Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Critical Examination of Frequency-Fixed Second-Order Generalized Integrator-Based Phase-Locked Loops

The implementation of a large number of single-phase phase-locked loops (PLLs) involves creating a fictitious quadrature signal. A popular approach for this purpose is using a second-order generalized integrator-based quadrature signal generator (SOGI-QSG) because it results in an acceptable speed/accuracy tradeoff. The SOGI-QSG-based PLL (or briefly the SOGI-PLL), in its standard form, involves a frequency feedback loop for adjusting the SOGI resonance frequency under frequency drifts. Some recent research works have reported that the speed/accuracy tradeoff of the SOGI-PLL can be considerably enhanced by removing the frequency feedback loop. In these methods, the SOGI resonance frequency is fixed at the nominal frequency, and a compensation strategy for correcting errors caused under off-nominal frequencies is employed. The main aim of this letter is to provide a critical analysis of frequency-fixed SOGI-based PLLs to highlight their real advantages and disadvantages.
‘I Would Never Have Come If We’d Know It Might Be Like This’

This paper presents the findings from a small-scale pilot study which explores the experiences of accessing welfare benefits by the migrant Roma European Union (EU) citizens in the UK. It compares administrative barriers and individuals’ knowledge of welfare entitlement both prior and after the implementation of changes to the welfare regime in 2014, when a tranche of ‘policy hardening’ legal enactments came into force. For the migrants who participated in this study, precarious, low paid post-migration work has brought several hazards, including a non-eligibility for certain social protections and an inability to demonstrate documentation which enable access to ‘passported’ welfare benefits. The combination of problems in accessing welfare benefits and the resulting state interventions, including expulsion from the UK in some cases, suggest that EU Roma citizens experience disproportionate negative impacts of welfare hardening, adding to the much vaunted ‘hostile environment’ to EU migrants in the wake of the Brexit vote. As such, we find the practice of ‘bordering’ migrant EU Roma citizens to the UK is taking place through covert state enforcement action against families and households, discouraging effective and genuine use of their free movement rights guaranteed under European Union law.
Central Nervous System Tumor Immunity Generated by a Recombinant Listeria monocytogenes Vaccine Targeting Tyrosinase Related Protein-2 and Real-Time Imaging of Intracranial Tumor Burden

OBJECTIVE:Previously, we demonstrated that a recombinant Listeria monocytogenes (rLM) vector encoding the melanoma-associated antigen, tyrosinase related protein (TRP)-2, could successfully treat subcutaneous B16 melanomas. The purpose of the present study was twofold: 1) to test whether this rLM-nucleoprotein (NP)/TRP-2 could generate antitumor immunity to a B16 tumor challenge in the immunologically privileged central nervous system (CNS) and 2) to develop a noninvasive imaging modality to monitor tumor progression in the brain after immunotherapy. METHODS:Mice were vaccinated with either a control rLM strain expressing only a viral antigen (rLM-NP) or a strain expressing both the viral epitope and TRP-2 (rLM-NP/TRP-2). These mice were then analyzed for their ability to mount tumor-specific T-cell responses, to generate protective antitumor immunity to a CNS tumor challenge, and for the localization of T cells at the tumor site. To noninvasively measure tumor growth within the CNS in vivo, we developed a B16 cell line expressing firefly luciferase that could be readily detected via bioluminescent imaging. RESULTS:Vaccination with rLM-NP/TRP-2 induced a robust, tumor-specific CD8+ T-cell response to the dominant cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitope of TRP-2 and selective interferon-&ggr; secretion when cocultured with B16 melanoma cells in vitro. Significant decreases in CNS tumor sizes were easily visualized in mice vaccinated with rLM-NP/TRP-2 compared with mice that received a control rLM expressing the NP epitope alone (rLM-NP). The subsequent decreased tumor size and extension of survival induced by rLM-NP/TRP-2 was similarly associated with an early increase of tumor infiltrating T cells. CONCLUSION:The ability to treat tumors arising within the CNS is difficult because of the nature of the anatomic confines of the brain and a microenvironment that may not promote immune responsiveness. These studies describe an in vivo bioluminescent imaging system to monitor CNS tumor growth in mice, which we successfully used to document decreased intracranial tumor progression and size after vaccination with rLM-NP/TRP-2. The results suggest that metastatic tumors in the CNS can be targeted immunotherapeutically without overt autoimmune toxicity.
Dexamethasone blocks nerve growth factor induction of nerve growth factor receptor mRNA in PC12 cells

Glucocorticoids and nerve growth factor (NGF) have been shown to have antagonistic effects on chromaffin cells in vivo. Here we determined the effect of the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone, on levels of mRNA for the nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR) in rat PC12 pheochromocytoma cells. Following administration of dexamethasone (1 μM) there is a decline in NGFR mRNA expression. More importantly, administration of dexamethasone appears to block the NGF‐mediated induction of NGFR when both agents are administered simultaneously. These data support the hypothesis that glucocorticoids and NGF act in opposition in determination of the phenotype of chromaffin cells.
Effects of Azithromycin on Shiga Toxin Production by Escherichia coli and Subsequent Host Inflammatory Response

ABSTRACT Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) colonizes the human intestinal mucosa, produces Stx from phage, and causes the development of hemolytic-uremic syndrome via Stx-induced inflammatory cytokine production. Azithromycin exhibited strong in vitro activity against STEC without inducing Stx-converting phage, in marked contrast to norfloxacin. Azithromycin decreased the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and IL-6 production from Stx-treated human peripheral mononuclear cells or monocytes to a greater extent than did clarithromycin. In Stx-injected mice, azithromycin significantly suppressed Stx-induced TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels in serum and improved the outcome as assessed by survival rate. In the STEC oral infection experiment using immature mice immediately after weaning (weaned immature-mouse model), all mice died within 7 days postinfection. Azithromycin administration gave the mice 100% protection from killing, while ciprofloxacin administration gave them 67% protection. The data suggest that azithromycin (at least at higher concentrations) has a strong effect on Stx production by STEC and on the Stx-induced inflammatory host response and prevents death in mice. Azithromycin may have a beneficial effect on STEC-associated disease.
Application of MDM2 Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization and Immunohistochemistry in Distinguishing Dedifferentiated Liposarcoma From Other High-grade Sarcomas

Distinguishing dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS) from other high-grade spindle and pleomorphic sarcomas is important because of better prognosis in case of DDLPS. MDM2 amplification, a genetic abnormality of well-differentiated liposarcoma, is known to be present not only in DDLPS, but also in some other sarcomas. To differentiate DDLPS, we investigated MDM2 amplification and expression in high-grade spindle sarcomas. Eighty-five cases of nonlipogenic high-grade sarcomas, diagnosed between 2008 and 2011, were investigated. Tissue microarray, immunohistochemistry, and fluorescence in situ hybridization for MDM2 were performed. Forty-one of 85 cases (48.2%) showed MDM2 amplification and expression. Cases of MDM2 amplification were reclassified based on histology, immunophenotype, and clinical data. Thirty-nine of 41 cases, including those originally diagnosed as DDLPS (n=30), undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (n=7), myxofibrosarcoma (n=1), and pleomorphic liposarcoma (n=1) could be reclassified as DDLPS. In addition, MDM2 immunohistochemistry and MDM2 fluorescence in situ hybridization showed an excellent correlation (P<0.001, sensitivity 92.7%, specificity 100%). MDM2 amplification and expression are potentially very useful in distinguishing between DDLPS and other undifferentiated high-grade spindle and pleomorphic sarcomas, even though a few other sarcomas also showed MDM2 amplification and expression.
Short-Term Liquidity Contagion in the Interbank Market

We implement a modified version of DebtRank, a measure of systemic impact inspired in feedback centrality, to recursively measure the contagion effects caused by the default of a selected financial institution. In our case contagion is a liquidity issue, measured as the decrease in financial institutions’ short-term liquidity position across the Colombian interbank network. Concurrent with related literature, unless contagion dynamics are preceded by a major –but unlikely- drop in the short-term liquidity position of all participants, we consistently find that individual and systemic contagion effects are negligible. We find that negative effects resulting from contagion are concentrated in a few financial institutions. However, as most of their impact is conditional on the occurrence of unlikely major widespread illiquidity events, and due to the subsidiary contribution of the interbank market to the local money market, their overall systemic importance is still to be confirmed.
College Students' Perceptions of Advances in HIV Treatment and the Need for Safer Sex Practices

Advances in the treatment of HIV disease may result in reduced concern about the severity of HIV and the need to practice safer sex. A pilot study was conducted among 258 college students to assess effects of the new treatments on perceptions of HIV and the need for safer sex practices. In a sample of minority heterosexual students 155 (60%) had heard about the new HIV treatments, and perceptions of the new treatments were analyzed for only these students. A small proportion of the 155 students (17.5%) believed that the threat of AIDS is less serious than in the past, and 21% indicated that they practiced safer sex less often since new treatments were introduced. Students with high knowledge of AIDS risk were more likely to report reduced concern about HIV and indicated that there was less need to practice safer sex. Prevention programs should emphasize that the threat of HIV remains serious, and continuing to practice safer sex is important. Further research should focus on factors influencing reduced concern.
Effect of the Structure of the N Terminus of Tropomyosin on Tropomodulin Function*

Tropomodulins (Tmod) bind to the N terminus of tropomyosin and cap the pointed end of actin filaments. Tropomyosin alone also inhibits the rate of actin depolymerization at the pointed end of filaments. Here we have defined 1) the structural requirements of the N terminus of tropomyosin important for regulating the pointed end alone and with erythrocyte Tmod (Tmod1), and 2) the Tmod1 subdomains required for binding to tropomyosin and for regulating the pointed end. Changes in pyrene-actin fluorescence during polymerization and depolymerization were measured with actin filaments blocked at the barbed end with gelsolin. Three tropomyosin isoforms differently influence pointed end dynamics. Recombinant TM5a, a short non-muscle α-tropomyosin, inhibited depolymerization. Recombinant (unacetylated) TM2 and N-acetylated striated muscle TM (stTM), long α-tropomyosin isoforms with the same N-terminal sequence, different from TM5a, also inhibited depolymerization but were less effective than TM5a. All blocked the pointed end with Tmod1 in the order of effectiveness TM5a >stTM >TM2, showing the importance of the N-terminal sequence and modification. Tmod1-(1–344), lacking the C-terminal 15 residues, did not nucleate polymerization but blocked the pointed end with all three tropomyosin isoforms as does a shorter fragment, Tmod1-(1–92), lacking the C-terminal “capping” domain though higher concentrations were required. An even shorter fragment, Tmod1-(1–48), bound tropomyosin but did not influence actin filament elongation. Tropomyosin-Tmod may function to locally regulate cytoskeletal dynamics in cells by stabilizing actin filaments.
The effect of child access prevention laws on unintentional child firearm fatalities, 1979-2000.

OBJECTIVE Unintentional firearm deaths among children have been declining steadily in the United States. This study investigates whether Child Access Prevention (CAP) laws are associated with this decline. METHODS Pooled cross-sectional time- series data (1979-2000) for 50 states and negative binomial regression methods were used to estimate the effect of Child Access Prevention laws on unintentional firearm deaths among children. RESULTS Most states that enacted CAP laws experienced greater subsequent declines in the rate of unintentional firearm deaths for children age 0 to 14 compared with states not enacting the laws; however when adjusted for firearm prevalence and state and national effects the laws were associated with statistically significant declines only in Florida and California. In a comparison group of adults age 55 to 74, a group less likely to have young children in the home and thus less likely to be influenced by CAP laws, there was no indication that CAP laws affected unintentional firearm death rates. CONCLUSIONS Unintentional firearm deaths are declining in the United States, with the rate for children under age 15 declining faster than adults. States that allowed felony prosecution of offenders experienced a greater effect of CAP laws than states that did not. CAP laws may have had some influence on the continued reduction in national death rates.
Cochlear Implantation Rarely Alters Horizontal Vestibulo-ocular Reflex in Motorized Head Impulse Test

Objective Determine the change in vestibular function in patients receiving a unilateral cochlear implant, and to compare these results with other signs and symptoms. Study Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Academic tertiary referral center. Patients Forty-four adults (mean age, 55 yr; range, 30–76 yr) receiving their first cochlear implant. Intervention Cochlear implantation. Main Outcome Measures Horizontal high-frequency vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) was measured using the motorized head impulse rotator preoperatively and twice (on average two and 19 months) postoperatively. VOR gain and asymmetry were calculated (mean ± standard deviation). Symptoms were assessed with a structured questionnaire. Results Gain on the operated side was 0.77 ± 0.26 preoperatively, 0.75 ± 0.30 in the early and 0.73 ± 0.33 in the late postoperative control, and did not change significantly. Mean asymmetry remained within 9% to 10% in all test occasions. Dizziness symptom score or dizziness-related quality of life score did not change significantly. General quality-of-life score improved significantly from that of preoperative 3.5 ± 1.2 to that of 2.6 ± 1.1 postoperatively (p = 0.01). Subjective hearing scores improved significantly from 4.9 ± 0.3 to 2.4 ± 1.0, respectively (p = 0.0000). Gain was decreased significantly in 4 patients (10%) in the early and in 2 patients (7%) in the late postoperative control. Conclusion Late high-frequency loss of vestibular function or vestibular symptoms is rare but possible after cochlear implantation surgery. This should be taken into account in patient counseling especially when considering bilateral cochlear implant surgery.
Why men with prostate cancer want wider access to prostate specific antigen testing: qualitative study

Abstract Objectives: To explore the attitudes of men with confirmed or suspected prostate cancer to testing for prostate specific antigen. Design: Qualitative interview study with a purposive sample. Setting: Great Britain. Participants: 52 men with suspected or confirmed prostate cancer, recruited through general practitioners, urologists, patient support groups, and charities. Results: Almost all men remembered their prostate specific antigen test but recalled being given little information beforehand. Arguments in favour of increased access to testing included the belief that early diagnosis would reduce mortality, improve quality of life, and save the NHS money. Men also thought that a national screening programme should be available because symptoms can be ambiguous, screening for cancer is responsible health behaviour, and screening would encourage men to be tested. Four men who opposed a screening programme had gathered information alerting them to uncertainty about the benefits of treatment, and two regretted that they had been tested. Others thought that access to testing is restricted in the United Kingdom because of a lack of government backing, concerns about the accuracy of the test, and a lack of resources. Conclusions: The few men in this study who subscribed to the argument that evidence of the benefits of treatment is a prerequisite for a screening programme did not want to see screening introduced. Men who proposed an alternative set of principles for testing gave reasons that did not all relate to overoptimism about the benefits of early diagnosis. People who plan services and people who respond to requests for testing need to understand men's perspectives and concerns.
Detection of respiratory viruses in nasopharyngeal secretions and middle ear fluid from children with acute otitis media

Conclusions. Our results suggest that various respiratory viruses contribute to the pathogenesis of acute otitis media (AOM). Objective. AOM is one of the most common complications of viral upper respiratory tract infections in children. Recently, the importance of respiratory viruses has been stressed as causative agents of AOM. Subjects and methods. A total of 1092 children ≤10 years old (average age 1.38 years) diagnosed as having AOM between 2002 and 2004 were studied. Bacterial and viral cultures of both nasopharyngeal secretions (NPS) and middle ear fluid (MEF) were performed for all 1092 children. Body temperature, changes of the tympanic membrane, and the number of days from the onset of illness were analyzed. Results. Respiratory viruses were detected in 360 of 1092 NPS specimens, including 157 isolates of respiratory syncytial virus and 88 of influenza virus. Among 1092 MEF specimens, 102 were virus-positive, including 43 for respiratory syncytial virus and 29 for influenza virus. In 75 children, respiratory viruses were only detected in MEF. The viral detection rate was higher in children with fever at an early stage of their illness. The tympanic membrane changes associated with viral infection tended to be less severe, while changes were more severe in cases with bacterial infection, especially co-infection with bacteria and viruses.
CT screening for lung cancer: frequency and significance of part-solid and nonsolid nodules.

OBJECTIVE In the Early Lung Cancer Action Project (ELCAP), we found not only solid but also part-solid and nonsolid nodules in patients at both baseline and repeat CT screening for lung cancer. We report the frequency and significance of part-solid and nonsolid nodules in comparison with solid nodules. MATERIALS AND METHODS We reviewed all instances of a positive finding in patients at baseline (from one to six noncalcified nodules) and annual repeat screenings (from one to six newly detected noncalcified nodules with interim growth) to classify each of the nodules as solid, part-solid, or nonsolid. We defined a solid nodule as a nodule that completely obscures the entire lung parenchyma within it. Part-solid nodules are those having sections that are solid in this sense, and nonsolid nodules are those with no solid parts. Chi-square statistics were used to test for differences in the malignancy rates. RESULTS Among the 233 instances of positive results at baseline screening, 44 (19%) involved a part-solid or nonsolid largest nodule (16 part-solid and 28 nonsolid). Among these 44 cases of positive findings, malignancy was diagnosed in 15 (34%) as opposed to a 7% malignancy rate for solid nodules (p = 0.000001). The malignancy rate for part-solid nodules was 63% (10/16), and the rate for nonsolid nodules was 18% (5/28). Even after standardizing for nodule size, the malignancy rate was significantly higher for part-solid nodules than for either solid ones (p = 0.004) or nonsolid ones (p = 0.03). The malignancy type in the part-solid or nonsolid nodules was predominantly bronchioloalveolar carcinoma or adenocarcinoma with bronchioloalveolar features, contrasting with other subtypes of adenocarcinoma found in the solid nodules (p = 0.0001). At annual repeat screenings, only 30 instances of positive test results have been obtained; seven of these involved part-solid or nonsolid nodules. CONCLUSION In CT screening for lung cancer, the detected nodule commonly is either only part-solid or nonsolid, but such a nodule is more likely to be malignant than a solid one, even when nodule size is taken into account.
Gender differences in an endogenous timing conflict game

We conduct a laboratory experiment to study the role of gender on social welfare outcomes in a strategic commitment game of incomplete information. In our baseline treatment, players simultaneously commit to either a Hawkish action, which leads to a private payoff, or a Dovish action, which can enhance social welfare. We add a sequential and an endogenous move treatment, where in the former, the first mover is exogenously selected and in the latter, players self-select the order of play. The two additional treatments relax the commitment constraint for the second mover. We find that (i) social welfare is significantly improved in the last two treatments and (ii) the outcome in the endogenous move treatment is mainly driven by gender. Men are willing to play the risky Dovish action more often than women.
Ecotoxicity test methods for engineered nanomaterials: Practical experiences and recommendations from the bench

Ecotoxicology research is using many methods for engineered nanomaterials (ENMs), but the collective experience from researchers has not been documented. This paper reports the practical issues for working with ENMs and suggests nano‐specific modifications to protocols. The review considers generic practical issues, as well as specific issues for aquatic tests, marine grazers, soil organisms, and bioaccumulation studies. Current procedures for cleaning glassware are adequate, but electrodes are problematic. The maintenance of exposure concentration is challenging, but can be achieved with some ENMs. The need to characterize the media during experiments is identified, but rapid analytical methods are not available to do this. The use of sonication and natural/synthetic dispersants are discussed. Nano‐specific biological endpoints may be developed for a tiered monitoring scheme to diagnose ENM exposure or effect. A case study of the algal growth test highlights many small deviations in current regulatory test protocols that are allowed (shaking, lighting, mixing methods), but these should be standardized for ENMs. Invertebrate (Daphnia) tests should account for mechanical toxicity of ENMs. Fish tests should consider semistatic exposure to minimize wastewater and animal husbandry. The inclusion of a benthic test is recommended for the base set of ecotoxicity tests with ENMs. The sensitivity of soil tests needs to be increased for ENMs and shortened for logistics reasons; improvements include using Caenorhabditis elegans, aquatic media, and metabolism endpoints in the plant growth tests. The existing bioaccumulation tests are conceptually flawed and require considerable modification, or a new test, to work for ENMs. Overall, most methodologies need some amendments, and recommendations are made to assist researchers. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2012;31:15–31. © 2011 SETAC