Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detection of monoclonal B lymphocytes in bone marrow and peripheral blood of multiple myeloma patients by immunoglobulin gene rearrangement studies

To investigate whether B lymphocytes are involved in the malignant cell clone of multiple myeloma (MM), we performed immunoglobulin gene rearrangement analysis of mononuclear cells and separated B lymphocytes, isolated from bone marrow and peripheral blood of MM patients. The B lymphocytes were separated by immunomagnetic beads, coated with an HLA class II specific antibody. Southern blot analysis with a JH probe revealed in the bone marrow of three out of seven patients identical immunoglobulin gene rearrangements in the B lymphocytes when compared to the plasma cells. Out of 10 patients, two patients with a high tumour burden were found to have monoclonal B lymphocytes in the peripheral blood. These results suggest that B lymphocytes in the bone marrow are part of the myeloma clone and that they can circulate in the peripheral blood. Although previous studies indicated that the ratio of K to λ bearing lymphocytes in the peripheral blood can provide evidence for B cell monoclonality, we did not find a correlation between the results of K/λ analysis and immunoglobulin gene rearrangement.
Nonmetric cranial variation in human skeletal remains associated with Okhotsk culture

Population affinities and biological variation in human skeletal series associated with the Okhotsk culture from Hokkaido and Sakhalin Islands from the 5th to 12th centuries AD are investigated using 19 nonmetric cranial traits. The Okhotsk crania have a higher frequency of the supraorbital foramen than the Hokkaido Ainu and Jomon, while the frequency of the transverse zygomatic suture vestige in the Okhotsk is as high as in the Jomon. The mean measure of divergence between the northern and eastern Okhotsk cranial assemblages is small and insignificant. The method of Relethford and Blangero [Relethford J.H. and Blangero J. (1990) Human Biology, 62: 5–25] suggests that the eastern Okhotsk had a larger Rii value (distance from the centroid) and a lower observed variation than the northern Okhotsk, indicating that the eastern Okhotsk lost phenotypic variability. These results further reaffirm the affinity between the Okhotsk skeletal series and Northeast Asian series such as the Neolithic Baikalian and Amur. Finally, the results of analyses of nonmetric cranial variation demonstrate a close relationship between the Okhotsk, Ainu, and Jomon series that suggests that the Jomon and Ainu were closer to the Okhotsk than to other Northeast Asian series prior to any admixture.
Estimation of Overdiagnosis in Breast Cancer Screening

I. Summary The benefit of breast cancer (BC) screening with mammography has been demonstrated by randomized controlled trials (RCTs). However, there is a growing concern about the harms of screening, in particular the problem of overdiagnosis. It occurs when screening detects a breast cancer that would not have presented clinically in the woman's lifetime in the absence of screening. Overdiagnosis results in unnecessary biopsies, surgery and overtreatment with psycho-social consequences. Therefore accurately quantifying the frequency of overdiagnosis is important for informed decision making and policy development. Unfortunately, at diagnosis of an asymptomatic breast cancer it is impossible to determine if the breast cancer will become clinically apparent during the women’s’ lifetime. Thus measurement of the frequency of overdiagnosis is not straightforward.
Measurements of hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) using PTR-MS: calibration, humidity dependence, inter-comparison and results from field studies in an oil and gas production region

Abstract. Natural gas production is associated with emissions of several trace gases, some of them classified as air toxics. While volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have received much attention, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) can also be of concern due to the known health impacts of exposure to this hazardous air pollutant. Here, we present quantitative, fast time-response measurements of H2S using proton-transfer-reaction mass-spectrometry (PTR-MS) instruments. An ultra-light-weight PTR-MS (ULW-PTR-MS) in a mobile laboratory was operated for measurements of VOCs and H2S in a gas and oil field during the Uintah Basin Winter Ozone Study (UBWOS) 2012 campaign. Measurements of VOCs and H2S by a PTR-MS were also made at the Horse Pool ground site in the Uintah Basin during UBWOS 2013. The H2S measurement by PTR-MS is strongly humidity dependent because the proton affinity of H2S is only slightly higher than that of water. The H2S sensitivity of PTR-MS ranged between 0.6–1.4 ncps ppbv−1 during UBWOS 2013. We compare the humidity dependence determined in the laboratory with in-field calibrations and determine the H2S mixing ratios for the mobile and ground measurements. The PTR-MS measurements at Horse Pool are evaluated by comparison with simultaneous H2S measurements using a PTR time-of-flight MS (PTR-ToF-MS) and a Picarro cavity ring down spectroscopy (CRDS) instrument for H2S / CH4. On average 0.6 ± 0.3 ppbv H2S was present at Horse Pool during UBWOS 2013. The correlation between H2S and methane enhancements suggests that the source of H2S is associated with oil and gas extraction in the basin. Significant H2S mixing ratios of up to 9 ppmv downwind of storage tanks were observed during the mobile measurements. This study suggests that H2S emissions associated with oil and gas production can lead to short-term high levels close to point sources, and elevated background levels away from those sources. In addition, our work has demonstrated that PTR-MS can make reliable measurements of H2S at levels below 1 ppbv.
Prenatal diagnosis of the Wolf‐Parkinson‐White‐syndrome by fetal magnetocardiography

Sir, Blondel et al. have demonstrated the apparent effect on rates of preterm and postterm birth rates when changing from menstrual to early ultrasound dating. Although confidence intervals for the differences in the results of the two methods is not provided in this paper, the large database of over 44,000 is likely to make the confidence intervals very narrow. The authors state that the ultrasound dating was based on the fetal biparietal diameter usually carried out between 16 and 18 weeks but do not tell us which formula was used. No doubt this could have varied between the two centres and over the time of the study. Two commonly used published formulae (Hadlock et al. and Altman and Chitty) differ by 3.5 days for a biparietal diameter measurement of 41 mm (approximately equivalent to 18 weeks of gestation). We have carried out an audit of ultrasound dating in a singleton pregnancy population restricted to those pregnancies with spontaneous onset of labour and delivery of a live healthy infant. In this audit, dating was also based on biparietal diameter, usually between 18 and 20 weeks. The audit has shown that the preterm rate can vary between 1.8% and 3.7% according to the two formulae referred above. This represents a 51% difference. This is another factor that needs to be taken into account when interpreting epidemiological reports on the changes in preterm and postterm births and we recommend that authors publish which dating formula has been used.
Herramienta de modelado disfuncional tridimensional basado en estudios de neuroimagen

El modelado disfuncional basado en estudios de neuroimagen mejora la comprension de los cambios estructurales provocados ante la presencia de lesiones cerebrales. Actualmente, existen numerosas herramientas para el analisis y procesado de estudios de neuroimagen. Algunas de ellas, como el 3D Slicer, BrainVoyager y el FreeSurfer permiten la creacion y navegacion sobre modelos tridimensionales cerebrales sin alteraciones estructurales. Sin embargo, no se han detectado herramientas que permitan modelar tridimensionalmente lesiones a partir de estudios de neuroimagen, concretamente de estudios de resonancia magnetica. El objetivo de este trabajo es el diseno de una metodologia que permite la creacion de este tipo de modelos y su visualizacion y navegacion.
Displacement amplitude scaling of a two-dimensional synthetic jet

A two-dimensional synthetic jet is studied numerically by solving the incompressible, unsteady, Reynolds-averaged, Navier–Stokes equations and using a k-ϵ turbulence model. Rather than a resonant cavity, the synthetic jet is supplied by a fully developed channel flow. Results for two exit geometries, a sharp exit and a rounded exit, and several dimensionless stroke lengths are compared. This study focuses on the effect of the displacement amplitude (stroke length) on the power required to form the jet, the net momentum flux downstream of the exit, the formation threshold, and the spatial development of the synthetic jet. It is shown that the channel flow development length, the self-similar region, and the region from which the jet draws fluid all scale on the stroke length. It is also demonstrated that the power required to form the jet increases with stroke length as does the resultant momentum flux. Finally, the power required to form a synthetic jet is significantly smaller for a rounded exit compared.
The skill of seasonal ensemble low flow forecasts for four different hydrological models

This paper investigates the skill of 90 day low flow forecasts using two conceptual hydrological models and two data-driven models based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) for the Moselle River. One data-driven model, ANN-Indicator (ANN-I), requires historical inputs on precipitation (P), potential evapotranspiration (PET), groundwater (G) and observed discharge (Q), whereas the other data-driven model, ANN-Ensemble (ANN-E), and the two conceptual models, HBV and GR4J, use forecasted meteorological inputs (P and PET), whereby we employ ensemble seasonal meteorological forecasts. We compared low flow forecasts without any meteorological forecasts as input (ANN-I) and five different cases of seasonal meteorological forcing: (1) ensemble P and PET forecasts; (2) ensemble P forecasts and observed climate mean PET; (3) observed climate mean P and ensemble PET forecasts; (4) observed climate mean P and PET and (5) zero P and ensemble PET forecasts as input for the other three models (GR4J, HBV and ANN-E). The ensemble P and PET forecasts, each consisting of 40 members, reveal the forecast ranges due to the model inputs. The five cases are compared for a lead time of 90 days based on model output ranges, whereas the four models are compared based on their skill of low flow forecasts for varying lead times up to 90 days. Before forecasting, the hydrological models are calibrated and validated for a period of 30 and 20 years respectively. The smallest difference between calibration and validation performance is found for HBV, whereas the largest difference is found for ANN-E. From the results, it appears that all models are prone to over-predict low flows using ensemble seasonal meteorological forcing. The largest range for 90 day low flow forecasts is found for the GR4J model when using ensemble seasonal meteorological forecasts as input. GR4J, HBV and ANN-E under-predicted 90 day ahead low flows in the very dry year 2003 without precipitation data, whereas ANN-I predicted the magnitude of the low flows better than the other three models. The results of the comparison of forecast skills with varying lead times show that GR4J is less skilful than ANN-E and HBV. Furthermore, the hit rate of ANN-E is higher than the two conceptual models for most lead times. However, ANN-I is not successful in distinguishing between low flow events and non-low flow events. Overall, the uncertainty from ensemble P forecasts has a larger effect on seasonal low flow forecasts than the uncertainty from ensemble PET forecasts and initial model conditions.
Use of sunless tanning products among US adolescents aged 11 to 18 years.

OBJECTIVE To describe the prevalence and correlates of the use of sunless tanning products among US adolescents and their association with UV radiation exposure behaviors, including indoor tanning, sunburn experiences, and use of sunscreen while outdoors. DESIGN Telephone-based, random-digit-dialed, cross-sectional survey conducted from July 1 through October 30, 2004. SETTING Telephone-accessible households with resident adolescents living with parents or caregivers in the mainland United States. PARTICIPANTS Nationally representative, population-based sample of 1600 adolescents aged 11 to 18 years and their caregivers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Prevalence of recent (past-year) use of sunless tanning products and UV radiation exposure behaviors. RESULTS The prevalence of self-reported use of sunless tanning products in the past year among US adolescents was 10.8%. Adolescent users of these products were more likely to be older and female, to perceive a tanned appearance as desirable, to have a parent or caregiver who used sunless tanning products, and to hold positive beliefs or attitudes about these products. Use of sunless tanning products was independently associated with indoor tanning and higher frequency of sunburn but not with use of sunscreen. CONCLUSIONS Among US adolescents, 10.8% used sunless tanning products in the past year; this practice was associated with risky UV radiation exposure-related behaviors. Adolescents, therefore, must be educated about these products and the importance of avoiding indoor tanning and practicing sun-protective behaviors.
Digital Frequency Domain Multiplexer for Millimeter-Wavelength Telescopes

An FPGA based digital signal processing (DSP) system for biasing and reading out multiplexed bolometric detectors for mm-wavelength telescopes is presented. This readout system is being deployed for balloon-borne and ground based cosmology experiments with the primary goal of measuring the signature of inflation with the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. The system consists of analog superconducting electronics running at 250 mK and 4 K, coupled to digital room temperature backend electronics described here. The digital electronics perform the real time functionality with DSP algorithms implemented in firmware. A soft embedded processor provides all of the slow housekeeping control and communications. Each board in the system synthesizes multi-frequency combs of 8 to 32 carriers in the MHz band to bias the detectors. After the carriers have been modulated with the sky-signal by the detectors, the same boards digitize the comb directly. The carriers are mixed down to base-band and low pass filtered. The signal bandwidth of 0.050 Hz-100 Hz places extreme requirements on stability and requires powerful filtering techniques to recover the sky-signal from the MHz carriers.
Abnormal Functioning of the Thalamocortical System Underlies the Conscious Awareness of the Phantom Limb Phenomenon

Phantom limb (PL), a phenomenon experienced by most patients after amputation, has mostly served as a paradigm to study experiences that appear to be associated with neural plasticity within the CNS. However, the subjective nature of PL experiences has had no definitive means of reliable assessment other than using patients' direct reports, nor was there a way to study the neural mechanisms involved in the conscious awareness of this mental phenomenon. Here we obtained patients' indirect responses to PL experiences for an objective evaluation using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Six control subjects and six lower limb (LL) amputees participated in a motor imagery task for both the intact and the particular phantom toes. While all subjects shared neural processing of distinctive regional cerebral activations during motor imagery of the intact toes (prefrontal (PF), supplementary motor area (SMA), primary motor cortex (M1), superior temporal gyrus (STG)), it was only during motor imagery of the amputated toes in amputees that we observed an increased blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal in the contralateral basal ganglia at the medial globus pallidus (MGP), substantia nigra (SN), and thalamus. This increased BOLD signal in the basal ganglia-thalamus-cortex pathway during imaginary movement of the phantom toes may reflect an abnormal open loop functioning of the thalamocortical system underlying the conscious awareness of the phantom phenomenon. We suggest that the reduction in afferent information contributes to and coalesces with the higher-level reorganization resulting in the subjective conscious awareness of the phantom limb.
Paraoxonase 1 Activity Is Modulated by the rs662 Polymorphism and IgG Anti–High‐Density Lipoprotein Antibodies in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Potential Implications for Cardiovascular Disease

Paraoxonase 1 (PON‐1) is a high‐density lipoprotein (HDL)–associated antioxidant enzyme that plays an important role in HDL‐mediated cardioprotection. Although genetic polymorphisms are known to modulate PON-1 activity, its involvement in cardiovascular disease (CVD) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is controversial, suggesting that other factors may modulate its function. Since anti‐HDL antibodies have been found to be related to an impaired lipid profile and occurrence of CVD in RA, this study was undertaken to examine the associations between PON-1 activity, anti‐HDL antibodies, and CVD according to PON1 genetic variants in patients with RA.
A social competence intervention for young children with high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome: a pilot study

The key features of Asperger Syndrome (AS) and high functioning autism (HFA) include marked and sustained impairment in social interactions. A multi-session, small group program was developed to increase social perception based on the assumption perceptual or interpretive problems underlying these social difficulties. Additionally, the group format espoused a play therapy orientation and the use of sociodramatic play was the primary therapeutic modality used. Qualitative analyses of the data resulted in an explanation of the key changes in social interactions that took place through the course of the intervention. Although each participant’s experience in this group was unique, all children in this program demonstrated improvements in their social interactions, as they experienced development both emotionally and behaviorally. Findings suggest that, despite their rigid interests and behavior patterns, the social limitations of these children improved when provided with the necessary environmental resources.
4D-8PSK trellis coded modulation: Implementation on Xilinx Virtex-6 FPGA

A novel approach for the design and simulation of a new digital communication system is presented in this contribution. The specialized software Xilinx System Generator (SG), a toolbox working in the MATLAB/Simulink environment, is used. The approach has been applied to the design of a Four-Dimensional 8-PSK Trellis-Coded Modulation with 2.75 bits/channel-symbol spectral efficiency, whose system specifications correspond to the Consultative Committee for Space Data System (CCSDS) standard as reported in [1]. The proposed system has been implemented on a Xilinx Virtex-6 ML605 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) board [2].
Spatial and Temporal Linking of Epicardial Activation Directions During Ventricular Fibrillation in Dogs: Evidence for Underlying Organization

BackgroundIt remains controversial as to whether electrical activation during ventricular fibrillation (VF) is organized. To detect the presence of organization in VF, the direction of epicardial activation (EA) at multiple sites was examined by using vector mapping. If VF is not a random process, EA direction at a given site should be related to adjacent sites and prior beats. Methods and ResultsThirteen dogs with healing myocardial infarction (MI) and four dogs without MI had VF induced by programmed stimulation. Using a plaque electrode array with a 2.5-mm interelectrode distance, 91 vector loops were created for each “beat” of VF. Direction of maximum EA was determined at each site for the first 10 consecutive beats ofVF and for 10 consecutive beats recorded 5 seconds after VF was established. Spatial and temporal linking of EA directions was evaluated by the ability of activation direction at a given site to be predicted by activation directions at eight adjacent sites for the index beat and at eight adjacent sites and the site of interest for the preceding beat using stepwise linear regression. The strength of the model as reflected by the correlation coefficient (r) indicated the degree of linking. We determined 1) changes in the degree of linking over time during a given episode ofVF (using a paired-difference t test), 2) differences in the degree of linking between the anterior and posterolateral wails in animals with (n=4) and without (n=4) MI (using two-way ANOVA), and 3) the effect of repeated inductions (n=10) on the degree of linking (using one-way ANOVA with repeated measures). During 57 episodes of VF, r for each model ranged fom 0.64 to 0.88 during the transition toVF to 0.39–0.78 during established VF (p<0.0001 for the difference). The presence ofMI, the site of recording, and repeated inductions did not affect the degree oflinking. For each episode, spatial linking was more prominent than temporal linking. ConclusionsElectrical activation during VF is organized. The degree of linking of EA directions during VF is not affected by the presence of MI, the site of recording, or repeated inductions of VF. During the first 5 seconds of VF, the degree of linking decreases.
Multiplication and reshaping of high-repetition-rate optical pulse trains using highly dispersive fiber Bragg gratings

A novel technique for simultaneous pulse reshaping and repetition-rate multiplication of mode-locked laser pulse trains using linearly chirped apodized fiber Bragg gratings is proposed. Simple analytical expressions for apodization and phase profiles of the grating are derived. The practical feasibility of this technique is discussed in detail for the case of high-repetition-rate square pulse generation and multiplication.
Manipulating of light propagation using crescent-shaped photonic crystals

We present the optical investigation of crescent-shaped dielectric pillars that comprise a periodic structure named as crescent photonic crystals (CPC). The circular symmetry of individual cells of periodic dielectric structures is broken by replacing them with crescent shapes. The degree of freedom to manipulate the light propagation occurs due to the rotational sensitivity of CPC. The anisotropic equi-frequency contours allow sending light beams along any certain direction which is independent of the lattice periodicity of regular photonic crystals.
The Birmingham International Workshop on Supportive, Palliative, and End‐of‐Life Care Research

Should there be more international collaboration in research into supportive, palliative, and end-of-life care? Early in 2005, administrators from the U.K.'s National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI), the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) began to discuss the feasibility of supporting multinational efforts to strengthen research activities in supportive, palliative, and end-of-life care. Their objective was to catalyze high-quality research that would improve this component of care for patients with cancer or other chronic illnesses. To inform their discussions, they called together a group of investigators with like interests across the 3 countries to review the progress to date in strategic development of research in these areas and to make recommendations for further action. The International Symposium on Supportive, Palliative, and End of Life Care (the Symposium) was held October 5 and 6, 2005 in Birmingham, England.