Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Emergence of norovirus GII/4 2006a and 2006b variants in hospitalized children with acute gastroenteritis in Thailand.

BACKGROUND Norovirus (NoV) is recognized as a significant cause of acute gastroenteritis in infants and young children worldwide. This study investigated the prevalence of NoV infection in hospitalized children with gastroenteritis in Chiang Mai, Thailand in 2006. METHODS A total of 156 fecal specimens were collected from children with diarrhea admitted to McCormick Hospital in 2006. All fecal specimens were examinedffor NoV by RT-PCR and the genotypes were identified by sequence analysis. RESULTS A high prevalence of NoV infection was detected (20.5%, 32/156). NoV GII/4 was the most predominant genotype with a prevalence of 87.5% (28/32), while GII/3, GII/6, GII/12, and GII/15 were less common (3.1% each). Among GII/4 strains, 2006b variant (75%, 21/28) emerged as the leading strain and dominated over the Hunter'04-like variant, which was the most common strain in the previous season of 2005. In addition, the 2003, 2004, and 2006a variants were also detected. NoV infections were most commonly observed in the rainy season in Thailand. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated the emergence of GII/4 2006b variants as the major pathogen causing acute gastroenteritis among infants and children at the age of less than 5 years old who admitted to hospital in Chiang Mai, Thailand in 2006. Additionally, other GII/4 variants of 2003, 2004, and 2006a were also reported.
Amplification of the gene for SCAP, coupled with Insig-1 deficiency, confers sterol resistance in mutant Chinese hamster ovary cells Published, JLR Papers in Press, June 22, 2007.

The endoplasmic reticulum membrane proteins Insig-1 and Insig-2 limit cholesterol synthesis, in part through their sterol-dependent binding to sterol-regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) cleavage-activating protein (SCAP). This binding prevents proteolytic processing of SREBPs, membrane-bound transcription factors that enhance cholesterol synthesis. We report here the characterization of mutant Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, designated SRD-19, that are resistant to 25-hydroxycholesterol, a potent inhibitor of SREBP processing. SRD-19 cells were produced by mutagenesis of Insig-1-deficient SRD-14 cells, followed by selection in high levels of 25-hydroxycholesterol. 25-Hydroxycholesterol fails to suppress SREBP processing in SRD-19, even though they express normal levels of Insig-2. The number of copies of the gene encoding SCAP was found to be increased by 4-fold in SRD-19 cells compared with wild-type CHO cells, leading to the overproduction of SCAP mRNA and protein. Our data indicate that overproduced SCAP saturates the remaining Insig-2 in SRD-19 cells, thus explaining their resistance to 25-hydroxycholesterol. Consistent with this conclusion, regulated SREBP processing is restored in SRD-19 cells upon transfection of plasmids encoding either Insig-1 or Insig-2. These results highlight the importance of SCAP/Insig ratios in normal sterol-regulated processing of SREBPs in cultured cells.
Reputation-Based Clustering Algorithms in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Clustering is one of the main techniques that are used to increase the scalability of MANETs, but without any security considerations clustering is prone to various security attacks. Some cryptographic-based schemes have been proposed to secure the clustering process, but they are unable to handle the internal attacks. Trust-based clustering schemes have combined the trust management systems with the existing state of art clustering solutions and using cryptographic mechanism these schemes present the most complex and secure clustering solutions that are resilient against both internal and external attackers. In this paper, we present an in-depth analysis of trust-based clustering schemes and illustrate how reputations are integrated in these schemes. Then we compare them based on the various trust metrics and finally conclude with open research issues.
Compact dual-band antenna array for massive MIMO

A compact dual band antenna operating simultaneously at 5.4 GHz and 15 GHz is presented in this paper. It is a planar array composed of a grid of 6×8 (48) patch antennas working at 5.4 GHz and 7×9 (63) patch antennas working at 15 GHz. The whole antenna array occupies an area of 150 mm × 180 mm which fits the ordinary size requirement of wireless access point. All the antenna patch antennas have a reflection coefficient lower than −6 dB across 320 and 2000 MHz bandwidth at 5 and 15 GHz. The electromagnetic coupling between any two antennas is lower than − 10 dB within the specified bandwidth. Measurement results show good agreement with the simulation of input matching, mutual coupling and radiation pattern. Compared to the ordinary antenna array design with half-wavelength spacing between two neighboring antennas, our proposed dual band array design accommodates 1.6 times more antennas at 5.4 GHz and extra 63 antennas at 15 GHz, while maintaining sufficient radiation efficiency, matching bandwidth and decoupling.
The formal verification of a pipelined double-precision IEEE floating-point multiplier

Floating-point circuits are notoriously difficult to design and verify. For verification, simulation barely offers adequate coverage, conventional model-checking techniques are infeasible, and theorem-proving based verification is not sufficiently mature. In this paper we present the formal verification of a radix-eight, pipelined, IEEE double-precision floating-point multiplier. The verification was carried out using a mixture of model-checking and theorem-proving techniques in the Voss hardware verification system. By combining model-checking and theorem-proving we were able to build on the strengths of both areas and achieve significant results with a reasonable amount of effort.
Detection of tumours of the urinary tract in voided urine

Patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer are treated by transurethral resection. About 60–70% of these patients will develop recurrences and in 11% of these cases progression to a muscle-invasive tumour occurs. Surveillance of patients by cystoscopy is therefore carried out every 3–4 months in the first 2years and yearly thereafter. Several biomarkers have been developed that potentially can detect recurrent bladder cancer in voided urine samples and may present an alternative for the invasive cystoscopy procedure. Recently, van Rhijn reviewed the performance of several of these biomarkers regarding detection of recurrent disease in patients under surveillance. In general, sensitivities were much lower when only patients under surveillance were taken into account than when the patient cohorts included patients with primary disease or patients with high-grade tumours. In this article recent new data on those markers that displayed a sensitivity and specificity of at least 70% as mentioned in the review by van Rhijn are reviewed. The literature selected was limited to those papers in which the performance of makers was assayed only on urine samples of patients under surveillance. The markers with sensitivity and specificity over 70% that were selected from the previous study are Lewis X, NMP22, microsatellite analysis (MA), CYFRA 21.1, cytokeratin 20 and the UroVysion fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) test. Recent new developments such as the use of FGFR3 mutation analysis and methylation detection are also discussed. In conclusion, tests such as the UroVysion FISH test and MA are able to detect most concomitant recurrences and to predict recurrent disease. In general, lesions that are missed are pTa and low grade. With MA several upper tract recurrences were identified that were missed by cystoscopy. The value of the most promising urine tests needs to be established in longitudinal studies and exclusively on patients under surveillance for recurrent disease. A longitudinal setting allows subsequent urine samples to be tested and this increases sensitivity because a negative test outcome sometimes occurs between positive ones. Stratification of patients according to the genetic status of their primary tumours and smoking habits should be investigated. Decision models should be developed that recommend at which points in time cystoscopy or urine testing should be performed.
Debris flow entrainment rates in non-uniform channels with convex and concave slopes

ABSTRACT Channel topography plays an important role in debris flow entrainment processes. Field observations and flume experiments have demonstrated two notable erosion effects: abrasion on convex slopes resulting from layer-by-layer shearing and impact erosion on concave slopes. Most existing formulas for debris flow entrainment rates are derived from the uniform slope assumption and do not account for the two erosion effects. In order to take abrasion and impact erosion into consideration, this study incorporated two channel curvature functions into the entrainment formula that is based on equilibrium between flow frictional forces and basal resistance forces. The two functions control the effects of entrainment on different slope types and are based on empirical relationships with curvature obtained in flume experiments. The revised formula provides a unified procedure for debris flow entrainment rates in non-uniform channels.
Sediment composition, provenance, and Holocene paleoenvironmental evolution of the Southern Po River coastal plain (Italy)

Geochemistry, sediment provenance, and the Holocene paleoenvironmental evolution of the Southern Po River coastal plain (Italy) were examined based on the geochemical analysis of 279 sediment samples from 35 cores. The Holocene succession is subdivided into four major facies associations: back‐barrier, transgressive barrier, shallow‐marine, and beach‐ridge deposits. Bulk chemical composition shows remarkable differences between facies associations, and the poly‐modal behavior in the related frequency curves suggests distinct sources of sediment. Using MgO and Ni as geochemical tracers, changes in sediment provenance were assessed with the aim to reconstruct the Holocene paleoenvironmental evolution of the area. The Po River and the Apenninic rivers represented the main sources of sediment during the early stages of transgression and highstand sea‐level conditions, whereas transgressive barrier and early shallow‐marine facies associations exhibit a clear North Adriatic river (eastern Alpine) provenance. The Holocene paleoenvironmental evolution of the study area, between about 10 ky and the present, indicates the presence of a bypass zone in front of the Po River mouth between 9 and 6 ky BP. At that time, sediment supplied by the North Adriatic rivers was transported southward by the longshore drift, bypassed the weak Po River influx and accumulated close to the Apennines. Comparison between Holocene facies associations and current back‐barrier and shallow‐marine sediments confirms that the present‐day basin circulation is similar to the one that acted during the last episode of sea‐level rise.
Design and performance analysis of a dual-band microstrip patch antenna for Mobile WiMAX, WLAN, Wi-Fi and bluetooth applications

The design and performance analysis of a dual-band rectangular shaped microstrip patch antenna prototype designed on a Flame Retardant 4 (FR-4) substrate with a dielectric constant of 4.3 is presented in this paper. The proposed antenna with a compact area of 45×28 mm2 has an operating bandwidth of about 180 MHz (frequency ranges 2.49-2.67 GHz) with resonant frequency at 2.57 GHz and Ultra-wideband (frequency ranges 4.75GHz-6.75GHz) with resonant frequency at 5.91 GHz. This antenna covers almost 90% of the Mobile WiMAX operating band (frequency range 2.5-2.7 GHz) and whole band of the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) low band (frequency ranges 5.15-5.35 GHz), U-NII mid band (frequency range 5.47-5.725 GHz) and U-NII high band (frequency range 5.725-5.875 GHz) used for mobile WiMAX, Wireless LAN, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi operations. This antenna also covers the whole band of the IEEE802.11a band (frequency ranges 5.15-5.35 GHz) for Wireless LAN. The antenna has maximum gain of 5.783 dB and 3.783 dB for 2.5 GHz band and 5.8 GHz band respectively. The proposed antenna has minimum Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) of 0.0132 W/kg for 2.5 GHz band and 0.0817 W/kg for 5.8 GHz band averaged over 10g of tissue and also minimum value of 0.0193W/kg for 2.5 GHz band and 0.1075W/kg for 5.8 GHz band averaged over 1g of tissue which all are within the acceptable limit standardized by Federal Communication Commission (FCC). The proposed antenna is designed and simulated in the CST Microwave Studio 2011 software.
Arabidopsis FIMBRIN 5 , an Actin Bundling Factor , Is Required for Pollen Germination and Pollen Tube Growth

Actin cables in pollen tubes serve as molecular tracks for cytoplasmic streaming and organelle movement and are formed by actin bundling factors like villins and fimbrins. However, the precise mechanisms by which actin cables are generated and maintained remain largely unknown. Fimbrins comprise a family of five members in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we characterized a fimbrin isoform, Arabidopsis FIMBRIN5 (FIM5). Our results show that FIM5 is required for the organization of actin cytoskeleton in pollen grains and pollen tubes, and FIM5 loss-of-function associates with a delay of pollen germination and inhibition of pollen tube growth. FIM5 decorates actin filaments throughout pollen grains and tubes. Actin filaments become redistributed in fim5 pollen grains and disorganized in fim5 pollen tubes. Specifically, actin cables protrude into the extreme tips, and their longitudinal arrangement is disrupted in the shank of fim5 pollen tubes. Consequently, the pattern and velocity of cytoplasmic streaming were altered in fim5 pollen tubes. Additionally, loss of FIM5 function rendered pollen germination and tube growth hypersensitive to the actin-depolymerizing drug latrunculin B. In vitro biochemical analyses indicated that FIM5 exhibits actin bundling activity and stabilizes actin filaments. Thus, we propose that FIM5 regulates actin dynamics and organization during pollen germination and tube growth via stabilizing actin filaments and organizing them into higher-order structures.
A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE NEW AND REVISED SYMPTOMS OF POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN DSM‐5

Research has shown that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is highly comorbid with other mental disorders. The DSM‐5 marks an opportunity to increase the differential diagnosis of PTSD by emphasizing symptoms that are specific to PTSD and deemphasizing symptoms that are common to many mental disorders. This study analyzes the new and revised PTSD symptom criteria proposed for DSM‐5 by examining their relations with diagnoses and measures of PTSD. In addition, we report the specificity of DSM‐5 symptoms with PTSD compared to depressive disorders and substance use.
DC Priming by M. vaccae Inhibits Th2 Responses in Contrast to Specific TLR2 Priming and Is Associated with Selective Activation of the CREB Pathway

The environmental mycobacterium, M. vaccae has been used in mouse models to support the contemporary hygiene hypothesis that non-pathogenic microorganisms reduce allergy associated T helper (Th)2 responses and inflammatory diseases by augmenting regulatory T cells. However, data for human models and possible mechanisms are limited. We tested the effect of innate immune interactions between human DC and M. vaccae on DC-dependent T cell responses. M. vaccae activation of DC via Toll like receptor (TLR)2 was compared to a specific TLR2 ligand (Pam3CSK4) and alternative stimulation with a TLR4 ligand (LPS). M. vaccae induced DC dependent inhibition of Th2 responses, in contrast to Pam3CSK4, which had the opposite effect and LPS, which had no polarizing effect. DC maturation, gene expression and cytokine production, in response to each stimulus did not correlate with the specific functional effects. Comparable DC transcriptional responses to M. vaccae and Pam3CSK4 suggested that TLR2 mediated transcriptional regulation was not sufficient for inhibition of Th2 responses. Transcription factor enrichment analysis and assessment of signaling events, implicated a role for selective early activation of the CREB pathway by M. vaccae. Further study of the CREB pathway may provide novel insight into the molecular mechanisms of DC-dependent T cell polarization.
Local Rank Inference for Varying Coefficient Models

By allowing the regression coefficients to change with certain covariates, the class of varying coefficient models offers a flexible approach to modeling nonlinearity and interactions between covariates. This article proposes a novel estimation procedure for the varying coefficient models based on local ranks. The new procedure provides a highly efficient and robust alternative to the local linear least squares method, and can be conveniently implemented using existing R software package. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations both reveal that the gain of the local rank estimator over the local linear least squares estimator, measured by the asymptotic mean squared error or the asymptotic mean integrated squared error, can be substantial. In the normal error case, the asymptotic relative efficiency for estimating both the coefficient functions and the derivative of the coefficient functions is above 96%; even in the worst case scenarios, the asymptotic relative efficiency has a lower bound 88.96% for estimating the coefficient functions, and a lower bound 89.91% for estimating their derivatives. The new estimator may achieve the nonparametric convergence rate even when the local linear least squares method fails due to infinite random error variance. We establish the large sample theory of the proposed procedure by utilizing results from generalized U-statistics, whose kernel function may depend on the sample size. We also extend a resampling approach, which perturbs the objective function repeatedly, to the generalized U-statistics setting, and demonstrate that it can accurately estimate the asymptotic covariance matrix.
Automation of Summary Evaluation by the Pyramid Method

The manual Pyramid method for summary evaluation, which focuses on the task of determining if a summary expresses the same content as a set of manual models, has shown sufﬁcient promise that the Document Understanding Conference 2005 effort will make use of it. However, an automated approach would make the method far more useful for developers and evaluators of automated summarization systems. We present an experimental environment for testing automated evaluation of summaries, pre-annotated for shared information. We reduce the problem to a combination of similarity measure computation and clustering. The best results are achieved with a unigram overlap similarity measure and single-link clustering, which yields high correlation to manual pyramid scores (r=0.942, p=0.01), and shows better correlation than the n-gram overlap automatic approaches of the ROUGE system.
Intelligent Agents and Networked Buttons Improve Free-Improvised Ensemble Music-Making on Touch-Screens

We present the results of two controlled studies of free-improvised ensemble music-making on touch-screens. In our system, updates to an interface of harmonically-selected pitches are broadcast to every touch-screen in response to either a performer pressing a GUI button, or to interventions from an intelligent agent. In our first study, analysis of survey results and performance data indicated significant effects of the button on performer preference, but of the agent on performance length. In the second follow-up study, a mixed-initiative interface, where the presence of the button was interlaced with agent interventions, was developed to leverage both approaches. Comparison of this mixed-initiative interface with the always-on button-plus-agent condition of the first study demonstrated significant preferences for the former. The different approaches were found to shape the creative interactions that take place. Overall, this research offers evidence that an intelligent agent and a networked GUI both improve aspects of improvised ensemble music-making.
Fabrication of 200 to 2700 GHz multiplier devices using GaAs and metal membranes

Multiplier device fabrication techniques have been developed to enable robust implementation of monolithic circuits well into the THz frequency range. To minimize the dielectric loading of the waveguides, some circuits are realized entirely on a 3 /spl mu/m thick GaAs membrane with metal beamleads acting as RF probes and DC contact points. Other designs retain some thicker GaAs as a support and handling structure, allowing a membrane of bare metal or thin GaAs to be suspended across an input or output waveguide. Extensive use is made of selective etches, both reactive ion (RIE) and wet chemical, to maintain critical dimensions. Electron beam (e-beam) lithography provides the small contact areas required at the highest frequencies. Planar multiplier circuits for 200 GHz to 2700 GHz have been demonstrated using a variety of metal and GaAs membrane configurations made available by these fabrication techniques.
Obesity is Associated with Increased Risk of Gastrointestinal Symptoms: A Population-Based Study

OBJECTIVES:Perception of sensations arising from the gastrointestinal tract may be diminished in obese subjects and thus facilitate overeating. Alternatively, excess food intake may cause gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in obese patients. We evaluated the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and specific GI symptoms in the community.METHODS:Residents of Olmsted County, MN were selected at random to receive by mail one of two validated questionnaires. The association of reported GI symptoms with BMI (kg/m2) was assessed using a logistic regression analysis adjusting for age, gender, psychosomatic symptom score, and alcohol and tobacco use.RESULTS:Response rate was 74% (1,963 of 2,660). The prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) was 23%. There was a positive relationship between BMI and frequent vomiting (p = 0.02), upper abdominal pain (p = 0.03), bloating (p = 0.002), and diarrhea (p = 0.01). The prevalence of frequent lower abdominal pain, nausea, and constipation was increased among obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) compared to normal weight participants, however, no significant association was found between BMI and these symptoms.CONCLUSIONS:In the community, increasing BMI is associated with increased upper GI symptoms, bloating, and diarrhea. Clarification of the cause-and-effect relationships and the mechanisms of these associations require further investigation.
Addressing cost-space chasms in manipulation planning

Finding paths in high-dimensional spaces becomes difficult when we wish to optimize the cost of a path in addition to obeying feasibility constraints. Recently the T-RRT algorithm was presented as a method to plan in high-dimensional cost-spaces and it was shown to perform well across a variety of problems. However, since the T-RRT relies solely on sampling to explore the space, it has difficulty navigating cost-space chasms-narrow low-cost regions surrounded by increasing cost. Such chasms are particularly common in planning for manipulators because many useful cost functions induce narrow or lower-dimensional low-cost areas. This paper presents the GradienT-RRT algorithm, which combines the T-RRT with a local gradient method to bias the search toward lower-cost regions. GradienT-RRT is effective at navigating chasms because it explores low-cost regions that are too narrow to explore by sampling alone. We compare the performance of T-RRT and GradienT-RRT on planning problems involving cost functions defined in workspace, task space, and C-space. We find that GradienT-RRT outperforms T-RRT in terms of the cost of the final path while maintaining better or comparable computation time. We also find that the cost of paths generated by GradienT-RRT is far less sensitive to changes in a key parameter, making it easier to tune the algorithm. Finally, we conclude with a demonstration of GradienT-RRT on a planning-with-uncertainty task on the physical HERB robot.