Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Study of a bistable micromechanism for double throw RF switch applications

Bistable micromechanisms form the basis of a large class of latchable MEMS devices. In such systems, external power is required only to switch the system from one stable state to another stable state. This paper presents the study of a bistable micromechanism that is proposed to be used in the development of double throw RF switches. A lumped element equivalent of the compliant bistable micromechanism is analysed based on its elastic potential energy as a function the relevant linear displacement coordinate. Dimensions of a bistable micromechanism compatible with silicon bulk micromachining techniques are arrived at. The bistable actuator has a stroke of 10 µm. The force displacement curve for the system is obtained numerically. The forward and reverse critical driving forces, are 0.04 mN and −0.1 mN respectively. These forces which are within the capability of electrothermal actuation.
Efficacy of postoperative short-term therapy of topical bevacizumab in recurrent pterygium surgery

Background: The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of postoperative short-term therapy (for 2 weeks) of topical bevacizumab in recurrent pterygium surgery regarding to corneal vascularization and pterygium recurrence. Methods: This prospective randomized comparative study included two groups of patients with recurrent pterygium, all eyes were subjected to pterygium excision with conjunctiva auto graft, and group A (30 eyes of 30 patients) was treated with postoperative topical tobramycine and dexamethazone for 2 weeks. Group B (30 eyes of 30 patients) was treated also with postoperative topical tobramycine and dexamethazone in addition to topical bevacizumab 5 mg/mL 4 times daily for 2 weeks. Follow-up of cases up to 6 months was performed recording corneal vascularization and pterygium recurrence. Results: The results revealed that after 6 months, group A treated with postoperative tobramycine and dexamethazone reported 5 eyes of recurrence (16.7%) which not significantly (P=0.44726) (P>0.05) different from group B treated with the addition of topical bevacizumab which reported 3 eyes of recurrence (10%). But group B showed significantly different in decreasing corneal neovascularization than group A (P=0.000805) (P Conclusions: Postoperative short-term therapy of topical bevacizumab in recurrent pterygium surgery by conjunctiva auto graft showed lower recurrence rate but not statistically significant, But it reduced significantly corneal neovascularization.
Lipid Composition of Purified Vesicular Stomatitis Viruses

Methods are described for the production of vesicular stomatitis (VS) virus of sufficient purity for reliable chemical analysis. VS virions released from infected cells were concentrated and purified at least 150-fold by sequential steps of precipitation with polyethylene glycol, column chromatography, rate zonal centrifugation, and equilibrium centrifugation. The Indiana serotype (VSInd virus) propagated in L-cells was found to contain 3% ribonucleic acid, 64% protein, 13% carbohydrate, and 20% lipid; the molar ratio of cholesterol to phospholipid was 0.6 or greater. Thin-layer chromatography revealed no unusual neutral lipids or phospholipids and gas-liquid chromatography revealed no unusual fatty acids incorporated into VS virions. The antigenically distinct New Jersey serotype (VSNJ virus) grown in L-cells showed a similar lipid profile except that the proportion of neutral lipids was larger than in VSInd virus also grown in L-cells. This differences was less pronounced when the lipid composition of VSInd and VSNJ viruses grown in chick embryo cells was compared, but VSNJ virus grown in either cell type always contained larger amounts of neutral lipids other than cholesterol than did VSInd virus. The lipid composition of both VSInd and VSNJ viruses grown in L-cells or chick embryo cells more closely resembled that of plasma membrane than of whole cells. A consistent finding was the relatively large amounts of phosphatidylethanolamine and sphingomyelin and the relatively small amounts of phosphatidylcholine in both VS viruses compared with uninfected whole L-cells and chick embryo cells or their plasma membranes. The methods available for isolation of plasma membranes were inadequate for conclusive comparison of the lipids of VS virions with the lipids of the plasma membranes of their host cells. Nevertheless, the data obtained are consistent with two hypotheses: (i) the lipid composition of VS viruses primarily reflects their membrane site of maturation, and (ii) the newly synthesized viral proteins inserted into cell membranes influence the proportions of phospholipids and neutral lipids selected for incorporation into the viral membrane.
Association between time interval to publication and statistical significance.

CONTEXT Studies have shown that reports from clinical trials with statistically significant results tend to be submitted and published more rapidly than reports from studies with null or insignificant findings. METHODS We wanted to determine whether manuscripts reporting positive results from controlled clinical trials are published more quickly than those reporting negative results. We tracked manuscripts from submission to JAMA until the publication decision. We classified results as positive if a statistically significant difference was reported for the primary outcome. Manuscripts were further classified according to indicators of methodologic quality and other study characteristics. We included manuscripts if they were submitted from February 1996 through August 1999, reported results of a prospective study in which participants were assigned to a treatment or comparison group, used statistical tests to compare differences between groups, and were accepted for publication. RESULTS One hundred thirty-three manuscripts met our inclusion criteria, 78 (59%) reported positive results, 51 (38%) reported negative results. We were unable to classify the direction of results for 4 articles (3%). The time interval between submission and publication was not associated with positive results: median time between submission and publication was 7.8 months for reports with positive vs 7.6 months for reports with negative results (P =.44). Time to publication also was not associated with any marker of study quality or study characteristic. CONCLUSIONS Among 133 published controlled trials, time to publication was not associated with statistical significance, methodologic quality, or other study characteristics.
N370S‐GBA1 mutation causes lysosomal cholesterol accumulation in Parkinson's disease

Heterozygous mutations in the GBA1 gene, which encodes the lysosomal enzyme β‐glucocerebrosidase‐1, increase the risk of developing Parkinson's disease, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of the N370S‐GBA1 mutation on cellular homeostasis and vulnerability in a patient‐specific cellular model of PD.
Nitrogen-Boron Interaction in Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var botrytis L.) on an Alfisol

A field experiment was conducted on a B-deficient (HWS 0.1 mg kg−1) red sandy loam soil (Ultic Haplustalf) with cauliflower (cv. Pusa Snowball-I). Significant response to N levels (50–300 kg ha−1) in respect of curd weight, diameter and yield was obtained at 200 kg ha−1 over 50 kg ha−1. Any further increment in N adversely affected these parameters. The severity of stem hollow (on 1–5 scale) decreased and that of curd rot increased significantly at 300 kg ha−1 over 50 kg ha−1. Quantitatively, minimum curd rot (17–23%) and maximum stem hollow (85%) and stem rot (45%) was seen at N application rate of 150–200 and 300 kg ha−1, respectively. Increasing levels of B (‘no-B’, 0.0125 and 0.125% boric acid; each applied thrice through foliar spray) significantly increased curd size and yield and supressed Ca content of leaf tissue while that of B increased. The maximum reduction in the percentage of curd rot was at 250 kg ha−1 in ‘no-B’ control while at 0.0125 and 0.125 per cent boric acid concentrations, the corresponding N levels were 200 and 150 kg ha−1, respectively. The severity of stem hollow markedly reduced with increasing N levels only when B supply was adequate. The results ! ihow that stem hollow and curd rot of cauliflower are direct manifestation of B-deficiency and proper balancing of N and B is required for high curd yield and low stem hollow and curd rot.
Wind speed climatology and trends for Australia, 1975–2006: Capturing the stilling phenomenon and comparison with near‐surface reanalysis output

Near‐surface wind speeds (u) measured by terrestrial anemometers show declines (a ‘stilling’) at a range of mid‐latitude sites, but two gridded u datasets (a NCEP/NCAR reanalysis output and a surface‐pressure‐based u model) have not reproduced the stilling observed at Australian stations. We developed Australia‐wide 0.01° resolution daily u grids by interpolating measurements from an expanded anemometer network for 1975–2006. These new grids represented the magnitude and spatial‐variability of observed u trends, whereas grids from reanalysis systems (NCEP/NCAR, NCEP/DOE and ERA40) essentially did not, even when minimising the sea‐breeze impact. For these new grids, the Australian‐averaged u trend for 1975–2006 was −0.009 m s−1 a−1 (agreeing with earlier site‐based studies) with stilling over 88% of the land‐surface. This new dataset can be used in numerous environmental applications, including benchmarking general circulation models to improve the representation of key parameters that govern u estimation. The methodology implemented here can be applied globally.
Detection of beak and feather disease virus DNA in embryonated eggs of psittacine birds

Psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD) is a common viral disease of psittacine birds. The causa - tive agent, beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) is a small circular single-stranded DNA virus belonging to the genus Circovirus. We report the detection of viral DNA predominantly in the heart, intestine and liver, but also in the testes and digestive organs. Additionally, BFDV transmission was investigated. We discuss the possibility that BFDV is transmitted horizontally. In our experiments, embryonated and non-embryonated budgerigar eggs were analysed for the presence of BFDV DNA. In 35.3% of non-embryonated and 20% of embryonated eggs viral DNA was detected, suggesting that BFDV can be transmitted horizontally and vertically.
A Mutation in the MSH6 Subunit of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae MSH2-MSH6 Complex Disrupts Mismatch Recognition*

In yeast, MSH2 interacts with MSH6 to repair base pair mismatches and single nucleotide insertion/deletion mismatches and with MSH3 to recognize small loop insertion/deletion mismatches. We identified a msh6 mutation (msh6-F337A) that when overexpressed in wild type strains conferred a defect in both MSH2-MSH6- and MSH2-MSH3-dependent mismatch repair pathways. Genetic analysis suggested that this phenotype was due to msh6-F337A sequestering MSH2 and preventing it from interacting with MSH3 and MSH6. In UV cross-linking, filter binding, and gel retardation assays, the MSH2-msh6-F337A complex displayed a mismatch recognition defect. These observations, in conjunction with ATPase and dissociation rate analysis, suggested that MSH2-msh6-F337A formed an unproductive complex that was unable to stably bind to mismatch DNA.
Deconstructing "technological to a fault".

Is applied behavior analysis "technological to a fault"? This is not the first time the question has been posed, perhaps because we do not agree on (or understand) what it means. Perhaps the question means different things to different people or even to the same person at different times or in different settings. Sometimes the question is about the relationship between the experimental analysis of behavior and applied behavior analysis (e.g., Baer, 1978, 1987; Pierce & Epling, 1980; see also Deitz, 1987), sometimes between science and technology (e.g., Deitz, 1978), sometimes between theory and application (e.g., Azrin, 1977; Hayes, 1978, 1987; Hayes, Rincover, & Solnick, 1980), and sometimes about schisms in all of the above (e.g., Poling, Picker, Grossett, Hall-Johnson, & Holbrook, 1981; Ribes, 1977). Given this range of possibilities, perhaps we should approach the question in terms of what we understand "technological" and "to a fault" to mean-and thereby pursue a deconstruction of "technological to a fault. "
T Cell Receptor Can Be Recruited to a Subset of Plasma Membrane Rafts, Independently of Cell Signaling and Attendantly to Raft Clustering*

The constitutive/inducible association of the T cell receptor (TCR) with isolated detergent-resistant, lipid raft-derived membranes has been studied in Jurkat T lymphocytes. Membranes resistant to 1% Triton X-100 contained virtually no CD3ε, part of the TCR complex, irrespective of cell stimulation. On the other hand, membranes resistant either to a lower Triton X-100 concentration (i.e. 0.2%) or to the less hydrophobic detergent Brij 58 (1%) contained (i) a low CD3ε amount (approximate 2.7% of total) in resting cells and (ii) a several times higher amount of the TCR component, after T cell stimulation with either antigen-presenting cells or with phytohemagglutinin. It appeared that CD3/TCR was constitutively associated with and recruited to a raft-derived membrane subset because (i) all three membrane preparations contained a similar amount of the raft marker tyrosine kinase Lck but no detectable amounts of the conventional membrane markers, CD45 phosphatase and transferrin receptor; (ii) a larger amount of particulate membranes were resistant to solubilization with 0.2% Triton X-100 and Brij 58 than to solubilization with 1% Triton X-100; and (iii) higher cholesterol levels were present in membranes resistant to either the lower Triton X-100 concentration or to Brij 58, as compared with those resistant to 1% Triton X-100. The recruitment of CD3 to the raft-derived membrane subset appeared (i) to occur independently of cell signaling events, such as protein-tyrosine phosphorylation and Ca2+mobilization/influx, and (ii) to be associated with clustering of plasma membrane rafts induced by multiple cross-linking of either TCR or the raft component, ganglioside GM1. We suggest that during T cell stimulation a lateral reorganization of rafts into polarized larger domains can determine the recruitment of TCR into these domains, which favors a polarization of the signaling cascade.
Anti‐phagocytic mechanisms of Streptococcus pyogenes: binding of fibrinogen to M‐related protein

A key attribute of invasive Streptococcus pyogenes is their ability to resist phagocytosis and multiply in human blood. M‐related protein (Mrp) is a major anti‐phagocytic factor but the mechanism whereby it helps streptococci to evade phagocytosis has not been demonstrated. We investigated phagocytosis resistance in a strain of serotype M4 by inactivating the mrp gene and also the emm, enn, sof and sfbX genes and by analysing the effect on streptococcal growth in blood and on complement deposition on the bacterial surface. Inactivation of enn4 and sfbX4 had little impact on growth in blood, but ablation of mrp4, emm4 or sof4 reduced streptococcal growth in human blood, confirming that Mrp and Emm are required for optimal resistance to phagocytosis and providing the first indication that Sof may be an anti‐phagocytic factor. Moreover, antisera against Mrp4, Emm4 and Sof4 promoted the killing of S. pyogenes, but anti‐SfbX serum had no effect. Growth of S. pyogenes in blood was dependent on the presence of fibrinogen and in the absence of fibrinogen there was a twofold increase in complement deposition. Inactivation of mrp4 resulted in a loss of fibrinogen‐binding and caused a twofold increase in the binding of C3b that was inhibited by Mg‐EGTA. Mrp contained two fibrinogen‐binding sites, one of which is within a highly conserved region. These findings indicate that Mrp–fibrinogen interactions prevent surface deposition of complement via the classical pathway, thereby contributing to the ability of these streptococci to resist phagocytosis. This may be a common mechanism for evasion of phagocytosis because Mrp is expressed by approximately half of the clinical isolates of S. pyogenes.
Prevention of Cooperative Black Hole Attack in Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) are extensively used in military and civilian applications. The dynamic topology of MANETs allows nodes to join and leave the network at any point of time. This generic characteristic of MANET has rendered it vulnerable to security attacks. In this paper, we address the problem of coordinated attack by multiple black holes acting in group. We present a technique to identify multiple black holes cooperating with each other and a solution to discover a safe route avoiding cooperative black hole attack.
Global vs. Local: Component Based Learning for Classification and Image Understanding

In this dissertation, we describe several component based learning approaches to combining global and local information in datasets or images for classification and image understanding. Firstly, we propose the compositional sparse coding method, in which each image is assumed as a composition of several repeated patterns selected from a learned dictionary. The learning of such a dictionary of repeated patterns is unsupervised. It iterates an image encoding step and a dictionary re-learning step. Experimental results show that the proposed approach is capable of learning meaningful repeated patterns from training images and the learned repeated patterns are useful for image classification. Secondly, we propose a novel approach for data classification that combines advantages of generative model and discriminative model. We called it as the local-generative-global-discriminative model. It has two major components: a group of local generative models and a global discriminative model. The proposed approach employs a boosting framework to pursuit a group of local generative models and trains a global discriminative model as the classifier to fuse these local generative models to do the classification. The proposed approach is compared with several famous classification algorithms such as SVM and AdaBoost, and higher accuracies are obtained. Finally, we propose a distance metric learning approach for classification and dimensionality reduction. In the proposed approach, a mixture of sparse distance matrices are learned and each component in the mixture model is a neighborhood component analysis model. We test the proposed distance metric learning approach on several UCI machine learning datasets and image classification datasets, and very good results are achieved.
Life on the outside: the rescue of Coxiella burnetii from its host cell.

For over seven decades, Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of human Q fever, has been considered a prototypical obligate intracellular bacterium that relies exclusively on a eukaryotic cell for growth. Intracellularly, the organism prospers in an acidified, phagolysosome-like vacuole. C. burnetii has evolved to replicate in this harsh compartment by a mechanism involving acid activation of metabolism. The ? 2 Mb genome of C. burnetii is about twice the size of genomes of most obligate intracellular bacteria, and the organism's central metabolic pathways are largely intact. The absence of extensive genome reduction suggests the adaptation of C. burnetii to an obligate intracellular lifestyle is a recent evolutionary event. Indeed, insight from early work on C. burnetii metabolism, along with new information gained from metabolic pathway reconstructions, nutrient typing, and expression profiling, allowed the rescue of C. burnetii from its host cell to regain the axenic growth capacity of its ancestors. This advance removes the extensive experimental obstacles associated with intracellular obligatism and opens the door for a renaissance in C. burnetii research.
Effect of indomethacin on the antihypertensive efficacy of valsartan and lisinopril: a multicentre study

Objective To compare the effect on antihypertensive efficacy produced by the addition of indomethacin to the angiotensin II (Ang II) antagonist, valsartan, or to the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, lisinopril, in hypertensive patients with chronic osteoarthritis. Subjects and methods One hundred and twenty-eight patients (52 men and 76 women) aged 25–82 years (mean age 55.7 years), with diastolic blood pressure (DBP) > 100 mmHg at the end of a 2-week placebo washout period were allocated randomly to groups to receive valsartan (80–160 mg once daily) or lisinopril (10–20 mg once daily). At the end of 10 weeks of treatment, patients with DBP < 90 mmHg, while continuing to receive valsartan or lisinopril treatment, were allocated randomly to groups to receive either indomethacin (50 mg three times a day) or the corresponding placebo for 2 weeks, with a 1-week washout period between the two treatments, according to a double-blind, crossover design. After the initial washout period, patients were examined at the end of the 4th, 8th and 10th weeks of randomized treatment with valsartan and lisinopril, at the end of the first crossover period and then at the beginning and at the end of the second crossover period. At each visit, sitting and standing blood pressure were measured by standard mercury sphygmomanometer. Results The addition of indomethacin blunted the blood pressure-decreasing effect of both antihypertensive drugs. Although indomethacin produced greater increases in both systolic and DBP values in the lisinopril-treated patients (5.45/3.22 mmHg) than in the valsartan-treated ones (2.12/1.87 mmHg), no significant difference between the two drugs was found. Conclusions From a theoretical standpoint, these findings suggest that prostaglandins may play a part in the antihypertensive action of Ang II antagonists. From a practical standpoint, hypertensive patients treated with valsartan or with lisinopril should be monitored to detect changes in blood pressure control while receiving indomethacin.
Use of Vaginally Administered Chlorhexidine During Labor to Improve Pregnancy Outcomes

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine the potential for chlorhexidine used as a vaginal and neonatal wash to reduce adverse outcomes of pregnancy, especially in developing countries. DATA SOURCES: We searched the English literature from January 1950 through October 2005 for all articles related to the use of chlorhexidine. METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION: Every article on chlorhexidine use in pregnancy and in the newborn period was reviewed in detail. The results of every study in which chlorhexidine was used as a vaginal treatment, with or without a neonatal wash, for all pregnancy outcomes except mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus, are summarized in this review. TABULATION, INTEGRATION AND RESULTS: Chlorhexidine is a highly effective killer of most bacteria, has an excellent safety profile, rarely is associated with bacterial resistance, is easy to administer, and costs a few cents per application. When used as a vaginal or newborn disinfectant, it clearly reduces bacterial load, including transmission of Group B Streptococcus from the mother to the fetus. Nevertheless, in developed countries, chlorhexidine generally has not been shown to significantly reduce life-threatening maternal or neonatal infections. However, 2 large but not randomized studies, one in Malawi and the other in Egypt, suggest that important reductions in maternal and neonatal sepsis and neonatal mortality may be achievable with vaginal or neonatal chlorhexidine treatment. CONCLUSION: With 4 million neonates and about 700,000 pregnant or recently pregnant women–mostly in developing countries–dying each year, many from infections originating in the vagina, further study of this highly promising treatment is indicated.