Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Activities of Clindamycin, Daptomycin, Doxycycline, Linezolid, Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole, and Vancomycin against Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus with Inducible Clindamycin Resistance in Murine Thigh Infection and In Vitro Pharmacodynamic Models

ABSTRACT Controversy exists about the most effective treatment options for community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) and about the ability of these strains to develop inducible resistance to clindamycin during therapy. Using both in vitro pharmacodynamic and murine thigh infection models, we evaluated and compared several antimicrobial compounds against CA-MRSA. Strains with inducible macrolide lincosamide-streptogramin type B (iMLSB) resistance and strains in which resistance was noninducible were evaluated. Two levels of inocula (105 and 107) were evaluated for clindamycin activity in the in vivo model. In both models, the antimicrobial evaluation was performed in triplicate, and bacterial quantification occurred over 72 h, with drug doses that were designed to simulate the free drug area-under-the-concentration-time curve values (fAUCs) obtained from human samples. When the activity of clindamycin against the iMLSB strains was evaluated, constitutive resistance was noted at 24 h (MIC of >256), and failure was noted at an inoculum of ≥106 in the in vivo models. However, at a low inoculum (105) in the murine thigh-infection model, clindamycin demonstrated modest activity, reducing the CFU/thigh count for clindamycin resistance-inducible strains at 72 h (0.45 to 1.3 logs). Overall, administration of daptomycin followed by vancomycin demonstrated the most significant kill against all strains in both models. Against the clindamycin noninducible strain, clindamycin and doxycycline demonstrated significant kill. Doxycycline, linezolid, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazide (not run in the murine model) demonstrated bacteriostatic activity against clindamycin resistance-inducible isolates. This study demonstrates that clindamycin's activity against the iMLSB strains tested is partially impacted by inoculum size. At present, there are several alternatives that appear promising for treating clindamycin resistance-inducible strains of CA-MRSA.
Quantified Constraint Satisfaction and Bounded Treewidth

Because the constraint satisfaction problem (CSP) is in general intractable, restricted cases of the CSP that are polynomial-time tractable have been heavily sought after. One class of restrictions that has been studied are variable-based restrictions, which concern the interaction among variables. In this paper, we consider the quantified constraint satisfaction problem (QCSP), a framework more general than the CSP. We present a QCSP tractability result arising from variable-based restrictions by giving a polynomial time algorithm for certain classes of QCSP instances having bounded treewidth.
Proliferation (Ki-67 and Phosphohistone H3) and Oncotype DX Recurrence Score in Estrogen Receptor-positive Breast Cancer

The Oncotype DX Recurrence Score (RS) is often used in lymph node-negative, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer to refine prognosis and direct therapy. Its utility is limited by its cost, proprietary nature, and turnaround time. Markers of proliferation factor heavily into determination of RS. Our aim is to correlate expression of proliferation markers Ki-67 and phosphohistone H3 (PPH3) with RS and other prognostic indicators. Estrogen receptor-positive invasive breast carcinomas from 133 patients with Oncotype DX testing were selected. Representative tumor sections were stained with MIB1, a monoclonal antibody that reacts against Ki-67, and antibody to PPH3. Nuclear staining was quantitated through an automated imaging system. The percentage of positive cells was scored as low (<10%), intermediate (10% to 20%), or high (>20%) for Ki-67, and low (<2%), intermediate (2% to 5%), or high (>5%) for PPH3. Expression of both markers was compared with RS and clinicopathologic parameters including grade, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and angiolymphatic invasion. Ki-67 and PPH3 expression were both significantly associated with RS (P=0.02 and P=0.027, respectively) and grade (P<0.001 and P=0.002, respectively). Ki-67 expression correlated with angiolymphatic invasion (P=0.01) but not with tumor size or lymph node metastasis; PPH3 expression showed no association with any of these 3 parameters. Expression of proliferation markers Ki-67 and PPH3 by immunohistochemistry is significantly correlated with RS and tumor grade. This observation suggests that immunohistochemical assessment of markers of proliferation may provide useful prognostic information, at lower cost than RS testing.
Indoor Location Service Based on Fingerprinting and Distance Relative Attenuation Model

WIFI location service has become an attractive research filed for wisdom city nowadays. However, the precision is a challenging problem faced by researchers. In this paper, a new algorithm for indoor localization using WLAN signal strengths is proposed. The objective of the work was to design a simple and efficient indoor positioning algorithm with good accuracy. The proposed algorithm uses the fingerprinting technique as a pre-processing step. The second step is the application of a new model, named Distance Relative Attenuation Model, which both considers the nonlinear attenuation and the random noise from environment, to improve the veracity. The results show that the proposed algorithm has better accuracy compared with basic fingerprinting technique and basic Distance Attenuation Model. Thus, it is a simple and effective indoor positioning scheme.
Discussion on Economic and Energy Balances of Forest Biomass Utilization for Small-Scale Power Generation in Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan

Nacrtak In this study, the economic and energy balances of forest biomass utilization for small-scale power generation are discussed, considering the spatial distribution of the forest biomass resources using the geographic information system (GIS) in the Kanuma area of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. First, the optimum scales of two power-generation plants are discussed. For a direct combustion power-generation plant operating at an optimum scale of 5 MW generation capacity, the electricity cost would be 23.7 yen/kWh. For a small-scale gasification power plant operating at an optimal scale of 2.4 MW generation capacity, the electricity cost would be 12.8 yen/kWh. As the average electricity price in Japan is 22.2 yen/kWh, the electricity generated from the small-scale gasification power-generation plant could be economical. The energy balance and CO2 emissions from the energy utilization of forest biomass resources were analyzed using the life cycle inventory (LCI) method. For both types of power generation, the ratio of energy output to input was calculated to be about 20, indicating that the system examined in this study could be feasible as an energy production system. The CO2 emission from the direct combustion power generation with a generation capacity of 5 MW was 754.9 tCO2/year, while the CO2 emission of the small-scale gasification power plant with a generation capacity of 2.4 MW was 381.9 tCO2/year. However, the reductions in the amount of CO2 emission that would result from replacing fossil fuel were 15,707 tCO2/year and 6,275 tCO2/year, respectively. 1 = 114 yen on June 27, 2011.
Initial Evidence That Letter Fluency Tasks Are Valid Indicators of Early Reading Skill

This longitudinal investigation evaluated the validity of letter-name fluency (LNF) and nonsense word fluency (NWF) measures as indicators of early reading skill with a sample of 39 kindergarten children. In the spring of kindergarten and first grade, these children responded to a battery of language, reading-related, and reading measures. Construct and social consequential validity were evaluated through concurrent and predictive criterion-related validity coefficients, multiple regression analyses, and classification analysis. Evidence supportive of validity was found for both fluency measures, with NWF receiving the strongest support. Both fluency measures were more sensitive to poor reader status in first grade than any other measure when reading was defined by oral reading fluency. These findings extend the usefulness of NWF to the early identification of kindergarten students.
Six1 and Six4 homeoproteins are required for Pax3 and Mrf expression during myogenesis in the mouse embryo

In mammals, Six5, Six4 and Six1 genes are co-expressed during mouse myogenesis. Six4 and Six5 single knockout (KO) mice have no developmental defects, while Six1 KO mice die at birth and show multiple organ developmental defects. We have generated Six1Six4 double KO mice and show an aggravation of the phenotype previously reported for the single Six1 KO. Six1Six4 double KO mice are characterized by severe craniofacial and rib defects, and general muscle hypoplasia. At the limb bud level, Six1 and Six4 homeogenes control early steps of myogenic cell delamination and migration from the somite through the control of Pax3 gene expression. Impaired in their migratory pathway, cells of the somitic ventrolateral dermomyotome are rerouted, lose their identity and die by apoptosis. At the interlimb level, epaxial Met expression is abolished, while it is preserved in Pax3-deficient embryos. Within the myotome, absence of Six1 and Six4 impairs the expression of the myogenic regulatory factors myogenin and Myod1, and Mrf4 expression becomes undetectable. Myf5 expression is correctly initiated but becomes restricted to the caudal region of each somite. Early syndetomal expression of scleraxis is reduced in the Six1Six4 embryo, while the myotomal expression of Fgfr4 and Fgf8 but not Fgf4 and Fgf6 is maintained. These results highlight the different roles played by Six proteins during skeletal myogenesis.
Analytical Design of Passive LCL Filter for Three-Phase Two-Level Power Factor Correction Rectifiers

This paper proposes a comprehensive analytical LCL filter design method for three-phase two-level power factor correction rectifiers (PFCs). The high-frequency converter current ripple generates the high-frequency current harmonics that need to be attenuated with respect to the grid standards. Studying the high-frequency current of each element proposes a noniterative solution for designing an LCL filter. In this paper, the converter current ripple is thoroughly analyzed to generalize the current ripple behavior and find the maximum current ripple for sinusoidal pulse width modulation (PWM) and third-harmonic injection PWM. Consequently, the current ripple is used to accurately determine the required filter capacitance based on the maximum charge of the filter capacitor. To choose the grid-side inductance, two methods are investigated. First method uses the structure of the damping to express the grid-side filter inductance as a function of the converter current ripple. Reducing the power loss in the filter and optimizing the grid-side filter inductance is the main focus of the second method which is achieved by employing line impedance stabilization network (LISN). Accordingly, two LCL filters are designed for a 5 kW silicon-carbide-based three-phase PFC. Various experimental scenarios are performed to verify the filters attenuation and performance.
"TenisRank": A new ranking of tennis players based on PageRank

In the light of the need to achieve a ranking which is understood by all tennis supporters, the ATP ranking is exposed to constant complaints from players and at the same time exposes new players to be benefited with a good tournament to be able to start progressing in their careers. Moreover, the ATP ranking is not powerful enough to predict with certainty who will be the winner of a match if we are based solely on the positions. In order to combat these problems, the idea of creating a new ranking that can indicate what are the real chances of victory of a player before the start of a new tournament arises. Based on the PageRank method, generated by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, we created a new ranking that specifically uses the characteristics of the tournament to generate data. Based on a history of 40,000 matches, we intend to evaluate how the new method is performed as compared to other existing rankings in order to analyze if we really achieved an improved and real reflection. Once we have obtained the ranking, we intend to evaluate, taking a sample game, the ranking of the players that dispute it and the characteristics of such game to be able to indicate the precise probability for the player with better ranking to win the game.
Relationship Enhancement with Premarital Dyads: A Six-Month Follow-Up.

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to assess the short-term and longterm effectiveness of relationship enhancement on the self-disclosure and empathy skills of premarital dating couples. Nineteen couples were given the Guerney Relationship Enhancement Program over an eight week period, while 18 other couples were given a lecture/discussion program on relationship development. Behavioral assessments of self-disclosure and empathy skill levels were taken prior to training, immediately following training, and six months after training. Results indicated that from both pretest to posttest and pretest to follow-up, the relationship enhancement couples, relative to the lecture/discussion couples, demonstrated a significant increase in both self-disclosure and empathy skill levels. Discussion centers on the implications of the durability of the skills learned as well as on suggestions for future research on skill generalization to social interactions with others.
Node-independent elementary signaling modes: A measure of redundancy in Boolean signaling transduction networks

Abstract The redundancy of a system denotes the amount of duplicate components or mechanisms in it. For a network, especially one in which mass or information is being transferred from an origin to a destination, redundancy is related to the robustness of the system. Existing network measures of redundancy rely on local connectivity (e.g. clustering coefficients) or the existence of multiple paths. As in many systems there are functional dependencies between components and paths, a measure that not only characterizes the topology of a network, but also takes into account these functional dependencies, becomes most desirable. We propose a network redundancy measure in a prototypical model that contains functionally dependent directed paths: a Boolean model of a signal transduction network. The functional dependencies are made explicit by using an expanded network and the concept of elementary signaling modes (ESMs). We define the redundancy of a Boolean signal transduction network as the maximum number of node-independent ESMs and develop a methodology for identifying all maximal node-independent ESM combinations. We apply our measure to a number of signal transduction network models and show that it successfully distills known properties of the systems and offers new functional insights. The concept can be easily extended to similar related forms, e.g. edge-independent ESMs.
Genetic and molecular analysis of the CLDN14 gene in Moroccan family with non-syndromic hearing loss

BACKGROUND: Hearing loss is the most prevalent human genetic sensorineural defect. Mutations in the CLDN14 gene, encoding the tight junction claudin 14 protein expressed in the inner ear, have been shown to cause non-syndromic recessive hearing loss DFNB29. AIM: We describe a Moroccan SF7 family with non-syndromic hearing loss. We performed linkage analysis in this family and sequencing to identify the mutation causing deafness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Genetic linkage analysis, suggested the involvement of CLDN14 and KCNE1 gene in deafness in this family. Mutation screening was performed using direct sequencing of the CLDN14 and KCNE1 coding exon gene. RESULTS: Our results show the presence of c.11C>T mutation in the CLDN14 gene. Transmission analysis of this mutation in the family showed that the three affected individuals are homozygous, whereas parents and three healthy individuals are heterozygous. This mutation induces a substitution of threonine to methionine at position 4. CONCLUSION: These data show that CLDN14 gene can be i mplicated in the development of hearing loss in SF7 family; however, the pathogenicity of c.11C>T mutation remains to be determined.
Denoising autoencoder and environment adaptation for distant-talking speech recognition with asynchronous speech recording

In this paper, we propose a robust distant-talking speech recognition system with asynchronous speech recording. This is implemented by combining denoising autoencoder-based cepstral-domain dereverberation, automatic asynchronous speech (microphone or mobile terminal) selection and environment adaptation. Although applications using mobile terminals have attracted increasing attention, there are few studies that focus on distant-talking speech recognition with asynchronous mobile terminals. For the system proposed in this paper, after applying a denoising autoencoder in the cepstral domain of speech to suppress reverberation and performing Large Vocabulary Continuous Speech Recognition (LVCSR), we adopted automatic asynchronous mobile terminal selection and environment adaptation using speech segments from optimal mobile terminals. The proposed method was evaluated using a reverberant WSJCAMO corpus, which was emitted by a loudspeaker and recorded in a meeting room with multiple speakers by far-field multiple mobile terminals. By integrating a cepstral-domain denoising autoencoder and automatic mobile terminal selection with environment adaptation, the average Word Error Rate (WER) was reduced from 51.8% of the baseline system to 28.8%, i.e., the relative error reduction rate was 44.4% when using multi-condition acoustic models.
Structure and motion from image sequences

In this paper an approach is presented that obtains virtual models from sequences of images. The system can deal with uncalibrated image sequences acquired with a hand held camera. Based on tracked or matched features the relations between multiple views are computed. From this both the structure of the scene and the motion of the camera are retrieved. The ambiguity on the reconstruction is restricted from projective to metric through auto-calibration. A flexible multi-view stereo matching scheme is used to obtain a dense estimation of the surface geometry. From the computed data virtual models can be constructed or, inversely, virtual models can be included in the original images.
A generic expression system to produce proteins that co-assemble with alkane thiol SAM

Surface biology aims to observe and control biological processes by combining bio-, surface, and physical chemistry. Self-assembled monolayers (SAM) on gold surfaces have provided excellent methods for nanoscale surface preparation for such studies. However, extension of this work requires the specific immobilization of whole protein domains and the direct incorporation of recombinant proteins into SAM is still problematic. In this study a short random coil peptide has been designed to insert into thioalkane layers by formation of a hydrophobic helix. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) studies show that specific immobilization via the internal cysteine is achieved. Addition of the peptide sequence to the terminus of a protein at the genetic level enables the production of a range of recombinant fusion-proteins with good yield. SPR shows that the proteins display the same gold-binding behavior as the peptide. It is shown that cell growth control can be achieved by printing the proteins using soft lithography with subsequent infilling with thioalkanes The expression plasmid is constructed so that any stable protein domain can be easily cloned, expressed, purified and immobilized.
Would the ‘real’ girl gamer please stand up? Gender, LAN cafés and the reformulation of the ‘girl’ gamer

In this paper we consider the significance of cyber ‘LAN’ cafés as sites where on and off‐line practices meet in way that complicates binary notions of the gendered gamer. Existing research into computer games culture suggests a male dominated environment and points to girls’ lower levels of competence and participation in games. Building on recent studies interested in the constitution of gender through engagement with online technologies, we draw on Judith Butler’s politics of performative resignification, and conceptualise digital culture as a resource through which ‘girl’ gamers are mobilised and potentially reformulated, experiencing their gaming identities in contradictory ways, and fragmenting the category ‘girl’ in the very act of articulating their place in a male dominated gaming culture. It is argued that through the meeting of on and off‐line practices, LAN cafés operate as a location that is particularly amenable to reformulative work in relation to gendered gaming identities.
Mentoring in a Post‐Affirmative Action World

Mentoring can be an effective strategy in improving retention of college students and faculty from fields where historical underrepresentation has occurred. This article reviews the benefits of mentoring in higher education, and identifies components of effective mentoring strategies that promote educational and career advancement. It illustrates how effective programs can be institutionalized and scaled through consortial and national collaborations. Traditional and alternative mentoring models are described through four successful programs designed to increase the academic and professional success of undergraduates, graduate students, and junior faculty. The article concludes with a set of general recommendations and caveats gleaned from the literature and programs reviewed.
UC Irvine UC Irvine Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Modeling

OF THE THESIS Constant-Envelope Modulation Schemes with Turbo Coding By Nistha Tandiya Master of Science in Electrical Engineering University of California, Irvine, 2015 Professor Ender Ayanoglu, Chair The communication infrastructure is one of the biggest energy consumers in the world. With the expected exponential growth in the demand for wireless traffic, it becomes the foremost priority to make the communication systems energy-efficient. In this work, we will explore two energy efficiency enhancement techniques: Constant-Envelope modulation and Turbo coding. In Constantenvelope modulation, the high Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR) signal is transformed into a constant-envelope phase modulated signal. Thus the PAPR of the signal reduces to 0 dB, enabling the power amplifiers at the transmitter to work at the energy-efficient operational point. The second technique known as Turbo coding, has been known to perform very close to the theoretical bounds. Thus when Turbo codes are applied on a modulation scheme, there is a significant improvement in bit-error-rate performance. Consequently, the number of retransmissions is decreased which helps to conserve power at the transmitter. In this thesis, we will explore the application of these two established techniques for the modulation schemes used in 3GPP LTE standards: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA). We will also present their comparisons in terms of bit-error-rate and spectral efficiency.