Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High-Performance Algorithms for Drift Avoidance and Fast Tracking in Solar MPPT System

The power available at the output of solar arrays keeps changing with solar insolation and ambient temperature. Expensive and inefficient, the solar arrays must be operated at maximum power point (MPP) continuously for economic reasons. Of the numerous algorithms for this purpose, perturb and observe (P&O) is a standard. A derivative of gradient ascent method used in the optimization theory, this algorithm introduces a tradeoff between tracking and dynamic performance. This algorithm also has a tendency to drift the system away from the MPP as atmospheric conditions change. With continually changing atmospheric conditions, these inadequacies lead to poor utilization of solar arrays. This paper addresses both the issues. A variable-step-length algorithm is proposed to eliminate the tradeoff. The drift is minimized by evaluating the entire trend in a power versus voltage curve. Analytical results, validated on a prototype system show excellent performance.
Keratinocyte growth factor promotes alveolar epithelial cell DNA repair after H 2 O 2 exposure

Wu, Kristina I. , Nani Pollack, Ralph J. Panos, Peter H. S. Sporn, and David W. Kamp. Keratinocyte growth factor promotes alveolar epithelial cell DNA repair after H2O2 exposure. Am. J. Physiol. 275 (Lung Cell. Mol. Physiol. 19): L780–L787, 1998. —Alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) injury and repair are important in the pathogenesis of oxidant-induced lung damage. Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) prevents lung damage and mortality in animals exposed to various forms of oxidant stress, but the protective mechanisms are not yet established. Because DNA strand break (DNA-SB) formation is one of the earliest cellular changes that occurs after cells are exposed to an oxidant stress, we determined whether KGF reduces H2O2-induced pulmonary toxicity by attenuating AEC DNA damage. KGF (10–100 ng/ml) decreased H2O2 (0.05–0.5 mM)-induced DNA-SB formation in cultured A549 and rat alveolar type II cells measured by an alkaline unwinding, ethidium bromide fluorometric technique. The protective effects of KGF were independent of alterations in catalase, glutathione (GSH), or the expression of bcl-2 and bax, two protooncogenes known to regulate oxidant-induced apoptosis. Actinomycin D and cycloheximide abrogated protective effects of KGF. Furthermore, protection by KGF was completely blocked by 1) genistein, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor; 2) staurosporine and calphostin C, protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors; and 3) aphidicolin, butylphenyl dGTP, and 28,38-dideoxythymidine 58-triphosphate, inhibitors of DNA polymerase. We conclude that KGF attenuates H2O2induced DNA-SB formation in cultured AECs by mechanisms that involve tyrosine kinase, PKC, and DNA polymerases. These data suggest that the ability of KGF to protect against oxidant-induced lung injury is partly due to enhanced AEC DNA repair.
Tracking viable circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients undergoing definitive radiation therapy: Pilot study results

Assays identifying circulating tumor cells (CTCs) allow noninvasive and sequential monitoring of the status of primary or metastatic tumors, potentially yielding clinically useful information. However, to the authors' knowledge, the effect of radiation therapy (RT) on CTCs in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been previously explored.
Dysregulated CD1 profile in myeloid dendritic cells in CVID is normalized by IVIg treatment.

To the editor: The CD1 proteins are major histocompatibility complex class I-like molecules specialized in presenting lipid and glycolipid antigens to T cells. [1][1] Group I CD1s include CD1a, CD1b, and CD1c and present bacterial antigens to a diverse repertoire of pathogen-specific T cells. [2][2]
Ectopic thyroid: etiology, pathology and management

Corresponding Authors: Ibrahim NA, Department of Surgery, Lagos State University, College of Medicine and Lagos State University Teaching, Hospital, P.M. B. 21266, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, E-mail: ibrahimakanmu@yahoo.com Received 03-08-11, Revised 10-09-11, Accepted 25-09-11
Genetic parameters and across-line SNP associations differ for natural antibody isotypes IgM and IgG in laying hens.

In an earlier study, serum levels of natural antibody isotypes IgM- and IgG-binding keyhole limpet hemocyanin were found to be indicative for survival through the laying period of hens and therefore considered as promising traits for future implementation in breeding programs for higher survival of layers. In the present study, we first estimated the genetic parameters for the two isotypes at 20, 40 and 65 weeks of age (IgM20, IgM40 and IgM65; IgG20, IgG40 and IgG65). Pooled genetic parameters were estimated from the total population of 2504 hens from nine purebred layer lines, with line included in the model to account for admixture. Moderate heritabilities (0.14-0.44) indicated that selection for isotype titers is feasible, especially for IgM. Secondly, associations between 1022 SNP markers and the above-mentioned six immunological traits were estimated in 650 genotyped hens from the nine lines. The association study was performed across lines to detect markers that are closer to the QTL and have the same phase of association in the entire population. Forty-three significant associations between SNPs and isotype titers were detected. The SNPs of interleukins IL10 and IL19 were associated with both isotypes; SNPs of tripartite motif containing 33 (TRIM33) and IL6 showed significant association with IgG20 and IgM20 respectively; SNPs of heat shock protein 90kDa alpha (cytosolic), class B member 1 (HSP90AB1) were associated with IgG titers at older ages. Some detected SNPs were also reported associated with other immune and behavioral traits.
PET imaging of brain acetylcholinesterase using [11C]CP‐126,998, a brain selective enzyme inhibitor

PET and [11C]CP‐126,998, an N‐benzylpiperidinebenzisoxazole, were used to image brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) distribution in healthy controls before and after administration of 5 mg donepezil p.o. , a reversible AChE inhibitor. Logan plots were used to compute distribution volumes (VT). The VT of [11C]CP‐126,998 was highest in the basal ganglia and cerebellum and lowest in the cerebral cortex, thalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus. The regional VT values correlated well with AChE concentration measured in vitro. Donepezil, given 4 h before PET scanning, induced a substantial inhibition of [11C]CP‐126,998 binding (43–62%) in all brain regions when compared to the baseline PET study. The results of this study indicate that PET imaging of [11C]CP‐126,998 may be useful in quantifying the distribution of regional brain AChE. This new PET radiotracer may potentially be employed in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with disorders of cholinergic neurotransmission, such as Alzheimer's disease. Synapse 45:1–9, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Perlecan, a Basement Membrane-type Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycan, in the Enamel Organ: Its Intraepithelial Localization in the Stellate Reticulum

The localization and biosynthesis of perlecan, a basement membrane-type heparan sulfate proteoglycan, were studied in developing tooth germs by using murine molars in neonatal and postnatal stages and primary cultured cells of the enamel organ and dental papilla to demonstrate the role of perlecan in normal odontogenesis. Perlecan was immunolocalized mainly in the intercellular spaces of the enamel organ as well as in the dental papilla/pulp or in the dental follicle. By in situ hybridization, mRNA signals for perlecan core protein were intensely demonstrated in the cytoplasm of stellate reticulum cells and in dental papilla/pulp cells, including odontoblasts and fibroblastic cells in the dental follicle. Furthermore, the in vitro biosyntheses of perlecan core protein by the enamel organ and dental papilla/pulp cells were confirmed by immunofluorescence, immunoprecipitation, and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The results indicate that perlecan is synthesized by the dental epithelial cells and is accumulated in their intercellular spaces to form the characteristic stellate reticulum, whose function is still unknown.
Perception of generic prescription drugs and utilization of generic drug discount programs.

OBJECTIVE Our study aimed to assess patient's perceptions of generic drugs and utilization of generic drug discount programs. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS A survey was administered to adult participants at community health centers and community-based organizations in Houston, Texas, USA (n=525). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Multivariate logistic regression was used to quantify the strength of association between generic drug perception and utilization of generic drug discount programs. RESULTS Respondents who agreed that "Generic prescription drugs are as effective as brand name prescription drugs," were 3 times as likely to utilize generic drug discount programs (AOR: 3.0, 95% CI: 1.8-4.8, P<.001). Compared to non-Hispanic Whites, African Americans (OR: 10.2; 95% CI: 1.4-76.4) and Hispanics (OR: 10.3; 95% CI: 1.3-79.4) were 10 times as likely to agree that generic drugs have more side effects than brand name drugs. CONCLUSION Race/ethnicity had no impact in utilization of generic drug discount programs, despite racial disparities in perception toward generic drugs' side effects and generic drugs being inferior to brand name drugs.
Expert Anticipatory Skill in Striking Sports

Expert performers in striking sports can hit objects moving at high speed with incredible precision. Exceptionally well developed anticipation skills are necessary to cope with the severe constraints on interception. In this paper, we provide a review of the empirical evidence regarding expert interception in striking sports and propose a preliminary model of expert anticipation. Central to the review and the model is the notion that the visual information used to guide the sequential phases of the striking action is systematically different between experts and nonexperts. Knowing the factors that contribute to expert anticipation, and how anticipation may guide skilled performance in striking sports, has practical implications for assessment and training across skill levels.
Experiments on internal wave resonance in periodically forced lakes

Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the steady state internal wave response of a periodically forced long and narrow lake. The system is two-layer stratified and is subjected to periodic forcing over a wide frequency range. The ratio of the forcing frequency (f) to horizontal mode-one (H1) internal seiche frequency (fH1) governs the system response. For f ≥ 2fH1, highermode internal seiches were observed; for f ≤ (2/3)fH1, a non-resonant forced H1 internal seiche was observed; and for (2/3)fH1 < f < 2fH1, a resonant H1 internal seiche was observed. For the resonant regime, progressive nonlinear internal waves (e.g. solitary waves) formed upon the H1 seiche when the inverse Wedderburn number, W > 0.03 (W is the ratio of the wind-induced thermocline set-up to the thermocline depth). The nonlinear internal waves will break upon sloping topography at the lake perimeter, thus energizing the benthic boundary layer. Conversely, for W > 0.5, Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities were observed to form within the progressive nonlinear internal waves, leading to diapycnal mixing (10 ms < Kρ < 10 −4 ms) within the basin interior.
Advanced tools for BRCA1/2 mutational screening: comparison between two methods for large genomic rearrangements (LGRs) detection

Abstract Background: Currently, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) is the most commonly used technique for the detection of large genomic rearrangements (LGRs) in the BRCA1/2 genes. However, a very fast assay, the BRCA1/2 multiplex amplicon quantification (MAQ), has been recently developed by Multiplicom. Methods: As no data regarding the application of MAQ method to BRCA1/2 genes are available in literature, here we compared for the first time the performance of the MAQ assay with MLPA by using several positive BRCA1/2 LGRs DNA samples (previously tested by MLPA). Results: MAQ method was able to detect all BRCA1/2 LGRs and no false-positive or -negative results were obtained in independent repetitive experiments. Conclusions: We can affirm that MAQ, as well as MLPA method, results to be valid and reproducible tools for molecular diagnostics and we are confident that this assay can be used for BRCA1/2 mutational screening as a fast and safe alternative to MLPA, particularly in the first line of analysis.
“I”-Tunes: Multiple Subjectivities and Narrative Method in Computer Music

Abstract Representational aspects of a computer music composition may forge a perspectival conduit into the music, partly through conceptual boundary structures described here as “frames. ” The perspectival conduit includes the illusion of subjectivities inside the music and is called here the work's “point of view. ” These internal subjectivities shape a listener's sense of self, including role, location, and identity. Where and how does the given sound world let the listener in, conceptually, to interact with the work's point of view? This essay considers musical discourse that draws on literary theories of narrative, but it also examines techniques that derive directly from computer music's distinctive features and capabilities.
The Proportions of Streptomyces californicus and Stachybotrys chartarum in Simultaneous Exposure Affect Inflammatory Responses in Mouse RAW264.7 Macrophages

Abstract Adverse health outcomes associated with moisture-damaged buildings originate from an exposure consisting of complex interactions between various microbial species and other indoor pollutants. The concentrations and proportions of microbial components in such environments can vary greatly with the growth conditions. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of simultaneous exposure with modified proportions of actinobacteria Streptomyces californicus and fungi Stachybotrys chartarum on inflammatory responses (cytokines macrophage inflammatory protein 2 [MIP2], interleukin 6 [IL-6] and tumor necrosis factor α [TNFα]; nitric oxide) and cytotoxicity (MTT-test and DNA content analysis) in mouse RAW264.7 macrophage cell line. Five different proportions of microbial spores were studied (Str. californicus: S. chartarum 10:1; 5:1; 1:1; 1:5; 1:10). RAW264.7 cells were coexposed to the total dose of 3 × 105 spores/ml for 24 h and also both of these microbial spores on their own at the respective doses. At least the 1.5-fold synergistic increase in cytokine production of RAW264.7 macrophages was detected when coexposure contained an equal amount or more fungal spores (S. chartarum) than bacterial spores (Str. californicus) compared to the sum response caused by these microbial spores separately. On the contrary, NO production after coexposure was nearly 40% less than the sum response induced by the microbial spores separately, when coexposure contains 5 times more bacterial than fungal spores. In addition, coexposure slightly changed the cytotoxic potency of the spores. The present results revealed that mutual proportions of fungal and bacterial spores in simultaneous exposure affect the nature of their interactions leading to increased or suppressed production of inflammatory mediators in RAW264.7 macrophages.
Diagnostic Assays Used to Control Small Ruminant Lentiviruses

The serologic diagnostic tests, such as the agar gel immunodiffusion assay and various types of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), have contributed to the reduction of small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV) infections worldwide. Because there are no treatments or efficacious vaccines, the serologic diagnostic tests have supported most of the eradication efforts by testing and removal or separation of adult animals that generate antibodies to SRLVs. With the advent of molecular diagnostics, standard and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR)—based assays for the detection of provirus in peripheral blood cells are becoming more common and aid in the detection of infected goats and sheep before antibody detection by ELISA in some animals. Performance of the serologic and molecular diagnostic tests is dependent upon a number of factors, including the format of the assay, the percentage of identity between the viral nucleotide sequences in a flock or herd of a certain geographic region and the sequences used to generate SRLV test reagents, and the intrinsic pathogenesis or amount of provirus and SRLV antibody generated in a species or individual small ruminant. In addition, small ruminant genomics may help with establishing genetic markers of SRLV infection and disease, which could also aid eradication or reduction of SRLVs from herds and flocks throughout the world.
Relationship between moral distress and ethical climate with job satisfaction in nurses

Background: Moral distress and ethical climate are important issues in the workplace that appear to affect people’s quality of work life. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the relationship of moral distress and ethical climate to job satisfaction in critical care nurses. Materials and methods: This descriptive-correlation study was conducted on 142 critical care nurses, selected from five social security hospitals in north Iran through census sampling. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Moral Distress Scale–Revised, the Olson’s Hospital Ethical Climate Survey, and the Brayfield and Rothe Job Satisfaction index. Ethical considerations: The research project was approved by the Ethics Committee of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences and the Medical Deputy of the Social Security Organization. Findings: The mean scores obtained by the critical care nurses for moral distress, ethical climate, and job satisfaction were 87.02 ± 44.56, 3.51 ± 0.53, and 62.64 ± 9.39, respectively. Although no significant relationships were observed between moral distress and job satisfaction, the relationship between ethical climate and job satisfaction was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Identifying ethical stressors in the workplace and giving proper feedback to the authorities to eliminate these factors and improve the ethical climate in these workplaces can help enhance job satisfaction in nurses and lead to higher quality care.
Service Utility Optimization Model Based on User Preferences in Multiservice IP Networks

The optimization is an essential process for operators to ensure the best networks performance as well as an adequate return on investment. In the case of a multiservice IP network, this process consists on providing high-quality services to end users with the aim of maximizing their satisfaction. To achieve this goal, we propose an analytical model to quantify the Quality of Experience (QoE) parameter that evaluates the perceived service quality as well as the user satisfaction level. This model aims to optimize services utility according to the user preferences and the available bandwidth. It consists on evaluating: i) the estimated user's utility function according to the user's available bandwidth, ii) the network delivered utility function and finally iii) the QoE and the service cost. We define also a recursive process that allow to auto-adapt the services utility for the end users by adjusting the service importance parameter. Finally, in order to validate our proposed model and the service utility adaptation process, we carried out a set of simulations that we describe in the last section of this paper.
Natural history in proximal spinal muscular atrophy. Clinical analysis of 445 patients and suggestions for a modification of existing classifications.

OBJECTIVES To describe the natural history in all types of proximal spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and to propose a modified classification scheme that takes the long-term course of SMA into account. DESIGN Patients with proximal SMA were studied prospectively and retrospectively in a genetic study that was based on clinical and family data. PATIENTS Four hundred forty-five patients with SMA were ascertained since 1985 through various departments of neurology and neuropediatrics, institutes of human genetics, and the German muscular dystrophy association (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Muskelkranke, Freiburg, Germany). RESULTS The study group was subdivided into patients with four types of SMA (ie, SMA types I, II, III, and IV) on the basis of achieved motor development and age at onset. Survival probabilities at 2, 4, 10, and 20 years of age were 32%, 18%, 8%, and 0%, respectively, in patients with SMA type I (those who were never able to sit) and 100%, 100%, 98%, and 77%, respectively, in patients with SMA type II (those who were able to sit but were unable to walk). Nineteen of 104 patients with SMA type II lost the ability to sit; this inability to sit was not of prognostic relevance. Patients with SMA type III (those who were able to walk [age at onset, younger than 30 years]) were subdivided into those with an age at onset before (SMA type IIIa) and after (SMA type IIIb) 3 years. The probabilities of being ambulatory at 10, 20, and 40 years after onset were 73%, 44%, and 34%, respectively, in patients with SMA type IIIa, and they were 97%, 89%, and 67%, respectively, in patients with SMA type IIIb. CONCLUSIONS The definition of long-term characteristics of SMA is helpful in providing medical care to families with members who have SMA and also in providing important information for future genotype-phenotype studies and therapeutic trials of patients with SMA. Our data indicate that the widely used classification schemes did not consider the broad spectrum of SMA so a practical modification was suggested.
Epitope specificity of the T cell proliferative response to lysozyme: proliferative T cells react predominantly to different determinants from those recognized by B cells

The fine specificity of murine B 10.A/SgSn (B 10.A) T cells reactive with hen egg‐white lysozyme (HEL) has been studied through the use of reduced, carboxymethylated HEL, a set of peptides encompassing the entire molecule, and a set of variant lysozymes from other species. Cells were taken from the lymph nodes draining the site of immunization at the base of the tail, and were restimulated in vitro with immunogen or analogue to measure T cell reactivity.