Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design of Wide-Band Branch-Line Coupler in the G-Frequency Band

This paper deals with the design of broadband hybrid coupler in thin film microstrip (TFMS) technology for millimeter-wave applications in the G-band frequency range. The couplers to be designed are realized in BCB-based technology. The technological process as well as transmission lines characterization and optimization in term of attenuation are described. Classical 3-dB branch-line coupler is developed with 180-GHz central frequency. Then, based on this topology, a broadband coupler using series matching networks is developed. Such a topology allows to reach bandwidth over 50 %, with very flat coupling. Measurements performed in a wide frequency range up to 220 GHz attest from the design accuracy as well as the technological process quality
New Third Places: Opportunities and Challenges

This chapter examines the phenomena of third places as institutions that provide social interaction outside of home and work. The study explores the different types of third places and the opportunities and challenges offered by each. This is a conceptual paper that examines different conceptualizations of third places using brand examples to highlight the ways in which organizations try to benefit from society's need for a neutral gathering place. The chapter highlights the growth of organizations seeking to benefit from the phenomena of third places and the opportunities for them to profit further. The chapter also highlights the potential for virtual third places to enhance opportunities for increasing brand awareness and sales of products and services at other third places. The chapter identifies ways in which hospitality organizations can capitalize on the public's need for third places. The study moves the discussion beyond the rather limited perspective Oldenburg presented and shows how the needs of a new generation may require more flexibility and excitement than other generations. The study also highlights the ways in which organizations use a combination of third places to their benefit. Third places create opportunities for social interaction and community building and benefit organizations once they position themselves to achieve the status of third places. This chapter compares different conceptualizations of third places and shows the similarities and differences between them. It shows how organizations may position themselves to appeal to different generations seeking a third place.
Gamma 2 Actin Gene (Enteric Type) Polymorphism Is Not Associated with Obstetric Cholestasis or Preeclampsia

Objective: To determine whether genetic variability in the intron 1 region of the gamma 2 actin gene (enteric type) contributes to the development of obstetric complications. Study Design: The study involved 57 obstetric cholestasis and 133 preeclampsia patients and a control group of 115 healthy women in whom polymerase chain reaction detection of insertion-deletion polymorphism in the gamma 2 actin gene was investigated. χ2 analysis was used to assess genotype and allele frequency differences between the study groups. Results: The distribution of I and D alleles was equal in obstetric cholestasis (p = 0.652), preeclampsia (p = 0.609) and control groups. None of the gamma 2 actin gene genotypes were significantly overrepresented in obstetric cholestasis (p = 0.540) or preeclampsia (p = 0.680) groups compared to the control group. Conclusion: This insertion-deletion polymorphism in the intron 1 of the gamma 2 actin gene is unlikely to play any significant role in obstetric cholestasis or preeclampsia in patients from eastern Finland.
Anthropologically inspired creative design for intimate telepresence

This study describes anthropologically inspired methodology in creative design for intimate telepresence. Anthropology is the study of humanity and among the experiences of human this study has focused on intimate interactions. Inspired by the concept of intimacy in human, and applying tinkering and iterative multilevel modeling, creative ideas for intimate telepresence are generated. Implications of anthropologically inspired methodology in creative design of intimate telepresence robots are described briefly. This study can act as a design guideline to emulate the experiences of humanity by synthetic agents through creative design.
Landscape of somatic mutations and clonal evolution in mantle cell lymphoma

Significance This is a comprehensive whole-genome/whole-exome analysis of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). We sequenced 29 MCL cases and validated the findings by target sequencing of 172 additional tumors. We identified recurrent mutations in genes regulating chromatin modification and genes such as NOTCH2 that have a major impact on clinical outcome. Additionally, we demonstrated the subclonal heterogeneity of the tumors already at diagnosis and the modulation of the mutational architecture in the progression of the disease. The identification of new molecular mechanisms may open perspectives for the management of MCL patients. Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive tumor, but a subset of patients may follow an indolent clinical course. To understand the mechanisms underlying this biological heterogeneity, we performed whole-genome and/or whole-exome sequencing on 29 MCL cases and their respective matched normal DNA, as well as 6 MCL cell lines. Recurrently mutated genes were investigated by targeted sequencing in an independent cohort of 172 MCL patients. We identified 25 significantly mutated genes, including known drivers such as ataxia-telangectasia mutated (ATM), cyclin D1 (CCND1), and the tumor suppressor TP53; mutated genes encoding the anti-apoptotic protein BIRC3 and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2); and the chromatin modifiers WHSC1, MLL2, and MEF2B. We also found NOTCH2 mutations as an alternative phenomenon to NOTCH1 mutations in aggressive tumors with a dismal prognosis. Analysis of two simultaneous or subsequent MCL samples by whole-genome/whole-exome (n = 8) or targeted (n = 19) sequencing revealed subclonal heterogeneity at diagnosis in samples from different topographic sites and modulation of the initial mutational profile at the progression of the disease. Some mutations were predominantly clonal or subclonal, indicating an early or late event in tumor evolution, respectively. Our study identifies molecular mechanisms contributing to MCL pathogenesis and offers potential targets for therapeutic intervention.
Barriers to access for severe acute malnutrition treatment services in Pakistan and Ethiopia: a comparative qualitative analysis

Abstract Objective To understand and compare the primary barriers households face when accessing treatment for cases of childhood severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in different cultural settings with different types of implementing agencies. Design The study presents a comparative qualitative analysis of two SAM treatment services, selected to include: (i) one programme implemented by a non-governmental organization and one by a Ministry of Health; and (ii) programmes considered to be successful, defined as either coverage level achieved or extent of integration within government infrastructure. Results from individual interviews and group discussions were recorded and analysed for themes in barriers to access. Setting Sindh Province, Pakistan; Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Subjects Beneficiary communities and staff of SAM treatment services in two countries. Results Common barriers were related to distance, high opportunity costs, knowledge of services, knowledge of malnutrition and child’s refusal of ready-to-use foods. While community sensitization mechanisms were generally strong in these well-performing programmes, in remote areas with less programme exposure, beneficiaries experienced barriers to remaining in the programme until their children recovered. Conclusions Households experienced a number of barriers when accessing SAM treatment services. Integration of SAM treatment with other community-based interventions, as the UN recommends, can improve access to life-saving services. Efforts to integrate SAM treatment into national health systems should not neglect the community component of health systems and dedicated funding for the community component is needed to ensure access. Further research and policy efforts should investigate feasible mechanisms to effectively reduce barriers to access and ensure equitable service delivery.
Correlative fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy: an elegant tool to study the actin cytoskeleton of whole‐mount (breast) cancer cells

Elucidating the structure and dynamics of lamellipodia and filopodia in response to different stimuli is a topic of continuing interest in cancer cells as these structures may be attractive targets for therapeutic purposes. Interestingly, a close functional relationship between these actin‐rich protrusions and specialized membrane domains has been recently demonstrated. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the fine organization of these actin‐rich structures and examine how they structurally may relate to detergent‐resistant membrane (DRM) domains in the MTLn3 EGF/serum starvation model. For this reason, we designed a straightforward and alternative method to study cytoskeleton arrays and their associated structures by means of correlative fluorescence (/laser)‐ and electron microscopy (CFEM).
Changes in growth hormone (GH), GH receptor, and GH signal transduction in hippocampus of congenital hypothyroid rats

Recent studies have shown that, like thyroid hormone (TH), growth hormone (GH) plays a critical role in development of the brain. However, it is still unclear whether the functions of the two hormones are locally orchestrated in the brain or whether TH has a permissive effect on GH in the central nervous system as it does in the periphery. To address this question, the present study investigated the changes in local expression of GH and GH receptor (GHR) and the activity of GH signaling molecules in the hippocampus of congenitally hypothyroid (CHT) rats. As demonstrated by morphometric measurements and the Y‐maze test, CHT rats had decreased neurons and weaker Nissl staining in the stratum pyramidal/granule in the hippocampus and a reduced acquisition of safe place recognition memory. Analyses of QPCR and Western blot revealed a substantially decreased hippocampal expression of GH and GHR, accompanied by a corresponding decrease in phosphorylation of JAK2 and STAT5 in the CHT rats. These changes were, at least in part, corrected by systemic supplement of T3. The findings provide the first direct evidence suggesting that the functional autocrine and paracrine regulation of GH in the CNS is orchestrated by TH. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Strategic Passing and Opinion Assignment on the Burger Court

Previous research indicates that U.S. Supreme Court justices who are likely to control opinion assignments may withhold votes in an initial round of conference voting in circumstances that suggest that this behavior has strategic origins. Specifically, scholars have suggested that justices may pass in conference voting to gain control over the opinion assignment. This study extends this literature by developing a theory of the relationship between strategic passing in a conference vote and opinion assignment, which is assessed through a quantitative analysis of opinion assignments made by Chief Justice Burger. Specifically, we argue that justices selected to write opinions by those who have passed to strategically join a majority will be more ideologically peripheral compared to the majority coalition as a whole than justices who are assigned to write opinions following conference votes cast in order of seniority. Consistent with this theory, we find that Chief Justice Burger, indeed, made opinion assignments that diverged more strongly from the ideological composition of the Court's majority when he passed in conference compared with opinion assignments he made when he voted in order of seniority.
Perceptual system for clearing the table based on the perceiving-acting cycle

This paper discusses a perceptual system for an intelligent service robot based on the Perceiving-Acting Cycle. Recently, various intelligent robots work in real environments such as public facilities, commerce facilities and houses. We are developing an intelligent service robot. The task of this robot is to clear the table in a restaurant. In this environment, the robot must perceive the necessary information from various information to take a flexible action like a human. In this study, we focus on the perceptual system based on perceiving-acting cycle discussed in ecological psychology. First, we propose a retinal model for a 3D-range camera based on human retinal structure, and the information extraction method using a spiking neural network based on perceiving-acting cycle. Next, we apply the proposed method for a task of clearing the table. As an experimental result, we show the proposed method can detect a dish in dynamic environment. We discuss the efficiency of our proposed method.
COVERING INITIALIZATIONS FOR GANS

This note describes two simple techniques to stabilize the training of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) on multimodal data. First, we propose a covering initialization for the generator. This initialization pre-trains the generator to match the empirical mean and covariance of its samples with those of the real training data. Second, we propose using multimodal input noise distributions. Our experiments reveal that the joint use of these two simple techniques stabilizes GAN training, and produces generators with a richer diversity of samples. Our code is available at http://pastebin.com/GmHxL0e8.
How to try this: Fulmer SPICES.

Fulmer SPICES is a framework for assessing older adults that focuses on six common "marker conditions": sleep problems, problems with eating and feeding, incontinence, confusion, evidence of falls, and skin breakdown. These conditions provide a snapshot of a patient's overall health and the quality of care. The SPICES assessment, done regularly, can signal the need for more specific assessment and lead to the prevention and treatment of these common conditions. For a free online video demonstrating the use of SPICES, go to http://links.lww. com/A100.
Microscale method for rapid isolation of covalently closed circular plasmid DNA from group N streptococci

A method for rapid purification of plasmid DNA from lactic streptococci, utilizing microliter quantities of reagents, was developed by combination of a short lysozyme-mutanolysin cell wall digestion with a modification of the Escherichia coli plasmid isolation procedure of McMaster et al. (Anal. Biochem. 109:47-54, 1980). The preparations obtained were highly enriched for covalently closed circular DNA, and the method was applicable to plasmids of at least 40 megadaltons. Centrifugation in CsCl-ethidium bromide density gradients was not required.
Aggressiveness of familial prostate cancer.

PURPOSE To report on the aggressiveness of sporadic versus familial prostate cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study sample consisted of 4,112 stage T1-3 prostate cancer patients. The outcome of interest was biochemical relapse-free survival (bRFS). The analysis was performed for two distinct time periods, 1986 to 1992 (year < or = 1992) and 1993 to 2002 (year > or = 1993), to encompass both the early and late prostate-specific antigen (PSA) eras. RESULTS A positive family history (FH positive) was reported in 16%. The 10-year bRFS rates for patients with negative family history (FH negative) versus FH positive were 59% and 63%, respectively (P = .90). However, in the year < or = 1992 period, the 10-year bRFS rates for FH negative versus FH positive were 45% and 34%, respectively (P = .015). In the year > or = 1993 period, the 10-year bRFS rates for FH negative versus FH positive were 61% and 67%, respectively (P = .54). Multivariate analysis failed to reveal family history as an independent predictor of relapse (P = .42). However, in the subset of patients in each era, family history was an independent predictor of relapse only for those treated in the year < or = 1992 period (P = .038). CONCLUSION Family history was an independent predictor of biochemical failure only early in the PSA era, and men with an FH positive presented with more favorable disease later in the PSA era. This suggests that with stage migration and improved therapy, the impact of family history on prognosis has become minimal. However, underlying genetic factors affecting prostate cancer behavior in individuals with familial prostate cancer may still be important in determining individual prognosis.
WEBee: Physical-Layer Cross-Technology Communication via Emulation

Recent advances in Cross-Technology Communication (CTC) have improved efficient coexistence and cooperation among heterogeneous wireless devices (e.g., WiFi, ZigBee, and Bluetooth) operating in the same ISM band. However, until now the effectiveness of existing CTCs, which rely on packet-level modulation, is limited due to their low throughput (e.g., tens of bps). Our work, named WEBee, opens a promising direction for high-throughput CTC via physical-level emulation. WEBee uses a high-speed wireless radio (e.g., WiFi OFDM) to emulate the desired signals of a low-speed radio (e.g., ZigBee). Our unique emulation technique manipulates only the payload of WiFi packets, requiring neither hardware nor firmware changes in commodity technologies -- a feature allowing zero-cost fast deployment on existing WiFi infrastructure. We designed and implemented WEBee with commodity devices (Atheros AR2425 WiFi card and MicaZ CC2420) and the USRP-N210 platform (for PHY layer evaluation). Our comprehensive evaluation reveals that WEBee can achieve a more than 99% reliable parallel CTC between WiFi and ZigBee with 126 Kbps in noisy environments, a throughput about 16,000x faster than current state-of-the-art CTCs.
Blockade of Astrocytic Calcineurin/NFAT Signaling Helps to Normalize Hippocampal Synaptic Function and Plasticity in a Rat Model of Traumatic Brain Injury

Increasing evidence suggests that the calcineurin (CN)-dependent transcription factor NFAT (Nuclear Factor of Activated T cells) mediates deleterious effects of astrocytes in progressive neurodegenerative conditions. However, the impact of astrocytic CN/NFAT signaling on neural function/recovery after acute injury has not been investigated extensively. Using a controlled cortical impact (CCI) procedure in rats, we show that traumatic brain injury is associated with an increase in the activities of NFATs 1 and 4 in the hippocampus at 7 d after injury. NFAT4, but not NFAT1, exhibited extensive labeling in astrocytes and was found throughout the axon/dendrite layers of CA1 and the dentate gyrus. Blockade of the astrocytic CN/NFAT pathway in rats using adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors expressing the astrocyte-specific promoter Gfa2 and the NFAT-inhibitory peptide VIVIT prevented the injury-related loss of basal CA1 synaptic strength and key synaptic proteins and reduced the susceptibility to induction of long-term depression. In conjunction with these seemingly beneficial effects, VIVIT treatment elicited a marked increase in the expression of the prosynaptogenic factor SPARCL1 (hevin), especially in hippocampal tissue ipsilateral to the CCI injury. However, in contrast to previous work on Alzheimer's mouse models, AAV-Gfa2-VIVIT had no effects on the levels of GFAP and Iba1, suggesting that synaptic benefits of VIVIT were not attributable to a reduction in glial activation per se. Together, the results implicate the astrocytic CN/NFAT4 pathway as a key mechanism for disrupting synaptic remodeling and homeostasis in the hippocampus after acute injury. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Similar to microglia, astrocytes become strongly “activated” with neural damage and exhibit numerous morphologic/biochemical changes, including an increase in the expression/activity of the protein phosphatase calcineurin. Using adeno-associated virus (AAV) to inhibit the calcineurin-dependent activation of the transcription factor NFAT (Nuclear Factor of Activated T cells) selectively, we have shown that activated astrocytes contribute to neural dysfunction in animal models characterized by progressive/chronic neuropathology. Here, we show that the suppression of astrocytic calcineurin/NFATs helps to protect synaptic function and plasticity in an animal model in which pathology arises from a single traumatic brain injury. The findings suggest that at least some astrocyte functions impair recovery after trauma and may provide druggable targets for treating victims of acute nervous system injury.
Transformation to sarcomatoid carcinoma in ALK-rearranged adenocarcinoma, which developed acquired resistance to crizotinib and received subsequent chemotherapies.

Journal of Thoracic Oncology ® • Volume 8, Number 8, August 2013 CASE REPORT A 32-year-old man presented with cough and bloody sputum. Computed tomography (CT) showed a mass in the S6 segment and diffuse consolidation throughout the lower lobe of the left lung. Transbronchial lung biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma (AC) with lymphangiosis. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) showed anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) protein expression, and break-apart fluorescent in situ hybridization showed ALK gene rearrangement. First-line chemotherapy with cisplatin and docetaxel was started in June 2010. After tumor progression, the patient was enrolled in the randomized trial (PROFILE 1007) and was allocated to the pemetrexed arm. Subsequently, he was enrolled in PROFILE 1005 trial to receive crizotinib in July 2011 (Fig. 1A). After a partial response was observed, a nodule in the S9 segment developed in size to 2 cm, in February 2012 (Fig. 1B, C), and crizotinib was discontinued. CT scans performed after four cycles of carboplatin and gemcitabine showed a mixed response, with improvements in lymphadenopathy and lymphangiosis, but progression of the mass in S9. CT-guided core-needle biopsy revealed ALK-positive atypical cells, but it was impossible to distinguish histological types because of degeneration and necrosis. Thereafter, carboplatin, paclitaxel, and bevacizumab were administered, but the same mixed response was observed. The mass in S9 increased rapidly in size and reached 7 cm in August 2012 (Fig. 1D). Left lower lobectomy was performed in September 2012. The primary tumor in S6 was diagnosed as AC-positive for thyroid transcription factor (TTF)-1 immunostaining, whereas the tumor in S9 was TTF-1 negative sarcomatoid carcinoma (Figs. 2A-C, 3A-C). ALK was positive with IHC in both tumors, and fluorescent in situ hybridization revealed high-level gene amplification of the ALK gene only in the sarcomatoid carcinoma (Figs. 2D, E, 3D, E). Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) revealed the same variant of echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4-ALK (E13; A20). Moreover, in the sarcomatoid carcinoma, DNA sequencing revealed no additional resistance point mutations from ALK exon 20 to exon 23.