Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SPECT Imaging for Temporal Dynamics of Thyroidal and Salivary Radionuclide Accumulation in 17-AAG Treated Thyroid Cancer Mouse Model

Selective iodide uptake and prolonged iodine retention in the thyroid is the basis for targeted radioiodine therapy for thyroid cancer patients, however, salivary gland dysfunction is the most frequent non-thyroidal complications. In this study we employed non-invasive SPECT functional imaging to quantify the temporal dynamics of thyroidal and salivary radioiodine accumulation in mice. At 60 min post radionuclide injection, radionuclide accumulation in the salivary gland was generally higher than that in thyroid due to much larger volume of the salivary gland. However, radionuclide accumulation per anatomic unit in the salivary gland was lower than that in thyroid and was comparable among mice of different age and gender. Differently, radionuclide accumulation per anatomic unit in thyroid varied greatly among mice. The extent of thyroidal radioiodine accumulation stimulated by a single dose of exogenous bovine TSH (bTSH) in T3-supplemented mice was much less than that in mice received neither bTSH nor T3 (non-treated mice), suggesting that the duration of elevated serum TSH level is
Endurance-Aware Security Enhancement in Non-Volatile Memories Using Compression and Selective Encryption

Emerging non-volatile memories (NVMs) are notable candidates for replacing traditional DRAMs. Although NVMs are scalable, dissipate lower power, and do not require refreshes, they face new challenges including shorter lifetime and security issues. Efforts toward securing the NVMs against probe attacks pose a serious downside in terms of lifetime. Cryptography algorithms increase the information density of data blocks and consequently handicap the existing lifetime enhancement solutions like Flip-N-Write. In this paper, based on the insight that compression can relax the constraints of lifetime-security trade-off, we propose CryptoComp, an architecture that, taking the advantage of block size reduction after compression, aims to enhance the memory system lifetime and security. Our idea is to limit the avalanche effect caused by encryption algorithms in a lower space through compression and selective encryption. This way, for highly compressible data blocks, we follow a fully-encryption approach while for poorly compressible data blocks, we rely on a non-deterministic fine-grain selective-encryption mechanism. Additionally, a simple and block-oriented wear-leveling scheme is presented to fairly distribute the bit flips on memory cells. Our experimental results show 3.59<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\times$</tex-math><alternatives> <inline-graphic xlink:href="jalili-ieq1-2642180.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> and 3.66<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\times$</tex-math><alternatives><inline-graphic xlink:href="jalili-ieq2-2642180.gif"/> </alternatives></inline-formula> lifetime improvements over two state-of-the-art schemes, DEUCE and i-NVMM, while imposing a negligible performance degradation of 2.1 percent, on average.
Preparation and Study of the Structural, Optical and Electrical Properties of Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 Thin Films

Thin film samples of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) were prepared at room temperature by physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique using resistive heating method onto soda lime glass substrates. Deposition conditions were same for all the samples. The prepared samples were annealed in vacuum at temperature of 200 ◦C for 5, 10, 15, 30 and 60 minutes and were characterized structurally, optically and electrically. The structural analysis indicate the partial formation of quaternary CIGS compounds for the samples which were annealed in vacuum at 200 ◦C for 30 and 60 minutes. XRD analysis indicate that there is a continuous growth and improvement in the structural formation of ternary (CuInSe2 and CuGaSe2) and quaternary CIGS compounds. The thin films after vacuum annealing show low values of transmission and suitable absorption in the wavelength range of interest. The band gap of CIGS absorber layer is estimated to be 1.32 eV by extrapolating the plot of (αhυ) as a function of hυ. The electrical resistivity of all the samples are calculated by using Van der Pauw technique and found to decrease with increase in annealing time. The resistivity of the samples is small; therefore the prepared samples can be used as an absorber layer in the fabrication of thin film solar cells.
Interpreting Situated Dialogue Utterances: an Update Model that Uses Speech, Gaze, and Gesture Information

In situated dialogue, speakers share time and space. We present a statistical model for understanding natural language that works incrementally (i.e., in real, shared time) and is grounded (i.e., links to entities in the shared space). We describe our model with an example, then establish that our model works well on nonsituated, telephony application-type utterances, show that it is effective in grounding language in a situated environment, and further show that it can make good use of embodied cues such as gaze and pointing in a fully multi-modal setting.
Delayed treatment with combinations of antiviral drugs in mice infected with herpes simplex virus and application of the median effect method of analysis

Mice were inoculated intracerebrally with a lethal dose of herpes simplex virus type 2. Three days later, the mice were treated intraperitoneally, twice daily for 4 days, with the following drugs alone or in combination: acyclovir (ACV), vidarabine (ara-A), 2'-fluoro-5-iodoaracytosine (FIAC), and 2'-fluoro-5-methylarauracil (FMAU). Despite delayed treatment, most of the animals receiving low doses of FMAU alone or in combination with ACV or ara-A survived. In contrast, significantly higher mortality rates were noted in mice receiving ara-A, ACV, or FIAC alone. The data were analyzed for quantitation of synergism, additivity, and antagonism of multiple drug effect by the median effect method. The median effective doses (in nanomoles per kilogram per day) calculated in this manner were: FMAU, 22.5; FIAC, 510; ara-A, 901; ACV, 7,587; ACV-ara-A (drug ratio, 1:1), 550; FIAC-ara-A (1:1), 376; FIAC-ACV (1:1), 133; FMAU-ACV (1:8), 60.3; and FMAU-ara-A (1:8), 65.2. Marked synergy was found throughout a wide range of effect levels with the five different combinations, with no increased toxicity over the single-drug treatments. Similar results were obtained when the data were analyzed by the isobologram method. Since many patients with severe herpetic infections, such as herpes encephalitis, have a poor prognosis despite single-drug therapy, the possible use of combinations including low doses of FMAU deserves further investigation.
Inversion of SNOW structure parameters from time series of tomographic measurements with SnowScat

SnowScat is a terrestrial stepped-frequency continuous-wave (SFCW) scatterometer which supports fully-polarimetric measurements within a frequency band from 9.2 to 17.8 GHz. Recently, the hardware has been upgraded by adding a tomographic profiling mode. This tomographic approach allows to retrieve high-resolution information about a snowpack via observables, such as radar backscatter, co-polar phase difference, interferometric phase and coherence. Since the tomographic imaging itself is also affected by the refraction occurring at the air-snow interface and within the snowpack the two problems, 1) the production of well-focused and correctly located tomographic profiles, and 2) the retrieval of snow structure parameters are inherently linked. In this contribution, a tomographic inversion scheme to retrieve the refractive index of snow through an autofocus approach is presented. The current autofocus-based retrieval relies on using an aluminium sphere of a test target deployed in the scene. The refractive indices and accompanying snow density measurements obtained at four dates during a cold period in January during the ESA SnowLab 2016/2017 campaign are compared to an empirical model by Matzler and Wiesmann that describes the relation between snow density and the real part of the relative permittivity for dry snow.
Typhoons initiate predictable change in aquatic bacterial communities

We explored patterns of change in bacterioplankton and phytoplankton community composition in response to typhoons in a subtropical, subalpine freshwater humic lake in Taiwan. Thermal profiles with depth, nearsurface dissolved oxygen, and meteorological conditions were measured at high temporal resolution using an instrumented buoy. We collected samples across a time series spanning two typhoon seasons and assessed bacterial community composition at each time point using a fingerprinting technique targeting the internal transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal RNA operon. Wind and rain associated with the typhoons mixed the otherwise stably stratified water column. After each of six typhoon-induced mixing events, the bacterial community composition was reset to similar conditions, revealing a surprisingly deterministic pattern of recovery that was reminiscent of secondary succession following large infrequent disturbances in terrestrial ecosystems. Distinct bacterial assemblages were associated with epilimnion and hypolimnion samples collected more than 80 d after a mixing event. These assemblages were also distinct from the communities observed in the generally unstratified water column within 7 d after a typhoon. Our results were surprising since bacterial communities are not expected to respond in such predictable ways because of their immense complexity and diversity. In contrast, phytoplankton communities did not recover in a predictable way after typhoons.
Accuracy of metacognitive monitoring affects learning of texts.

Metacognitive monitoring affects regulation of study, and this affects overall learning. The authors created differences in monitoring accuracy by instructing participants to generate a list of 5 keywords that captured the essence of each text. Accuracy was greater for a group that wrote keywords after a delay (delayed-keyword group) than for a group that wrote keywords immediately after reading (immediate-keyword group) and a group that did not write keywords (no-keyword group). The superior monitoring accuracy produced more effective regulation of study. Differences in monitoring accuracy and regulation of study, in turn, produced greater overall test performance (reading comprehension) for the delayed-keyword group versus the other groups. The results are framed in the context of a discrepancy-reduction model of self-regulated study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
Microaneurysm Turnover Is a Biomarker for Diabetic Retinopathy Progression to Clinically Significant Macular Edema: Findings for Type 2 Diabetics with Nonproliferative Retinopathy

Purpose: To examine the relationship between microaneurysm turnover (formation rate), using a new semi-automatic method (MA-Tracker) based on color fundus photographs, and diabetic retinopathy (DR) progression to clinically significant macular edema (CSME). Methods: In total, 113 patients/eyes with nonproliferative DR (NPDR) were followed up every 6 months for 2 years as controls of the DR clinical trials, and by conventional general and ophthalmological care for the next 8 years (over a total of 10 years’ follow-up). Microaneurysm turnover for the 2 first years was computed using the MA-Tracker. Results: The 17 patients that developed CSME over the 10 years of follow-up presented a microaneurysm formation rate of 9.2 ± 18.2 microaneurysms/year (mean ± SD) during the first 2 years, which was statistically higher than the eyes that did not develop CSME (0.5 ± 1.2 microaneurysms/year, p < 0.001). These 17 patients also presented higher HbA1C levels at baseline (8.5 ± 1.2%) compared to the patients who did not develop CSME (7.3 ± 1.2%, p = 0.001). Conclusions: A high microaneurysm formation rate on color fundus photographs appears to be a good biomarker for DR progression to CSME in type 2 diabetic patients with NPDR.
Morphological asymmetry and interspecific hybridization: A case study using hylid frogs

The limited studies addressing developmental stability of interspecific hybrids suggest a positive association between the level of fluctuating asymmetry and 1) the degree of divergence between parental species, and 2) the recency of the contact zone. To evaluate these associations, we examined asymmetry in a recently‐established hybrid population of treefrogs (Hyla cinerea and H. gratiosa) that show marked structural gene divergence. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), directional asymmetry, and antisymmetry were assessed for eight paired osteometric traits in allozymically‐defined parental and hybrid categories. FA levels varied considerably among traits. Nonetheless, for any given trait, the hybrid categories did not demonstrate elevated levels of FA compared to the parental categories, or compared to frogs from a non‐hybridizing parental population. The only trait that differed statistically among categories (pterygoid length) involved a significantly lower FA value for the F1 hybrids. Thus, observed FA values do not support expectations that the hybrid categories should experience decreased developmental stability.
The effects of forearm support and shoulder posture on upper trapezius and anterior deltoid activity

[Purpose] To assess the effects of forearm support and shoulder posture on upper trapezius and anterior deltoid activity. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-three female university students were evaluated. Muscle activity was assessed by a portable surface electromyography (sEMG) system (Myomonitor IV, Delsys, USA). Upper trapezius and anterior deltoid activity were recorded in five shoulder flexion postures: 0°, 15°, 30°, 45° and 60° and in two conditions: with the forearm supported and unsupported. Descriptive data analysis was performed and statistical analysis was conducted by a multivariate analysis of variance with three repeated factors (posture, support and side). [Results] Three-way interactions were not significant. Two-way interaction was significant for support and posture for both muscles, indicating that the muscular activity depends on the forearm support and shoulder posture. The forearm support reduced upper trapezius and anterior deltoid activity for all shoulder flexion angles. The mean and standard deviation for this decrease was 7.8 (SD=4.6)% of the maximal voluntary contraction for anterior deltoid and 3.8 (SD=2.0)% of the maximal voluntary contraction for upper trapezius. In the unsupported condition, increasing the shoulder flexion angle caused an increase in the upper trapezius and anterior deltoid activation. [Conclusion] These results highlight the importance of using forearm support and to maintain neutral shoulder posture, when the upper arms are not supported, to reduce muscle activation. Thus, this study provides evidence about the effect of these recommendations to reduce muscular activity.
Generation of first-order TSK rules based on the apriori + search approach

In this work, we propose several algorithms for learning first-order TSK fuzzy rules. These methods, consist of two stages: first, they generate a set of candidate rules with an adaptation of the apriori algorithm for frequent itemset detection. Then, they select a subset of such rules, generally by means of a search algorithm. In this work we have tested a genetic and two different local search algorithms. The results obtained show that, genetic algorithms tends to converge to systems with a higher number of rules, which minimize the training error, but also overfit. On the other hand, local search gets stuck in configurations with fewer rules which, despite producing a higher training error, avoid overfitting and lead to best results in terms of error.
The right stuff? Teaching parallel computing

We consider the educational process with respect to parallel computing. Education in this area is provided by national supercomputing centers, a variety of manufacturers of parallel machines, within companies that use parallel machines, as well as by colleges and universities for both undergraduate and graduate students. The panel evaluates the current system, and debate potential (realistic) improvements that could be implemented in the short-term. <<ETX>>
Additional transbronchial needle aspiration through a guide sheath for peripheral pulmonary lesions that cannot be detected by radial EBUS

Endobronchial ultrasound with a guide sheath (EBUS‐GS) has resulted to better diagnostic outcome for peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs), although the yield is not satisfactory for lesions that cannot be located by EBUS. We aimed to evaluate whether the addition of a new technique, transbronchial needle aspiration through a guide sheath (GS‐TBNA), can increase the yield for these cases.
glucoside biosynthesis in the hairy roots of 2 Astragalus membranaceus in response to methyl jasmonate 3 4

Transcriptional profiling and molecular characterization of astragalosides, 1 calycosin, and calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside biosynthesis in the hairy roots of 2 Astragalus membranaceus in response to methyl jasmonate 3 4 Pham Anh Tuan , Eunsook Chung , Aye Aye Thwe, Xiaohua Li , Yeon Bok Kim, 5 Jai-Heon Lee , Sang Un Park 1,* 6 7 Department of Crop Science, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehakro, 8 Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-764, Korea. 9 Department of Genetic Engineering, Dong-A University, Busan 604-714, Korea 10 11
Immunocytochemical demonstration of ecto-galactosyltransferase in absorptive intestinal cells

Galactosyltransferase immunoreactive sites were localized in human duodenal enterocytes by the protein A-gold technique on thin sections from low temperature Lowicryl K4M embedded biopsy specimens. Antigenic sites detected with affinity-purified, monospecific antibodies were found at the plasma membrane of absorptive enterocytes with the most intense labeling appearing along the brush border membrane. The lateral plasma membrane exhibited a lower degree of labeling at the level of the junctional complexes but the membrane interdigitations were intensely labeled. The labeling intensity decreased progressively towards the basal part of the enterocytes and reached the lowest degree along the basal plasma membrane. Quantitative evaluation of the distribution of gold-particle label proved its preferential orientation to the outer surface of the plasma membrane. In addition to this membrane-associated labeling, the glycocalyx extending from the microvillus tips was heavily labeled. Occasionally, cells without plasma membrane labeling were found adjacent to positive cells. The demonstration of ecto-galactosyltransferase on membranes other than Golgi membranes precludes its general use as a marker for Golgi membrane fractions. The possible function of galactosyltransferase on a luminal plasma membrane is unclear at present, but a role in adhesion appears possible on the basolateral plasma membrane.
Kissing-Loop Interaction in the 3′ End of the Hepatitis C Virus Genome Essential for RNA Replication

ABSTRACT The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a positive-strand RNA virus belonging to the Flaviviridae. Its genome carries at either end highly conserved nontranslated regions (NTRs) containing cis-acting RNA elements that are crucial for replication. In this study, we identified a novel RNA element within the NS5B coding sequence that is indispensable for replication. By using secondary structure prediction and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we found that this RNA element, designated 5BSL3.2 by analogy to a recent report (S. You, D. D. Stump, A. D. Branch, and C. M. Rice, J. Virol. 78:1352-1366, 2004), consists of an 8-bp lower and a 6-bp upper stem, an 8-nucleotide-long bulge, and a 12-nucleotide-long upper loop. Mutational disruption of 5BSL3.2 structure blocked RNA replication, which could be restored when an intact copy of this RNA element was inserted into the 3′ NTR. By using this replicon design, we mapped the elements in 5BSL3.2 that are critical for RNA replication. Most importantly, we discovered a nucleotide sequence complementarity between the upper loop of this RNA element and the loop region of stem-loop 2 in the 3′ NTR. Mismatches introduced into the loops inhibited RNA replication, which could be rescued when complementarity was restored. These data provide strong evidence for a pseudoknot structure at the 3′ end of the HCV genome that is essential for replication.
Small-molecule screen identifies inhibitors of the neuronal K-Cl cotransporter KCC2

KCC2, a neuronal-specific K-Cl cotransporter, plays a major role in maintaining intracellular Cl− concentration in neurons below its electrochemical equilibrium potential, thus favoring robust GABA hyperpolarizing or inhibitory responses. The pharmacology of the K-Cl cotransporter is dominated by loop diuretics such as furosemide and bumetanide, molecules used in clinical medicine because they inhibit the loop of Henle Na-K-2Cl cotransporter with much higher affinity. To identify molecules that affect KCC2 activity, we developed a fluorescence-based assay suitable for high-throughput screening (HTS) and used the assay to screen a library of 234,000 small molecules. We identified a large number of molecules that either decrease or increase the activity of the cotransporter. Here, we report the characterization of a small number of inhibitors, some of which inhibit KCC2 activity in the submicomolar range without substantially affecting NKCC1 activity. Using medicinal chemistry, we synthesized a number of variants, tested their effect on KCC2 function, and provide an analysis of structure/activity relationships. We also used one of the compounds to demonstrate competitive inhibition in regard to external [K+] versus noncompetitive inhibition in respect to external [Cl−].
Utopia, the Origins and Invention of Western Urban Design

The particular field of urban design is profoundly influenced by ideas about the ideal city, which have very deep roots in utopian discourse and thought. In tracing the relationship between urban planning and utopia from its origins to the present day, the author attempts to put his finger on what town planners, in trying to organize and control space, have made of utopia. The relationship between utopia and urban design is approached here from the starting-point of two questions. (a) How does the city impart its morphology to utopian discourse? (b) Can urban design be the science of the ideal city?
Object tracking method using back-projection of multiple color histogram models

Automated object tracking system is needed for unmanned observing and proper recording of important places. In this paper, we propose an object tracking method which uses back-projection of color histogram with multiple models. We can make some representative models of an object from its color histogram distribution. 3D Labeling is introduced to eliminate unsuitable histogram blobs and color histogram models are composed from survived blobs. The position of interested object could be estimated with the back-projection image of each model. The proposed method can reduce the miss tracking even if object enters similar colored region in complex video scenes.