Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SPUDT filters for the 2.45 GHz ISM band

Filters based on using single-phase, unidirectional transducers (SPUDT) consisting of /spl lambda//4 and wider electrodes are presented. The design variants exploit the significant difference between the reflectivity of short-circuited /spl lambda//4 electrodes and that of floating wide electrodes on 128/spl deg/ lithium niobate (LiNbO/sub 3/). The surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices operating at 2.45 GHz have critical dimensions of about 0.3-0.4 /spl mu/m, accessible to standard optical lithography. When matched, the fabricated SPUDT filters exhibit minimum insertion losses of 5.5-7.9 dB together with 3 dB passbands of 89-102 MHz. The majority of the insertion loss can be attributed to the attenuation on free surface and inside the grating, and to the resistivity of the electrodes.
Association between rs7901695 and rs7903146 polymorphisms of the TCF7L2 gene and gestational diabetes in the population of Southern Poland.

OBJECTIVES The etiology of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) remains to be fully elucidated. Elevated risk for type 2 diabetes in patients with history of GDM and for GDM in women with familial history of diabetes may suggest that GDM and type 2 diabetes share a common genetic and environmental background. The TCF7L2 (Transcription Factor 7 Like 2) gene is one of the most important genetic factors of the established correlation with type 2 diabetes, and it may also play a role in the pathophysiology of GDM. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of two polymorphisms of the TCF7L2 gene (rs7901695 and rs7903146), which are associated with the development of type 2 diabetes, in women with GDM. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 50 women with glucose tolerance disorders diagnosed for the first time during the current pregnancy. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped using allelic discrimination. The results were confirmed using the sequencing method. Selected clinical parameters were also analyzed. RESULTS No correlation between the studied polymorphisms of the TCF7L2 gene and GDM was observed. Glycemic control with diet or diet and insulin was associated with better control of the weight gain during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS No correlation between rs7903146 and rs7901695 polymorphisms of the TCF7L2 gene and GDM was found. Glycemic control with diet or diet and insulin is associated with better control of the weight gain during pregnancy.
PREVALENCE OF SMOKING AMONG HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS IN EASTERN PROVINCE , SAUDI ARABIA

The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of smoking among health care providers in the eastern province. Questionnaires were distributed to health care workers in Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Out of 578 individuals only 15.1% (87) were smokers, occasional smokers were 13.3% (77), 4.7% were ex-smokers and the remaining 67% (387) were non-smokers. The most common influencing factor was friends accounting for 66.7% (58/87). A large number of the smokers 82.8% (72/87) had considered quitting smoking. Failure of attempts to quit smoking was largely due to lack of will power 56.9% (41). Most of the smokers were aware of the health hazards of smoking 93.1% (81) and 54.3% (44/87) would check the nicotine level in cigarettes. It was concluded that smoking prevalence is relatively high among our hospital workers. Most of the smokers knew the harmful effects but did not succeed in quitting smoking due to various reasons.
[Neurological manifestations of dengue: study of 41 cases].

UNLABELLED The increase of encephalitis and meningoencephalitis in patients with dengue, diagnosed at a public hospital, Neurology State reference, we adopted systematic data collection. OBJECTIVE The objective was to present 41 cases of neurological manifestations of dengue and to compare data with literature. METHOD This is a descriptive study, retrospective from March to July 1997 and, prospective, from February to May 2002, analyzing damaged neurological regions and diagnostic of 41 patients. RESULTS Involved regions were brain (5/7 cases - 71.4%, in 1997, and 20/34 cases - 58.8%, in 2002), spinal cord (2/34 cases - 5.9% in 2002) and peripheral nerves (2/7 cases - 28.6% in 1997 and 12/34 cases - 35.3% in 2002). There was no meningeal involvement. According to topography, there was encephalic and peripheral nerves diagnosis in both periods and, exclusively in 2002, spinal cord damage. Cerebral hemorrhage and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis were diagnosed for the first time, as well as hemifacial spasm worsening as possible neurological manifestation of dengue. CONCLUSION This is the third casuistics in dengue and nervous system. Three dengue complications were diagnosed, for the first time registered on the literature.
Transcriptional Repression by the T-box Proteins Tbx18 and Tbx15 Depends on Groucho Corepressors*♦

Tbox18 (Tbx18) and Tbox15 (Tbx15) encode a closely related pair of vertebrate-specific T-box (Tbx) transcription factors. Functional analyses in the mouse have proven the requirement of Tbx15 in skin and skeletal development and of Tbx18 in the formation of the vertebral column, the ureter, and the posterior pole of the heart. Despite the accumulation of genetic data concerning the embryological roles of these genes, it is currently unclear how Tbx18 and Tbx15 exert their function on the molecular level. Here, we have initiated a molecular analysis of Tbx18 and Tbx15 proteins and have characterized functional domains for nuclear localization, DNA binding, and transcriptional modulation. We show that both proteins homo- and heterodimerize, bind to various combinations of T half-sites, and repress transcription in a Groucho-dependent manner. Competition with activating T-box proteins may constitute one mode of action as we show that Tbx18 interacts with Gata4 and Nkx2-5 and competes Tbx5-mediated activation of the cardiac Natriuretic peptide precursor type a-promoter and that ectopic expression of Tbx18 down-regulates Tbx6-activated Delta-like 1 expression in the somitic mesoderm in vivo.
Anatomical Variations in the Sinoatrial Nodal Artery: A Meta-Analysis and Clinical Considerations

Background and Objective The sinoatrial nodal artery (SANa) is a highly variable vessel which supplies blood to the sinoatrial node (SAN). Due to its variability and susceptibility to iatrogenic injury, our study aimed to assess the anatomy of the SANa and determine the prevalence of its anatomical variations. Study Design An extensive search of major electronic databases was performed to identify all articles reporting anatomical data on the SANa. No lower date limit or language restrictions were applied. Anatomical data regarding the artery were extracted and pooled into a meta-analysis. Results Sixty-six studies (n = 21455 hearts) were included in the meta-analysis. The SANa usually arose as a single vessel with a pooled prevalence of 95.5% (95%CI:93.6–96.9). Duplication and triplication of the artery were also observed with pooled prevalence of 4.3% (95%CI:2.8–6.0) and 0.3% (95%CI:0–0.7), respectively. The most common origin of the SANa was from the right coronary artery (RCA), found in 68.0% (95%CI:55.6–68.9) of cases, followed by origin from the left circumflex artery, and origin from the left coronary artery with pooled prevalence of 22.1% (95%CI:15.0–26.2) and 2.7 (95%CI:0.7–5.2), respectively. A retrocaval course of the SANa was the most common course of the artery with a pooled prevalence of 47.1% (95%CI:36.0–55.5). The pooled prevalence of an S-shaped SANa was 7.6% (95%CI:2.9–14.1). Conclusions The SANa is most commonly reported as a single vessel, originating from the RCA, and taking a retrocaval course to reach the SAN. Knowledge of high risk anatomical variants of the SANa, such as an S-shaped artery, must be taken into account by surgeons to prevent iatrogenic injuries. Specifically, interventional or cardiosurgical procedures, such as the Cox maze procedure for atrial fibrillation, open heart surgeries through the right atrium or intraoperative cross-clamping or dissection procedures during mitral valve surgery using the septal approach can all potentiate the risk for injury in the setting of high-risk morphological variants of the SANa.
Partial integrated missile guidance and control with output feedback

A novel output feedback controller is presented in this paper for a class of nonlinear systems with disturbances. Firstly, a dynamic compensator is introduced and combined with the plant to form an extended system for which an estimator is constructed. Using the norm bound of estimation error vector, the controller is proposed to drive the output to zero in finite time. Then the proposed result is applied to partial integrated guidance and control design of missile to achieve hit-to-kill interception. Finally, a simulation example is presented to illustrate effectiveness of the proposed method.
Staphylococcus aureus in inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND The potential role of superantigens in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), particularly Crohn disease, has been broached in studies of the functions of T cell receptors. Staphylococcal cells have been found in intestinal lymph follicles of IBDs. To clarify a role of staphylococcal superantigens in IBD, we attempted to determine whether Staphylococcus aureus could be detected in intestinal mucosa, including surgical specimens and lymph follicles of initial cases. METHODS One-hundred-and-six colonic and ileal specimens were obtained from 38 Crohn disease, 25 ulcerative colitis and 36 non-IBD patients through therapeutic surgery or endoscopic biopsy. In Crohn disease, 23 surgical specimens and 11 biopsy specimens from initial cases were included. DNA was extracted with phenol-chloroform after homogenization and proteinase K treatment in 73 mucosal specimens. Using an inverted microscope, lymph follicle tissue was microdissected from the remaining 33, mostly biopsy, specimens. DNA was then extracted by freeze-thawing. A coagulase gene characteristic of S. aureus was sought. A nested polymerase chain reaction was performed utilizing primers that amplify a region of the coagulase gene. Polymerase chain reaction products were analyzed with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. RESULTS Only one surgically resected colonic specimen, from a 42-year-old male ulcerative colitis patient, registered positive staphylocoagulase amplification. CONCLUSIONS Staphylococcal superantigens are not involved in either the early lesions or the established lesions of Crohn disease. However, S. aureus infection occasionally may occur during the course of IBD.
Currency Exposure in International Minimum-Variance Equity Portfolios

This article aims to contribute to the discussion on low-risk investing in international equity markets by showing the impact of currency-handling strategies on portfolio exposures. Investment professionals usually adhere either to the fully hedged or to the fully unhedged (or converted) approach. Both approaches have their pitfalls: The fully hedged approach neglects transaction costs as well as all operational issues, which can be costly and even jeopardize the approach’s implementation; the converted approach introduces country and currency biases. We first show the impact of the currency-handling methodology on the portfolio exposure. Second, we add the currencies to the optimization problem and compute a minimum-variance portfolio with a real-life set of investment constraints. We show that this global minimum-variance portfolio has exposure to stocks and currencies that lies between fully hedged and converted solutions.
Predictors of academic achievement for school-age children with sickle cell disease

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at risk for neurocognitive impairment and poor academic achievement, although there is limited research on factors predicting academic achievement in this population. This study explores the relative contribution to academic achievement of a comprehensive set of factors, such as environmental (socioeconomic status), disease-related (stroke, transfusion therapy, adherence) and psychosocial variables [child behaviour, child quality of life (QoL)], controlling for intellectual functioning (IQ). Eighty-two children with SCD completed measures assessing IQ and academic achievement, while parents completed questionnaires assessing adherence, child behaviour and child QoL. Medical chart reviews were conducted to determine disease-related factors. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that 55% of the variance in academic skills were accounted for by IQ, parent education, chronic transfusion status and QoL [R 2 = 0.55, F (5,77) = 18.34, p < 0.01]. Follow-up analyses for broad reading [R 2 = 0.52, F (5,77) = 16.37, p < 0.01] and math calculation [R 2 = 0.44, F (5,77) = 12.14, p < 0.01] were also significant. The findings suggest a significant contribution of factors beyond IQ to academic achievement. Findings allow for identification of children with SCD at risk for academic difficulties for whom psychoeducational interventions may enhance academic achievement.
The effects of fertilization mode, embryo morphology at day 3, and female age on blastocyst formation and the clinical outcomes

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of in vitro fertilization (IVF) versus intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), fertilization mode embryonic morphology at day 3, and female age on blastocyst development, on the clinical outcomes of pregnancy after blastocyst transfer. A total of 471 cycles were retrospectively investigated. The rates of blastocyst formation and of good blastocyst morphology were higher in IVF than in ICSI cycles but there were no significant differences in the clinical pregnancies or in the miscarriage rates. The rates of formation of blastocyst and of blastocysts with good morphology were significantly higher from good-morphology embryos than from poor-morphology embryos. Nevertheless, 16.9% of the poor-morphology embryos reached the blastocyst stage. The total rates of blastocyst formation, and rates of clinical pregnancy and implantation were statistically similar in the age <35, 35–39, and >39 year groups, although tending to decrease with increasing age. When equal numbers of embryos were transferred on day 3, the rates of clinical pregnancy and implantation after blastocyst transfer were significantly higher in the <35 year age group than in the 35–39 and >39 year age groups, which were not significantly different. The miscarriage rates after embryo or blastocyst transfers were not statistically different in groups of similar age. Therefore, extended embryo culture up to the blastocyst stage could be implemented for women aged younger than 35 years to increase the pregnancy rate. For older women, transfer and vitrification of available embryos at day 3 and extended culture of morphologically poor embryos to the blastocyst stage for cryopreservation may improve the clinical outcome.
Bone reactions to controlled loading of endosseous implants: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVES To validate an experimental setup designed to apply load onto bone tissue using osseointegrated implants in a rabbit model. Specifically, (1) to design an apparatus capable of generating controlled forces, (2) to assess implant placement, maintenance and loading and (3) to evaluate outcome variables using three radiological methods. MATERIAL AND METHODS New Zealand White rabbits were used. Two dental implants were inserted 15-18 mm apart in the animals' tibiae. After 3 months of healing, the implants were loaded normal to their long axes using a pneumatically activated device. A 15 min load regimen at 1 Hz was applied 5 days per week. Every week the applied load was increased by 5 N up to week 8 and by 10 N up to 100 N by week 14. Groups of animals (n=3) were sacrificed at load levels 25, 50 and 100 N. One unloaded controlateral implant in each group provided the baseline data. The rabbits were computer tomography (CT) scanned and radiographed using conventional frames every 4-5 weeks. After sacrifice, a volume of interest (VOI) located in the inter-implant zones and a VOI set as a ring surrounding the distal implant were analyzed using micro computer tomography (microCT). RESULTS A variety of osseous responses was observed, ranging from minor alterations to significant increases in porosity and lamelling of the cortical layer. microCT data of the inter-implant VOI demonstrated an initial increase in total volume (upto 50 N) followed by stabilization. Concomitantly, bone volumetric density first decreased and then augmented until the end of the experiment. This phenomenon was not observed in the peri-implant VOI, for which volumetric density augmented from the beginning to the end of the experiment. CONCLUSIONS 1. In future trials the loading devices must be constructed so as to sustain heavy cyclic loads over prolonged periods. 2. When properly handled, rabbits are cooperative animals in this application. In a third of the sites, signs of inflammation were observed. 3. In the inter-implant VOI, the cortical bone tended to react in two phases: first, as an increase in porosity and lamelling and second, as an augmentation of bone volumetric density. The peri-implant VOI adapted only by augmenting volumetric density.
How do hosts react to endosymbionts? A new insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the Wolbachia–host association

Wolbachia is an intracellular bacterium that has aroused intense interest because of its ability to alter the biology of its host in diverse ways. In the two‐spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, Wolbachia can induce complex cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) phenotypes and fitness changes, although little is known about the mechanisms. In the present study, we selected a strain of T. urticae, in which Wolbachia infection was associated with strong CI and enhanced female fecundity, to investigate changes in the transcriptome of T. urticae in Wolbachia‐infected vs. uninfected lines. The responses were found to be sex‐specific, with the transcription of 251 genes being affected in females and 171 genes being affected in males. Some of the more profoundly affected genes in both sexes were lipocalin genes and genes involved in oxidation reduction, digestion and detoxification. Several of the differentially expressed genes have potential roles in reproduction. Interestingly, unlike certain Wolbachia transinfections in novel hosts, the Wolbachia–host association in the present study showed no clear evidence of host immune priming by Wolbachia, although a few potential immune genes were affected.
Killing two birds with one stone: successful opioid monotherapy in intractable migraine-triggered epilepsy, a case series

The novel concept explored in this case series is the primacy of headaches in generating seizures in those patients who suffer from migraine-triggered epilepsy. In this series, once the migraine headaches were fully suppressed, via daily scheduled opioid therapy, the seizures also stopped. Seizures returned, however, after the patients stopped the opiate regimen for any reason. The above pharmacological scenario is reminiscent of a similar but naturalistic course of events reported on the salutary effects of ketogenic diet, or changes in life style, in similar cases of migraine-triggered epilepsy. The primacy of migraine in treating what has been named ‘seizure headaches’ is seen in two other scenarios (i.e. the salutary effect of ketogenic diet and lifestyle changes resulting in restoration of one’s sleeping pattern) thus stopping the migraine as well as the seizures associated with the same. This case series recounts the same phenomenon via utilizing around-the-clock maintenance opioid therapy.
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) plays a critical role in pathogenesis of ultraviolet‐B (UVB) ‐induced nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC)

Mounting evidence suggests that macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) may serve as an important link between chronic inflammation and cancer development. The proinflammatory and proangiogenic activities of MIF position it as a potentially important player in the development and progression of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). To assess the role of MIF in the development and progression of NMSC, we exposed MIF–/– BALB/c mice to acute and chronic ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation. Our studies demonstrate that MIF–/– BALB/c mice have a significantly diminished acute inflammatory response to UVB exposure compared to wild‐type mice, as measured by myeloperoxidase activity, dermal neutrophil infiltration, and edematous response. Relative to wild‐type mice, MIF–/– mice also show significantly lower vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) concentrations in whole skin and significantly lower 8‐oxo‐dG adduct concentrations in epidermal DNA following UVB exposure. Furthermore, MIF–/– mice showed significant increases in p53 activity, epidermal thickness, and epidermal cell proliferation following acute UVB insult. In response to chronic UVB exposure, MIF–/– mice showed a 45% reduction in tumor incidence, significantly less angiogenesis, and delayed tumor progression when compared to their wild‐type counterparts. These data indicate that MIF plays an important role in UVB‐induced NMSC development and progression. — Martin, J., Duncan, F. J., Keiser, T. , Shin, S. , Kusewitt, D. F. , Oberyszyn, T. , Satoskar, A. R. , VanBus‐kirk, A. M. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) plays a critical role in pathogenesis of ultraviolet‐B (UVB) ‐induced nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). FASEB J. 23, 720–730 (2009)
Immunoglobulin Replacement Therapy in Primary Antibody Deficiency Diseases – Maximizing Success

Antibody or humoral immunodeficiencies comprise the largest group of primary immunodeficiency diseases. Since the first description of patients with low gammaglobulin levels more than four decades ago, a great wealth of information has been accumulated. Especially in the last several years, the application of molecular and genetic techniques has unraveled many of these disorders, identifying disorders of B cell development, failure of class switch recombination and abnormalities of specific antibody production. Regardless of the underlying defect, the mainstay of therapy has been and remains immunoglobulin (Ig) replacement therapy, currently by intravenous infusion or subcutaneous injection. With advances in manufacturing, a number of products are not only safe for intravenous administration but doses can be increased to provide even more effective infection prophylaxis. However, manufacturing processes, methods of viral inactivation and removal and final composition differ widely among the available preparations. How these variables impact clinical outcome is not clear, but they have the potential to do so. As a result, careful selection of an intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), matching patient needs and risks to those risks associated with a specific IVIG, is necessary to optimize outcomes and maximize the success of Ig replacement therapy.