Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Induction of hyperthermia using an intracavitary multielement ultrasonic applicator

The possibility of inducing controlled hyperthermia in rectal or vaginal wall tumors using an intracavity ultrasonic applicator is considered. A computer model that took into account the thermal and ultrasonic properties of tissues and surface cooling was used to optimize the transducer parameters to obtain desirable temperature distributions for different perfusion situations in the tumor. An applicator that consisted of a cylindrical array of five independently controllable ultrasonic transducers was developed. This array was then tested in degassed water to determine the functional characteristics. This same applicator, modified to include water cooling of the tissue surface, was tested in vivo in dogs. The temperature distributions were found to be promising, and, with modifications, this approach can be used in clinical treatments of suitable tumors. <<ETX>>
Latency-Aware Application Module Management for Fog Computing Environments

The fog computing paradigm has drawn significant research interest as it focuses on bringing cloud-based services closer to Internet of Things (IoT) users in an efficient and timely manner. Most of the physical devices in the fog computing environment, commonly named fog nodes, are geographically distributed, resource constrained, and heterogeneous. To fully leverage the capabilities of the fog nodes, large-scale applications that are decomposed into interdependent Application Modules can be deployed in an orderly way over the nodes based on their latency sensitivity. In this article, we propose a latency-aware Application Module management policy for the fog environment that meets the diverse service delivery latency and amount of data signals to be processed in per unit of time for different applications. The policy aims to ensure applications’ Quality of Service (QoS) in satisfying service delivery deadlines and to optimize resource usage in the fog environment. We model and evaluate our proposed policy in an iFogSim-simulated fog environment. Results of the simulation studies demonstrate significant improvement in performance over alternative latency-aware strategies.
Recovery of Corneal Topography and Vision Following Opaque-Tinted Contact Lens Wear

Purpose: To investigate corneal changes after wearing cosmetic tinted contact lens and the recovery of corneal topography. Methods: Seven subjects took part in the study. Three cosmetic tinted lens types and one control soft contact lens were investigated (Crazy Lens, WildEyes, FreshLook, and SofLens Comfort). Lenses were worn for 1 hour. Corneal topography data were measured before lens wear, with the contact lens in situ and at 0, 10, 20, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 minutes after lens removal. Height data difference maps were calculated and corneal recovery measured. Visual acuity was taken before lens removal and at 1, 10, 30, 60, 120, and 150 minutes after lens removal. Subjective ratings of haloes and ghosting following lens wear were also recorded. Results: For the Crazy Lens, concentric rings of steepening and flattening with a mean height change of 2.17 ± 0.98 μm (P < 0.05) were found in the central cornea at a location corresponding to the edge of the clear pupil diameter. Corneal recovery after removal of the Crazy Lens took up to 150 minutes. Visual acuity loss in high luminance during Crazy Lens wear was 0.29 LogMAR (P < 0.01). For the WildEyes and FreshLook lenses, smaller changes in corneal topography and vision were found after 1 hour of lens wear. Conclusions: Patients who wear cosmetic tinted lenses need to be aware of the potential for reduced visual performance, both during lens wear and for several hours after lens wear.
Fall‐related brain injuries and the risk of dementia in elderly people: a population‐based study

Severe head injury in early adulthood may increase the risk of dementia in older age, but it is not known whether head injury in later life also increases the risk of dementia. A representative sample (82%) of persons aged 70 years or older with a Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) test score of ≥26 (n = 325) were followed‐up for 9 years to record all their fall‐related head injuries resulting in traumatic brain injury (TBI). At the end of the follow‐up period, 152 persons (81% of the surviving population) were examined for clinical dementia, according to DSM‐IV criteria. Eight persons sustained a TBI and 34 developed dementia. Brain injury was associated with younger age at detection of dementia even when adjusted for sex and educational status (low educational status significantly associated with dementia); age‐specific hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) 2.80 (1.35–5.81). In a population scoring ≥28 points in the baseline MMSE an apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ɛ4 phenotype was also associated with younger age at the time of detecting dementia; 3.56 (1.35–9.34), and the effect of brain injury and ApoE ɛ4 phenotype was synergistic; 7.68 (2.32–25.3). We conclude that fall‐related TBI predicts earlier onset of dementia and the effect is especially high amongst subjects who carry the ApoE ɛ4 allele.
Star Formation at z = 2.481 in the Lensed Galaxy SDSS J1110 = 6459. I. Lens Modeling and Source Reconstruction

Using the combined resolving power of the Hubble Space Telescope and gravitational lensing, we resolve star-forming structures in a galaxy on scales much smaller than the usual kiloparsec diffraction limit of HST. SGAS J111020.0+645950.8 is a clumpy, star-forming galaxy lensed by the galaxy cluster SDSS J1110+6459 at , with a total magnification across the entire arc. We use a hybrid parametric/non-parametric strong lensing mass model to compute the deflection and magnification of this giant arc, reconstruct the light distribution of the lensed galaxy in the source plane, and resolve the star formation into two dozen clumps. We develop a forward-modeling technique to model each clump in the source plane. We ray-trace the model to the image plane, convolve with the instrumental point-spread function (PSF), and compare with the GALFIT model of the clumps in the image plane, which decomposes clump structure from more extended emission. This technique has the advantage, over ray-tracing, of accounting for the asymmetric lensing shear of the galaxy in the image plane and the instrument PSF. At this resolution, we can begin to study star formation on a clump-by-clump basis, toward the goal of understanding feedback mechanisms and the buildup of exponential disks at high redshift.
Validation of planning‐free vessel‐encoded pseudo‐continuous arterial spin labeling MR imaging as territorial‐ASL strategy by comparison to super‐selective p‐CASL MRI

Vessel‐encoded (VE) pseudo‐continuous arterial spin labeling (p‐CASL) is a territorial ASL (T‐ASL) technique to identify the perfusion territories of cerebral arteries. The aim of this study was to validate the output of three Vessel‐encoded p‐CASL image processing methods, k‐means clustering with and without subsequent linear analysis and a Bayesian framework, by comparison with the perfusion maps acquired with super‐selective p‐CASL.
Estimation of Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Distribution in Infants by Near-Infrared Topography Using Indocyanine Green

Near-infrared topography with indocyanine green was used to measure regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the temporal lobes of infants. The mean rCBF in infants without neural abnormality was 14.5 +/- 3.1 ml/100 g/min, and the rCBFs in the fronto-temporal, temporal, and occipito-temporal regions were 15.1 +/- 3.9, 15.4 +/- 3.3, and 14.6 +/- 3.3 ml/100 g/min, respectively. Moreover, in one asphyxiated infant with infarction and one infant with subdural and intracerebellar hemorrhage, it was demonstrated that the area of defective blood flow could be detected as well as it can by SPECT. This technique makes it possible to estimate rCBF distribution in infants at the bedside. Thus, in the future, evaluation of various neonatal illnesses should be feasible.
Structural basis for allosteric cross-talk between the asymmetric nucleotide binding sites of a heterodimeric ABC exporter

Significance ATP binding cassette (ABC) exporters contain a pair of nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs), which bind and hydrolyze ATP to pump substrates across the membrane. Functional studies suggest that the two ATP binding sites are conformationally coupled. In contrast to other ABC exporters, we show that the asymmetric NBDs of the heterodimeric ABC exporter TM287/288 remain in contact, even in the absence of nucleotides. By comparing the apo state with the adenosine 5′-(β,γ-imido)triphosphate–bound structure of TM287/288, we unravel the structural basis for allosteric coupling between the ATP binding sites. NBD-NBD contacts in the inward-facing transporter warrant cross-communication between the ATP binding sites throughout the transport cycle and are in agreement with functional models of clinically important heterodimeric ABC exporters including CFTR, SUR1, and TAP1/2. ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters mediate vital transport processes in every living cell. ATP hydrolysis, which fuels transport, displays positive cooperativity in numerous ABC transporters. In particular, heterodimeric ABC exporters exhibit pronounced allosteric coupling between a catalytically impaired degenerate site, where nucleotides bind tightly, and a consensus site, at which ATP is hydrolyzed in every transport cycle. Whereas the functional phenomenon of cooperativity is well described, its structural basis remains poorly understood. Here, we present the apo structure of the heterodimeric ABC exporter TM287/288 and compare it to the previously solved structure with adenosine 5′-(β,γ-imido)triphosphate (AMP-PNP) bound at the degenerate site. In contrast to other ABC exporter structures, the nucleotide binding domains (NBDs) of TM287/288 remain in molecular contact even in the absence of nucleotides, and the arrangement of the transmembrane domains (TMDs) is not influenced by AMP-PNP binding, a notion confirmed by double electron-electron resonance (DEER) measurements. Nucleotide binding at the degenerate site results in structural rearrangements, which are transmitted to the consensus site via two D-loops located at the NBD interface. These loops owe their name from a highly conserved aspartate and are directly connected to the catalytically important Walker B motif. The D-loop at the degenerate site ties the NBDs together even in the absence of nucleotides and substitution of its aspartate by alanine is well-tolerated. By contrast, the D-loop of the consensus site is flexible and the aspartate to alanine mutation and conformational restriction by cross-linking strongly reduces ATP hydrolysis and substrate transport.
Protective effect of the lazaroid U74006F in cold ischemia‐reperfusion injury of the liver

Lipid peroxidation may play a major role in the loss of liver graft viability after prolonged cold ischemia and reperfusion injury. The lazaroid compound U74006F is a potent inhibitor of lipid peroxidation, and this study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of this compound in preventing cold ischemia–reperfusion damage in three different models: pig endothelial cells in culture, ex vivo isolated pig liver perfusion and orthotopic transplantation of syngeneic rat livers. The addition of U74006F to University of Wisconsin preservation solution significantly prolonged endothelial cell viability after 48 and 72 hr of cold ischemia and reoxygenation (p < 0.01). Donor pigs were injected with vehicle or U74006F (4.5 mg/kg) before liver harvest. After 24 hr of cold storage in University of Wisconsin solution, the livers were perfused with pig blood for 180 min in an isolation chamber. Measurements of liver function parameters, including AST, ALT, bile production, superoxide anion and phospholipase A2 release, were assessed every 60 min. Although bile production was similar in the U74006F‐treated and control groups, significant decreases of AST and ALT levels (p < 0.01) in the perfusate of the livers from treated donors were observed. In addition, the U74006F group displayed significantly reduced release of superoxide anion and phospholipase A2 compared with these parameters in the untreated group (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). In the last model, donor rats were treated with U74006F before harvest; the rat liver grafts were preserved in cold University of Wisconsin solution for 24 hr and then transplanted into recipient rats. The number of liver graft recipients that survived 7 days after transplantation was significantly larger (p < 0.001) in the group of recipients of U74006F‐treated livers. Furthermore, this group showed significantly lower levels of lipid peroxides in liver tissues (p < 0.01) and AST and ALT release (p < 0.05) compared with the control group at 2 and 7 days after transplantation. We conclude that U74006F is effective in enhancing the resistance of the liver to damage due to cold ischemia–reperfusion injury and that the use of this compound may improve early liver graft function after transplantation. (Hepatology 1994;19:418–425).
A comparison of biomass production and machine system productivity using three harvesting methods in a conifer first thinning.

A thinning trial took place in a 19-year-old Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr) plantation in the south east of Ireland where three methods of harvesting were performed using the same harvester and forwarder machine system: cut to length harvesting (CTL), integrated harvesting (INT), and whole tree harvesting (WT). The objectives of the trial were to evaluate the log volume and biomass mobilised using each method, the productivity of the machines, and quality parameters of the biomass as a fuel. Using the CTL method, 56.5 m3 ha-1 of pulpwood and 6.4 m3 ha-1 of small sawlog were harvested. This equated to 23.6 odt ha-1 of roundwood material. A greater amount of biomass was mobilised using the INT and WT harvesting methods than the CTL method. On average, compared to the CTL method, 81.8% more biomass was mobilised by the INT method and 93.6% more biomass was removed by the WT method. Wood fuel supply chain (harvesting, forwarding, and chipping) cost to the forest roadside was highest for CTL, and was 23% lower for INT, and 33% lower for WT. The results suggest that the potential biomass mobilisation from first thinnings may be greater than current estimates suggest, while harvesting costs may be further reduced by employing specialised methods. However, the trial was confined to one site, and therefore as the results are site specific they need to be interpreted with caution.
Comparison of the Cytokine Profiles of Patients With Neuronal-Antibody-Associated Central Nervous System Disorders

ABSTRACT Levels of several cytokines were evaluated in the sera of patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and paraneoplastic or nonparaneoplastic autoimmune encephalitis (AE) and healthy controls (HC). AE patients had higher serum interleukin-17 (IL-17), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and IL-12 levels than NMO patients and HC. Also, AE patients with antibodies to cell surface antigens (voltage-gated potassium channel, N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor) displayed increased serum Th17 cytokine (IL-17, IL-23) levels as compared with AE patients with antibodies to intracellular antigens (Hu, Yo), NMO patients, and HC. Aquaporin-4 (Aqp-4) antibody positive NMO patients had higher serum IL-9 levels than Aqp-4 antibody negative NMO patients. IL-17, IL-23, IL-12, and antibody levels were significantly correlated in AE patients with antibodies to cell surface antigens. Our results support the notion that different pathogenic mechanisms are involved in central nervous system diseases associated with antibodies to intracellular and cell surface neuronal antigens. T helper 1 (Th1)-/Th17-type immunities and IL-9 might be important therapeutic targets in AE and NMO, respectively.
Chemokine receptor homo‐ or heterodimerization activates distinct signaling pathways

Chemokine receptors of both the CC and CXC families have been demonstrated to undergo a ligand‐mediated homodimerization process required for Ca2+ flux and chemotaxis. We show that, in the chemokine response, heterodimerization is also permitted between given receptor pairs, specifically between CCR2 and CCR5. This has functional consequences, as the CCR2 and CCR5 ligands monocyte chemotactic protein‐1 (MCP‐1) and RANTES (regulated upon activation, normal T cell‐expressed and secreted) cooperate to trigger calcium responses at concentrations 10‐ to 100‐fold lower than the threshold for either chemokine alone. Heterodimerization results in recruitment of each receptor‐associated signaling complex, but also recruits dissimilar signaling path ways such as Gq/11 association, and delays activation of phosphatidyl inositol 3‐kinase. The consequences are a pertussis toxin‐resistant Ca2+ flux and trig gering of cell adhesion rather than chemotaxis. These results show the effect of heterodimer formation on increasing the sensitivity and dynamic range of the chemokine response, and may aid in understanding the dynamics of leukocytes at limiting chemokine concentrations in vivo.
The aggregation problem in its hystorical perspective: a summary overview

This document covers the problem of aggregation in the context of statistical and econometric linear modelling under rural development. A brief updated overview on this topic, much debated and approved, will be given in different conceptual frameworks: longitudinal or spatial, temporal and contemporaneous. It will be shown the possible introduction of bias in aggregate macroeconomic models and the stochastic characteristics change from higher frequency models to lower ones. The concept of multi-dimensionality as a means to overcome the onedimensional analysis of development and poverty and also as an alternative measure of welfare will be discussed in its empirical and methodological aspects. A focus will be dedicated to the specific steps necessary to identify the weights and the aggregation methods in the construction of composite indices.
Neutralisation patterns among recent British and North American feline calicivirus isolates from different clinical origins

The neutralisation patterns of 103 recent isolates of feline calicivirus from cats with chronic stomatitis or acute feline calicivirus disease, and from cats with neither oral nor respiratory disease were compared. There were no statistically significant differences between the proportions of isolates from each clinical source neutralised by individual feline calicivirus cat antisera. Different antisera showed widely differing degrees of cross reactivity; antisera to the most widely used vaccine strain F9 being the most cross reactive, neutralising 54 per cent of all the field isolates, and antisera to a field isolate LS015 the next most cross reactive, neutralising 29 per cent of the field isolates. However, the cross reactivity of antisera to early British isolates (A4, 68/40 and 69/1112) was much reduced (overall less than 10 per cent) whereas in the early 1970s 65 per cent of 117 field isolates from clinically normal cats were neutralised by A4 antiserum, and 40 per cent by each of 68/40 and 69/1112 antisera. This suggests a change in the spectrum of antigenicity among feline calicivirus isolates over the past 15 years. However, the cross reactivity of F9 antisera appeared to be similar to that in earlier studies. The relevance of these findings to vaccination is discussed.
Functional Pearls: Probabilistic functional programming in Haskell

At the heart of functional programming rests the principle of referential transparency, which in particular means that a function f applied to a value x always yields one and the same value y=f(x). This principle seems to be violated when contemplating the use of functions to describe probabilistic events, such as rolling a die: It is not clear at all what exactly the outcome will be, and neither is it guaranteed that the same value will be produced repeatedly. However, these two seemingly incompatible notions can be reconciled if probabilistic values are encapsulated in a data type.
Physical activity and levels of inactivity in adolescent females ages 11–16 years in the United Arab Emirates

The purpose of this study was to investigate patterns of physical activity and levels of inactivity in adolescent females in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A total of 58 adolescent females, age 11–16 years, were recruited from two female‐only governmental schools in Abu‐Dhabi. Subjects were divided into two groups: 11–13 years (n = 22) and 14–16 years (n = 36). Physical activity patterns were determined from a 3‐day activity diary. Total energy expenditure (TEE) was estimated using a factorial approach. The amount of physical activity was expressed as the physical activity level (PAL) and the activity‐related energy expenditure (AEE). The number of hours spent watching television was estimated from the activity diaries. There were no significant differences in the energy expenditure parameters between age groups or between schooldays and weekends. PAL was low in both age groups. Television was the predominant leisure time pursuit. The number of hours per day spent watching television (median and interquartile range) was 2.5 (2.3–3.1) in 11–13 years and 2.5 (2.3–2.8) in 14–16 years. Television‐watching was significantly higher during the weekend than schooldays: 11–13 years (P = 0.006) and 14–16 years (P < 0.001). In conclusion, the amount of physical activity undertaken by adolescent females in the UAE was very low. Cultural and weather restrictions and social change of the community in the UAE are not conducive to physical activity and play a major role in levels of physical inactivity. This may explain, in part, the rise in the incidence of obesity in this population. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 16:346–353, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.