Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Singly Fed Wideband Circularly Polarized Dielectric Resonator Antenna Using Concentric Open Half-Loops

A rectangular dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) with a broadband circular polarization (CP) radiation is presented using a single feed excitation. A simple feed method is proposed using an open half-loop antenna that consists of three metallic strips. Utilizing such an excitation has provided a circular polarization over a bandwidth of 7% that has been increased further to 13% by adding a concentric parasitic open half-loop in the structure. This has been achieved in conjunction with a 20% impedance matching bandwidth over the same frequency range. The configuration has been rigorously modeled using a method of moments (MoM) model. The computed and measured results are in good agreement.
Antimicrobial therapy of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is now one of the commonest causes of nosocomial infection worldwide. The mainstay of treatment until now has been the glycopeptides (vancomycin and teicoplanin). They are not without toxicity and need parenteral administration and monitoring of levels. The increasing frequency of MRSA infections, coupled with the emergence of glycopeptide resistance in S. aureus has made the introduction of new drugs active against Gram-positive organisms essential. New agents active against Gram-positive organisms represent either genuinely novel classes of antimicrobials (e.g., oxazolidinones and lipoproteins) or those derived from existing classes (e.g., tetracyclines, glycopeptides, streptogramins and cephalosporins). Some of these newer antibiotics appear to be effective against multi-resistant organisms including MRSA.
The receptor-DNA complex determines the retinoid response: a mechanism for the diversification of the ligand signal

To obtain insights into the principles governing the complex biological responses to retinoids, we have analyzed the ligand sensitivities of various retinoid receptor-DNA complexes. We find that different retinoid receptor heterodimers show distinct activation patterns with various response elements while a given heterodimer can be activated at different retinoic acid concentrations on different response elements. In vitro binding experiments suggest that the same retinoic acid receptor-retinoid X receptor (RAR-RXR) heterodimer can have different ligand affinities, depending on the response element it is bound to. The differential responses of a particular receptor heterodimer with various retinoic acid responsive elements can be enhanced through the use of conformationally restricted retinoids. RAR- and RXR-selective retinoids can also synergistically activate the receptor heterodimers, indicating that both partners in the heterodimer can contribute to ligand-induced transcriptional activation. However, the relative influence of the RAR or RXR partner is specific for each response element. Together, our data demonstrate that it is the receptor-DNA complex and not the receptor alone that determines the ligand response. This flexibility allows for a highly pleiotropic retinoid response. Furthermore, conformationally restricted retinoids can accentuate the differential responses and exhibit a certain degree of gene selectivity by differentially activating the RAR or RXR component in the context of a given response element.
Encephalitis lethargica: 100 years after the epidemic

Encephalitis lethargica is a neurological syndrome that spread across Europe and then the world beginning in the winter of 1916–17, and continuing into the 1930s. Although the exact number of people afflicted with encephalitis lethargica during the epidemic period is unknown, it is estimated to be more than one million worldwide (Ravenholt and Foege, 1982). Those who survived were sometimes left with lingering and permanent neurological sequelae that rendered them nearly akinetic. Although 100 years have elapsed since the beginning of the epidemic period, many questions remain about this mysterious illness: What causes it? How is it transmitted? Could an epidemic happen again?
Vibration-based adaptive novelty detection method for monitoring faults in a kinematic chain

This paper presents an adaptive novelty detection methodology applied to a kinematic chain for the monitoring of faults. The proposed approach has the premise that only information of the healthy operation of the machine is initially available and fault scenarios will eventually develop. This approach aims to cover some of the challenges presented when condition monitoring is applied under a continuous learning framework. The structure of the method is divided into two recursive stages: first, an offline stage for initialization and retraining of the feature reduction and novelty detection modules and, second, an online monitoring stage to continuously assess the condition of the machine. Contrary to classical static feature reduction approaches, the proposed method reformulates the features by employing first a Laplacian Score ranking and then the Fisher Score ranking for retraining. The proposed methodology is validated experimentally by monitoring the vibration measurements of a kinematic chain driven by an induction motor. Two faults are induced in the motor to validate the method performance to detect anomalies and adapt the feature reduction and novelty detection modules to the new information. The obtained results show the advantages of employing an adaptive approach for novelty detection and feature reduction making the proposed method suitable for industrial machinery diagnosis applications.
How Fat is the Top Tail of the Wealth Distribution?

The US Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) and the Eurosystem’s Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS) provide evidence that wealth is heavily concentrated at the upper tail of the wealth distribution. A commonly cited number for the US is that 1 percent of the households hold 30 percent of total household wealth. I investigate the reliability of upper tail wealth estimates from household wealth surveys in the presence of survey differential non-response, i.e. the fact that richer households have lower response rates than poorer households. Differential non-response can often not be remedied by adjustment of survey weights, as wealth of the non-responding households remains unobserved. Differential non-response biases tail wealth estimates downwards. Monte Carlo evidence shows that such a bias can be quite substantial. I provide a method that greatly reduces the bias. The method combines survey data with data from rich lists and uses them jointly to estimate a Pareto (power-law) distribution for tail wealth. Using this method, the paper combines the SCF and HFCS data with Forbes World’s billionaires data to provide new estimates of tail wealth. For surveys with low or no oversampling of the wealthy, these estimates tend to indicate a higher concentration of wealth at the top than those calculated from the wealth surveys alone.
One-dimensional delayed-detonation models of Type Ia supernovae: confrontation to observations at bolometric maximum

The delayed-detonation explosion mechanism applied to a Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf offers a very attractive model to explain the inferred characteristics of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). The resulting ejecta are chemically stratified, have the same mass and roughly the same asymptotic kinetic energy, but exhibit a range in ^(56)Ni mass. We investigate the contemporaneous photometric and spectroscopic properties of a sequence of delayed-detonation models, characterized by ^(56)Ni masses between 0.18 and 0.81 M_⊙. Starting at 1 d after explosion, we perform the full non-local thermodynamic equilibrium, time-dependent radiative transfer with the code CMFGEN, with an accurate treatment of line blanketing, and compare our results to SNe Ia at bolometric maximum. Despite the 1D treatment, our approach delivers an excellent agreement to observations. We recover the range of SN Ia luminosities, colours and spectral characteristics from the near-ultraviolet to 1 μm, for standard as well as low-luminosity 91bg-like SNe Ia. Our models predict an increase in rise time to peak with increasing ^(56)Ni mass, from ∼15 to ∼21 d, yield peak bolometric luminosities that match Arnett's rule to within 10 per cent and reproduce the much smaller scatter in near-infrared magnitudes compared to the optical. We reproduce the morphology of individual spectral features, the stiff dependence of the R(Si) spectroscopic ratio on ^(56)Ni mass and the onset of blanketing from Ti ii/Sc ii in low-luminosity SNe Ia with a ^(56)Ni mass ≲0.3 M_⊙. We find that ionization effects, which often dominate over abundance variations, can produce high-velocity features in Ca ii lines, even in 1D. Distinguishing between different SN Ia explosion mechanisms is a considerable challenge but the results presented here provide additional support to the viability of the delayed-detonation model.
‘Yes!—A Chance to Tell My Side of the Story’: A Case Study of a Male Partner of a Woman Undergoing Termination of Pregnancy for Foetal Abnormality

Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to analyse data from one man whose partner underwent a third-trimester termination of pregnancy for foetal abnormality. This case study examines the data from the participant and aspects of grief are examined qualitatively from a male perspective. The importance of the male role, management of his own particular needs and coping mechanisms are discussed in the context of society’s expectations and current thinking on grief counselling. The impact of a new technique in obstetric management is highlighted in this case.
Information Transfer in Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone (GnRH) Signaling

Cell signaling pathways are noisy communication channels, and statistical measures derived from information theory can be used to quantify the information they transfer. Here we use single cell signaling measures to calculate mutual information as a measure of information transfer via gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptors (GnRHR) to extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) or nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT). This revealed mutual information values <1 bit, implying that individual GnRH-responsive cells cannot unambiguously differentiate even two equally probable input concentrations. Addressing possible mechanisms for mitigation of information loss, we focused on the ERK pathway and developed a stochastic activation model incorporating negative feedback and constitutive activity. Model simulations revealed interplay between fast (min) and slow (min-h) negative feedback loops with maximal information transfer at intermediate feedback levels. Consistent with this, experiments revealed that reducing negative feedback (by expressing catalytically inactive ERK2) and increasing negative feedback (by Egr1-driven expression of dual-specificity phosphatase 5 (DUSP5)) both reduced information transfer from GnRHR to ERK. It was also reduced by blocking protein synthesis (to prevent GnRH from increasing DUSP expression) but did not differ for different GnRHRs that do or do not undergo rapid homologous desensitization. Thus, the first statistical measures of information transfer via these receptors reveals that individual cells are unreliable sensors of GnRH concentration and that this reliability is maximal at intermediate levels of ERK-mediated negative feedback but is not influenced by receptor desensitization.
Candida albicans Czf1 and Efg1 Coordinate the Response to Farnesol during Quorum Sensing, White-Opaque Thermal Dimorphism, and Cell Death

ABSTRACT Quorum sensing by farnesol in Candida albicans inhibits filamentation and may be directly related to its ability to cause both mucosal and systemic diseases. The Ras1-cyclic AMP signaling pathway is a target for farnesol inhibition. However, a clear understanding of the downstream effectors of the morphological farnesol response has yet to be unraveled. To address this issue, we screened a library for mutants that fail to respond to farnesol. Six mutants were identified, and the czf1Δ/czf1Δ mutant was selected for further characterization. Czf1 is a transcription factor that regulates filamentation in embedded agar and also white-to-opaque switching. We found that Czf1 is required for filament inhibition by farnesol under at least three distinct environmental conditions: on agar surfaces, in liquid medium, and when embedded in a semisolid agar matrix. Since Efg1 is a transcription factor of the Ras1-cyclic AMP signaling pathway that interacts with and regulates Czf1, an efg1Δ/efg1Δ czf1Δ/czf1Δ mutant was tested for filament inhibition by farnesol. It exhibited an opaque-cell-like temperature-dependent morphology, and it was killed by low farnesol levels that are sublethal to wild-type cells and both efg1Δ/efg1Δ and czf1Δ/czf1Δ single mutants. These results highlight a new role for Czf1 as a downstream effector of the morphological response to farnesol, and along with Efg1, Czf1 is involved in the control of farnesol-mediated cell death in C. albicans.
Combined anatomical and electrophysiological studies on the boundary between the second and third visual areas of rhesus monkey cortex

Anatomical evidence (Cragg 1969; Zeki 1969) has shown that the horizontal meridian is represented at the boundary of the second and third visual areas of rhesus monkey cortex and that as one proceeds further anteriorly along V3 one reaches a region of V3 that is callosally connected and in which the vertical meridian is represented. We have confirmed these anatomical findings by recording from the cortex of monkeys in which the splenium of the corpus callosum had been sectioned before the recording experiments.
Electrical impedance tomography using code division multiplexing

Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) is an imaging modality that discriminates among impedances of internal constituents of objects to create a map or image of such contents. EIT has been dominated by the use of Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) and Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) as methods of achieving orthogonal injection of excitation signals. Recently, an alternative: Code Division Multiplexing (CDM) has been proposed for the same purpose. To the authors knowledge no fully functional system or simulation platform using simultaneous injection of CDM currents has been reported. In this paper we formulate and simulate a fully functional pseudorandom code driven EIT system with 16 excitation and 16 separate measurement electrodes. In the work we verify the use of Gold codes in CDM as a multiplexing modality for EIT. The simulations are performed using the Electrical Impedance and Diffuse Optics Reconstruction Software (EIDORS). The results of this study show that: (a) Gold codes can successfully be used, in simultaneous injection as excitation current patterns in a Code Division Multiplexed EIT system. A simple image processing approach is proposed, to extract measures of reconstructed image quality. This method does not require the raw reconstruction data but uses the created images.
Leadership Behavior and Subordinate Stress: A 360 ° View

Relationships between leader behavior and subordinate work stress were examined from the perspectives of 343 leaders, their bosses, and their subordinates. Leader behaviors did relate to stress experienced by staff; however, leaders' views of what related to subordinate stress did not always coincide with the factors that subordinates themselves associated with stress. The relationships of leader delegation and subordinate participation to lower subordinate reports of stress were particularly underestimated by leaders. Implications for developing leaders as agents for employee stress reduction are discussed.
Characterization of the major membrane protein of virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis

A protein with a molecular mass of 19 kDa was isolated and purified from enriched membrane fractions of the virulent Erdman strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The protein is different from another 19-kDa protein, a lipoprotein, that was recently described (D. B. Young and T. R. Garbe, Res. Microbiol. 142:55-65, 1991). The sequencing strategy applied to this major membrane protein employed four different endoproteinases and resulted in sufficient overlapping peptide sequences for assignment of the entire protein sequence. Electron spray ionization mass spectrometry demonstrated a measured mass of 16,100, deviating from the predicted mass by only 2.86 atomic mass units. The sequence of this protein is unique. However, some similarities with other low-molecular-weight heat shock proteins were observed. Immunoblotting indicated that this protein is highly expressed in the virulent strains of M. tuberculosis. Its application to sera from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis showed promise as a serodiagnostic tool.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis of the Spread of Local Anesthetic Solution after Ultrasound-guided Lateral Thoracic Paravertebral Blockade: A Volunteer Study

Background:This study was designed to examine the spread of local anesthetic (LA) via magnetic resonance imaging after a standardized ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral blockade. Methods:Ten volunteers were enrolled in the study. We performed ultrasound-guided single-shot paravertebral blocks with 20 ml mepivacaine 1% at the thoracic six level at both sides on two consecutive days. After each paravertebral blockade, a magnetic resonance imaging investigation was performed to investigate the three-dimensional spread of the LA. In addition, sensory spread of blockade was evaluated via pinprick testing. Results:The median (interquartile range) cranial and caudal distribution of the LA relative to the thoracic six puncture level was 1.0 (2.5) and 3.0 (0.75) [=4.0 vertebral levels] for the left and 0.5 (1.0) and 3.0 (0.75) [=3.5 vertebral levels] for the right side. Accordingly, the LA distributed more caudally than cranially. The median (interquartile range) number of sensory dermatomes which were affected by the thoracic paravertebral blockade was 9.8 (6.5) for the left and 10.7 (8.8) for the right side. The sensory distribution of thoracic paravertebral blockade was significantly larger compared with the spread of LA. Conclusions:Although the spread of LA was reproducible, the anesthetic effect was unpredictable, even with a standardized ultrasound-guided technique in volunteers. While it can be assumed that approximately 4 vertebral levels are covered by 20 ml LA, the somatic distribution of the thoracic paravertebral blockade remains unpredictable. In a significant percentage, the LA distributes into the epidural space, prevertebral, or to the contralateral side.
All-Optical Reversible Network Design Using Microring Resonators

Conventional digital circuits cannot be run in reverse direction and the bits of information are destroyed during the operation. Reversible computation is a research area characterized by only computational models of both forward and backward deterministic. In this paper, reversible network architectures using all-optical Si microring resonators have been proposed. Mathematical models and numerical simulated results have been performed to finding the performance of the network architecture. Transformation matrix calculations and quantum realization using SWAP gates for (k, k) reversible networks are also given in this paper.
Factors associated with advanced liver fibrosis in patients with non-alcoholic liver disease Czynniki nasilonego włóknienia wątroby u osób z niealkoholową stłuszczeniową chorobą wątroby

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is now the leading cause of chronic liver diseases in Western countries. It covers a spectrum of liver problems including benign simple steatosis (fatty liver) and steatohepatitis (NASH) with hepatic injury, inflammation, and fibrosis. Twenty percent of individuals with NASH progress to end-stage liver disease and cirrhosis. The mechanisms determining the progression from fatty liver to steatohepatitis are still unclear. The development and validation of accurate predictors would allow identification of patients at risk for advanced fibrosis, potentially helping monitor disease progression and response to therapeutic modalities. Aim: To find biomarkers associated with more severe liver fibrosis in a cohort of Polish subjects with biopsy-proven NAFLD. Results: Sixty consecutive Caucasian patients were enrolled in the study. Predictors of fibrosis F3 and F4 were older age, greater body mass index, higher serum total cholesterol, and increased aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) ratio (AAR), as well as characteristics of insulin resistance and lower serum albumin levels. Increased serum levels of type IV collagen and hyaluronic acid were associated with more advanced liver disease. There were trends towards a relationship between advanced fibrosis and female gender, high serum triglycerides, and AST in univariate analysis. Conclusions: Serum AAR and hyaluronic acid were independent factors associated with more advanced fibrosis in Polish patients with NAFLD in multivariate logistic regression analy
Induction of Th17 Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment Improves Survival in a Murine Model of Pancreatic Cancer

An important mechanism by which pancreatic cancer avoids antitumor immunity is by recruiting regulatory T cells (Tregs) to the tumor microenvironment. Recent studies suggest that suppressor Tregs and effector Th17 cells share a common lineage and differentiate based on the presence of certain cytokines in the microenvironment. Because IL-6 in the presence of TGF-β has been shown to inhibit Treg development and induce Th17 cells, we hypothesized that altering the tumor cytokine environment could induce Th17 and reverse tumor-associated immune suppression. Pan02 murine pancreatic tumor cells that secrete TGF-β were transduced with the gene encoding IL-6. C57BL/6 mice were injected s.c. with wild-type (WT), empty vector (EV), or IL-6–transduced Pan02 cells (IL-6 Pan02) to investigate the impact of IL-6 secretion in the tumor microenvironment. Mice bearing IL-6 Pan02 tumors demonstrated significant delay in tumor growth and better overall median survival compared with mice bearing WT or EV Pan02 tumors. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated an increase in Th17 cells (CD4+IL-23R+ cells and CD4+IL-17+ cells) in tumors of the IL-6 Pan02 group compared with WT or EV Pan02 tumors. The upregulation of IL-17–secreting CD4+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes was substantiated at the cellular level by flow cytometry and ELISPOT assay and mRNA level for retinoic acid-related orphan receptor γt and IL-23R by RT-PCR. Thus, the addition of IL-6 to the tumor microenvironment skews the balance toward Th17 cells in a murine model of pancreatic cancer. The delayed tumor growth and improved survival suggests that induction of Th17 in the tumor microenvironment produces an antitumor effect.
Effects of Various Cooking and Freezing Processes on the Residues of Sulfachlorpyridazine-Trimethoprim Combination in Broiler Tissues

This study was conducted to determine the effects frying, boiling and freezing processes on the levels of sulfachlorpyridazine (SCP) and trimethoprim (TMP) in broiler chest meat and liver. Male broiler chicks were assigned to two groups as control and treatment groups. Animals were fed on commercial diet not containing SCP and TMP for 35 days. At 30th day, experimental group received suspensions of SCP-TMP mixture (30 mg/kg SCP and 6 mg/kg TMP) via craw by gavage once daily for 5 days. At the end of 35th day, the chickens were sacrified and right chest tissue and the liver were taken out. A portion of the tissues were stored in -20°C freezer for 30 and 45 days. After sacrifiying, the raw tissues were exposed to frying and boiling processes. SCP and TMP analysis of tissues were performed by HPLC-DAD detector and reverse phase column. In conclusion, it has been determined that boiled and grilled processes caused a reduction of SCP and TMP residues at different rates in broiler tissues; while storing in the deep freezer did not cause a significant change on SCP and TMP residues.