitor of IL-1R and describe its properties consistent with those of an allosteric negative modulator. 101.10 (IC50 ≈ 1 nM) blocked human thymocyte proliferation in vitro, and demonstrated robust in vivo effects in models of hyperthermia and inflammatory bowel disease as well as topically in contact dermatitis, superior to corticosteroids and IL-1ra; 101.10 did not bind to IL-1RI deficient cells and was ineffective in vivo in IL-1RI knockout mice. Importantly, characterization of 101.10, revealed noncompetitive antagonist actions and functional selectivity by blocking certain IL-1R pathways while not affecting others. Findings describe the discovery of a potent and specific small (peptide) antagonist of IL-1RI, with properties in line with an allosteric negative modulator.
Hand Gesture Recognition Research Based on Surface EMG Sensors and 2D-accelerometers

For realizing multi-DOF interfaces in wearable computer system, accelerometers and surface EMG sensors are used synchronously to detect hand movement information for multiple hand gesture recognition. Experiments were designed to collect gesture data with both sensing techniques to compare their performance in the recognition of various wrist and finger gestures. Recognition tests were run using different subsets of information: accelerometer and sEMG data separately and combined sensor data. Experimental results show that the combination of sEMG sensors and accelerometers achieved 5-10% improvement in the recognition accuracies for hand gestures when compared to that obtained using sEMG sensors solely.
Teaching ESL Beginners Metacognitive Writing Strategies Through Multimedia Software

This case study explores how strategy-based instruction (SBI), assisted by multimedia software, can be incorporated to teach beginning-level ESL learners metacognitive writing strategies. Two beginning-level adult learners participated in a 10-session SBI on planning and organizing strategies. The Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA) was implemented with the aid of graphic organizer software. Our findings show that technology-supported SBI has brought multiple benefits for the learners. Comparisons of writings before and after SBI indicate that there is noticeable improvement in learners’ ability to generate ideas and in logical organization of their essays. Researchers’ observation notes and learners’ reflections suggest that learners’ engagement and motivation are boosted during their prewriting activities using the graphic organizer software. A close examination of the semantic maps generated from the writing software also reveals how learners practice metacognitive planning and organizing strategies for their writing. Finally, recommendations are made for future instructors and researchers investigating this topic.
Mobile data services in Finland: usage of networks, devices, applications and content

Importance of mobile data services is increasing but factual information on their usage is limited. This paper analyses the usage of mobile data services in Finland. The use of multiple data sources gives complementary viewpoints to the evolution and usage of the services and the underlying technical components: networks, devices, applications and content. The analysis is descriptive by nature and presents detailed information about the past market evolution, current market situation and trends. The results indicate that the technical components enabling mobile data service usage are spreading. On the basis of the study, a number of mobile data market metrics are suggested.
Strong mixed-handedness in schizophrenia

There is still considerable discussion of whether schizophrenia is a lateralized brain disorder. In fact, schizophrenic patients appear to exhibit a shift away from dexterity, as confirmed by the majority of the 23 publications dealing with this question (14 positive, seven null, two paradoxical). However, quite a few of these positive studies have distinguished between left-handedness and mixed-handedness (MH), thus lacking specificity. Whereas prior studies failed to specify schizophrenic MH, we could observe a significant relationship between strong MH and schizophrenia in male patients in a relatively small group due to sex differentiation and accurate application of Annett's hand preference questionnaire.
Primary lymphoma of the thyroid: a clinical, histological and immunohistochemical study of 20 cases

Twenty cases of malignant lymphoma arising in the thyroid gland were studied clinically, histologically and immunohistochemically. Nineteen cases were non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (15 diffuse and four follicular lymphoma) and one was a plasmacytoma. Immunohistochemical analysis of the lymphomas using paraffin‐embedded sections disclosed that 17 lymphomas were B‐cell type and two were T‐cell type. The plasmacytoma was of IgG kappa type. The large majority of the lymphomas were associated with an underlying chronic thyroiditis. The 5‐year survival rate of the patients was 70%. An unfavourable diagnosis was more likely when the tumour was diffuse rather than follicular, when it was of diffuse large cell type or of immunoblastic type and when there was cervical lymph node involvement.
The paradox of financial fire sales and the role of arbitrage capital

Why do fire sales happen for financial assets, even when there are well-capitalized investors somewhere in the economy? We propose a theory of financial fire sales based on a noisy rational expectations equilibrium framework with endogenous adverse selection. When informed market participants are liquidity-constrained due to market-wide shocks, prices become less informative. This creates an adverse selection problem, decreasing the supply of high-quality assets. This “lemons” problem makes well-capitalized uninformed market participants unwilling to absorb the supply, thereby freezing the market. Our results shed light on the paradoxical nature of fire sales in which capital seems to move out of the market precisely when it appears likely to earn higher returns.
Distribution and pharmacokinetics of double-radiolabeled endotoxin in the rat brain and peripheral organs

The endotoxin, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), of Salmonella typhimurium was biosynthetically labeled with 3H and 14C incorporated into the fatty acyl chains and glucosamine residues, respectively. The radio-labeled LPS was isolated from the bacteria and then injected into Sprague-Dawley rats. The distribution of 14C and 3H-LPS in plasma and other organs was determined following intraperitoneal (IP) doses of 14C and 3H-LPS (200 μg/kg). Plasma concentrations of both fatty acyl chains and glucosamine residues were biphasic, with a relatively rapid decay followed by a slow decline for 48 h. Similar biphasic results were found in the peripheral organs (kidney and heart) and brain barrier tissues (meninges and choroid plexus). In other brain tissues (brain stem, caudate nucleus, hypothalamus, frontal cortex, cerebellum and hippocampus), the glucosamine residue was biphasic, whereas the fatty acyl chains showed accumulation. Highest concentrations of LPS were found in the plasma, spleen and the liver. In addition, in the liver, sustained elevations of 14C-glucosamine and 3H-fatty acyl chains were observed. This indicates LPS accumulation in the liver. By contrast, the spleen showed biphasic decay of glucosamine residues and accumulation of fatty acyl chains. In the brain barrier tissues, peak LPS concentrations were significantly reduced (about 70%) and were further reduced (about 95%) in other brain tissues. The high elevation of LPS in the spleen is considered indicative of an immune response. Our findings highlight the potential significant role of lipid A as shown with the sustained elevation of 3H-fatty acyl chains in the brain.
A CO2 Emissions Accounting Framework with Market-based Incentives for Cloud Infrastructures

CO2 emissions related to Cloud computing reach nowadays worrying levels, without any reduction in sight. Often, Cloud users, asking for virtual machines, are not aware of such emissions which concern the entire Cloud infrastructures and are thus difficult to split into the actual resources utilization, such as virtual machines. We propose a CO2 emissions accounting framework giving flexibility to the Cloud providers, predictability to the users and allocating all the carbon costs to the users. This paper shows the architecture of our accounting framework and ideas on how to practically implement it.
Depletion of Regulatory T Cells in HIV Infection Is Associated with Immune Activation1

Immune activation during chronic HIV infection is a strong clinical predictor of death and may mediate CD4+ T cell depletion. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are CD4+CD25brightCD62Lhigh cells that actively down-regulate immune responses. We asked whether loss of Tregs during HIV infection mediates immune activation in a cross-sectional study of 81 HIV-positive Ugandan volunteers. We found that Treg number is strongly correlated with both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell activation. In multivariate modeling, this relationship between Treg depletion and CD4+ T cell activation was stronger than any other clinical factor examined, including viral load and absolute CD4 count. Tregs appear to decline at different rates compared with other CD4+ T cells, resulting in an increased regulator to helper ratio in many patients with advanced disease. We hypothesize that this skewing may contribute to T cell effector dysfunction. Our findings suggest Tregs are a major contributor to the immune activation observed during chronic HIV infection.
Rickettsial Infections and Q Fever Amongst Febrile Patients in Bhutan

There is limited evidence of rickettsial diseases in Bhutan. We explored the contribution of rickettsioses as a cause of undifferentiated febrile illness in patients presenting to 14 Bhutanese hospitals from October 2014 to June 2015. Obvious causes of fever were excluded clinically. Clinico-demographic information and acute blood samples were collected. Samples were tested by immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and qPCR against scrub typhus group (STG), spotted fever group (SFG) and typhus group (TG) rickettsiae, and Q fever (QF). Of the 1044 patients, 539 (51.6%) were female and the mean age was 31.5 years. At least 159 (15.2%) of the patients had evidence of a concurrent rickettsial infection. Of these, 70 (6.7%), 46 (4.4%), 4 (0.4%), and 29 (2.8%) were diagnosed as acute infections with STG, SFG, TG, and QF respectively. Ten (1.0%) patients were seropositive for both SFG and TG. Seven of the 70 STG patients were positive by qPCR. Eschar (p < 0.001), myalgia (p = 0.003), and lymphadenopathy (p = 0.049) were significantly associated with STG, but no specific symptoms were associated with the other infections. Disease incidences were not different between age groups, genders, occupations, and districts, except for students with significantly lower odds of infection with STG (OR = 0.43; 95% CI = 0.20, 0.93; p = 0.031). Rickettsioses were responsible for at least 15% of undifferentiated febrile illnesses in Bhutan, scrub typhus being the commonest. Health authorities should ensure that health services are equipped to manage these infections.
Human papillomaviruses of skin and genital lesions

Around 5% of all cancer cases worldwide are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) which has been established as the cause of cervical cancer and genital warts (condylomas). Cutaneous HPV types have been weakly associated with non-melanoma skin lesions such as squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and actinic keratosis (AK). We have analyzed skin and genital lesions for presence of HPV-DNA in order to search for unknown and known HPV types. As an attempt to identify women at risk for development of high-grade cervical lesions, HPV E6/E7 mRNA expression was analyzed among women with minor cervical abnormalities. Metagenomic sequencing identified 15 known HPV types, four previously known HPV types and two novel putative types in cutaneous lesions (n=369) and swabs from top of the lesions (n=142) (SCC, AK and keratoacanthoma). The prevalence and viral load of characterized HPV155 and SE46 HPV-isolate was investigated in patients with different cutaneous lesions. HPV155 and SE46 were both found in 2% of patients. HPV178 was characterized from a swab of normal skin next to an actinic keratosis. A baseline of 36 different HPV types of the alphapapillomavirus genus in 93.9% of condyloma swab samples before HPV vaccination was established. Extended testing among subjects initially negative for HPV (n=50), found 21 patients with cutaneous types of HPV, including novel HPV153. After metagenomic sequencing (n=40) of HPV-negative condylomas, we detected four different HPV types of the alphapapillomavirus genus but also six known HPV types, three previously described putative HPV types and 22 novel putative types of the beta and gammapapillomavirus genera. Novel HPV175 and HPV180 were isolated from the condyloma. HPV153, 175 and 180 are all gamma types. In the study of high-risk HPV mRNA expression of HPV-DNA positive minor cytological abnormalities (ASCUS; atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance, n=211, and CIN1; cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1, n=131) we observed a high sensitivity (97.2%) but low specificity (10.2%) for detecting future high grade cervical lesions (CIN2+). Presence of HPV E6/E7 mRNA was associated with future development of CIN2+ among high-risk HPV DNA positive women with ASCUS and CIN1. The absence of HPV mRNA demonstrated a tendency for protection against future development of CIN3.