Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Facet-passivation processes for the improvement of Al-containing semiconductor laser diodes

The passivation requirements for high-power 980-nm and mid-power 780-nm quantum-well (QW) ridge-waveguide (RWG) Al-containing laser diodes cleaved in air were investigated. In a direct comparison with argon ablation, sulphation, and silicon-barrier-passivation techniques, nitrided facets with a silicon nitride barrier layer exhibited up to an order of magnitude improvement in device lifetime over the next-best method during highly accelerated testing while also maintaining high catastrophic optical damage (COD) or catastrophic optical mirror damage (COMD) thresholds. Well-oxidized facets of 980-nm devices exposed to air for six months were recovered with this process to give reasonable lifetimes (5.66/spl times/10/sup -5/ h/sup -1/ power degradation) during highly accelerated testing.
The intake and quality of breakfast consumption in adolescents attending public secondary schools in the North West province, South Africa

Abstract Objectives: The objectives of the study were to determine the proportion and quality of breakfast intake in adolescents, and to determine the effect of breakfast intake and quality on overall diet quality. Design: A cross-sectional quantitative study design was used. Setting: The setting was seven public secondary schools in Potchefstroom and the surrounding areas in North West province. Subjects: The subjects were randomly selected adolescents in grades 9–11 (n = 244). Outcome measures: A self-administered demographic questionnaire was completed by the adolescents. Single 24-hour recall, using the four-stage multiple-pass method, was conducted to obtain information on breakfast and dietary intake for the day. Breakfast quality was measured by applying a breakfast quality score. The Diet Quality Index Revised was used to assess the quality of the overall diet. Spearman’srankcorrelationcoefficient was employed to assess an association between the continuous variables. The chi-square or Fisher’s exact test was utilised to assess an association between the categorical variables. Results: The proportion of breakfast intake and skipping was 81% and 19%, respectively. The mean breakfast quality score was moderate (3.1). No significant difference was shown in the diet quality score for the breakfast eaters and skippers. The breakfast quality score was marginally associated with calcium intake (p-value < 0.0001, r = 0.418), phosphorous intake (p-value < 0.0001, r = 0.378) and total diversity score (p-value < 0.0001, r = 0.369). Conclusion: The proportion of breakfast skipping, moderate quality of the breakfast consumed and trend of improved nutrient intake with improved breakfast quality highlights the need for breakfast education and intervention as part of the Integrated School Health Policy.
Activation of astrocytes during epileptogenesis in the absence of neuronal degeneration

The issue of whether neuronal degeneration is a primary factor in activation of astrocytes during epileptogenesis was addressed using the kindling model of epilepsy. No degenerative changes specific to the kindling process were observed in brain sections from kindled animals, sampled from the olfactory bulbs through to cerebellum and processed with the degeneration-sensitive cupric silver stain. Also, examination of lectin-stained sections did not reveal any reactive microglia. At the same time, reactive astrocytes, as judged by an increase in glial fibrillary acidic protein immunoreactivity and a de novo vimentin immunoreactivity, were prominent in amygdala, piriform cortex, entorhinal cortex and hippocampus. These results suggest that loss of neurones is not a prerequisite for establishment of epilepsy-prone state, that seizures of short duration do not necessarily result in neuronal death, and that in kindling, astrocytes are activated by factors that are not related to neuronal degeneration, but which are likely associated with abnormal neuronal activity.
Molecular Characterization of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines Interleukin-1β and Interleukin-8 in Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)

ABSTRACT Interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-8 are pro-inflammatory cytokines produced primarily by monocytes and macrophages in response to a variety of microbial and nonmicrobial agents. As yet, no molecular data have been reported for IL-1β and IL-8 of the Asian elephant. In the present study, we have cloned and sequenced the cDNA encoding IL-1β and IL-8 of the Asian elephant. The open reading frame (ORF) of Asian elephant IL-1β is 789 bp in length, encoded a propeptide of 263 amino acid polypeptide. The predicted protein revealed the presence of IL-1 family signature motif and an ICE cut site. Whereas, IL-8 contained 321 bp of open reading frame. Interestingly, the predicted protein sequence of 106 aa, contains an ELR motif immediately upstream of the CQC residues, common in all vertebrate IL-8 molecules. Identity levels of the nucleic acid and deduced amino acid sequences of Asian elephant IL-1β ranged from 68.48 (Squirrel monkey) to 98.57% (African elephant), and 57.78 (Sheep) to 98.47% (African elephant), respectively, whereas that of IL-8 ranged from 72.9% (Human) to 87.8% (African elephant), and 63.2 (human, gorilla, chimpanzee) to 74.5% (African elephant, buffalo), respectively. The phylogenetic analysis based on deduced amino acid sequenced showed that the Asian elephant IL-1β and IL-8 were most closely related to African elephant. Molecular characterization of these two cytokines, IL-1β and IL-8, in Asian elephant provides fundamental information necessary to progress the study of functional immune responses in this animal and gives the potential to use them to manipulate the immune response as recombinant proteins.
Influence of single and multiple antenna placements on the capacity of C2C communication systems

Due to the variety of current and future wireless services, the number of antennas installed on a vehicle is and will continuously increase. However, there is a decrease of useable antenna positions, due to design constraints or the addition of more electrical equipment components. In order to realize stable data connections or even higher data rates with the remaining installation spaces, the use of multiple antenna systems is a possible solution. In this paper 16 possible antenna positions for Car-to-Car (C2C) communication are considered and evaluated. The radiation patterns of all antennas are determined by a capacity maximizing antenna synthesis approach, which considers the real world constraints such as the available space, transmit power, the number and arrangement of the antennas. In order to compare different setups the channel capacity is used. The capacity is calculated by virtual drives through typical application scenarios. The results of this study show, which single antenna positions and which combinations of antenna positions are most suitable for C2C communication.
A new system for the measurement of ocular motility using a personal computer

A new system (automated Hess screen, AHS) for the measurement of ocular motility using a personal computer is described. The subject is seated with his/her head restrained at a fixed distance from a colour monitor and views the screen through red/green goggles. A red target is displayed on the screen and the subject is instructed to move a green stimulus (using a joystick control) until the stimulus appears to be centred on the target. A button on the joystick is pressed and the computer registers the relative position of the target and stimulus. This procedure is repeated for a range of target locations (positions of gaze) and the entire routine is then repeated with the other eye fixing, by reversing the colour of the target and stimulus. The oculomotor fields may be displayed on the screen, printed, plotted or saved on a magnetic disc. A prototype system (based on an IBM AT with a 20 in monitor viewed from 25 cm) has been evaluated in a clinical environment on a sample of patients with a wide range of oculomotor problems, and compared with the electronic Hess screen (EHS). In general, the shapes of the oculomotor fields obtained using the two instruments were similar, but the AHS tended to measure a slightly converged displacement of the plots relative to the EHS and to record larger deviations, particularly in patients with incomitant fields. However, the test‐retest reliability and the diagnostic value of the charts obtained were similar for both instruments. There was no significant difference between the durations of the examinations with the EHS and AHS. The AHS is a viable alternative to the EHS.
Point-of-Care Cepheid Xpert HIV-1 Viral Load Test in Rural African Communities Is Feasible and Reliable

ABSTRACT Routine monitoring of HIV-1 RNA or viral load (VL) in patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) is important, but there are multiple impediments to VL testing in resource-constrained settings. An accurate point-of-care (POC) HIV-1 VL test could alleviate many of these challenges. We compared the performance of the Cepheid Xpert HIV-1 VL assay against the laboratory-based Abbott m2000sp/m2000rt assay (Abbott assay). ART-naive individuals participating in the Botswana Combination Prevention Project in 20 communities provided EDTA-blood specimens during household surveys. Both the POC Xpert HIV-1 VL and Abbott assays were performed on specimens sampled from 277 individuals. We found a high correlation between the Xpert HIV-1 VL and Abbott assay results (r 2 = 0.92; P < 0.001). The overall mean difference in the HIV-1 RNA values obtained by Xpert HIV-1 VL assay and Abbott assay was 0.34 log10 copies/ml (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.26 to 0.40 log10 copies/ml) (P < 0.001). Using a clinically relevant level of 1,000 copies/ml as a threshold, agreement was 90.6% (95% CI, 87.9 to 93.1%), with a sensitivity of 98.6% (95% CI, 97.2 to 100%). The two methods agreed on their detectability of HIV-1 RNA (>40 copies/ml) at 97.1% (95% CI, 95.5 to 98.7%), with a sensitivity of 99.6% (95% CI, 97.2 to 100%). The POC Cepheid Xpert HIV-1 VL assay showed high agreement and accuracy with a laboratory-based method of HIV-1 RNA testing. The POC Xpert HIV-1 VL assay tended to overestimate HIV-1 VL, although the difference was below a clinically relevant threshold of 0.5 log10 copies/ml. The POC Cepheid Xpert HIV-1 VL assay is a promising tool for monitoring patients on ART in southern Africa.
Detection of Streptococcus suis in Bioaerosols of Swine Confinement Buildings

ABSTRACT Streptococcus suis is an important swine pathogen that can cause septicemia, meningitis, and pneumonia. Also recognized as an emerging zoonotic agent, it is responsible for outbreaks of human infections in Asian countries. Serotype 2 is the predominant isolate from diseased animals and humans. The aerosolization of S. suis in the air of swine confinement buildings (SCB) was studied. The presence of S. suis in bioaerosols was monitored in SCB where cases of infection had been reported and in healthy SCB without reported infections. Using a quantitative-PCR (qPCR) method, we determined the total number of bacteria (1 × 108 to 2 × 108 airborne/m3), total number of S. suis bacteria (4 × 105 to 10 × 105 airborne/m3), and number of S. suis serotype 2 and 1/2 bacteria (1 × 103 to 30 × 103 airborne/m3) present in the air. S. suis serotypes 2 and 1/2 were detected in the air of all growing/finishing SCB that had documented cases of S. suis infection and in 50% of healthy SCB. The total number of bacteria and total numbers of S. suis and S. suis serotype 2 and 1/2 bacteria were monitored in one positive SCB during a 5-week period, and it was shown that the aerosolized S. suis serotypes 2 and 1/2 remain airborne for a prolonged period. When the effect of aerosolization on S. suis was observed, the percentage of intact S. suis bacteria (showing cell membrane integrity) in the air might have been up to 13%. Finally S. suis was found in nasal swabs from 14 out of 21 healthy finishing-SCB workers, suggesting significant exposure to the pathogen. This report provides a better understanding of the aerosolization, prevalence, and persistence of S. suis in SCB.
Whole-Genome Identification and Expression Pattern of the Vicinal Oxygen Chelate Family in Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.)

Vicinal oxygen chelate proteins (VOC) are members of the metalloenzyme superfamily, which plays roles in many biological reactions. Some members of the VOC superfamily have been systematically characterized but not in Brassica napus. In this study, 38 VOC genes were identified based on their conserved domains. The present results revealed that most of the BnaVOC genes have few introns, and all contained the typical VOC structure of βαβββ modules. The BnaVOC genes are distributed unevenly across 15 chromosomes in B. napus and occur as gene clusters on chromosomes C5 and A6. The synteny and phylogenetic analyses revealed that the VOC gene family is a consequence of mesopolyploidy events that occurred in Brassica evolution, and whole-genome duplication and segmental duplication played a major role in the expansion of the BnaVOC gene family. The expression profile analysis indicated that the expression of most BnaVOCs was increased in the leaves and late stage seeds. Further results indicated that seeds of B. napus with a high oil content show higher expression levels under drought stress conditions, suggesting that BnaVOCs not only respond to abiotic stress but may also affect lipid metabolism in drought stress. This present study provides a comprehensive overview of the VOC gene family and provides new insights into their biological function in B. napus evolution.
A case-control study of the relationship between hepatitis B virus DNA level and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in Qidong, China.

AIM To investigate the role of hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a nested case-control study was performed to study the relationship between HBV DNA level and risk of HCC. METHODS One hundred and seventy cases of HCC and 276 control subjects free of HCC and cirrhosis were selected for this study. Serum HBV DNA level was measured using fluorescein quantitative polymerase chain reaction at study entry and the last visit. RESULTS In a binary unconditional logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and family history of chronic liver diseases, the adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of HCC in patients with increasing HBV DNA level were 2.834 (1.237-6.492), 48.403 (14.392-162.789), 42.252 (14.784-120.750), and 14.819 (6.992-31.411) for HBV DNA levels > or = 10(4) to < 10(5); > or = 10(5) to < 10(6); > or = 10(6) to < 10(7); > or = 10(7) copies/mL, respectively. Forty-six HCC cases were selected to compare the serums viral loads of HBV DNA at study entry with those at the last visit. The HBV DNA levels measured at the two time points did not differ significantly. CONCLUSION The findings of this study provide strong longitudinal evidence of an increased risk of HCC associated with persistent elevation of serum HBV DNA level in the 10(4)-10(7) range.
Governance and portfolio flows in Sub-Saharan Africa

ABSTRACT This study investigates the relationship between the six World Governance Indicators and foreign portfolio investment in 33 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries over the years of 1998–2015. GMM analysis finds that portfolio inflows are most significantly attracted by the ability of SSA governments to implement policies effectively, strengthening the quality of institutions, and controlling corruption; but are deterred by the regions poor record of the rule of law and political stability.
Outdoor person following at higher speeds using a skid-steered mobile robot

A new navigation system for outdoor person following at higher speeds (maximum speed ≈2.5 m/s) is proposed. A combination of global and local path planning, and path following control, allows a robot to follow a jogger in various outdoor scenarios, including highly dynamical environments with pedestrians. Our fast path planning provides smooth and obstacle-free paths, even at higher speeds, in the presence of dynamic obstacles and in narrow passages. Our control algorithm allows precise following of the planned paths on different terrain types, including snow and ice. The mobile robot used in the experiments is the skid-steered robot Robotnik Summit XL.
A Prony's model based signal prediction (PSP) algorithm for systematic extraction of Y-parameters from TD transient responses of electromagnetic structures

A SI and Prony's model based algorithm, for the modelling and prediction of time-domain transient response of passive distributed network is introduced and applied to time domain simulated transient responses in order to extrapolate the Y-parameters of distributed high frequency circuits. The novelty of the present approach, is that the parametric modelling of a generic electromagnetic passive network, is achieved in a fully automated and systematic fashion over an ultra wide frequency band. The algorithm applies to time domain numerical simulated data as well as to experimental measured results, and it performs adaptive model order estimation by separating the signal subspace from the underling noise subspace with SVD based technique. The poles estimation relies on the pencil matrix method. Very promising results for a one port example are presented and the extension to arbitrary M-port passive network is possible.
Surface-dependent reactions of the vitamin K-dependent enzyme complexes.

During the past 20 years contributions from many laboratories have led to the development of isolation procedures, delineation of primary structures, and more recently, to the expression of recombinant proteins associated with the coagulation cascade. In general, studies of coagulation proteins under defined conditions have demonstrated the prescience of Davie and Ratnoff and MacFarlane in their proposals of the coagulation cascade. The more recent discovery of thrombomodulin by Esmon et al has led to the identification and characterization of components of the vitamin K-dependent anticoagulant pathway. In this review we have attempted to analyze and compare the functional properties of each of the vitamin K-dependent enzyme complexes associated with the procoagulant and anticoagulant phases of blood clotting. Although dissimilarities exist, the vitamin K-dependent complexes have analogous requirements and appear to function with a common general mode of organization. Membrane-bound cofactors serve as anchoring sites for the appropriate membrane-binding enzymes. This process localizes the complex on the membrane surface and increases the catalytic efficiency for substrate utilization. Complex formation provides extraordinary improvements in the catalytic efficiency for the complexes as compared with their soluble enzyme components. Membrane-bound complexes provide a mechanism that can be regulated at a site by membrane presentation, zymogen activation, and cofactor activation or presentation. The kinetic constants obtained for the various coagulation reactions determined in vitro provide some insights into how these pathways may function in vivo. The catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) for factor X activation by factor VIIIa/factor IXa is far in excess of the catalytic efficiency of activation of factor X by tissue factor/factor VIIa (Table 3). This may provide a rational interpretation for the observation that patients with hemophilia A and B bleed even though they appear to have an alternative pathway to factor X activation. In addition, tissue factor is not ordinarily presented by the vascular tissue that has direct access to blood. However, it appears that extravascular constitutive tissue factor is available once the blood vessel becomes disrupted. The efforts to identify the initiating reactions of the blood coagulation process have not been unambiguously successful. We conclude that factor VII is most likely a zymogen, just as are the other proenzymes of the blood clotting process. In addition, it is difficult to rationalize the importance of the intrinsic pathway of coagulation involving factor XII, prekallikrein, and high molecular weight kininogen since the congenital absence of any one of these factors does not result in abnormal bleeding. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
[A temporal tarsorrhaphy increases the effect of lower lid lengthening in patients with Graves' orbitopathy].

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare outcomes of lower lid lengthening with and without an additional temporal tarsorrhaphy. METHODS Lower lid lengthening was performed in 39 patients (16 without tarsorrhaphy [group 1], 23 with tarsorrhaphy [group 2]) via a posterior subtarsal transconjunctival ac-ess. A bovine pericardial transplant (Tutopatch, length = amount of retraction + 4 mm) was placed between the recessed retractors and the tarsus. RESULTS Mean preoperative lower lid retraction was 2.3 mm in group 1 and 2.6 mm in group 2 (n. s.). Lower lid lengthening and simultaneous tarsorrhaphy resulted in significantly increased reduction of lower lid retraction: 2.3 mm (1.5 - 4.5) (p = 0.003) compared to patients without tarsorrhaphy: 1.4 mm (0 - 3.0). Patients with tarsorrhaphy presented a higher success rate concerning the elimination of lagophthalmos (success = lagophthalmos ≤ 0.5 mm: 21 / 23 (91.3 %) as opposed to patients without tarsorrhaphy: 8 / 16 (50 %); (p = 0.004). Scleral show was eliminated in 78 % of group 2 in comparison to only 50 % in group 1 (p = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS Lower lid lengthening should be combined with simultaneous temporal tarsorrhaphy in patients with lower lid retraction exceeding 1.5 mm. The tarsorrhaphy increases the effect of lower lid lengthening by about 1 mm.
A Parallel Algorithm for Minimum Spanning Tree on GPU

Computing a minimum spanning tree (MST) of a graph is a fundamental problem in Graph Theory and arises as a subproblem in many applications. In this paper, we propose a parallel MST algorithm and implement it on a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). One of the steps of previous parallel MST algorithms is a heavy use of parallel list ranking. Besides the fact that list ranking is present in several parallel libraries, it is very time-consuming. Using a different graph decomposition, called strut, we devised a new parallel MST algorithm that does not make use of the list ranking procedure. Based on the BSP/CGM model we proved that our algorithm is correct and it finds the MST after O(log p) iterations (communication and computation rounds). To show that our algorithm has a good performance onreal parallel machines, we have implemented it on GPU. The way that we have designed the parallel algorithm allowed us to exploit the computing power of the GPU. The efficiency of the algorithm was confirmed by our experimental results. The tests performed show that, for randomly constructed graphs, with vertex numbers varying from 10,000 to 30,000 and density between 0.02 and 0.2, the algorithm constructs an MST in a maximum of six iterations. When the graph is not very sparse, our implementation achieved a speedup of more than 50, for some instances as high 296, over a minimum spanning tree sequential algorithm previously proposed in the literature.
Multidirectional Illuminating Optical Fiber Tip on Beam Expanding Coreless Silica Fiber

We report a compact all-optical side-firing probe directly ablated on a mode-expanded hybrid fiber end using a high-precision femtosecond laser processing technique. A segment of coreless silica fiber was adopted to achieve a large beam size and manipulation of the far field divergence angle. The radiating beam properties of the side-firing tip have been experimentally investigated and compared with numerical simulations.