Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Voltage-mode universal biquadratic filter and quadrature oscillator using CFAs

: The paper presents a new voltage-mode universal biquadratic ﬁ lter and a new quadrature oscillator using two current-feedback ampli ﬁ ers (CFAs) with two capacitors and three resistors. The proposed circuit can work as both a voltage-mode universal biquadratic ﬁ lter and a quadrature oscillator without changing the circuit con ﬁ guration. As a voltage-mode universal biquadratic ﬁ lter, the proposed circuit can be easily realized all ﬁ ve generic ﬁ ltering functions by selecting three different input voltage signals. The proposed ﬁ lter allows the orthogonal controllability of the quality factor and the resonance angular frequency. If there is no input voltage signal, the proposed con ﬁ guration can work as a quadrature oscillator without changing the circuit topology. This proposed topology provides two quadrature voltage outputs. The oscillation condition and oscillation frequency are also independent adjustability. The experimental results show that the new voltage-mode universal biquadratic ﬁ lter and quadrature oscillator are feasible.
Sulfur-Gold Orbital Interactions which Determine the Structure of Alkanethiolate/Au(111) Self-Assembled Monolayer Systems

With the aim of understanding the nature of the S−Au(111) bonding in organosulfur/Au(111) self-assembled monolayer (SAM) systems, orbital interactions in the adsorption of methanethiolate (-SCH3) in various binding sites of a three-layer slab model and an Au42 cluster model of Au(111) surface are investigated. The methods of choice are crystal orbital overlap population (COOP) and crystal orbital Hamilton population (COHP) analyses for a periodic slab model and fragment molecular orbital (FMO) analyses for the cluster model. The origin of the S−Au(111) bond and the binding site preference are discussed from the viewpoint of orbital interaction. The site preference is in the order of three-fold hollow (fcc and hcp) > bridge > on-top. The second layer Au atoms have little influence on the S−Au(111) bonding, and adsorptions to the fcc and hcp sites are almost identical with respect to energy and S−Au bonding nature. Although σ-type S−Au orbital interactions dominate the S−Au(111) bonding in the on-top model,.
A Dynamic Approach to Recognize Activities in WSN

The essence of context awareness has changed the revolution of ubiquitous computing, and the wireless sensor network technologies paved the way towards many applications. Activity recognition is a key component in identifying the context of a user for providing services based on the application. In this study, we propose a context management model that is based on activity recognition. The model is composed of four components: a set of sensors, a set of activities, a backend server with machine learning algorithms, and a GUI application for the interaction with the user. A prototype is developed to show the usability of the proposed model. As a pilot testing, only accelerometer data of an Android phone is used to identify the activities of daily living (ADLs): sitting, standing, walking, and jogging. A good accuracy of results that is about 96% on average is achieved in all activities.
The immediate effect of a novel audio-visual cueing strategy (simulated traffic lights) on dual-task walking in people with Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND Gait deficits are exacerbated during the addition of a concurrent cognitive task in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). The provision of auditory and/or visual cues has been reported to facilitate gait performance in these patients. AIM To investigate whether individuals with PD could use traffic lights as an audio-visual cueing strategy to enhance dual-task walking performance. DESIGN Cross-sectional comparative study. SETTING The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. POPULATION Fifteen PD and 13 healthy individuals. METHODS All participants were instructed to walk at their natural pace, followed by 2 randomized conditions: 1) walking while doing serial subtractions of three, starting from a random number between 60 to 100; 2) doing the same tasks with the addition of traffic lights signals as audio-visual cues. Primary outcomes included stride length, cadence and gait velocity. RESULTS Individuals with PD had more deterioration in all gait parameters than healthy controls for both single- and dual-task walking. With the use of traffic lights, individuals with PD showed significant increases in stride length (by 8.8%), cadence (by 9.6%), and gait velocity (by 21.0%, P=0.000). CONCLUSION Traffic lights could be used as combined preparatory and ongoing audio-visual cues to enhance dual-task walking performance in people with PD. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT Positive findings from the present study suggest a promising treatment intervention to benefit people with PD, who often have to conduct concurrent cognitive task during walking in their daily activities.
Cellular and Genetic Adaptation in Low‐gravity Environments

Genetic response suites in human lymphocytes in response to microgravity are important to identify and study further to augment physiological adaptation to new milieus. Human peripheral blood from normal donors was used to isolate peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Blood traverses through most organs and hence is a suitable overall physiological predictor. The cells were cultured in 1g (T flask) and modeled microgravity for 24 and 72 h. Cell samples were collected and subjected to gene array analysis. Data were collected and subjected to a two‐way analysis of variance. Different groups of genes related to the immune response, cardiovascular system, and stress response were then analyzed. These three groups focused on human adaptation to new environments. Many molecules related to T cell activation and second messengers, located both in the cell membrane and cytoplasm, were significantly altered (positive or negative regulation) in modeled microgravity. Cardiovascular biomarker expression and stress response gene expression also presented an aberrant response in analog microgravity. Previous findings in our laboratory showed lymphocyte activation and locomotion to be significantly suppressed in microgravity. Further analysis at the protein levels of genes involved in these responses could lead to development of prophylactic and countermeasure steps to augment human physiology for long‐term space travel. Detailed results from the genetic analyses are presented in this study, including differential responses in stress response genes, cardiovascular and atherogenic genes, and T cell activation genes.
HYPERLIPOFUSCINOSIS AND SUBRETINAL FIBROSIS IN STARGARDT'S DISEASE

Background: The fundus aspect of Stargardt's disease is characterized by progressive atrophic macular changes often associated with fundus flavimaculatus flecks. Other fundus changes have been described such as pallor of the optic disc, attenuated retinal vessels, cicatricial chorioretinitis, retinal pigment hyperplasia, subretinal neovascularization, or subretinal fibrosis. Three cases of Stargardt's disease and presumed subretinal hyperlipofuscinosis or subretinal fibrosis are presented. Methods: The clinical history, and the ophthalmoscopic and fluoroangiographic characteristics of these three patients are discussed, as well as the clinical course in the two first patients. Results: Two young patients with the ophthalmoscopic and fluoroangiographic aspects of Stargardt's disease in one eye showed the presence of dense orange subretinal material in the posterior pole of the fellow eye. During the follow‐up period, the abnormal material regressed partially in one patient and completely in the other, leaving subretinal fibrosis and localized retinal pigment epithelial hyperplasia. The left fundus in a third patient was characterized by an area of subretinal fibrosis in the midperiphery. Conclusion: It is presumed that the abnormal material in the two first patients is lipofuscin and that this represents an exaggerated response of the diseased retinal pigment epithelium, possibly to a minor trauma. That material will eventually be replaced by subretinal fibrosis. The fundus appearance in the third patient is possibly the result of a similar process.
Isolation of Erythropoietin Receptor Agonist Peptides Using Evolved Phage Libraries

Cyclic peptides capable of activating the erythropoietin receptor (EPOR) were isolated from phage display libraries by screening with a novel EPOR-IgG fusion protein reagent. A parental clone ERB1 (EPO Receptor Binder 1) was first isolated from a phage display library displaying 38 random amino acids as an N-terminal fusion with the M13 minor capsid protein, pill. An evolved library was then produced from the parental sequence using an oligonucleotide saturation mutagenesis strategy which yielded EPOR binding sequences with 20 times the relative affinity of ERB1. Two synthetic peptides were constructed from these sequences both of which bind the EPO receptor in specific ELISA, and act as full agonists in EPO dependent cell proliferation assays. These peptides are 18 amino acids in length, disulfide-bonded, and have a minimum consensus sequence of CXXGWVGXCXXW, where X represents positions tolerant of several amino acids.
Characterization of the Behavior of Functional Viral Genomes during the Early Steps of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection

ABSTRACT Infectious viral DNA constitutes only a small fraction of the total viral DNA produced during retroviral infection, and as such its exact behavior is largely unknown. In the present study, we characterized in detail functional viral DNA produced during the early steps of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection by analyzing systematically their kinetics of synthesis and integration in different target cells. In addition, we have compared the functional stability of viral nucleoprotein complexes arrested at their pre-reverse transcription state, and we have attempted to measure the kinetics of loss of capsid proteins from viral complexes through the susceptibility of the early phases of infection to cyclosporine, a known inhibitor of the interaction between viral capsid and cyclophilin A. Overall, our data suggest a model in which loss of capsid proteins from viral complexes and reverse transcription occur concomitantly and in which the susceptibility of target cells to infection results from a competition between the ability of the cellular environment to quickly destabilize viral nucleoprotein complexes and the capability of the virus to escape such targeting by engaging the reverse transcription reaction.
Plastic and constant developmental traits contribute to adaptive differences in co-occurring Polygonum species

Adaptive differences among species are often thought to result from developmentally constant trait differences that enhance fitness in alternative environments. Species differences in patterns of individual phenotypic plasticity can also have ecological consequences. Indeed, functionally related constant and plastic traits may interact to determine the phenotype's adaptive value in particular conditions. We compared juvenile shade avoidance traits (height and its components, internode length and node number) across two field density treatments in Polygonum persicaria and P. hydropiper, annual plant species that co-occur in pastures comprised of a mosaic of plant densities. We used selection analyses to test trait contributions to fitness in alternative density treatments. Seedlings of both species expressed plasticity for internode elongation in response to density; P. persicaria plants increased internode length and consequently height significantly more in high density than did those of P. hydropiper. As predicted by the shade avoidance hypothesis, increased height was adaptive for both species in high density stands, so P. persicaria plants had higher fitness in this environment. By contrast, node numbers were relatively constant across density treatments in both species: P. hydropiper seedlings consistently produced more nodes than did those of P. persicaria. This constant trait difference contributed to P. hydropiper's greater relative fitness at low density, where more nodes and hence leaves enable plants to better exploit available light. Differences between species in these juvenile shade-avoidance traits did not result from the evolutionary constraints of lack of heritable variation or costs of plasticity. We discuss how these interspecific trait differences may have been generated by divergent selective histories resulting from differences in herbivore resistance. These results illustrate how adaptive differences in both plastic and constantly expressed traits may jointly contribute to ecological distribution, including coexistence in patchy habitats.
Tobacco smoke carcinogens and breast cancer

Cigarette smoking is an established cause of a variety of cancer types, but its role in breast cancer etiology is not clear. In this report, the potential role of cigarette smoke carcinogens as causes of human breast cancer is evaluated. Of over 60 known carcinogens in tobacco smoke, several are known to induce mammary tumors in laboratory animals: benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DB[a,l]P), 2‐toluidine, 4‐aminobiphenyl, 2‐amino‐3‐methylimidazo[4,5‐f]quinoline (IQ), 2‐amino‐1‐methyl‐6‐phenylimidazo[4,5‐b]pyridine (PhIP), 1,3‐butadiene, isoprene, nitromethane, ethylene oxide, and benzene. Studies in humans demonstrate that tobacco constituents can reach breast tissue. The uptake and metabolic activation of mammary carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 4‐aminobiphenyl are frequently higher in smokers than in nonsmokers. Although it is likely that specific mammary carcinogens in tobacco smoke can reach breast tissue, evidence is lacking at the present time. Some PAHs present in cigarette smoke can be metabolized to sterically hindered diol epoxides, which are potent mammary carcinogens. Thus, compounds such as benzo[c]phenanthrene (B[c]P), not classically considered to be a strong carcinogen in rodents, could nevertheless be metabolized in humans to diol epoxides carcinogenic to the breast. Collectively, the link between smoking and breast cancer is plausible but has been difficult to establish, probably because of the low carcinogen dose. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 39:119–126, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
End‐of‐Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) Training Program: Improving Palliative Care in Critical Care

The integration of palliative care in critical care settings is essential to improve care of the dying, and critical care nurses are leaders in these efforts. However, lack of education in providing end-of-life (EOL) care is an obstacle to nurses and other healthcare professionals as they strive to deliver palliative care. Education regarding pain and symptom management, communication strategies, care at the end of life, ethics, and other aspects of palliative care are urgently needed. Efforts to increase EOL care education in most undergraduate and graduate nursing curricula are beginning; yet, most critical care nurses have not received formal training in palliative care. Moreover, educational resources such as critical care nursing textbooks often contain inadequate information on palliative care. The ELNEC-Critical Care program provides a comprehensive curriculum that concentrates on the requirements of those nurses who are working in areas of critical care. Extensive support materials include CD-ROM, binder, Web sites, newsletters, textbooks, and other supplemental items. The ultimate goal is to improve EOL care for patients in all critical care settings and enhance the experience of family members witnessing the dying process of their loved ones.
Insulin and Cognitive Function in an Elderly Population: The Rotterdam Study

OBJECTIVE To examine the association between insulin and cognitive function in the population-based Rotterdam Study. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Serum insulin was measured 2 h after an oral glucose load, while global cognitive function was assessed by the Mini Mental State Examination in 5,510 subjects, aged 55 years and over. RESULTS An increase in postload insulin only in women was associated with a decrease in cognitive function (age-adjusted regression coefficient −0.10 per 50 mU/l insulin; 95% CI −0.16 to −0.04). The association between insulin resistance, assessed by the ratio of postload insulin over glucose, and cognitive function was not statistically significant. Further adjustment for the individual risk factors of serum glucose, BMI, HDL, systolic blood pressure, smoking, or use of estrogen did not change the results. The association was present in women with and without cardiovascular disease and present after excluding subjects with diabetes. Women with dementia, the extreme of cognitive dysfunction, had increased age-adjusted insulin levels (76.3 ± 4.9 vs. 66.8 ± 1.0 mU/l [means ± SE], P = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest that increased serum insulin may be associated with decreased cognitive function and dementia in women. These findings are more compatible with a direct effect of insulin on the brain than with an effect through an increase in cardiovascular risk factors.
Interventions to improve the delivery of preventive services in primary care.

OBJECTIVES This review was conducted to determine the effectiveness of different interventions to improve the delivery of preventive services in primary care. METHODS MEDLINE searches and manual searches of 21 scientific journals and the Cochrane Effective Professional and Organization of Care of trials were used to identify relevant studies. Randomized controlled trials and controlled before-and-after studies were included if they focused on interventions designed to improve preventive activities by primary care clinicians. Two researchers independently assessed the quality of the studies and extracted data for use in constructing descriptive overviews. RESULTS The 58 studies included comprised 86 comparisons between intervention and control groups. Postintervention differences between intervention and control groups varied widely within and across categories of interventions. Most interventions were found to be effective in some studies, but not effective in other studies. CONCLUSIONS Effective interventions to increase preventive activities in primary care are available. Detailed studies are needed to identify factors that influence the effectiveness of different interventions.
Technical Assistance as a Prevention Capacity-Building Tool: A Demonstration Using the Getting To Outcomes® Framework

Demands on community-based prevention programs for performance accountability and positive outcomes are ever increasing in the face of constrained resources. Relatively little is known about how technical assistance (TA) should be structured to benefit community-based organizations and to lead to better outcomes. In this study, data from multiple sources were used to describe an effective TA model designed to improve the capacity of community-based organizations to plan, implement, and evaluate prevention programming. This article is the first of its kind to provide detailed analyses of the TA delivered to community-based organizations to build substance abuse prevention capacity. The results of this study describe the range of TA services provided and the importance of two-way communication between the TA provider and recipient. TA recipients reported high satisfaction and an improved understanding of targeted TA activities. However, achieving these benefits requires significant program staff time, and not all skills were successfully transferred. Results from this study suggest how TA may be structured to be effective in supporting quality prevention programming in community settings.
Attitudes and behaviors of international air travelers toward pandemic influenza.

BACKGROUND Air travelers play a significant role in the spread of novel strains of influenza viruses; however, little is understood about the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of international air travelers toward pandemic influenza in relation to public health interventions and personal protective behaviors at overseas destinations. METHODS Prior to the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, we surveyed a convenience sample of 404 departing international travelers at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. Presented with a hypothetical pandemic influenza scenario occurring overseas, the participants predicted their anticipated protective behaviors while abroad and recorded their attitudes toward potential screening measures at US ports of entry (POE). The survey also qualitatively explored factors that would influence compliance with health entry screening at POE. RESULTS Those who perceived pandemic influenza to be serious were more likely to state that they would be comfortable with screening (p = 0.006), and if they had influenza-like illness (ILI) overseas, would be more willing to see a physician and delay return travel (p = 0.006 and 0.002, respectively). Other demographic variables, including age and race, were associated with protective behaviors in response to ILI. Travelers also identified diverse information requirements which would influence their behavior in response to entry screening, including characteristics of the pandemic, severity of illness, and screening operations. CONCLUSIONS Demographic characteristics and perceived severity of illness are important factors that may influence the protective behaviors of travelers overseas. Our results indicate that educational material and advice directed to international travelers could be differentially tailored to traveler subpopulations.
Development of the avian lymphatic system

Recently, highly specific markers of the lymphatic endothelium have been found enabling us to reinvestigate the embryonic origin of the lymphatics. Here we present a review of our studies on the development of the lymphatic system in chick and quail embryos. We show that the lymphatic endothelium is derived from two sources: the embryonic lymph sacs and mesenchymal lymphangioblasts. Proliferation studies reveal a BrdU‐labeling index of 11.5% of lymph sac endothelial cells by day 6.25, which drops to 3.5% by day 7. Lymphangioblasts are able to integrate into the lining of lymph sacs. Lymphatic endothelial cells express the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors‐2 and ‐3. Their ligand, VEGF‐C, is expressed almost ubiquitously in embryonic and fetal tissues. Elevated expression levels are found in the tunica media of large blood vessels, which usually serve as major routes for growing lymphatics. The homeobox gene, Prox1, is expressed in lymphatic but not in blood vascular endothelial cells throughout all stages examined, namely, in developing lymph sacs of day 6 embryos and in lymphatics at day 16. Experimental studies show the existence of lymphangioblasts in the mesoderm, a considerable time before the development of the lymph sacs. Lymphangioblasts migrate from the somites into the somatopleure and contribute to the lymphatics of the limbs. Our studies indicate that these lymphangioblasts already express Prox1. Microsc. Res. Tech. 55:81–91, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.