Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of Subarrayed Monopluse Arrays With Contiguous Elements Using a DE Algorithm

Subarrayed monopulse linear and conformal circular arc arrays with low-sidelobe sum and difference patterns are synthesized. For the monopulse array with a subarray partition consisting of contiguous elements to reduce the cross points, the synthesis problem is first formulated as a constrained optimization problem. Then, by defining an appropriate fitness function to convert the problem into an unconstrained one, the problem is efficiently solved by the differential evolution algorithm under successful-parent-selecting framework. The numerical results of small and large monopulse linear arrays are reported by comparisons with the state-of-the-art techniques. At last, synthesis of a monopulse conformal circular arc array is also investigated based on the same technique.
A parallel look-up logarithmic number system addition/subtraction scheme for FPGA

This paper presents results from the design of an LNS addition/subtraction function targeted for implementation on FPGA. A parallel look-up scheme is used to reduce the critical path of the function approximation to a single second order polynomial approximation while maintaining an acceptable amount of ROM to store the coefficients needed to calculate the logarithmic addition/subtraction function. The addition/subtraction function is designed to have better-than-floating-point accuracy, which enables a fair future comparison with floating-point. Area and delay reductions are achieved in comparison with previous designs.
Retinal nerve fibre thickness measured with optical coherence tomography accurately detects confirmed glaucomatous damage

Aim: To assess the accuracy of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in detecting damage to a hemifield, patients with hemifield defects confirmed on both static automated perimetry (SAP) and multifocal visual evoked potentials (mfVEP) were studied. Methods: Eyes of 40 patients with concomitant SAP and mfVEP glaucomatous loss and 25 controls underwent OCT retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL), mfVEP and 24-2 SAP tests. For the mfVEP and 24-2 SAP, a hemifield was defined as abnormal based upon cluster criteria. On OCT, a hemifield was considered abnormal if one of the five clock hour sectors (3 and 9 o’clock excluded) was at <1% (red) or two were at <5% (yellow). Results: Seventy seven (43%) of the hemifields were abnormal on both mfVEP and SAP tests. The OCT was abnormal for 73 (95%) of these. Only 1 (1%) of the 100 hemifields of the controls was abnormal on OCT. Sensitivity/specificity (one eye per person) was 95/98%. Conclusions: The OCT RNFL test accurately detects abnormal hemifields confirmed on both subjective and objective functional tests. Identifying abnormal hemifields with a criterion of 1 red (1%) or 2 yellow (5%) clock hours may prove useful in clinical practice.
Anatomical Segregation of Representations of Personally Familiar and Famous People in the Temporal and Parietal Cortices

Person recognition has been assumed to entail many types of person-specific cognitive responses, including retrieval of knowledge, episodic recollection, and emotional responses. To demonstrate the cortical correlates of this modular structure of multimodal person representation, we investigated neural responses preferential to personally familiar people and responses dependent on familiarity with famous people in the temporal and parietal cortices. During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measurements, normal subjects recognized personally familiar names (personal) or famous names with high or low degrees of familiarity (high or low, respectively). Effects of familiarity with famous people (i.e., high–low) were identified in the bilateral angular gyri, the left supramarginal gyrus, the middle part of the bilateral posterior cingulate cortices, and the left precuneus. Activation preferentially relevant to personally familiar people (i.e., personal–high) was identified in the bilateral temporo-parietal junctions, the right anterolateral temporal cortices, posterior middle temporal gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex (with a peak in the posterodorsal part), and the left precuneus; these activation foci exhibited varying degrees of activation for high and low names. An equivalent extent of activation was observed for all familiar names in the bilateral temporal poles, the left orbito-insular junction, the middle temporal gyrus, and the anterior part of the posterior cingulate cortex. The results demonstrated that distinct cortical areas supported different types of cognitive responses, induced to different degrees during recognition of famous and personally familiar people, providing neuroscientific evidence for the modularity of multimodal person representation.
Operative procedures for unresectable pancreatic cancer: does operative bypass decrease requirements for postoperative procedures and in-hospital days?

BACKGROUND The optimal surgical management of patients found to have unresectable pancreatic cancer at open exploration remains unknown. METHODS Records of patients who underwent non-therapeutic laparotomy for pancreatic cancer during 2000-2009 and were followed until death at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, were reviewed. RESULTS Over the 10-year study period, 157 patients underwent non-therapeutic laparotomy. Laparotomy alone was performed in 21% of patients; duodenal bypass, biliary bypass and double bypass were performed in 11%, 30% and 38% of patients, respectively. Complications occurred in 44 (28%) patients. Three (2%) patients died perioperatively. Postoperative interventions were required in 72 (46%) patients following exploration. The median number of inpatient days prior to death was 16 (interquartile range: 8-32 days). Proportions of patients requiring interventions were similar regardless of the procedure performed at the initial operation, as were the total number of inpatient days prior to death. Patients undergoing gastrojejunostomy required fewer postoperative duodenal stents and those undergoing operative biliary drainage required fewer postoperative biliary stents. CONCLUSIONS In this study, duodenal, biliary and double bypasses in unresectable patients were not associated with fewer invasive procedures following non-therapeutic laparotomy and did not appear to reduce the total number of inpatient hospital days prior to death. Continued effort to identify unresectability prior to operation is justified.
Frequency of sabA Gene in Helicobacter pylori Strains Isolated From Patients in Tehran, Iran

Background The importance of sialic acid binding adhesin (sabA) as a new outer membrane protein in gastroduodenal diseases has been recognized. The prevalence rate of sabA gene varies in different geographic areas. Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of sabA gene in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) strains isolated from different clinical outcomes in Tehran, Iran. Patients and Methods The study included 120 patients with dyspeptic symptoms admitted to the endoscopy suite of gastroenterology section of Firouzgar University Hospital, Tehran, Iran from March to August 2011. Gastric biopsy specimens were evaluated for the presence of H. pylori using standard microbiological method and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. The sabA genopositive was determined by PCR in H. pylori strains. Results H. pylori isolates were recovered from 82 patients with duodenal ulcer (DU; n = 17), gastric ulcer (GU; n = 15), gastric cancer (GC; n = 13), and gastritis (G; n = 37). The frequency of sabA gene in H. pylori strains was 100% in gastric cancer, 86.7% in gastric ulcer, and 83.3% in both gastritis and duodenal ulcer. Conclusions This is a report on the prevalence of sabA gene in H. pylori isolated from different gastric patients in Iran. The results showed a high prevalence of sabA in our clinical H. pylori isolates.
Global ecology and epidemiology of Borrelia garinii spirochetes

Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a tick-transmitted infectious disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.). In Europe, three different Borrelia species are the main causative agents of LB: B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.), Borrelia afzelii, and Borrelia garinii. The latter depends heavily on birds as its main reservoir hosts. In fact, birds can act both as biological carriers of Borrelia and transporters of infected ticks. The seasonal migration of many bird species not only aid in the spread of B. garinii to new foci but also influence the high level of diversity found within this species. B. garinii have been isolated not only from terrestrial birds in Europe, but also from seabirds worldwide, and homology between isolates in these two different infection cycles suggests an overlap and exchange of strains. In addition, it has been shown that birds can maintain and spread B. garinii genotypes associated with LB in humans. This review article discusses the importance of birds in the ecology and epidemiology of B. garinii spirochetes.
A Computationally Efficient Approach for Exemplar-based Color Image Inpainting using GPU

Image inpainting refers to the process of reconstructing the original image from a damaged one in a visually plausible way. We propose a new gradientbased algorithm for exemplar-based inpainting by making use of L∞ norm. We implement the most time consuming step of the algorithm on the GPU and compare the serial execution timings against the parallel execution timings. The parallel implementation has an average speedup of 14 over the serial implementation. The results obtained from our approach are perceptually on par and in many cases better than the state-of-the-art approaches to date.
Disciplinary differences in the use of internet discussion groups: differential communication needs or trust problems?

This paper tests empirically the claim that the successful application of information and communication technologies (ICTs) depends on the social context of their use. There are striking differences in the prevalence of ICT use between researchers in different academic disciplines. Nevertheless it is unclear whether and how they depend on disciplinary differences of the academic communication system. This paper presents several existing and new hypotheses that specify how disciplinary differences in communication systems influence whether researchers make use of so-called internet discussion groups (IDGs). The hypotheses either argue that specific trust problems inhibit IDG subscription or that IDGs fulfil discipline-specific communication needs, which gives incentives for subscription. They are tested with data of a sample of university researchers in the natural and social sciences and the humanities. The trust hypotheses are not confirmed. The idea that IDGs have a distinct orientation function that diminishes deficiencies in the existing communication systems of some disciplines finds support. Scholars who work in research fields that are difficult to overview, that is fields with a high number of journals, have a special incentive to subscribe to IDGs.
Evaluation of Onchocerciasis: A Decade of Post Treatment with Ivermectin in Zainabi and Ririwai Doguwa Local Government Area of Kano State

Rapid Assessment Method (RAM) were carried out to assess the current situation of Onchocerciasis after repetition of annual community directed distribution of Ivermectin in Zainabi and Ririwai of Doguwa Local Government area of Kano State. Certain manifestations, like nodules, leopard skin and blindness, were used to measure the endemicity level in the community. The subjects of 30 - 50 years who are engaged in rural occupation, resident in that community, were examined for the presence of nodules, skin lesion and blindness. The common manifestation in both communities is nodules with 3 (3.40%) and 2 (3.44%). Leopard skin and blindness were found in Zainabi with 2 (2.27%) and 2 (2.27%). The manifestation of Onchocerciasis was found in older age groups of 49 - 70 and 50 - 69 respectively, which give an indication that the disease was eliminated in the community due to mass distribution of Ivermectin in the previously known endemic community. We recommend mass distribution of Mectizan in other identified endemic foci.
Motivación y mejora académica utilizando realidad aumentada para el estudio de modelos tridimensionales arquitectónicos

En el presente articulo discutimos los resultados de evaluar el grado de motivacion, el perfil y el nivel de satisfaccion de los estudiantes en flujos de trabajo que utilizan la visualizacion aumentada de modelos complejos en 3D. El estudio muestra los resultados de experimentos realizados con alumnos de grado a lo largo de los dos primeros cursos de Arquitectura y el actual grado de Ciencias y Tecnologias de la Construccion (antiguo grado espanol de Ingenieria de la Construccion, y con cuyo nombre se reconoce a nivel europeo). Hemos utilizado un metodo mixto que combina el uso de tecnicas cuantitativas y cualitativas de evaluacion de la respuesta del estudiante, con el fin de completar una vision mas global del uso de nuevas tecnologias, dispositivos moviles y metodos visuales avanzados en campos academicos. Los resultados nos muestran como los estudiantes participes de dichos experimentos han mejorado sus resultados academicos y su implicacion con la materia, un punto clave en el actual marco educativo compuesto por estudiantes nativos digitales y un gran numero de aplicaciones y dispositivos para la ensenanza y el aprendizaje
Development of the fetal intestine in mice lacking the glucocorticoid receptor (GR)

During rodent development there are two surges of circulating corticosterone: one just prior to birth and then one in the third postnatal week. Prior studies have shown that the latter controls the rate of intestinal development in the postnatal period. To date, a role for the earlier surge in the prenatal phase of intestinal development has not been investigated. We hypothesized that the late fetal surge of circulating corticosterone is involved in both morphologic and functional maturation of the intestinal epithelium, and thus that such maturation would be delayed if glucocorticoid action was abrogated. The hypothesis was tested by studying intestinal development in mice lacking a functional glucocorticoid receptor (GR). After GR+/− mice were bred onto a C57Bl/6 background, heterozygote matings yielded the expected ratios of −/−, +/−, and +/+ offspring. Analysis of GR mRNA in intestines of +/+ and −/− fetuses confirmed expression in wild‐type mice but not in the GR‐null mice. Intestinal histology of GR+/+ and −/− littermates at E13.5, E15.5, and E18.5 showed no effect of GR genotype on morphologic development. Further studies at E18.5 showed that GR−/− mice have normal functional maturation of the intestinal epithelium as assessed by: lactase activity in the enterocyte lineage, normal numbers of goblet and enteroendocrine cells, and normal numbers of proliferating cells in the intestinal crypts. Neither the minerolocorticoid receptor (MR) nor the pregnane X receptor (PXR) showed compensatory up‐regulation in GR−/− mice. We conclude that, in contrast to our original hypothesis, the rodent intestine passes through a phase of glucocorticoid independence (late fetal) prior to becoming responsive to glucocorticoids in the postnatal period. These findings have implications for the clinical use of corticosteroids to enhance intestinal maturation in preterm infants. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
CALORIE RESTRICTION AND AGING: A LIFE‐HISTORY ANALYSIS

Abstract. — The disposable soma theory suggests that aging occurs because natural selection favors a strategy in which fewer resources are invested in somatic maintenance than are necessary for indefinite survival. However, laboratory rodents on calorie‐restricted diets have extended life spans and retarded aging. One hypothesis is that this is an adaptive response involving a shift of resources during short periods of famine away from reproduction and toward increased somatic maintenance. The potential benefit is that the animal gains an increased chance of survival with a reduced intrinsic rate of senescence, thereby permitting reproductive value to be preserved for when the famine is over. We describe a mathematical life‐history model of dynamic resource allocation that tests this idea. Senescence is modeled as a change in state that depends on the resources allocated to maintenance. Individuals are assumed to allocate the available resources to maximize the total number of descendants. The model shows that the evolutionary hypothesis is plausible and identifies two factors, both likely to exist, that favor this conclusion. These factors are that survival of juveniles is reduced during periods of famine and that the organism needs to pay an energetic “overhead” before any litter of offspring can be produced. If neither of these conditions holds, there is no evolutionary advantage to be gained from switching extra resources to maintenance. The model provides a basis to evaluate whether the life‐extending effects of calorie‐restriction might apply in other species, including humans.
International multicenter pilot study of the first comprehensive self‐completed nonmotor symptoms questionnaire for Parkinson's disease: The NMSQuest study

Nonmotor symptoms (NMS) of Parkinson's disease (PD) are not well recognized in clinical practice, either in primary or in secondary care, and are frequently missed during routine consultations. There is no single instrument (questionnaire or scale) that enables a comprehensive assessment of the range of NMS in PD both for the identification of problems and for the measurement of outcome. Against this background, a multidisciplinary group of experts, including patient group representatives, has developed an NMS screening questionnaire comprising 30 items. This instrument does not provide an overall score of disability and is not a graded or rating instrument. Instead, it is a screening tool designed to draw attention to the presence of NMS and initiate further investigation. In this article, we present the results from an international pilot study assessing feasibility, validity, and acceptability of a nonmotor questionnaire (NMSQuest). Data from 123 PD patients and 96 controls were analyzed. NMS were highly significantly more prevalent in PD compared to controls (PD NMS, median = 9.0, mean = 9.5 vs. control NMS, median = 5.5, mean = 4.0; Mann–Whitney, Kruskal–Wallis, and t test, P < 0.0001), with PD patients reporting at least 10 different NMS on average per patient. In PD, NMS were highly significantly more prevalent across all disease stages and the number of symptoms correlated significantly with advancing disease and duration of disease. Furthermore, frequently, problems such as diplopia, dribbling, apathy, blues, taste and smell problems were never previously disclosed to the health professionals. © 2006 Movement Disorder Society
The wish to have a child

ABSTRACT– All women (n= 30) who were to undergo microsurgical treatment for tubal infertility, and their partners (n= 29), were subject to individual interviews just before and 2 years after the tubal surgery. Initially, they answered an open question concerning their wish to have a child and then were asked to choose from a list of 36 alternatives, a maximum of five motives for having a child. The infertile couples’ motives were compared with those of three reference groups: one group of 30 who had decided to continue their pregnancy, another group of 101 women who also planned to continue pregnancy and a third group of 459 women applying for legal abortion. All motives on the list were categorized as “philosophical”, “social/cultural”, “interpersonal” and “intrapsychic” motives. The interpersonal and intrapsychic motives dominated both the infertile women and their partners. A central motive was that a child is an ultimate expression of love between a man and a woman. The motives of the infertile couples, generally, did not differ from those of the reference groups.
The Asd+-DadB+ Dual-Plasmid System Offers a Novel Means To Deliver Multiple Protective Antigens by a Recombinant Attenuated Salmonella Vaccine

ABSTRACT We developed means to deliver multiple heterologous antigens on dual plasmids with non-antibiotic-resistance markers in a single recombinant attenuated vaccine strain of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium. The first component of this delivery system is a strain of S. Typhimurium carrying genomic deletions in alr, dadB, and asd, resulting in obligate requirements for diaminopimelic acid (DAP) and d-alanine for growth. The second component is the Asd+-DadB+ plasmid pair carrying wild-type copies of asdA and dadB, respectively, to complement the mutations. To evaluate the protection efficacy of the dual-plasmid vaccine, S. Typhimurium strain χ9760 (a strain with multiple attenuating mutations: Δasd Δalr ΔdadB ΔrecF) was transformed with Asd+ and DadB+ plasmids specifying pneumococcal antigens PspA and PspC, respectively. Both plasmids were stable in χ9760 for 50 generations when grown in nonselective medium. This was significantly (P < 0.05) greater than the stability seen in its recF + counterpart χ9590 and could be attributed to reduced interplasmid recombination in χ9760. Oral immunization of BALB/c mice with 1 × 109 CFU of χ9760 (carrying Asd+-PspA and DadB+-PspC plasmids) elicited a dominant Th1-type serum IgG response against both antigens and protected mice against intraperitoneal challenge with 200 50% lethal doses (LD50s) of virulent Streptococcus pneumoniae strain WU2 or intravenous challenge with 100 LD50s of virulent S. pneumoniae strain L81905 or intranasal challenge with a lethal dose of S. pneumoniae A66.1 in a pneumonia model. Protection offered by χ9760 was superior to that offered by the mixture of two strains, χ9828 (Asd+-PspA) and χ11026 (DadB+-PspC). This novel dual-plasmid system marks a remarkable improvement in the development of live bacterial vaccines.
Identification of an Essential Domain in the Herpes Simplex Virus 1 UL34 Protein That Is Necessary and Sufficient To Interact with UL31 Protein

ABSTRACT Previous results have indicated that the herpes simplex virus 1 UL31 and UL34 proteins interact and form a complex at the inner nuclear membranes of infected cells, where both play important roles in the envelopment of nucleocapsids at the inner nuclear membrane. In the work described here, mapping studies using glutathione S-transferase pull-down assays indicated that amino acids 137 to 181 of the UL34 protein are sufficient to mediate an interaction with the UL31 protein. A recombinant virus (v3480) lacking UL34 codons 138 to 181 was constructed. Similar to a UL34 null virus, v3480 failed to replicate on Vero cells and grew to a limited extent on rabbit skin cells. A UL34-expressing cell line restored v3480 growth and plaque formation. Similar to the localization of UL31 protein in cells infected with a UL34 null virus, the UL31 protein was present in the nuclei of Hep2 cells infected with v3480. Hep2 cells infected with v3480 contained the UL34 protein in the cytoplasm, the nucleus, and the nuclear membrane, and this was noted to be similar to the appearance of cells infected with a UL31 null virus. In transient expression assays, the interaction between UL34 amino acids 137 to 181 and the UL31 protein was sufficiently robust to target green fluorescent protein and emerin to intranuclear sites that contained the UL31 protein. These data indicate that amino acids 137 to 181 of the UL34 protein are (i) sufficient to mediate interactions with the UL31 protein in vitro and in vivo, (ii) necessary for the colocalization of UL31 and UL34 in infected cells, and (iii) essential for normal viral replication.