Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Successful hepatocellular carcinoma downstaging with transarterial chemoembolization followed by stereotactic radiotherapy

Approximately 16%-18% of liver transplants in the United States were performed for the oncologic treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although transarterial chemoembolization (TACE)was themost common HCC bridging locoregional therapy while on the wait list (75%), TACE rarely sterilizes HCC, especially in larger tumors. Studies suggest that only 24%-90% of patients were successfully downstaged from stage T3-4 tumors to within Milan criteria using TACE as a sole downstaging modality. It is now appreciated that the usage of more than 1 locoregional therapy may be most effective in successful HCC downstaging of beyond Milan criteria tumors before liver transplantation. Radiation therapy is increasingly being used to treat large liver tumors where modern computer technology has overcome some of the historic drawbacks via accurate and targeted dose-delivery. The stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) technique delivers treatment typically over 3-5 treatments, compared to the standard duration of 20-25 treatments over a 4to 5-week period. Accurate delivery of high doses to a small target over fewer treatments has been demonstrated to result in improved liver tumor control and reduced toxicities. Although TACE and SRT can be used independently, a combination of these therapies maximizes the strengths and reduces the limitations of these individual treatments. We previously reserved the combination of TACE and SRT to large inoperable HCC patients who were not eligible for liver transplantation. After being impressed with the effectiveness of this treatment combination, we began to use this approach for downstaging beyond Milan criteria HCC patients in an attempt to make them eligible for liver transplantation. The purpose of this study is to report a case series of 12 HCC patients who were treated with TACE followed by SRT in attempt to successfully down-stage for liver transplantation.
A study of the production of unstressed vowels by Japanese speakers of English using the J-AESOP corpus

This study investigated the production of English unstressed vowels by Japanese speakers based on the J-AESOP corpus. Four acoustic features associated with unstressed vowels in English were examined: duration, intensity, fundamental frequency and vowel quality. Comparative analysis with native English speakers' production revealed that the Japanese speakers achieved good control of all the acoustic features except vowel quality, supporting the results of previous studies. Their attainment of nearnative control of duration, intensity and fundamental frequency can be attributed to positive L1 transfer from Japanese. As for vowel quality, the present study showed that the quality of the Japanese speakers' unstressed vowels was more peripheral than that of the native English speakers' because of the difficulty of L2 phoneme acquisition and the influence of orthography.
MYDRIATICS: A Clinical Observation

THE PURPOSE of this paper is to evaluate the clinical merit of the commonly available mydriatics as to such factors as safety, speed of action and return to normal pupillary size. All drugs used in medicine have a range of dosage depending in part on the age of the patient and on whether the clinician desires the minimal or maximal effective dose for the patient in question. The same is true of drugs used in ocular diseases except that in ophthalmology particular care should be exercised when mydriatics are used. The initial evidences of overdosage of any drug are not usually disastrous, and the discontinuation of the drug ordinarily leads to complete return to normal in a short time. This tendency does not prevail with mydriatics. The use of a mydriatic in a patient with "potential glaucoma" may terminate in a serious complication, with a blind eye as a result.
A block LMS-type algorithm for sparse system identification with analysis

The LMS-type algorithms are effectively used in diverse adaptive filtering applications such as; blind system identification, channel equalization, etc. For some applications such as echo cancellation, which requires a large filter length, a very long time is required to estimate the coefficients via the conventional least-mean-square (LMS) algorithm. Actually, updating the filter coefficients block by block of the input data but not for each sample of input, users can get a very fast processing time depending on the block length. Additionally, the performance of the block-LMS (BLMS) algorithm can be improved by using a variable step-size in the update equation. Also, in system identification, if the unknown system is sparse, then the performance of the algorithm can be improved further by imposing a penalty term in the cost function of the BLMS algorithm which, in turn, helps in exploiting the sparsity of the unknown system. In this paper, we investigate the performance of recently proposed BLMS-type algorithm for sparse systems. The convergence analysis of the proposed algorithm is presented for the first time. Also, the effects of the zero-attracting coefficient, ρ, and the sparsity degree on MSD have been investigated. Finally, the performance of the algorithm is compared to those of the BLMS and the other previously proposed adaptive algorithms, in terms of convergence rate and mean-square-deviation (MSD). Simulations show that the proposed algorithm guarantees better performance than the other algorithms.
Immersive Visualization for Abnormal Detection in Heterogeneous Data for On-site Decision Making

The latest advances in mixed reality promote new capabilities that allow head-mounted displays, such as Microsoft HoloLens, to visualize various data and information in a real physical environment. While such new features have great potential for new generations of visualization systems, they require fundamentally different visualization and interaction techniques that have not been well explored. This paper presents an immersive visualization approach for investigating abnormal events in heterogeneous, multi-source, and time-series sensor data collections in real-time on the site of the event. Our approach explores the essential components for an analyst to visualize complex data and explore hidden connections in mixed reality; it also combines automatic event detection algorithms to identify suspicious activities. We demonstrate our prototype system by using the developer version of Microsoft HoloLens and presenting case studies that require an analyst to investigate related data on site. We also discuss the limitations of the current infrastructure and potential applications for security visualization.
Conversor eletrônico de potência trifásico para sistema fotovoltaico conectado à rede elétrica

Este trabalho e uma contribuicao ao estudo de conversores eletronicos para sistemas fotovoltaicos de geracao distribuida de energia eletrica. O objetivo principal e apresentar o desenvolvimento e os resultados de um conversor eletronico trifasico para a conexao de um conjunto de paineis solares fotovoltaicos a rede eletrica de baixa tensao. Sao apresentados resultados experimentais e estudos teoricos sobre a modelagem e a simulacao de dispositivos fotovoltaicos, a regulacao da tensao fotovoltaica, o rastreamento da maxima potencia e a modelagem e o controle de um conversor eletronico de dois estagios Abstract
Genetic variation at 15 autosomal STR loci in Bhil tribal population of Central India

Abstract Aims: Genotypic polymorphism studies at 15 highly polymorphic short tandem repeat (STR) loci were carried out in Bhil tribal population of Madhya Pradesh, in central region of India. Methods: The analysis of 15 autosomal STR loci (TH01, D3S1358, vWA, D21S11, TPOX, D7S820, D19S433, D5S818, D2S1338, D16S539, CSF1PO, D13S317, FGA, D18S51, D8S1179) was done in 183 unrelated individuals of the Bhil tribe. Results: Heterozygosity among the studied 15 autosomal STR loci ranged from 63.5–86.5%. The loci D2S1338 and FGA were found to be mostly polymorphic. All loci fall under Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, except loci D18S51 and D7S820. These STR loci were highly informative and discriminating, with CPD > 0.99999. Conclusion: The clustering pattern of the NJ tree and the PCA plot showed grouping of the Bhil population with previously reported tribes of central India.
Assessment of College and University Campus Tobacco-Free Policies in North Carolina

Abstract Objective: To develop a reliable and efficient method for assessing prevalence and strength of college/university tobacco-related policies. Participants: North Carolina (NC) public universities, community colleges, and private colleges/universities (N = 110). Methods: A census of policies using campus handbooks and Web sites was conducted in March 2011. Results: The rating tool is reliable and valid. Ninety-nine percent of NC college/university campuses are smoke-free in all indoor areas. The majority (94/110 [85%]) of colleges and universities regulate smoking and/or tobacco in some or all outdoor areas. Less than 20% of campuses had restrictions for industry marketing, promotion, and sales. Conclusions: Clean indoor air policies are present at all but 1 NC college/university campus, and a growing number have enacted broad outdoor limits to protect students, faculty, and staff from secondhand smoke. Policy census approaches across all other states would quantify the national tobacco-free college campus policy environment and facilitate adoption of tobacco-free campus policies.
Mutations in gidB Confer Low-Level Streptomycin Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

ABSTRACT The global threat posed by drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis demands a greater understanding of the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms that govern how such strains develop resistance against various antituberculous drugs. In this report, we examine a new genetic basis for resistance to one of the oldest and most widely used second-line drugs employed in tuberculosis therapy, streptomycin (SM). This marker for SM resistance was first discovered on the basis of genomic data obtained from drug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains collected in Japan, wherein an association was observed between SM resistance and a mutation in gidB, a putative 16S rRNA methyltransferase. By evaluating an isogenic ΔgidB mutant strain constructed from strain H37Rv, we demonstrate the causal role of gidB in conferring a low-level SM-resistant phenotype in M. tuberculosis with a 16-fold increase in the MIC over the parent strain. Among clinical isolates, the modest increase in SM resistance conferred by a gidB mutation leads to an MIC distribution of gidB mutation-containing strains that spans the recommended SM breakpoint concentration currently used in drug susceptibility testing protocols. As such, some gidB mutation-containing isolates are found to be SM sensitive, while others are SM resistant. On the basis of a pharmacodynamic analysis and Monte Carlo simulation, those isolates that are found to be SM sensitive should still respond favorably to SM treatment, while nearly half of those found to be SM resistant will likely respond poorly. This report provides the first microbiological evidence for the contribution of gidB in streptomycin resistance and examines the clinical implications of mutations in the gidB gene.
Antimicrobial Drug Resistance Pattern of Escherichia coli Isolated from Chickens Farms with Colibacillosis Infection

Colibacillosis refers to any localized or systemic infection caused entirely or partly by avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC). Colibacillosis in mammals is most often a primary enteric or urinary tract disease, whereas colibacillosis in poultry is typically a localized or systemic disease occurring secondarily when host defenses have been impaired or overwhelmed by virulent E. coli strains. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial drug resistance pattern of Escherichia coli isolated from broiler chickens farms with colibacillosis infection. Dead birds from commercial broiler chicken farms showing signs of colibacillosis were necropsied and swab samples were collected from internal organs and blood aseptically for the isolation of Escherichia coli. Pure colonies of the bacteria were isolated on solid media and the isolates were identified as E. coli based on morphological and biochemical characteristics. For determination of susceptibility to antibacterial agents, the disc diffusion method on Muller-Hinton agar was used. The following antimicrobial agents were tested: gentamycin, oxytetracyline, colistin, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, nalidixic acid, co-trimoxazole (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole), norefloxacin, lincospectin and cefuroxime. The drug resistance patterns of the organisms were determined as a percentage and reported at three levels: susceptible, intermediate and resistant. All the isolates of Escherichia coli showed resistance to several antibiotics and a pattern of multiple drug resistance was observed. The highest rate of resistance was observed against nalidixic acid (100%) and the least rate of resistance was observed against gentamycin (17%). According to the results of this research care must be taken to avoid secondary infection (colibacillosis) in chicken farms and also avoid in careless antimicrobial consumption in food animals including chickens.
Repeatability of standardized tests of functional impairment and well-being in older people in a rehabilitation setting

Purpose : The aim of this study was to establish the repeatability of standardized tests of vision (Snellen chart testing), hearing (whispered voice test), communication (Frenchay aphasia screening test), loneliness (UCLA loneliness scale), morale (Philadelphia geriatric centre morale scale), and a multidimensional instrument (EASY-care) when used in a rehabilitation setting. Method : The tests were administered by a research nurse to 50 older subjects attending a day rehabilitation unit, with repeat administration one or two weeks later by a nurse on the unit. Kappa statistics were used for level of agreement for categorized data and interclass correlation coefficient were used for data based on scores. Results : Moderate repeatability for Snellen chart testing, whispered voice test; good to excellent for the FAST, UCLA loneliness scale and Philadelphia geriatric centre morale scale. Moderate to very good repeatability for all EASY-care items except communication, feeding, use of telephone and cognitive impairment, which had poor spread of data. Conclusions : Poor repeatability for commonly used tests of vision and hearing is worrying, whereas the positive results for the other tests will increase confidence in using them more in routine practice.
Numerical Computing for Third-Order Power Method Polynomials (Excel)

The power method polynomial transformation is a popular procedure used for simulating univariate and multivariate non-normal distributions. It requires software that solves simultaneous nonlinear equations. Potential users of the power method may not have access to commercial software packages (e.g., Mathematica, Fortran). Therefore, algorithms are presented in the more commonly available Excel 2003 spreadsheets. The algorithms solve for (I) coefficients for polynom ials of order three, (2) intermediate correlations and Cholesky factorizations for multivariate data generation, and (3) the values of skew and kurtosis for determining if a transformation will produce a valid power method probability density function (pdt). The Excel files are available at http.z/www.siu.eduz-epse 1/headrickIPowerMethod3rd/ or can be requested from the author at headrick@siu.edu.
Plasma fractionation: conventional and chromatographic methods for albumin purification Plazma Fraksiyonlanmasi: Albumin Saflaştirilmasi için Geleneksel ve Kromatografik

Plazma ayırma (fraksiyonlama) 60 yıl önce Cohn ve çalışma arkadaşları tarafından geliştirilmiş olan büyük ölçekli protein saflaştırılmasında ilk basamaktır. Son yılların tedavi amaçlı kullanılan önemli proteinleri insan serum albumini (HSA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), pıhtılaşma faktörü VIII ve proteaz inhibitörleridir. HSA plazmada en çok bulunan proteindir ve IgG ile tüm plazma proteinlerinin %80’ini oluşturur. Elde edilen verilere göre albumin plazma protein ürünlerinin yaklaşık %50’sini oluşturmaktadır. HSA saflaştırılması genel olarak, tıbbi kullanım için nispeten yüksek saflık gerektiren hipoproteinemi ve ciddi kan kaybı tedavilerinde gerekli olmaktadır. HSA ayrıca, şok, yanma, hipoalbuminemi, cerrahi, travma, kardiyopulmoner bypass, akut solunum yetmezliği, hemodiyaliz, akut nefroz, hiperbilirübinemi, akut karaciğer yetmezliği, karında sıvı birikmesi ve akut peritonit, pankreatit, mediastinit ve ekstansif selülitde proteince zengin sıvıların ayrılması gibi tedavi amaçlı kullanılmaktadır.
A class of Petri nets for modular modeling

This paper addresses the issue of integration in modeling large-scale systems using Petri nets based modular modeling approaches. We introduce a class of Petri nets called extended controllable-output nets (ECO nets). These nets are consistent, live and reversible. We show that the integration of such Petri nets preserves these properties under some fairly weak conditions. Furthermore, the integrated model is itself an ECO net.
Design and application of an oscillatory compression device for cell constructs

Mechanical compression has been shown to impact cell activity; however a need for a single device to perform a broader range of parametric studies exists. We have developed an oscillatory displacement controlled device to uniaxially strain cell constructs under both static and dynamic compression and used this device to investigate gene expression in cell constructs. The device has a wide stroke (0.25–4 mm) and frequency range (0.1–3 Hz) and several loading waveforms are possible. Alginate cellular constructs with embedded equine chondrocytes were tested and viability was maintained for the 24 h test period. Off‐line mechanical testing is described and a modulus value of 18.2 ± 1.3 kPa found for alginate disks which indicates the level of stress achieved with this deformation profile. Static (15% strain) and dynamic (15% strain, 1 Hz, triangle waveform) testing of chondrocyte constructs was performed and static compression showed significantly higher collagen II expression than dynamic using quantitative RT‐PCR. In contrast, differences in matrix metalloproteinase‐3 (MMP‐3) expression were statistically insignificant. These studies indicate the utility of our device for studying cell activity in response to compression and suggest further studies regarding how the load and strain spectrum impact chondrocyte activity. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007; 98: 211–220. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Celebrating fifty years of physics of failure

The year 2012 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the physics of failure concept since it was first introduced in 1962 by the Rome Air Development Center (now known as the Air Force Research Laboratory). A chronological description of the important historical events that led to the birth and subsequent advancement of physics of failure concept over the last fifty years has been presented in this paper. Alongside, a review of physics of failure concepts and methodologies as they evolved in the last fifty years has also been provided.
Testing and Analysis of Activities of Daily Living Data with Machine Learning Algorithms

It is estimated that 28% of European Union’s population will be aged 65 or older by 2060. Europe is getting older and this has a high impact on the estimated cost to be spent for older people. This is because, compared to the younger generation, older people are more at risk to have/face cognitive impairment, frailty and social exclusion, which could have negative effects on their lives as well as the economy of the European Union. The ‘active and independent ageing’ concept aims to support older people to live active and independent life in their preferred location and this goal can be fully achieved by understanding the older people (i.e their needs, abilities, preferences, difficulties they are facing during the day). One of the most reliable resources for such information is the Activities of Daily Living (ADL), which gives essential information about people’s lives. Understanding this kind of information is an important step towards providing the right support, facilities and care for the older population. In the literature, there is a lack of study that evaluates the performance of Machine Learning algorithms towards understanding the ADL data. This work aims to test and analyze the performance of the well known Machine Learning algorithms with ADL data.
Influence of the Extinction Ratio on the Intrachannel Nonlinear Distortion of 40-Gb/s Return-to-Zero Transmission Systems Over Standard Fiber

The impact of the extinction ratio (ER) on the performance of a 40-Gb/s return-to-zero transmission system over standard single-mode fiber (SSMF) is presented. Several dispersion maps are analyzed in order to minimize the distortion due to the intrachannel nonlinear effects, namely, intrachannel cross-phase modulation and intrachannel four wave mixing (IFWM). The decrease of the ER until a specific value leads to an increase of the intensity distortion, which is mainly due to IFWM. As a consequence, two distinct transmission regimes are identified, depending on the input average power of each section and the ER of the optical signals. The first regime has previously been called the pseudolinear regime in the literature and occurs when high ERs are considered. The optimum dispersion map of this regime has a given optical precompensation and a total residual dispersion near zero. The second regime occurs with the decrease of the ER. Under such a circumstance, the optimum dispersion map obtained in the pseudolinear regime leads to significant degradation, which is mainly due to ghost pulses appearing in the symbol ldquo0.rdquo This effect can be reduced by a system with residual dispersion that is significantly different from zero, leading to a detected eye pattern with low degradation in the symbol ldquo0rdquo but high timing jitter, which limits the use of such signals in feasible transmission systems. We call this new regime pseudosolitonic as the intrachannel nonlinear effects are apparently reduced by the residual group velocity dispersion (as it is observed in the solitonic regime occurring at lower bit rates), but strong waveform degradation occurs along the SSMF transmission. The exact value of ER for which the change between the two transmission regimes is observed depends on the optical average power at the input of each section. A simple expression to predict the system conditions (namely, ER, input average power of each section, and number of sections) for which the transition between the two regimes occurs is proposed, and its validity is analyzed.
Ankyrin Repeat and Suppressors of Cytokine Signaling Box Protein Asb-9 Targets Creatine Kinase B for Degradation*

The suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins inhibit cytokine action by direct interaction with Janus kinases or activated cytokine receptors. In addition to the N-terminal and Src homology 2 domains that mediate these interactions, SOCS proteins contain a C-terminal SOCS box. DNA data base searches have identified a number of other protein families that possess a SOCS box, of which the ankyrin repeat and SOCS box-containing (Asb) proteins constitute the largest. Although it is known that the SOCS proteins are involved in the negative regulation of cytokine signaling, the biological and biochemical functions of the Asbs are largely undefined. Using a proteomics approach, we demonstrate that creatine kinase B (CKB) interacts with Asb-9 in a specific, SOCS box-independent manner. This interaction increases the polyubiquitylation of CKB and decreases total CKB levels within the cell. The targeting of CKB for degradation by Asb-9 was primarily SOCS box-dependent and suggests that Asb-9 acts as a specific ubiquitin ligase regulating levels of this evolutionarily conserved enzyme.