Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metallized and oxidized silicon macropore arrays filled with a scintillator for CCD-based X-ray imaging detectors

Silicon charge-coupled devices (CCDs) covered with a scintillating film are now available on the market for use in digital medical imaging. However, these devices could still be improved in terms of sensitivity and especially spatial resolution by coating the CCD with an array of scintillating waveguides. In this paper, such waveguides were fabricated by first etching pores in silicon, then performing metallization or oxidation of the pore walls and finally filling the pores with CsI(Tl). The resulting structures were observed using scanning electron microscopy and tested under X-ray exposure. Theoretical efficiencies of macropore arrays filled with CsI(Tl) were also calculated, indicating that the optimal pore depth for metallized macropore arrays is about 80 /spl mu/m while it is around 350 /spl mu/m for oxidized ones. This result, together with the roughness of the metal coating, explains why lower SNR values were measured with the metallized macropores. Indeed, the macropore arrays had depths in the range of 210-390 /spl mu/m, which is favorable to oxidized structures.
Adherence to clinical guidelines in heart failure (HF) outpatients: Impact of an interprofessional HF team on evidence-based medication use

Abstract Clinical systolic heart failure (HF) guidelines specify recommendations for ACE inhibitors (ACEI), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB), and beta blockers according to doses used in clinical trials. However, many HF patients remain suboptimally treated. We sought to determine which provider type, between an interprofessional HF team, non-HF cardiologists, and primary care physicians (PCP), most optimally manages HF medications and doses. A retrospective chart review was performed on adult patients at an academic county hospital with an ejection fraction ≤40% and a diagnosis of HF, seen by a single provider type (HF team, cardiologist, or PCP) at least twice within a 12-month period. Utilization rates of any ACEI/ARB and any beta blocker were robust across provider types, though evidence-based ACEI/ARB and beta blocker were greatest from the HF team. Doses of evidence-based therapies dropped markedly in the non-HF team groups. The percent of patients prescribed optimal doses of an evidence-based ACEI/ARB AND beta blocker was 69%, 33%, and 25% for the HF team, cardiologists and PCPs, respectively (p < 0.0167). Patients followed by the HF team were more frequently prescribed evidence-based medications at optimal doses. This supports using specialized interprofessional HF teams to attain greater adherence to evidence-based recommendations in treating systolic HF.
Sensitivity and specificity of the AdenoPlus test for diagnosing adenoviral conjunctivitis.

OBJECTIVE To compare the clinical sensitivity and specificity of the AdenoPlus test with those of both viral cell culture (CC) with confirmatory immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) at detecting the presence of adenovirus in tear fluid. METHODS A prospective, sequential, masked, multicenter clinical trial enrolled 128 patients presenting with a clinical diagnosis of acute viral conjunctivitis from a combination of 8 private ophthalmology practices and academic centers. Patients were tested with AdenoPlus, CC-IFA, and PCR to detect the presence of adenovirus. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The sensitivity and specificity of AdenoPlus were assessed for identifying cases of adenoviral conjunctivitis. RESULTS Of the 128 patients enrolled, 36 patients' results were found to be positive by either CC-IFA or PCR and 29 patients' results were found to be positive by both CC-IFA and PCR. When compared only with CC-IFA, AdenoPlus showed a sensitivity of 90% (28/31) and specificity of 96% (93/97). When compared only with PCR, AdenoPlus showed a sensitivity of 85% (29/34) and specificity of 98% (89/91). When compared with both CC-IFA and PCR, AdenoPlus showed a sensitivity of 93% (27/29) and specificity of 98% (88/90). When compared with PCR, CC-IFA showed a sensitivity of 85% (29/34) and specificity of 99% (90/91). CONCLUSION AdenoPlus is sensitive and specific at detecting adenoviral conjunctivitis. APPLICATION TO CLINICAL PRACTICE An accurate and rapid in-office test can prevent the misdiagnosis of adenoviral conjunctivitis that leads to the spread of disease, unnecessary antibiotic use, and increased health care costs. Additionally, AdenoPlus may help a clinician make a more informed treatment decision regarding the use of novel therapeutics. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00921895.
Dosimetric benefit of DMLC tracking for conventional and sub-volume boosted prostate intensity-modulated arc radiotherapy

This study investigated the dosimetric impact of uncompensated motion and motion compensation with dynamic multileaf collimator (DMLC) tracking for prostate intensity modulated arc therapy. Two treatment approaches were investigated; a conventional approach with a uniform radiation dose to the target volume and an intraprostatic lesion (IPL) boosted approach with an increased dose to a subvolume of the prostate. The impact on plan quality of optimizations with a leaf position constraint, which limited the distance between neighbouring adjacent MLC leaves, was also investigated. Deliveries were done with and without DMLC tracking on a linear acceleration with a high-resolution MLC. A cylindrical phantom containing two orthogonal diode arrays was used for dosimetry. A motion platform reproduced six patient-derived prostate motion traces, with the average displacement ranging from 1.0 to 8.9 mm during the first 75 s. A research DMLC tracking system was used for real-time motion compensation with optical monitoring for position input. The gamma index was used for evaluation, with measurements with a static phantom or the planned dose as reference, using 2% and 2 mm gamma criteria. The average pass rate with DMLC tracking was 99.9% (range 98.7–100%, measurement as reference), whereas the pass rate for untracked deliveries decreased distinctly as the average displacement increased, with an average pass rate of 61.3% (range 32.7–99.3%). Dose–volume histograms showed that DMLC tracking maintained the planned dose distributions in the presence of motion whereas traces with >3 mm average displacement caused clear plan degradation for untracked deliveries. The dose to the rectum and bladder had an evident dependence on the motion direction and amplitude for untracked deliveries, and the dose to the rectum was slightly increased for IPL boosted plans compared to conventional plans for anterior motion with large amplitude. In conclusion, optimization using a leaf position constraint had minimal dosimetric effect, DMLC tracking improved the target and normal tissue dose distributions compared to no tracking for target motion >3 mm, with the DMLC tracking distributions showing generally good agreement between the planned and delivered doses.
Mechanism of adjuvant activity of dental plaque: in vitro activation of residual helper T-cell precursors in T-cell-deficient murine spleen cell cultures

The immunoenhancing activity of a water-soluble extract of dental plaque (DP), which contains a mixture of microbial antigens, has been investigated. DP was tested for its capacity to augment the in vitro antibody-forming cell (AFC) response to sheep erythrocyte by adherent spleen cells from thymectomized, lethally irradiated, and bone marrow-transplanted (TxB) mice. Although DP was found to induce a small polyclonal AFC response, most of the increase in AFC induced by DP was antigen dependent. The latter enhancing effect is an indicator of the adjuvanticity of DP. This adjuvant activity of DP was T-cell-dependent, since removal of the residual prethymic and/or thymic-derived lymphocytes (T-cells) by anti-T-cell serum (anti-theta) and guinea pig complement abrogated the capacity of DP to augment the in vitro AFC response. This view was further supported by the synergistic restorative effect obtained by culturing anti-theta-treated adherent spleen cells with both DP and a population of unactivated T-cells that by themselves were unable to significantly enhance AFC responsiveness. Moreover, DP was found to be mitogenic for thymocytes. The cumulative results suggest that the adjuvant activity of DP is dependent on both the T- and B-cell-activating components present in DP.
Bound attractant at the leading vs. the trailing edge determines chemotactic prowess

We have analyzed chemotaxis of neutrophil-differentiated HL60 cells in microfluidic devices that create exponential gradients of the chemoattractant, f-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP). Such gradients expose each cell to a difference in fMLP concentration (ΔC) across its diameter that is directly proportional to the ambient concentration (C) at that cell's position in the gradient, so the ratio ΔC/C is constant everywhere. Cells exposed to ambient fMLP concentrations near the constant of dissociation (Kd) for fMLP binding to its receptor (≈10 nM) crawl much less frequently when ΔC/C is 0.05 than when it is 0.09 or 0.13. Hence, cells can detect the gradient across their diameter without moving and, thus, without experiencing temporal changes in attractant concentration. At all ΔC/C ratios tested, the average chemotactic prowess of individual cells (indicated by the distance a cell traveled in the correct direction divided by the length of its migration path) is maximal for cells that start migrating at concentrations near the Kd and progressively decreases at higher or lower starting concentrations.
Le renoncement aux soins pour raisons financières : une approche économétrique

La France, bien que pourvue d’un systeme de protection sociale a vocation universelle, connait des inegalites sociales dans l’acces et l’utilisation des services de sante. L’analyse des determinants du renoncement aux soins pour raisons financieres apporte un nouvel eclairage sur cette question. En 2008, 15,4 % de la population adulte declare avoir renonce a des soins medicaux pour des raisons financieres au cours des douze derniers mois. Les barrieres financieres se concentrent sur les soins dentaires (10 % de la population concernee) et, dans une moindre mesure, l’optique (4,1 %) et les consultations de medecins generalistes et specialistes (3,4 %). Ces difficultes d’acces aux soins sont en partie expliquees par les limites du systeme de protection sociale. L’absence de couverture complementaire est un facteur important du renoncement aux soins alors que la CMU-C en facilite l’acces. Neanmoins, cette etude revele d’autres facteurs de renoncement lies a l’histoire de vie, en particulier la situation sociale passee, presente ainsi que les perspectives d’avenir. Cette etude demontre aussi que les prix pratiques par les professionnels de sante qui peuvent fixer librement leurs honoraires jouent sur l’accessibilite des soins. Des travaux socio-anthropologiques, publies simultanement (Despres et al.,2011), confirment l’interet de l’approche par le renoncement financier pour l’etude de l’acces aux services de sante et la pertinence des approches quantitatives multivariees.
Matrix metalloproteinase‐8 inhibitors mitigate sepsis‐induced myocardial injury in rats

Background Sepsis‐induced myocardial injury (SIMI) is caused by a variety of mechanisms. The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of metalloproteinase‐8 (MMP‐8) on SIMI and its mechanisms in rats. Methods Forty male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: MMP‐8 inhibitor (M8I), dexamethasone (DEX), sepsis, and sham groups. The sepsis model was established by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Rats in the M8I group immediately received an intraperitoneal injection of M8I (0.1 mg/kg) after CLP. Rats in the DEX group immediately received an intraperitoneal (IP) injection of DEX (2 mg/kg). Rats in the sepsis and sham groups received intraperitoneal injections of normal saline. Rats were sacrificed 12 hours after CLP. Paraffin sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin to observe the myocardium. The myocardial ultrastructure was observed with transmission electron microscopy. MMP‐8, tumor necrosis factor‐&agr; (TNF‐&agr;), and interleukin‐1&bgr; (IL‐1&bgr;) were detected by immunohistochemistry. The expression of MMP‐8 was measured by Western blotting. TNF‐&agr; and IL‐1&bgr; levels in serum and myocardial tissue were determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Results Compared with the sham group, the myocardium in the sepsis group was seriously injured. MMP‐8, TNF‐&agr; and IL‐1&bgr; expression was higher in the sepsis group than in the sham group. Treatment with M8I or DEX, however, attenuated sepsis induced histopathological changes in the heart, and was associated with significant reductions in serum and myocardial levels of TNF‐&agr; and IL‐1&bgr; (P <0.05). M8I significantly inhibited MMP‐8 expression in myocardial tissue (P <0.05). In addition, treatment with DEX was not associated with a change in myocardial levels of MMP‐8 (P>0.05). Conclusion MMP‐8 inhibitor attenuated myocardial injury in septic rats, which might be related to reduced expression of TNF‐&agr; and IL‐1&bgr;.
Trefoil factor 3 mediation of oncogenicity and chemoresistance in hepatocellular carcinoma is AKT-BCL-2 dependent

The efficacious treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a challenge, partially being attributed to intrinsic chemoresistance. Previous reports have observed increased TFF3 expression in HCC. Herein, we investigated the functional role of TFF3 in progression of HCC, and in both intrinsic and acquired chemoresistance. TFF3 expression was observed to be upregulated in HCC and associated with poor clinicopathological features and worse patient survival outcome. Functionally, forced expression of TFF3 in HCC cell lines increased cell proliferation, cell survival, anchorage-independent and 3D matrigel growth, cell invasion and migration, and in vivo tumor growth. In contrast, depleted expression of TFF3 decreased the oncogenicity of HCC cells as indicated by the above parameters. Furthermore, forced expression of TFF3 decreased doxorubicin sensitivity of HCC cells, which was attributed to increased doxorubicin efflux and cancer stem cell-like behavior of Hep3B cells. In contrast, depletion of TFF3 increased doxorubicin sensitivity and decreased cancer stem cell-like behavior of Hep3B cells. Correspondingly, TFF3 expression was markedly increased in Hep3B cells with acquired doxorubicin resistance, while the depletion of TFF3 resulted in re-sensitization of the Hep3B cells to doxorubicin. The increased doxorubicin efflux and enhanced cancer stem cell-like behavior of the doxorubicin-resistant Hep3B cells was observed to be dependent on TFF3 expression. In addition, we determined that TFF3-stimulated oncogenicity and chemoresistance in HCC cells was mediated by AKT-dependent expression of BCL-2. Hence, therapeutic inhibition of TFF3 should be considered to hinder HCC progression and overcome intrinsic and acquired chemoresistance in HCC.
Thrombospondin-4 divergently regulates voltage-gated Ca2+ channel subtypes in sensory neurons after nerve injury

Abstract Loss of high-voltage–activated (HVA) calcium current (ICa) and gain of low-voltage–activated (LVA) ICa after painful peripheral nerve injury cause elevated excitability in sensory neurons. Nerve injury is also accompanied by increased expression of the extracellular matrix glycoprotein thrombospondin-4 (TSP4), and interruption of TSP4 function can reverse or prevent behavioral hypersensitivity after injury. We therefore investigated TSP4 regulation of ICa in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. During depolarization adequate to activate HVA ICa, TSP4 decreases both N- and L-type ICa and the associated intracellular calcium transient. In contrast, TSP4 increases ICa and the intracellular calcium signal after low-voltage depolarization, which we confirmed is due to ICa through T-type channels. These effects are blocked by gabapentin, which ameliorates neuropathic pain by targeting the &agr;2&dgr;1 calcium subunit. Injury-induced changes of HVA and LVA ICa are attenuated in TSP4 knockout mice. In the neuropathic pain model of spinal nerve ligation, TSP4 application did not further regulate ICa of injured DRG neurons. Taken together, these findings suggest that elevated TSP4 after peripheral nerve injury may contribute to hypersensitivity of peripheral sensory systems by decreasing HVA and increasing LVA in DRG neurons by targeting the &agr;2&dgr;1 calcium subunit. Controlling TSP4 overexpression in peripheral sensory neurons may be a target for analgesic drug development for neuropathic pain.
Peranan Hakim Dalam Upaya Penegakkan Hukum Di Indonesia

Law enforcement needs strong structuring. As said by Satjipto Rahardjo, that law enforcement (modern) is run by the components of the civil servant officer. Therefore, the behavior of the legal structure of the civil servant officer in Indonesia becomes very important to be highlighted in the process of law enforcement. Law enforcement in Indonesia is still not fit from what is expected, one reason is still a difference between theory and practice. Between the rules and the practice is still very much there are differences that cause we always find it difficult to build a state of law. In this study will be the discussion is about, "How do judges play a role in law enforcement efforts in the achievement of supremacy of law in Indonesia? " This researcy writing in normative legal research methods, because the authors didn’t make a field studies. Materials studies the authors used only a secondary data only, which consists of primary legal materials in the form of legislation, secondary legal materials, in the form of books, papers, journals relating to the writing of this study. The verdict must reflect the sense of justice of the law against anyone. A well-known Muslim jurist Abu Hanifa found that judicial power should have freedom from all forms of pressure and interference in the executive power, the freedom even extends to the authority of the judge to impose its decision on a ruling if it violates people's rights.
The origin and evolution of a regional pediatric practice-based research network: practical and methodological lessons from the Pediatric Practice Research Group.

T he vast majority of child health care delivery occurs in the community setting and centers on preventive care. A broad range of patients, varying in severity of illness, seeks care in officebased settings. However, much of child health research is concentrated at academic medical centers. In that setting, the major focus of research often is directed toward clinical and functional outcomes of children with serious illnesses. A limitation of studies in the hospital setting is that they are subject to "Berkson's bias," that is, they provide a limited view of health as the result of the types of patients and severity of illnesses seen in the hospital. 1.2 Therefore, research conducted in the community is needed to address the health issues that arise there. The Pediatric Practice Research Group (PPRG), an 18-year-old, regional, practice-based research network, was formed to meet the need for a communitybased research "laboratory" for child health research focused on issues central to the delivery of preventive pediatric care and across the spectrum of health and illness. In addition, research located in the practice setting can provide the opportunity to study normal children and their development, obtain normal control
Untrimmed CMOS Nano-Ampere Current Reference with Curvature-Compensation Scheme

This paper presents an untrimmed stable CMOS Nano-Ampere current reference over a wide temperature range with curvature-compensation scheme which is realized by utility self-biased CMOS β-multiplier circuit and operating near to zero-temperature coefficient of MOSFET. Besides, analysis of the proposed circuit is illustrated. The current reference is 142.5 nA with temperature coefficient (TC) of 40 ppm/ °C over a temperature range from −40 °C to 85 °C and the line sensitivity is 1.45%/V in a range of supply voltage from 1.2 V to 2 V. The proposed current reference consumes a silicon area of 0.02 mm2 and simulation results of the post-layout reveal that the current reference and the TC are deviated by 0.2 nA and 0.69 ppm/°C, respectively. The proposed circuit is designed and taped-out in 0.18 μm CMOS technology with single supply voltage of 1.8 V.
Setting lower bounds on truthfulness: extended abstract

We present and discuss general techniques for proving inapproximability results for truthful mechanisms. We make use of these techniques to prove lower bounds on the approximability of several non-utilitarian multi-parameter problems. In particular, we demonstrate the strength of our techniques by exhibiting a lower bound of 2 - 1/m for the scheduling problem with unrelated machines (formulated as a mechanism design problem in the seminal paper of Nisan and Ronen on Algorithmic Mechanism Design). Our lower bound applies to truthful randomized mechanisms (disregarding any computational assumptions on the running time of these mechanisms). Moreover, it holds even for the weaker notion of truthfulness for randomized mechanisms - i.e., truthfulness in expectation. This lower bound nearly matches the known 7/4 (randomized) truthful upper bound for the case of two machines (a non-truthful FPTAS exists). No lower bound for truthful randomized mechanisms in multi-parameter settings was previously known. We show an application of our techniques to the workload-minimization problem in networks. We prove our lower bounds for this problem in the inter-domain routing setting presented by Feigenbaum, Papadimitriou, Sami, and Shenker. Finally, we discuss several notions of non-utilitarian "fairness" (Max-Min fairness, Min-Max fairness, and envy minimization). We show how our techniques can be used to prove lower bounds for these notions.
Control of White-Opaque Phenotypic Switching inCandida albicans by the Efg1p Morphogenetic Regulator

ABSTRACT Phenotypic switching in Candida albicans spontaneously generates different cellular morphologies and is manifested in strain WO-1 by the reversible switching between the white and opaque phenotypes. We present evidence that phenotypic switching is regulated by the Efg1 protein, which is known as an essential element of hyphal development (dimorphism). Firstly, EFG1 is expressed specifically in cells of the white but not the opaque phenotype. During mass conversion from the opaque to the white phenotype, theEFG1 transcript level correlates with competence of switching of opaque cells to the white form. Secondly, overexpression of EFG1 by a PCK1p-EFG1 fusion forces opaque-phase cells to switch to the white form with a high level of efficiency. Thirdly, low-level expression of EFG1 in strain CAI-8 generates a cellular phenotype similar to that of opaque cells in that cells bud as short rods, which cannot be induced to form hyphae in standard conditions; such cells (unlike authentic opaque cells) lack typical surface “pimples. ” Importantly, the opaque-specificOP4 transcript is induced in the opaque-like cells generated by strain CAI8 as a response to low-level expression ofEFG1. The results suggest that high EFG1expression levels induce and maintain the white cell form while lowEFG1 expression levels induce and maintain the opaque cell form. It is proposed that changes in EFG1 expression determine or contribute to phenotypic switching events in C. albicans.