Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Highly Sensitive Carbon Nanotubes Coated Etched Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor for Humidity Sensing

The sensing of relative humidity (RH) at room temperature has potential applications in several areas ranging from biomedical to horticulture, paper, and textile industries. In this paper, a highly sensitive humidity sensor based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) coated on the surface of an etched fiber Bragg grating (EFBG) sensor has been demonstrated, for detecting RH over a wide range of 20%-90% at room temperature. When water molecules interact with the CNT coated EFBG, the effective refractive index of the fiber core changes, resulting in a shift in the Bragg wavelength. It has been possible to achieve a high sensitivity of ~31 RH, which is the highest compared with many of the existing FBG-based humidity sensors. The limit of detection in the CNT coated EFBG has been found to be ~0.03 RH . The experimental data shows a linear response of Bragg wavelength shift with increase in humidity. This novel method of incorporating CNTs on to the FBG sensor for humidity sensing has not been reported before.
The ‘ natural ’ course of hepatitis B virus infection as relevant to patients with a haematological malignancy

The prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in patients with haematological malignancies is increased compared with the general population worldwide. HBV reactivation is common following chemotherapy and is associated with a high mortality despite prompt anti-viral treatment. HBV reactivation may necessitate interruption of chemotherapy with adverse prognostic consequences for the haematological disease. Chemotherapy-induced immune suppression may lead to increased HBV replication. Immune reconstitution within the weeks and months following recovery from chemotherapy may be associated with a flare of hepatitis B manifested by hepatocellular injury. Risk factors associated with HBV reactivation include detectable hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), HBV DNA, Hepatitis B e (HBeAg) antigen, antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc), treatment with corticosteroids, young age and male gender. Lamivudine is effective during HBV reactivation due to immune suppression. Clinical trials have demonstrated that pre-emptive antiviral treatment with lamivudine is superior to deferred treatment. Current recommendations emphasise screening for HBV infection in all haematology patients, particularly prior to chemotherapy. Patients who are HBsAg positive or HBV DNA positive should receive pre-emptive treatment with lamivudine before chemotherapy. The duration of lamivudine treatment may be prolonged commensurate with the degree of immunosuppression. HBV naı̈ve patients should be immunised against hepatitis B, as should haematopoietic stem cell donors. In summary, overt and occult HBV pose a serious, but preventable, threat. Pre-treatment screening of patients at risk should be practiced diligently by all clinicians that treat patients with malignancies.
Excimer laser phototherapeutic keratectomy

Excimer laser phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) is an important tool in the management of superficial corneal pathology. It works well in the treatment of anterior corneal dystrophies and degenerations, but we are learning that it may have a role in the treatment of certain patients with deeper corneal pathology. Indications also are being expanded to treat much less common conditions and also to treat children. Irregular astigmatism, which is not treated very well with current PTK techniques, may be addressed better with newer approaches, such as selective zonal ablation and the use of BioMask. As current PTK techniques are improved and newer methods are developed, this procedure will continue to be an excellent option for certain patients with superficial corneal problems.
Lack of linear correlation between dynamic and steady‐state cerebral autoregulation

For correct application and interpretation of cerebral autoregulation (CA) measurements in research and in clinical care, it is essential to understand differences and similarities between dynamic and steady‐state CA. The present study found no correlation between dynamic and steady‐state CA indices in healthy older adults. There was variability between individuals in all (steady‐state and dynamic) autoregulatory indices, ranging from low (almost absent) to highly efficient CA in this healthy population. These findings challenge the assumption that assessment of a single CA parameter or a single set of parameters can be generalized to overall CA functioning. Therefore, depending on specific research purposes, the choice for either steady‐state or dynamic measures or both should be weighed carefully.
Teachers' Experience and Management of Young Children Treated Because of Home Conduct Problems: A qualitative study

In the present study, a sample of 27 teachers were interviewed regarding their experience and management of young children with conduct problems in day‐care or school settings. The children had been referred and treated because of oppositional and conduct problems at home. Qualitative analysis of data was performed by using elements of a grounded theory approach. Although the children had complex conduct problems presenting considerable challenges for their teachers, most teachers described a close and engaged relationship with these children. Teachers used within‐discipline and within‐classroom approaches in their work with a main focus on managing the child's daily life in day‐care or school, supported by close colleagues. Their practices were not deeply rooted in evidence‐based knowledge and methods. Most teachers reported collaboration with parents as positive and necessary, however, they only pursued it to a limited extent. Representatives from supplementary services, such as school psychologist, child protection care and child psychiatry, were rarely involved in the work of teachers. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Visualization of inhibitory Ly49 receptor specificity with soluble major histocompatibility complex class I tetramers

Murine natural killer (NK) cells are inhibited from killing their targets by the interaction between inhibitory, C‐type lectin like Ly49 receptors and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules. The receptors have overlapping specificity, and it has been difficult to analyze specific aspects of the interaction between different Ly49 receptors and their respective ligands. We have addressed this problem using tetramers of bacterially expressed, non‐glycosylated, MHC class I molecules refolded with different peptides. Our results indicate that this technology is useful for analysis of Ly49 receptor specificity as well as for monitoring of NK cell subsets, with the following major conclusions emerging from this study: (1) tetramers of H‐2Dd bound the Ly49A receptor; the MHC associated glycan, previously suggested to be involved in recognition by this receptor, is thus not required for Ly49A receptor binding; (2) in support and extension of a recent report indicating peptide selectivity in the recognition of H‐2Kb by Ly49C+ cells, H‐2Kb tetramer binding to Ly49C receptors was strongly influenced by the peptide presented by the MHC class I molecule; (3) tetramer binding allowed visualization of interactions that have not previously been detected in functional studies, such as the recognition of H‐2Db by Ly49A and Ly49C.
Assessment of oxygen supplementation during air travel.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to simulate an in flight environment at sea level with a fractional inspired concentration of oxygen (FiO2) of 0.15 to determine how much supplemental oxygen was needed to restore a subject's oxygen saturation (SaO2) to 90% or to the level previously attained when breathing room air (FiO2 of 0.21). METHODS: Three groups were selected with normal, obstructive, and restrictive lung function. Using a sealed body plethysmograph an environment with an FiO2 of 0.15 was created and mass spectrometry was used to monitor the FiO2. Supplemental oxygen was administered to the patient by nasal cannulae. SaO2 was continuously monitored and recorded at an FiO2 of 0.21, 0.15, and 0.15 + supplemental oxygen. RESULTS: When given 2 l/m of supplemental oxygen all patients in the 15% environment returned to a similar SaO2 value as that obtained using the 21% oxygen environment. One patient with airways obstruction needed 3 l/m of supplemental oxygen to raise his SaO2 above 90%. CONCLUSIONS: This technique, which simulates an aircraft environment, enables an accurate assessment to be made of supplemental oxygen requirements.
Moving to Place: Childhood Cancer Treatment Decision Making in Single-Parent and Repartnered Family Structures

Few researchers have studied how parents from diverse family structures cope with childhood chronic illness. We designed this study to discern the childhood cancer treatment decision-making (TDM) process in these families. Using grounded theory, we interviewed 15 custodial parents, nonresidential parents, and stepparents who had previously made a major treatment decision for their children with cancer. “Moving to place” was the central psychosocial process by which parents negotiated involvement in TDM. Parents moved toward or were moved away from involvement based on parent position in the family (custodial, nonresidential, and stepparent), prediagnosis family dynamics, and time since diagnosis. Parents used the actions of stepping up, stepping back, being pushed, and stepping away to respond to the need for TDM. Parents faced additional stressors because of their family situations, which affected the TDM process. Findings from this study provide important insight into diverse families and their unique parental TDM experiences.
Template definition by Tetrahymena telomerase reverse transcriptase

The ribonucleoprotein enzyme telomerase extends chromosome ends by copying a specific template sequence within its integral RNA component. An active recombinant telomerase RNP is minimally composed of this RNA and the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) protein, which contains sequence motifs conserved among viral reverse transcriptases (RTs), flanked by N‐ and C‐terminal extensions specific to TERTs. We have used site‐directed mutagenesis to explore the roles of Tetrahymena TERT in determining features of telomerase activity in general and in establishing the boundaries and use of an internal RNA template in specific. We identify a new ciliate‐specific motif in the TERT N‐terminus required for template definition. Moreover, several residues in reverse transcriptase motifs 1, 2, A and D are critical for specific aspects of internal template use. Our results indicate that the unique specificity of telomerase activity is conferred to a reverse transcriptase active site by TERT residues both within and beyond the RT motif region.
Click modulation

In this paper we show how one may determine a sequence of equal intensity impulses or clicks $$\pi \sum^{\infty}_{-\infty} \delta (t-t_k)$$ such that a desired bandpass signal, f'(t), may be obtained by filtering the clicks; i.e. $$f^{'}(t) = \pi \sum^{\infty}_{-\infty} K(t-t_k),$$ where K(t) is the impulse response of a suitable bandpass filter. The {tk} are found as the zeros of a bandlimited signal s(t), where if f(t), the bandpass signal whose derivative is f'(t), is sufficiently small, we also have $$f(t) = \int^{\infty}_{-\infty} q(x)K(t-x)dx,$$ where q(x) is a square wave simply related to s(t).
Toll-like receptor 2 and 4 ligation results in complex altered cytokine profiles early and late after burn injury.

BACKGROUND Toll-like receptors (TLR) 2 and TLR4 expressed on innate immune cells are important mediators of the immune response to pathogens. In this study, we hypothesized that burn injury results in altered cytokine secretion profiles after TLR2 or TLR4 ligation that is associated with altered TLR expression on innate immune cells. METHODS Female C56BL/6 mice were subjected to 20% full thickness burn or sham injury. Three or 14 days after injury whole splenocytes or purified splenic macrophages were cultured with TLR2 ligand peptidoglycan or TLR4 ligand lipopolysaccharide. Supernatants were assayed for TNF-alpha, MCP-1, IL-6 and IL-10. Cell death was assessed using flow cytometry. Innate CD11b F4/80 macrophages were sorted 14 days after burn injury and TLR2 and 4 expression was determined by quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and flow cytometry. RESULTS Burn injury results in a steady accumulation in the periphery of CD11bF4/80 macrophages. Macrophages purified early after burn injury upregulated TLR2 and 4, followed by a decrease of TLR2 and TLR4 expression late after burn injury. TLR2 and TLR4 ligation of an equivalent number of purified macrophages 3 days after burn injury revealed no significant differences in cytokine secretion compared with sham. Stimulation 14 days after burn injury revealed a significant reduction in tumor necrosis factor-alpha secretion by macrophages compared with sham mice. In contrast, interleukin-10 was significantly increased (mean, approximately 1.8-fold) late after burn injury after either TLR2 or TLR4 stimulation. Interleukin-6 and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 secretion was unchanged from sham levels. In contrast, whole splenocyte stimulation resulted in increased cytokine 3 days and 14 days after burn injury. This effect is likely caused by the accumulation of TLR macrophages, which are resistant to TLR-induced cell death. CONCLUSIONS Cytokine secretion profiles after TLR2 and TLR4 ligation after burn injury are altered in a manner not clearly reflective of an anti-inflammatory or proinflammatory state and are associated with unique changes in the macrophage population. TLR2 and TLR4 ligation have complex and varied roles in mediating the immune response to burn injury.
Pregabalin: latest safety evidence and clinical implications for the management of neuropathic pain

Used mainly for the management of neuropathic pain, pregabalin is a gabapentinoid or anticonvulsant that was initially developed as an antiepileptic agent. After more than a decade of experience with pregabalin, experience and studies have shown that the adverse effect profile of pregabalin is well tolerated for the management of neuropathic pain and other conditions. Its use is associated with benign central nervous system and systemic adverse effects, and there are very limited metabolic, idiosyncratic or known teratogenic adverse effects. Along with its efficacy in particular neuropathic pain conditions, pregabalin’s safety led it to be one of the first pharmacotherapies considered for the management of neuropathic pain. This review discusses the use of pregabalin as well as its potential adverse effects, including the most commonly noted features of sedation, dizziness, peripheral edema and dry mouth. Although other adverse effects may occur, these appear to be uncommon. The review also discusses the clinical implications of pregabalin’s use for the clinician.
The Effects of Phenylbutazone on the Morphology and Prostaglandin Concentrations of the Pyloric Mucosa of the Equine Stomach

Phenylbutazone, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug known to produce gastric ulcers, was administered intravenously (13.46 mg/kg body weight) daily to 12 horses. Horses were euthanatized daily after 24,48,72, and 96 hours following the initial injection. Eight untreated horses served as controls. Small multifocal pyloric erosions were seen after 24 hours and then progressed in severity over time. The erosions were characterized by sloughing of the surface epithelium, subepithelial bleb formation, necrosis of the lamina propria, degeneration of the walls of subsurface capillaries, and microthrombosis of the capillaries of the pyloric mucosa. Large numbers of neutrophils with abundant fibrin and cellular debris were present at the erosion sites. Eroded pyloric mucosa and adjacent macroscopically intact mucosa were examined ultrastructurally. In both the mac-roscopically eroded mucosa and multifocally in the adjacent macroscopically uneroded mucosa, there was cellular swelling of the endothelium, pericytes, and smooth muscle cells of arterioles. In capillaries and post-capillary venules, the endothelium ranged from swollen to lysed and necrotic. Extensive extravasation of erythrocytes and edema were seen. These lesions were not seen in the control horses. Phenylbutazone produces a microvascular injury that is associated with the formation of pyloric erosions in horses. The pyloric mucosa of six horses was assayed for prostacyclin and prostaglandin E2 at 48 and 96 hours following the initial injection. There was no statistically significant difference between prostaglandin concentrations in the mucosa of control and treated horses. It was concluded that there was little correlation between pyloric mucosal prostaglandin concentrations and pyloric erosions after 48 hours.
Psychosocial Differences between Elderly Volunteers and Non-Volunteers

Volunteer workers over age sixty-five were compared to retired elderly who did not engage in any type of work activity. Volunteers were found to have significantly higher degree of life satisfaction, stronger will to live, and fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, and somatization. Since no differences were found on most demographic or background variables, participation in volunteer work appears to be the salient factor in explaining psychosocial differences between volunteers and non-volunteers.
Investigating the implementation of a block structured processor architecture in an early design stage

When designing a new micro-architecture, it is difficult to estimate the influence of the architectural parameters on clock period and chip area. In this paper, we use automatic synthesis to investigate the implementation of a novel processor architecture, namely a block structured instruction set architecture (BSA). In a BSA, instructions are statically grouped into fixed-length blocks by the compiler and the execution policy within a block is data-flow. The use of automatic synthesis is forced by the fact that a broad design space is investigated in an early design stage. The three parameters that we specifically focus on are blocksize, instruction selection window size and issue width. Various pipeline configurations are investigated. Moreover, we investigate the effect of technology scaling on the selection of the best architecture and pipeline configuration; we consider both a 0.8 /spl mu/m 2-metal layer CMOS technology and a more advanced 0.25 /spl mu/m 6-metal layer CMOS technology. From this paper we can conclude that a BSA has several implementational benefits over traditional architectures due to the partitioned design and the reduced wiring delays.
Optimization of the Voltage Doubler Stages in an RF-DC Convertor Module for Energy Harvesting

This paper presents an optimization of the voltage doubler stages in an energy conversion module for Radio Frequency (RF) energy harvesting system at 900 MHz band. The function of the energy conversion module is to convert the (RF) signals into direct-current (DC) voltage at the given frequency band to power the low power devices/circuits. The design is based on the Villard voltage doubler circuit. A 7 stage Schottky diode voltage doubler circuit is designed, modeled, simulated, fabricated and tested in this work. Multisim was used for the modeling and simulation work. Simulation and measurement were carried out for various input power levels at the specified frequency band. For an equivalent incident signal of –40 dBm, the circuit can produce 3mV across a 100 k? load. The results also show that there is a multiplication factor of 22 at 0 dBm and produces DC output voltage of 5.0 V in measurement. This voltage can be used to power low power sensors in sensor networks ultimately in place of batteries.
The zygosity of twins: further evidence on the agreement between diagnosis by blood groups and written questionnaires

Summary The agreement between zygosity diagnosis in twins by reference to the twins' own answers to written questions and diagnosis based on an objective assessment of zygosity by blood-typing is studied for 178 pairs of same sex twins. Seventy-two female and 106 male twin pairs answered two questions concerning their similarity in appearance and frequency of confusion in childhood, and were blood-grouped using up to 23 different antisera. Of those pairs concordant for all markers and diagnosed as MZ, 98% agreed that they were confused in childhood and that they are alike in physical appearance. Only 55% of those pairs discordant for at least one marker and classified as DZ agreed that they were never confused and are not alike in appearance. The replies of the remaining 45% are spread over all the other combinations of responses. If all twins who agree that they were confused in childhood and are alike in appearance were to be classified as MZ on the basis of the questionnaire alone, and all others as DZ, the diagnoses of only seven pairs out of the total 178 (3–9%) would disagree with those based on blood group data.
Mesenchymal markers on human adipose stem/progenitor cells

The stromal‐vascular fraction (SVF) of adipose tissue is a rich source of multipotent stem cells. We and others have described three major populations of stem/progenitor cells in this fraction, all closely associated with small blood vessels: endothelial progenitor cells (EPC, CD45−/CD31+/CD34+), pericytes (CD45−/CD31−/CD146+), and supra‐adventitial adipose stromal cells (SA‐ASC, CD45−/CD31−/CD146−/CD34+). EPC are luminal, pericytes are adventitial, and SA‐ASC surround the vessel like a sheath. The multipotency of the pericytes and SA‐ASC compartments is strikingly similar to that of CD45−/CD34−/CD73+/CD105+/CD90+ bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM‐MSC). Here, we determine the extent to which this mesenchymal pattern is expressed on the three adipose stem/progenitor populations. Eight independent adipose tissue samples were analyzed in a single tube (CD105‐FITC/CD73‐PE/CD146‐PETXR/CD14‐PECY5/CD33‐PECY5/CD235A‐PECY5/CD31‐PECY7/CD90‐APC/CD34‐A700/CD45‐APCCY7/DAPI). Adipose EPC were highly proliferative with (14.3 ± 2.8)% (mean ± SEM) having >2N DNA. About half (53.1 ± 7.6)% coexpressed CD73 and CD105, and (71.9 ± 7.4)% expressed CD90. Pericytes were less proliferative [(8.2 ± 3.4)% >2N DNA)] with a smaller proportion [(29.6 ± 6.9)% CD73+/CD105+, (60.5 ± 10.2)% CD90+] expressing mesenchymal associated markers. However, the CD34+ subset of CD146+ pericytes were both highly proliferative [(15.1 ± 3.6)% with >2N DNA] and of uniform mesenchymal phenotype [(93.3 ± 3.7)% CD73+/CD105+, (97.8 ± 0.7)% CD90+], suggesting transit amplifying progenitor cells. SA‐ASC were the least proliferative [(3.7 ± 0.8)%>2N DNA] but were also highly mesenchymal in phenotype [(94.4 ± 3.2)% CD73+/CD105+, (95.5 ± 1.2)% CD90+]. These data imply a progenitor/progeny relationship between pericytes and SA‐ASC, the most mesenchymal of SVF cells. Despite phenotypic and functional similarities to BM‐MSC, SA‐ASC are distinguished by CD34 expression. © 2012 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
A Study of Phase Quantization Effects for Reconfigurable Reflectarray Antennas

A systematic study of phase quantization effects on the beam scanning performance of reconfigurable reflectarray antennas (RRAs) is presented. The spatial feeding scheme of RRA introduces an intrinsic pseudorandom distribution of the phase quantization error, which effectively eliminates the grating lobes and high parasitic sidelobes. It is observed that the phase quantization does not affect the half-power beamwidth, but increases sidelobe levels. The gain loss due to phase quantization is computed for different quantization bit numbers and different scan angles, and the maximum aperture efficiencies are derived accordingly. Finally, the measured results of two 1-bit RRAs with <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${1}0 \times {1}0$</tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${4}0 \times {4}0$</tex-math></inline-formula> elements validate these observations.