Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Polar mesosphere summer radar echoes: Observations and current theories

The remarkably strong radar echoes from the summer polar mesosphere have been an enigma to atmospheric and radar scientists since their discovery more than a decade ago. Since then, more sophisticated radar experiments and in situ rocket measurements have shed some light on the underlying physics and chemistry, and theories have been formulated to explain the generation of the intense radar backscatter and the remarkable physical conditions associated with it. First, we review the key observations and examine the proposed theories. We then evaluate the progress that has been made in understanding this phenomenon and explore its connection to global change, to the newly recognized material referred to as a dusty plasma, and to the highest clouds in the Earth's atmosphere. Finally, we end with suggestions for future research.
Combining dynamic slicing and mutation operators for ESL correction

Verification is increasingly becoming the bottleneck in designing digital systems. In fact, most of the verification cycle is not spent on detecting the occurrences of errors but on debugging, consisting of locating and correcting the errors. However, automated design-error debug, especially at the system-level, has received far less attention than error detection. Current paper presents an automated approach to correcting system-level designs. We propose dynamic-slicing and location-ranking-based method for accurately pinpointing the error locations combined with a dedicated set of mutation operators for automatically proposing corrections to the errors. In order to validate the approach, experiments on the Siemens benchmark set have been carried out. The experiments show that the proposed method is able to correct three times more errors compared to the state-of-the-art mutation-based correction methods while examining fewer mutants.
Whole blood thromboelastometry profiles in women with preeclampsia

Abstract Background: Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and significant amounts of protein in the urine. Various coagulation abnormalities have been described in pregnant women with PE. The aim of the present case-control study was to evaluate whole blood thromboelastometry profiles, performed by ROTEM®, in women with PE in order to better characterize the PE-related discoagulopathy. Methods: Standard ROTEM® (Tem International GmbH, Munich, Germany) parameters evaluating clot initiation [clotting time (CT)], propagation [clot formation time (CFT); α-angle], stability [maximum clot firmness (MCF)] and lysis [maximum lysis (ML)] in INTEM, EXTEM, NATEM, and FIBTEM assays were performed in 30 consecutive pregnant women with PE at diagnosis. Sixty (1:2 ratio with cases) healthy pregnant women, matched for gestational age (±2 weeks) with the cases, acted as controls. Platelet count, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), fibrinogen, antithrombin and D-Dimer were also evaluated. Results: Preeclamptic women showed a significantly more rapid propagation phase in EXTEM assay than controls (CFT 62±15 vs. 75±15 s and α-angle 78±4 vs. 75±4°, p<0.01 in both cases). Moreover, MCF was significantly higher and ML significantly lower in women with PE than in healthy pregnant women (p=0.001 for all comparisons). Conclusions: ROTEM® profiles in women with PE were characterized by an increased tissue factor driven clot propagation capability. In addition, higher clot stability due both to the increase in clot firmness and the decrease in blood fibrinolysis was observed. Larger studies are needed to identify the clinical relevance of ROTEM® alterations in women with PE.
Emerging avian influenza infections: Current understanding of innate immune response and molecular pathogenesis

ABSTRACT The highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) cause severe disease in gallinaceous poultry species, domestic ducks, various aquatic and terrestrial wild bird species as well as humans. The outcome of the disease is determined by complex interactions of multiple components of the host, the virus, and the environment. While the host-innate immune response plays an important role for clearance of infection, excessive inflammatory immune response (cytokine storm) may contribute to morbidity and mortality of the host. Therefore, innate immunity response in avian influenza infection has two distinct roles. However, the viral pathogenic mechanism varies widely in different avian species, which are not completely understood. In this review, we summarized the current understanding and gaps in host–pathogen interaction of avian influenza infection in birds. In first part of this article, we summarized influenza viral pathogenesis of gallinaceous and non-gallinaceous avian species. Then we discussed innate immune response against influenza infection, cytokine storm, differential host immune responses against different pathotypes, and response in different avian species. Finally, we reviewed the systems biology approach to study host–pathogen interaction in avian species for better characterization of molecular pathogenesis of the disease. Wild aquatic birds act as natural reservoir of AIVs. Better understanding of host–pathogen interaction in natural reservoir is fundamental to understand the properties of AIV infection and development of improved vaccine and therapeutic strategies against influenza.
PCR for M. tuberculosis in tissue samples.

BACKGROUND The presence of granuloma, visualized in histopathology for diagnosing tuberculosis in tissue samples, is not a specific finding. Moreover, histopathological examination of tissue sections needs one to two weeks for final reporting. A rapid and sensitive method is therefore needed for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in these paucibacillary tissue samples. METHODOLOGY A PCR-assay specific for IS6110 was evaluated for 104 different tissue samples in comparison to histopathology that was considered gold standard. RESULTS PCR showed 74.1% sensitivity and 96.1% specificity. False positive and false negative results were observed in three (2.88%) and seven (6.73%) samples, respectively. Positive agreement between histopathology and PCR was observed as 0.737, indicating substantial good agreement between two tests. CONCLUSIONS PCR can be used for early diagnosis of tuberculosis in tissue samples that can help to initiate timely anti-tubercular treatment and prevent progression to irreversible changes.
Small cell carcinoma of urinary bladder is differentiated from urothelial carcinoma by chromogranin expression, absence of CD44 variant 6 expression, a unique pattern of cytokeratin expression, and more intense gamma-enolase expression.

AIMS Small cell (neuroendocrine) carcinoma of the urinary bladder is clinically more aggressive than urothelial (transitional cell) carcinoma. We have investigated the immunohistochemical markers most useful in diagnosing small cell carcinoma in bladder. METHODS AND RESULTS We evaluated the expression of chromogranin A, CD44 variant 6 (CD44v6), cytokeratin (CAM 5.2), gamma-enolase, synaptophysin, and CD45 in 46 small cell carcinomas of the bladder. Small cell and urothelial carcinoma were mixed in 21 (46%) cases. The two immunohistochemical markers with best ability to discriminate between small cell and urothelial carcinoma were chromogranin A and CD44v6. Chromogranin A had 97% specificity for small cell carcinoma, staining 65% of cases with 2+/3+ mean intensity; only one case (5%) of urothelial carcinoma was weakly (1+/3+) positive. CD44v6 was 80% specific for urothelial carcinoma, with immunoreactivity in 60% of cases, compared with 7% of small cell carcinoma cases. In cases positive for CD44v6, the mean percentage of reactive urothelial carcinoma cells was 75% (range 10-100%), greater than the 12% of cells in three cases of small cell carcinoma (P = 0.31); further, the pattern of immunoreactivity was membranous vs. focal cytoplasmic, respectively. All small cell carcinomas stained with one of the three neuroendocrine markers tested; 76% of cases were reactive for synaptophysin and 93% for gamma-enolase, with specificities of 86% and 73% in comparison to urothelial carcinoma. gamma-enolase staining of small cell carcinoma was more intense (P = 0.01) than for urothelial carcinoma. Cytokeratin CAM 5.2 stained a mean 47% of cells in small cell carcinoma, always in a punctate perinuclear pattern, and 75% in urothelial carcinoma, in a membranous pattern. CONCLUSIONS CD44v6, chromogranin A, and possibly gamma-enolase and cytokeratin (CAM 5.2) help differentiate small cell carcinoma from urothelial carcinoma.
Objective measures for predicting the intelligibility of spectrally smoothed speech with artificial excitation

A study is presented on how well objective measures of speech quality and intelligibility can predict the subjective in- telligibility of speech that has undergone spectral envelope smoothing and simplification of its excitation. Speech modi- fications are made by resynthesising speech that has been spec- trally smoothed. Objective measures are applied to the mod- ified speech and include measures of speech quality, signal- to-noise ratio and intelligibility, as well as proposing the nor- malised frequency-weighted spectral distortion (NFD) measure. The measures are compared to subjective intelligibility scores where it is found that several have high correlation (|r| ≥ 0.7), with NFD achieving the highest correlation (r = −0.81)
IP Security Document Roadmap

The IPsec protocol suite is used to provide privacy and authentication services at the IP layer. Several documents are used to describe this protocol suite. The interrelationship and organization of the various documents covering the IPsec protocol are discussed here. An explanation of what to find in which document, and what to include in new Encryption Algorithm and Authentication Algorithm documents are described.
The Daily Image Information Needs and Seeking Behavior of Chinese Undergraduate Students

A survey was conducted at Beijing Normal University to explore subjects’ motives for image seeking; the image types they need; how and where they seek images; and the difficulties they encounter. The survey also explored subjects’ attitudes toward current image services and their perceptions of how university libraries might provide assistance. Based on the findings, this article summarizes the features of Chinese undergraduate students’ daily image needs and their information behavior related to images. The findings reveal the need to improve the image services offered by academic libraries and strengthen undergraduates’ information literacy with respect to image search and use.
The human serum paraoxonase/arylesterase polymorphism.

The heterozygous human serum paraoxonase phenotype can be clearly distinguished from both homozygous phenotypes on the basis of its distinctive ratio of paraoxonase to arylesterase activities. A trimodal distribution of the ratio values was found with 348 individual serum samples, measuring the ratio of paraoxonase activity (with 1 M NaCl in the assay) to arylesterase activity, using phenylacetate. The three modes corresponded to the three paraoxonase phenotypes, A, AB, and B (individual genotypes), and the expected Mendelian segregation of the trait was observed within families. The paraoxonase/arylesterase activity ratio showed codominant inheritance. We have defined the genetic locus determining the aromatic esterase (arylesterase) responsible for the polymorphic paraoxonase activity as esterase-A (ESA) and have designated the two common alleles at this locus by the symbols ESA*A and ESA*B. The frequency of the ESA*A allele was estimated to be . 685, and that of the ESA*B allele, 0.315, in a sample population of unrelated Caucasians from the United States. We postulate that a single serum enzyme, with both paraoxonase and arylesterase activity, exists in two different isozymic forms with qualitatively different properties, and that paraoxon is a "discriminating" substrate (having a polymorphic distribution of activity) and phenylacetate is a "nondiscriminating" substrate for the two isozymes. Biochemical evidence for this interpretation includes the cosegregation of the degree of stimulation of paraoxonase activity by salt and paraoxonase/arylesterase activity ratio characteristics; the very high correlation between both the basal (non-salt stimulated) and salt-stimulated paraoxonase activities with arylesterase activity; and the finding that phenylacetate is an inhibitor for paraoxonase activities in both A and B types of enzyme.
Relationships between health behavior, knowledge, and beliefs among Swedish blue-collar workers

The main objective of this study was to assess the health behavior, risk awareness and beliefs concerning the importance of positive health practices among blue-collar workers, and to examine the relationships between behavior, knowledge and beliefs. Data were gathered from 1359 workers aged 18-65 years using a postal questionnaire to 2493 randomly selected members of two labor unions. A high prevalence of negative health practices was noted among the respondents. While no relationship was found between health behaviors and awareness of risks associated with such behaviors, there was a relationship between positive health practices and strong beliefs about the importance of those practices. Awareness of the influence of a positive behavior on disease risk was associated with a stronger belief concerning the importance of that behavior. Women were characterized by having more positive health behavior, a higher level of risk awareness and stronger beliefs concerning the importance of positive health practices.
PUVA and PUVB in vitiligo – are they equally effective?

Background/Aims: The combination of psoralens with different types of ultraviolet (UVL) sources in the treatment of vitiligo has led to different reports of success. The purpose of this trial is to compare in a random right‐left comparison study the efficacy and side effects of oral 8‐MOP plus UVA (PUVA) and oral 8‐MOP plus UVB (broadband, 290–320 nm P‐UVB) in the treatment of vitiligo.
Extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer regulates metalloproteinases in human uterine endometrium.

CONTEXT Endometrial remodeling occurs during each menstrual cycle in women and also during the establishment of endometriosis. Both processes involve the production of metalloproteinases (MMPs) by uterine endometrial cells. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine whether tissue remodeling and endometrial invasion involve activation of MMPs by extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES EMMPRIN expression was examined by immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR in ectopic and eutopic endometria. For functional assays, human uterine fibroblasts were treated in the absence or presence of IL-1beta (10 ng/ml) or purified native EMMPRIN (0.5 or 1 microg/ml) for 24 h. Cellular RNA and conditioned medium were assayed by real-time PCR or immunoblotting. RESULTS EMMPRIN protein localized to epithelial and fibroblast cells of eutopic and ectopic endometria. The pattern of localization was regulated by ovarian hormones. EMMPRIN mRNA levels varied throughout the menstrual cycle in parallel with the cyclic changes in estradiol. EMMPRIN treatment (0.5 microg/ml) of human uterine fibroblast cells stimulated MMP-1 (5.23-fold) and MMP-2 (8.55-fold), but not MMP-3, mRNA levels over levels in control cells (P < 0.05). EMMPRIN treatment (1 microg/ml) stimulated endogenous EMMPRIN (1.6-fold) mRNA levels (P > 0.05). IL-1beta stimulated MMP-1 (5.6-fold), MMP-2 (2.8-fold), and MMP-3 (75-fold) gene expression, but not EMMPRIN, over levels in control cells (P < 0.05). Both EMMPRIN and IL-1beta treatments stimulated MMP-1, -2, and -3, but not EMMPRIN protein secretion, with 0.5 microg/ml producing the greatest response. CONCLUSIONS The ability of EMMPRIN to stimulate MMP secretion by endometrial fibroblasts indicates its potential role in uterine remodeling and the pathogenesis of endometriosis.
Do Employer Pension Contributions Reflect Employee Preferences? Evidence from a Retirement Savings Reform in Denmark

This paper studies how firms set contributions to employer-provided 401(k)-type pension plans. Using a reform that decreased the subsidy to contributions to capital pension accounts for Danish workers in the top income tax bracket, we provide strong evidence that employers' contributions are based on their employees' savings preferences. We find an immediate decrease in employer contributions to capital accounts, whose magnitude increased in the share of employees directly affected by the reform. This response was large relative to average employee responses within private IRA-type plans and was accompanied by a similar-magnitude shift of employer contributions to annuity accounts.
Where in the World Does Obsidian Hydration Dating Work?

Results of a field study at Pot Creek Pueblo indicate that when effective hydration temperature varies significantly with depth, errors in obsidian hydration age estimates can occur if hydration rate constants are extrapolated to depth-specific effective hydration temperatures. This problem will be particularly severe in continental climates, but will have some effect anywhere the amplitude of the annual surface temperature wave exceeds 2-3°C.
CD44 and melanocytic tumors: a possible role for standard CD44 in the epidermotropic spread of melanoma

CD44 is a polymorphic family of cell membrane glycoproteins that mediate cell‐matrix and cell‐cell interactions involved in the mechanisms of tumor invasion and metastasis, and are subject to differential regulation during normal and malignant cell growth. We have investigated immunohistochemically the expression of CD44S and the variant isoforms CD44v3 and CD44v6 in paraffin‐embedded tissue from 5 Spitz nevi, 3 compound melanocytic nevi, 2 blue nevi, 6 primary melanomas, 15 cutaneous metastases (three epidermotropic, nine dermal and three ulcerated) and 10 lymph node metastases of melanoma. Melanocytes were extensively positive for CD44S in primary melanomas and benign melanocytic proliferations. Among 15 cases of cutaneous metastases of melanoma, the three epidermotropic metastases, as well as one of the three ulcerated ones were positive for CD44S. CD44S expression was diminished or totally absent in six of the nine dermal metastases, in two of the ulcerated metastases and in seven of the ten lymph node metastases. CD44v3 and CD44v6 melanocytic expression was absent in all the lesions studied.
Short‐Term Rapid Ventricular Pacing Prolongs Ventricular Refractoriness in Patients

Rapid Ventricular Rates Prolong VERP. Background: Traditional concepts suggest that ventricular refractoriness should gradually shorten during rapid pacing and gradually return to baseline after termination of pacing. Animal data, however, have shown that under certain circumstances sustained rapid ventricular rates can prolong refractoriness and action potential duration and, thereby, promote ventricular arrhythmias.
Human resource development

The Master of Education in Instructional Design & Technology (MEd-ID&T) prepares instructional designers and educators with the knowledge, skills, and abilities for designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating technologybased solutions to instructional problems. Graduates of the MEd-ID&T degree practice in K-12, post-secondary, business, industry, and performance learning environments, and may also prepare for doctoral study. Candidates in the MEdID&T degree pursue advanced study in Instructional Technology core, specialty, and field studies.
Anatomy and Physiology of the Rabbit and Rodent Gastrointestinal System

Rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas are all classified as hindgut fermenters, depending on primarily cecal microflora for nutrient composition. The rabbit has some unique anatomical features including the sacculus rotundus and the vermiform appendix. Gastrointestinal disorders in these animals can be a challenge to clinicians as not only the motility of the hindgut must be maintained, but the microflora as well. Dysbiosis, or changes in the microflora can release toxins and further alter the pH, microflora and motility. The clinician must also be aware of gastrointestinal pain and hydration status accompanying most gastrointestinal disease. The Rabbit Gastrointestinal System Although dental health and thorough examination of the teeth should always be included in the physical examination of a rabbit presented with suspected digestive system disease, this discussion will concentrate on the gastrointestinal system. Nutrition plays an important role in the functioning of the rabbit digestive system and will be discussed as it pertains to the gastrointestinal anatomy, physiology, and major disease syndromes. Rabbits are true non-ruminant herbivores. Their digestive reservoir permits and increases the efficiency of utilization of fibrous diets. They have a large stomach and well-developed cecum relative to other non-ruminant herbivores such as the horse.
Conjoined twins: A worldwide collaborative epidemiological study of the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research

Conjoined twins (CT) are a very rare developmental accident of uncertain etiology. Prevalence has been previously estimated to be 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 100,000 births. The process by which monozygotic twins do not fully separate but form CT is not well understood. The purpose of the present study was to analyze diverse epidemiological aspects of CT, including the different variables listed in the Introduction Section of this issue of the Journal. The study was made possible using the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research (ICBDSR) structure. This multicenter worldwide research includes the largest sample of CT ever studied. A total of 383 carefully reviewed sets of CT obtained from 26,138,837 births reported by 21 Clearinghouse Surveillance Programs (SP) were included in the analysis. Total prevalence was 1.47 per 100,000 births (95% CI: 1.32–1.62). Salient findings including an evident variation in prevalence among SPs: a marked variation in the type of pregnancy outcome, a similarity in the proportion of CT types among programs: a significant female predominance in CT: particularly of the thoracopagus type and a significant male predominance in parapagus and parasitic types: significant differences in prevalence by ethnicity and an apparent increasing prevalence trend in South American countries. No genetic, environmental or demographic significant associated factors were identified. Further work in epidemiology and molecular research is necessary to understand the etiology and pathogenesis involved in the development of this fascinating phenomenon of nature. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Stochastic computation offloading game for mobile cloud computing

With the growing popularity of mobile applications, mobile cloud computing has been envisioned as a promising approach to help mobile devices enhance computation capability and reduce energy consumptions. In this paper, we investigate the problem of multi-user computation offloading for mobile cloud computing under dynamic environment, wherein mobile users may become active or inactive (i.e., silent) dynamically, and the wireless channels for users to offload computation vary randomly. Taking into account the mutual interference among different users when offloading computation to mobile could via wireless channels, we formulate the mobile users' offloading decision process as a stochastic game. We further prove that the formulated stochastic game is equivalent to a potential game which has at least one Nash Equilibrium (NE). At the NE, no single user will unilaterally change its computation offloading strategy. Furthermore, we propose a multi-agent stochastic learning algorithm to reach the NE with guaranteed convergence. Finally, we conduct simulations to validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and evaluate its performance under dynamic environment.