Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ultra-wideband antennas for combined magnetic resonance imaging and UWB radar applications

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the most highly appreciated medical diagnostic techniques worldwide. Recent developments aim at adding the capability of creating focused images of moving objects. Among the potential navigator techniques required for such an improved MRI is ultra-wideband (UWB) radar. We have studied the performance of UWB antennas for biomedical imaging inside the 3-Tesla MRI system at PTB Berlin. The strong static and time variant magnetic fields give rise to severe mechanical and electrical interactions due to the induced electromagnetic forces. On the other side, the high magnetic field homogeneity required for MR scans can also be affected adversely by the presence of the UWB antennas. The requirements resulting for the design of MRI compatible antennas have been identified and implemented in terms of a novel type of double-ridged horn antenna. We describe the design of the antenna and its performance for magnetic resonance imaging.
Virus load dynamics of individual CMV‐genotypes in lung transplant recipients with mixed‐genotype infections

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a major cause of disease and transplant dysfunction in lung transplant recipients. Simultaneous emergence of more than one CMV‐genotype can occur, and appears to be disadvantageous for the patient. In this study, the dynamics of individual CMV‐genotypes in blood and lung was assessed within mixed CMV‐genotype populations emerging after lung transplantation. In 69 plasma and 76 bronchoalveolar lavage samples of 16 lung transplant recipients with mixed CMV‐genotype infections within the first year posttransplantation each of the major glycoprotein B (gB) and glycoprotein H (gH) genotypes was selectively quantified by genotype‐specific quantitative TaqMan assays. The data obtained revealed that individually different genotype dynamics occurred for the individual patients and that the relative levels of the genotypes to each other may change over time. The quantitative development was independent of the specific gB–gH‐genotype. In 10 of the 16 lung recipients the patient's individual genotype composition was the same in blood and lung. Genotype development during the follow‐up was influenced by antiviral treatment. These data show for the first time that the CMV load used as diagnostic tool after transplantation is not always a constant entity but reflects the sum of the individual CMV‐genotype dynamics developing over time. J. Med. Virol. 80:1405–1414, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Low operating voltage and short settling time CMOS charge pump for MEMS applications

A 16-stage constant-threshold-voltage type charge pump was designed and fabricated in a standard CMOS 0.18-/spl mu/m process. With an input clock voltage of less than 1.2 V, the maximum possible output voltage is 14.8 V, with a 65 psec rise time. The charge pump employs metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors in order to minimize the chip area (0.8 /spl times/ 0.9 mm/sup 2/). This circuit is intended for generating on-chip actuation voltages for microelectro-mechanical devices and systems (MEMS).
Understanding Dynamic Relationship among Gold Price, Exchange Rate and Stock Markets: Evidence in Indian Context

The purpose of research in this article is to investigate the relationship among gold prices, Bombay Stock Exchange’s Sensex, National Stock Exchange’s Standard and Poor’s (S&P) Financial Services LLC CNX NIFTY1 (S&P CNX NIFTY) and US dollar/Indian rupee (USD/INR) exchange rate for the period January 1998–April 2014. The relationship among these variables has been studied by applying vector error correction model (VECM) in order to check the long-run and short-run causality. Johansen cointegration test has been applied to find out the long-term cointegration among variables in the study. In further analysis, Wald’s coefficient diagnosis and residual analysis revealed that gold prices, SENSEX, USD/INR and S&P CNX NIFTY are in equilibrium in the short run and long run. Granger causality test finally confirms the presence of unidirectional causality that runs from gold prices to S&P CNX NIFTY and also from gold prices to USD/INR exchange rate at current prices.
Technical Change, Variable Elasticity of Substitution and Economic Growth

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the properties of the variable elasticity of substitution (VES) production function, and examine the dynamics of growth associated with it. Design/methodology/approach The VES production function is incorporated into an otherwise standard Diamond overlapping generations model. Findings Depending on parameter combinations, the economy can achieve a unique and stable steady state akin to that observed in the Solow-Swan model, reach a poverty trap or transition towards an upper bound of per capita capital stock. A special case of the VES production function is also consistent with unbounded growth. Research limitations/implications The paper is theoretical in nature. Further empirical analysis could shed deeper insights into the results presented in this study. Practical implications The VES production function, when applied to the context of the Diamond model, can capture a variety of growth experiences observed in the empirical literature. Social implications In the context of the Diamond model, a higher value of a particular parameter in the production function leads to greater intergenerational income and consumption inequality. Hence, the study provides a potential explanation for intergenerational inequalities observed in practice. Originality/value The study demonstrates the empirical value of the VES production function in explaining observed differences in factor shares, rewards and elasticities within and between countries over time.
How credit-constrained are firms in Turkey? A survey-based analysis

ABSTRACT We study the factors related to the financing of firms in Turkey, using the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS). Based on the survey responses of the firms, we calculate the ratio of credit-constrained firms in Turkey and run a logistic regression to investigate the factors explaining the firms’ access to credit. Estimation results show that the likelihood of having access to credit increases with the firm size. Firms are more likely to access credit if they are being independently audited or they are exporters, and they are less likely to access credit if they have overdue payments.
DNA hypermethylation of microRNA-34b/c has prognostic value for stage Ⅰ non-small cell lung cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the world and approximately 30–40% of patients with stage Ⅰ non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) die of recurrent disease. miRNA expression profiles can be diagnostic and prognostic markers of lung cancer. Recently, miR-34 family has been shown to be part of the p53 pathway which is frequently involved in lung cancer, and the expression of miR-34 has been reported to be regulated by DNA methylation. In present study, we investigated the correlation between DNA methylation status of miR-34 family and recurrence of stage Ⅰ NSCLC patients. miR-34a and miR-34b/c promoter methylation status were determined by nested methylation-specific PCR in FFPE tumor tissues from 161 patients of stage Ⅰ NSCLC. Furthermore, mature miR-34b and miR-34c expression were analyzed by qRT-PCR in the same panel tissues. Our results revealed that aberrant DNA methylation of miR-34b/c was correlated with a high probability of recurrence (p=0.026) and associated with poor overall survival (p=0.010) and disease-free survival (p=0.017). No significant association was found for miR-34a methylation. Multivariate analysis showed that promoter hypermethylation of miR-34b/c was an independent prognostic factor of stage Ⅰ NSCLC. Moreover, no significant association between mature miR-34b and miR-34c expression and DNA methylation status was found. In conclusion, we have identified promoter hypermethylation of miR-34b/c as a relatively common event in NSCLC and might be a potential prognostic factor for stage Ⅰ NSCLC.
Multi-period consumption and investment decisions under uncertainty revisited

This paper studies the consumption-investment problem of a consumer with a multi-period planning horizon under uncertainty. Such a setting occurs naturally in stochastic OLG models with multi-period-lived consumers. We provide a rigorous characterization of consumption-investment strategies under general assumptions on preferences and expectations and derive conditions for the existence of an optimal strategy. The properties of the resulting demand functions are investigated in general as well as for the popular case with constant relative risk aversion (CRRA).
Making more heart muscle

Postnatally, heart muscle cells almost completely lose their ability to divide, which makes their loss after trauma irreversible. Potential repair by cell grafting or mobilizing endogenous cells is of particular interest for possible treatments for heart disease, where the poor capacity for cardiomyocyte proliferation probably contributes to the irreversibility of heart failure. Knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that underly formation of heart muscle cells might provide opportunities to repair the diseased heart by induction of (trans) differentiation of endogenous or exogenous cells into heart muscle cells. We briefly review the molecular mechanisms involved in early development of the linear heart tube by differentiation of mesodermal cells into heart muscle cells. Because the initial heart tube does not comprise all the cardiac compartments present in the adult heart, heart muscle cells are added to the distal borders of the tube and within the tube. At both distal borders, mesodermal cell are recruited into the cardiac lineage and, within the heart tube, muscular septa are formed. In this review, the relative late additions of heart muscle cells to the linear heart tube are described and the potential underlying molecular mechanisms are discussed. BioEssays 26:248–261, 2004. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Presence of Integron-Associated Resistance in the Community Is Widespread and Contributes to Multidrug Resistance in the Hospital

ABSTRACT Integrons are strongly associated with the multidrug resistance seen in gram-negative bacilli in the hospital environment. No data, however, are available on their prevalence in the community. This study is the first to show that integrons are widespread in Enterobacteriaceae in the community and that integron-associated resistance genes in the community constitute a substantial reservoir for multidrug resistance in the hospital.
Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III: immunologic characterization and primary structure analysis of the major internal protein, p24

The major internal structural protein of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III), a virus etiologically implicated in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), was purified to homogeneity. This 24,000-molecular-weight protein (p24) was shown to lack immunologic cross-reacting antigenic determinants shared by other known retroviruses, including HTLV-I and HTLV-II, with the exception of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). A broadly reactive competition immunoassay was developed in which antiserum to EIAV was used to precipitate 125I-labeled HTLV-III p24. Although the major structural proteins of HTLV-III and EIAV competed in this assay, other type B, C, and D retroviral proteins lacked detectable reactivity. Thus, HTLV-III is more related to EIAV than to any other retroviruses. That the HTLV-III isolate is very distinct from HTLV-I and HTLV-II was further confirmed by the amino acid compositions of the major internal antigens of all three isolates. Moreover, comparison of the amino-terminal amino acid sequence of HTLV-III p24 with analogous sequences for HTLV-I and HTLV-II p24 showed that these proteins do not share significant sequence homology. In an attempt to evaluate immune response in individuals exposed to HTLV-III, sera from AIDS and lymphadenopathy syndrome patients as well as from clinically normal blood donor controls were tested for antibodies to HTLV-III p24. The results showed that sera from 93% of lymphadenopathy syndrome patients and 73% of AIDS patients exhibited high-titered antibodies to HTLV-III p24. In contrast, none of the normal control sera showed detectable reactivity to HTLV-III p24.
Cornealcollagencrosslinkingforcornealectasiaof post-LASIK:one-yearresults ClinicalResearch

· AIM:Toevaluatetheefficacyandsafetyofcorneal collagencrosslinking(CXL)topreventtheprogressionof post-laser keratomileusis(LASIK)cornealectasia. · METHODS:Inaprospective,nonrandomized,single-centre study,CXLwasperformedin20eyesof11patientswhohad LASIKformyopicastigmatismandsubsequentlydeveloped keratectasia.Theprocedureincludedinstillationof0. 1% riboflavin-20%dextranesolution30minutesbeforeUVA irradiationandevery5minutesforanadditional30minutes duringirradiation.Theeyeswereevaluatedpreoperatively andat1-,3-,6-,and12-monthintervals.Thecomplete ophthalmologicexaminationcompriseduncorrectedvisual acuity,bestspectacle-correctedvisualacuity,endothelialcell count,ultrasoundpachymetry,cornealtopography,andin vivoconfocalmicroscopy. · RESULTS:CXLappearedtostabiliseorpartiallyreversethe progressionofpost-LASIKcornealectasiawithoutapparent complicationinourcohort.UCVAandBCVAimprovements werestatisticallysignificant( ＜ 0.05)beyond12monthsafter
GAP: A General Framework for Information Pooling in Two-Sample Sparse Inference

Abstract This article develops a general framework for exploiting the sparsity information in two-sample multiple testing problems. We propose to first construct a covariate sequence, in addition to the usual primary test statistics, to capture the sparsity structure, and then incorporate the auxiliary covariates in inference via a three-step algorithm consisting of grouping, adjusting and pooling (GAP). The GAP procedure provides a simple and effective framework for information pooling. An important advantage of GAP is its capability of handling various dependence structures such as those arise from high-dimensional linear regression, differential correlation analysis, and differential network analysis. We establish general conditions under which GAP is asymptotically valid for false discovery rate control, and show that these conditions are fulfilled in a range of settings, including testing multivariate normal means, high-dimensional linear regression, differential covariance or correlation matrices, and Gaussian graphical models. Numerical results demonstrate that existing methods can be significantly improved by the proposed framework. The GAP procedure is illustrated using a breast cancer study for identifying gene–gene interactions.
Compensations for Diminished Terminal Oxidase Activity in Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli possesses cytochrome bo′ (CyoABCDE), cytochrome bd-I (CydAB), and cytochrome bd-II (AppBC) quinol oxidases, all of which can catalyze the terminal step in the aerobic respiratory chain, the reduction of oxygen by ubiquinol. Although CydAB has a role in the generation of ΔpH, AppBC has been proposed to alleviate the accumulation of electrons in the quinone pool during respiratory stress via electroneutral ubiquinol oxidation. A cydB mutant strain exhibited lower respiration rates while maintaining a wild type growth rate. Transcriptomic analysis revealed a dramatic up-regulation of AppBC in the cydB strain, accompanied by the induction of genes involved in glutamate/γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) antiport, the GABA shunt, the glyoxylate shunt, respiration (including appBC), motility, and osmotic stress. Transcription factor modeling suggests that the underpinning regulation is largely controlled by H-NS, GadX, FlhDC, and AppY. The transcriptional adaptations imply that cydB cells contribute to the proton motive force via consumption of intracellular protons and glutamate/GABA antiport. Indeed, supplementation of culture medium with l-glutamate stimulates growth in a cydB strain. Phenotype analyses of the cydB strain confirm decreased motility and elevated acid resistance and also an elevated cytochrome d spectroscopic signal in cells grown at low pH. We propose a mechanism via which E. coli can compensate for the loss of cytochrome bd-I activity; cytochrome bd-II-mediated quinol oxidation prevents the accumulation of NADH, whereas GABA synthesis/antiport maintains the proton motive force for ATP production.
Changing phenotype of celiac disease after long-term gluten exposure.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder wherein the ingestion of gluten causes villous atrophy of the small intestinal mucosa with crypt hyperplasia in genetically susceptible individuals. The classic symptoms are malabsorption, steatorrhea, weight loss, growth retardation, and failure to thrive (1,2). Dermatitis herpetiformis is a well-known extraintestinal manifestation of celiac disease, characterized by granular immunoglobulin A (IgA) deposits in uninvolved skin (3). Approximately 17% of celiac patients have dermatitis herpetiformis (4). Celiac disease can appear at any age after gluten has been introduced into the diet, whereas dermatitis herpetiformis usually manifests in adulthood, the median age of diagnosis being about 40 years (4). It remains obscure why some patients experience celiac disease, overt enteropathy, and no skin involvement, whereas some experience dermatitis herpetiformis with often only mild enteropathy. The following 3 case reports indicate that periods of gluten intake and gluten withdrawal may have an impact on disease expression, and the phenotype may vary in the same person over time.
Nonstationary Productivity in Global Fish Stocks

viii List of Abbreviations and Symbols Used . ix Acknowledgements . xi Chapter
Chronic liver disease: Do alcohol and hepatitis C virus interact?

In chronic liver disease, alcoholism and hepatitis C virus (HCV) frequently coexist, and it is widely believed that they interact to result in more severe disease. However, the issue is far more complex and that view may be incorrect. Newer HCV assays cast doubt on the earlier results. Data acquired in one country are often at variance with those from other countries, suggesting that other factors may be involved in the variability of the disease. Further comparison of histologically different groups of individuals with excess alcohol intake is unlikely to shed further light on the issue unless information on the duration and quantity of alcohol consumption and the duration of HCV infection is available. The net evidence is that HCV and alcohol produce different histological appearances in the precirrhosis stage, with the end result cirrhosis often being indistinguishable, regardless of aetiology. Nevertheless, even with both aetiologies, progression is slow and only a minority of people develop cirrhosis despite the combination of HCV and heavy alcoholism. As yet there is no definite evidence that cirrhosis develops more frequently or sooner if both HCV and alcohol are present. Although the majority of the evidence suggests that these insults are probably additive, there is a possibility that alcohol and HCV do interact in the pathogenesis of chronic liver disease. Further studies will be necessary, however, to clarify their relationship.
Relationship Between Substrate Concentration and Fermentation Product Ratios in Clostridium thermocellum Cultures

Growth of Clostridium thermocellum in batch cultures was studied over a broad range of cellobiose concentrations. Cultures displayed important differences in their substrate metabolism as determined by the end product yields. Bacterial growth was severely limited when the initial cellobiose concentration was 0.2 (wt/vol), was maximal at substrate concentrations between 0.5 and 2.0%, and did not occur at 5.0% cellobiose. Ethanol accumulated maximally (38.3 μmol/109 cells) in cultures with an initial cellobiose concentration of 0.8%, whereas cultures in 2.0% cellobiose accumulated only 17.3 μmol, and substrate-limited cultures (0.2% cellobiose) accumulated little, if any, ethanol beyond that initially detected (8.3 μmol/109 cells). In a medium with 0.8% cellobiose, ethanol was produced at a constant rate of approximately 1.1 μmol/109 cells per h from late-logarithmic phase (16 h) of growth well into stationary phase (44 h). When ethanol was added exogenously at levels more than twice the maximum produced by the cultures themselves (0.5% [vol/vol]), neither the extent of growth (maximum Klett units, 150) nor the amounts of ethanol produced (∼0.17%) by the culture was affected. The ratio of ethanol to acetate was highest (2.8) when cells were grown in 0.8% cellobiose and lowest (1.2) when cells were grown in 0.2% cellobiose.
ACE2 overexpression in the paraventricular nucleus attenuates angiotensin II-induced hypertension.

AIMS Angiotensin II (Ang II) has been shown to have both central and peripheral effects in mediating hypertension, for which the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) is an important brain cardio-regulatory centre. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) has been identified as a negative regulator of the pro-hypertensive actions of Ang II. Recent findings from our laboratory suggest that Ang II infusion decreases ACE2 expression in the PVN. In the present study, we hypothesized that ACE2 overexpression in the PVN will have beneficial effects in counteracting Ang II-induced hypertension. METHODS AND RESULTS Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this study. Bilateral microinjection of an adenovirus encoding hACE2 (Ad-ACE2) into the PVN was used to overexpress ACE2 within this region. Mean arterial pressure measured by radiotelemetry was significantly increased after 14 days in Ang II-infused (200 ng/kg/min) rats vs. saline-infused controls (162.9 ± 3.6 vs. 102.3 ± 1.5 mmHg). Bilateral PVN microinjection of Ad-ACE2 attenuated this Ang II-induced hypertension (130.2 ± 5.7 vs. 162.9 ± 3.6 mmHg). ACE2 overexpression also significantly decreased AT(1)R and ACE expression and increased AT(2)R and Mas expression in the PVN. Additionally, ACE2 overexpression in the PVN attenuated the Ang II-induced increase in the expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 in the PVN. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that attenuation of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the PVN in combination with the shift of the renin-angiotensin system towards the anti-hypertensive axis (ACE2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas) may be responsible for the overall beneficial effects of ACE2 overexpression in the PVN on the Ang II-induced hypertensive response.
Results from coupled optical and electrical sentaurus TCAD models of a gallium phosphide on silicon electron carrier selective contact solar cell

We report results from coupled optical and electrical Sentaurus TCAD models of a gallium phosphide (GaP) on silicon electron carrier selective contact (CSC) solar cell which show that Auger-limited open-circuit voltages up to 787 mV (on a 10 μm monocrystalline silicon substrate) and efficiencies up to 26.7% (on a 150 μm monocrystalline silicon substrate) may be possible for front-contacted devices which exhibit low interface recombination velocity (IRV) at the GaP/Si interface and which employ random pyramidal texturing, a detached silver reflector, rear locally diffused point contacts and a SiO2/Al2O3 rear oxide passivation stack.