Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Peptidoglycan from Immunobiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus Improves Resistance of Infant Mice to Respiratory Syncytial Viral Infection and Secondary Pneumococcal Pneumonia

Several research works have demonstrated that beneficial microbes with the capacity to modulate the mucosal immune system (immunobiotics) are an interesting alternative to improve the outcome of bacterial and viral respiratory infections. Among the immunobiotic strains with the capacity to beneficially modulate respiratory immunity, Lactobacillus rhamnosus CRL1505 has outstanding properties. Although we have significantly advanced in demonstrating the capacity of L. rhamnosus CRL1505 to improve resistance against respiratory infections as well as in the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in its beneficial activities, the potential protective ability of this strain or its immunomodulatory cellular fractions in the context of a secondary bacterial pneumonia has not been addressed before. In this work, we demonstrated that the nasal priming with non-viable L. rhamnosus CRL1505 or its purified peptidoglycan differentially modulated the respiratory innate antiviral immune response triggered by toll-like receptor 3 activation in infant mice, improving the resistance to primary respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, and secondary pneumococcal pneumonia. In association with the protection against RSV-pneumococcal superinfection, we found that peptidoglycan from L. rhamnosus CRL1505 significantly improved lung CD3+CD4+IFN-γ+, and CD3+CD4+IL-10+ T cells as well as CD11c+SiglecF+IFN-β+ alveolar macrophages with the consequent increases of IFN-γ, IL-10, and IFN-β in the respiratory tract. Our results also showed that the increase of these three cytokines is necessary to achieve protection against respiratory superinfection since each of them are involved in different aspect of the secondary pneumococcal pneumonia that have to be controlled in order to reduce the severity of the infectious disease: lung pneumococcal colonization, bacteremia, and inflammatory-mediated lung tissue injury.
Novel investigational therapies for treating biliary tract carcinoma

ABSTRACT Introduction: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an epithelial cell malignancy arising from bile ducts and/or peribiliary glands. Even though it is considered as a rare neoplasm, its incidence is raising, particularly in developed countries. Prognosis is generally poor with few patients who present the inclusion criteria for surgery (the mainstay treatment for this tumour). Several genetic alterations potentially driving tumour progression have been described, representing a possible target for new compounds. Areas covered: A clinical trial search in Clinicaltrials.gov encompassing a literature search in PubMed and ASCO/ESMO Websites was undertaken in March 2016. Expert opinion: Notwithstanding a large number of drug tested, results are still disappointing. The main reasons could be the low number of patients enrolled in trials, and the lack of a patient selection based on the biological profile of the tumours. Potential active drugs could have been discharged simply because beneficial in a particular subgroup of patients and not in un unselected population. The future direction of the research should consider biomarker evaluation in order to describe the genetic alteration/s that drive tumour progression and aggressiveness and the mechanisms of drug resistance. Finally, it will be of great interest to consider the results of immunotherapy whenever available.
Activity of chemotherapy in mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE Mucinous ovarian carcinoma has a poorer prognosis compared with other histological subtypes. The aim of this study was to evaluate, retrospectively, the activity of first-line and second-line chemotherapy in patients with mucinous ovarian cancer in a mono-institutional series. PATIENTS AND METHODS In the period under survey (1996-2003), 225 new patients with ovarian cancer were treated. Twenty-one out of these patients (9.3%) received a diagnosis of mucinous ovarian cancer. The median age, performance status, stage at diagnosis and residual disease after surgery were similar in the mucinous compared to the other histological groups (P=NS). RESULTS In mucinous ovarian cancer the grading of the tumors was 2 in 76% of the cases, while grade 3 was more frequent in the other subtypes (p<0.002). Eighty-five % of the patients had received carboplatin/paclitaxel, while the remaining cases had been treated with a cisplatin-based chemotherapy not containing paclitaxel. Two patients with early stage were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy and were not evaluable for response while 19 patients had measurable disease (12 pts) or were assessed at second-look (7 pts). Forty-seven % of the 19 patients experienced disease progression during first-line, while 31.5% and 10.5% complete and partial responses were recorded, respectively. Fifteen out of the 21 patients had progressed at the time of the analyses. Sixty % of the progressed patients were platinum-refractory, 3 cases were platinum-sensitive and 3 platinum-resistant. The 3 platinum-sensitive patients were treated with single agent carboplatin without any response. No response was recorded with topotecan or liposomal doxorubicin when given as second- or third-line treatment in platinum-refractory/resistant patients. CONCLUSION Mucinous ovarian cancer has a poor response to chemotherapy both in the first-line and in the recurrence settings. Studies with alternative chemotherapy combinations are mandatory in this histological subgroup.
Segway use in individuals with multiple sclerosis.

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune neurologic disorder that affects myelin, the protective sheath that encases nerve fibers in the central nervous system. Lesions resulting from the loss of myelin cause disruption of nerve impulses in both the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms are myriad and can include fatigue; pain; visual changes; loss of function or sensation in the lower extremities; loss of balance and coordination; changes in speech, cognition, and emotions; and bladder, bowel, and/or sexual dysfunction. The constellations of physical symptoms vary widely among individuals but often cause problems with mobility that require the use of assistive technology (AT). As the disease progresses, affected individuals experience new or worsening symptoms that may further limit mobility and potentially their participation in daily life. An estimated 25% to as many as 80% of persons with MS experience activity impairments that limit walking and standing, the ability to access and use public transportation, and the ability to complete self-care activities within 10Y15 years of disease onset (Souza et al., 2010). In 1988, the Technology Related Assistance Act for People With Disabilities (Public Law 100-407) defined AT as ‘‘any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off-theshelf, modified or customized, that is used to increase, maintain or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities’’ (Blake & Bodine, 2002, p. 301). Individuals with MS have long used canes, walkers, wheelchairs (manual or motorized), and scooters as AT. Each device has its own set of limitations and presents functional and social challenges to the affected individual. For example, uneven terrain or stairs may limit use; loss of balance, coordination, or strength may limit useful options; and the psychosocial experience of stigmatization associated with an AT device may change quality of life. Blake and Bodine (2002) argue that the definition of AT includes a broader range of devices than those typically prescribed for use. They also state that although the limited studies available underscore the importance of AT as one element in the plan of care for people with MS, very few studies examine costs and benefits, outcome measures, and standardized needs assessment relative to AT (Blake & Bodine, 2002).
A computationally efficient method for calculation of strand eddy current losses in electric machines

In this paper, a fast finite element (FE)-based method for the calculation of eddy current losses in the stator windings of randomly wound electric machines with a focus on fractional slot concentrated winding (FSCW) permanent magnet (PM) machines will be presented. The method is particularly suitable for implementation in large-scale design optimization algorithms where a qualitative characterization of such losses at higher speeds is most beneficial for identification of the design solutions which exhibit the lowest overall losses including the ac losses in the stator windings. Unlike the common practice of assuming a constant slot fill factor, sf, for all the design variations, the maximum sf in the developed method is determined based on the individual slot structure/dimensions and strand wire specifications. Furthermore, in lieu of detailed modeling of the conductor strands in the initial FE model, which significantly adds to the complexity of the problem, an alternative rectangular coil modeling subject to a subsequent flux mapping technique for determination of the impinging flux on each individual strand is pursued. The research focus of the paper is placed on development of a computationally efficient technique for the ac winding loss derivation applicable in design-optimization, where both the electromagnetic and thermal machine behavior are accounted for. The analysis is supplemented with an investigation on the influence of the electrical loading on ac winging loss effects for a particular machine design, a subject which has received less attention in the literature. Experimental ac loss measurements on a 12-slot 10-pole stator assembly will be discussed to verify the existing trends in the simulation results.
A virion concentration method for detection of human enteric viruses in oysters by PCR and oligoprobe hybridization

This article reports the development of a method to purify and concentrate intact virions from oyster extracts to volume and quality compatible with viral genomic nucleic acid amplification by reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) and confirmation by oligonucleotide probe hybridization. Fifty-gram oyster samples were processed by an adsorption-elution -precipitation method and then seeded with 10(1) to 10(5) PFU of poliovirus type 1 (PV1) or hepatitis A virus (HAV). Seeded viruses in oyster extracts were purified by fluorocarbon extraction and concentrated by polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation and elution. Virus recovery after elution of PEG precipitates was dependent upon PEG concentration and averaged 60% for PV1 and 40% for HAV. The next processing step used the protein-precipitating agent Pro-Cipitate (Affinity Technology, Inc., Brunswick, N.J.) in an adsorption-elution -precipitation scheme to further concentrate viruses and reduce sample volumes to 100 microliter. Oyster extracts processed by Pro-Cipitate adsorption-elution-precipitation were directly compatible with RT-PCR and yielded virus recoveries of > 80% for both PV1 and HAV. When extracts from 50-g oyster samples were seeded and processed by the combined concentration and purification scheme, direct RT-PCR detection of viral genomic RNA was possible at initial inoculum levels of 10 PFU for both PV1 and HAV and with low levels of Norwalk virus. Virus recoveries based on cell culture infectivity were 25 to 35% for PV1 and 5 to 10% for HAV. When tested on artificially contaminated raw oysters, the combined method successfully detected > or = 10(3) PFU of PV1 and HAV and 10(5) RT-PCR-amplifiable units of Norwalk virus. Virus detection by RT-PCR and cell culture infectivity was consistent and well correlated among replicate samples and at different virus titers. The procedure developed in this study is rapid, sensitive, and effective for the direct detection of enteric viruses in oysters by RT-PCR.
Precision Measurements Using Semiconductor Light Sources: Applications in Polarimetry and Spectroscopy

Precision Measurements Using Semiconductor Light Sources: Applications in Polarimetry and Spectroscopy Matthew J. Romerein This thesis comprises two parts: Part I describes a method to improve the accuracy with which the polarization state of light can be characterized by the rotating quarter-wave plate technique. Through detailed analysis, verified by experiment, we determine the positions of the optic axes of the retarder and linear polarizer, and the wave plate retardance, to better than 1 for typical signal-to-noise ratios. Accurate determination of the Stokes parameters can be achieved using this technique to determine the precise retardance at each of the wavelengths of interest. In Part II, a theoretical analysis of the Fabry-Perot interferometer and its application to quantitative absorption spectroscopy is presented. Specifically the effects of broadening due to non-monochromatic light sources and examples of non-ideal etalon surfaces on the visibility of absorption features are investigated. The potential of this type of spectrometer for ethanol detection in a portable breath analysis application is discussed. ii
Oxidative Stress: Mechanistic Insights into Inherited Mitochondrial Disorders and Parkinson’s Disease

Oxidative stress arises when cellular antioxidant defences become overwhelmed by a surplus generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Once this occurs, many cellular biomolecules such as DNA, lipids, and proteins become susceptible to free radical-induced oxidative damage, and this may consequently lead to cellular and ultimately tissue and organ dysfunction. Mitochondria, as well as being a source of ROS, are vulnerable to oxidative stress-induced damage with a number of key biomolecules being the target of oxidative damage by free radicals, including membrane phospholipids, respiratory chain complexes, proteins, and mitochondrial DNA (mt DNA). As a result, a deficit in cellular energy status may occur along with increased electron leakage and partial reduction of oxygen. This in turn may lead to a further increase in ROS production. Oxidative damage to certain mitochondrial biomolecules has been associated with, and implicated in the pathophysiology of a number of diseases. It is the purpose of this review to discuss the impact of such oxidative stress and subsequent damage by reviewing our current knowledge of the pathophysiology of several inherited mitochondrial disorders together with our understanding of perturbations observed in the more commonly acquired neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). Furthermore, the potential use and feasibility of antioxidant therapies as an adjunct to lower the accumulation of damaging oxidative species and hence slow disease progression will also be discussed.
The Comparison of Current Ratio  $I_{\mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}/I_{\mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle OFF}}$  and Mobility Between SiGe Substrate and GaAs Substrate In0.23Ga0.77As Channel MOSFETs

This paper mainly describes the comparison of I<sub>ON</sub>/I<sub>OFF</sub> ratio and mobility between SiGe substrate and GaAs substrate In<sub>0.23</sub>Ga<sub>0.77</sub>As channel MOSFETs grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. In order to make the comparison more reasonable, we choose the same size (Lg = 10 μm) for both the SiGe substrate and GaAs substrate MOSFETs. As for the SiGe substrate MOSFETs, its highest ON-current to the lowest OFF-current (I<sub>ON</sub>/I<sub>OFF</sub>) ratio is less than 1×103, while that of GaAs substrate MOSFETs are up to 4×10<sup>4</sup> (both at a gate bias of 3 V). Due to the Ge diffusion into the InGaAs channel, it will make the intrinsic channel become an n-type doped semiconductor and then influence the pinchoff characteristics. The maximum effective mobility of SiGe substrate MOSFETs is 1800 cm<sup>2</sup>/V · s and that of GaAs substrate MOSFETs is up to 2090 cm2/V · s. The main reason for the higher mobility of GaAs substrate MOSFETs is maybe due to its smaller density interface trap density Dit and undoped InGaAs channel. Through comparing the performance, particularly the I<sub>ON</sub>/I<sub>OFF</sub> ratio and mobility between SiGe substrate and GaAs substrate MOSFETs, we aim to find out some feasible methods to improve the performance of InGaAs channel MOSFETs on SiGe substrate.
Reaching One-Digit Inflation: The Chilean Experience

The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the process by which Chile was able to reduce inflation during the 1990s. In this period inflation was gradually reduced from close to 30% per annum in 1990 to only 6% in 1997. The paper concludes that three factors were important in helping to accomplish this performance. First, the independent Central Bank and its tough actions early on -to convey the message that it was ready to stand behind its mandate (to reduce inflation)- helped to shape inflationary expectations and in the process it led to lower wage inflation and ultimately a lower path for core inflation. Second, a restrictive monetary policy, and the foreign exchange intervention policies associated with it, resulted in a trajectory of the nominal exchange rate much below what would have been observed under a PPP rule adjusted for differences in productivity. This result was reinforced by the low credibility of the band reflected in the effect of the location of the exchange rate within the band on the observed rate. Third, the higher rate of growth of labor productivity, given the wage equation, resulted in a lower rate of growth of unit labor cost than otherwise. From these three effects the first effect, the enhanced credibility of the new policy operating through the formation of inflation expectations, was found to be the most important factor behind the success in reducing inflation rate.
Low density lipoprotein

The simulated lipid droplet contained 630 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-3-phosphatidylcholine (POPC), 80 1-palmitoyl-3-phosphatidylcholine (denoted as lysoPC in the main article), 600 cholesterol (CHOL), 1600 cholesteryl oleate (CO), and 180 trioleate (TO) molecules. This molecular composition is similar to the average physiological composition seen in experiments [17]. The lipid droplet was constructed by randomly placing 27th part of the lipids in a simulation box, which was then briefly simulated under NpT conditions. This box was then replicated three times in each direction to form a larger cube with all the lipids. The cube was then solvated in water to form the initial configuration for the simulation. We also experimented with completely random distributions of lipids and water, but these systems were slow to equilibrate, failing to form good droplets within a few microseconds. In contrast, the random cubical droplet reorganized into an amphiphilic surface monolayer and a hydrophobic core within 4μs, as described in more detail below. The system was first equilibrated for 39 ns (effective time, see Section 3.2) with a Berendsen barostat, and then simulated for 1. 3μs (effective time). At this point, the lipids had mostly self-organized such that the phospholipids and most of the free cholesterol were on the surface, and trioleate and cholesterol esters formed a core.
Barbiturase, a Novel Zinc-containing Amidohydrolase Involved in Oxidative Pyrimidine Metabolism*

Barbiturase, which catalyzes the reversible amidohydrolysis of barbituric acid to ureidomalonic acid in the second step of oxidative pyrimidine degradation, was purified to homogeneity from Rhodococcus erythropolis JCM 3132. The characteristics and gene organization of barbiturase suggested that it is a novel zinc-containing amidohydrolase that should be grouped into a new family of the amidohydrolases superfamily. The amino acid sequence of barbiturase exhibited 48% identity with that of herbicide atrazine-decomposing cyanuric acid amidohydrolase but exhibited no significant homology to other proteins, indicating that cyanuric acid amidohydrolase may have evolved from barbiturase. A putative uracil phosphoribosyltransferase gene was found upstream of the barbiturase gene, suggesting mutual interaction between pyrimidine biosynthesis and oxidative degradation. Metal analysis with an inductively coupled radiofrequency plasma spectrophotometer revealed that barbiturase contains ∼4.4 mol of zinc per mol of enzyme. The homotetrameric enzyme had K m and V maxvalues of 1.0 mm and 2.5 μmol/min/mg of protein, respectively, for barbituric acid. The enzyme specifically acted on barbituric acid, and dihydro-l-orotate, alloxan, and cyanuric acid competitively inhibited its activity. The full-length gene encoding the barbiturase (bar) was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The kinetic parameters and physicochemical properties of the cloned enzyme were apparently similar to those of the wild-type.
Adder implementation in reconfigurable resistive switching crossbar

Memristors are being investigated by researchers as a replacement for the present non-volatile memory architectures and logical operation units. Such a shift to memristor based devices will allow for the development of computer architectures which are highly advanced than the classical von Neumann architecture. In this paper, we have proposed an N-input stateful-NOR operation on Complementary Resistive Switch (CRS) based crossbar array. The logic is implemented on nanocrossbar arrays where connection and control is provided by underlying CMOS layer. A study of reconfigurable logic using stateful-NOR gate on CRS based crosssbar array and an implementation of 1-bit adder has been presented which has then been extended for N-bit adder. A comparison of 8-bit adder implementation with existing adder architectures on crossbar shows reduction in the number of execution steps required and number of CRS cells used for implementation.
Comments on 'The effect of capture on performance of multichannel slotted ALOHA systems'

The commenters offer a counterexample to the results presented by W. Yue (see ibid., vol.39, no.6, p.818-22, June 1991) concerning the effect of capture on multichannel slotted ALOHA. A simplified deterministic capture is assumed by Yue. Numerical results show that the actual average throughput is much higher than that obtained by Yue for the same parameters. >
Degradation detection as a result of ageing organic solar cells by thermography

In this work, two types organic solar cell (OSC) modules (with diferent organic semiconductor layer - zinc phtalocyanine (ZnPc) and DPP(TBFu)2-C60) are studied for determination of the effects of degradation in different zones of the OSC. Therefore is used thermographic approach for the monitoring and characterization of this effects. The dynamic infrared thermography is imposed as effective approach for diagnosis of solar cells and for detect invisible sub-surfaced defects. A method for digital processing with LoG filter is presented.
Application of evolutionary algorithms for iris localization

An iris recognition system requires efficient image processing techniques in order to duly represent and interpret the iris structural characteristics of an individual. The first processing stage should be the identification of the iris region in an eye image. This work introduces the application of evolutionary algorithms to localize the iris region in an eye image. A method based on memetic algorithms was proposed and used to find the circles that represent the external iris border and the pupil border in an edge map. The efficiency of the memetic algorithm in solving the problem was compared to the application of the Wildes' method, which uses the Circular Hough Transform, a well known algorithm employed to find circles in an edged image. To test the algorithms, images from a public database were used. The results show that the proposed application has an encouraging performance.