Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vector wave equation 2-D-FDTD method for guided wave problems

A compact FDTD algorithm for the full wave analysis of inhomogeneous wave guiding structures, using a two dimensional mesh is proposed. The formulation is based on the vector wave equation, and in contrast with previous approaches, allows for the formulation of the algorithm in a real domain only. Moreover, since only transverse electric fields are used, two real, instead of six complex components have to be updated and stored, and since they are both defined at the same mesh nodes, the treatment of dielectric inhomogeneities is simplified. Numerical examples validating the method are presented. <<ETX>>
Direct comparison of standard and insulin modified protocols for minimal model estimation of insulin sensitivity in normal subjects.

Estimates of in vivo insulin sensitivity (S1) can be derived from minimal model analysis of a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIVGTT). Modification of the FSIVGTT by administration of tolbutamide improves the correlation between S1 and more traditional glucose clamp measurements. Recently, a modified FSIVGTT using insulin infusion (instead of tolbutamide) has been described. This modification may be useful for studying subjects with poor insulin secretion. We directly compare the standard FSIVGTT with the insulin modified FSIVGTT in ten normal subjects (age 29 +/- 2 yr, BMI 22.5 +/- 1.2 kg/m2). Each subject received both tests. The order of the studies was randomized and the interval between paired studies was approximately one week. After an overnight fast, glucose (0.3 g/kg) was infused from time 0 to 2 min. For the modified FSIVGTT, insulin (4 mUkg-1.min-1) was infused from time 20 to 25 min. None of the subjects became hypoglycaemic after insulin infusion. Paired t-test analysis did not reveal significant differences between the two protocols for any of the minimal model parameters. The standard FSIVGTT gave estimates for S1 of 5.63 +/- 1.32 x 10(-4) min-1 per microU/ml while the insulin modified FSIVGTT gave estimates for S1 of 5.11 +/- 0.83 x 10(-4) min-1 per microU/ml. However, the fractional standard deviation for S1 was significantly smaller with the insulin modified protocol (3.6 +/- 1.0 vs. 22.2 +/- 9.0, p < 0.037). Thus, under our experimental conditions, insulin infusion during FSIVGTT appears to improve the precision of minimal model estimation of S1 in normal subjects.
Thoracic Sarcoidosis: Imaging with High Resolution Computed Tomography.

INTRODUCTION Sarcoidosis is a disease of unknown aetiology that primarily affects the lungs. Clinical and radiological findings with demonstration of non caseating granulomas on pathology is utilised for diagnosing the disease. AIM To assess and evaluate the features of thoracic sarcoidosis on High Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) chest. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 40 (31 males and 9 females) cases of pulmonary sarcoidosis in a period of three years were included in this study. Patients underwent detailed clinical evaluation, imaging, Pulmonary Function Tests (PFT) and pathological confirmation of disease. Chest radiograph was obtained in all patients. HRCT was done on 16 slice Computed Tomography (CT) using 1 mm slice thickness and high spatial frequency algorithm for image re-construction. Images were viewed and evaluated using appropriate lung and mediastinal windows. The lymph nodes were classified as hilar and mediastinal with Maximum Short Axis Diameter (MSAD) more than 10 mm taken as cut-off for enlargement. Pulmonary opacities were classified as nodules (micronodules 1-4 mm and macronodules >5 mm), reticular opacities, fibrotic lesions, ground glass opacities and consolidations. Nodule distribution classified as perilymphatic centrilobular and random. Repeat scanning done on follow up or as clinically indicated. RESULTS A total of five patients had Stage I disease, 24 patients had Stage II disease, eight patients had Stage III disease and three patients had stage IV disease. Mediastinal lymphdenopathy present in 29 patients. Bilateral hilar adenopathy was the predominant pattern seen in 22 patients. Lung parenchymal lesions excluding end stage disease noted in 32 patients. The characteristic HRCT lung parenchymal involvement of micronodules with a perilymphatic distribution was seen in 26 patients. HRCT features of predominant upper and middle lobe distribution seen in majority of patients. Documented atypical lesions and the characteristic features of end stage lung disease on HRCT noted in a small subset of patients. HRCT was superior to chest radiography for evaluating the features, pattern and distribution of the parenchymal lesions and mediastinal lymph nodes, for assessing the stage and activity of the disease and in aiding detection of subtle parenchymal lesions which are liable to be missed on conventional imaging. CONCLUSION Thoracic sarcoidosis can have varied presentations. HRCT is superior to conventional CT for the detection and characterisation of the lung parenchymal lesions.
On spectra, and the negative solution of the decision problem for identities having a finite nontrivial model

An algorithm has been described by S. Burris [3] which decides if a finite set of identities, whose function symbols are of rank at most 1, has a finite, nontrivial model. (By “nontrivial” it is meant that the universe of the model has at least two elements.) As a consequence of some results announced in the abstracts [2] and [8], it is clear that if the restriction on the ranks of function symbols is relaxed somewhat, then this finite model problem is no longer solvable by an algorithm, or at least not by a “recursive algorithm” as the term is used today. In this paper we prove a sharp form of this negative result; showing, by the way, that Burris' result is in a sense the best possible result in the positive direction. Our main result is that in a first order language whose only function or relation symbol is a 2-place function symbol (the language of groupoids), the set of identities that have no nontrivial model, is recursively inseparable from the set of identities such that the sentence has a finite model. As a corollary, we have that each of the following problems, restricted to sentences defined in the language of groupoids, is algorithmically unsolvable: (1) to decide if an identity has a finite nontrivial model; (2) to decide if an identity has a nontrivial model; (3) to decide if a universal sentence has a finite model; (4) to decide if a universal sentence has a model. We note that the undecidability of (2) was proved earlier by McNulty [13, Theorem 3.6(i)], improving results obtained by Murskiǐ [14] and by Perkins [17]. The other parts of the corollary seem to be new.
The use of clozapine in a mentally retarded and aggressive population.

BACKGROUND Clozapine has proven efficacy in the management of treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Additional use in patients with mood and schizoaffective disorders, Parkinson's disease with psychosis, and brain injury has been reported. Preclinical data have suggested its possible utility in treating self-injurious behavior in patients with mental retardation. METHOD The use of clozapine in six patients with moderate-to-profound mental retardation is described. The issue of diagnosing psychosis in such individuals and its impact on choice of pharmacotherapy is considered. RESULTS Clozapine in these individuals may have led to a significant reduction in aggression, self-injurious behavior, and psychotic symptoms. Side effects were minimal and similar to those seen in the schizophrenic population. CONCLUSION These case reports illustrate that clozapine may be useful and well tolerated in the treatment of aggression in patients with moderate-to-profound mental retardation.
Tensile properties of low-melting point Sn-Bi-Sb solder

Tensile properties of Sn-57.5Bi-0.5Sb (mass%) lead-free solder were investigated with miniature size specimens and the results were compared to those of Sn-58Bi (mass%) and Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu (mass%). At 25°C, tensile properties of Sn-57.5Bi-0.5Sb are similar to those of Sn-58Bi. At high temperatures, tensile strength and 0.1% proof stress of Sn-57.5Bi-0.5Sb becomes to be lower than those of Sn-58Bi and Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu. On the other hand, elongation of Sn-57.5Bi-0.5Sb is somewhat superior to that of Sn-58Bi and much higher than that of Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu at high temperatures. Characteristic change of them can be explained by the refinement of micro structure due to the addition of a small amount of Sb to Sn-Bi solder.
Incremental Value of 131I SPECT/CT in the Management of Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma

131I whole-body scintigraphy (WBS) is a highly sensitive method for the detection of differentiated thyroid tumors and metastases. However, a lack of anatomic landmarks and the physiologic accumulation of the tracer complicate interpretation of the images. This prospective study was designed to evaluate the incremental value of 131I SPECT/CT over planar WBS in the management of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). Methods: Planar imaging was performed on 66 consecutive DTC patients who were considered to have locally advanced or metastatic disease after total or nearly total thyroidectomy. SPECT/CT was added for patients whose planar findings were inconclusive. The planar images were interpreted by 2 experienced nuclear medicine physicians. Interpretation of the SPECT/CT images was a consensus opinion of one of the nuclear medicine physicians and an experienced radiologist. Fusion images were considered to improve image interpretation when they better localized sites of increased 131I uptake. The final diagnosis was verified by pathologic findings, other imaging modalities, and clinical follow-up. Both site-based and patient-based analyses were performed, and the impact of SPECT/CT results on therapeutic strategy was assessed. Results: A total of 232 foci were observed by 131I WBS, including 33.2% of foci localized in the thyroid bed, 62.1% due to malignant lesions, and 4.7% caused by nonthyroidal physiologic or benign uptake or a contaminant. Overall, 37 SPECT/CT studies were performed on 23 patients, whose planar images showed 81 inconclusive lesions. Precise localization and characterization of 131I-avid foci were achieved through 131I SPECT/CT in 69 (85.2%) and 67 (82.7%) of the 81 foci, respectively. Fusion images were considered to be of benefit in 17 (73.9%) of 23 patients. The therapeutic strategy was changed in 8 (47.1%) of 17 patients. Uncommon metastatic lesions were found in 9 (13.6%) of 66 patients with regard to SPECT/CT fusion images. Conclusion: Fusion of SPECT and CT images was of incremental value over WBS in increasing diagnostic accuracy, reducing pitfalls, and modifying therapeutic strategies in 73.9% of DTC patients. As SPECT/CT techniques emerge, 131I SPECT/CT may demonstrate higher value than WBS in the management of DTC.
Crafting effective tobacco counteradvertisements: lessons from a failed campaign directed at teenagers.

Focus group research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office on Smoking and Health suggested that the desire of teenagers to gain control over their lives would make them responsive to a counteradvertising strategy aimed at exposing the predatory marketing techniques of the tobacco industry. On the basis of this strategy, the office developed draft print advertisements and a rough TV commercial featuring such theme lines as "You get an image. They get an addict. " In those ads, "they" referred to cigarette companies. Subsequent testing of the campaign materials, however, indicated that the subtle, sophisticated execution of this concept of manipulation by the industry did not communicate clearly and effectively to an audience of young teens. In fact, 38 percent of those who viewed the rough TV spot believed that the main message promoted smoking. These negative test findings underscore the critical need for ongoing audience research throughout the creative process to ensure that campaign planners stay "in tune" with their consumers.
‘If your husband doesn't humiliate you, other people won't’: Gendered attitudes towards sexual violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

More than a decade of fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has resulted in extensive human rights abuses, of which sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is one of the most salient and disturbing features. This paper uses qualitative data, based on 10 focus groups with 86 women and men to better understand gendered community perspectives on SGBV and its consequences in South Kivu. We conclude that for many survivors, rape has consequences far beyond the physiological and psychological trauma associated with the attack. Respondents say sexual violence has become a societal phenomenon, in which the community isolation and shame experienced as a result of the attack become as important as concerns about the attack itself. Male focus group participants explain their own feelings of shame and anger associated with knowing their female relatives were raped. These findings highlight the complexity of community reintegration for survivors and identify a number of programmatic and policy implications, such as the need for counselling for survivors of sexual violence with their families as well as individually; the importance of income-generating training; and the need for improved justice mechanisms to bring perpetrators to justice.
[Effects of Jing'an Oral Liquid on the central neurotransmitter of multiple tics children].

OBJECTIVE To study the effects of Jing'an Oral Liquid (JOL) on the central neurotransmitters of multiple tics (MT) children. METHODS Sixty MT children patients were randomly assigned to the treatment group and the control group, 30 cases in each group. Another 30 healthy children were recruited as the health group. JOL and Tiapride Tablet (TT) was respectively given to patients in the treatment group and the control group. The treatment course was 2 months. The levels of central neurotransmitters [dopamine (DA), homovanillic acid (HVA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), norepinephrine (NE), glutamic acid (GLU), aspartate (ASP), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)] were measured using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) before and after treatment, and compared with the health group. RESULTS Compared with the health group, the levels of 5-HT, HVA, GLU, and ASP significantly increased in the treatment group and the control group before treatment (P < 0.05), GABA significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Compared with before treatment in the same group, the levels 5-HT, HVA, and GLU significantly decreased in the treatment group (P < 0.05), while the levels of NE and GABA significantly increased (P < 0.05). The levels of DA, 5-HT, GLU, and ASP significantly decreased, while the levels of NE ang GABA significantly increased in the control group, showing statistical difference (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in each index between the treatment group and the control group before and after treatment (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS (1) The imbalance of a variety of monoamines and amino acid neurotransmitters can lead to MT, especially in the changes of 5-HT, HVA, GLU, ASP, and GABA. (2) JOL can significantly reduce the levels of 5-HT, HVA, and GLU, and significantly increase the levels of NE and GABA, which might be its pharmacodynamic mechanisms for treating MT.
Sipa1l3/SPAR3 is targeted to postsynaptic specializations and interacts with the Fezzin ProSAPiP1/Lzts3

Rap GTPase‐activating proteins (RapGAPs) are essential for synaptic function as they tightly regulate synaptic Rap signaling. Among the most abundant synaptic RapGAPs in brain are the Spine‐associated RapGAPs (SPARs) Sipa1l1/SPAR and Sipa1l2/SPAR2, whereas nothing has been reported on Sipa1l3/SPAR3. In this study, we show that Sipa1l3/SPAR3 is conserved across species, has a distinct expression pattern in the developing rat brain and is localized at excitatory postsynapses. We further demonstrate that the Sipa1l3/SPAR3 C‐terminus is required for postsynaptic targeting and represents an interaction module for Fezzins such as ProSAPiP1/Lzts3, a binding partner of the postsynaptic scaffold protein Shank3. Taken together, our data imply that Sipa1l3/SPAR3 is a hitherto unknown synaptic RapGAP, which is targeted to postsynaptic specializations and interacts with Fezzins.
Serum Antioxidant Status in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rat

To determine whether decrease in serum antioxidants contributes to the increased oxidative stress, we measured the antioxidant activity (AOA), total peroxyl radical-trapping antioxidant parameter (TRAP), and their component individual antioxidants in the serum of diabetic rats. AOA was assayed as the ability of serum to inhibit lipid autoxidation in brain homogenates. TRAP was assayed as the ability to delay lipid peroxidation induced by an azo initiator. Antioxidants measured were ceruloplasmin, unsaturated iron binding capacity (UIBC) and albumin as components of AOA; and uric acid, protein sulfhydryl and alpha-tocopherol as components of TRAP. AOA was decreased markedly in the diabetics due to the decrease in ceruloplasmin, UIBC and albumin. On the other hand, the directly measured TRAP in the diabetics was unaltered. Uric acid and alpha-tocopherol were increased in the diabetics. However, decrease in unidentified scavengers offset the increase brought about by those antioxidants These results suggest that the decreased metal binding capacity contributes to the increased oxidative stress in the diabetic rats.
Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software

"This book is about the mystery of why the whole is sometimes smarter than the sum of its parts. "Emergence is what happens when an interconnected system of relatively simple elements self-organizes to form more intelligent, more adaptive higher-level behavior. It's a bottom-up model; rather than being engineered by a general or a master planner, emergence begins at the ground level. Systems that at first glance seem vastly different -- ant colonies, human brains, cities, immune systems -- all turn out to follow the rules of emergence. In each of these systems, agents residing on one scale start producing behavior that lies a scale above them: ants create colonies, urbanites create neighborhoods.In the tradition of "Being Digital and "The Tipping Point, Steven Johnson, acclaimed as a "cultural critic with a poet's heart" ("The Village Voice), takes readers on an eye-opening intellectual journey from the discovery of emergence to its applications. He introduces us to our everyday surroundings, offering suprising examples of feedback, self-organization, and adaptive learning. How does a lively neighborhood evolve out of a disconnected association of shopkeepers, bartenders, and real estate developers? How does a media event take on a life of its own? How will new software programs create an intelligent World Wide Web? Drawing upon evolutionary theory, urban studies, neuroscience, and computer games, "Emergence is a guidebook to one of the key components of twenty-first-century culture. Until recently, Johnson explains, the disparate philosophers of emergence have worked to interpret the world. But today they are starting to change it. This book is the riveting story of thatchange and what it means for the future. If you've searched for information on the Web, played a recent video game, or accepted a collect call using voice recognition software, you've already encountered the new world of artificial emergence. Provocative, engaging, and sophisticated, "Emergence puts you on the front lines of a sweeping revolution in science and thought.
Effect of the bubonic plague epidemic on inbreeding in 14th century Britain

The purpose of the study reported here was to further investigate a new method of estimating inbreeding in large, relatively isolated populations over historic times, as reported by Pattison (1999, 2001). The method is based on modeling the genealogical “paradox” and produces values of Pearl's coefficients of inbreeding as a function of time for any given population curve. In particular, this study demonstrates that the new method of estimating inbreeding may be used to examine the effect of unusual features in population curves on levels of inbreeding in that population. As an example, the medieval population “bump” that spans the 13th and 14th centuries in the population of Britain, which terminated abruptly with the outbreak of bubonic plague in 1348 AD, is examined. It is first assumed that the whole population was the adult (breeding) population, corresponding to minimum inbreeding. For this case it is found that, for distant generations, about 90% of the whole population occurs in any present‐day British pedigree. This value compares favorably with the values of 85% and 80% reported by Wachter (1980) and Derrida et al. (1999, 2000), respectively. The population bump causes the curves for Pearl's coefficient, for minimum inbreeding, to have a plateau of about 96% over the period from about 1220 AD to 1380 AD. The effect of introducing a single known estimate of inbreeding into the model is to produce a more realistic situation where the adult (breeding) population is considerably less than the whole population. It is found that the maximum number of different ancestors in any generation, in the average British pedigree, is about 22,900 individuals and occurs about 1220 AD. More importantly, and possibly contrary to expectation, it is now found that the population bump had virtually no effect on the level of inbreeding. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 15:101–111, 2003. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Control of Human PIRH2 Protein Stability

Murine PIRH2 (mPIRH2) was recently identified as a RING finger-containing ubiquitin-protein isopeptide ligase that interacts with both p53 and the human androgen receptor. mpirh2 is a p53-responsive gene that is up-regulated by UV, and mPIRH2 protein has the capacity to polyubiquitylate p53, perhaps leading to p53 destruction. mpirh2 therefore has properties similar to those of the oncogene mdm2. Here, we have identified human PIRH2 (hPIRH2) as a TIP60-interacting protein. To investigate its regulation, we characterized hPIRH2 in parallel with hPIRH2 variants possessing mutations of conserved RING finger residues. We observed that wild-type hPIRH2 is an unstable protein with a short half-life and is a target for RING domain-dependent proteasomal degradation. Accordingly, we found that hPIRH2 was ubiquitylated in cells. The TIP60-hPIRH2 association appeared to regulate hPIRH2 stability; coexpression of TIP60 enhanced hPIRH2 protein stability and altered hPIRH2 subcellular localization. These results suggest that hPIRH2 activities can be controlled, at the post-translational level, in multiple ways.