Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CORRELATED X-RAY AND VERY HIGH ENERGY EMISSION IN THE GAMMA-RAY BINARY LS I +61 303

The discovery of very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray emitting X-ray binaries has triggered an intense effort to better understand the particle acceleration, absorption, and emission mechanisms in compact binary systems, which provide variable conditions along eccentric orbits. Despite this, the nature of some of these systems, and of the accelerated particles producing the VHE emission, is unclear. To answer some of these open questions, we conducted a multiwavelength campaign of the VHE gamma-ray emitting X-ray binary LS I +61 303 including the MAGIC telescope, XMM-Newton, and Swift during 60% of an orbit in 2007 September. We detect a simultaneous outburst at X-ray and VHE bands, with the peak at phase 0.62 and a similar shape at both wavelengths. A linear fit to the simultaneous X-ray/VHE pairs obtained during the outburst yields a correlation coefficient of r = 0.97, while a linear fit to all simultaneous pairs provides r = 0.81. Since a variable absorption of the VHE emission towards the observer is not expected for the data reported here, the correlation found indicates a simultaneity in the emission processes. Assuming that they are dominated by a single particle population, either hadronic or leptonic, the X-ray/VHE flux ratio favors leptonic models. This fact, together with the detected photon indices, suggests that in LS I +61 303 the X-rays are the result of synchrotron radiation of the same electrons that produce VHE emission as a result of inverse Compton scattering of stellar photons.
Laser light is capable of inducing proliferation of carcinoma cells in culture: a spectroscopic in vitro study.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of time, treatment, and wavelength, through the assessment of the cellular viability with MTT, on the proliferation of H.Ep. 2 cells subjected to laser irradiation or not (lambda685 and lambda830 nm) with the same energy density (4 J/cm2). BACKGROUND DATA Although malignant lesions have been studied for some time, there is not yet a definitive cure. Mortality could be reduced if lesions were diagnosed on initial phases of development. MATERIALS AND METHODS H.Ep. 2 cells were cultured in flasks and maintained in DMEN medium (10% FBS, 1% L-glutamine, and 1% antibiotic solution). For irradiation, cells were kept in 24 wells of the 96-well plaques containing DMEM medium (5% FBS, 1% L-glutamine, and 1% antibiotic solution), irradiated with lasers at lambda685- and lambda830-nm wavelength, and stained at 0, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h after irradiation. RESULTS There was significant differences when the three groups were compared (p = 0.0087). There was significant difference for both irradiated groups, lambda685 nm (p = 0.0202) and lambda830 nm (p = 0.0324). Time of irradiation significantly influenced only the lambda685-nm group (p = 0.04). The wavelength had a significant influence (p = 0.013). CONCLUSION Time, treatment, and wavelength significantly influenced the proliferation process of H.Ep. 2 cells.
Chapter 3 Colonoscopy — Indications and Contraindications

This chapter discusses some of the major indications and contraindications for colonoscopy. Advances in colonoscopic techniques have expanded the role of colonoscopy beyond conventional screening, surveillance, and diagnosis to various complex therapeutic and interventional utilities. Several guidelines with new information are being published and updated regularly in the field of colonoscopy and are currently used in clinical practice. However, there is still a lack of welldesigned randomized clinical trials investigating the role of colonoscopy in early diagnosis and treatment of various conditions and its impact on long-term survival and disease status. Nevertheless, retrospective observational studies and a few randomized clinical trials abundantly supply data supporting the role of colonoscopy in the diagnosis and management of colonic pathologies in the absence of comparable alternatives.
Does Correction of Strabismus Improve Quality of Life in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Results of a Parent Survey by Ophthalmologists

ABSTRACT Purpose: Ophthalmic problems are reported to be common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and strabismus is of particular importance. We aimed to investigate the outcomes of strabismus management in cases with ASD and identify the impact of optical or surgical correction of the strabismus on the child using a questionnaire for parents. Methods: A survey was designed to assess parents’ perceptions of pre-management and post-management quality of life in 41 children aged 5–17 years with ASD and strabismus using a questionnaire with 10 questions, including three subscales. Results: Significant improvements were noted after management in functional limitations (P < 0.01), psychosocial interactions (P < 0.01), and ocular alignment (P < 0.01) subscales. Conclusion: This is the first study of the literature that investigated the impact of ocular re-alignment on behavioral patterns and social interactions of children with ASD and strabismus.
Dynamics of non-stationary processes that follow the maximum of the Rényi entropy principle

We propose dynamics equations which describe the behaviour of non-stationary processes that follow the maximum Rényi entropy principle. The equations are derived on the basis of the speed-gradient principle originated in the control theory. The maximum of the Rényi entropy principle is analysed for discrete and continuous cases, and both a discrete random variable and probability density function (PDF) are used. We consider mass conservation and energy conservation constraints and demonstrate the uniqueness of the limit distribution and asymptotic convergence of the PDF for both cases. The coincidence of the limit distribution of the proposed equations with the Rényi distribution is examined.
Characterization of Piezoelectric Microgenerator with Nanobranched ZnO Grown on a Polymer Coated Flexible Substrate

In this paper, results from the fabrication and study of a piezoelectric microgenerator using nanobranched zinc oxide (ZnO) film grown on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiphene) doped with a sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS)-coated flexible substrate are presented. The aim of the study is to extract information about the electrical behavior of the harvester at different frequencies, temperatures, and positions, as related to the ZnO nanostructure, as well as to examine its piezoelectric response. Radiofrequency (RF) sputtering with oxygen deficit during growth on an amorphous sublayer was used to obtain the nanobranched structure. The microdevice was studied at frequencies ranging from 1 Hz to 1 MHz for temperatures in the range of −10 °C to 40 °C, in both a non-bended position, and a radius of curvature position bended to 12 mm. It was found that non-ordered ZnO nanoformations facilitate the dipoles’ motion, thus leading to low dielectric losses of 10−3, and a higher relative permittivity of er ~15, compared with typically known values. The losses increase with one order of magnitude at bending, but still remain low. Dielectric characteristics indicate that the favorable working range of the microgenerator is within the lower frequency region, from 10 Hz to 10 kHz. The results were confirmed by the measured open circuit voltage, which reaches approximately 1 V within this range, versus 300 mV out of the range.
Selective Role of Intracellular Chloride in the Regulation of the Intrinsic but Not Extrinsic Pathway of Apoptosis in Jurkat T-cells*

Apoptosis is a genetic program for the removal of unwanted cells from an organism, which is distinct from necrosis by its characteristic volume loss or apoptotic volume decrease. This cell shrinkage is the result of ion redistribution that is crucial for both the activation and execution of apoptosis. Here we report that UV-C but not Fas ligand treatment results in a significant decrease in intracellular chloride that can be abolished by modulation of chloride flux using either the chloride channel inhibitor SITS or medium with a reduced chloride concentration. Accordingly, downstream events are diminished during UV-C-induced apoptosis following chloride flux modulation, whereas Fas ligand-induced apoptotic characteristics are not affected. Moreover, the activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase signal transduction pathway early in the apoptotic signaling cascade was affected by chloride flux in Jurkat T-cells. Thus, an alteration of intracellular chloride plays an important role in the activation of signaling molecules upstream of the mitochondria, specifically impairing the intrinsic but not extrinsic apoptotic pathway.
Prognostic Significance of Cardiac Troponin I Levels in Hospitalized Patients Presenting With Supraventricular Tachycardia

Although cardiac troponin I (cTnI) elevation in patients presenting to the hospital with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is well recognized, the prevalence, predictors, and prognostic significance of cTnI elevation associated with SVT presentation are not known. We screened records of all patients presenting to 2 hospitals over a 4-year period with the diagnosis of SVT confirmed by 12-lead electrocardiogram, and who had at least 1 measured cTnI level and at least 1 year of follow-up after discharge. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of 1 of the following outcomes: death, myocardial infarction, or cardiovascular rehospitalization. Seventy-eight patients met the study criteria (54% female; mean age, 62.2 ± 15.8 yr), and 29 patients (37.2%) had an elevated cTnI level of ≥0.06 ng/mL (range, 0.06-7.78 ng/mL). Univariate predictors of elevated cTnI included left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <50%, renal dysfunction, ST-segment depression or left bundle branch block on the electrocardiogram, and moderate or severe regurgitation of any cardiac valve. Predictors of elevated cTnI after multivariate analysis included peak heart rate during SVT (per 15 bpm) (odds ratio [OR], 1.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-2.46; p = 0.04) and LVEF <50% (OR, 6.12; 95% CI, 1.40-26.7; p = 0.02). After multivariable adjustment, the presence of elevated cTnI with SVT was associated with increased risk of the primary endpoint of death, myocardial infarction, or cardiovascular rehospitalization (hazard ratio [HR], 3.67; 95% CI, 1.22-11.1; p = 0.02). Mild elevation of cTnI is common in patients presenting to the hospital with SVT, and is associated with increased risk of future cardiovascular events. Further study is needed to determine the mechanisms of SVT-related cTnI elevation and its association with elevated cardiovascular risk. Abbreviations: CAD = coronary artery disease, CI = confidence interval, COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cTnI = cardiac troponin I, HR = hazard ratio, ICD = International Classification of Diseases, LBBB = left bundle branch block, LVEF = left ventricular ejection fraction, OR = odds ratio, SVT = supraventricular tachycardia.
Conflict graph embedding for wireless network optimization

With the dense deployment of wireless infrastructure such as radio towers and WiFi access points, wireless network optimization becomes very important for improving the network capacity and enhancing the communication quality of wireless links. Most optimization algorithms rely on the conflict graph to describe the interference situation. However, building a conflict graph requires exhaustive measurements of the whole network and the existing estimation approaches are static and inaccurate. In this paper, we propose a conflict graph embedding approach to assess network interference situations by representing the wireless nodes with low-dimensional vectors while preserving their conflict relationships. Specifically, our approach introduces a sliding-window based partial measurement method to sample the interference graph in the network, then adopts a learning algorithm to obtain the vector representation of the nodes, and then infers the interference situations by exploring the feature vectors. The proposed approach has been proved to be low measurement overhead, low computational cost, and self-adaptive, which is suitable for large-scale dynamic wireless networks. We illustrate that conflict graph embedding can be used for interference-aware wireless network optimizations. We conduct extensive experiments based on real wireless network datasets, which show the efficiency of the proposed approach.
Analysis of Hematological Profile in HIV Positive Patients before and After Antiretroviral Therapy.

Introduction: The treatment of HIV infection with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has been accepted as the gold standard in the management of HIV patients. The people living with HIV AIDS (PLWHA) have various types of hematological disorders of various degrees of varying severity at presentation. Materials & Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted to assess the hematological profile of HIV infected individuals after initiation of HAART at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences during the period of January 2012 to September 2013.A NACO standardized data extraction format was used to record the sociodemographic characteristics, clinical information and hematological parameters of the study subjects. All covariates for each patient were collected at 0,6 and 12 month following initiation of HAART. Result: A total of 100 patients were studied, 53 (53%) were males as against 47 (47%) females with a sex ratio of 1.12:1.The haematological profile were presented as mean±SD as appropriate. Percentages were used to describe the proportions of the discrete variables. A p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Conclusion: There was a significant improvement in CD4 cells and hemoglobin was observed after 6 months of HAART. Improvement in total count, absolute neutrophil count, absolute lymphocyte count was observed after 12 months of HAART. It can be concluded that in people living with HIV/AIDS, HAART is useful for modifying the mortality and morbidity.
Municipal Solid Waste Management in KhoramAbad City and Experiences

This paper presents an overview of current municipal solid waste management in Khoram Abad city. According to data collected by the local authorities, the waste generation rate is estimated to be 800 g/cap.d with density of 243 kg/m3. Solid waste is stored in different types of containers at the source of generation in different areas of the city. Local Authority is responsible for waste collection, transportation. Municipality is responsible for waste collection, using private sector contracts. At present, both mechanical and manual methods are used to collect residential waste. Manual methods of collection are the most commonly used for waste collection in most parts of the city. Land filling is the main disposal method in this city. But it has some obvious problem and deficiencies The current state of solid waste management has been improved slightly in the last decade. By more actions can reduce the human and environmental risks. Keywords—Disposal, Landfill, management, solid waste.
School sports opportunities influence physical activity in secondary school and beyond.

BACKGROUND The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the availability of intramural or extramural sports in secondary schools is associated with physical activity levels in youth throughout secondary school and at age 20. METHODS Eight hundred and eight adolescents from 10 secondary schools in Montreal, Canada, provided physical activity data every 3 months during the school year from ages 13 to 17, and again at age 20. School administrators completed questionnaires on the availability of intramural and extramural sports. Three-level general linear models were used to examine associations among the number of intramural and extramural sports, moderate and vigorous physical activity controlling for age, sex, body mass index, mother's education, and school-level socioeconomic status. RESULTS Regardless of whether or not they reported participating in intramural sports, adolescents in schools with more intramural sports engaged in 3.6 (p = .03) more total, and 1.3 (p = 0.03) more vigorous activities per week than those attending schools with fewer intramural sports. Number of extramural sports was not statistically significantly associated with physical activity, regardless of whether or not individual students participated. CONCLUSION Providing more opportunities for intramural sports in secondary schools may be an effective strategy to help adolescents attain physical activity recommendations.
Detection of classical and atypical/Nor98 scrapie by the paraffin-embedded tissue blot method

The paraffin-embedded tissue (PET) blot method was used to investigate sections of the central nervous system and lymphatic tissues from 24 cases of classical scrapie and 25 cases of atypical/Nor98 scrapie in sheep and four healthy control sheep. The PET blot detected deposits of PrPSc in the brain tissue of all 49 sheep with scrapie but no PrPSc labelling could be detected in the control sheep. By contrast, not all the atypical/Nor98 scrapie cases were detectable by immunohistochemistry. The high sensitivity of the PET blot method made it possible to observe that in some atypical/Nor98 cases, deposits of PrPSc may be restricted to supratentorial brain structures and that the diagnosis may be missed when only testing the obex area, where deposits are common in classical scrapie, and the cerebellar structures, where deposits are considered to be common in atypical/Nor98 cases.
MEMS-based implantable heart monitoring system with integrated pacing function

Miniaturized accelerometer-based implantable heart monitoring systems may increase safety during cardiac surgery. Such systems can provide sustained monitoring compared to imaging techniques. During ischemia, changes in acceleration occur instantly and before changes can be observed by electrocardiography. This may allow earlier detection of adverse events like graft occlusion. Recent designs have been made to meet requirements for postoperative use by easy and safe removal. However, the implantation procedure has been too complicated. The system presented in this paper is a reworked package in which a 3-axis accelerometer is placed inside a stainless steel capsule fabricated by additive manufacturing (3D printing). A needle attached to the package allows for easy implantation. In addition, the metallic capsule makes it possible to use the device as a pacing lead. The system demonstrates easy implantation. Furthermore, in conjunction with a second electrode, pacing and electrical potential sensing functionality is demonstrated.
Mandibular nerve involvement in diabetic polyneuropathy and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy

Sensory complaints in the area of the mandible and mouth often escape notice or remain undiagnosed. Using electromyographic recording of the trigeminal reflexes and motor responses, we sought trigeminal dysfunction in 50 patients with peripheral neuropathy, and tried to gain pathophysiological information on the mechanisms provoking trigeminal damage. Trigeminal reflex recordings (early and late blink reflex after supraorbital stimulation, early and late masseter inhibitory reflex after mental stimulation, and jaw jerk) disclosed abnormalities caused by sensory trigeminal neuropathy in 8 out of 15 patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), 13 out of 23 patients with severe diabetic polyneuropathy, and in none of 12 patients with mild diabetic polyneuropathy. Six patients had abnormal motor responses in facial or masseter muscles. The response affected most frequently was the masseter early inhibitory reflex (also called first silent period, SP1) after mental nerve stimulation, its latency being strongly delayed. We found these long delays not only in patients with CIDP, but also in diabetic patients with severe polyneuropathy. We conclude that peripheral polyneuropathies often cause subclinical damage to the trigeminal nerve, especially to its mandibular branch. We believe that the nerve fibers running along the alveolar–mandibular pathway are more exposed to damage because of their cramped anatomical route in the mandibular canal and below the internal pterygoid muscle and fascia. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 21: 1673–1679, 1998
Letter: Anemia in erythropoietic protoporphyria.

To the Editor. — During the course of our recently reported study on β-carotene treatment of erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) (228:1004, 1974), we found that some patients had some degree of anemia as defined by the criteria established by the AMA Council on Foods and Nutrition (203:407, 1968). Since EPP was thought to have no hematological abnormality, 1,2 we present our findings to suggest that a mild degree of anemia may be more widespread among patients with EPP than had been thought. The Table shows the incidence of anemia in our patients. Calculation of red blood cell indices in 12 of the 19 patients classified as anemic showed that the mean corpuscular volume was decreased in seven patients, and the mean corpuscular hemoglobin count was within the lower half of the normal range of 32 to 36 (31 to 33); this would suggest the presence of a microcytic-normochronic anemia. Examination of blood
Microalbuminuria and hypertensive retinopathy among newly diagnosed nondiabetic hypertensive adult Nigerians.

OBJECTIVE Microalbuminuria (MA) is a marker of vascular damage and has prognostic implications in hypertension. The objective of this study was to determine if the presence of MA increases the risk of hypertensive retinal damage in nondiabetic adult Nigerians with hypertension. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 96 consecutive newly diagnosed hypertensive patients attending the outpatient clinic and who consented and met the criteria for the study were recruited. There was also the same number of age- and sex-matched normotensive controls. RESULTS MA was present in 31 (32.3%) of the patients and 6 (6.3%) of the controls. The mean (±SD) ages of patients with and without MA were 52.5 ± 11.9 years and 48.3 ± 13.0 years, respectively. The diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.03) and mean arterial pressure (P = 0.01) were statistically higher in hypertensive patients with MA than in their counterparts without it. Patients with MA were more likely to have hypertensive retinopathy (HRP) than patients without it (71% vs 37%, P = 0.001). Advanced HRP, i.e., Grades III - IV, was more common in patients with MA than in those without it (22.6% vs 1.5%). CONCLUSION This study shows a high prevalence of HRP in Nigerian hypertensives with MA.
Second harmonic inversion for ultrasound contrast harmonic imaging

Ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) are small micro-bubbles that behave nonlinearly when exposed to an ultrasound wave. This nonlinear behavior can be observed through the generated higher harmonics in a back-scattered echo. In past years several techniques have been proposed to detect or image harmonics produced by UCAs. In these proposed works, the harmonics generated in the medium during the propagation of the ultrasound wave played an important role, since these harmonics compete with the harmonics generated by the micro-bubbles. We present a method for the reduction of the second harmonic generated during nonlinear-propagation-dubbed second harmonic inversion (SHI). A general expression for the suppression signals is also derived. The SHI technique uses two pulses, p′ and p″, of the same frequency f0 and the same amplitude P0 to cancel out the second harmonic generated by nonlinearities of the medium. Simulations show that the second harmonic is reduced by 40 dB on a large axial range. Experimental SHI B-mode images, from a tissue-mimicking phantom and UCAs, show an improvement in the agent-to-tissue ratio (ATR) of 20 dB compared to standard second harmonic imaging and 13 dB of improvement in harmonic power Doppler.