Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A VLSI neural processor for image data compression using self-organization networks

An adaptive electronic neural network processor has been developed for high-speed image compression based on a frequency-sensitive self-organization algorithm. The performance of this self-organization network and that of a conventional algorithm for vector quantization are compared. The proposed method is quite efficient and can achieve near-optimal results. The neural network processor includes a pipelined codebook generator and a paralleled vector quantizer, which obtains a time complexity O(1) for each quantization vector. A mixed-signal design technique with analog circuitry to perform neural computation and digital circuitry to process multiple-bit address information are used. A prototype chip for a 25-D adaptive vector quantizer of 64 code words was designed, fabricated, and tested. It occupies a silicon area of 4.6 mmx6.8 mm in a 2.0 mum scalable CMOS technology and provides a computing capability as high as 3.2 billion connections/s. The experimental results for the chip and the winner-take-all circuit test structure are presented.
From Schism to Continuum? The Problematic Relationship Between Expert and Lay Knowledge—An Exploratory Conceptual Synthesis of Two Qualitative Studies

Ideas about lay and expert knowledge increasingly underscore debates within qualitative health research. In this article, the authors develop an exploratory synthesis of two qualitative studies in which they critique the lay-expert divide, suggesting instead a spectrum of knowledge(s) about health and scientific issues. In the original studies, the researchers examined food risks and alternative medicine, and they shared an interest in the lay-expert knowledge relationship. Reinterpreting each study in the light of the other led to greater conceptual development. Three mutual themes emerged and are presented with discussion of their contribution to wider theoretical debates. This worked example indicates that researchers can achieve valuable additional conceptual development through the cross-fertilization of ideas across qualitative studies united not by common health topics but by shared conceptual concerns.
Anti‐inflammatory actions of an N‐terminal peptide from human lipocortin 1

An acetylated polypeptide corresponding to residues 2–26 of human lipocortin 1 was synthesized and the anti‐inflammatory activity assessed in three models of acute inflammation in rat and mouse. In the carrageenin rat paw oedema test, the peptide produced a maximal inhibition of approximately 41% at the 3 h time point with a 10 μg dose. When rat paw oedema was induced by the injection of venom phospholipase A2, the peptide produced a significant inhibition (31%) at the top dose of 20 μg per paw. In the mouse air‐pouch model, systemic treatment with the peptide produced a dramatic reduction in cytokine‐induced leukocyte migration with an ID50 of approximately 40 μg per mouse. The N‐terminal peptide 2–26 shares the actions of lipocortin 1 in these acute models of inflammation.
Effort-Reward Imbalance and Heavy Alcohol Consumption Among Humanitarian Aid Workers.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the study was to explore the prevalence of heavy alcohol consumption and its association with stress-related working conditions-defined in terms of effort-reward imbalance (ERI)-among a large sample of humanitarian aid workers operating across four continents. Research has shown employee alcohol consumption has potential detrimental implications for health and work outcomes and is associated with exposure to work stressors. Research to identify links between stressful aspects of work and heavy alcohol consumption among humanitarian aid workers could usefully inform the design of sector-specific interventions concerned with the reduction of alcohol consumption. METHOD Questionnaire data were obtained from 1,063 women and 917 men working in an international humanitarian agency. Logistic regression analyses were conducted separately for men and women (with different cutoff points to identify heavy drinking) to investigate the relationship between ERI and the risk of heavy alcohol consumption while controlling for a host of sociodemographic and occupational variables. RESULTS The prevalence of heavy alcohol consumption among women (18%) was higher than the corresponding rate for men (10%). Results lent support for the effort-reward perspective among women only: intermediate and high ERI in women was associated with a tripling of risk for heavy alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS Interventions to reduce ERI among female humanitarian aid workers might help to reduce heavy drinking within this population.
Low-Income Elderly Homeowners in Very Old Dwellings: The Need for Public Policy Debate

ABSTRACT This paper assesses whether the usually favorable depictions of older homeowners in the United States can be generalized to those who have extremely low incomes and occupy the oldest housing stock. Theoretical treatments and past empirical research findings offer a strong rationale for distinguishing this subgroup of older households. Analyzing 1999 American Housing Survey data, this paper finds that poor older homeowners in very old dwellings are more likely to be demographically disadvantaged and to occupy physically deficient dwellings. The paper calls for public debate on the comparative benefits and costs of governmental programs that help these vulnerable older persons to age in place as opposed to offering them alternative affordable housing options.
Dynamic Coupling and Allosteric Networks in the α Subunit of Heterotrimeric G Proteins*

G protein α subunits cycle between active and inactive conformations to regulate a multitude of intracellular signaling cascades. Important structural transitions occurring during this cycle have been characterized from extensive crystallographic studies. However, the link between observed conformations and the allosteric regulation of binding events at distal sites critical for signaling through G proteins remain unclear. Here we describe molecular dynamics simulations, bioinformatics analysis, and experimental mutagenesis that identifies residues involved in mediating the allosteric coupling of receptor, nucleotide, and helical domain interfaces of Gαi. Most notably, we predict and characterize novel allosteric decoupling mutants, which display enhanced helical domain opening, increased rates of nucleotide exchange, and constitutive activity in the absence of receptor activation. Collectively, our results provide a framework for explaining how binding events and mutations can alter internal dynamic couplings critical for G protein function.
alivary cortisol and pathogen disgust predict men ’ s preferences for feminine hape cues in women ’ s faces enedict

Recent studies suggest that individuals who are particularly concerned about infectious diseases show stronger preferences for exaggerated sex-typical characteristics in potential mates’ faces. However, these studies have generally investigated individual differences in women’s mate preferences and relied on questionnaires to assess disease-related concerns. Here we show that men’s scores on the pathogen disgust subscale of the Three Domains of Disgust Scale are positively correlated with their preferences
A multi-analyte assay for the noninvasive detection of bladder cancer.

306 Background: Accurate urinary assays for bladder cancer (BCa) detection would benefit both patients and healthcare systems. Through genomic and proteomic profiling of urine components, we have previously identified a panel of biomarkers that can outperform current urine-based biomarkers for the non-invasive detection of BCa. Herein, we report the diagnostic utility of various multivariate combinations of these biomarkers. METHODS We performed a case-controlled validation study in which voided urines from 550 patients (220 tumor bearing subjects) were analyzed. The urinary concentrations of 14 biomarkers (IL-8, MMP-9,MMP-10, SDC1,CCL18, PAI-1, CD44, VEGF, ANG, CA9,A1AT, OPN, PTX3, and APOE) were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Diagnostic performance of each biomarker and multivariate models were compared using receiver operating characteristic curves and the chi-square test. RESULTS An 3-biomarker model (CA9, PAI-1 and IL-8) achieved the most accurate BCa diagnosis (sensitivity 90%, specificity 88%). These data show that a multivariate urine-based assay can markedly improve the accuracy of non-invasive BCa detection. CONCLUSIONS Further validation studies are under way to investigate the clinical utility of this panel of biomarkers for BCa diagnosis and disease monitoring.
Oxygen cost and energy expenditure of running in trained runners.

The oxygen cost and energy expenditure of submaximal treadmill running was evaluated in 9 male distance runners. The oxygen consumption--running speed relationship was highly significant (r = .917) and linear over the entire aerobic range. The caloric cost of 0.97 Kcal/kg/k was in close agreement with values found in the literature and was independent of running speed. The caloric cost per unit distance and time increased with acceleration in running speed. The slope of the regression line of oxygen consumption on running speed appear to measure a different component of efficiency than the fractional utilization coefficient of aerobic capacity. There is apparently a wide variation in the oxygen cost of running in trained runners.
MicroRNA319-regulated TCPs interact with FBHs and PFT1 to activate CO transcription and control flowering time in Arabidopsis

The transcription factor CONSTANS (CO) is a central component that promotes Arabidopsis flowering under long-day conditions (LDs). Here, we show that the microRNA319-regulated TEOSINTE BRANCHED/CYCLOIDEA/PCF (TCP) transcription factors promote photoperiodic flowering through binding to the CO promoter and activating its transcription. Meanwhile, these TCPs directly interact with the flowering activators FLOWERING BHLH (FBHs), but not the flowering repressors CYCLING DOF FACTORs (CDFs), to additively activate CO expression. Furthermore, both the TCPs and FBHs physically interact with the flowering time regulator PHYTOCHROME AND FLOWERING TIME 1 (PFT1) to facilitate CO transcription. Our findings provide evidence that a set of transcriptional activators act directly and additively at the CO promoter to promote CO transcription, and establish a molecular mechanism underlying the regulation of photoperiodic flowering time in Arabidopsis.
Characteristics of the Freshwater Cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa Grown in Iron-Limited Continuous Culture

ABSTRACT A continuous culturing system (chemostat) made of metal-free materials was successfully developed and used to maintain Fe-limited cultures of Microcystis aeruginosa PCC7806 at nanomolar iron (Fe) concentrations (20 to 50 nM total Fe). EDTA was used to maintain Fe in solution, with bioavailable Fe controlled by absorption of light by the ferric EDTA complex and resultant reduction of Fe(III) to Fe(II). A kinetic model describing Fe transformations and biological uptake was applied to determine the biologically available form of Fe (i.e., unchelated ferrous iron) that is produced by photoreductive dissociation of the ferric EDTA complex. Prediction by chemostat theory modified to account for the light-mediated formation of bioavailable Fe rather than total Fe was in good agreement with growth characteristics of M. aeruginosa under Fe limitation. The cellular Fe quota increased with increasing dilution rates in a manner consistent with the Droop theory. Short-term Fe uptake assays using cells maintained at steady state indicated that M. aeruginosa cells vary their maximum Fe uptake rate (ρmax) depending on the degree of Fe stress. The rate of Fe uptake was lower for cells grown under conditions of lower Fe availability (i.e., lower dilution rate), suggesting that cells in the continuous cultures adjusted to Fe limitation by decreasing ρmax while maintaining a constant affinity for Fe.
The I‐gel®, a single‐use supraglottic airway device with a non‐inflatable cuff and an esophageal vent: an observational study in children

Background: The I‐gel® is a new single‐use supraglottic airway device with a non‐inflatable cuff. It is composed of a thermoplastic elastomer and a soft gel‐like cuff that adapts to the hypopharyngeal anatomy. Like the LMA‐ProSeal, it has an airway tube and a gastric drain tube. Little is known about its efficiency in pediatric anesthesia.
Prognostic factors in metastatic melanoma: a pooled analysis of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group trials.

PURPOSE To identify factors that are prognostic for survival in patients with metastatic melanoma treated in eight Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) trials conducted over the past 25 years. METHODS We identified common, significant patient characteristics collected at baseline on 1,362 eligible patients for inclusion in a pooled analysis. Proportional hazards models were used to examine simultaneously the effects of multiple covariates on survival. RESULTS Median survival was 6.4 months (95% confidence interval, 6.1 to 6.9 months.) Factors conferring the greatest increased risk of death included number of metastatic sites (relative risk [RR] = 1.12), ECOG performance status of 1 or more (RR = 1.49), or metastatic disease in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract (RR = 1.49), liver (RR = 1.44), pleura (RR = 1.35), or lung (RR = 1.19). Prior immunotherapy (RR = 0.84) and female sex (RR = 0. 87) were associated with prolonged survival. Although only 12% of patients responded to protocol treatment, landmark analysis showed this to be a significant prognostic factor (RR = 0.57). A model based on three recent studies in which baseline values for alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and platelets were available identified an increased number of sites of metastasis (RR = 1.30), abnormal LDH (RR = 1.89), abnormal alkaline phosphatase (RR = 1.76), abnormal platelets (RR = 1.63), and GI metastases (RR = 1. 66) as prognostic for poorer survival. Response to treatment, when examined by landmark analysis of studies with laboratory parameters, was associated with decreased risk of death (RR = 0.47). CONCLUSION This study demonstrates the importance and utility of laboratory parameters as prognostic factors for survival and confirmed the deleterious effects of multiple metastatic sites. Prior immunotherapy and female sex were associated with improved prognosis. Prognostic factors identified in this analysis are consistent with the findings of prior published studies and argue for the adoption of laboratory findings in the staging systems that are used for entry and stratification of clinical trials in the future.
Occurrence of Two 5-Aminolevulinate Biosynthetic Pathways in Streptomyces nodosus subsp. asukaensis Is Linked with the Production of Asukamycin

ABSTRACT We report the results of cloning genes for two key biosynthetic enzymes of different 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) biosynthetic routes from Streptomyces. The genes encode the glutamyl-tRNAGlu reductase (GluTR) of the C5 pathway and the ALA synthase (ALAS) of the Shemin pathway. While Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) synthesizes ALA via the C5 route, both pathways are operational in Streptomyces nodosus subsp. asukaensis, a producer of asukamycin. In this strain, the C5 route produces ALA for tetrapyrrole biosynthesis; the ALA formed by the Shemin pathway serves as a precursor of the 2-amino-3-hydroxycyclopent-2-enone moiety (C5N unit), an antibiotic component. The growth of S. nodosus and S. coelicolor strains deficient in the GluTR genes (gtr) is strictly dependent on ALA or heme supplementation, whereas the defect in the ALAS-encoding gene (hemA-asuA) abolishes the asukamycin production in S. nodosus. The recombinant hemA-asuA gene was expressed in Escherichia coli and in Streptomyces, and the encoded enzyme activity was demonstrated both in vivo and in vitro. The hemA-asuA gene is situated within a putative cluster of asukamycin biosynthetic genes. This is the first report about the cloning of genes for two different ALA biosynthetic routes from a single bacterium.
Urological applications of near infrared spectroscopy.

OBJECTIVE Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) uses light to monitor changes in the concentration of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin in living tissue non-invasively and in real time. Applications of NIRS in urology research and the strengths and limitations of this technology are reviewed. MATERIAL AND METHODS A Medline and Pub-Med search using "spectroscopy" with heading terms: near infrared (NIR), near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), urology, kidney, renal, urinary tract, bladder, prostate, testis and penis. RESULTS Research incorporating NIRS has investigated a range of urologic conditions where a hemodynamic or vascular etiology is thought to be the underlying pathophysiology: as an aid to diagnosis in cryptorchidism, testicular torsion and vasculogenic erectile dysfunction; to evaluate renal metabolism and bladder dysfunction, and to study skeletal muscle metabolism in end stage renal disease. Strengths and limitations of NIRS relate primarily to the basic physics of how light in the NIR spectrum penetrates tissue and is scattered and absorbed. CONCLUSIONS NIRS is a non-invasive, portable, real time measure of changes in tissue perfusion and oxygenation. In urology NIRS appears particularly applicable in ischemic conditions, and the evaluation of disorders associated with alterations in regional tissue hemodynamics (local changes in pressure, muscle contraction and urinary tract obstruction). Because the bladder detrusor can be interrogated transcutaneously NIRS may also provide a non-invasive means of evaluating patients with voiding dysfunction. Studies to date warrant further research and specific refinement of instrumentation and algorithm software for urologic applications, as NIRS could provide urologists with new methods of non-invasive physiologic diagnostic evaluation.
Hepatic denervation reduces adrenal catecholamine secretion during insulin-induced hypoglycemia.

The present study was designed to investigate the functional implication of hepatic afferent nerves in controlling adrenal medullary counterregulatory response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia in anesthetized dogs subjected to an acute surgical denervation of the liver. Aortic glucose concentration decreased similarly in the groups of dogs with hepatic denervation (n = 8) and sham denervation (n = 8) reaching a glucose nadir 30 min after insulin injection (0.15 IU/kg i.v.) from a control value of 89.46 +/- 3.15 and 88.91 +/- 2.86 mg/dl to 52.92 +/- 3.27 and 48.80 +/- 4.18 mg/dl (P < 0.05), respectively. The catecholamine output from the adrenal glands in the sham group significantly increased (P < 0.05), reaching a maximum level 45 min after insulin injection from a control value for epinephrine of 86.35 +/- 26.65 ng/min and for norepinephrine of 32.14 +/- 11.68 ng/min to 659.03 +/- 269.39 and 181.21 +/- 63.03 ng/min, respectively. By contrast, however, adrenal catecholamine output increased only slightly in the hepatic-denervated group during insulin-induced hypoglycemia, from 148.37 +/- 95.29 and 52.06 +/- 28.05 ng/min to 210.49 +/- 96.09 and 79.61 +/- 26.11 ng/min for epinephrine and norepinephrine, respectively, the difference being statistically nonsignificant compared with the corresponding preinjection control value. The maximum net response of adrenal epinephrine and norepinephrine output observed in dogs with hepatic denervation was significantly attenuated by approximately 90 and 82% of the values obtained from the sham group, respectively. In a separate series of experiments, aortic immunoreactive insulin and glucagon concentrations were measured and found to be similar between hepatic-denervated and sham-denervated groups after insulin-induced hypoglycemia. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Cooperative assembly of EBNA1 on the Epstein-Barr virus latent origin of replication

The EBNA1 protein of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) activates DNA replication by binding to multiple copies of its 18-bp recognition sequence present in the Epstein-Barr virus latent origin of DNA replication, oriP. Using electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we have localized the minimal DNA binding domain of EBNA1 to between amino acids 470 and 607. We have also demonstrated that EBNA1 assembles cooperatively on the dyad symmetry subelement of oriP and that this cooperative interaction is mediated by residues within the minimal DNA binding and dimerization domain of EBNA1.
Cortical Neural Activity Underlying Speech Perception in Postlingual Adult Cochlear Implant Recipients

Auditory event-related potentials (AERPs) and the simultaneously obtained behavioral measures (performance accuracy and reaction time) were used to study speech perception in postlingual adult cochlear implant (CI) recipients and in normal-hearing (NH) controls. AERPs were recorded while subjects were performing oddball discrimination tasks with increasing acoustic-phonetic demand. The tasks consisted of pairs of natural syllables that differed by one of the following phonetic contrasts: vowel place, voicing, vowel height, and place of articulation. Results indicated that the P3 potential was comparable in CI recipients and NH controls when the acoustic cues to the perception of the phonetic contrast were accessible. With the reduction in accessibility to the essential temporal and/or spectral cues, CI recipients exhibited delayed (prolonged P3 latency) and less synchronous (reduced amplitude) central speech-sound processing compared to NH controls. Among the phonetic contrasts used in the present study the place of articulation contrast yielded (1) the most prominent differences between CI recipients and NH controls across all measures, and (2) significant correlations between the neurophysiologic manifestation of speech discrimination (i.e. P3 latency), and conscious integration of perceptual information (i.e. performance accuracy and reaction time). Thus, P3 exposed the difficulties imposed on the impaired auditory system of CI recipients especially when elicited by speech contrasts that required processing of brief temporal-spectral cues. These findings support the P3 potential as a sensitive neural index of cortical processing that may provide information regarding accessibility and neural encoding of distinct acoustic-phonetic cues in CI recipients.
Efficient Image Segmentation and Restoration Using Parametric Curve Evolution with Junctions and Topology Changes

Curve evolution schemes are introduced for image segmentation based on a region-based contour model allowing for junctions, vector-valued images, and topology changes. Together with an a posteriori denoising in the segmented homogeneous regions, this leads to a fast and efficient method for image segmentation and restoration. An uneven spread of mesh points is avoided by using the tangential degrees of freedom. Several numerical simulations on artificial test problems and on real images illustrate the performance of the method.
A Geospatial Decision Support System for Drought Risk Management

Drought affects virtually all regions of the world and results in significant economic, social, and environmental impacts. The Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates annual drought-related losses in the United States at $6-8 billion, which is more than any other natural hazard. Congress enacted the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 to encourage the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) and farmers to be more proactive in managing drought risk.