Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ulcerative Gastritis and Esophagitis in Two Children with Sarcina ventriculi Infection

Sarcina ventriculi is a Gram-positive, obligate anaerobic coccus, with a characteristic morphology. Only 22 cases of human infections by this microorganism, including 7 in children, have been reported in literature so far. Affected subjects usually present with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and delayed gastric emptying. However, life-threatening complications, like emphysematous gastritis and gastric perforation have also been described. Gastroparesis and gastric outlet obstruction have been considered as a potential etiologic factor. All pediatric cases described thus far presented with concomitant gastrointestinal pathology, such as Helicobacter pylori gastritis, celiac disease, infection with Giardia lamblia or Candida spp. Here, we report two children with S. ventriculi infection, in whom the diagnosis was established by typical histological findings in mucosal biopsies. The first child presented with hematemesis due to ulcerative esophagitis and gastritis, the second child with a history of esophageal stricture had ulcerative gastritis. Confirmation of S. ventriculi infection is feasible by molecular microbiota detection methods, since this microorganism cannot be detected by classical culture techniques. Prompt treatment with antibiotics could prevent life-threatening complications.
A Three-Marker FISH Panel Detects More Genetic Aberrations of AR, PTEN and TMPRSS2/ERG in Castration-Resistant or Metastatic Prostate Cancers than in Primary Prostate Tumors

TMPRSS2/ERG rearrangement, PTEN gene deletion, and androgen receptor (AR) gene amplification have been observed in various stages of human prostate cancer. We hypothesized that using these markers as a combined panel would allow better differentiation between low-risk and high-risk prostate cancer. We analyzed 110 primary prostate cancer samples, 70 metastatic tumor samples from 11 patients, and 27 xenograft tissues derived from 22 advanced prostate cancer patients using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis with probes targeting the TMPRSS2/ERG, PTEN, and AR gene loci. Heterogeneity of the aberrations detected was evaluated. Genetic patterns were also correlated with transcript levels. Among samples with complete data available, the three-marker FISH panel detected chromosomal abnormalities in 53% of primary prostate cancers and 87% of metastatic (Met) or castration-resistant (CRPC) tumors. The number of markers with abnormal FISH result had a different distribution between the two groups (P<0.001). At the patient level, Met/CRPC tumors are 4.5 times more likely to show abnormalities than primary cancer patients (P<0.05). Heterogeneity among Met/CRPC tumors is mostly inter-patient. Intra-patient heterogeneity is primarily due to differences between the primary prostate tumor and the metastases while multiple metastatic sites show consistent abnormalities. Intra-tumor variability is most prominent with the AR copy number in primary tumors. AR copy number correlated well with the AR mRNA expression (rho = 0.52, P<0.001). Especially among TMPRSS2:ERG fusion-positive CRPC tumors, AR mRNA and ERG mRNA levels are strongly correlated (rho = 0.64, P<0.001). Overall, the three-marker FISH panel may represent a useful tool for risk stratification of prostate cancer patients.
Computational and synthetic studies towards improving rescinnamine as an inducer of MSH2-dependent apoptosis in cancer treatment

We, and others, have previously shown that mismatch repair proteins, in addition to their repair function, contribute to cell death initiation. In response to some drugs, this cell death activity is independent of the repair function of the proteins. Rescinnamine, a derivative of the indole alkaloid reserpine, a drug used to treat hypertension several decades ago, was shown to target the cell death-initiating activity of mismatch repair proteins. When used in animals, the hypotensive action of this drug prevents applying appropriate concentrations for statistically significant tumor reduction. Using a combination of computational modeling, chemical synthesis and cell assays, we determine how rescinnamine can be structurally modified and what effect these modifications have on cell survival. These results inform further computational modeling to suggest new synthetic lead molecules to move toward further biological testing.
Interactive Multiresolution Visualization of 3D mesh

Multiresolution visualization and interactive of three- dimensional mesh becomes a very active topic in recent years, which makes a state of art rich that it devoted this article. With the rapid development has seen computer graphics, three-dimensional objects become widely used in daily life. Given the large size of the mesh, it becomes very difficult to load them all into memory and transmit them on the internet. The segmentation techniques and multiresolution compression are used to reply these requirements. Indeed, in this paper, it proposed a new approach to multiresolution visualization based on a combination of segmentation and multiresolution mesh compression. For this, it proposed a new segmentation method that benefits the organization of faces of the mesh followed by a progressive local compression of regions of mesh to ensure the refinement local of the three-dimensional object. Keywordsmesh, Interactive visualization, 3D segmentation, Multiresolution compression, Refinement local, Selective visualization.
Temporal issues in data warehouse systems

With the wide acceptance of the data warehousing technology, data models and development methodologies are being proposed by researchers. While they recognize time as an important dimension, the suggested modeling is largely ad hoc and experience driven. On the other hand, research into temporal databases since the mid-eighties has made many fundamental contributions, and has created a formal and powerful framework both at modeling and technology levels. In this paper, we review the temporal issues in data warehousing, and propose a temporal model for data warehouses. The concepts of states, events, object life-cycles, temporal constraints and temporal operators are used to enrich the data model for warehousing. We propose a logical data warehouse design step that takes into account temporal characteristics of data, followed by a physical design step to address efficient storage and access. We also propose an integrated framework of applications and data warehouses, where the applications are made 'warehouse aware' for pushing complete and consistent data into the data warehouse. We also identify some important issues for future investigations.
Distributed Open Inventor: a practical approach to distributed 3D graphics

Distributed Open Inventor is an extension to the popular Open Inventor toolkit for interactive 3D graphics. The toolkit is extended with the concept of a distributed shared scene graph, similar to distributed shared memory. From the application programmer's perspective, multiple workstations share a common scene graph. The proposed system introduces a convenient mechanism for writing distributed graphical applications based on a popular tool in an almost transparent manner. Local variations in the scene graph allow for a wide range of possible applications, and local low latency interaction mechanisms called input streams enable high performance while saving the programmer from network peculiarities.
Impact of Future Remnant Liver Volume on Post-Hepatectomy Regeneration in Non-Cirrhotic Livers

Objective: The purpose of the study is to detect if some parameters can be considered as predictors of liver regeneration in two different patient populations composed of in living donors for adult to adult living donor liver transplant and patients with hepatic malignancies within a single institution. Summary Background Data: Preoperative multi-detector computed tomography volumetry is an essential tool to assess the volume of the remnant liver. Methods: A retrospective analysis from an ongoing clinical study on 100 liver resections, between 2004 and 2010. Seventy patients were right lobe living donors for liver transplantation and 30 patients were resected for treatment of tumors. Pre-surgical factors such as age, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), original liver volume, future remnant liver volume (FRLV), spleen volume, liver function tests, creatinine, platelet count, steatosis, portal vein embolization, and number of resected segments were analyzed to evidence potential markers for liver regeneration. Results: Follow-up period did not influence the amount of liver regenerated: the linear regression evidenced that there is no correlation between percentage of liver regeneration and time of follow-up (p = 0.88). The pre-surgical variables that resulted markers of liver regeneration include higher preoperative values of BMI (p = 0.01), bilirubin (p = 0.04), glucose (p = 0.05), and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (p = 0.014); the most important association was revealed regarding the lower FRLV (p < 0.0001) and percentage of liver regeneration. The stepwise regression revealed a strong impact of FRLV (p < 0.0001) on the other predictor variables. Conclusion: Liver regeneration follows similar pathway in living donor and in patients resected for cancer. Small FRLV tends to regenerate more and faster, confirming that a larger resections may lead to a greater promotion of liver regeneration in patients with optimal conditions in terms of body habitus, preoperative liver function tests, and glucose level.
Olfactory Bulb Glomerular NMDA Receptors Mediate Olfactory Nerve Potentiation and Odor Preference Learning in the Neonate Rat

Rat pup odor preference learning follows pairing of bulbar beta-adrenoceptor activation with olfactory input. We hypothesize that NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-mediated olfactory input to mitral cells is enhanced during training, such that increased calcium facilitates and shapes the critical cAMP pattern. Here, we demonstrate, in vitro, that olfactory nerve stimulation, at sniffing frequencies, paired with beta-adrenoceptor activation, potentiates olfactory nerve-evoked mitral cell firing. This potentiation is blocked by a NMDAR antagonist and by increased inhibition. Glomerular dishinhibtion also induces NMDAR-sensitive potentiation. In vivo, in parallel, behavioral learning is prevented by glomerular infusion of an NMDAR antagonist or a GABAA receptor agonist. A glomerular GABAA receptor antagonist paired with odor can induce NMDAR-dependent learning. The NMDA GluN1 subunit is phosphorylated in odor-specific glomeruli within 5 min of training suggesting early activation, and enhanced calcium entry, during acquisition. The GluN1 subunit is down-regulated 3 h after learning; and at 24 h post-training the GluN2B subunit is down-regulated. These events may assist memory stability. Ex vivo experiments using bulbs from trained rat pups reveal an increase in the AMPA/NMDA EPSC ratio post-training, consistent with an increase in AMPA receptor insertion and/or the decrease in NMDAR subunits. These results support a model of a cAMP/NMDA interaction in generating rat pup odor preference learning.
Time scale invariance in transport and relaxation

The major features of transport and relaxation in disordered systems are shown to be due to the occurrence of long‐tailed distributions of rate‐limiting event times. The mean‐time of this distribution is divergent, and hence there is no intrinsic time scale associated with the dynamic response of the system. The lack of time scale is manifest in the film‐thickness dependence of the transit time of a single carrier and in the occurence of stretched‐exponential time dependence of the relaxation.
Correcting Limited-Magnitude Errors in the Rank-Modulation Scheme

We study error-correcting codes for permutations under the infinity norm, motivated by a novel storage scheme for flash memories called rank modulation. In this scheme, a set of n flash cells are combined to create a single virtual multilevel cell. Information is stored in the permutation induced by the cell charge levels. Spike errors, which are characterized by a limited-magnitude change in cell charge levels, correspond to a low-distance change under the infinity norm. We define codes protecting against spike errors, called limited-magnitude rank-modulation codes (LMRM codes), and present several constructions for these codes, some resulting in optimal codes. These codes admit simple recursive, and sometimes direct, encoding and decoding procedures. We also provide lower and upper bounds on the maximal size of LMRM codes both in the general case, and in the case where the codes form a subgroup of the symmetric group. In the asymptotic analysis, the codes we construct outperform the Gilbert-Varshamov-like bound estimate.
Scientific computing over the Web in various programming languages: Solving problems in Fortran, C, and Octave

Scientific computing over the Web is presented to solve two problems in various programming languages, classical (Fortran 90, and C), and modern (Octave). The problems, with surprising results, are applications of numerical computation, so as to be adequate to all these languages: a certain simple series, with a mathematical conjecture on its limit; and the distance to random points in a circle. The objective of this work is twofold: to emphasize the pertinence of the Web for scientific computing, and to illustrate the productiveness of the modern languages. The authors' opinion is that scientific computing over the Web has lagged behind most of its other uses, and is particularly recommended, namely, in academy, in industry, and in their connection.
Three-dimensional transmural organization of perimysial collagen in the heart

There is strong support for the view that the ventricular myocardium has a laminar organization in which myocytes are grouped into branching layers separated by cleavage planes. However, understanding of the extent and functional implications of this architecture has been limited by the lack of a systematic three-dimensional description of the organization of myocytes and associated perimysial collagen. We imaged myocytes and collagen across the left ventricular wall at high resolution in seven normal rat hearts using extended volume confocal microscopy. We developed novel reconstruction and segmentation techniques necessary for the quantitative analysis of three-dimensional myocyte and perimysial collagen organization. The results confirm that perimysial collagen has an ordered arrangement and that it defines a laminar organization. Perimysial collagen is composed of three distinct forms: extensive meshwork on laminar surfaces, convoluted fibers connecting adjacent layers, and longitudinal cords. While myolaminae are the principal form of structural organization throughout most of the wall, they are not seen in the subepicardium, where perimysial collagen is present only as longitudinal cords.
Worst-case robust MIMO relay precoding in cognitive two-way relay networks

In this paper, we investigate robust precoding for two-way relay cognitive networks consisting of a pair of cognitive transceiver users equipped with Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna communicating with each other through a common multi-antenna relay and sharing the same spectrum with primary users (PU). The uncertainty set in this CSI model is defined as Norm Bounded Error (NBE) model. We consider the Mean Squared Error (MSE) constraint at two secondary users (SU) and Interference Temperature (IT) at PU receiver that minimize the relay transmit power under multi CSI errors. We combine the semi-definite items and then transform the non-convex robust precoding problem into a Semidefinite Programming (SDP). This problem is solved efficiently using the numerical solver package CVX. Simulation results show the superior performance of proposed robust precoding design.
Role of Large Cabbage White butterfly male-derived compounds in elicitation of direct and indirect egg-killing defenses in the black mustard

To successfully exert defenses against herbivores and pathogens plants need to recognize reliable cues produced by their attackers. Up to now, few elicitors associated with herbivorous insects have been identified. We have previously shown that accessory reproductive gland secretions associated with eggs of Cabbage White butterflies (Pieris spp.) induce chemical changes in Brussels sprouts plants recruiting egg-killing parasitoids. Only secretions of mated female butterflies contain minute amounts of male-derived anti-aphrodisiac compounds that elicit this indirect plant defense. Here, we used the black mustard (Brassica nigra) to investigate how eggs of the Large Cabbage White butterfly (Pieris brassicae) induce, either an egg-killing direct [i.e., hypersensitive response (HR)-like necrosis] or indirect defense (i.e., oviposition-induced plant volatiles attracting Trichogramma egg parasitoids). Plants induced by P. brassicae egg-associated secretions expressed both traits and previous mating enhanced elicitation. Treatment with the anti-aphrodisiac compound of P. brassicae, benzyl cyanide (BC), induced stronger HR when compared to controls. Expression of the salicylic (SA) pathway- and HR-marker PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENE1 was induced only in plants showing an HR-like necrosis. Trichogramma wasps were attracted to volatiles induced by secretion of mated P. brassicae females but application of BC did not elicit the parasitoid-attracting volatiles. We conclude that egg-associated secretions of Pieris butterflies contain specific elicitors of the different plant defense traits against eggs in Brassica plants. While in Brussels sprouts plants anti-aphrodisiac compounds in Pieris egg-associated secretions were clearly shown to elicit indirect defense, the wild relative B. nigra, recognizes different herbivore cues that mediate the defensive responses. These results add another level of specificity to the mechanisms by which plants recognize their attackers.
Automatic Identification of Home Pages on the Web

The research reported in this paper is the first phase of a larger project on the automatic classification of Web pages by their genres. The long term goal is the incorporation of web page genre into the search process to improve the quality of the search results. In this phase, a neural net classifier was trained to distinguish home pages from non-home pages and to classify those home pages as personal home page, corporate home page or organization home page. Results indicate that the classifier is able to distinguish home pages from non-home pages and within the home page genre it is able to distinguish personal from corporate home pages. Organization home pages, however, were more difficult to distinguish from personal and corporate home pages.
Improving the Prevention of Environmental Risks with Convertible Bonds

In this paper, a manager borrows external funds in order to invest in production and also in prevention. The latter action must reduce the environmental risk driven by the activity of the firm. Prevention is observable neither by outside lenders nor by institutions such as environmental agencies for instance. In such a situation, we show that issuing convertible bonds - which permits the holder to exchange his bonds for a predetermined number of shares of the firm - from a limited liability firm could be a way to improve prevention compared to what can usually be done with standard debt. Such a relationship between the firm and the bank might be an alternative, or a complement, to the CERCLA legislation about extended liability which prevails in the United States and which is often discussed in Europe as a possible support of a more tightened European environmental legislation. We obtain an optimal convertible bond contract that induces more prevention and higher expected net revenues for the firm than standard debt. The expected social welfare is also improved. Finally, the economic implications of our findings are discussed.
Research on SaaS Service Performance Prediction Method in Dynamic Resource Environment

Users behavior's uncertainty and service resource dynamic's change make the prediction of SaaS performance trend more complex and difficult. This paper proposes a set SaaS performance prediction approach based on time series, defines three key indexes including SaaS Service Transactions Index (STI), Service Resource Occupancy Index (SROI) and Service Performance Index (SPI), and describes the computing methods of the three indexes' time series. The paper also presents a fuzzy matching algorithm of SaaS performance prediction, and designs experiments to identify the effectiveness of the approach.
Identifying Opportunities for Exploiting Cross-Layer Interactions in Adaptive Wireless Systems

The flexibility of cognitive and software-defined radio heralds an opportunity for researchers to reexamine how network protocol layers operate with respect to providing quality of service aware transmission among wireless nodes. This opportunity is enhanced by the continued development of spectrally responsive devices-ones that can detect and respond to changes in the radio frequency environment. Present wireless network protocols define reliability and other performance-related tasks narrowly within layers. For example, the frame size employed on 802.11 can substantially influence the throughput, delay, and jitter experienced by an application, but there is no simple way to adapt this parameter. Furthermore, while the data link layer of 802.11 provides error detection capabilities across a link, it does not specify additional features, such as forward error correction schemes, nor does it provide a means for throttling retransmissions at the transport layer (currently, the data link and transport layer can function counterproductively with respect to reliability). This paper presents an analysis of the interaction of physical, data link, and network layer parameters with respect to throughput, bit error rate, delay, and jitter. The goal of this analysis is to identify opportunities where system designers might exploit cross-layer interactions to improve the performance of Voice over IP (VoIP), instant messaging (IM), and file transfer applications.
Local electric-field-induced oxidation of titanium nitride films

Nanometer-scale patterning of TiN films grown on SiO2/Si(001) has been demonstrated using the local electric-field-induced oxidation process with a conductive-probe atomic force microscope. The chemical composition of the modified TiN region was determined by micro-Auger electron spectroscopy and was found to consist of Ti, some trace amount of N, and O, suggesting the formation of titanium oxynitride in the near surface region. The dependence of the oxide height on the sample bias voltage with a fixed scanning speed shows a nonlinear trend in the high electric field regime, indicating that the growth kinetics might be significantly different from previous studies using other film materials.