Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhalation of Toxic and Therapeutic Particles in a Human Nasal Cavity

The reconstruction of the nasal cavity from computed tomography (CT) scans to a computational model was performed in order to (i) analyse the air flow field and (ii) particle dynamics. The scans were converted into MegaWave2 in preparation for processing. The solid modeling program, CATIA combined with the meshing program GAMBIT was then used to establish a model ready for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. A steady state laminar flow at 7.5 L/min was used to capture the flow field. Complex flow patterns including vortices were found in the nasal valve region. This flow feature enhances the deposition patterns in the anterior region of the cavity. Fibrous particles and low density particles were introduced into the air flow stream with their trajectories and deposition location recorded. Low-density drug particles lightens the particle inertial properties however the particle inertia is more sensitive to the particle size rather than the density. The toxicity of fibres has been linked to its length where fibre deposition in the lungs can be carcinogenic. It was found that asbestos had very low deposition, ap10% and was independent of fibre length, leading to deep lung deposition. In comparison, the carbon fibre was more sensitive to changes in the length and exhibited increases in deposition as the fibre length increased.
Rapid methods for diagnosis of bloodstream infections

Abstract Direct detection technologies for pathogenic microorganisms are emerging to be applied in the diagnosis of serious bloodstream infections and infections at sterile body sites, as well as for quality control measures prior to the release of sterile blood products and to ascertain microbial safety of food. Standard blood cultures as the current gold standard for detection of bacteraemia/sepsis and other culture-based microbiological identification procedures are comparatively slow and have limited sensitivity for fastidious or slow-growing microorganisms. Rapid nucleic acid-based technologies with PCR amplification or hybridisation probes for specific pathogens, broad-range bacterial or fungal assays, flow cytometry, as well as protein-based characterisation by mass spectrometry, aim at identification of pathogenic microorganisms within minutes to hours. Interpretation of direct detection of panbacterial or panfungal nucleic acids instead of living microorganisms in blood is complex, given the risk of contamination, the ubiquitous presence of bacterial and fungal DNA, and the lack of a gold standard. Since many of the infections at sterile sites, particularly sepsis, are medical emergencies requiring immediate therapeutic responses, rapid technologies could contribute to reduction of morbidity, mortality, and of the economic burden. This review summarises the currently available data on rapid non-culture-based technologies and outlines the potential clinical usefulness in infectious disease diagnosis. Clin Chem Lab Med 2008;46:888–908.
Plant NBR1 is a selective autophagy substrate and a functional hybrid of the mammalian autophagic adapters NBR1 and p62/SQSTM1

(Macro)autophagy encompasses both an unselective, bulk degradation of cytoplasmic contents as well as selective autophagy of damaged organelles, intracellular microbes, protein aggregates, cellular structures and specific soluble proteins. Selective autophagy is mediated by autophagic adapters, like p62/SQSTM1 and NBR1. p62 and NBR1 are themselves selective autophagy substrates, but they also act as cargo receptors for degradation of other substrates. Surprisingly, we found that homologs of NBR1 are distributed throughout the eukaryotic kingdom, while p62 is confined to the metazoans. As a representative of all organisms having only an NBR1 homolog we studied Arabidopsis thaliana NBR1 (AtNBR1) in more detail. AtNBR1 is more similar to mammalian NBR1 than to p62 in domain architecture and amino acid sequence. However, similar to p62, AtNBR1 homo-polymerizes via the PB1 domain. Hence, AtNBR1 has hybrid properties of mammalian NBR1 and p62. AtNBR1 has 2 UBA domains, but only the C-terminal UBA domain bound ubiquitin. AtNBR1 bound AtATG8 through a conserved LIR (LC3-interacting region) motif and required co-expression of AtATG8 or human GABARAPL2 to be recognized as an autophagic substrate in HeLa cells. To monitor the autophagic sequestration of AtNBR1 in Arabidopsis we made transgenic plants expressing AtNBR1 fused to a pH-sensitive fluorescent tag, a tandem fusion of the red, acid-insensitive mCherry and the acid-sensitive yellow fluorescent proteins. This strategy allowed us to show that AtNBR1 is an autophagy substrate degraded in the vacuole dependent on the polymerization property of the PB1 domain and of expression of AtATG7. A functional LIR was required for vacuolar import.
Jochre, océrisation par apprentissage automatique : étude comparée sur le yiddish et l'occitan

Pour constituer des bases de textes pour des langues peu dotees comme le yiddish et l'occitan, il faut creer des outils et des ressources permettant une reconnaissance optique de caracteres (ocerisation) de qualite. Une des difficultes principales a surmonter pour ces deux langues est leur grande variation graphique (et dialectale pour l'occitan). Il est generalement admis qu'un lexique augmente la qualite de l'ocerisation, mais la facon dont il faut tenir compte de la variation au sein du lexique n'est pas toujours clair. Dans cette etude, nous avons utilise un logiciel d'apprentissage automatique supervise, Jochre. Nous comparons plusieurs facons de constituer et d'utiliser les lexiques. La meilleure methode nous permet d'atteindre une exactitude de 91,2 % (mots) et 97,4 % (lettres) sur le corpus yiddish, et de 93,2 % (mots) et 97,9 % (lettres) pour le corpus occitan.
The regime shift in the Baltic Sea area — Caused by the change of the NAO sign?

In the Baltic Sea area during the late 1980s air and sea surface temperature increased. A longer growing season and increases in phytoplankton biomass as well as changes in the zooplankton and fish communities accompanied this. These changes are supposed to represent a regime shift in the ecology of the central Baltic Sea that could have been caused by a related sign change in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index. But the NAO has changed sign more frequently and most of the time no corresponding regime shift did occur therefore we should check this hypothesis more thorough. We investigated additional to the NAO a broad range of variables including air temperature, sea surface temperature, phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass, fish abundance and oxygen. The time series data are analyzed with respect to autocorrelation, linear trends and the occurrence of breakpoints whereby always tests for statistical significance are conducted. Tests for structural breakpoints in these time series reveal for some of the investigated variables the existence of such breakpoints in the 70-80 ties of the last century. But surprisingly in many physical and biological variables and in the most common climate indices no clear breakpoints can be identified. Specifically the change of the NAO sign around 1987, which is proposed to be the reason for an ecological regime shift in the Baltic Sea is not statistically significant. The coincidence of the sign change and an ecological regime shift could just be pure random, but even the evidence for a clear ecological regime shift is missing. In summary we strongly advocate to apply sound statistical procedures for detecting regime shifts instead of eye fitting and qualitative descriptions. A strong hypothesis like the postulation of a regime shift 1987 caused by the change in the NAO sign does require strong evidence, but it seems we might not have that.
Do patients improve in general psychiatric outpatient care? Problem severity among patients and the effectiveness of a psychiatric outpatient unit

This study evaluated a routine psychiatric outpatient unit that admitted a variety of diagnoses and was staffed with a multi-professional team. The aim was to describe the problem severity among patients of a routine psychiatric outpatient unit in Sweden and to evaluate the statistical and clinical effectiveness of routine care assessed at the termination of treatment. Newly admitted patients were diagnosed according to the ICD-10 and completed questionnaires at the beginning and end of their treatment regarding symptoms (Brief Symptom Inventory) and interpersonal problems (Inventory of Interpersonal Problems); 98.6% of the patients belonged to the dysfunctional group at pre-treatment, showing that there were considerable sufferings among new patients. There were significant improvements in most of the variables. The effect size regarding symptoms (Global Severity Index) was d=0.76 and 0.43 in the interpersonal total score. No difference between different diagnostic groups was found. As for the clinical significant change, the results showed that 64.5% of the patients were improved regarding symptom remission but also that a considerable number of patients (60.5%) still belonged to the dysfunctional group after the treatment. The study indicates that the effectiveness of a routine psychiatric outpatient practice seems to be similar to results obtained from speciality research clinics and randomized controlled trial studies. However, the results also show that there is a considerable amount of patients still in the dysfunctional group after the treatment, a fact that implies that further improvements of the treatment could be made.
High-power photonic transmitter-mixer with ultra-wide O-E (50 GHz) and IF (26 GHz) modulation bandwidths for wireless data transmission

We demonstrate a novel photonic transmitter-mixer (PTM) module with state-of-the-art wide optical-to-electrical (OE) (66–116 GHz), intermediate-frequency (IF) modulation bandwidths (26 GHz), and a low coupling loss (−2 dB). The full module is composed of an active near-ballistic unitraveling-carrier photodiode (NBUTC-PD) and the passive millimeter-wave components, which are fabricated on the aluminum nitride substrate with conductor on its backside for excellent thermal sinking. Compared with the control without backside conductor, our new design exhibits a significant wider IF modulation bandwidth (26 vs. 14 GHz), higher saturation current (18 vs. 14 mA), with the same O-E bandwidth (66–116, 50 GHz) and low coupling loss (−2 dB). To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest IF modulation bandwidth (26 GHz) with widest fractional O-E bandwidth (55%) among all the reported photonic transmitters.
Micromagnetic Evaluation of Size Effects on the Critical Curves of Synthetic Antiferromagnetic Structures

In many applications in which synthetic antiferromagnetic (SAF) structures are used, the most intricate problem is to design a magnetic field sequence to safely switch the AF coupled magnetic moments. In this paper, we analyze the switching of a SAF structure under a magnetic field pulse using the concept of critical curve (CC). To observe the size effects on the CCs, we have used a full micromagnetic simulation based on Magpar software package. The results have been compared with a simulation of the CCs with a simplified model using two macrospins coupled antiferromagnetically with the dynamics described by the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. The differences between the two ways of simulation the same switching process are presented and discussed.
Immunofluorescence Analysis of Yeast Protein

[Abstract] Many important regulatory proteins such as transcription factors are regulated through subcellular localization. Protein localization can be examined by fusing a GFP tag. However, GFP is relatively big in size, and potentially may affect correct protein localization. Several small tags have been developed, such as myc, HA or Flag. By using immunostain and florescence microscopy as described in this protocol, one can easily probe the regulation of a selected yeast protein with the application of the aforementioned small tags.
Cloning of 1,2-dichloroethane degradation genes of Xanthobacter autotrophicus GJ10 and expression and sequencing of the dhlA gene

A gene bank from the chlorinated hydrocarbon-degrading bacterium Xanthobacter autotrophicus GJ10 was prepared in the broad-host-range cosmid vector pLAFR1. By using mutants impaired in dichloroethane utilization and strains lacking dehalogenase activities, several genes involved in 1,2-dichloroethane metabolism were isolated. The haloalkane dehalogenase gene dhlA was subcloned, and it was efficiently expressed from its own constitutive promoter in strains of a Pseudomonas sp. , Escherichia coli, and a Xanthobacter sp. at levels up to 30% of the total soluble cellular protein. A 3-kilobase-pair BamHI DNA fragment on which the dhlA gene is localized was sequenced. The haloalkane dehalogenase gene was identified by the known N-terminal amino acid sequence of its product and found to encode a 310-amino-acid protein of molecular weight 35,143. Upstream of the dehalogenase gene, a good ribosome-binding site and two consensus E. coli promoter sequences were present.
Cryptococcosis after living donor liver transplantation: report of three cases

Abstract: Cryptococcosis is the third most common invasive fungal infection in solid organ transplantation, which usually occurs more than 6 months after the primary operation. In our series of 180 consecutive adult living‐donor liver transplantation recipients, three (1.5%) had cryptococcosis and one of these patients died. The serum cryptococcal antigen examination was positive in all three patients who suffered from cryptococcosis. The serum cryptococcal antigen test might contribute to the early detection and treatment of cryptococcosis.
Adjuvant trastuzumab for breast cancer

We need to ensure that equity exists for access to effective and expensive treatments I n an era when encouraging headlines for the treatment of cancer seem to come and go, the results of randomised trials of adjuvant trastuzumab for treating breast cancers that overexpress human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) have been rightly viewed as “stunning. ”1 The implications are relevant not only to patients with respect to significantly reducing the risk of cancer recurrence and death but also to all involved in the delivery of health care. We need to ensure that the process for funding of these highly effective treatments remains equitable not only between patients with different types of cancer but also between patients in different countries. HER2 normally helps in the regulation of cell proliferation. Amplification of the HER2/neu oncogene occurs in 25-30% of human primary breast cancers and portends a poorer prognosis.2 Trastuzumab is a recombinant humanised monoclonal antibody directed against HER2. The success of trastuzumab is an example of true …
The hydration status of young female elite soccer players during an official tournament.

BACKGROUND The hydration status of elite female soccer players is a concern, especially during high-volume training periods or tournaments. Furthermore, scientific literature on this topic is scarce to non-existent. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to evaluate the hydration status in elite youth female soccer players during an official tournament. The secondary aim was to identify a possible relationship between pre-training hydration status and fluid intake. METHODS Eighteen players were followed during eight consecutive days. Urine specific gravity was used to assess hydration status. Body weight was monitored before and after every training and match, whilst individual fluid intake was only registered during training. The players were informed about their hydration status on day 5. RESULTS On days 1 to 4, the percentage of players who were at least minimally hypohydrated ranged between 44% and 78%. On day 5 (rest day), all the players were at least minimally hypohydrated. After the information session on day 5, the relative number of euhydrated players increased to 89% on both day 6 (training day) and day 7 (match day). On the final day (rest day), all players were either minimally hypohydrated or hypohydrated. Furthermore, a moderate and significant negative correlation (r=-0.44; N.=54; P=0.01) was found between fluid intake during and USG value before the training sessions. CONCLUSIONS The data illustrates that the hydration status of this population of elite youth female soccer players may be suboptimal and is of substantial concern on rest days during this tournament under temperate conditions. Receiving personal advice about rehydration seems to have a positive effect.
A unified approach to performance analysis of energy detection with diversity receivers over Nakagami-m fading channels

This paper analyzes the performance of an energy detector for single and diversity antenna receptions. It starts by providing closed-form expressions to a class of semi-infinite integrals which include the generalized Marcum Q-function and its extension, the Nuttal Q-function as special cases. Based on these unified frameworks, novel analytical expressions are firstly derived for the average detection probability over Nakagami-m fading channels. The analysis is subsequently extended to cases with diversity receptions including maximal ratio combining (MRC) and switch and stay combining (SSC). For the SSC scheme, closed-form expressions are derived to determine optimum switching thresholds in a maximum average detection probability. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves, as an important measure of the energy detector, over different fading and diversity parameters are discussed. The analytical results are verified by numerical computations and Monte-Carlo simulations.
Composite integral sliding mode control for PMSM

Based on the mathematical model and state equation of the permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM), a composite nonlinear integral sliding surface which contains integer order integral and fractional order integral was proposed, and the corresponding sliding mode controller was designed in order to improve the dynamic performance and robustness of the PMSM position control system. For further improving the robustness to load disturbance and eliminate the system chattering, the fractional order integral to the sliding surface was considered as a feedforward compensation in the control output. The stability of the proposed method was proved by the Lyapunov stability theory. The simulation results show the dynamic performance and robustness of the proposed method.
Multi-scale clean deconvolution for solar radio imaging with Mingantu Ultrawide Spectral Radioheliograph (MUSER)

The MUSER is a solar-dedicated radio interferometric array, which will simultaneously make high time, space and frequency resolution images of the Sun. Solar radio imaging is dependent upon deconvolution algorithm to counteract the sparse sampling of the Fourier plane. Recently, the deconvolution method used in MUSER imaging is Hogbom CLEAN algorithm. This algorithm works extremely well for collections of point sources; however, for extended objects, such as the solar disk, it should be improved by adopting the multi-scale approach. In this work we employ and improve the Cornwell Multi-scale CLEAN (2008) as the deconvolution method in MUSER solar radio imaging. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the Multi-scale CLEAN in MUSER solar radio imaging.
[Validazione della versione italiana del Brief Pain Inventory nei pazienti con dolore cronico].

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study has been the validation of an Italian version of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), Breve Questionario per la valutazione del Dolore (BQVD), in patients with chronic pain not-caused by neoplastic illness. METHODS The analysis has been proposed to 113 patients affected by different kinds of chronic pain of non-neoplastic origin while hospitalized, both as outpatients or as in-patients. The descriptive analysis of the specimen and of each item of the BPI has been carried out. Moreover, the psychometric characteristics of the analysis, intended as an instrument to describe intensity of pain and its interference in the various aspects of life have been investigated, evaluating with factorial analysis its validity both as a construct, and its internal coherence calculating the Cronbach's alpha of the whole instrument and of each identifier with factorial analysis. RESULTS From the factorial analysis emerged a frame with three factors that have been identified as Pain intensity, Pain interference in emotional sphere and Interference in working activities. CONCLUSIONS The Brief Pain Inventory can be considered a suitable useful instrument in the global evaluation of patients affected by chronic pain since its allows a contemporaneous analysis of three factors that characterize the phenomenon and contribute equally in defining the various facet of the pain universe. The Italian version of the BPI may be included in the essential evaluation instruments in the diagnosis and therapy of chronic pain.
A Bayesian Approach to Determine the Impact of Institutions on the Unemployment Rate

Labor and product market regulations affect the unemployment rate of a country without doubt. Econometricians, however, have yet to establish an unequivocal significance of this impact. Model mis-specification, one of the main underlying problems, is overcome by adopting a Bayesian Model Averaging approach. I apply this method to a panel data set that covers 17 OECD countries for the time period from 1982 to 2005 and for up to 20 potential explanatory variables. 8 institutional indicators are identified as significant determinants of unemployment. Endogeneity due to reverse causality is also considered by applying an instrumental variable estimation approach.
Health status and needs of cancer survivors attending the Sydney Survivorship Centre clinics and programmes: a protocol for longitudinal evaluation of the centre’s services

Introduction The care of cancer survivors after primary adjuvant treatment is recognised as a distinct phase of the cancer journey. Recent research highlights the importance of lifestyle factors in treating symptoms, potentially decreasing risk of a cancer recurrence and modifying the risk of developing other chronic illnesses that are increased in the cancer population. Survivorship services aim to deliver care that addresses these issues. The overall aims are to determine the health status of cancer survivors and to evaluate the services offered by the Sydney Survivorship Centre (SSC). Methods and analysis This is an observational single-centre study evaluating the longitudinal physical and psychological health, symptoms, quality of life and lifestyle (physical activity and nutrition) of early stage cancer survivors attending the multidisciplinary Sydney Survivorship Clinic and survivors (at any stage of the cancer journey) and caregivers participating in SSC courses. Evaluation of patient satisfaction is included. Patient-reported outcomes and patient characteristics will be summarised using descriptive statistics with Spearman rank sum correlation coefficients to determine associations between patient-reported outcomes. Regression modelling may be used to further evaluate associations and to investigate risk factors and predictors of health outcomes. Qualitative data will be analysed using thematic analysis to identify themes. Sample size will be determined by attendance of consenting patients at clinics and courses. Ethics and dissemination The study has received ethics approval from the Concord Repatriation General Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/14/CRGH/23). The results will be published and presented at appropriate conferences. This study will provide important information regarding the health status and needs of Australian cancer survivors and the ability of the survivorship centre to address these needs. These data will shape the future direction of survivorship care in Australia and facilitate the design of interventions or measures to provide better quality of care to this patient population.