Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
c‐MYC and nodular malignant melanoma

The incidence of skin cancer has been rising since the 1950s. About 75% of skin cancer−associated deaths are caused by malignant melanoma. Nodular malignant melanoma accounts for 20% of melanocytic malignant tumors and is associated with a relatively poor prognosis. Extensive research has been undertaken, but a molecular marker that can predict a more aggressive course of melanoma still has not been found.
Validating an FFQ for intake of episodically consumed foods: application to the National Institutes of Health–AARP Diet and Health Study

Abstract Objective To develop a method to validate an FFQ for reported intake of episodically consumed foods when the reference instrument measures short-term intake, and to apply the method in a large prospective cohort. Design The FFQ was evaluated in a sub-study of cohort participants who, in addition to the questionnaire, were asked to complete two non-consecutive 24 h dietary recalls (24HR). FFQ-reported intakes of twenty-nine food groups were analysed using a two-part measurement error model that allows for non-consumption on a given day, using 24HR as a reference instrument under the assumption that 24HR is unbiased for true intake at the individual level. Setting The National Institutes of Health–AARP Diet and Health Study, a cohort of 567 169 participants living in the USA and aged 50–71 years at baseline in 1995. Subjects A sub-study of the cohort consisting of 2055 participants. Results Estimated correlations of true and FFQ-reported energy-adjusted intakes were 0·5 or greater for most of the twenty-nine food groups evaluated, and estimated attenuation factors (a measure of bias in estimated diet–disease associations) were 0·4 or greater for most food groups. Conclusions The proposed methodology extends the class of foods and nutrients for which an FFQ can be evaluated in studies with short-term reference instruments. Although violations of the assumption that the 24HR is unbiased could be inflating some of the observed correlations and attenuation factors, results suggest that the FFQ is suitable for testing many, but not all, diet–disease hypotheses in a cohort of this size.
eMontage: An architecture for rapid integration of situational awareness data at the edge

This paper presents an architecture for rapid integration of situational awareness data on mobile handheld devices in resource-constrained, hostile environments. This capability will give users in crisis environments access to relevant data presented on a single screen with a consistent user interface. The framework and architecture discussed here enable the rapid addition of both publicly available and domain-specific data sources. This solution enables users to construct geospatial data mashups. Our architecture for accessing and filtering data from multiple sources provides benefits such as combining data from real-time and historical sources, operating in connected or disconnected modes, supporting individual selection and filtering of data, and integrating data from multiple sources.
Deletion mutagenesis of Tn10 Tet repressor — localization of regions important for dimerization and inducibility in vivo

The gene for the Tn10 Tet repressor (TetR) was subjected to deletion mutagenesis. Screening for a transdominant operator‐binding negative phenotype yielded 10 mutants with internal deletions. Three deletions extend from residue D5 to residues L41, W75, or Q76, respectively, and two contain deletions of the α‐helix‐turn‐α‐helix DNA‐binding motif. Five deletions range from residue K84 to residues between R87 and K98. Since residues from the N‐terminus up to position 98 are not necessary for dimerization, this must take place in the C‐terminal half of the protein. Ability to dimerize was probed by introducing ochre non‐sense codons (oc) at residues G138, H151, E159, l174, or K202. Koc202 shows wild‐type in vivo operator‐binding and inducibility by tetracycline indicating that the six C‐terminal residues of TetR are not important for activity. Mutants with longer C‐terminal truncations are inactive and not transdominant. They show reduced steady‐state protein levels and are probably impaired in folding and degraded in vivo. Two mutants (Δ151–166, Δ164–166) with deletions in a region variable in primary structure and length among Tet repressers from different resistance determinants bind tet operator efficiently, but are not inducibie by tetracycline. This result indicates that these residues are not important for dimer formation in the operator‐binding form.
A new watermarking approach for replay attack detection in LQG systems

The problem of detecting replay attack to the linear stochastic system with Kalman filer state estimator and LQG controller is addressed. Under replay attack to output measurements of the system, a dynamic watermarking method is proposed which is dependent on the dynamics of the system as well. While preserving the stability of the main system, the conditions on the parameters of the watermarking dynamics is obtained so that the attack can be revealed by destabilization of a residual trajectory which is the difference between the estimated and measured output of the system. Using this method, defender can adjust the detection rate of the system by changing the design parameters. Nevertheless, since the exogenous watermarking signal affects the performance of the controlled system, we propose an optimization problem to determine such a watermarking signal with the minimum loss effect. In the simulation results, the proposed dynamic watermarking approach is compared with the additive white noise watermarking method and the results confirm the superiority of the new scheme.
Born‐Global SMEs, Performance, and Dynamic Absorptive Capacity: Evidence from Spanish Firms

Interest has grown in explaining the positive performance of small businesses that internationalize from start up. In response to this question, we have empirically confirmed the relevant role played by dynamic absorption capacity in these firms and the influence of an entrepreneurial market‐oriented culture, on the basis of the Dynamic Capabilities Approach, through a sample of 102 Spanish born‐global SMEs. The success of these firms is determined by their ability to assimilate and to use knowledge in accordance with the demands of the market.
Custom Instruction Integration Method within Reconfigurable SoC and FPGA Devices

General-purpose processors that are utilized as cores are often incapable of achieving the challenging cost, performance, and power demands of high-performance audio, video, and networking applications. To meet these demands, most systems employ a number of hardware accelerators to off-load the computationally demanding portions of the application. As an alternative to this strategy, we examine customizing the computation capabilities of a core processor for a particular application. Our goal is to generate a prototype of reconfigurable custom instruction SoC to answer application request using FPGA technology. To give more flexibility to system, we addressed customized core with coarse and finite granularity. In this paper, we provide an overview of a method to identify coarse and finite grain instruction set extensions in application code and integration process in reconfigurable SoC based on NIOSII processor core. 3D synthesis application was proposed as a case study for experimentation.
A New General Biomarker-based Incidence Estimator

Background: Estimating disease incidence from cross-sectional surveys, using biomarkers for “recent” infection, has attracted much interest. Despite widespread applications to HIV, there is currently no consensus on the correct handling of biomarker results classifying persons as “recently” infected long after the infections occurred. Methods: We derive a general expression for a weighted average of recent incidence that—unlike previous estimators—requires no particular assumption about recent infection biomarker dynamics or about the demographic and epidemiologic context. This is possible through the introduction of an explicit timescale T that truncates the period of averaging implied by the estimator. Results: The recent infection test dynamics can be summarized into 2 parameters, similar to those appearing in previous estimators: a mean duration of recent infection and a false-recent rate. We identify a number of dimensionless parameters that capture the bias that arises from working with tractable forms of the resulting estimator and elucidate the utility of the incidence estimator in terms of the performance of the recency test and the population state. Estimation of test characteristics and incidence is demonstrated using simulated data. The observed confidence interval coverage of the test characteristics and incidence is within 1% of intended coverage. Conclusions: Biomarker-based incidence estimation can be consistently adapted to a general context without the strong assumptions of previous work about biomarker dynamics and epidemiologic and demographic history.
Comparison of wavelet based feature extraction methods for speech/music discrimination

In this study, performance of wavelet transform based features for the speech / music discrimination task has been investigated. In order to extract wavelet domain features, discrete and complex wavelet transforms have been used. The performance of the proposed feature set has been compared with a feature set constructed from the most common time, frequency and cepstral domain features used in speech/music discrimination such as number of zero crossings, spectral centroid, spectral flux and mel cepstral coefficients. In order to measure the performances of the feature sets for the speech/music discrimination, artificial neural networks have been used as a classification tool. The principal component analysis has been applied to eliminate the correlated features before classification stage. Considering the number of vanishing moments and orthogonality, the best performance is obtained with Daubechies8 wavelet among the other members.
Tolerance to chitosan by Trichoderma species is associated with low membrane fluidity

The effect of chitosan on growth of Trichoderma spp. , a cosmopolitan genus widely exploited for their biocontrol properties was evaluated. Based on genotypic (ITS of 18S rDNA) characters, four isolates of Trichoderma were identified as T. pseudokoningii FLM16, T. citrinoviride FLM17, T. harzianum EZG47, and T. koningiopsis VSL185. Chitosan reduces radial growth of Trichoderma isolates in concentration‐wise manner. T. koningiopsis VSL185 was the most chitosan tolerant isolate in all culture media amended with chitosan (0.5–2.0 mg ml−1). Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimal Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) were determined showing that T. koningiopsis VSL185 displays higher chitosan tolerance with MIC value >2000 μg ml−1 while for other Trichoderma isolates MIC values were around 10 μg ml−1. Finally, free fatty acid composition reveals that T. koningiopsis VSL185, chitosan tolerant isolate, displays lower linolenic acid (C18:3) content than chitosan sensitive Trichoderma isolates. Our findings suggest that low membrane fluidity is associated with chitosan tolerance in Trichoderma spp.
Comparison of the impact of SFAs from cheese and butter on cardiometabolic risk factors: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Controversies persist concerning the association between intake of dietary saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and cardiovascular disease risk.Objective: We compared the impact of consuming equal amounts of SFAs from cheese and butter on cardiometabolic risk factors.Design: In a multicenter, crossover, randomized controlled trial, 92 men and women with abdominal obesity and relatively low HDL-cholesterol concentrations were assigned to sequences of 5 predetermined isoenergetic diets of 4 wk each separated by 4-wk washouts: 2 diets rich in SFAs (12.4-12.6% of calories) from either cheese or butter; a monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA)-rich diet (SFAs: 5.8%, MUFAs: 19.6%); a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-rich diet (SFAs: 5.8%, PUFAs: 11.5%); and a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet (fat: 25%, SFAs: 5.8%). Results: Serum HDL-cholesterol concentrations were similar after the cheese and butter diets but were significantly higher than after the carbohydrate diet (+3.8% and +4.7%, respectively; P < 0.05 for both). LDL-cholesterol concentrations after the cheese diet were lower than after the butter diet (-3.3%, P < 0.05) but were higher than after the carbohydrate (+2.6%), MUFA (+5.3%), and PUFA (+12.3%) diets (P < 0.05 for all). LDL-cholesterol concentrations after the butter diet also increased significantly (from +6.1% to +16.2%, P < 0.05) compared with the carbohydrate, MUFA, and PUFA diets. The LDL-cholesterol response to treatment was significantly modified by baseline values (P-interaction = 0.02), with the increase in LDL cholesterol being significantly greater with butter than with cheese only among individuals with high baseline LDL-cholesterol concentrations. There was no significant difference between all diets on inflammation markers, blood pressure, and insulin-glucose homeostasis.Conclusions: The results of our study suggest that the consumption of SFAs from cheese and butter has similar effects on HDL cholesterol but differentially modifies LDL-cholesterol concentrations compared with the effects of carbohydrates, MUFAs, and PUFAs, particularly in individuals with high LDL cholesterol. In contrast, SFAs from either cheese or butter have no significant effects on several other nonlipid cardiometabolic risk factors. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02106208.
Active Suppression of Selected DC Bus Harmonics for Dual Active Bridge DC–DC Converters

AC coupled dual active bridge (DAB) dc–dc converters typically use phase shifted square wave (PSSW) modulation to manage the power flow between two dc sources. With this scheme, the current flowing between the converter bridges injects high-magnitude current harmonics into each dc port at multiples of the primary switching frequency, which can excite resonances in the $LC$ circuits created by parasitic second-order impedances such as wiring inductances in the dc-link connections. This can cause substantial dc bus voltage and current oscillations, particularly with the higher switching frequencies that are used with wide bandgap devices, leading to excessive electromagnetic interference, significant filter stress, and eventual component operational failure. Conventionally, a relatively large dc bus filter capacitor (or inductor) helps to suppress these dc bus harmonic dynamics. However, the use of adaptive three-level modulation for a single phase DAB provides a much greater solution space to achieve a desired power transfer condition, with the three PSSW control angles that are available. This paper now explores the additional use of these angles to selectively suppress particular dc bus current harmonics across the entire operating range of the converter and thus allow the size of the DAB dc bus bridge capacitors to be minimized. This new active harmonic suppression (AHS) strategy is validated by theory, simulation, and matching experimental results.
Iatrogenic Deaths Following Treatment for Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy: Case Reports and an Approach to the Autopsy and Death Certification

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a disease process which results in a large, heavy heart, with hypertrophy of the interventricular septum (IVS) and left ventricle. HCM accounts for a significant number of cases of sudden cardiac death each year, most infamously in young athletes. The prevalence of the disease has increased over the past several years due to advances in clinical diagnosis and molecular genetic studies. Over this same period, new forms of treatment also have emerged. One such treatment is alcohol septal ablation (ASA). ASA is a procedure performed by a cardiologist, via cardiac catheterization, by injecting pure ethanol into selected arteries which supply the IVS, resulting in a targeted myocardial infarction. This infarct then retracts and forms a scar, decreasing the outflow obstruction and improving the patient's clinical symptoms. The authors report 2 cases of death following ASA treatment of HCM. The first, a 56-year-old male, had his ASA procedure 10 days prior to death. The second decedent, a 76-year-old female, had her procedure only 30 hours before death. These case reports are followed by a discussion about HCM, including pathology, treatments, and treatment-related pathology, before closing with a discussion about death certification in the cases presented and therapy-related deaths in general.
Cloning of Rab GTPases Expressed in Human Skeletal Muscle: Studies in Insulin-Resistant Subjects

To explore the potential role of Rab GTPases in human insulin resistance, we first employed a PCR-cloning approach to identify Rab isoforms that are expressed in human skeletal muscle. Multiple Rab isoforms including Rab1A, Rab4A, Rab5B, Rab7, Rab8, Rab10, Rab12A, Rab13, Rab18, Rab21, and Rab22 mRNA were found to be expressed in human skeletal muscle. The second goal was to examine whether mRNA expression for Rabs targeted to endocytotic/exocytotic compartments was altered as a function of insulin resistance. Quantitative PCR analysis demonstrated that Rab4A, Rab5B and Rab18 mRNA levels in skeletal muscle from insulin-resistant patients without (IR) and with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) were not significantly different from those in insulin-sensitive controls (IS). At the protein level, total Rab5B amount was not significantly different among IS, IR and NIDDM subgroups. However, in basal muscle, Rab5B in the total membrane fraction was 2.1-3.6 fold higher in IR and NIDDM than in IS subjects. Insulin increased membrane-associated Rab5B by 3-fold in IS subjects, whereas this effect was not significant in both IR and NIDDM subgroups. Thus, for the first time, we have comprehensively studied the mRNA expression of Rab isoforms in human muscle. The phlethora of Rab GTPases are indicative of high volume of vesicular traffic and regulated metabolism. The potential role of specific Rab isoforms in insulin resistance does not rely on a change in steady state mRNA levels, but is demonstrable as an alteration in protein subcellular distribution and trafficking.
Wireless sensor networks: to cluster or not to cluster?

The key challenge in the design and operation of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is the maximization of system lifetime. Node clustering is commonly considered as one of the most promising techniques for dealing with the given challenge, and as such has been referred to by many researchers. It is interesting to observe, however, that very few, if any, published research works provide explicit analysis of node clustering in WSNs and/or manage to prove its actual effectiveness. In this paper we take a closer analytical look at WSNs of clustered organization. We prove that these networks do not necessarily outperform non-clustered WSNs. The condition that ensures superior performance of clustered WSNs, with absolute certainty, is that the formed clusters lie within the isoclusters of the monitored phenomenon. We also show that in clustered WSNs which satisfy the given condition, cluster sizes do not need to match the sizes of their respective underlying isoclusters. Instead, simple 5-hop clusters can provide near-optimal network performance under a wide range of cluster-to-sink and cluster-to-isocluster spatial arrangements
Aging and autism spectrum disorder: Evidence from the broad autism phenotype

This study investigated for the first time the broad autism phenotype (BAP) in the context of older adulthood and its associations with real‐world executive function, social support, and both depression and anxiety symptomatology. Based on self‐ratings of autistic traits, 66 older adults (60+ years old, range = 61–88) were split into BAP (n = 20) and control (n = 46) groups. Individuals in the BAP group, even after controlling for age, education level, sex, and health problems, exhibited more real‐world executive function problems in multiple domains, reported lower levels of social support, and self‐rated increased depression and anxiety symptomatology compared to the control group. Regression analysis revealed that level of social support was the strongest predictor of BAP traits across both groups, although real‐world executive function problems and depression symptomatology were also significant predictors. Moreover, when predicting anxiety and depression symptomatology, BAP traits were the strongest predictors above and beyond the effects of demographic factors, real‐world executive function problems, and social support levels. These findings suggest that the BAP in older adulthood imparts additional risks to areas of functioning that are known to be crucial to aging‐related outcomes in the context of typical development. These results might in turn inform aging in autism spectrum disorder, which has been largely unexplored to date. Autism Res 2016, 9: 1294–1303. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Local Anesthetic Properties of a Novel Derivative, N-Methyl Doxepin, Versus Doxepin and Bupivacaine

Among various tricyclic antidepressants, doxepin and amitriptyline are also long-acting local anesthetics. We synthesized a new compound, N-methyl doxepin, and investigated whether this derivative possesses local anesthetic properties. N-methyl doxepin and doxepin were tested in a rat sciatic nerve model at 2.5, 5.0, and 10 mM. Proprioceptive, motor, and nociceptive blockade were evaluated and compared with those induced by 0.5% bupivacaine. Block of Na+ channels by N-methyl doxepin and doxepin was assessed in cultured pituitary tumor cells under voltage clamp conditions. N-methyl doxepin elicited complete nociceptive blockade that generally lasted longer than that caused by doxepin (e.g., approximately 7.4 h versus 5.3 h at 10 mM). Significant differences were observed for full recovery of function at all concentrations and for the duration of complete blockade except at 2.5 mM. Bupivacaine at 0.5% (15.4 mM) was less effective in producing complete blockade (approximately 1.5 h) than N-methyl doxepin and doxepin. Both doxepin and N-methyl doxepin were potent Na+ channel blockers, although N-methyl doxepin displayed a slower wash-in rate. No morphological alterations were detected in cross-sectioned sciatic nerve specimens with these three drugs. We conclude that N-methyl doxepin is a potent Na+ channel blocker and a long-acting local anesthetic for rat sciatic nerve blockade.